In Irelanda��s Dilapidated East, lift in medieval castles, Viking strongholds, Norman retains, early Christian monasteries, Georgian properties, thatched cottages, standard pubs, and museum treasures. These heritage towns are saturated in tales of the past a�� true attach a question to any native and theya��ll regale you with unparalleled folklore. Wea��ve integrated iconic websites, new tours, and spots the locals frequent.
This seaside village is a listed medieval heritage town. The thirteenth-century King Johna��s Castle juts out into the water, and is backed by a dinky town with a maze of laneways now bustling with energetic pubs and eateries. Lunge by the Tholsel, the arched gate into the once-walled town, and level to the two fortified tower homes a�� the Mint and Taaffea��s Castle. Take a look at out the hovering arches of the Dominican Friary established in 1305. You too can search the recommendation of with the Carlingford Heritage Center, or better but, hear towna��s tales first hand on a strolling tour with Carlingford Walks. Then head to PJa��s Oyster Bar & Restaurant established in 1777 to trip Carlingford oysters, Taaffea��s Red Ale, and stay song. You too can lift the Scenic Carlingford Ferry to investigate cross-test Greencastle Royal Castle guarding the varied aspect of the lough.
The ruins of Orderly Castle, the largest Anglo-Norman fortress in Ireland, dominate this heritage town along the Boyne River. The 12th-century fortress surrounded by a curtain wall and moat was once featured in the film Braveheart (1995). A bridge connects the fortress to medieval ruins at some stage in the river a�� the Yellow Steeple at St. Marya��s Abbey and Talbot Castle, mature house of author Jonathan Swift. Raise the River Lunge along the Boyne to the ruins of the thirteenth century Priory of St. John the Baptist and Saints Peter & Paul Cathedral. Loads of extinct-long-established pubs provide standard song, along side The Extinct Stand, James Griffin Pub, and Marcie Regana��s Pub. Defend in nearby Bellinter Rental, a stone Palladian mansion in-constructed 1750, and treat yourself to afternoon tea or a normal seaweed tub on the Bathhouse Spa. Halt by, plod along the Gothic arches of the Cloisters at Bective Abbey founded in 1147.
Birra��s stately Georgian buildings give it heritage place of dwelling, however the essential person attraction is Birr Castle Gardens & Science Center. Ita��s the centuries-extinct space of the Earls of Rosse, who had been illustrious astronomers, botanists, and engineers. On the grounds is the Gigantic Telescope in-constructed the 1840s that was once the enviornmenta��s largest for 70 years standing 40 feet high with a seven-foot-diameter tube that led to the discovery of the spiral nature of galaxies. The Science Center reveals the familya��s pioneering discoveries. The formal gardens host the enviornmenta��s tallest field hedges, plus uncommon vegetation. Deem about occasions at Birr Theatre and Arts Centre, a Victorian constructing thata��s house to the Birr Stage Guild. Have a pint with Worn Cottage Pie at The Thatch Crinkill, a 200-twelve months-extinct thatched roof pub and restaurant. Idea your day out around the Birr Classic Week and Arts Pageant in August, celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2018.
Irelanda��s handiest-preserved medieval city is bookended by the faithful 12th-century Kilkenny Castle with prolonged portrait gallery to the south, and St. Canicea��s Cathedral and Spherical Tower to the north. Accumulate a chooka��s eye peek from the tip of the ninth-century round tower, one in all true two on this planet you may also serene climb. Within the once-walled town is the Medieval Mile, packed with historical websites. Unearth 800 years of historical past on the new Medieval Mile Museum, or hear it firsthand on a Pat Tynan Kilkenny Strolling Tour. Consult with Rothe Rental, a 17th-century merchanta��s house with artifacts and costumes. The Smithwicka��s Experience on the brewery relationship to 1710 sides a guided tour on the historical past of brewing, plus a tasting. Cease at Kytelera��s Inn doing alternate for seven centuries and hear the legend of the witch of Kilkenny over a pint. Tynana��s Bridge Rental Bar retains its Victorian internal with carved wood and gaslights, whereas M.L. Dore Nostalgia CafA�a��s antique-stuffed dA�cor sets the scene for afternoon tea.
The marina in Contemporary Ross hosts the Dunbrody Famine Ship & Irish Emigrant Experience with a reproduction of an 1845 three-masted a�?coffin ship.a�? The museum expands on emigration and a success Irish figures in The US, along side Patrick Kennedy, enormous-grandfather of President John F. Kennedy who left on the Dunbrody for Boston. Also on the marina is a lifestyles-size bronze statue of President Kennedy extending his hand that shines from each person shaking it. The President visited his family on the nearby Kennedy Space condominium in 1947 and 1963, and his family serene farm the land. The consumer heart right here reveals the deepest aspect of his search the recommendation of with and the historical past of the prestigious family. The John F. Kennedy Arboretum is a 623-acre memorial with four,500 forms of trees and shrubs celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2018. Earlier Norman historical past is printed in Dunbrody Abbey and Castle founded in 1170 with an infinite Yew hedge maze on the grounds. The Ros Tapestry exhibition, Europea��s largest embroidered tapestry, sides 15 panels depicting towna��s Norman historical past in thread, produced by volunteer stitchers.
This picturesque seaside town has one in all the largest concentrations of thatched cottages in Ireland, and sides protected strands, sea cliff walks, and views at some stage in the harbor to Hook Lighthouse. The sheltered harbor was once constructed 200 years ago to host the important thing standard mail boat to England and sides a stone lighthouse designed as a fluted Doric column a�� the Dunmore East Bicentennial Pageant marks the anniversary in September with regattas and maritime theme. Therea��s a brand new Coastal Lunge along the headlands from the harbor to Portally. Defend in the Haven Hotel, a manse in-constructed 1864 with classic vintage dA�cor. The summer social scene at sunset revolves around the Strand Hotel and Restaurant the place there is stay song nightly and dining on the exterior terrace overlooking the seashore. Go for the Duncannon Mussels or Strand Seafood Pie. Later, investigate cross-test the thatched Aggie Hayesa�� Pub with a turf fire established in 1730, or Energya��s Bar, a fishermena��s pub on the harbor with standard standard song sessions thata��s acknowledged as a�?The Butchera��sa�? among locals from when it was once a mixed pub-grocery-butcher shop.
Waterford is Irelanda��s oldest city, with archaeological evidence of Viking settlement in the tenth century. The Waterford Treasures, three museums covering 1,100 years of historical past, are the highlight of the Viking Triangle. First is Reginalda��s Tower exhibiting Viking artifacts, along side a warriora��s sword and a reproduction Viking longboat on the doorway. Subsequent is the Medieval Museum a�� dona��t pass over the ornate vestments of spun gold relationship to 1460. The Bishopa��s Palace, a gargantuan 18th-century space, chronicles Waterford historical past from 1700 to 1970. All the contrivance by the toll road is the Rental of Waterford Crystal founded in 1783 with historical past and craftsmanship featured on the guided tour. The Memoir Tour of the Viking Triangle presents historical perspective and get entry to to six nationwide monuments. Raise in a performance at Theatre Royal, Irelanda��s oldest continuously working theatre relationship to 1785. Defend in Waterford Castle, a five-essential person Island Resort, relationship to the sixteenth century and reached by ferry crossing. It was once as of late renovated and restored to mature glory with antiques, tapestries, and Waterford crystal chandeliers. Falconry and magnificent delicacies are further highlights.
Reginald's Tower in Waterford is Ireland's oldest civic constructing and dates to the thirteenth century.
Cashel sits in the a�?Golden Valea�? a lush condominium that is one in all most prized in all of Ireland. With rolling farm lands, spectacular ruins, and the charming retailer facades expose in smaller towns, Cashel is effectively liked by guests. The Rock of Cashel commands consideration right here, a as of late restored fortress sitting atop a high limestone outcropping with cathedral and buildings relationship to the 12th and thirteenth centuries, round tower, Celtic crosses, and the oldest Romanesque wall paintings in the country. Brian Boru was once topped Excessive King of Ireland right here in 990. For ruins to kick around without the crowds, head to Hore Abbey, founded in 1266. The Cashel Town Mosey takes in 20 historical websites around town, along side a thatched peasanta��s cottage, fortified tower condominium, and Cashel People Village. Appropriate south of town is Athassel Abbey, the largest medieval priory in Ireland stretching over four acres along the River Suir. Dine on the atmospheric Chez Hans Restaurant, serving connoisseur delicacies in an extinct church. High off the night at T.J. Ryana��s Bar, established in the 1600s and complete of bric-a-brac.
Climb the 100 twenty-foot-high tower at St. Annea��s Church to get the lay of this bustling city and play a tune on the Bells of Shandon. You too can get panoramic views of Cork Harbor, as effectively because the expanse of the universe, from Blackrock Castle Observatory. There are also moral city views from the tip of the essential person-formed partitions at Elizabeth Fortress that saw dash in the 1690 Siege of Cork. The city was once the important thing provisioning port-of-demand British ships crusing to the Contemporary World, and the English Market established in 1788 continues to produce native artisan meals specialties love spotted dog bread and buttered eggs. The city once hosted the enviornmenta��s largest butter market, outlined in the Cork Butter Museum. The Franciscan Smartly Brewery and Brewpub is found in thirteenth-century Shandon Friary, an evocative place to pattern their Insurgent Red and Jameson-Outdated Gargantuan. The Crawford Art Gallery incorporates the 1724 Customs Rental, and has an vast sequence of Irish artists. Deem about occasions on the Everyman Palace Theatre, a Victorian constructing with ornate dA�cor.
The town of Cobh is the ideal mix of quirky and historic. Colourful homes line the streets and harbor providing unparalleled views of the centuries-extinct port. The harbor was once one in all Irelanda��s necessary substances of departure for emigrants, and the relaxation port of demand the Tremendous. Cobh Heritage Centre in a Victorian railway teach explores emigration, the Tremendous, and the nearby sinking of the RMS Lusitania for the length of World War I. Tremendous Experience Cobh in the distinctive White Large title Line Tag Place of work tells the legend of Tremendousa��s passengers and voyage, with get entry to to the distinctive pier, cabin recreations, a cinematic trip of the sinking, and audiovisual displays. Hear the dramatic tales on the Tremendous Mosey, a guided heritage strolling tour of Cobh, with Dr. Michael Martin, a Tremendous expert, author, and enthusiast. Hop the ferry at some stage in the harbor to Spike Island, as of late opened to guests, to tour the 18th-century essential person-formed fortress named Fortress Mitchel, and notorious Victorian penal complex, the largest on this planet in the 1850s.


text:
The Incredible yet True Adventures of Alexander von Humboldt: The Greatest Inventor-Naturalist-Scientist-Explorer Who Ever Lived
Volker Mehnert
Hardback (BB)
112 pages - 266 x 216 x 12mm
This beautifully illustrated biography of a pivotal early scientist will captivate the inner adventurer in children and adults alike Explorer. Scientist. Polymath. Hero. In his day, Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859) was among the most renowned scholars of the Enlightenment. He led pioneering expeditions in Central and South America (including the Amazon rainforest) as well as in Siberia, and he arguably founded the natural sciences as we know them. Charles Darwin called Humboldt "the greatest scientific traveler who ever lived," and credited him with inspiring the journey that resulted in On the Origin of Species. And yet, in history books, Humboldt has been eclipsed by his intellectual heirs and admirers - such as Darwin himself, John Muir, and Henry David Thoreau - until now. This captivating, richly illustrated narrative biography for kids will whisk away readers young and old, and inspire them to see the world through the eyes of one of the greatest early scientists.
An immersive and beautifully illustrated narrative biography about the German explorer and early scientist Alexander von Humboldt, whose journeys throughout the world yielded countless discoveries and earned him the admiration of Charles Darwin (and many others). For kids ages 8-12.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


We have two symbols for survey bars to distinguish if there were found (filled in solid) or set (open). Now that my "open" bar is filled with a colour 255 solid, on screen it looks just like a found bar.
Thanks for the help. At first I thought it may not work because on screen it looks just like the solid box. On print preview it looks grey. But on paper, it's perfect!
Is there an easy way to distinguish between the two symbols on screen?
In the past when I have had weird stuff like this happen, the only thing that worked was to copy the points into a new drawing, then transfer over text labels etc. using the Transfer with base point command. Once you have duplicate blocks, the audit won't change anything.
Yes - the blocks were inserted as part of the Automap library. I'm guessing it must be a corrupt drawing though, becuase I just ran a test on a drawing at another computer and it works fine.
I will take another look at the problem dwg.
When I rescale a drawing, any blocks associated with a point are redrawn, but the original blocks remain. How do I solve this?
In autocad, we have a block for a set bar which is a box with a whipeout entity over it which hides the lines that to to the center of the bar.
Is there a method to accomplish the same thing in MSCad?
We have had a couple cases now where the command associated with a button has been changed to a different command. The icon on the button remains the same. I have no idea what caused the change, or what the users did prior to the change.
What is the command to insert a link to a photograph? I can't find it on the menus.
I found the command in help, but can't find the command name.
I have added a button to my MS Main Control toolbar, but can't figure out how to edit it. When I bring the customize dialogue box up and choose the toolbar, it doesn't even show the new button. How do I edit the button?
Topic: Setting print area; drawing limits.
Now that you've figured it out, you likely want to set the Limits to Off in your template so that you won't have to worry about it anymore.
How do I change the print style for all layers in a dwg? It looks like I should be able to Select All, choose Properties from the context menu, and change it there, but the change doesn't take affect?
I was always one of those kids who pushed the button at the cross walk 100 times thinking that would make the light change sooner. It never seemed to work then, but I keep trying!
Topic: Printing Problem - File Size?
I would guess the problem is insufficient memory in your plotter. Time for an upgrade! You may want to check the printer settings and see if you can use the computer memory instead of printer memory as a test.
I am familiar with the cad break command, but am wondering if MScad has added a variant of the command to automatically break crossing lines into short segments. e.g., in a building layout where I have grid lines, I want to quickly put a point at every intersection.
How do I create a perfect grid (say, 10 by 10 metres) of elevation shots from a surface?


text:
Family and Spouse Visas
Visa Bureau Home
New Zealand immigration gives second chance to pregnant woman
Visa Bureau News
Australia Working Holiday Visa
New Zealand Working Holiday Visa
- Posted in New Zealand by Visa Bureauon 09 June 2009
The woman applied to the New Zealand immigration department for an extension on her New Zealand visitor visa after being told by a doctor that she was too far into the term of her pregnancy to risk travelling home.
Initially, the New Zealand immigration department denied her application for a visa extension; however, after reassessing the situation the woman was offered an extension to her permit.
According to Stuff.co.nz, the woman, her husband and her son were not contactable by the New Zealand immigration department to inform them of their New Zealand visa application success. It was not until they contacted the husband's lawyer that they discovered they would be also now applying for a New Zealand business visa.
New Zealand immigration minister Dr Jonathan Coleman said that the initial decision to deny the woman's New Zealand visa application for an extension to her visitor visa was not in line with the department's humanitarian policy.
''I believe that declining the permit was a poor decision by the department,'' Dr Coleman said.
''I am pleased that common sense has prevailed and that the woman has now been issued a permit allowing her to stay in New Zealand.''
Chief executive of the New Zealand immigration department Andrew Annakin said that usually pregnant woman on a New Zealand visitor visa are not allowed to remain in the country to give birth, but that in this case the department had to bend the rules.
Dr Coleman is currently backing a restructuring of the culture and decision-making process of the New Zealand immigration department after a report found a barrage if discrepancies.
"The Auditor-General's report highlighted the need for improvement at all levels of the organisation. Substantial improvements to decision making and service as outlined in that report must be made," he said.
In related news, Dr Coleman this week refuted claims from the media that the New Zealand immigration department denied another woman a New Zealand visa because of her pregnancy, and has defended the New Zealand immigration departments decision to not approve her New Zealand visa application to study in New Zealand.
"Immigration policy is a delicate balancing act. Export education is a key industry for New Zealand and we want to make sure we have the right immigration policies to enable study in New Zealand. However it is unrealistic to expect student permits to be granted to pregnant women," he said.
The New Zealand Visa Bureau is an independent consulting company specialising in helping people with their New Zealand visa application.
< Back to all articles
© 2020 Visa Bureau


The Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang People's Committee has granted investment license to build the Intermix Mekong Plant for the Internix Joint Venture on November 30.
Intermix's leader Huynh Kim Chi said this is the first Intermix plant being built in the Mekong region with total investment capital of up to VND 800billion.
The plant is expected to be completed in 2019 and put into operation in 2020.


text:
Kenyan e-procurement will help 'eliminate abuse of system'
posted by Will Green
☛ Want the latest procurement and supply chain news delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for the Supply Management Daily
14 August 2014 | Will Green
The president of Kenya has announced the launch of e-procurement for the government that will "more or less eliminate abuse of our system".
President Uhuru Kenyatta said electronic purchasing would improve confidence and transparency in government spending, strengthen supplier relationships and cut costs.
"E-procurement will to a large extent assist in ensuring that public financial resources are used prudently and for the intended purposes," he said. "Over the years, we have heard complaints from Kenyans that the government is being overcharged for goods and services that it purchases.
"By introducing transparency and accountability through e-procurement, we expect more or less to eliminate the abuse of our procurement system.
"Indeed, given the fact that procurement of goods and services constitute about 50 per cent of our annual budget, implementation of e-procurement will, therefore, save the government substantial financial resources.
"But more importantly, it will help to instil confidence in Kenyans that they are getting value for money and hence the reason why they should pay taxes."
Kenyatta said e-procurement would streamline procedures, increase the number of bidders in tenders and make the country a more attractive place for investment.
"We take great pride in being the first African country to automate end-to-end procurement and payment processes in a devolved government system," he said.
Kenyatta also said a "Treasury Single Account" had been established from which all payments to suppliers would be made, replacing previous "fragmented banking arrangements", and he reiterated the directive that 30 per cent of all public sector contracts should go to disadvantaged groups.


text:
December 31, 2021 December 31, 2021 Staff
From the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference:
Redshirt sophomore forward Steve Settle III of Howard has been selected Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Men's Basketball Player of the Week, presented by Cola-Cola, it was announced on Tuesday. Meanwhile, sophomore guard Justin Wright of North Carolina Centralis the conference's Defensive Player of the Week.
Settle (F, 6-10, 175, R-So., Glenarden, Md.) scored a team-high 18 points on 6-for-9 shooting against Harvard last Tuesday. He also had four rebounds, two blocked shots and one assist in that contest.
Wright (G, 6-1, 200, So., Greenville, N.C.)averaged 6.5 rebounds in games against Texas-El Paso and Sam Houston State in the Sun Bowl Invitational, including nine against UTEP and four against SHSU. He added 12 points, four assists and a steal in the UTEP game, along with seven points against SHSU.
Other Top Performers
Randy Miller Jr. (North Carolina Central) led the Eagles by averaging 12.5 points in the Sun Bowl Invitational against UTEP and Sam Houston State. He had 15 points, five rebounds and two assists against UTEP, followed by 10 points against SHSU.
About the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is in its 51st year of intercollegiate competition with the 2021-22 academic school year. Located in Norfolk, Va., the MEAC is made up of eight outstanding historically black institutions across the Atlantic coastline: Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Howard University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina Central University and South Carolina State University.
Hbcu basketball, HBCU Sports, MEAC, Meac, The LatestHBCU Sports, MEAC, MEAC Basketball
Is this an initial look at the Nike PG 6?
Maryland Eastern Shore v Longwood game postponed


text:
620 Avenue of the Americas office space for lease
Design by DeLemos & Cordes
Address: 620 Avenue of the Americas Class: B
Cross Streets: 18th & 19th Streets Size: 780,000 SF
Year built: 1896 Architect: DeLemos & Cordes
The limestone architectural gem at 620 Avenue of the Americas was completed in 1896, with a design by DeLemos & Cordes. The office building is part of the Ladies' Mile Historic District bordering Chelsea and Flatiron in Midtown South, and a New York City historical landmark. In 2013, the building was completely renovated and converted to commercial office and retail space.
700 KSF of Class B Chelsea Office Space
The office building at 620 Avenue of the Americas features 700,000 square feet of Class B Midtown South office space across its seven stories. The RXR Realty-owned property also incorporates 200,000 square feet of retail space in a convenient and coveted Chelsea location. Building amenities include on-site management, 24/7 access, seven loading docks, a newly redesigned atrium lobby, and a 'Cast Iron' facade with dramatic arched entryways. Offices boast expansive, 100,000-square-foot floor plates, above-standard ceiling height, and large windows providing plenty of natural light into the loft-style spaces.
According to RXR, approximately $46 million have been invested in capital improvements at 620 Avenue of the Americas over the past 18 years.
Getting to and from 620 Avenue of the Americas
The office building at 620 Avenue of the Americas is conveniently located in a well-connected part of Midtown South, offering easy access to a plethora of public transportation options. The area is served by multiple subway lines, connecting tenants with all parts of New York City, via the A, B, C, D, E, F, L, N, O, Q, R, S, V, W, 1, 2, 3, 9, and PATH trains. Various transit bus lines serve the nearby avenues and cross-town streets, as well.
Who is renting office space at 620 Avenue of the Americas?
620 Avenue of the Americas is home to several tenants working in creative industries like fashion or technology, and is also home to a few major home furnishing retailers. Notable tenants on the building's roster include WeWork, The Gap, HOK Architects, Cole Haan, T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, and Bed, Bath & Beyond.
How much is the rent price for office space at 620 Avenue of the Americas?
Office asking rents at 620 Avenue of the Americas are roughly on par with the current Midtown South average of $84 per square foot. Demand for loft-style, open office spaces in hip neighborhoods like Chelsea, SoHo or the Garment District are pushing rents higher, while availabilities are scarce. Chelsea in particular is a highly appealing destination for companies in the tech sector that want to operate in the same area as giants like Google. The neighborhood's former industrial buildings have been converted to modern office spaces, and that, combined with a wide array of dining and entertainment options, are attracting businesses to the area.
915 Broadway, Full Floor Sublet
11,189 SF | Flatiron
Affordable Flatiron Full Floor 5,500 SF Office-Park Avenue South
Broadway & 22nd Street-Office or Medical Use
Broadway & 22nd Street, Suite #605
875 SF | Chelsea
Nearby Office Buildings
900 Broadway, The Goelet Building Office Space
881 Broadway, 115 Fifth Avenue Office Space for Lease
915 Broadway Office Space for Lease
29 East 19th Street Office Space for Lease
11 West 19th Street office space for lease
200 Park Avenue South, Everett Building Office Space
114 Fifth Avenue Office Space for Lease
22 West 19th Street, Cluett Building Office Space
215 Park Avenue South office space for lease
19 West 21st Street, Spero Building Office Space
853 Broadway, Union Building Office Space
Office space by neighborhood


This topic contains 11 replies, has 7 voices, and was last updated by John Cockman 5 months ago.
Another spooky tune to help you celebrate the day!
Oh that's a good one! I love it. I gotta learn that one right away. Good creepy halloween story, but it's a great ballad for anytime. I hear d Mark O Conner do it similar to that on youtube and always wanted to learn it. You look so proud singing with your daughters…ya'll sound so good together.
Yippee!! No tricks here. All treats. Happy Halloween to BGD land. Awesome family talent. Thanks!
Very wonderful! Your daughters sang this song so well! I've never heard this song before!
I worked on this one for my Halloween treat. I don't have it enough to post yet but will soon. It's a great lesson.
John, in the tab, I think the chord should be a minor instead of d minor. What do you think?
I just love a ghostly tale! This one made me feel right at home in my new plot.
Thank you John, Arwin and Lorien for such a great rendition and lesson!
Angela, I think I've got it fixed… Let me know if you see anything else!
This is going on the "to learn" list for sure.
Hoping to start on it sometime next week…we'll see how the present project goes…It's actually a tune from BGD this time.
I hope to hear you play it soon!
Sally Ann, the Ballad of Sally Ann, Sail Away, Ladies…how does anybody decide which one?
That's why there's a whole "Sally Ann" or "Sandy Land" family of tunes. They just keep populating!


text:
Antique Maps of the United States/
Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire/
1843 Anson Map of Maine (Post 1842 Webster Ashburton Treaty)
Maine-anson-1843
Map of Maine Constructed from the most Correct Surveys With Sectional Distances and Elevations or Level, of the St. Croix River from Calais Bridge.
1843 (dated) 24 x 15 in (60.96 x 38.1 cm) 1 : 940500
This is a rare and beautiful 1843 first edition map of Maine by W. Anson. The northern boundary of Maine is depicted according to the Treaty of 1842, making it one of the first maps published following the Webster–Ashburton Treaty of 1842. The earlier boundary, according to the treaty of 1783 is also noted. The map notes counties, Indian townships, rivers, roads, lakes and a host of additional geographical and topographical details.
Although the title of the map identifies this as the 'Revised 1843 Edition,' it is in fact the first edition and is a revision of Anson's earlier 1839 map of the state, based on his surveys in 1836. Engraved and published by S. H. Colesworthy, Portland.
Good. Overall fading. Cracks and damage at places, including print creases with verso repair. Professionally flattened and backed with archival tissue. Foxing at places. Original platemark visible.
Rumsey 2964.001. Library of Congress, Map Division, G3730 1843 .A6.
Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire
Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island
Antique Maps of Pennsylvania
Maryland and Delaware
Antique Maps of Virginia and West Virginia
Antique Maps of North Carolina and South Carolina
Georgia and Alabama
Michigan and Wisconsin
Antique Maps of Ohio and Indiana
Kentucky and Tennessee
Arkansas. Louisiana and Mississippi
Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota
Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri
Antique Maps of Texas and Oklahoma
Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming
Arizona and New Mexico
Antique Maps of Utah, Nevada, and Colorado
Washington and Oregon
Alaska and Hawaii


Sothys Vitality Cleansing Milk gently removes dirt, oil and impurities to refresh the skin. Grapefruit extract, rich in licopene, protects the skin from free-radical damage and boosts the skin's radiance. Coconut oil preserves the skin's softness and also helps heal and repair damaged skin.
Cleanse, refresh and rebalance your skin. Paraben-free Sothys Vitality Cleansing Milk carefully washes away cosmetics, impurities, sebum and daily buildup without depleting the skin of essential moisture. Additionally, this grapefruit-enriched cleanser promotes a brighter skin tone for a beautifully clear, radiant complexion.
Removes surface impurities, daily buildup and makeup.
Brightens and encourages a more even skin tone.
Using circular motions, apply onto face and neck. Remove using a cotton pad or rinse with water. Follow with toner.


It was found that the default.xml (the autogen) in both FSX and P3D will be adjusted during the installation of FlyTampa Amsterdam and that in itself is no problem, but is then stored in a different encoding. Our installer was unable to update the default.xml by reinstalling the NL2000 library. You see an error message. Why they did this is a mystery, but we have adapted our installer to be able to deal with this phenomenon. This is available as an installer version 4.0.77 and can be found on our download page.
Also the NL2000 3D items and heliports should be above FlyTampa in the library otherwise NL2000 buildings and heliport Amsterdam road are not visible.
Previous story The NL2000 team releases version 4.09!


Eastport is located in Hubert, NC and is a new community that began being built from 2009-2011. These homes offer 3 to 4 bedrooms with upt to 2500 heated square feet. Less than 10 miles from Camp Lejeune and close to all shopping areas, schools and beaches.


Scotland faced strong winds on Friday with some disruption to rail and ferry services.
'And then this area of low pressure starts to make its way across Northern Ireland as we head through the afternoon.
A separate yellow warning running until 3pm on Saturday for northern Scotland predicts heavy rain could lead to flooding.


Click here for the presantation file in PDF version of our "BASIC LIGHTING" seminary presented in Electrical Engineers Chamber, Istanbul Branch.
Click here for the presantation file in PDF version of our "PROJECT DRAWING STANDARDS" seminary presented in Electrical Engineers Chamber, Istanbul Branch.
Click here for sample projects-work program.
Click here for a list of starting project questions.
Click here for pre-project report.


text:
Australian and UK airdate: 27/05/19
Writer: Sue Hore
Director: Laurence Wilson
Guests: Vance Abernethy: Conrad Coleby
Summary/Images by: Tracy C/Graham
- Amy discovering Kyle is still in love with her.
- Amy going away with Jimmy for a few days.
- Chloe declaring she has zero interest in Pierce on hearing he is back.
- Chloe unloading her woes on Pierce.
- Vance hoping to be "rolling in it" soon.
- Terese giving her approval to Vance staying over.
- Terese seeing a scar Vance has on his body from their previous time together.
Paul remarks that Terese is a bit absent minded as they, along with Ned, sit having breakfast. Roxy and Vance join them soon after and since he's topless, Paul notices the scar and enquires about it. "Psycho ex," Roxy replies and explains how - he was pushed into a barbed wire fence. Paul thinks whoever it did it was provoked but either way, Roxy is happy because "her loss is my gain," however Vance is looking at Terese not Roxy.
Harold's café
After joining him at his table, Chloe apologises to Kyle for dumping him in it with his dad, explaining that she didn't think it would be fun seeing him standing next to Gary (as his best man) as he married the woman Kyle loves. "Now I get it," he replies and adds that he has forgiven Chloe too, partially as its all out in the open now - he told Amy that he loved her. "I don't know what she's thinking," he admits given Amy said nothing following his admission, so doesn't know where he stands, especially as she has gone away with Jimmy.
KYLE: All I can do is wait.
Chloe is full of admiration for what he did, but Kyle is now fearful that Amy might love him back because "where does that leave dad?" While Kyle doesn't want to break his dad and Amy up, he "can't help the way I feel."
Terese is somewhat curious Vance hasn't told Roxy the truth behind the scar (caused when she crashed the trail bike they were on) but he "wouldn't take back that day for the world."
TERESE: Roxy must never find out about us.
VANCE: And our one long, hot summer.
With that comment, Vance has Terese rattled so much so that she lets a soup plate accidentally fall to the floor causing it to smash!
VANCE: Oopsies!
Ned then swaps places with Vance and he can see Terese is in a somewhat agitated state. "He's trying to get under my skin!" she protests, and Ned can see clearly that it's working, but it's making her more determined to keep him away from Roxy! Ned suggests that the best way to do that, is to tell her about their history. Terese is reluctant to do that as Roxy "would take it horribly" and doesn't want the lass to up and leave. "And there's Paul," she also adds in and Ned additional points out that he still has a stake in the bar too. "You got a plan for that?" he asks her?
Lassiters Complex
Terese hurriedly tries to catch Leo when she spots him walking through the complex to talk about Vance. Just like before, he doesn't want to talk but points out that if he cuts Vance out of the bar, that means Roxy is cut out too. "I know you don't owe me any favours," she acknowledges but asks if Leo can keep her updated about anything dodgy, so she can protect Roxy.
Leo heads off and Pierce catches her for a word. They get over the awkwardness of how things ended previously between them with a handshake but before they start talking new business, Terese informs him that she is together with Paul both professionally and personally. On hearing that, Pierce doesn't look too keen on having a business conversation with her now.
Back Lane Bar
Vance confirms to Roxy that their "girl" has arrived, is getting on well settling in and that they can go see her soon. Leo isn't too amused to arrive and hear his business partners are off out when they've stuff to do.
Terese's office
Terese isn't fully with the meeting she is having with Paul and Ned due to the nocturnal activities of Roxy and Vance (from the sounds of it, they all had a disrupted night of sleep). She explains that she is reluctant to say anything to them, for fear of alienating Roxy.
When Paul heads off, Ned enquires how it's going with Leo and she tells him about their compromise deal... although isn't sure he would tell her if he found something out.
TERESE: He'd hate me and Paul thinking that he's having problems with the business.
We find out what Roxy and Vance have been referring to - a horse! She looks over the moon to be reunited with her equine friend and hopes that the new owner will treat the horse as good as they did.
The pair are sprung by Leo, who has followed them out to the stables, and wants to know what is going on.
Power Road
It is not Karl's day as he tries to do some measuring up inside the tram! His day isn't helped by a visit from Paul to check on progress given the other businesses will be re- opening in a couple of weeks and wants the whole precinct looking perfect. "There's no way you're going to finish this by yourself," Paul bluntly tells him and suggest that he put the job out to tender to get the job back "on the rails."
Vance tells Leo everything - he wanted to set them up a nice life, the first step being investing in the bar, the second selling the horse for a profit (he bought the horse before it started winning). They have a buyer lined up in New Zealand, who also wants the deal kept quiet, so he can get an edge on the competition. The pair intend to use the profit from the horse to set up their new life away from his old one.
Bearing in mind what Paul told him, Karl is happy to run into Kyle in the complex to see if he will put in a quote for getting the tram sorted out. Kyle though would rather not deal with "Geldsäcke" ie. Moneybags, so turns Karl down.
Chloe gives him what for when Karl leaves. She points out that Paul isn't involved, he only owns the land, Karl would be his boss and to make sure he does put in a tender, she drags the lad away to brainstorm!
Vance receives some bad news in a phonecall - the buyer they'd line up is pulling out of the deal as he doesn't have the money. Roxy isn't seeing a problem with that; she's already looking forward to spending more time with the horse. Its Vance that has his head screwed on, as the longer it takes them to find a buyer, the less profit they will make but she reassures him that the bar is doing well. Vance gets out his phone and walks off to try some others that might be interested in a horse.
After he comes off the phone Vance assures Leo "it's all under control," when he offers him some suggestion on how to get rid of the horse. Leo isn't buying it though and concludes that the horse "is hot, isn't it, and Roxy doesn't know." Vance confirms he is right but warns Leo of telling that to Roxy... or anyone! He then does his best to calm Leo down by telling him that the money invested in the bar is legit, he wouldn't stitch Roxy up like that.
VANCE: I just need time to find a buyer and for you to keep your mouth shut.
LEO: Well, if the bar's not involved, I might as well go straight to the cops.
VANCE: Come on Leo, I know you're smarter that. I mean apart from me, there's a few other people I know that wouldn't be very happy about that. I wouldn't advise it, if I were you.
The Waterhole
Chloe and Leo brainstorm ideas and come up with the idea of a family themed restaurant. She spots Pierce coming into the bar and suggests he run his tender past him, given his experience... oh and drop her name into the conversation too!!! "Why would I do that?!" he asks, and her reply is she wants to test out her theory that Pierce is obsessed with her! "He doesn't seem that stalkery to me," Kyle comments and her comeback is that Pierce isn't going to make it obvious! "I don't need his advice," is Kyle's final word on it, so now she literally begs him to do as she is desperate to know.
Terese (and Paul) are the last folk Leo wanted to see when he enters Harold's. He at least reassures the pair that he's kept an eye on Roxy and Vance and assures them that they've nothing to worry about. "Just don't get too comfortable," Terese warns and thinks Vance is going to be playing the long game. He has had enough and tells them both that he's got his own life to lead and so do they!
Despite failing to get rid of Vance, to allow her to chat privately with Roxy, Terese puts her cards on the table - she respects Roxy's rights to make her own choices, but equally she made a promise to her parents to make sure the lass moved in the right direction, and while she is with Vance, Terese doesn't believe that can happen.
ROXY: You want us to split up?
Terese avoids answering the question directly, instead telling Roxy her life should be everything she could want it to be.
TERESE: Don't you want to carve it out for yourself?
ROXY: Your future is tied up to your man and its working out fine, even though Paul is a few pegs short of perfection, and I'm not making a fake leg joke, I'm taking this very seriously.
TERESE: I entered into my relationship with Paul knowing exactly who I was. There are things that you will never know you can do unless you break out on your own.
"You may not see it, but Vance is good for me," the lass protests even if Terese doesn't see that. Terese goes for the jugular - Vance is too old for her, but Roxy doesn't care about that because they "get each other."
ROXY: Look, I know that you mean well, but if you're asking me to choose between my fam or my man...
Roxy then gets off the sofa and walks towards Vance before he says "Ciao" on behalf of them both.
Kyle finishes his chat with Pierce but turns out it was a waste of time as he tells Chloe that all the things Pierce suggested, he'd thought of already! It is not good on the personal front for Chloe either, while yes Kyle did get her name into conversation, the only remark Pierce made is that she was a good sounding board! Chloe is sure a move (from Pierce) is imminent, he's just taking his time doing the preparation work.
KYLE: When you fall flat on your face, just remember I told you so!
CHLOE: You're adorable, but way naive!
Chloe heads off and after Kyle spots Karl entering the bar, he goes over to say he'd love to have a crack at the tender for the tram. "That is great news," Karl exclaims and is already looking forward to reading Kyle's proposal.
Terese quickly hides the photo of (her younger) herself and Vance when she hears the door opening. Its Paul coming home with news that he's booked them supper out tonight (he'd a feeling she'd be tired, which she confirms) and goes upstairs to the study to work before they will head out.
Ned arrives home and this time Terese doesn't have to rush to put the photo away (she took it out after Paul went upstairs). He's curious to know how the chat with Leo went and Terese replies that he isn't interested in helping and goes on to tell him she talked to Roxy too but to no avail.
NED: This isn't just about Roxy though, is it?
TERESE: Seeing Vance has just stirred up all these memories of when we were together, and I keep telling myself not to let it get to me, and that I need to keep a clear head.
NED: If you mean what you say, you should rip that up
Terese is holding the photo in her hands and tells him that she "can't bring myself to do it."
NED: Does this mean you still have feelings for him?
Coming up on Neighbours
- Amy seeking Kyle out to talk.
- Gary letting Kyle know that he knows about his chat with Amy.
- Shaun watching Elly with Hugo.
- Tearful Elly wanting Mark back.
- Mark in tears too!
- Finn separating Shaun and Mark!
Vance Abernethy, Ned Willis, Terese Willis, Paul Robinson
Chloe Brennan
Terese Willis, Vance Abernethy
Ned Willis, Terese Willis
Terese Willis, Leo Tanaka
Terese Willis, Pierce Greyson
Vance Abernethy, Roxy Willis
Ned Willis, Paul Robinson, Terese Willis
Roxy Willis, Vance Abernethy, Leo Tanaka
Karl Kennedy
Leo Tanaka, Roxy Willis
Kyle Canning, Chloe Brennan
Roxy Willis Vance Abernethy
Chloe Brennan, Kyle Canning
Paul Robinson, Terese Willis, Leo Tanaka
Roxy Willis, Terese Willis
Pierce Greyson, Kyle Canning
Kyle Canning, Karl Kennedy
Ned Willis
Terese Willis


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text:
Weekly Commentary: Crowded Longs, Shorts and a New Z1
It was a week that saw Mario Draghi cling stubbornly to ultra-dovish monetary policy, the UK's Brexit strategy thrown into even greater disarray after Prime Minister Theresa May's failed election gambit, and the former Director of the FBI essentially testify that our President is a scoundrel. And then there's the Middle East…
In the midst of it all, after trading at a 24-year low 9.37 Friday morning, an abrupt reversal had the VIX ending the week at 10.70. Looking at the S&P500's slight (0.3%) decline for the week, one might be tempted to think comfortably "boring." Market internals, though, were anything but boring or comforting. Friday's session saw the Nasdaq 100 (NDX) swing wildly. After trading to an all-time high 5,898 in the first hour of U.S. trading, the index sank over 4.0% to 5,658 before closing the session down 2.44% at 5,742. Amazon traded in an intraday range of 1,013 to 927. Looking at "FANG" plus Microsoft and Apple, major market cap was evaporating in a hurry. By the end of Friday's session, Facebook had declined 3.3%, Apple 3.9%, Amazon 3.2%, Microsoft 2.3%, Netflix 4.7% and Google 3.4%. The semiconductors (SOX) traded at a multi-year high 1,149 early in Friday's session, then sank 7.0% before recovering somewhat to close the day down 4.3% at 1,090. Biotech (BTK) rose 1.5% in the morning to an all-time high and then closed the session slightly lower.
Yet it was not just Friday - and not only tech. After trading Tuesday morning at a low of 88.38, bank stocks (BKX) surged over 6% before closing the week up 4.9% to 93.79. The broker/dealers jumped 3.6% this week. The small cap Russell 2000 traded Tuesday morning at a low of 1,387 before rallying 3.3% to end the week with a gain of 1.2%.
It was an unpleasant day and week for the Momentum Crowd all crowded into outperforming technology stocks. It was even worse for those long momentum and short the underperformers. Long tech versus short financials had been a big winner until the late-week "rip your face off" – with Friday trading seeing bank stocks up 2.3% and the Morgan Stanley High Tech Index down 3.0%. Long big technology against short small caps had also been easy money – until the last few sessions. This week saw the NDX drop 2.4%, while the small cap Russell 2000 gained 1.2%. And it's worth noting some of Friday's winners: Dillards (10.2%), Urban Outfitters (7.8%), J.C. Penny (6.8%) and Barnes & Noble (6.0%) - all heavily shorted in the despised retail sector. Moreover, the session's leading gainers in the S&P500 – including Kohl's (7.2%), Chesapeake Energy (4.9%), Nordstrom (5.7%), Tractor Supply Company (4.7%) and Murphy Oil 4.7% – are popular short targets. It was a rotten day and a poor week for many long/short strategies.
As for the ECB decision and the UK election, I'll this evening posit the briefest of thoughts. Mario Draghi has been kicking the can down the road since 2012, and he clearly is in no mood to see what happens when his leg turns weary. We'll apparently have to wait until later in the year to have a clearer understanding of the ECB's stimulus program end-game. The Wall Street Journal ran an interesting pre-meeting article – with the catchy headline "ECB Critic Holds His Tongue as Race Nears for Bank's Top Job" - discussing how the Germans have set their sights on the end of Draghi's term in 2019.
June 7 – Wall Street Journal (Tom Fairless): "Jens Weidmann, the German central-bank chief who made his name by loudly attacking the European Central Bank's crisis-fighting efforts, has become a quiet defender of the ECB against its German critics. The shift has been subtle. Mr. Weidmann still criticizes the bank's radical stimulus measures. But his tone has softened as evidence accumulates that the ECB's policies are working—and as the race to become the institution's next president approaches. 'There is currently no doubt that an expansionary monetary policy stance is appropriate,' Mr. Weidmann said…, while suggesting he might not agree with his colleagues on the details. Only five years ago, he was boasting of clashes with fellow policy makers, and comparing easy-money policies to drugs and alcohol. As ECB officials gather Wednesday and Thursday in Estonia, what was once a bitter argument over the bank's far-reaching monetary stimulus is expected instead to be a pragmatic discussion about whether to start reducing it."
And why the big surprise over the dismal Conservative party showing in the UK election? Has there been any brightening in the underlying dour public mood? Folks suddenly content with the "establishment," "elites" and the status quo? Feelings the "system" is working more fairly? Market and media complacency returned after Emmanuel Macron's huge market-pleasing victory in the French presidential election. I would suggest the Mr. Macron owes his presidency and apparent mandate to Mario Draghi. I wouldn't, however, wager on a long honeymoon period – let along some new golden age in French (and European) policy management. The political instability that had pundits fretting coming into 2017 is merely in a bit of remission. Wait until the ECB tap goes dry and the Draghi Bubble bursts.
Closer to home, there was a new Federal Reserve "flow of funds" Z.1 report this week. From my perspective, interesting data raised more questions than were answered.
Certainly not inconsistent with downshifting GDP (Q1 1.2% vs. Q4 2.1%), Credit growth somewhat fell off a cliff. Total Non-Financial Debt (NFD) growth slowed to a 1.4% pace in Q1, down from Q4 2016's 2.8% to the slowest expansion in years. In seasonally-adjusted and annualized (SAAR) dollars, NFD expanded $676bn in Q1, down from $1.338 TN in Q4 and $2.406 TN in Q1 2016. Seeing such data, I would normally be chronicling a dramatic tightening of Credit Availability and financial conditions. It's yet another example of these being the most abnormal of times.
Household mortgage Credit expanded at a 3.0% rate during Q1, second only to Q4's 3.2% going all the way back to the pre-crisis era. Consumer (non-mortgage) Credit expanded at a 6.5% pace, matching Q4 (strongest since Q3 '15). Corporate borrowings bounced back strongly from Q4's abrupt stall (0.2%). Q1's 6.9% growth rate surpassed Q3's 6.3% and was the strongest expansion of Corporate borrowings since Q1 '16 (10.7%). Data just don't speak to a tightening of Credit conditions.
Q1 saw Federal government borrowings contract at a 3.3% pace and State & Local borrowings fall at a 3.5% rate. It was this atypical decline in government Credit that largely explains Q1's tepid overall Credit expansion. At least at the federal level, a significant drawdown in deposits helps to explain the one-quarter hiatus from market borrowings. A Q2 bounce back in government borrowings should push system Credit growth significantly higher.
To see booming securities markets in the face of 1.2% pace NFD growth is strange indeed. But while overall Non-Financial borrowings slowed to a crawl, the financial sector seemed to be frantically scurrying about. The Domestic Financial Sector's "Net Acquisition of Financial Assets" surged an unusual SAAR $4.840 TN (vs. Q4's $291bn and Q3's $2.716 TN). After three straight quarters of contraction, Net Interbank Assets expanded an extraordinary SAAR $1.589 TN. The Financial Sector also increased Miscellaneous Assets SAAR $1.811 TN, while expanding Debt Securities holdings SAAR $452bn and Fed Funds and Repos SAAR $158bn.
Depository Institutions' Loans expanded a robust SAAR $924bn during Q1, up from Q4's SAAR $595bn but somewhat below Q1 '16's booming $1.241 TN. Clearly, booming asset markets had much more to do with a booming financial sector than a robust real economy. It would be quite unusual for booming markets not to provide some degree of economic stimulus, though bubbling markets create myriad fragilities.
Securities markets remain the epicenter of this cycle's historic inflation. Q1 saw Equities increase a nominal $939bn to a record $40.755 TN. This boosted Equities as a percent of GDP to a record 214%. This compares to the previous peak levels from 2007 and 1999 of 181% and 202%. Total Debt Securities increased nominal $320bn during Q1 to a record $41.464 TN. Debt Securities-to-GDP at a near-record 218% has been relatively stable over recent quarters. Total (Debt and Equities) Securities ended Q1 at a record $82.220 TN and a record 432% of GDP. This compares to the cyclical peaks of 379% at Q3 2007 and 359% at Q1 2000.
The Household Balance Sheet continues to be a centerpiece of U.S. Bubble Economy analysis. U.S. Household Assets ended Q1 at a record $110 TN, increasing $2.383 TN during the quarter. And with Household Liabilities up $36 billion (to $15.152 TN), Household Net Worth surged another (remarkable) $2.347 TN during the quarter to a record $94.835 TN. It's worth noting that Household Net Worth has now inflated $39.1 TN, or 70%, since Q1 2009.
Over the past year, Net Worth inflated $7.259 TN, or 8.3%, one of the largest one-year gains on record. By major component, Household Financial Assets increased $1.781 TN during Q1 to a record $77.115 TN, with a notable one-year rise of $5.734 TN (8.0%). At 125% of GDP, Real Estate holdings gained $499bn during the quarter to a record $26.866 TN, with a large one-year rise of $1.794 TN (7.2%).
Q1 Household Net Worth reached a record 498% of GDP. For comparison, Net Worth/GDP ended the ("decade of greed") eighties at 379%, Bubble year 1999 at 446% and peak mortgage finance Bubble 2007 at 461%. Unless something dramatic unfolds over the next few weeks, Net Worth/GDP will have cruised through 500% during Q2. It's worth noting that Household Total Equities (equities and mutual funds) holdings have doubled from 2009 levels to approach the record 129% of GDP from year-end 1999.
Helping to offset tepid domestic Credit, Rest of World (ROW) had strong Q1 flows into U.S. financial assets. At SAAR $1.200 TN, Q1 ROW flows compare to an outflow of SAAR $187bn in Q4 and an inflow of SAAR $501bn in Q1 2016. Curiously, Treasury purchases (SAAR $344bn) dominated flows into U.S. debt securities and were the strongest since 2014. Purchases of U.S. corporates slowed to SAAR $132bn, down from Q4's SAAR $433bn. After big Q4 outflows (SAAR $480bn), ROW increased U.S. equities holdings SAAR $219bn during Q1. It's difficult to comprehend that ROW holdings of U.S. financial assets have grown to almost $25 TN, inflating about ten-fold from the mid-nineties.
Returning to the markets, players will spend the weekend pondering whether Friday's tech swoon was a mere flash in the pan or the beginning of something more serious. That intense selling manifested from market dynamics rather than in response to some news event might make it more difficult to spin. Rotations have become a common feature of this speculative marketplace, and the bulls will spin rotations positively. This week saw previous underperformers gain momentum, while the highflyer Wall Street darlings saw melt-ups rather abruptly indicate potential trouble below. When the Crowded Trade phenomenon has finally reached the top of the food chain – to a select group of speculative favorite megacaps - a big rotation away from the darlings will present a formidable market challenge. From my vantage point, such dynamics are consistent with equities (and risk markets) working toward putting in a major top.
The S&P500 slipped 0.3% (up 8.6% y-t-d), while the Dow added 0.3% (up 7.6%). The Utilities lost 1.1% (up 9.2%). The Banks surged 4.9% (up 2.2%), and the Broker/Dealers jumped 3.6% (up 8.1%). The Transports were unchanged (up 3.1%). The S&P 400 Midcaps added 0.4% (up 5.8%), and the small cap Russell 2000 jumped 1.2% (up 4.8%). The wild Nasdaq100 dropped 2.4% (up 18.1%), and the Morgan Stanley High Tech index fell 2.0% (up 21.3%). The Semiconductors declined 1.2% (up 20.3%). The Biotechs slipped 0.8% (up 19.0%). Though bullion gave back $13, the HUI gold index recovered 2.5% (up 7.7%).
Three-month Treasury bill rates ended the week at 98 bps. Two-year government yields rose five bps to 1.34% (up 15bps y-t-d). Five-year T-note yields gained five bps to 1.77% (down 16bps). Ten-year Treasury yields increased four bps to 2.20% (down 24bps). Long bond yields advanced five bps to 2.86% (down 21bps).
Greek 10-year yields slipped five bps to 5.94% (down 108bps y-t-d). Ten-year Portuguese yields dipped two bps to 3.02% (down 73bps). Italian 10-year yields sank 17 bps to 2.09% (up 28bps). Spain's 10-year yields fell 13 bps to 1.44% (up 6bps). German bund yields slipped a basis point to 0.26% (up 6bps). French yields fell six bps to 0.65% (down 3bps). The French to German 10-year bond spread narrowed five to 39 bps. U.K. 10-year gilt yields declined three bps to 1.01% (down 23bps). U.K.'s FTSE equities index slipped 0.3% (up 5.4%).
Japan's Nikkei 225 equities index declined 0.8% (up 4.7% y-t-d). Japanese 10-year "JGB" yields were about unchanged at 0.056% (up 2bps). France's CAC40 fell 0.8% (up 9.0%). The German DAX equities index was about unchanged (up 11.6%). Spain's IBEX 35 equities index added 0.7% (up 17.4%). Italy's FTSE MIB index gained 0.9% (up 9.8%). EM equities were mixed. Brazil's Bovespa index declined 0.5% (up 3.3%) and Mexico's Bolsa lost 0.5% (up 7.5%). South Korea's Kospi added 0.4% (up 17.5%). India's Sensex equities index was unchanged (up 17.4%). China's Shanghai Exchange rallied 1.7% (1.8%). Turkey's Borsa Istanbul National 100 index was little changed (up 26.6%). Russia's MICEX equities index was about unchanged (down 15.6%).
Junk bond mutual funds saw inflows of $586 million (from Lipper).
Freddie Mac 30-year fixed mortgage rates fell five bps to 3.89% (up 29bps y-o-y). Fifteen-year rates decline three bps to 3.16% (up 29bps). The five-year hybrid ARM rate was unchanged at 3.11% (up 29bps). Bankrate's survey of jumbo mortgage borrowing costs had 30-yr fixed rates down three bps to a seven-month low 3.99% (up 28bps).
Federal Reserve Credit last week increased $1.3bn to $4.422 TN. Over the past year, Fed Credit declined $0.7bn. Fed Credit inflated $1.611 TN, or 57%, over the past 239 weeks. Elsewhere, Fed holdings for foreign owners of Treasury, Agency Debt surged $21.0bn last week to $3.259 TN. "Custody holdings" were up $17bn y-o-y, 0.5%.
M2 (narrow) "money" supply last week slipped $3.5bn to $13.520 TN. "Narrow money" expanded $769bn, or 6.0%, over the past year. For the week, Currency increased $2.1bn. Total Checkable Deposits declined $20.4bn, while Savings Deposits gained $16.2bn. Small Time Deposits added $1.0bn. Retail Money Funds declined $2.7bn.
Total money market fund assets gained $5.5bn to $2.659 TN. Money Funds fell $66bn y-o-y (2.4%).
Total Commercial Paper added $3.2bn to $996.9bn. CP declined $55bn y-o-y, or 5.3%.
The U.S. dollar index recovered 0.6% to 97.274 (down 5.0% y-t-d). For the week on the upside, the Mexican peso increased 2.8%, the Australian dollar 1.1%, the New Zealand dollar 1.0%, the Canadian dollar 0.1%, and the Japanese yen 0.1%. For the week on the downside, the Brazilian real declined 1.6%, the British pound 1.1%, the Swedish krona 1.1%, the South African rand 1.0%, the Norwegian krone 1.0%, the euro 0.7%, the Swiss franc 0.7%, the Singapore dollar 0.3% and the South Korean won 0.1%. The Chinese renminbi gained 0.18% versus the dollar this week (up 2.16% y-t-d).
The Goldman Sachs Commodities Index declined 1.2% (down 7.2% y-t-d). Spot Gold retreated 1.0% to $1,267 (up 9.9%). Silver dropped 1.7% to $17.223 (up 7.8%). Crude sank another $1.83 to $45.83 (down 15%). Gasoline lost 4.8% (down 10%), while Natural Gas recovered 1.3% (down 19%). Copper jumped 2.9% (up 6%). Wheat rallied 3.8% (up 9%). Corn rose 4.0% (up 10%).
Trump Administration Watch:
June 6 – Wall Street Journal (Kristina Peterson, Stephanie Armour and Louise Radnofsky): "Republican senators left their first decision-making meeting on overhauling the nation's health-care system Tuesday deeply divided over the fate of Medicaid, a fissure that threatens to thwart their ambitions to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. The divide among Senate Republicans over Medicaid was wide enough that some GOP lawmakers and aides said they now believe it may be impossible to broker a deal to unwind the health law known as Obamacare. Some senators are already preparing to move to another goal, an overhaul of the tax code. 'It's more likely to fail than not,' Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) said of the health bill… 'We need to bring this to an end and move to taxes.'"
June 6 – Financial Times (Robin Wigglesworth and Ben McLannahan): "Investors are growing more sceptical that the Trump administration will be able to nurture an economic bounce, with Treasury yields and the US dollar sagging to new post-election lows and the US equity market increasingly dependent on technology stocks to maintain its highs. The 10-year Treasury yield dipped as low as 2.13% on Tuesday, its lowest since the immediate post-election surge in November."
June 3 – New York Times (Ryan McMorrow): "When a Chinese tech company with global ambitions began to run short of cash last year, it sought billions of dollars from new investors. One of them was a music teacher. Li Shenghong, who teaches out of a mall storefront in southern China, was already a fan of the smartphones and televisions sold by the company, an internet-and-gadgets conglomerate called LeEco. When LeEco also began selling investment products online, Mr. Li snapped them up, even though the company said little about where the money would go. 'Whenever I have leftover money from my salary, I'll invest it,' Mr. Li said, explaining that he had invested $7,000 in the company. 'My spare change? I put it in.' LeEco, buffeted by rapid expansion, has turned to murky and potentially risky ways to stay afloat, including tapping China's shadowy informal banking system, which many people believe threatens the Chinese economy."
June 4 – Wall Street Journal (Chao Deng and Lingling Wei): "China's crackdown on debt is driving some companies to a murkier form of financing as it gets harder to secure bank loans or tap the bond market. New loans from so-called trusts, firms that raise money from individuals and corporations to plow into riskier areas of the economy, reached 882.3 billion yuan ($129.5 billion) in the first four months of this year…, nearly five times as much as the same period in 2016. Trust firms, which often charge borrowers higher rates than banks, occupy a middle ground between banking and asset management. They are licensed and loosely regulated by China's banking watchdog, but they lack some of banks' protections, such as government deposit insurance, and they have more flexibility to invest in risky areas than banks do."
June 6 – Wall Street Journal (Shen Hong): "A sharp rise in the cost of borrowing in China's bond markets is the latest sign of conflict between Beijing's effort to rein in financial-system risk and its long-term goal of modernizing the economy. In a little-noticed shift, Chinese companies in recent weeks have been able to take out medium-term bank loans at a lower interest rate than bond investors demand. The average yield on AAA-rated five-year corporate bonds, currently 4.90%, has been above the central bank's corresponding benchmark lending rate of 4.75% since May 3… The highly unusual reversal—it hadn't happened since records began in 2006—is largely down to Chinese regulators' attempts to tamp down speculation by investment funds that borrow heavily to leverage their bets."
June 5 – Reuters (Yawen Chen and Ryan Woo): "Activity in China's services sector expanded at the fastest pace in fourth months in May thanks to a surge in new orders, a private business survey showed, helping to offset worries about unexpected weakness in manufacturing. The Caixin/Markit services purchasing managers' index (PMI) rose to 52.8 in May from April's 51.5, breaking a four-month decline and marking the highest reading since January."
June 7 – Reuters (Yawen Chen and Kevin Yao): "China's foreign exchange reserves rose in May for a fourth consecutive month and by more than markets had expected, as stringent capital control measures and a weakening in the dollar helped staunch outflows. Reserves rose $24 billion in May to a seven-month high of $3.054 trillion, compared with an increase of $21 billion in April… It was the first time since June 2014 that reserves climbed for four months in a row, and the biggest gain since reserves moved back above the closely watched $3 trillion level in February."
June 7 – Bloomberg: "China's overseas shipments accelerated from a year earlier in May, aided by more buoyant global demand, and robust imports signaled resilience in the domestic economy. Exports rose 8.7% in May in dollar terms, more than the 7.2% increase forecast… Imports surged 14.8% in dollar terms, more than the 8.3% forecast. The trade surplus widened to $40.81 billion."
June 7 – Reuters (Jesús Aguado and Francesco Guarascio): "European authorities stepped in to avert a collapse of Spain's Banco Popular following a run on the bank, orchestrating a last-minute rescue on Wednesday by Santander, the country's biggest lender. Owners of Popular bonds faces losses of some 2 billion euros, while Santander will ask its shareholders for around 7 billion euros ($7.9bn) of capital to absorb Spain's sixth biggest bank."
June 7 – Reuters (Francesco Guarascio and Stefano Bernabei): "European Union regulators believe their rescue of Spanish lender Banco Popular has strengthened the case for intervening in Italy's two weakest lenders, but expect it will be harder to use the same approach, a senior EU official said… EU regulators arranged for Spain's biggest bank, Santander, to take over Banco Popular, but only after wiping out the investments of the troubled lender's shareholders and junior creditors -- a move welcomed by financial markets which saw it as a possible template for other EU banking crises."
June 8 – Reuters (Gavin Jones): "A proposed Italian electoral law that looked set to usher in early elections has lost the support of major parties, sending shares and bonds higher and easing nerves among investors wary of yet more political uncertainty in Europe. 'The accord on the electoral law is dead,' Emanuele Fiano, a deputy from the ruling Democratic Party… told reporters after his group lost a parliamentary vote on a proposed amendment."
June 8 – Bloomberg (Carolynn Look): "German industrial production rose more than analysts predicted, with a fourth consecutive increase in manufacturing adding to signs of underlying strength in Europe's largest economy. Output… jumped 0.8% in April after an upwardly revised drop of 0.1%... The typically volatile measure compares with a median estimate for a 0.5% gain in a Bloomberg survey. Production was up 2.9% from a year earlier."
June 7 – Financial Times (Mehreen Khan): "Things are on the up for the eurozone economy. With growth accelerating, unemployment steadily falling, and inflation at comfortable levels, the European Central Bank should be resting easy that its more than two-year stimulus experiment is bearing dividend after years of concerns about the eurozone's political stability. But there are still some worries for the central bank of 19 eurozone countries. Among them is a growing headache over the implementation of its QE measures and more specifically, a shortage of available German bonds. Latest data from the central bank's QE holdings show the ECB fell short of its monthly target for German bond purchases for the second month in a row in May, raising concerns about the longevity of the aggressive stimulus policies in place since 2015."
June 9 – Reuters (David Milliken and Kate Holton): "British Prime Minister Theresa May said she would lead a minority government backed by a small Northern Irish party after she lost an election gamble days before the start of talks on Britain's departure from the European Union. May called the snap election confident her Conservative Party would increase its majority and strengthen her hand in the Brexit talks. Instead, Thursday's vote damaged her authority and made her negotiating position more vulnerable to criticism."
June 6 – Bloomberg (Miles Weiss): "High up in a New York City skyscraper, China's biggest bank is playing in the shadows of American finance. The prize for Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. isn't stocks, bonds or currencies. It's the grease in the wheels of all those markets: repurchase agreements. By exploiting a loophole in rules intended to keep U.S. banks from getting 'too big to fail,' the state-owned ICBC has become a go-to dealer in repos in just a few short years, alongside longtime powerhouses like Goldman Sachs… The short-term loans allow investors to borrow money by lending securities, serving a vital role in day-to-day trading on Wall Street. ICBC's rise reflects not only China's global ambitions in high finance, but also how post-crisis rules have let a whole host of new players profit from the murky world of shadow banking, largely beyond the reach of bank regulators."
June 5 – Bloomberg (Noah Smith): "In the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, Calvin asks his dad how engineers determine the weight limit on bridges. The dad answers that they do this by driving heavier and heavier trucks over the bridge until it breaks, then rebuild the bridge after discovering what it took to break it. This isn't how engineers actually figure out the safety specifications of bridges -- since they know a lot about how physics works, they can predict how much it would take to break a bridge without actually breaking it. But the same isn't true in the financial world. No one knows the basic laws that govern asset markets, so there's a tendency to use new technologies until they fail, then start over. Calvin's dad was effectively describing the process by which we test financial innovation. Mortgage-backed bonds are a good example… In the years since the crisis, financial markets have started to be transformed by a new innovation -- exchange-traded funds."
June 6 – Financial Times (Robin Wigglesworth): "Is leverage, the poison that brought the global economy to its knees less than a decade ago, creeping back into financial markets? The global economy is enjoying a rare spell of broad if not strong growth, financial markets are tranquil, corporate earnings are buoyant, and monetary policy remains supportive. As a result, the MSCI World equity index sits at a record, up more than 11% so far this year, while bond markets are becalmed. Yet some investors, analysts and economists fret that beneath the calm surface there are some worrying cross-currents that could turn the sea choppy once more. In particular, signs that leverage — in the form of borrowed money or derivatives when they are used to amplify bets on asset prices — is creeping up. 'The low volatility frightens me, because I know what it does to people's behaviour,' says Robert Frey, chief investment officer at FQS, a fund-of-hedge-funds… He compares it to building a flimsy oceanfront house because there have been no storms recently. 'Eventually a hurricane will hit and the house will fall down.'"
June 7 – Bloomberg (Beth Jinks and Simone Foxman): "Billionaire investor Paul Singer said 'distorted' monetary and regulatory policies have increased risks for investors almost a decade after the financial crisis.'I am very concerned about where we are,' Singer said… 'What we have today is a global financial system that's just about as leveraged -- and in many cases more leveraged -- than before 2008, and I don't think the financial system is more sound.' Years of low rates have eroded the effectiveness of central banks to contend with downturns, Singer said…"
June 7 – Bloomberg (Enda Curran): "Central bankers and investors are grappling with a $100 trillion question: why consumer price inflation remains so low in most parts of the world even as economic growth quickens. Compounding the riddle, question marks are now emerging over the one part of the global inflation picture that had been moving higher -- producer prices. That's because two engines of that turnaround -- China's resurgent factories and prospects for tax-cut fueled stimulus under President Donald Trump -- are showing signs of fading. Which way the inflation mystery unravels is crucial for the global monetary policy outlook and the world's $100 trillion bond market."
June 5 – Bloomberg (Greg Quinn and Erik Hertzberg): "Toronto's housing fever is showing signs of cooling as price gains slowed and new listings surged in May, the first full month reflecting a new tax on foreign buyers and a crisis at mortgage lender Home Capital Group Inc. The number of new listings soared 49% last month from a year earlier to 25,837, the biggest increase since 2010… The average price rose 15% to C$863,910 ($640,076), compared with annual gains of 25% in April and 33% in March. The benchmark price index, which measures more typical mid-priced homes, rose 29%, also down from a 32% gain in April."
June 7 – Wall Street Journal (James Glynn): "Data analyst Ben Reid recently took out a 25-year loan on a home outside Sydney despite a frothy housing market in Australia, believing in the market's staying power. Payments on the $500,000 mortgage will consume about half his take-home pay. 'I'd like a new car in the next couple of years but not sure where that cash will come from,' said Mr. Reid… Big personal debts and spending worries like Mr. Reid's are a gathering storm over Australia's economy, threatening a 25-year streak without recession. Growth rose an anemic 0.3% in the first quarter.., putting annual growth on track to be the weakest since September 2009… Australian household debt has risen to a record 212% of income, according to the latest available data… That's the fourth-highest globally…"
June 7 – Wall Street Journal (Lynn Cook): "American oil exports are emerging as a disruptive new force in global markets. The U.S. exported 1 million barrels of oil a day during some months so far this year—double the pace of 2016—and is on track to average that amount for all of 2017... In another era, a domestic glut and low prices, currently hovering under $50 a barrel, might have caused companies to slow the pace of drilling. But since Congress lifted a ban on oil exports at the end of 2015, shipments out of Texas and Louisiana have skyrocketed, taking the fruits of the U.S. fracking revolution to new markets."
June 5 – CNBC (Jeff Cox): "President Donald Trump appears ready to remake the Federal Reserve in an image that will be considerably different than what investors have known for many years. The president is prepared to nominate Randal Quarles and Marvin Goodfriend to two of three vacancies at the central bank, according to multiple press accounts… Quarles likely would assume the role vacated by Daniel Tarullo to oversee the nation's banking system… Should Trump nominate the two men and they receive confirmation, it will represent the first steps in a possible substantial remaking of a Fed that has practiced ultra-loose monetary policy for the past decade but has been tight on banking regulations. Trump will have the opportunity to name one more person now, then can fill two even more critical vacancies in 2018 — that of Chair Janet Yellen and Vice Chair Stanley Fischer. If the Quarles and Goodfriend moves are indicators of what's to come, things could start getting less comfortable for Yellen. Both are considered solidly conservative, in line with the Republican president and Congress but perhaps not with Yellen."
June 7 – New York Times (Landon Thomas Jr.): "Facebook. Amazon. Apple. Netflix. Google. Not only do they dominate our daily lives, but as their stocks continue to soar, these technology giants may also dictate our financial futures. In the last three years, their share prices have risen far faster than the major market indexes — Amazon leads the way, up 206%; Apple trails the pack with a 67% gain — as investors of virtually every stripe have piled into these companies. But this gold-rush mentality, reminiscent of investor frenzies for Nifty 50 stocks in the late 1970s and the dot-com boom and bust at the end of the last century, is giving investors pause… 'There is valuation anxiety out there, that is for sure,' said Ed Yardeni, an independent investment strategist… 'No one is feeling totally comfortable holding stocks that are this expensive.'"
June 4 – Wall Street Journal (Lev Borodovsky, Ben Eisen and Tom DeStefano): "By now it's no epiphany that technology stocks are in favor. Apple recently passed $800 billion in market value for the first time, and both Amazon.com and Alphabet, the parent of Google, are each hovering around the rarely seen $1,000-a-share level. What you may not know is that by one measure, the 2017 tech-stock rally is already at levels last seen in 2000. The S&P technology sector accounts for nearly a quarter of the S&P 500's market value. The last time that happened was 1999."
June 6 – CNBC (Diana Olick): "This spring may be one of the hottest sellers' markets in history, but even off-the-chart-demand can't put every potential buyer in a home of their own. If the house is too expensive for the region's demand, it won't sell. That is becoming the case in more and more neighborhoods this spring — and is likely behind the first sign that big price gains are starting to shrink. Home values rose a healthy 6.9% in April compared with April 2016, …but that is a drop from the 7.1% annual gain in March… 'I think we are beginning to see it in selected markets,' said Frank Nothaft, CoreLogic's chief economist. 'You just can't have house prices grow at 7% year after year, when income growth is 2-3% a year.'"
June 6 – Bloomberg (Vince Golle): "If you're building or renovating a home in the U.S. these days, you've got plenty of company. Americans' spending on residential construction projects -- from the pouring of foundations to home improvement -- just hammered out its strongest three-month period since 1994. Solid job growth, low borrowing costs and a recovery in home equity since the market crash a decade ago are generating momentum… While a report… showed a 2.9% drop in April outlays for improvements from the prior month, such spending was still 32.3% higher than it was a year ago."
June 6 – Bloomberg (Sho Chandra): "An increase in U.S. job openings in April to a record high indicates demand for workers remains strong in the world's largest economy while the supply is tightening, a Labor Department report showed… Number of positions waiting to be filled rose by 259k to 6.044m (est. 5.75m), from revised 5.785m in March, according to Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS…"
June 6 – Bloomberg (Patricia Laya): "Chief executive officers of some of the largest U.S. companies are becoming even more sanguine about sales and spending, a good omen for the economy after a lackluster first-quarter expansion, according to a quarterly survey from the Business Roundtable… Main index gained 0.6 point to 93.9, highest since 2Q 2014…"
June 7 – Bloomberg (John Gittelsohn and Erik Schatzker): "U.S. markets are at their highest risk levels since before the 2008 financial crisis because investors are paying a high price for the chances they're taking, according to Bill Gross, manager of the $2 billion Janus Henderson Global Unconstrained Bond Fund. 'Instead of buying low and selling high, you're buying high and crossing your fingers,' Gross, 73, said… Central bank policies for low-and negative-interest rates are artificially driving up asset prices while creating little growth in the real economy and punishing individual savers, banks and insurance companies, according to Gross."
June 6 – Bloomberg (Matt Scully): "After bingeing on credit for a half decade, U.S. consumers may finally be feeling the hangover. Americans faced with lackluster income growth have been financing more of their spending with debt instead. There are early signs that loan burdens are growing unsustainably large for borrowers with lower incomes. Household borrowings have surged to a record $12.73 trillion, and the percentage of debt that is overdue has risen for two consecutive quarters."
June 8 – Bloomberg (Toru Fujioka and Masahiro Hidaka): "The Bank of Japan is re-calibrating its communications to acknowledge that it is thinking about how to handle a future exit from monetary stimulus, without giving the impression that this is on the agenda anytime soon, according to people with knowledge of discussions… With inflation still far below target, the BOJ is contending with increasing debate about exit in markets, the media and among some lawmakers. Officials realize it's unrealistic and unconstructive to try to remain silent on the issue and the BOJ now wants to make it known that it's conducting simulations internally on how an exit could play out… Governor Haruhiko Kuroda, who has been called before parliament 18 times this year, was grilled by lawmakers last month on his thinking about post-stimulus policy. Kuroda responded by saying he would carefully consider external communications…"
June 3 – Reuters (Anthony Boadle and Lisandra Paraguassú): "Former Brazilian lawmaker Rodrigo Rocha Loures, a close aide and friend of President Michel Temer, was arrested at his home on Saturday in a corruption investigation that also targets the president... In a police video released in May, Loures was seen running out of a Sao Paulo restaurant carrying a bag with 500,000 reais ($154,000) in cash that prosecutors say was a bribe from the owners of the world's largest meatpacker JBS SA. Plea bargain testimony by two executives of JBS's holding company J&F Investimentos SA implicated Temer and other politicians in graft…"
June 6 – Bloomberg (Arabile Gumede, Amogelang Mbatha, and Aarti Bhana): "South Africa's economy fell into a recession for the first time since 2009 after it contracted for a second straight quarter in the first three months of the year as all bar two industries shrank. Gross domestic product receded an annualized 0.7% in the first quarter from a contraction of 0.3% in the previous three months…"
June 8 – Reuters (Andrew Torchia): "Standard & Poor's downgraded Qatar's debt… as the riyal currency fell to an 11-year low amid signs that portfolio investment funds were flowing out of the country because of Doha's diplomatic rift with other Arab states. S&P cut its long-term rating of Qatar by one notch to AA- from AA and put the rating on CreditWatch with negative implications…"
June 5 – Bloomberg (Miles Weiss and Katherine Burton): "The walls keep closing in on John Paulson. A decade after Paulson shot to fame betting on the collapse of the U.S. housing market, the hedge-fund mogul is struggling to persuade investors to stick with him after a string of missteps on everything from gold to European bonds to drug stocks. Since the end of 2015 alone, assets at Paulson & Co. have fallen by $6 billion from losses and client withdrawals. The decline, underscored in the firm's most recent regulatory filing, leaves Paulson and his employees with just $2 billion in client money."
June 5 – Financial Times (Erika Solomon): "Qatar paid up to $1bn to release members of the Gulf state's royal family who were kidnapped in Iraq while on a hunting trip, according to people involved in the hostage deal — one of the triggers behind Gulf states' dramatic decision to cut ties with Doha. Commanders of militant groups and government officials in the region told the Financial Times that Doha spent the money in a transaction that secured the release of 26 members of a Qatari falconry party in southern Iraq and about 50 militants captured by jihadis in Syria. By their telling, Qatar paid off two of the most frequently blacklisted forces of the Middle East in one fell swoop: an al-Qaeda affiliate fighting in Syria and Iranian security officials. The deal, which was concluded in April, heightened concerns among Qatar's neighbours about the small gas-rich state's role in a region plagued by conflict and bitter rivalries."
June 7 – Financial Times (Monavar Khalaj and Erika Solomon): "Iran's Revolutionary Guards ratcheted up the tensions with Saudi Arabia as it accused Tehran's regional rival of involvement in Wednesday's double terrorist attack in the capital… Gunmen and suicide bombers launched simultaneous attacks on the parliament building in Tehran and the nearby shrine of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Islamic Republic's founder. The attacks were claimed by Isis, in what would be the jihadi group's first significant strike in the Islamic Republic. However a statement from the Revolutionary Guards linked the 'brutal attack' to Donald Trump's visit last month to Riyadh, where the US president singled out Iran for fuelling 'the fires of sectarian conflict and terror'."
June 4 – Reuters: "China has expressed its strong dissatisfaction with what it labeled 'irresponsible remarks' on the South China Sea by U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis during a security forum at the weekend. Mattis accused China of having contempt for other nations' interests and disregarding international law. He told the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore that the construction and militarization of artificial islands in the South China Sea undermined regional stability."
Weekly Commentary: Crowded Longs, Shorts and a Ne...


Step aside, strawberries. The start of spring belongs to rhubarb. It may be a semi-tough stalk that needs a lot of time to stew, but rhubarb yields a tart, sweet result that is so much better than the usual seasonal superstars.
Visit us in Austin, TX and check out our favorite places to eat.
Alie and Georgia offer some edible reasons to get excited about the encroach of the autumn chill.
Ommegang Brewery is about to release four Game of Thrones-themed brews.


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China Telecom's Annual Report Received 17 Platinum and Gold Awards and Ranked No.10 of "Top 100 Reports Worldwide"
HONG KONG, Dec. 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — China Telecom Corporation Limited ("China Telecom" or "the Company"; HKEx: 00728; SSE: 601728) is pleased to announce that the print and online versions of its 2021 Annual Report "A New Milestone" received 17 platinum and gold awards in total in various international competitions this year, which include Galaxy Awards, International ARC Awards, LACP Vision Awards and W³ Awards.
The design of China Telecom's 2021 annual report centred around the concept of the Company's successful issuance of A shares which marked "A New Milestone" for its development. The cover of annual report features the letter "A" as the main graphic design with embedded key elements of digital technologies. This highlights that after A-share listing, the Company will leverage the broader financing channel, expand wider ecological cooperation, carry out more flexible incentive measures and implement the "Cloudification and Digital Transformation" strategy on all fronts. The Company will also further strengthen sci-tech innovation, accelerate the construction of intelligent integrated digital information infrastructure, continue to deepen corporate reform and carry out ecological cooperation at a larger scale and deeper level. The Company will further strengthen its integrated intelligent information service capability, strive to become a service-oriented, technology-oriented and secured enterprise, and fully promote the high-quality development of the Company.
The print and online versions of China Telecom's 2021 Annual Report received 3 gold awards in total in this year's Galaxy Awards. The online annual report further claimed a grand award, achieving outstanding award-wining results. This year's Galaxy Awards received nearly 400 entries from 17 different countries or regions. Winners were voted by top marketing consultant firms and corporate marketing departments throughout the world to honour excellence in product and service marketing.
Moreover, China Telecom's 2021 annual report received 2 gold awards in this year's International ARC Awards. The International ARC Awards, also branded as the "Academy Awards of Annual Reports" by financial media, is the world's largest and most independent international competition honouring excellence in annual reports and corporate communications. The Awards are globally recognised, providing a platform for the highest standards in the annual report industry.
China Telecom's 2021 annual report also received in total 4 platinum and 6 gold awards, and ranked No.10 of "Top 100 Reports Worldwide" in this year's LACP Vision Awards by the League of American Communications Professionals LLC (LACP). This year, the LACP Vision Awards drew nearly 1,000 submissions from a broad range of countries and industries as well as organisations with various scales. The number of submissions was one of the largest ever, and the competition was exceptionally tough.
The online version of China Telecom's 2021 Annual Report has won 2 gold awards in this year's W³ Awards. This year's W³ Awards received over 3,000 entries from across the globe. Winners were voted by top-tier professionals from acclaimed media, advertising and marketing firms to honour the best practice in areas such as websites, advertising and etc.
The above prestigious accolades won by China Telecom reflect the market's recognition and commendation of the Company's tireless pursuit of excellence and globally leading outstanding performance in areas such as corporate governance, as well as disclosure of important information and development strategy of the Company through both conventional and digital channels.


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HomePosts tagged 'League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
"Everything Is Blue": A Celebration Of One Of The UK's Finest Writers
November 18, 2015 November 19, 2015 mlbradford Alan Moore, comics, History, Magic, Science, science fiction, Stuff that Matters, Superheroes	2000AD, Alan Moore, alien worlds, art, books, Bradscribe, comics, DC Comics, history, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, papers, research, science, science fiction, spaceships, Swamp Thing, Watchmen
Sophisticated Suspense.
"Why shouldn't you have a bit of fun while dealing with the deepest issues of the mind?" – Alan Moore.
"My killers dislocated my electroskeleton…
Bent the clear note of my being out of pitch…
Out of harmony with the earth…
Barred from my planet's emerald heart…
And unwilling to burn…
The turquoise ferns and duck-egg pebbles…
The aquarium light filtering through clouds of bleached cobalt…
"Everything is blue."
Seeing as it's his birthday today, this Post has been set aside to honour Alan Moore, acclaimed creator of such classic comic literature as Watchmen, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, From Hell and V For Vendetta; we shall focus instead on Swamp Thing, because that is where my startled discovery of his great talent was made.
Originally created as a simple eight-page modern gothic tear-jerker by Len Wein and Berni Wrightson for House of Secrets #92, in 1972, scientist Alex Olsen was "killed" in a chemical explosion, his flaming body hurling into the bayou, only to be soon resurrected as a mossy and morose muck-monster.
Each edition of Moore's Swamp Thing offered individual brilliance, but for me, none more so than Issue 56 (dated Jan 87).
Can remember reading this one for the first time; entitled: "My Blue Heaven" it was more a case of bewilderment, than being gobsmacked. Rather than displaying the traditional lurid coloured inks of say, Superman or Wonder Woman, this particular issue told a unique story utilising an ingenious monochromatic technique, adding instant mood and atmosphere – every panel was blue.
Didn't know what to make of it initially, but one thing was clear: here in my hands lay an example of a drastically different form of graphic art, and all my comic-reading years had never prepared my senses to savour a script quite like this.
Happy Birthday To The Wonderful Wizard of Northampton!
"Forever.
I will spend forever here…
An immortal wandering endlessly towards eternity…
Across a monochrome landscape…
One color, ome word.
So many shades…
The color of saxophones at dusk…
Of orbiting police lights smeared across tenement windows…
Of loneliness…
Of melancholy.
The blues."
When planning a movie adaptation of Watchmen, Terry Gilliam (who Moore revealed would have been an excellent choice to direct a Watchmen movie) asked: "How would you make a film of Watchmen?"
"Well, frankly," Moore replied, "If anyone had bothered to consult me, I would have said 'I wouldn't'."
Moore had written Watchmen expressly to explore the possibilities of the comic book medium, utilising narrative devices that deliberately set out to be unfilmable. So with this title, Moore could really experiment with ways in which a superior sophisticated graphic novel could be presented.
What Moore could you want? Who better than the beloved bewhiskered Brit to take this tragic figure but present him optimistically as a creator of his own realm?
Instead of wallowing in loneliness, the Thing creates his own doppelganger: "manipulating… two sets of muscles… I stand and walk toward myself… We touch… marveling to find not the cold hardness of mirror glass… but another palm, cool and dry."
Thus unfolded a dream-like narrative – strange: most certainly; compelling reading: oh yes…
And for company, he (re)creates Abby, his long-lost love:
"…As the flowers blossom… in a pale mane from her scalp… I am breathless.
"Oh, she is beautiful… and I am lost."
"We kiss… then kiss again…
Embracing, we sink to our knees,
Through the dreamlike phosphorescence…
Of air too rich in rare gasses,
We tumble… a kinetic progression…
Of stop-motion glimpses…
Sensual and inevitable in their sequence…
A blue movie."
Swamp Thing helped pave the way for DC Comics to handle more mature topics in an increasing number of titles specifically aimed at a much older readership. Amidst other bold and brilliant titles branded as: "Suggested For Mature Readers," Swamp Thing did his own distinct and bizarre thing on a monthly basis.
For four years, Moore took this unlikely titular vegetable hero and revealed it to be just a tragic "shambling mound of foliage" that has merely acquired the consciousness of the dead scientist (now referred to as Alec Holland). This inspired the kind of extended, positively surreal, character study that Moore relishes.
Ultimately, the Swamp Thing must banish all thought of ever having been human in the first place, let alone trying to devise the bio-restorative formula to regain that glimmer of humanity. Thus, the creature must – over several episodes – contemplate not only the worthlessness of its existence, but decide what it should do with itself from then on.
Where else could you find a comic book where the central character foregoes living and merges with the mass-psyche of the earth itself, becoming a vegetable in all senses of the word?
"Like blue bile…
The scream floods from my throat…
And I turn and run…
Past cars that are gradually losing their shapes to the rain…
"I try… to hold the world together in my mind…
"But it slithers from a grasp… made slippery by sap…
In despair… I let it die…
I let the buildings unravel…
And the children fall dead in the streets…
I stop the hearts… of the perspiring old men…
I kill the world.
Blue murder."
John Constantine, the British occult mage/annoying smartass – whose character would about to be considerably expanded in his own highly successful, critically-acclaimed ongoing series called Hellblazer – made his debut in The Saga of The Swamp Thing #37.
Here, he makes another distinctive cameo appearance – as this is Swamp Thing's own dreamworld, so John is nothing more than an illusion, but still offering an annoying supporting role! Odd, yet compelling material.
Finally, as this Post comes to it's end, so we reach the final lines of Moore's classic script:
"I leave… the world that I have made… behind me…
It shall remain here…
As a decayed monument… to the pain… of sundered romance…
A bitter love letter… left tear-stained and crumpled…
In the obscure corner… of the universe…
"A blue valentine."