Thursday, December 22, 2011

And just because it's Christmas

WHILE SHEPHERDS WATCHED
While shepherds watched their flocks by night All seated on the ground, The Angel of the Lord came down, And Glory shone around.

The Union of Shepherds has complained that it breaches Health & Safety Regulations to insist the shepherds watch their flocks without appropriate seating arrangements being provided.

Therefore, benches, stools and orthopaedic chairs must be available.
Shepherds have also requested that, due to inclement weather they should watch their flocks via CCTV cameras behind centrally heated shepherd observation huts.

The Angel of the Lord is reminded that before shining his / her Glory all around, the shepherds must be issued with glasses capable of filtering out any harmful effects of UVA, UVB and Glory lighting.

LITTLE DONKEY
Little donkey, little donkey on the dusty road, Got to keep on plodding onwards, with your precious load.

The RSPCA has issued strict guidelines with regard to how heavy a load a donkey of small stature is permitted to carry. Also in the guidelines are permitted feeding breaks, and at least one rest break in a four-hour plodding period.

Due to the risk of pollution from the dusty road, Mary and Joseph are required to wear facemasks.

The ˜Little Donkey" has expressed his discomfort as being labelled ˜Little" and would prefer to being simply referred to as ˜Mr Donkey".

Comments upon his height or otherwise are considered to be a breach of his equine rights.

WE THREE KINGS
We three Kings of Orient are,
Bearing gifts we traverse afar,
Field and fountain,
Moor and Mountain,
Following yonder star.

Whilst the gift of Gold is still considered acceptable as it may be redeemed at a later date through such organisations such as Cash4Gold etc., gifts of Frankincense and Myrrh are not appropriate due to the risk of oils and fragrances causing allergic reactions.

An acceptable alternative might be a gift voucher.

It is not recommended that traversing Kings should rely on star navigation, and would advise the use of AA RouteFinder or Sat Nav.

Both can provide the quickest route and advise on fuel consumption.

As in the case of Mr. Donkey, the three camels require regular rest and food breaks and facemasks for the three Kings are obligatory due to the likelihood of desert dust disturbed by the camel hooves.

THE ROCKING CAROL
Little baby sweetly sleep, do not stir, We will lend a coat of fur, We will rock you, rock you, rock you, We will rock you, rock you, rock you,

Fur is no longer appropriate wear for small infants due to the risk of allergy and for ethical reasons.

Therefore, false fur, a cellular blanket or, perhaps, micro-fleece material should be considered alternatives.

Please note that, only persons who have been subject to a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check and have enhanced clearance will be permitted to rock a Baby.

Persons must carry their CRB disclosure at all times and be prepared to provide three forms of identification before any rocking commences.

JINGLE BELLS
Dashing through the snow on a one-horse open sleigh, Over fields we go laughing all the way.

A Risk Assessment must be submitted before an open sleigh is considered safe for members of the public to ride.

The Risk Assessment should also consider whether the use on only one horse is appropriate particularly if passengers are of larger proportions.

Permission from landowners must be gained before entering any ˜Open Fields".

To avoid offending those not participating in the venture, it is required that only moderate laughter is used and not at a noise level likely to be of nuisance to others.

RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, had a very shiny nose, and if you ever saw it, you would even say it glows, All of the other reindeer used to laugh and call him names, They never let poor Rudolph join in any reindeer games.

You are advised that, under the Equal Opportunities Policy, it is inappropriate for persons to make comment upon the ruddiness of Mr. R.

Reindeer.

Name-calling contravenes our Anti-Bullying policy, and further to this, the exclusion of Mr. R. Reindeer from any reindeer games will be considered discriminatory and disciplinary action will be taken against anyone found guilty of this offence.

A full investigation will be implemented, leading to imposing sanctions such as a ban from hanging up stockings or enjoying Christmas dinner.

AWAY IN A MANGER
Away in a manger no crib for a bed ¦

Refer to Social Services immediately!

No trees were killed in the sending of this message. However a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.

Australian property market flat, with gloomy outlook says report

The current outlook that Australian housing real estate will continue to lose is impacting the market, according to a recent survey.

With key indicators showing buyer reluctance on the rise, the survey concluded this sentiment is reflected in price expectations. Nearly half of respondents indicated they thought prices would fall further over the next quarter.

This follows on from other reports pointing to falling house prices in most capital, with some experts forecasting prices will fall further. Running against that trend is the Reserve Bank's interest rate cut earlier this month that most banks passed on in full. This, combined with falling house prices is expected to generate renewed activity.

Other research suggests more first time buyers are likely to come into the market. Cuts to the first home owners grant and other incentives had caused first time buyers to desert in droves. But a housing outlook report from QBE LMI suggests that they are coming back.

Statistics for the first six months of 2011 indicate that although first home buyer loans declined year on year, the rate of decline has slowed. Loans to first time buyers in the June quarter were only 2% below the same quarter the year before.

So a flat buyers market may be encouraging some first home owners back into the market. With the current outlook for continued falling property prices, all this doom and gloom may spell opportunity for others also.

Australian Housing Market Overview - December 2011

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

It's Remembrance Day this week. And and extra special one for ex and serving members of the Royal Australian Navy. That's because this year Australia's Navy celebrates 100 years of service

Remembrance Day, of course, is the anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I. The conflict of Gallipoli, the Somme and Western Front ... arenas that so shocked the world people thought there would never be another conflict so terrible.

It was the Australian Navy that ferried the ANZAC forces to their doom and the same ships that carried home our wounded warriors. The tale of HMAS Sydney's brave engagement with SMS Emden is celebrated but there are lesser known stories of valour, some now lost to us forever with the passing of all Australia's WWI veterans.

The tradition of wearing red poppies on Remembrance Day has its origins in a 1915 poem by Leutenant Colnel John McCrae. He noticed that, amongst the devastation, spring caused small red poppies to spring up everywhere amongst the war ravaged towns, farms and forests. By this he was inspired to write the well known war poem, In Flanders Fields.

In Fladers fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe;
To you, from failing hands, we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Thursday, June 30, 2011

KOKODA - The Bloody Track (Part 1 of 9)

Anzac Day

Navy personnel expanding : but not the way you'd think

This piece by Harvey Russell discussed the ever-increasing girth of Australian navy servicemen ... and women.

A huge number of soldiers in an otherwise relatively small Australian military are found to be unfit for active duty due to obesity and prescribed weight limit. The Defence Department said that more than 5600 men in uniform as of today are classified to be in poor physical condition because of weight-related issues. In a country with a decent 57,800 full time uniformed staff, that number is almost 10 per cent. The entire figure refers to personnel in the army, navy, and army.

Reservists are much worse, with over 12,200 found to be overweight and more than 4000 as obese. The surprising number of unfit for duty personnel and reservists came up after Defence released a report to answer questions on notice from Opposition spokesman Senator David Johnston. The report also detailed the fact that 35 to 38 per cent of military reservists have a body mass index (BMI) in the healthy range of 18.5 to 25. About 48 per cent have BMIs between 25 and 29.9 and the obese score 30 and above on the BM scale. This simply means that a many active personnel cannot do their job properly in the event of a war.

The figures for the reserves tally with the full-time forces where the army has an overweight rate of 49 per cent and 14 per cent of its male soldiers are obese.

The air force and the navy have equal highest rates of 53 per cent of overweight male staff and 17 per cent obesity rate. In a bigger picture, 14 per cent of the Australian Defence Force translating to 11,676 sailors, airmen, and soldiers are rated as obese. This figure is just a per cent behind United States military forces. Although Austrlain bases do not have Burger King and Pizza Hut stores unlike the American's, Australian military personnel can still be considered as almost as fat as their US counterparts. The biggest contributor to wieght-related issues, according to Major-General Paul Alexander, Head of Defence Force Health, is alcohol.

"We are now looking at undertaking a preventive health and well being program in relation to alcohol," he said. Senator Johnston said the Defence Force was better placed than most to reverse the obesity epidemic," he said.

The good news, according to the General Alexander, is that personnel at the frontlines are physically fit and healthy enough to do their jobs properly. However, he said, there are many areas behind the frontlines with less active personnel, which is affecting the statistics poorly.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Michael Melville Kirwan recommended reading

Michael Kirwan provides this article thanks to its original author, Joiner Freeman.

Joiner Freeman is Investor and regularly blogs on http://www.MakeFriendsAndMoney.com/blog on subjects related to Trading, Internet Marketing, Real Estate, Network Marketing & Personal development.

What is the number one rule suggested by literally 1000s of futures brokers and traders for last 20 years:

Use STOPS.

Over 95 percent of the people we have surveyed recommend the use of stop loss orders as one of their top five trading rules. A stop loss order is an order you place at a predetermined price to attempt to liquidate your position if the market moves against you. Its purpose is to attempt to limit your loss. However, you must be aware that there is no guarantee that your stop order will be filled at your price. Occasionally there are market conditions, such as fast or locked-limit markets, where your stop order may not be filled at your price.

Here are some typical comments from experienced brokers and traders regarding the use of stop loss orders: "Enter your stop loss order immediately after your order is filled. Don't use mental stops. Mental stops get moved."How do you determine where to place your stop? The placement of any stop order should be an integral part of a written trading plan that includes good money management rules. For example, if your trading plan calls for trades with four to one risk/reward ratios, place your stop accordingly.

The best way I have learned over the last 20 years is to place stops on the basis of how much money I am willing to lose on a trade. This amount is always a percentage of the equity I have in my account. And I don't count the equity I have in any open positions.I never, or almost never, risk more than three percent of my capital on any given trade. Therefore, I enter my stop as soon as my order is filled. I place my stop order at a point where I would lose no more than three percent of my money if the market goes against me and my stop order is filled. This percent rule also depends on my trade and how much money I have in my account at the time.

Sometimes I may risk no more than one percent of my equity. But I don't want to place my stop so close to the market that a little blip will hit my stop. You also must remember that there is no guarantee that your stop order will be filled at the designated price. Stops can be and are missed sometimes in fast markets.

There can also be locked-limit markets where there are no buyers or sellers to take the other side of your stop order and get you out of the market!Absolutely, positively, no exceptions: Enter your stop order immediately after your order has been executed. Don't remove it. Don't ever move it farther away.I finally stopped those big losses when I started using stops. I watched several brokers in our office for several years, as well as my accounts.

The accounts that lost the most were clients who would hang on to a losing position. They would 'get married' to a position and stay and stay. Look around you. Study your own trading. The odds are overwhelming that you lost most of your money in those trades where you stayed way too long. If you had entered a stop right after you initiated the position, and not moved it, you would have limited your losses, which is the key to successful trading, or my trading, at least.Use stops.

Figure them out ahead of time, when you have a clear head are not thinking crazily because the trade is going badly. Place them as soon as your order is filled. Do not move them, even one tick, unless you have a profit, and then move them as a trailing stop to protect your profits.

Use stops. But you must be aware of their limitations. You must realize that your order will not necessarily be filled precisely where you have placed your stop. You also must realize that occasionally mistakes can be made. If you trade stocks, you know that it's possible for orders to be lost, or taken or placed incorrectly. The point is that just because you place a stop, doesn't mean you can walk away from a trade and assume everything will be perfect. You must take an active role in your trading and your open positions.

Stay tuned for more stock trading insights from Michael Melville Kirwan

Michael Melville Kirwan watched

Michael Kirwan watched this video

Michael Melville Kirwan is watching

Michael Kirwan has been watching this video

Michael Melville Kirwan likes 10 news today

Michael Kirwan likes ten news today http://youtu.be/Q-tM_pj15DY"

Michael Melville Kirwan likes ABC Business News and Market Analysis


Michael Melville Kirwan likes this business & stock market report.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Collins not so classy

The six Collins Class submarines were to be a key element in Australia’s defence. But following a long and troubled procurement, instead of becoming enviable intelligence gatherers or forceful potential opponents, they are a total disaster.

Of the six Collins Class submarines commissioned, HMAS Collins, HMAS Farncomb, HMAS Waller, HMAS Dechaineux, HMAS Sheean and HMAS Rankin, only one is in service, in spite of the rhetoric about their blend of innovation and proven technical superiority.

Not only that, they are actually the wrong solution. In fact, the Collins class were chosen for all the wrong reasons.

A long range multi-task boat

The Collins Class were selected for suitability is supporting the US Navy in its Pacific Ocean operations. But this choice begs the question: should Australian defence dollars be spent to further American, or Australian national interests?

Foreign policy conflict?

Since the conclusion of WW2, Australian obsequious support of US foreign policy has led to ignominious adventures in Vietnam, Iraq and Afganistan, and the deaths of hundreds of Australian servicemen. Australia owes it to herself to purchase submarines which support Australian, rather than American interests.

Defining our own future

More and more, Australia’s national interests are diverging the USA, and are being drawn towards China. China is Australia’s largest trading partner, and will soon be the world’s richest country. By the time the new submarines are fully operational (some time after 2030), China will rival the US as a military power, and will certainly exceed the US as a Pacific military power. It would be foolhardy for Australia to choose its next submarines based on a desire for an interoperability of the Australian and US navies.

Melbourne University alumni, Michael Melville Kirwan served in the Australian Navy and maintains a key interest in Australia's defence strategy.

Richard Bonynge at 80. Part 3 Australia and Australians (1/4)


Michael Melville Kirwan likes this Richard Bonynge story.

Richard Bonynge at 80. Part 3 Australia and Australians (1/4)


Michael Melville Kirwan likes this Richard Bonynge story.

Westpac Economic Update: 18 February 2011


Melbourne University alumni Michael Melville Kirwan likes this economic update

Weekly video 6 March 2011


Melbourne University alumni Michael Melville Kirwan likes this stock market roundup.