Just picked these babies up a few days ago. If you are still riding around on stock pedals, and you are a traditionalist who loves platformers, look no further than DMR. These things are bomb proof, light and provide a larger platform with no penalty in the clearance department. The only two complaints I can think of for whiners are the lack of reflectors and the fact that the spikes grip so much they could potentially damage not only your shoes but you if you should slip.
Well I have had the Allegro for about 2 weeks now. Purchased at Rollin Thunder here in Thunder Bay. I test drove two Rocky Mountains and the Jamis. I came away with two Hybrids; one for basic commuting (Rocky Mountain) and the other for more serious weekend warrior stuff (Jamis). Once I have put 500KM’s on the Rocky Mountain I will post reviews of that as well.
As this is only a first impressions review I will keep it short and sweet. Read the rest of this entry »
I’m not really sure what prompted me to give Linux a second chance but the short and sweet of it is I did. My Linux story began a decade ago when I actually purchased Red Hat (who knows what version). I was so excited - for awhile there Linux was getting Mac like praise in the media and since I was already the victim of the then new Imac I figured I better hop on the new OS bandwagon and prepare myself for what was being depicted as the future.
This was a short lived experience as Red Hat wouldn’t even recognize my keyboard and mouse.
The above is a mere 3.2 KM’s. A very short Kayaking trip no doubt. It was however windy, with chop in the 1 to 2 foot range. The Revolution is only 13.5 feet so tracking was difficult. When I got to the lighthouse I could see the large rollers coming in and wanted to see how the little boat would handle the big boys. More pics and more info after the break.
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Do you, yourself or any of your friends or relatives work abroad? Perhaps you or someone you know is being enticed by exciting jobs in Bermuda, Japan or the Caymans? The rumors of low or no tax are generally true. While you will generally pay for a higher cost of living many no or low tax countries depend on foreign tourism or massive density to keep their income tax rates low or even nil. As a Canadian however you are required to pay tax on your worldwide income. What does this mean? This means that you will pay just as much tax anywhere else as you would if you were living in Canada. There is however a way to avoid paying Read the rest of this entry »
Boom, Bust and Echo provided people with the first easy to read explanation of who to profit from demographic shifts. While having a recent conversation with a friend I realized that I take my relationship with my grandparents for granted. Since my parents were the first born among their siblings, as was I, I have been fortunate enough to be 33 years old and still have close relationships to maternal and paternal grandparents (I even remember fondly my maternal great-grandparents).
I am a breed undergoing rapid extinction.
There is a saying in North American Commercial Real Estate: “buildings are born wealthy and die poor.” In contrast the same expression applied to France is “buildings are born poor and die wealthy.” The reason for the difference: DEPRECIATION.
Many people who “understand” real estate, “understand” little about real estate accounting and depreciation. Given that cap rates have compressed to levels that leave virtually no room for accounting error in real estate investments, an understanding of depreciation is fundamental.
Indeed most Real Estate Investment Trusts use depreciation tax write downs to free money for distributions to unit holders. This is often a ticking time bomb, as the day you no longer have depreciation to write down, you have less distributable earnings. You are condemned to expand (the event horizon for REITs is pushed well in the future as they use straight-line vs. declining balance depreciation). For a grossly simplified example continue reading below:
Recently a report came out that 90% of the time stocks ranked as a hold or sell by analysts significantly outperform those with a buy ranking (it was published in the paper version of the Globe and Mail). There exist the usual reasons why this may be including: collusion with the investment banking wing of a brokerage, insider trading, commission kickbacks. However aside from the simple explanations of corruption, the biggest issue is herd mentality and risk aversion. Quite simply people such as analysts and politicians, are judged more on their failures, or lack of, than their successes. Consistent with this, people are more content to make a little bit of money all of the time, than to make a fair amount of money most of the time and on occasion loose a dime. Indeed studies suggest that losses are almost twice as powerful as gains (explained as loss aversion).
Getting back to the analysts, for job security in a world of scapegoats, it is better to never give anyone an excuse to fire you. It is also easier to be lazy. What is the logical response? Follow the herd, even when the herd underperforms, and avoid losses. While it is true that often stocks that are falling, continue to fall, in many instances the fall is due to short term “herd stomping” or “events” exogenous to the company itself. For an example look at the price history of the stocks below:
For most people tax time can be stressful, but once their return is filed the taxpayer is generally at peace. For some of us however this is when the real stress begins. Tax returns, due to their sheer volume, are largely processed by the numbers. IE what you submit is what they will work with without question….for a few months. Three to four months after however is when the review process begins. The waiting game, to see whether or not you have gotten through this initial level of scrutiny, is to some the most stressful part of tax season. With that in mind here are three simple tips that will help you avoid the audit man:
I’m done with Evil. Evil has no respect and is making life difficult for millions of people everywhere. No one however is having a harder time than my main man, number one source of comedy and entertainment, George W. Bush.
Dubya has been waging a war against the forces of Evil for many years. Has he had any success? Hell ya, representatives of evil have been getting their asses whooped all over the globe by Bush and his buddies. Now that is good enough for a few years (decade upon decade if we look into the recent history of the United States) but eventually evil is going to have to take the stand and answer some hard questions.