steve2470
steve2470's JournalHave you been to Beijing or any part of the People's Republic of China ?
I have, in 1997. I was only there for 3 days, and I wish I could have stayed for much longer. Bicycles everywhere back then during morning rush hour ! I was the tallest human at the Beijing McDonald's by my hotel ! I felt very unwatched in Beijing, which was nice.
The Chinese people were very nice to me. I went in January to get a lower price, so I froze a bit. I went to Tiananmen Square and it's gigantic. I walked on the Great Wall of China. I saw the Summer Palace. The air pollution was bad back then and apparently it's even worse now with all the cars on the road.
One piece of advice: When you fly into Beijing (or Buenos Aires for that matter), expect to be accosted by hordes of locals wanting to drive you into town. If you don't know any Chinese, expect to be completely confused. Have Chinese currency ready to pay with. I don't know if they take credit cards now.
Have you been to China ? Care to share your experiences ? Thanks as always.
Steve
"Should We Worry About Zombies, Vampires and Bigfoot ?"
http://www.aarp.org/politics-society/history/info-11-2013/supernatural-beliefs-photo.html?cmp=NLC-WBLTR-DSO-MCTRL-050914-TS2-339791#slide1
Ok, in all fairness, the article is not so offbeat. The headline sure got my attention, though.
Insiders get rich on IPOs, masses lose
http://americasmarkets.usatoday.com/2014/05/09/insiders-get-rich-on-ipos-masses-lose/Regular individual investors are taking the biggest hit from the crashing values of companies that have recently sold shares to the public — while the privileged investors are largely spared.
There have been 41 initial public offerings over the past 12 months, including Internet stock Twitter, restaurant chain Noodles and natural foods store Sprouts Farmers Market, where privileged investors who bought shares at the so-called offering price are sitting on big gains, even while most individual investors are suffering massive losses.
An IPO’s offering price is the price initial investors, usually wealthy clients of brokerages and large institutions and investors, pay for shares of IPOs the day before the trading starts.
Twitter is perhaps the most high-profile example. Investors that got in at the IPO price back in November, $26, are sitting on a 23% gain. Those that jumped in and paid the first-day closing price of $44.90, though, are down nearly 29%.
I'm 99.99999 % sure this is BS, just want someone who knows something to confirm...
http://endofamerica.com/?gclid=CK_hh7iZnL4CFa19OgodTmMAqQI've seen this BS ad for weeks. Comments ? Thank you kindly.
Steve
eta: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/31/us-usa-tax-fatca-idUSBREA0U1XK20140131
U.S. IRS chief says no delay in tax-dodger law; some have doubts
That looks what this law is about.
Mango, a 19-year-old male Syrian brown bear, rests on a bed.....
Mango, a 19-year-old male Syrian brown bear, rests on a bed as zoo veterinarians and staff prepare him for surgery in the Ramat Gan Zoological Center's animal hospital near Tel Aviv. Credit: AP Photo: Ariel Schalit
story: http://www.timesofisrael.com/mango-the-bear-has-disc-fixed/
Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1st, per National Hurricane Center
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/Hurricane hazards come in many forms, including storm surge, heavy rainfall, inland flooding, high winds, tornadoes, and rip currents. The National Weather Service is responsible for protecting life and property through issuance of timely watches and warnings, but it is essential that your family be ready before a storm approaches. Furthermore, mariners should be aware of special safety precautions when confronted with a hurricane.
Download the Tropical Cyclone Preparedness Guide (PDF) or follow the links for more information. But remember, this is only a guide. The first and most important thing anyone should do when facing a hurricane threat is to use common sense.
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/prepare/
Get ready folks !
Steve
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