Professor Dr Malcolm Simons RIP

I’ve blogged about Professor Dr Malcolm Simons on this and other blogs several times. I am sad to say Malcolm passed away on 25 April 2012, at 10.14 pm.

“Dear Friends,

He was surrounded by family and friends and achieved his wish to die peacefully and with dignity. He did this (as always) on his own terms, and those with him felt privileged to witness such a beautiful exit.

While his family is heart-broken and will miss him terribly, they are extremely proud of him. As Mal’s life was lived almost entirely in overdrive, with such passion and untiring focus, none of us really believed in our heart of hearts that he’d achieve the serene departure we were honored to be part of.

We invite you to the celebration of Malcolm’s life at 10.30am, on Thursday, February 2, at the Katsumata Centre at Kardinia International College, Geelong. Further funeral details will follow. See Saturday’s Age and Geelong Advertiser.

Love Ann and Family”

Please click here to access a Legacy Interview I recorded with Malcolm only a few short months ago, on 11 November 2011.

There is an audio recording you can download as well as a word-for-word transcript. It is Malcolm’s gift, part of his enduring legacy.

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Yoga class full, must be a new year…

JanusI  just got back from my yoga class – it was full. Must be a New Year…

Lots of people TRYING to make a change, based on their New Year’s Resolutions

What’s too bad is most will stop coming to class – probably before the end of January.

Not surprisingly, 88 percent of New Year’s Resolutions fail. Alarmingly, research shows that 25% of 1 out of every 4 people give up in the first WEEK.

Whether it’s yoga, a new diet (even though I don’t believe in diets) or something else, the odds are against you achieving your goals or dreams.

You need a SYSTEM, a PROCESS to take the guesswork out of it.

Too many people think that luck and chance are cornerstones of ‘success, wealth and happiness’… Even though luck and fate do have a role, the question is simple:

Are you the type of person who makes things happen?
Or are you a person that things happen to?

Out of the 20 ‘newbies’ at yoga today, only 1 will make it past the initial introductory period.

Of course for some, yoga’s not for them, I get that, but for the majority who do want the benefits of yoga – they’re just not going to make it. That is the fate of the majority of the population – it’s inertia that’s hard to overcome. Most succumb to its force – I call it the Vortex Of Mediocrity.

Will 2012 be your best year ever?

Why not this year? It’s a leap year – you have an extra 24 hours to make it happen!

Click here to make 2012 “My Best Year Ever

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New Year’s Resolutions… How Are They Going So Far?

New Year's Resolutions, Goal SettingThere is no doubt about it, New Year’s Resolutions are a powerful tool to achieve goals, yet only a few follow up and follow through on their resolutions…
Why is that?

One simple reason is that most people forget that decisions are made every minute of every day and they add up at the end of the week/month/year.

Non-decisions are the same – the decision NOT made to put your runners on to go for a run. The decision NOT to turn down the (extra) piece of pie. The decision NOT to get up early.

“It is in the moments of INdecision
that dreams are destroyed.”
– Dr Marc Dussault

If you made a list of New Year’s Resolutions for 2012 – take them out right now and re-commit yourself to following through.

If you’re not motivated – the problem is you have impotent goals.

You need something that will MOTIVATE, INSPIRE and MOVE YOU TO ACTION.

Pick something exciting, but within the realm of possibility – something you can really get enthused about – something that would CHANGE you and your life.

I know too many “people who end up where they don’t want to be” simply through lack of planning and commitment.

No decision IS a decision – it’s the worst one of all – one made by someone else for all the wrong reasons.

There is no joy in living a life by default.

To live a life by design, you need to know what YOU want and desire.

You decide.

By NOT deciding, all you’re doing is letting yourself down – no one cares that you don’t make a decision. That’s why it’s so easy.

One day leads to a week then to a month and before you know it, another year has passed. If you get lulled into complacency, a whole decade can pass you buy.

That’s tragic.

Don’t just sit there – do something!

Anything!

If you didn’t create a list of New Year’s Resolutions – do it now!

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Time Honored Truths

Today’s collection of time honored truths is courtesy of Angela Muzyczka of Sydney’s Adult Shop in the CBD. They are a priceless source of comic relief that I know you’ll want to forward on to friends and family!

Don’t sweat the petty things, and don’t pet the sweaty things.

One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor.

One nice thing about egotists: They don’t talk about other people.

To be intoxicated is to feel sophisticated but not be able to say it.

The older you get, the better you realize you were.

I doubt, therefore I might be.

Age is a very high price to pay for maturity.

More Time Honored Truths

If all the world is a stage, where is the audience sitting?

If God dropped acid, would he see people?

If one synchronized swimmer drowns, do the rest have to drown too?

If the #2 pencil is the most popular, why is it still #2?

If work is so terrific, how come they have to pay you to do it?

If you’re born again, do you have two bellybuttons?

If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?

Why is it called tourist season if we can’t shoot at them?
Even More Time Honored Truths

Before they invented drawing boards, what did they go back to?

Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?

Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.

If you ate pasta and antipasto, would you still be hungry?

A fool and his money are soon partying.

Women like silent men, they think they’re listening.

Men are from earth. Women are from earth. Deal with it.

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.

If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?

Why is it called tourist season if we can’t shoot at them?

Do pediatricians play miniature golf on Wednesdays?

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Happy New Year!

Just to be antimimeticisomorphic, my Happy New Year wishes will be in multiple languages, courtesy of Rakesh Kumar who sent them to me via Linked In.

Afgani Saale Nao Mubbarak
Afrikaans Gelukkige nuwe jaar
Albanian Gezuar Vitin e Ri
Armenian Snorhavor Nor Tari
Arabic Kul ‘am wa antum bikhair
Assyrian Sheta Brikhta
Bengali Shuvo Nabo Barsho
Bulgarian ×åñòèòà Íîâà Ãîäèíà(pronounced “Chestita Nova Godina”)
Cambodian Soursdey Chhnam Tmei
Chinese Xin Nian Kuai Le
Croatian Sretna Nova godina!
Czech Štastný Nový rok ( Stastny Novy rok)
Denish Godt Nytår
Dutch GELUKKIG NIEUWJAAR!
English Happy New Year
Eskimo Kiortame pivdluaritlo
Esperanto Felican Novan Jaron
Ethiopian: MELKAM ADDIS AMET YIHUNELIWO!
Ethiopian RUHUS HADUSH AMET
Finnish Onnellista Uutta Vuotta
French Bonne Annee
German Prosit Neujahr
Georgian GILOTSAVT AKHAL TSELS!
Greek Kenourios Chronos
Gujarati Nutan Varshbhinandan
Hebrew L’Shannah Tovah
Hindi Naye Varsha Ki Shubhkamanyen
Hong kong (Cantonese) Sun Leen Fai Lok
Hungarian Boldog Új Évet Kivánok
Indonesian Selamat Tahun Baru
Iranian Sal -e- no mobarak
Iraqi Sanah Jadidah
Irish Bliain nua fe mhaise dhuit
Italian Felice anno nuovo
Japan Akimashite Omedetto Gozaimasu
Kannada Hosa Varushadha Shubhashayagalu
Korea Saehae Bock Mani ba deu sei yo!
Lithuanian Laimingu Naujuju Metu
Madagascar Tratry ny taona
Marathi Nveen Varshachy Shubhechcha
Malayalam Puthuvatsara Aashamsakal
Nepal Nawa Barsha ko Shuvakamana
Oriya Nua Barshara Subhechha
Persian Sal -e- no mobarak
Philippines Manigong Bagong Taon!
Portuguese Feliz Ano Novo
Punjabi Nave sal di mubarak
Romanian AN NOU FERICIT
Russian S Novim Godom
Sindhi Nayou Saal Mubbarak Hoje
Singhalese Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa
Spanish “Feliz Año Nuevo”
Tamil Eniya Puthandu Nalvazhthukkal
Telugu Noothana samvatsara shubhakankshalu
Thai Sawadee Pee Mai
Turkish Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun
Urdu Naya Saal Mubbarak Ho
Vietnamese Chuc Mung Tan Nien

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Get A New Body In 2012…

If you didn’t already know, most of the cells in your body will regenerate themselves within the next 12 months, which means you’ll have a brand new body – literally…

Though you can’t see it happening, every minute of the day we lose about 30,000 to 40,000 dead skin cells off the surface of our skin. So just in the time it took you to read this far, you’ve probably lost about 20,000 cells.

That’s almost 9 pounds (4 kilograms) of cells every year! But don’t think your skin might wear out someday. Your epidermis is always making new skin cells that rise to the top to replace the old ones. Most of the cells in your epidermis (95%) work to make new skin cells.

The question is – which (new) body do you want?

New Year, New Body, New Year's Resolutions

Given the choice, which one would you prefer?

Here’s the thing – you have the choice… Click on the image to see how you can have a great ‘new body’ in 2012!

Deciding or NOT deciding are both decisions. One gets you the body you want, the other well…

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Are you going to make New Year’s Resolutions for 2012?

New Year’s Resolutions are one of the easiest ways to set the wheels of success in motion. They can be the catalyst to create your ultimate dream destiny…


“What if…”

What if… your childhood dreams actually came true…

What if… you could wave a magic wand and get anything you want…

What if… you could rub Aladdin’s Lamp and get any 3 wishes granted…

What if…

Those are two very powerful words.

Here’s the thing. Some people get what they want while others don’t.

  • It’s infuriating to know someone dumber than you is out-performing you in business or school.
  • It’s aggravating to have someone less physically capable beat you at your favorite sport.
  • It’s perplexing to see someone who started with less money than you build a ‘fortune’ that allows them to have the luxurious, stress-free lifestyle you’d like to have.

What if… you could learn how to accomplish all your goals?

What if… it took less than 5 minutes a week to implement?

What if… the strategies were proven and tested?

What if… they cost LESS than going to McDonald’s?

Just let yourself imagine those words.

Let your thoughts wander.

New Year's Resolutions, Resolutions, Wish List, Dream List, Vision Board

Listen to what you would say in the privacy of your own mind.

Feel what it would be like to have those things most important to you.

What if… You believed it was possible.

What if… You learned the strategies, techniques and tips you need.

What if… You applied them, one day at a time.

What if… You achieved one goal, then another, then another.

How different would your life be?

How much more could you do and contribute to others?

What if… you had a system to make them all come true?

What if… I gave you the link – would you make 2012 your best year ever?

Why not give yourself this Christmas gift?

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Problems? Don’t worry!

The graphic for today’s blog post was contributed by Andrew Powell of Montreal, Canada. It’s brilliant don’t you think?

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A Sroht Nueroligacol Tset

Are you ready to take A Short Neurological Test? Angela Muzyczka supplied this one – it’s worth focusing for the next 60 seconds…

1- Find the C below.. Please do not use any cursor help.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

2- If you already found the C, now find the Read More »»

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Euro Debt Crisis Explained

Want To Understand The European Debt Crisis?


Mary is the proprietor of a bar in Dublin.
She realizes that virtually all of her customers are unemployed alcoholics and, as such, can no longer afford to patronize her bar.
To solve this problem, she comes up with a new marketing plan that allows her customers to drink now, but pay later. She keeps track of the drinks consumed on a ledger (thereby granting the customers loans).

Word gets around about Mary’s “drink now, pay later” marketing strategy and, as a result, increasing numbers of customers flood into Mary’s bar.
Soon she has the largest sales volume of any bar in Dublin.

By providing her customers freedom from immediate payment demands, Mary gets no resistance when, at regular intervals, she substantially increases her prices for wine and beer, the most consumed beverages.

Consequently, Mary’s gross sales volume increases massively.
A young and dynamic vice-president at the local bank recognizes that these customer debts constitute valuable future assets and increases Mary’s borrowing limit.
He sees no reason for any undue concern, since he has the debts of the unemployed alcoholics as collateral.

At the bank’s corporate headquarters, expert traders figure a way to make huge commissions, and transform these customer loans into DRINKBONDS, ALCOBONDS and PUKEBONDS.
These securities are then bundled and traded on international security markets.
Naive investors don’t really understand that the securities being sold to them as AAA secured bonds are really the debts of unemployed alcoholics.
Nevertheless, the bond prices continuously climb, and the securities soon become the hottest-selling items for some of the nation’s leading brokerage houses.

One day, even though the bond prices are still climbing, a risk manager at the original local bank decides that the time has come to demand payment on the debts incurred by the drinkers at Mary’s bar. He so informs Mary.

Mary then demands payment from her alcoholic patrons, but being unemployed alcoholics they cannot pay back their drinking debts.
Since, Mary cannot fulfill her loan obligations she is forced into bankruptcy.
The bar closes and the eleven employees lose their jobs.

Overnight, DRINKBONDS, ALKIBONDS and PUKEBONDS drop in price by 90%.
The collapsed bond asset value destroys the banks liquidity and prevents it from issuing new loans, thus freezing credit and economic activity in the community.

The suppliers of Mary’s bar had granted her generous payment extensions and had invested their firms’ pension funds in the various BOND securities.
They find they are now faced with having to write off her bad debt and with losing over 90% of the presumed value of the bonds. Her wine supplier also claims bankruptcy, closing the doors on a family business that had endured for three generations, her beer supplier is taken over by a competitor, who immediately closes the local plant and lays off 150 workers.

Fortunately though, the bank, the brokerage houses and their respective executives are saved and bailed out by a multi-billion euro no-strings attached cash infusion from their cronies in Government.
The funds required for this bailout are obtained by new taxes levied on employed, middle-class, non-drinkers who have never been in Mary’s bar.

Now, that’s current economics,  explained simply !


Thank you Farhad Khurshed for this brilliant analysis/explanation!

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