These are this Thursday morning’s top analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen from Wall Street research calls:

Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) Started as Market Perform at JMP Securities.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) Started as Buy at Jesup & Lamont.
Assured Guaranty (NYSE: AGO) Raised to Buy at UBS.
Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) Raised to Outperform at FBR Capital Markets.
Celgene Corporation (NASDAQ: CELG) Started as Buy at Soleil.
Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: CBST) Raised to Outperform at RBC Capital Markets.
DryShips, Inc. (NASDAQ: DRYS) Started as Buy at Deutsche Bank.
Ebay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) Started as Outperform at JMP Securities.
Potash Corp. (NYSE: POT) Cut to Hold from Buy at Desjardins.
Transocean Ltd. (NYSE: RIG) Raised to Buy at Calyon.

You can join our open email distribution list to hear more news on key analyst calls, top day trader alerts, mergers and acquisitions, Buffett and other investment gurus, IPOs, secondary offerings, private equity, and more.

JON C. OGG

For all who think that the stock market is the place for earning an honest living, here’s an article. SEBI has accused RIL of rigging the stock price of RPL.

This doesn’t come as a shock, even though it’s from the highest echelon of this corporatocracy-cum-thugocracy called India

LiquidAmber leaves falling in the park

A stroll from my house down a narrow footpath led me to the  old Manor Tronjoli. At this time of year the grounds of the Manor are at their best. The Liquid Amber trees are in their glorious  fall colours, a fabric of splendor that needs a camera to catch their hues. The fall leaves and faded flowers,  have taken on a new texture. There are bright red and orange berries and rose hips  growing on low leafless bushes;  crumbling crispy leaves falling to the ground, providing a rustic carpet to walk through. The sun is low in the sky now, and the light and shadows have changed. On a good day, we have not had many this year, the trees take on a mystical look, whose mirror image can be seen in the still lake.  I wish every day could be like this one, where every moment is a miracle and mystery of nature.

-SathyaSaiMemories

Manor House

“The Earth is supported by truth, greatness and strength; by universal order and by sacrifice; by creative intensity and by spiritual ecstasy. May this Earth, which was here in the beginning and which will be here in the end, offer to us a strong foundation. This Earth, with her pinnacles and hill slopes, with her broad, enduring plains, with her precious forested space, free from the pressures wrought by humankind, may she open to us and offer us her bounty. Upon Earth first of humanity came to rest, and the gods defeated the demonic forces; upon earth we shall procure cattle, horses, and fowl, we shall gain good fortune and glory.”

-Atharva Veda XII.I

how beautiful is this?

May we be united in our prayers. May we be united in our goal. May we be united in our resolve.

May we be united in our understanding. May we be united in our offering. May we be united in our feelings.

May we be united in our thoughts. May there be perfect unity amongst us.

-Rig Veda

Leaves in the wind just before twilight

“As the hand held before the eye conceals the greatest mountain, so the little earthly life hides from the glance the enormous lights and mysteries of which the world is full, and he who can draw it away from before his eyes, as one draws away a hand, beholds the great shining of the inner worlds.”

-Rabbi Nachmann of Bratzlav

Twenty billion barrels of oil sit beneath Los Angeles. Hidden in plain sight, thousands of wells pump day and night all over the city covered by hollow office buildings, camouflaged next to high schools, and concealed behind shopping malls. We put on our boots and went exploring.
Watch the film:

Fear is the Key

TYPE: Action / Adventure

RATING: 8 / 10

REVIEW:

Truly a fast-paced book that you just can’t dare keep down for the fear that you’ll miss out on something in the few seconds that it will take to continue reading it.

The mystery is so very mysterious that I finished the book in a matter of hours and was relieved to find the mystery unveiled and all the puzzle pieces fitted into place. The suspense is unnerving, and the plot keeps thickening at a regular pace; it is well nigh impossible to keep from biting your nails in anticipation of what will happen next.

The latter part of the book is kinda the unwrapping of the entire suspense that has been built up in the former half and the whole thing has been so brilliantly put that even after the story gets over, it leaves you with a sense of an adrenaline rush.

DESCRIPTION:

‘Fear is the Key has a plot that will require a lot of willpower to stop you looking at the last page.’ Sunday Mirror

A sunken DC-3 lies on the Caribbean floor. It’s cargo: ten million, two hundred and fifty thousand dollars in gold ingots, emeralds and uncut diamonds guarded by the remains of two men, a wife and a very small son. The fortune is there for the taking, and ready to grab it are a blue-blooded oilman with his own offshore rig, a gangster so cold and independent that even the Mafia couldn’t do business with him and a hired assassin. Against them stands one man, and the skeletons in their watery grave are his people. His name is Talbot, and he will avenge their murders.

‘Excitement and violence … the pace never slackens.’ Scotsman

The Oil Drum blog has a great article summarizing the story behind the Peak Oil Theory (here).

When oil prices were rising spectacularly over the past decade (since the low in 1998), the peak oil debate was growing in intensity until it reached a crescendo as oil prices peaked.  Since then, oil prices fell dramatically and the debate was making fewer headlines.

The thing about the debate is, as this article says and the part that confuses most people, we have plenty of oil left.  Its just that the “easy” and cheap oil is running out.  The most recent major find was off the coast of Brazil, in extremely deep water.  Very few companies  have the equipment to extract at those depths.  Add to this the oil sands as mentioned in my previous post, and you quickly see that the cheap oil is running out.

I still hold by my previous statement: oil cannot sustain a price level above $80.  For further evidence of this I again defer to the article posted above:

Dave Murphy of The Oil Drum has shown that if the oil price goes much above $80 or $85 in inflation adjusted terms, the economy tends to go into recession.

The recession that follows higher prices weighs down on the price, bringing it back to a level of normalcy.

As firms realize that they cannot economically extract oil at a level above $80, they will be less inclined to go for big discoveries in hard-to-extract-from places, and supply will be wounded.

-AH

Disclosure: Long RIG, BP, KMP

His Yajur Veda translations are also available. Sakshi Publications. Those not in Bangalore can send them an e-mail and they will send u the books by VPP. (The 9th Mandala is out-of-stock.)

Devas : Cosmic Forces with High Level of Consciousness : R.L. Kashyap

Well, I just tried out guitar rig 4 demo without a Native Instruments ASIO controller, I just used a USB Soundcard, the sound was good, although I got a very annoying crackling sound whenever I was playing. I guess this would go away if I had the real package. I would recommend it if you’re looking for an affective way to record, with good sound and to model some effects without dishing out a load of cash for different stomp boxes.

Guitar Rig 4 with controller/interface

I finally finished rigging the character!

Took me some time to figure things out, especially how to stick the clothes on to the body while it’s moving (turns out you need to belt it instead of fixing the points with the cloth tag).
In the end I enjoyed working on it!

should be able to animate the character in a short story soon!
Or maybe model a new character and think of a story before hand!

Hope you all like it!

SYDNEY, Nov 2, 2009 (AFP) – An oil rig burned uncontrollably off Australia Monday as officials warned the massive blaze could not be contained until they plug a leak which has gushed tonnes of crude over the past 10 weeks.

As the government ordered an inquiry into the emergency, environmentalists warned that delays in shutting down the fire and leak would further harm the pristine waters off the northwest coast, which are home to whales and dolphins.

This handout photo provided by PTTEP Australasia shows the West Atlas drilling rig and the Montara wellhead platform before the relief well intercept, with gas, oil and water cloud, some 250 kilometres (155 miles) offshore on November 1, 2009 (AFP photo)

The West Atlas rig caught fire Sunday during the latest attempt to stop the leak, which has dumped thousands of barrels of oil into the Timor Sea since it began leaching into the water on August 21.

The rig’s operator, PTTEP Australasia, said stopping the leak was the only way to extinguish the blaze engulfing the deck and well head platform some 250 kilometres (155 miles) off the coast. It will launch another attempt Tuesday.

“The best and safest way to stop the fire is to ‘kill the well’ by pumping heavy mud into the leaking well,” PTTEP director Jose Martins said.

“The mixture of heavy mud is designed to backflow along the leaking well, stopping the flow of gas and oil at the surface of the H1 well, cutting off the fuel source for the fire at the well head platform.

“This should kill the well and should stop the fire.”

Resources and Energy Minister Martin Ferguson said the accident, the first on such a scale in 25 years of offshore drilling, had “clearly had an impact on the standing of the oil and gas industry in Australia”.

“And I simply say that once the well is filled, the platform is made safe, I will conduct a full and independent enquiry to actually assess the cause of the incident and the manner in which it has been handled over the last 10 weeks.”

A cameraman who flew over the site said the inferno was the biggest fire he had ever seen.

“It was so big we went round it two or three times, and in the end I just put the camera down and I just looked out the window and was awestuck by this thing,” Stephen Cavenagh told Sky News.

Environmental groups have criticised the government’s handling of the spill, saying it is threatening bird and marine life off Western Australia’s resource-rich north coast.

“We are ranking it as a major environmental disaster,” John Carey, a spokesman for the global Pew Environment Group, told AFP, adding that oil was a slow and silent killer for many marine species.

The area was a “marine superhighway for species moving in and out of the region so it’s an area of global importance,” he said.

“In terms of the greater northwest region, you are looking at up to almost one quarter of dolphins and whales in the world in this area.”

Environmentalists such as WWF Australia’s Ghislaine Llewellyn, who spent three days surveying the site, said the size and duration of the oil slick posed a high risk to marine and bird life in the area.

Llewellyn said in many cases there would be no dead animals lying on the water surface or washing up on to beaches because they would sink to the bottom if mired in the slick.

“Operating in a remote situation doesn’t exempt the need for appropriate standbys, safeguards, backups all being to hand,” she told AFP.

The Australian Marine Conservation Society said it hoped the government’s inquiry would force the industry to improve its management of such accidents.

“We don’t know why this disaster happened and we need to understand that to prevent this happening again in the future,” the society’s director, Darren Kindleyside, told state radio.

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Okay, so after a dozen attepmts in tring to rig the new model, I finally was able to partially rig it.
Here is a test render of the rigged model.
Today I’ll try to finish the whole rig (body and facial)

IF anyone feels so inclined to get me a present for my 21st (which you are in no way obligated to do), here are some suggestions:

• iTunes vouchers
• CD & DVD Store Vouchers
• Any of the following books by Ted Dekker: Adam, Heaven’s Wager, When Heaven Weeps, Thunder of Heaven, Martyr’s Song, Thr3e, House, Kiss, Boneman’s Daughters, Green, Lunatic, Elyon, Blessed Child, A Man Called Blessed. That’s about 16 to choose from hehe.
• Flight of the Conchords Season 2 DVDs

If you win the lottery between now and my birthday, feel free to get me any or all of the following:

• An iPhone 3GS
• A Macbook Pro
• A new 30 inch iMac quad core
• An SM58 wireless handheld microphone (with receiver)
• a 600W Power Amp
• A handy collapsible lighting rig truss type thing (can be found on trademe)
• A large 1080P HD TV
• a couple of JBL PA Subwoofers
• A Warwick 5-string bass guitar
• A Fender Telecaster or Gibson Les Paul electric Guitar
• A nice Pearl drum kit
• Logic 8 (recording software)
• I could go on and oooooooooon with this list….

Most important thing is to be there though, looking forward to seeing you! And bring a plate. With food on it. That tastes nice. In my opinion. That is all.

Upamanyu was a student of Dhaumya. When forbidden by his guru to eat all edible things he ate some Arka (Asclepias gigantea) leaves, out of hunger and went blind. Dhaumya advised him to worship the Ashwini twins.

The following  is the translation by Kisari Mohan Ganguli of the Rg Veda Mantras by Upamanyu, which resulted in a darshan of the Ashwin Twins and a restoration of his eye-sight. It is a part of the Mahabharata. (Section called Paushya of the Adi Parva). Source

“ ’Glorify the twin Aswins, the joint physicians of the gods, and they will restore thee thy sight.’ And Upamanyu thus directed by his preceptor began to glorify the twin Aswins, in the following words of the Rig Veda:

‘Ye have existed before the creation! Ye first-born beings, ye are displayed in this wondrous universe of five elements! I desire to obtain you by the help of the knowledge derived from hearing, and of meditation, for ye are Infinite! Ye are the course itself of Nature and intelligent Soul that pervades that course! Ye are birds of beauteous feathers perched on the body that is like to a tree! Ye are without the three common attributes of every soul! Ye are incomparable! Ye, through your spirit in every created thing, pervade the Universe!

“Ye are golden Eagles! Ye are the essence into which all things disappear! Ye are free from error and know no deterioration! Ye are of beauteous beaks that would not unjustly strike and are victorious in every encounter! Ye certainly prevail over time! Having created the sun, ye weave the wondrous cloth of the year by means of the white thread of the day and the black thread of the night! And with the cloth so woven, ye have established two courses of action appertaining respectively to the Devas and the Pitris. The bird of Life seized by Time which represents the strength of the Infinite soul, ye set free for delivering her unto great happiness! They that are in deep ignorance, as long as they are under delusions of their senses, suppose you, who are independent of the attributes of matter, to be gifted with form! Three hundred and sixty cows represented by three hundred and sixty days produce one calf between them which is the year. That calf is the creator and destroyer of all. Seekers of truth following different routes, draw the milk of true knowledge with its help. Ye Aswins, ye are the creators of that calf!

“The year is but the nave of a wheel to which is attached seven hundred and twenty spokes representing as many days and nights. The circumference of this wheel represented by twelve months is without end. This wheel is full of delusions and knows no deterioration. It affects all creatures whether to this or of the other worlds. Ye Aswins, this wheel of time is set in motion by you!

“The wheel of Time as represented by the year has a nave represented by the six seasons. The number of spokes attached to that nave is twelve as represented by the twelve signs of the Zodiac. This wheel of Time manifests the fruits of the acts of all things. The presiding deities of Time abide in that wheel. Subject as I am to its distressful influence, ye Aswins, liberate me from that wheel of Time. Ye Aswins, ye are this universe of five elements! Ye are the objects that are enjoyed in this and in the other world! Make me independent of the five elements! And though ye are the Supreme Brahma, yet ye move over the Earth in forms enjoying the delights that the senses afford.

“In the beginning, ye created the ten points of the universe! Then have ye placed the Sun and the Sky above! The Rishis, according to the course of the same Sun, perform their sacrifices, and the gods and men, according to what hath been appointed for them, perform their sacrifices also enjoying the fruits of those acts!

“Mixing the three colours, ye have produced all the objects of sight! It is from these objects that the Universe hath sprung whereon the gods and men are engaged in their respective occupations, and, indeed, all creatures endued with life!

“Ye Aswins, I adore you! I also adore the Sky which is your handiwork! Ye are the ordainers of the fruits of all acts from which even the gods are not free! Ye are yourselves free from the fruits of your acts!

“Ye are the parents of all! As males and females it is ye that swallow the food which subsequently develops into the life creating fluid and blood! The new-born infant sucks the teat of its mother. Indeed it is ye that take the shape of the infant! Ye Aswins, grant me my sight to protect my life!”

The twin Aswins, thus invoked, appeared and said, ‘We are satisfied. Here is a cake for thee. Take and eat it.’ And Upamanyu thus addressed, replied, ‘Your words, O Aswins, have never proved untrue. But without first offering this cake to my preceptor I dare not take it.’ And the Aswins thereupon told him, ‘Formerly, thy preceptor had invoked us. We thereupon gave him a cake like this; and he took it without offering it to his master. Do thou do that which thy preceptor did.’ Thus addressed, Upamanyu again said unto them, ‘O Aswins, I crave your pardon. Without offering it to my preceptor I dare not apply this cake.’ The Aswins then said, ‘O, we are pleased with this devotion of thine to thy preceptor. Thy master’s teeth are of black iron. Thine shall be of gold. Thou shall be restored to sight and shall have good fortune.’

“Thus spoken to by the Aswins he recovered his sight, and having gone to his preceptor’s presence he saluted him and told him all. And his preceptor was well-pleased with him and said unto him, ‘Thou shalt obtain prosperity even as the Aswins have said. All the Vedas shall shine in thee and all the Dharma-sastras.’ And this was the trial of Upamanyu.” Source

Authorship and Copyright Notice : All Rights Reserved : Satya Sarada Kandula

“

Initially, we didn’t know what NPC was going to be used for the October RIG. We knew it was going to be something devilish, so I doodled a little:

Super girly

Lol Zack ?

Then reapersun/jenzee decided to use the cash shop items as a base for the NPC. Jenzee made these sweetass items:

Some initial sketches. The items weren’t done at this point so I made up details as I went along.

Final Sketch, Photoshop

Many hours later. Jenzee also suggested adding the bloody wing (which is also an item that was added later?)

I saw the strap swinging out of the corner of my eye. I looked, was it really there? Was it really the suspension strap? Oh gods, please say yes. I rushed out to see them with the extension ladder, putting up the clamp and strap. He asked me to get the rest of the gear and I bounced all the way back to the tub and brought out the rest. We hooked up the ring and then decided to move it over a little more. He put it more centered and then added the paper airplane that goes with the rig always. I grabbed the ring and began spinning gleefully. He laughed and took the pulleys off my shoulder and I spun even more. Then I swung, my feet slipping on the floor, back and forth on the ring, from hands out of practice, and my smile grew even wider. He took a few swings himself, let the bouncers have a pull and then tied it off to wait. There would be Flying tonight.

I was bouncy and giddy as the club opened, pouncing all my friends with glee at the prospect of suspension later. They giggled and hugged me back, understanding my excitement. Things got going and the club started filling, and then he asked me to check on the hemp, make sure it was all in one tub, and then bring it out to our stage. I brought it out and we grinned at each other. It had been a long time, but there was no doubt, he was going to make me fly again.

I bounced, unable to contain my energy as he began to tie. He quizzed me here and there, and I was happy to note I had been imagining the tie correctly these past couple weeks in anticipation of this moment. When it was time to rig me to the ring, I lay on the mat, my feet still bouncing on the floor, grinning over at a few familiar faces in the crowd. Our photographer was snapping photos of the whole thing, but he seemed to catch me at moments when I was sinking into the rope, eyes closed and mind floating. I had to stop tapping my toes when he got to my ankles, my my fingers started tapping instead. Finally fully rigged it was time to go up.

He pulled me off the ground and my eyes flew open and I was in heaven. He got me hooked into the strap and with a couple quick adjustments we were ready. The slightly higher ring than usual actually helped get the rigging even and level. With the pulley tied out of the way, he grabbed my shoulders. Was I ready, oh I’d been ready all evening. We grinned at each other as he started to push, and then I was off, flying through the air, arms and legs spread wide, soaring high above everything.

It had been a long time since I’d been up, even longer since I’d been flying. But it all came back, the breathlessness, the glorious freedom, the total rush of it all. The energy was incredible, he was pushing me higher and higher, spinning and twirling me through the air. I can barely describe how good it felt, how grateful I felt, the energy flowing between us.

My stamina is not what it once was and I knew I wasn’t going to last much longer, but I asked to go for a spin. He happily obliged, twirling me faster and faster on the swivel. All the blood rushed to my head, harder that it had done in a very long time. But I wanted to go faster still. I forced my body to curl, and it actually made my head feel a little better, curled into my chest. Then I flattened out to try and slow, but it didn’t feel like it helped much at all. And then he was spinning me again, and I didn’t want it to stop. But when he went for a third round, I grabbed his arms and heard him laugh as I did stop myself.

He jumped back up, asking if I wanted another push, but I clung to him, getting my bearings and finally able to say I was done, my body would not forgive me if I pushed it any more that night. He quickly hooked the pulley up and had me down. I sank into the mats gasping for breath, not because I had forgotten to breathe, but because the energy was still raging through me and I was now on the ground in relative stillness. He quickly unrigged me from the ring and pulled me to my feet and I hugged him tight, so grateful, and needing to share the incredible energy he had given me. Finally able to take hold of the ring, he was able to untie me and pile up the ropes for me to take care of. When he was done, we hugged again, both relaxing down from the high of the scene, and still so very grateful.

He left me with the rope, to finish coming back to earth and take care of the hemp that had been holding my life by simple strands. I pulled it all to me, just feeling it in my hands for a few moments before sorting out the thinner lengths he’d used for my ankles. Starting with the big pieces, I ran them through my fingers, inspecting and feeling, enjoying the smell and the coarseness. Coiling and wrapping the rope and stacking it all together beside me, pausing occasionally to relax into myself.

I was nearly done, with just the little pieces left when one of the crowd could not stay away any longer. A girl came through the strapped off barrier and plopped down in front of me. She hadn’t seen the scene and wanted to know what I was doing, what the rope was for. So I explained the suspension and told her there were pictures in the back of other suspensions if she wanted to see what she missed. She picked up the rope I wasn’t working on and I motioned for her to put it down, barely not snatching it from her, I get more than a little protective of the rope, especially after a scene. She said she was just playing, coiled a little and then set it back down. When I picked it up to wrap it she told me her name and I told her mine and then she wandered off again. Finished cleaning up, I picked up all the coils and packed them away in the tub and then brought it back to our area to wait for the next scene.

I was buzzing with energy the rest of the night, eager to do my electric scenes, and very happy when he motioned me over be part of the second suspension as well. Remembering how her ties went made me very happy with myself. I grinned up at her as she flew, knowing she was feeling the same as I had earlier that night. There is nothing in this world like it.

]]> http://gaiaartists.wordpress.com/2009/10/20/the-cake-is-not-a-lie/ Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:42:00 +0000 gaiaartists http://gaiaartists.wordpress.com/2009/10/20/the-cake-is-not-a-lie/

I’m done it! I hope to add a rig to it next week or two and figure out how to give his body a soft body type feel so that it looks like it’s filled with stuffing when animated. A lot of work. But i think it’ll turn out awesome. This took about a month of very non-intense work to do. Enjoy! I used the tutorial here: http://vimeo.com/4622616

Mr. Bean's Teddy Bear

Refer to highlighted area on image below. Do you think RIG can trade at or above 90 by 1/15/2010…If so you can Collar it by Buying the stock at $88.20, selling the 90 CALL @ $7.60 (1/15/2010 expiry) and buying the 80 PUT @ $.70 (1/15/2010 expiry). The MAX risk is a mere 1.6% while the MAX reward is 10.7% for 94 days in the market.

(CFD.net.au – Contract for Difference, Share, Forex, ETFs, Commodities Traders) –

Updated

October 9, 2009 15:43:00

The rig has been spewing oil into the Timor sea for almost two months. (Office of Senator Rachel Siewert: Chris Twomey)

Map:

Broome 6725

A second attempt to plug a leak that has been spewing oil into the Timor Sea for seven weeks has b …

Updated

October 9, 2009 15:43:00

The rig has been spewing oil into the Timor sea for almost two months. (Office of Senator Rachel Siewert: Chris Twomey)

• 
  
  map:
  
  broome 6725
  
  

A second attempt to plug a leak that has been spewing oil into the Timor Sea for seven weeks has been delayed.

The operators of the West Atlas oil well, PTTEP Australasia, says a second attempt to repair the damage, due to begin at the weekend, will now commence on Monday.

PTTEP Australasia director and chief financial officer, Jose Martins, says the work to plug the leak is very hard and can be slow and delays can occur.

A media statement released by the company says the operation to fix the leak is a complex operation.

The company says it has to locate and intersect a 25 centimetre diameter target more than 2.5 kilometres beneath the seabed.

Tags:


disasters-and-accidents

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accidents

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maritime-accidents

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wa

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broome-6725

Source: Second attempt to plug oil leak "delayed"

Look at highlighted area on the chart below. Do you think RIG can move from 91 to 105 over the next 99 days ? If so, then buy the stock at 91.2, Sell the 105 CALL (1/15/2010 expiry)  @ 2.35 and Buy the 90 PUT (1/15/2010 expiry) at 2.35. The cost to put this on is ZERO, your breakeven is 91.2. This menas your MAX RISK on the trade is 1.2% while any close above 91.2 is gain, keeping in mind you would be called out of the stock if it moved to 105 by 1/15/2020 for 15% gain.

Maybe you want something more conservative ? Look down 4 rows on same chart using RIG again. You can buy the stock at 91.2, sell the 85 Calls @ $10.7 and buy the 80 Puts @ $.60. MAX Risk is 1.3% while as long as the stock stays above 85 you are called out at 85 for 4.8% gain in 99 days.

Ohirtenfelder takes good car photos.

- Gyro