I value the work we did tonight very much.
Obviously there'll be lots of reflection on my end over the next few days.
I appreciate the forum & hospitality. The Incline Village Trading Tribe now includes a couple of commuters from Los Angeles.
I find that many individuals hold back questions, ideas and actions for fear of losing face or appearing foolish. I wonder if this can create a road block in the path to success. It seems that most of the ideas of successful people, originally appeared foolish.
If fear of losing (face) gets into your trading, you might have trouble cutting losses.
Some people seem loss-proof. No matter how hard they try, or how foolish they might they might feel, they just can't seem to lose.
Others celebrate their losses, even proudly post evidence of their losses on the net.
Traders who can celebrate both winning and losing, as just natural parts of the process, like breathing in and breathing out, can also buy and sell the same way.
Losing is not always so easy and is sometimes grounds for celebration.
Last year was my first year as a professional trader. I trade the foreign exchange currencies market (spot). I had a good return. I started this year, though, in a very disturbing losing streak and that affected my trading. Because of money management - I'm very rigid about 2% stops - I was not that hurt in my account, but that is not the problem. What disturbs the most is the idea of losing so many times in sequence. Sometimes I left the market for 2 days, but when I came back, I started to lose again because of anxiety. Now, I have established that I would only trade again when my anxiety was over. I did that and my first trade was a winner just like last year's good, prudent and conscious trades. Do you recommend any attitude at this point - when I'm starting to feel like me again in the market?
This question goes to the very heart of trading ... how to trade so as to keep mind and spirit clear, and how to manage hope, fear, greed and despair where these infectious emotions are also essential market forces.
Some traders try to ignore and/or suppress their feelings; this seems to work for a while and then lead to the big blowout. Some just trade small enough so that losing does not make a difference ... and then neither does winning.
I think the best way is along the lines you suggest, to honor your feelings, and to include them, consciously, in your system design.
A group, like the Trading Tribe, in which traders develop camaraderie, and come to see how others deal with these issues, can also help.
Would you mind if I emailed another FAQ contributor and introduced myself? I'm speaking in Toronto in March and since I'll be there I'd like to meet him. Connecting traders on the Web, so they can help one-another, is one of the goals of FAQ.
Hi have read that you started out programming your own systems and still continue to do so.
Wanted to know if you have any experience with of the shelf products like [name of a product]. If you believe that doing it yourself from scratch is best, what language, would you recommend and why ? I started out with Fortran 4, and punch cards. Lately, I use C++ and Java.
I like to code from scratch, so I can implement any design.
Many shelf products handle most of the basic algorithms, and can get you up and running right away.
I'm still here, you haven't lost me ;) I have been soul searching and thinking how to approach my essay. If I may could I ask you a question? Are you looking for a masterful piece of literary work or for the sake of limited space would it be more appropriate and efficient to tell you what areas I would like to cover (not excluding of course your typical coaching progression) in more of a bulleted format? I'm just not sure how much detail I can get into a flowing page. I would need 5 pages just for an essay on volatility.
Concerning my communications to you. You had previously stated that all submissions to you would become your intellectual property and to be used at will and at your digression. This I believe might limit my openness and details regarding my background and personal adversity that I believe would give you a true minds eye at what makes me tick and my overall evolution. If there are some possible checks and balances you could inject in this matter please let me know.
Please place me in the "queue" for your future book and please by all means place me in the queue for signed copies if there is one.
I hope this email finds you well and in good spirits. And by the way I could use some work on the rest of my head also. :) FAQ (this page) is for you to participate in a dialog, and possibly receive feedback from readers.
Some of the FAQ material will likely wind up in a book.
Private consulting is for those who (1) wish to remain completely anonymous and (2) wish to explore their personal styles in depth, like how to be more comfortable with ambiguity.
Have you ever investigated the merits of using NASDAQ volume / NYSE volume as a secondary indicator, to signal a lack of speculation, similar to your magazine cover indicator?
I have observed correlations between market volatility and the beginning and ending of trends. As an example, exiting a trend when the volatility doubles or triples from the point of entry (sometimes measured in ATR's or similar type indicators). The theory is that as trends persist and accelerate, they eventually reach a point of wild and rampant speculation, indicating a general market correction is near.
(1) On December 29, 2000, the this ratio of NASDAQ volume as a percent of NYSE volume was at 244%, a 5 year high.
(2) On July 31, 2002, the ratio was at 79%, a 5 year low.
Both points above indicated two extreme degrees of speculation, and occurred relatively close to changes in trend. I am not sure if this indicator can be used for trading but it is definitely an interesting observation.
Magazine cover analysis is no sure-fire system. The best indicator I know is Trend. The other good ones are Trend and Trend.
Given the benefit of hindsight, you can get almost any indicator to work remarkably well.
The Cloud Indicator: lie on your back under some nice clouds ... with a little practice, you can see whatever you are looking for.
Here's a picture of me working on the economy with my friends over at the fed.
I think this should be affixed at the top of magazine covers that possibly carry an indicator message. It would be like the warnings on cigarette packages -- but I guess it would have the same efficacy. Do you agree?
"When popular opinion is nearly unanimous, contrary thinking tends to be most profitable. The reason is that once the crowd takes a position, it creates a short-term, self-fulfilling prophecy. But when a change occurs, everyone seems to change his mind at once." -- The Crowd - Gustave Le Bon.
The Crowd, 1895, still applies today.
A magazine cover to mark the beginning of a decade of whipsaw-free trading.
I trust all is well and your eye is continuing to recuperate.
I am finding the FAQ to be very useful and entertaining.
still have much to learn and I look forward to continuing our relationship, however, when I have a question, I know whom to ask first.
commit to regular attendance. It would be unfair to the others in the group for me to be a part-time participant. Therefore, I intend to help establish a group in the Toronto area who combine desire for excellence with the desire to support and receive support from other traders. Perhaps the information, questions and results from these meetings will provide some helpful material for the FAQ. If you have any thoughts, comments or objections, please let me know.
All the best and thanks for pointing me towards the window. The doctor says my eye is getting well enough so that he can proceed with replacing the rest of my head.
The value in FAQ comes from individuals who are courageous and outspoken and volunteer their questions and their own situations as material.
I am experimenting with weekly and bi-weekly formats for Trading Tribe Meetings. One member commutes to Lake Tahoe from LA. The rest are local.
Occasionally I host a weekend meeting, in response to demand that seems to appear from time to time, from all over the world.
Good luck to you with your Toronto group. Perhaps we can share some ideas about how to support having productive meetings.
The indicator has failed miserably here even though this is an emotionally evocative cover.
Magazine Covers often indicate completion of discount.
MSO came out at about 50 late in 2000, fell to about 5 late in 2002 and currently trades at about 8.
Although the satirical cover you cite is not from a mass-market magazine, the image enjoys circulation on Internet, so it still might indicate the discount in MSO nearing completion.
I wonder who published this cover and when it first appeared.
In any event, thanks for sending in an interesting variation on the theme.
Watching Magazine covers is similar to watching a stochastic indicator. It's very easy to point out the times when it works but people usually never take notice of how often it doesn't (which is plenty). Attached is the Business Week cover from May 3, 1999. The cover asks, in big bold font, "A Wiser Bull?" The second half of 1999 proved to be one of the best bull markets in history. I believe the S&P 500 was up roughly 5.4% in June 1999 and closed the year with a 20% gain, way above the historical averages.
Magazine covers often show up at opportune times probably just as often as they show up at inopportune times. Probably better left out of the world of trading. But they are entertaining.
About the only sure thing is that there aren't any sure things.
The Magazine Cover Indicator seems to work better, with very emotionally evocative covers.
The May 3, 1999 cover bull seems dark and somber and relatively devoid of emotion. No fire is coming out of the nostrils. The bull below is radiant and seems a little stronger, yet still not much evidence of frothy ebullience.
I recall a more emotional cover in which an investor was riding a wild bull and money was flying out of his bulging pockets.
At the the all-time top of the gold market, several magazines had stacks of gold on their covers.
At the previous top of the oil market, several magazines had oil covers and Fortune Magazine had the word, OIL, on the cover in 7" font.
How ironic that these quotes appear at just the most opportune times. Found this one last night.
"A Trader, in addition to studying basic conditions, remembering market precedents and keeping in mind the psychology of the outside public as well as the limitations of his brokers, must also know himself and provide against his own weaknesses." -- Reminiscences of a Stock Operator About 100% of the game is psychological, about 100% is mathematical and about 100% is other stuff.
Magazine covers often show up at opportune times to indicate the end of a smooth move, the beginning of volatility.
Fortune, December 30, 2002 (issues a week earlier) Asks, in 3/4" font, "Can this bull run again?" DJIA then at about 8500. Today DJIA about 7900.
Current Business Week, February 24, 2003 edition (issues a week earlier) has the word, OIL, in 2-1/4" font. April Crude recently at about 35-1/2; April Unleaded Gasoline at about 107; April Heating Oil at about 97-1/2.
I have defined what I do as trend-trading and, more importantly, I have defined who and what I am.
In learning about trading I think the most important thing I learned was not the "math", but the mechanical, systematic, disciplined and unemotional manner. It has truly helped me with my psychology, my trading make-up and has implanted the acceptance of the market as an entity totally separate from me. One in which I can only react to while being, simultaneously, intelligent and impassible.
Sounds like you are at a nice place from which to trade ... getting there is one thing, and staying there is another.
I notice the prices of other things, like the Dollar, fluctuate in relation to gold. In 1910, the Dollar is worth 1/10 of a Gold Indian, in 1989 1/2000 and in 2003 the Dollar is worth about 1/500 of a Gold Indian. The price trend of the Dollar is either up or down, depending on how you define trend.
Using your head is a good way to make a little money. To make a lot of money, use the other end. Learn to sit tight and handle your feelings during normal reactions. Your zone of opportunity might be just above your chair.
I can blame this partially on my system but looking at the bigger picture, the system is just a derivative of the person. I know that the problem is not in my "wants" as a trader because it definitely angers me to exit a trade and watch it continue in my anticipated direction. I do want to be highly profitable and achieve monetary success. What causes me to be apprehensive in these situations? Does a feeling of courage in these types of situations come with experience or is it a mindset which can be trained/learned, or for that matter taught? If a system is a derivative of a person, then the difference between discretionary traders and system traders fades. A discretionary trader has a consistent emotional system, and a system trader must still make some gut decisions, such as portfolio selection, as trading instruments and/or client funds appear and disappear.
While you are waiting around for courage, you might consider using anger, since that seems arrive at just about the right time.
In Reminiscences, amongst the galaxy of one-liners and even paragraphs that are crucial to understand, then retain and apply! My favorite one, the one that I have inviolable space in my head for is "a stock operator has to fight a lot of expensive enemies within himself" These are the most heartfelt and sagacious for me.
Taking the above statements into consideration, attitudinally I will always be in the "classroom" when it comes to trading/markets. Why? Simply because I am still learning to unlearn the injurious and expensive natural endowments that I have in my blueprint. In addition, I am also still learning how to consistently display, to myself, my recently acquired education and trading nature. What a process. Forever dynamic, I guess. Incontestably, not a destination but journey.
Shouldn't most traders work more on themselves rather than on methods, systems, finding the holy grail? That is, ostensibly, the first ingredient and the most important asset one should possess before attempting to become successful with the usage of tools and implementation of modus operandi.
PS: Your price of coaching @ 15 ounces of gold, is coming down. Thank you for exemplifying the path of growth.
Changing deep patterns can be difficult. Not changing them can be even more difficult.
Your claim that gold is coming down says something about the way you define trend.
During the 1849 Gold Rush, a glass of water sells for $100.00 while a pound of bacon sells for a penny. Astute traders profit.
Most of my trend following knowledge has come from trading literature and courses. I wonder if you could share some of your knowledge because I am sure your database of knowledge from 35+ years of "Very Successful" trading and teaching experience is extraordinary.
I believe that building from established and proven principles can create an excellent foundation and accelerate the learning process. 1. Trade with the trend.
Looking forward to reading your upcoming book. I believe I read in the market wizard book that you averaged roughly 60 percent return annually in your trading. I wanted to know approx. what kind of historic drawdowns you experienced, average and max. If this is confidential I completely understand. Amos Hostetter told me he measured his drawdowns in numbers of stomachs. I refined his idea and measure my own draw-downs in millimeters of stomach lining. Drawdowns matter if they make you jump off your system. The intensity of drawdowns also has to do with your philosophy.
Can you tell me exactly what measurements would be required in an independently audited report of a trading system? You've mentioned Sharpe, drawdown and return. Would I need Monte Carlo? Could I produce these reports myself or would it have to be from an independent, to raise money for a Hedge Fund? I wonder how you made the trip to Boston so quickly, with all the enhanced security and inclement weather at Logan Airport.
You might consult a library, trading websites or professional consultants for answers about system design, metrics and marketing.
If all goes well I will be flying to Boston to help in the system coding required to produce an independently audited report. Professional systems designers can provide (1) a wealth of information about system design and metrics, (2) advice about how to present your marketing materials and (3) third-party credibility.
Yes, I completely agree with your insight on the inter-relatedness of things. I think Fritjof Capra also said something which goes like, "What one does to the web of life does it unto himself". This is similar in spirit to one of the answers propounded to the popular question, "What is the meaning of life?": The meaning of life comes from the meaning we give to it. Philosophies based on going with the flow, taking responsibility and realizing things are about as important as you make them ... seem well suited for trend following. Serving others seems to help with staying in balance.
Regarding the literature recommended, I have read Reminiscences of a Stock Operator 2 times (I think this book must be read many times during a speculator's life) and Mr. Livermore talks about a great book: Speculation as a Fine Art by Dickson G. Watts. I bought it and figured out that it is not a book; it is knowledge at its purest form; knowledge in simplicity. Every time I enter a trade in the currencies market I remember something written in that book. What are your thoughts about it? Do you recommend it to your students? I like it.
In the past, I have found myself jumping from one trading system to another seeking the "perfect method." Probably because it is uncomfortable to lose money and I was looking for a method that was 100% accurate. Finally realizing that no trading method is 100% accurate I have started to explore myself instead of my method.
One of the problems I have encountered is ... Why do I continuously make choices that make me feel comfortable as opposed to making choices that are right. Attached is a 3 month chart of RGLD. I will give you a play-by-play of a recent trade along with my thoughts and feelings at the time.
1) I entered the trade long on Dec 9, 2002 at $21.30. My reason for taking the trade was because gold was in a recent up-trend and the stock broke to a new high. I felt very comfortable entering the trade at this point because the stock was trending upward on increasing volume. I set an initial stop loss and began to watch the trade progress in my favor.
2) Over the next few weeks I watched this trade further progress in my favor continuously contemplating adding to my original position. I was hesitant because I thought I was in at a great point and didn't want to bring my average cost higher. I was torn between making my position larger, potentially increasing my chance at a much larger profit, and not doing anything and remaining very comfortable. I chose comfort.
3) Watching the trade continuing to progress higher I was beginning to feel upset about not adding more shares to my position and forgoing a larger profit. Instead of being satisfied as the price went up I was getting more and more angry for letting myself miss a huge opportunity. I was considering just getting out of the position at $26 because I had made a mistake. I didn't get out because in the back of my head I knew that the trend was strong and I was in the position at a great entry price.
4) On January 6, 2003 I finally added to my position at $27.15. I was tired of seeing the stock continue to rise and not take full advantage of the situation. When I added to the position I moved my stop to $23.35 and was now content that I had increased my position size. I knew that I should of added to the position earlier but I didn't want to continue missing a great opportunity. Over the next few days the stock reversed course and begun declining in price. I wasn't concerned because I felt a reaction was warranted after such a large move and I knew my trailing stop would protect me.
5) On January 15, 2003 I was stopped out of the position at $23.30. I was a little bothered because I was stopped out near the opening of trading and the stock reversed course and closed near the highs of the day. After analyzing the situation, I realized that I had done right by maintaining discipline and adhering to my stop. I knew I had wasted a great opportunity by allowing myself to chase the stock at $27.15 but that decision made me comfortable at that time. I had sacrificed being right for being comfortable.
6) Watching the stock move as high as $28.80 by early February was disappointing because I knew my initial entry point and analysis were very sound. I was more upset with the fact that I had traded the trend wrong and didn't care so much about the loss of potential profit.
Looking back on the trade today I can spot a flaw in my method. I didn't use a set rule for adding to my position. Instead, I just figured that I would add when the time looked right. It was difficult to add early in the trend because I felt uncomfortable increasing my average cost, possibly because of a lack on confidence. My natural human traits lead me to make decisions that were wrong in order to feel comfortable. What did I learn from this ... It is better to be right than comfortable. I support your looking for the answers in the right place: namely, within yourself.
I wonder what accounts for your discomfort at the low 20's -- transforming into comfort at the high 20's.
Other feelings that populate the investor cycle are hope, fear, greed and despair.
Another way to frame pyramiding is to pre-figure your total position, and then to pyramid up to it, rather than pyramid on top of it.
Trading profitably beats both being right and feeling comfortable.
The Moron Rule: just keep adding more-on.
There is this figure in Wall Street, an old-timer investor called Carl Icahn. Well, i've seen a declaration from him which I thought very curious ... he states that "Charts predicted 18 of the last 5 economic crises". I wonder how he's being that honest with his public ... or ... Considering the fact that this guy started trading after graduating college (Major in Philosophy), with approximately U$ 5,000 back in 1968, and his equity is now estimated $5 billion ... The question is: Does his impressive track record have to do with "billion percent management?" How would you explain this kind of record? How do you personally feel about his statement described above?
Trying to keep the discussion within overall trading philosophy, I, again, thank you for your considerations. Rather than invite third-party gossip (from me), I suggest you go directly to the best source (him) and ask your question.
Meanwhile, The National Enquirer, The Drudge Report and other fine purveyors of news might assist you.
It always enchants me when two financial professionals (money managers, chief investment officers, strategists, etc.,) appear on a financial markets program and are totally discordant as to the where the economy and/or the stock market is headed ... and with emotion. Divergence sans pareil. Always reminds me, to an extent, of the paradigm example in Covey's Seven Habits....one individual sees a young woman, the other sees an old one.
Two different answers emanating from two different perceptions. BOTH correct. Conversely, both of the finance pros cannot be right. Their encounters on these programs are not joviality. Most of these intelligent and experienced people have clients invested, manage funds, accounts or portfolios, etc., which back up their bull/bear deportment. In other words, there is money ... and reputations, jobs or careers ... "where the mouth is". Truly a zero-sum game.
These "experts" have the same economic facts and are cognizant of the political sphere, both domestically and globally. They know the trends, have all the fundamentals they need ... likewise with the technicals. Comparably, societal conditions at home and abroad are monitored.
I guess Twain was absolutely right when he said, "it were not best that we should all think alike; it is difference of opinion that make horse races." Nonetheless, I am inclined to believe that, after their debates and as markets and the economy evolve, one of these learned and polished individuals usually does not have "the winning horse."
If economics is the dismal science, what should be ascribed to, or afforded, our financial markets professionals since the vast majority of them are not economists and do not serve in that capacity?
p.s. I appreciate your website and I thank you for it. The difference of opinion among economists often focuses on predictions about the future.
Since the future doesn't exist, there's no accountability. It's like wrestling -- entertaining combat between your favorite gladiators.
Note: the data economists can actually obtain with complete accuracy, they hardly ever analyze in public: namely, their own track records.
Irrational Exuberance Speech, December 5, 1996, DJIA about 6,300. Thereafter, DJIA continues up to around 11,000.
Thank you for your quick reply. Just out of curiosity, I noticed that some of things you say are very similar to those of Eastern philosophers, such as "It's the trading that does them", which is also similarly mentioned in the Chapter "Zen and the Art of Trading" (?) of the New Market Wizards. Therefore, I'm wondering if part of your own (trading) philosophy have been influenced by any them or you just happened to reach similar conclusions through your own reflections?
On a different note, I would like to ask if your views on whether options (LEAPS) are effectively tools for trending following strategies or is one better off sticking with trading the underlying or futures. Thanks. Everything influences everything and life evolves. Your choice is the degree to which you participate.
3/4" drills, violins and lawn chairs all can be effective tools. It takes skill and experience to learn which ones to sit on.
Do most participants live in the Tahoe area? It would seem difficult to assemble people from all over the world on a consistent basis.
Would you ever consider conducting a Tribe meeting using an electronic forum, such as a private (invitation only) chat room setting? I don't assemble people, they mostly arrive, pre-assembled. FAQ is an electronic forum.
I am having difficulty in finding your book "The Trader's Window" in the bookstores and even on the Internet. I am, therefore, hoping that you can help me with this issue. Moreover, if it is not too much to ask, I was wondering whether your current views on trend-following systems have changed since the publication of Market Wizards. If so, could you please describe how they have changed?
Thank you very much for your time and trouble, and thank you also for being such an inspiration to aspiring traders such as myself. The book is in process.
My views on trend following stay about the same. I notice I am changing, with the trend of aging. So far, I'm sticking with it.
Thanks again for your insight on Apostasy, been thinking about your hunch the last few days, has really helped me to understand the importance of focus and patience. Also, great quote by Napoleon Hill... I finally put my plan into writing. Much Appreciated, You are welcome. Thank you for participating on FAQ. Many people read these dialogs and can identify with you and gain insight into their own situations.
Perhaps you can arrive for a Trading Tribe Meeting in the DeLorean. One of the other members says he left his car somewhere, sometime, and wants to ask you about it.
Have you ever asked yourself why Jesse Livermore shot himself in that hotel in New York? Do you think his hazardous personality finally collapsed at his sixties? Please, can comment on this? Thank you very much.
Likely, Livermore shot himself in the hat and coat room of the Sherry Netherlands Hotel in NYC, in 1940. He had syphilis. His bold manner seems consistent with his volatile track record. I visited the Hotel a few years ago. There is no plaque to mark the event, and the room no longer exists.
Sherry Netherlands from across 5-th Ave.
The concept of trend is intrinsic with the old saying: "The big money is on the big moves". Well, I trade currencies using the inter-bank market, and in this market, let's consider a one-week movement, it always give us opportunities to day-trade or operate within a 4-day period. In the stock market I am usually more patient. I'd like to know your feelings concerning short term trading.
I know this is very personal, but I'd like to ask it anyway. What markets do you currently trade? I don't think you'll answer this one, but please don't blame me for asking. The shorter the term, the smaller the move. So profit potential decreases with trading frequency. Meanwhile, transaction costs stay the same.
To compensate for profit roll-off, short-term traders have to be very good guessers. To improve guessing skills, you can practice dealing cards from a standard deck, one at a time. When you become very good at it you might be able to make money with short term trading.
Risk management is trader-specific, so a trade suitable for one trader might not be suitable for another. I prefer directing FAQ to trading philosophy.
Also, I was wondering if I could possibly join one of your Tribe meetings in the future? I do not know how to conduct meetings or trading in the future, or in the past. I do not even know how to access these places and I have no evidence they even exist. I mostly operate in the continuing moment of now.
You hunch is dead on [see below]. Recently I have come to realize this and have begun to address the issue. Patience ... the ability to tolerate delay, is a big part of my problem ... I tend to look for certainties which is one quality the market refuses to offer. Having self-confidence without certainty is a much larger part of the problem. Looking within, as you are doing seems a more direct path to success than only looking outside, to the markets.
That is the only one? [see below] Yes, read it so many times you lose track of how many, underline your favorite passages until you tear holes in the pages and be able to quote Old Turkey by heart.
Hunch: in your trading, you tend to skip around, looking for a new idea, rather than sit with a major mover.
Can you please give us a list of valuable trading books and literature which you have read and would recommend.
Reminiscences of a Stock Operator, by Edwin LeFevre.
I have read your interview in Market Wizards over and over (probably 10 or 12 times) since 1990. It has always fascinated me that a MIT engineer found such a completely psychological approach to the markets and to his life. The notion that "everyone gets what they want from the markets" seemed to echo through Mr. Schwager's and my head.
You were such a mentor to all the traders around you in the '70's, it's just too bad I was only in the single digit ages back then! I would love to have been a jade apprentice! I have only one question Mr. Seykota, when is your book The Trader's Window coming out? I am looking forward to the enlightenment that such a book would provide.
Thank you for being there, I like your website! Still in process. See Books, on this site. This FAQ site is providing me some practice and direction for topics to appear in the book.
seminar, I will be interested in attending. I hold that the right match between client and manager is essential for success. Some clients seem more gifted than others.
I like to know a client well before accepting funds, particularly how he handles risk is various areas of his life.
I generally allow one deposit, withdrawals upon demand, thereafter.
I have always been a great fan of yours since reading you interview in Market Wizards. You have been a sort of silent mentor to me without the benefit of correspondence. Since I'm sure you have heard that before in abundance, I will leave it at that.
Instead of going on about my story and situation assuming of course you would be curious and interested in it, I will instead keep this short ... I wanted to ask you however if the Trading Tribe still exists and accepting new members or if you were mentoring any traders. Thank you for your time and inspiration over all these years.
I hope this finds you healthy and in good spirits. Thank you for the acknowledgment. I am pleased to have been able to pass some notions along to other traders. The Trading Tribe meets in Incline Village. See Index.
I'm a great fan of your work. I work for a large software company, but my passion in trading. I trade in a long term trend following style, using a robo broker. Although, my trading has gone well, (using a vendor long term system), I am committed to continuous learning and want to become better. I'd like to someday trade my own systems and strategies.
I've read everything I can get my hands on and practice creating systems in a program called Trading Recipes, which lets me focus on position sizing, money management and other risk averting strategies.
I'm contacting you, because ... I'm wondering if you are involved with any other organization that conducts training on trend following. While I've learned much from books, I've never attended a course. Mostly because I can't imagine attending a course from anyone who doesn't walk the walk. And most seminar trainers don't trade for real. Rarely do you find someone such as yourself with a documented track record, who also teaches.
Please let me know if you are personally involved in any training courses/seminars and how I would go about applying. I involve myself personally in any seminar I either attend or conduct. See Meetings on this web-site.
I would like to thank you for allowing the publicity of your work entitled "Determining Optimal Risk." I am 27, and when I started trading, at 21, after some profits, I ended up wiped out due to drawdowns in the options markets. Even though I had previously studied good literature relating to Technical Analysis (Edward and Magee's and John Murphy) as well as Reminiscences of a Stock Operator. I have discovered that my problem was a good risk management system, which can allow me to set the heat more appropriate with my personality.
I am a self-taught trader who loves to win in the markets. Now, I feel I am doing fine and i attribute this to the fact that i have carefully studied your work. That's the reason I am so grateful to you. Also, since I've been applying your model to my poker game strategy, I haven't been wiped out in poker for a year and a half, this fact I also attribute to "Determining Optimal Risk" approach to risk management.
Consider the wild card poker paradox. With wild cards, some hands can be either of two types (two pair or three of a kind). The more desirable will, then, more often arise in play, contrary to the basis for it's ranking.
In practice, poker has to do with assessment of pot odds, reading tells and waiting for a good game to develop, similar practices to ones useful in trading.
For systematic trend following strategies to work, there must exist discrepancies between the behaviour of prices and behaviour predicted by a random motion model. (1) If the markets were purely random then I would have nothing to gain (a zero long term expectancy) by adopting any form of strategy other than "flat betting". Adopting a trend following strategy, whereby I "receive" infrequent large payouts based on favorable large moves and I "pay" frequent small payouts based on small adverse moves would not provide any benefit in a random world. The few large winners would in the long run be cancelled out by the numerous small losses. For trend following to work there must be (2) "too many" large "runs" versus "too few" short "runs". The opposite holds true for counter trend trading.
In your capacity as a noted and successful trader/trend follower, I am (3) very curious if you have a definition of what a "trend" is.
Additionally, I would appreciate any thoughts on what one could consider to be a (4) "1 unit run" in terms of the financial markets. 1. Consider counter-examples to your premise: (a) Molecules in your car engine cylinder, at the apogee of the piston stroke, move randomly, and also provide lots of energy to the drive train; (b) Markets can pass tests for randomness and also provide profits for good traders; (c) Black-Scholes model does not account for trend.
When looking through historical data for "optimal" trading methods, remember to look also within yourself. One good trend, stuck with, is worth more than a thousand optimal signals, missed.
2. Distributions showing fat tails seem consistent with markets having emotional entrainments as well as a logical balances.
3. A trend is a general direction. To generalize, use smoothing, such as: moving average; trend line; support & resistance. Your definition of trend is the smoothing method you use.
4. Your method would determine your 1-unit run. A 10-year system would have larger unit moves than a 10-minute system.


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NFL: Sarah Thomas to be first woman to officiate in a Super Bowl
by A.P. NFL referee Sarah Thomas will become the first woman to officiate in a Super Bowl in the 55th edition on 7 February. In 2019,...
by A.P. Hip-hop superstar Drake has made music history by becoming the first artist to break the 50 billion streams barrier on Spotify. Unconfirmed reports about...
Eiffel Tower branded 'waste of time' in hilarious TripAdvisor reviews of iconic landmarks
by A.P. Not even the world's most iconic locations are safe from the negative reviews left on TripAdvisor, with the pyramids of Giza slammed for...
Personality tests: Are you average, self-centred, role-model or reserved?
Updated: 23. septembra, 2018
No-one likes being labelled, unless of course, it's a personality test, writes BBC News.
With thousands of quizzes available online, most of us can't resist trying to find out the secret of who we are. Nurturer, healer, mastermind, wizard?
Not all of the tests have much science to back them up.
But now, researchers in America have studied the results of more than 1.5 million people and claim they've identified four distinct personality types – "average", "reserved", "role-model" and "self-centred".

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


If you've been thinking about cutting down on your morning coffees, think again. New research has found drinking up to six cups of coffee a day may be healthy for you.
The review of 11 major international studies involving 360,000 people found that six cups of coffee a day can be healthy for people with heart problems and who are at risk of cardiac arrest. However, the sweet spot is usually three.
The study found that caffeine has no effect on ventricular arrhythmias – rapid or abnormal heart beats that stem from the lower chambers of the heart.
While some arrhythmias are harmless and even go unnoticed, others can increase a person's risk of cardiac arrest.
A cup of coffee contains about 95mg of caffeine and is a stimulant that acts on the central nervous system.
The findings show that it could actually reduce the frequency of irregular heartbeats.
According to the study, about 80 per cent of doctors will recommend people with palpitations to stop drinking coffee and about 25 per cent of people with palpitations attribute it to coffee.
"From a medical science perspective none of the studies have actually shown that," Prof Kistler said. "In contrast, the most common arrhythmia actually seems to be reducing in regular coffee drinkers.
Up to six cups of coffee – 500mg of caffeine a day – didn't increase the severity or rate of the condition.
"Caffeinated beverages such as coffee and tea may have a long-term anti-rhythmic properties mediated by antioxidant effects and antagonism of adenosine," Prof Kistler said.
Drinking more than six cups of coffee a day, however, can cause problems including an abnormally beating heart, according to the study.
Experts do warn against consuming energy drinks, which can contain more than 500 mg of concentrated caffeine. At least 75 per cent of people who drank energy drinks reported having heart palpitations within 24 hours. A previous study on sugary soft drinks has also shown that those who consume it regularly have a greater chance of developing a number of cancers.


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Why can't dogs eat chocolate? Why is it bad for them?
Written by Ana Maria
Whoever invented chocolate is a God. I mean chocolate is life, right? Imagine the world of goodies and sweets without its secret ingredient: chocolate. What would we do without it? Apart from the sheer pleasure of eating it and the many combinations it can be part of, chocolate is also full of nutrients that have a positive impact on our health. Dark chocolate is also a powerful source of antioxidants, can improve blood flow, and even reduce heart disease risk. But all of these benefits are to us, humans. For dogs, chocolate is not that good. Actually, it's not good at all.
Why can't dogs eat chocolate?
Dogs can't eat chocolate because it's poisonous to them. It contains a toxin called theobromine which they can't metabolize as fast as us humans can. That toxin will build up in a dog's body faster and much higher than in humans and it could prove lethal to our pawesome friends.
However, if your dog accidentally eats a little bit of chocolate you shouldn't freak out immediately. Small amounts of dark chocolate would only give your dog stomach ache, diarrhoea and could also provoke vomiting. The amount of chocolate a dog can eat before feeling these symptoms also depend on the size of the dog. Larger dog breeds won't feel the same effects a small dog feels after ingesting the same amount of chocolate.
What do you do if your dog has eaten too much chocolate?
If you suspect your dog has eaten a consistent quantity of chocolate, like, half a bar or even more, then you should rush him to the vet in the following 2 or 3 hours from ingestion. The vet will most probably induce vomiting to get the theobromine out of the dog's system.
I know, dogs also like sweets. Some of them adore them. They're just like us, humans, in this aspect. Nevertheless, you should always resist their puppy eyes and make sure you don't expose them to unnecessary danger just because they've asked for it.
Not all chocolate has the same theobromine levels
The level of theobromine depends on the type of chocolate we're discussing. The sweetest types of chocolate also contain a lot of other ingredients, like milk or nuts which dilute down the quantity of theobromine. This toxin is found in cocoa, the main source of chocolate, so the darker the chocolate, the more dangerous for the dog.
Usually, cooking chocolate and dark chocolate contain the most amount of theobromine and they're the one you should pay more attention to and not let them in places where your dog can sniff them out. It takes a very small amount of dark chocolate to poison your dog. In numbers, an ounce of dark chocolate might contain enough theobromine to poison a 44-pound dog.
For milk chocolate, things are a little bit different. Around 70g of milk chocolate could cause problems. Theobromine is toxic if it passes the threshold of 20mg per kilogram of body weight. So, for a 5Kg dog, then 100mg of theobromine is an issue.
Also Read: 19 Dogs Who Think They're Better Than Us
Cocoa powder is much more dangerous. 4g of cocoa powder contains 100mg of theobromine so make sure he doesn't lick it out from mistake.
What are the symptoms of chocolate poisoning in your dog
At first, he will be very hyperactive, all of a sudden, after about two-four hours after eating the chocolate. Theobromine causes high heart rates and blood pressure levels which lead to abnormal energy bursts.
At toxic levels, dogs can also start shaking (muscle tremors), and his body temperature will rise up. He will probably look for colder places to settle and start panting violently to try to lower his body temperature. The one way to protect against theobromine poisoning is vomiting. If your dog presents all these symptoms and also starts vomiting, then there are good chances he'll manage out alive of this.
However, we repeat it, if you suspect he has eaten a large dose of chocolate, you should rush him to the vet immediately, without waiting for these specific symptoms to kick in.
Also Read: What do dogs dream about?
What does theobromine do to a dog's body?
This chocolate toxin increases the production of cAMP, a cell's chemical messenger, and adrenalin. These will lead to a calcium flow disfunction and muscle contractions.
When these biochemical changes have gotten to the central nervous system and they start stimulating the heart muscle, the other muscles in the body tend to relax which then leads to increased urination and respiratory problems.
In critical cases of chocolate poisoning, your dog might also present muscle rigidity, show signs of uncoordinated movement, suffer a seizure and even get into a coma. The fatal causes of death in cases of theobromine poisoning, he will die of heart or respiratory system failure.
Chocolate could prove a serious enemy to your dog, and it all comes down to the Theobromine molecule which does resemble caffeine. What it does to your dog's body is somewhat similar to what caffeine does to ours, only that dogs feel it a lot more violently.
Also Read: Are dogs smarter than pigs?
Smaller doses of theobromine might not be fatal but could cause seizures, diarrhoea or vomiting. Dark chocolate is more dangerous than milk chocolate and your dog's appetite for sweet things will also make your task of hiding the chocolate more difficult. Cats are also at risks when it comes to chocolate and given the fact that they're smaller in size than dogs, can get even worse on smaller doses of theobromine. However, cats have a hidden "weapon" against chocolate. They can't feel its taste.
Basically, cats lack the ability to taste sweetness, so they won't be as tempted as dogs to take a bite. They might, in the very least, be curious and we all know what curiosity did to the cat.
To conclude, dogs can't eat chocolate because it can prove poisonous to them in the right quantity, and these quantities are rather smaller compared to our evaluation. So, keep the chocolate away from your dog, and cat and they shall be ok.
Why is chocolate bad for dogs and How much of it will kill a dog?
Why Do Dogs Love To Smell Each Other's Butts?
Are dogs smarter than pigs?
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SYNOPSIS: After accidentally freezing the family dog to death, Oscar attempts to make good with his soon-to-be stepson by driving the family pet's ashes across the country.
SYNOPSIS: What does it mean to choose, when you only have one choice? What does it mean to be unafraid, when your enemy seems undefeatable? What does it mean to have a story, when you are undocumented? This is my story of self.
SYNOPSIS: An Indian immigrant in Kansas is shot and killed in a senseless hate crime, leaving his wife to grapple with the question of whether America is truly her home.
SYNOPSIS: The internal world of a lonely, Montana ranch hand, Ruth.
SYNOPSIS: When an African American teenager gets a seemingly depressed white guy to open up, she discovers he's on his way to commit a horrible act.
SYNOPSIS: A man misses his wife.
SYNOPSIS: When on a routine patrol, a Black female cop living in and patrolling Inglewood gets called to a disturbance she is forced to make an unprecedented life altering decision.
SYNOPSIS: An ailing vagabond moves on down the road.
SYNOPSIS: A man accidentally transports back in time and tries to seduce the younger version of his wife. However, his younger self stands in the way.
Last night, last event. After 5 days of screening over 60 films, please join us as we announce winners and present our Bill Blair Award for Contribution to Film in Tulsa.
Sponsored by University of Tulsa and Tulsa Community College.
SYNOPSIS: On the Cheyenne River Reservation, one of the poorest communities in the US, a Lakota teenager named Genevieve Iron Lightning finds hope for her future.
SYNOPSIS: The journey of the Native Warrior as he (and she) continue conflict resolution in order to survive and secure resources and culture.
SYNOPSIS: After two high school football stars are found dead, decade's long racial tensions sizzle in a small-town diner.
SYNOPSIS: The disappearance of what was once the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi, and the demise of the Native Americans that relied on it.
SYNOPSIS: Three Pine Ridge-bound Teach For America educators who arrived in South Dakota with radically disparate perspectives on the place. Shaped by the contours of the land, the support of their communities, and the strength of their students, each discovered a deeper purpose.
SYNOPSIS: Long ago, two boys feed a small starving snake. It grows up to be a large Uktena that fights Thunder.
SYNOPSIS: An urgent reflection on indigenous sovereignty, the undead violence of museum archives, and postmortem justice through the case of the "Kennewick Man".
SYNOPSIS: Beau, a lonely bitter cowboy is set at ease when he crosses paths with a promiscuous female vagabond.
SYNOPSIS: Isadora, an Indigenous Californian (Gabrielino/Tongva) woman, faces a battle to survive after being emancipated from the abusive Los Angeles mission where she was raised in the early 1800's.
The last party of the festival! Join us at The Beehive in Kendall Whittier for some live music, drinks and snack and let us know which of the films we screened is your favorite so far. Free and open to the public. Cash Bar. Snacks provided.
SYNOPSIS: Manuel is a gay Latino teen who lacks guidance and support. Even though his mother deeply cares for him, she is only able to prove and instill her love through video tapes made from afar. Keeping his sexuality and boyfriend a secret from his homophobic father, Manuel must decide the life he wants to live or end.
SYNOPSIS: This is a fish out of water story -- literally. Everyone who slices fish all day daydreams - his are just glamtastic. He's had to learn to fight to survive. And his boss who is also an amateur boxer takes note. When a new kid offers to be his sparring partner – he and his twin are forced to confront the real reason they're stuck in fish guts.
SYNOPSIS: A young musician abandons his dreams to pursue other interests, but eventually finds that music has always been his purpose.
SYNOPSIS: Personal retellings of short stories in small town Oklahoma.
SYNOPSIS: A sort of quilt.
SYNOPSIS: A closer look into the truth that lies beneath the perfect profile of a popular girl in high school and the silver lining between illusion and reality.
SYNOPSIS: After being kidnapped for witnessing a crime and nearly being killed by her captors, a woman sets off to take vengeance on her lover who left her for a younger woman.
SYNOPSIS: A woman's tragic murder was oce the talk of the town. 10 years later, this missing person's case is revisited and the truth is revealed through the eyes of an unlikely witness.
SYNOPSIS: When Phillip's friends go missing, he begins researching to find that something is odd about their local library.
SYNOPSIS: A dramatic short film covering an abusive relationship that hits a breaking point.
SYNOPSIS: A film student trying to make a film.
SYNOPSIS: A group of troubled teens break into the local mansion and spend the day pretending to be rich in order to forget their difficult lives.
SYNOPSIS: A documentary on the legendary director, Hal Ashby (Harold & Maude, Bound For Glory, Coming Home, The Last Detail), directed by Oklahoma native, Amy Scott. Introduction to the film by Scott McGee from Turner Classic Movies and FilmStruck. Following film, a few words from locals about Hal Ashby's Tulsa ties when directing Bound For Glory.
This film is presented by OKPOPS, Woody Guthrie Center and TCM Backlot.
SYNOPSIS: A Guatemalan woman tries to make a new home in Oakland. But can a new beginning erase a painful past?
SYNOPSIS: An illegal Latino immigrant works grueling hours in a restaurant kitchen to provide for his pregnant wife.
SYNOPSIS: A LatinaX woman is forced to choose between her culture or a future with the man she loves.
SYNOPSIS: A young factory manager is forced to choose between what is right and what is legal when ICE raids the factory and a friend is deported and separated from her daughter.
SYNOPSIS: Diana, a young mother, fears what comes in the night.
SYNOPSIS: Two young migrants attempt to cross a deadly stretch of desert known as the "Devils Highway" between the U.S./Mexico border.
SYNOPSIS: Nine fearless and young DACA recipients narrate their wrenching stories about navigating life under Trump.
SYNOPSIS: Zoe and Ari pack their bags to fly to Zoes's sister's wedding. As they decide what to bring, Ari learns the truth about what Zoe's family knows.
SYNOPSIS: A troubled teen meets a mysterious soldier and forges a deep friendship that changes his life's trajectory in a single day.
SYNOPSIS: A story of resilience and love despite the odds.
SYNOPSIS: A young runaway shares what he has learned during his travels across the southeast.
SYNOPSIS: Newlyweds David and Madeline Middleston have just purchased a historic hotel near where Madelin's estranged mother, Dianne resides. When Dianne comes to visit she brings with her an uninvited guest.
Who's a classic movie fan? Stop by Circle Cinema, Friday at 7:30 and get an opportunity to Ask TCM Producers, Gary Freedman and Scott McGee all your favorite classic movie and TCM questions.
This event will be recorded live to air on TCM Backlot Facebook at a later date. Brought to you by This Land Press, Turner Classic Movies, FilmStruck, TCM Backlot and Tulsa American Film Festival.
SYNOPSIS: A look at internationally recognized Jesse Lott's art, activism and his mentors. He is one of the co-founders of Project Row Houses and is highlighted in the National Museum of African American History in Culture. Film shot by twenty eight at-risk-teens during four documentary classes taught by the director and editor, Cressandra Thibodeaux.
SYNOPSIS: An intelligent, white-washed black youth adopted by a Caucasian family has a crisis of ethnic identity while growing up in white suburbia with his urban culture obsessed, white best friend.
SYNOPSIS: Two middle-aged sisters sorting through 50 years' worth of family memorabilia reconnect, as they contend with their late father's beloved ham.
SYNOPSIS: A hand drawn animation about an eight-year-old boy who builds his own hydrogen powered racecar to enter in the Big Race. When they find out he's only eight, they turn him down. He doesn't like that and decides to enter anyway.
SYNOPSIS: A grandmother attempts to kill her annoying grandson.
SYNOPSIS: Thirteen year old Shea deals with the small but consuming pains of adolescence by writing diary letters to Sylvia Plath.
SYNOPSIS: Two friends try to have a nice meal.
SYNOPSIS: Heartbroken and high from huffing gasoline, a psychotic fuel tanker driver plots revenge on the girl that broke his heart, her whole family, and their dog.
SYNOPSIS: Oklahoma Territory, 1897, two cavalry deserters flee pursuit of a Pinkerton, only to find something much worse waiting for them.
SYNOPSIS: A Machiavellian/ Shakespearian plot, while meditating on the Americana obsession with football, adolescent homoeroticism, and the power of the female body on young men.
SYNOPSIS: After continually being bullied at school, Raymond tries to take matters into his own hands with results he may not have expected.
SYNOPSIS: One of the few Westerns to ever win the top honor at the Academy Awards, a 1931 Pre-Code Western film directed by Wesley Ruggles, starring Richard Dix and Irene Dunne, and featuring Estelle Taylor and Roscoe Ates. The Oscar-winning script was written by Howard Estabrook based on the Edna Ferber novel Cimarron.
Seven Oscar nominations, winner of three, including Best Picture, this free outdoor screening of Cimarron is brought to you by Tulsa American Film Festival, Kendall Whittier Main Street and TCM Backlot.
Introduction and discussion by Turner Classic Movies's, Scott McGee.
Join us for our Opening Night Party at Heirloom Rustic Ales Brewery in the historic Kendall Whittier neighborhood. Open to the public. Cash bar for beer and wine. Light snacks will be available.
SYNOPSIS: Immigrants working in Oklahoma's coal mines brought many traditions to Pittsburgh County at the turn of the century. One of their traditions resulted in a very famous and notorious beer. This documentary features the descendants of some of the original brewers of Oklahoma's "Choc Beer".
SYNOPSIS: Follow Ramsey Chahine as he parrallels his endurance with his artwork and his mission to improve his body and life attempting a 100 mile run in New York City.
SYNOPSIS: A group of young cowboys get invited to be the very first American Kok Boru team.
SYNOPSIS: Shedding light on a potentially deadly illness, Jennifer shares her struggle with the depression that followed the births of her first two children. This short documentary film follows Jennifer's journey through the pregnancy and birth of her third child. Her candid and courageous story reveals the challenges of this common, debilitating illness.
SYNOPSIS: Can love give life? Mohamed Bzeek is a foster father who lives in Los Angeles and has looked after 80 terminally ill children, saving 70 of them from death.


ADDICT Galerie presents "Paintings with a hidden agenda", an exhibition dedicated to John "CRASH" Matos, who will honour the opening with his presence on Friday, 25th March 2011, after having stayed away from France for ten years. Indeed, the street art icon, disappointed by his previous stay in 2002, had decided not to return, because of the turn the graffiti scene had taken. "I did not want to exploit what was happening," he tells us, "I didn't want to be part of the craziness and I wanted to be taken seriously".
Born in the Bronx in 1961, the 13 years-old CRASH starts to impose his mark on New York trains. Just like the other street artists, he wanted to spread his name "CRASH" the most as possible.
In 1978 CRASH starts to paint on canvas. By working in the studio, he has got time that the street refuses him to express himself freely. In 1980 he signs his last graffiti outdoors and organises "Graffiti Art Success" at the "Fashion Moda", a big exhibition where Street Art is taken seriously by both the audience and the critics for the first time ever. The "sprayed message" gains artistic recognition in the eyes of everyone.
In 1983, this "underground" art acquires its definitive acceptance when CRASH exhibits with Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring in the famous galleries Sidney Janis and Real Art Ways. The transition of Graffiti from trains to galleries' cymas brings about the birth of Post-Graffiti.
The prolific CRASH is reckoned to be the pioneer of this movement.
In 1984, the Museum of Modern Art of Paris presents him in the exhibition "5/5: Figuration Libre, France/USA" amongst Robert Combas, François Boisrond, Hervé di Rosa, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and Kenny Scharf. By turning the subway into a moving gallery, CRASH has imposed the originality of his style emerged from Hip-Hop culture, up to the world's greatest collections of the MOMA in New York or the Groningen Museum in the Netherlands.
Both icon and actor of Post-Graffiti cataclysm, CRASH lets dynamic productions explode, loyal to this first American wave, which afterwards overwhelmed the whole world. His style, that has not ceased to influence young sprayers of today, is never equalled. CRASH's artwork is more than ambiguous: they seem to show the contemporary world's pure essence, revealing a pictorial inventory close to comics, letting explode colours we see in adverts. His very graphical style combines fragments of faces with 3D figures and letters from his name. The eye, everywhere, imposes its striking presence on the paintings like a sign of a secret agreement with Roy Lichtenstein and Tom Wesselman who inspire him.
CRASH marks his return with "Paintings with a Hidden Agenda", a strange title that lets presume something mysterious in the topic of these painting flashier, more flaming than his former works. Is CRASH about to share a secret with us? His secret? Perhaps he reconstitutes the human context that has created graffiti by inscribing plastically his answer: "medium is the message".
The paintings of CRASH, always realised with spray cans, conserve the subversive aspect that has turned Graffiti into the last and surely the most revolutionary artistic movement of the end of the 20th century. Once more, the artist answers all detractors who still have doubt about the legitimacy of "locking in" Street Art in a closed space.
Supporting the emerging scene and street art since its opening, ADDICT Galerie is proud to present the exhibition by John "CRASH" Matos from March 25th to May 6th 2011, a pictorial riddle that reveals a bit more of the artist's inner universe.


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HomeSportsProfessionalMavericksCuban, Doncic, Powell donate $500K to healthcare workers
Cuban, Doncic, Powell donate $500K to healthcare workers
March 20, 2020 admin Mavericks, Professional, Sports 0
DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks announced today that proprietor Mark Cuban, guard Luka Dončić and center Dwight Powell have teamed up with the Dallas Mavericks Foundation to donate $500,000 to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Parkland Hospital. Funds will be allocated to support childcare for healthcare workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 response effort during this unprecedented time.
"We can't thank our healthcare workers enough for putting their patients' well-being before their own," said Cuban. "I am thankful to Luka and Dwight as we partner up to support healthcare workers who are doing everything they can to keep our community healthy."
"We are deeply grateful to the entire Dallas Mavericks organization, and especially to Mark, Dwight and Luka, for their incredible generosity in providing emergency childcare funding benefitting the frontline healthcare workers of UT Southwestern and Parkland," said Daniel K. Podolsky, MD, president of UT Southwestern. "This will alleviate a tremendous burden faced by so many nurses, physicians, lab technicians and other care team members working nonstop on our COVID-19 response. Having support for childcare will be one less thing they have to worry about."
UT Southwestern and Parkland frontline caregiving staff include inpatient intensivists, advanced practice practitioners, physicians, nurses, phlebotomists, sonographers, radiology technicians, transporters, lab technicians and pharmacists. Additionally, support staff includes front desk staff, medical assistants and janitorial staff who are critical to the functioning of an urgent care environment. Allocation of the funds to individual staff will be made as expeditiously as possible.
"Thank you to our amazing healthcare workers," said Dončić. "They are sacrificing so much to care for others, and I am honored to help."
"We are extremely grateful for the amazing bravery shown by our health professionals during this difficult time," said Powell. "We feel it's our duty to do whatever we can to support their efforts. We continue to practice social distancing and good hygiene, while hoping this fund helps prevent families from further hardship as a result of their sacrifice."
From Mavericks PR staff reports
Arkansas expands restrictions, school closure over virus
Saints, Peat agree on 5-year contract
Officials: 5 Dallas County jail inmates have COVID-19
March 26, 2020 admin Sports 0
DALLAS (AP) — Dallas County officials say five jail inmates have tested positive for the coronavirus. Dallas County Sheriff Marian Brown announced Wednesday that an inmate in his 40s tested positive and that four others […]
Hardaway scores 42, Mavericks beat Pistons 115-105
April 29, 2021 admin Mavericks, Professional, Sports 0
DETROIT (AP) — Tim Hardaway Jr. scored a career-high 42 points, helping the Dallas Mavericks overcome the absence of Luka Doncic in a 115-105 victory over the Detroit Pistons. Trey Burke added 15 points for […]
Texas health department reports 3,433 new coronavirus cases
September 19, 2020 admin News 0
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas health officials report 3,433 new coronavirus cases and 135 more deaths due to COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. The state health department on Saturday reported 686,068 total cases […]


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Home » Elon Musk Reveals Date on Tesla Semi
Elon Musk Reveals Date on Tesla Semi
April 21, 2017 April 13, 2017 by Staff Writer
The future of autonomous vehicles is slowly becoming a reality and the concept will be taking a huge leap forward in September when Tesla Unveils their electric semi-truck. From cars to SUVs to upcoming pickup trucks and vans, Tesla is on the way to soon having a vehicle representing each class currently on the road.
The Model 3 launch is currently the top priority at Tesla (the launch is scheduled for summer of this year), but that hasn't stopped Elon Musk from giving us a look at what's in store from the Palo Alto-based company. In a recent tweet, Musk revealed his plans for the Tesla semi unveiling:
Tesla Semi truck unveil set for September. Team has done an amazing job. Seriously next level.
The Tesla semi-truck initiative is being led by Jerome Guillen, former VP of Worldwide Sales and Service and now the head of development of Tesla's Trucks and Programs Initiative. PrevIously, Guillen was the General Manager of New Product Development at Freightliner, a manufacturer of heavy duty class 8 diesel trucks:
Jerome is driving Tesla Semi & doing a great job with his team. At Daimler, he led their most successful semi truck program ever.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 21, 2016
70% of US freight moves via semi-trucks, so this could potentially be a huge market for Tesla. Semis are currently one of the largest polluters in the world and with millions of miles under their belts, converting semis to a cleaner source overall. The trick would be to develop a battery and charging network that could handle the weight and distance necessary for long haul driving.
For more concrete info on Tesla's plans for the semi-trucks, let's take a look at their Master Plan:
Ryan Popple, the CEO of Proterra, an electric bus manufacturer, speculates that initially, the Tesla semi fleet would serve more of an internal use than expected:
"A fairly reasonable idea would be to move battery packs from the Gigafactory downhill to the assembly plant in Fremont, California. The reason I say that could be viable is they're fundamentally transporting battery packs. They could build battery packs and put them into a truck that's optimized for the shipment of those packs, charge them with solar as a way of validating the pack, and transport them at maybe 50 or 60 percent state of charge."
That actually seems like a fantastic idea, as it gives Tesla a trucking network to transport their own materials, and it also gives them an incredible opportunity at testing out their fleet. Only time will tell what Elon Musk has planned!
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There are several adjectives that I happily use to describe myself and my beliefs. The first is obviously, "Christian," but there are a lot of people and groups that call themselves "Christian" with whom I have significant disagreement, so I need other adjectives to modify "Christian." I happily call myself a Baptist Christian, which says certain things about my beliefs concerning church government and baptism among other things. I also describe myself as a separatist Christian, or a fundamentalist Christian, which helps to describe my perspective concerning ecclesiastic cooperation with unbelievers or those who grant Christian fellowship to unbelievers.
There are other adjectives I use as the occasion warrants, but from my perspective, the most important adjective that I use to modify "Christian" is conservative. In fact, I would suggest that my convictions as a Baptist and as a separatist actually flow from my conservatism, which I explain more later.
Let's shoot in the head the desire to be conservative. Let's be Biblical and where that leads to doing things in a traditional way….well "rejoice." Where that leads to a more contemporary approach….Selah!
There is this impression that conservatism adds to Scripture boundaries that are themselves not biblical. We are supposed to be gospel-centered, and so anything that goes beyond the gospel, the argument goes, should not be a measure of fellowship. From the Gospel Coalition to Together for the Gospel and other "gospel-centered" ministries, many biblically minded church leaders insist that we should never allow a particular philosophy of culture or of worship to limit our unity around the gospel and our cooperation as Christians. Some even might call themselves "conservative evangelicals," meaning they believe in the inerrancy of Scripture, the virgin birth, substitutionary atonement, and even complementarian views concerning gender roles. However, when it comes to culture and worship, to be conservative is to go beyond Scripture. For example, Mark Driscoll has proudly claimed to be "theologically conservative and culturally liberal,"1 and while others might not put it quite so bluntly, they would affirm the underlying sentiment. This is not just limited to the conservative evangelicals either. More and more Christians from within what might be called movement fundamentalists are trying to distance themselves from so-called "cultural fundamentalism," which is just another way of saying a conservative philosophy of culture and worship.
One of the reasons most often cited for rejecting a conservative philosophy of culture is evangelism. We must "contextualize" God's truth into the culture of our target demographic in order to reach them with the gospel. We are faithful to Scripture doctrinally, but the cultural forms we use to communicate truth are neutral and entirely flexible. This is often taken a step further with the claim that Christians must be free to worship using the artistic expressions of their surrounding culture in order to be authentic. One fundamentalist institution very publicly and controversially changed its philosophy of culture on the basis of the fact that we should not expect people to worship using cultural forms that are not their authentic heart language. To be culturally conservative, they argued, would be a failure to be "missional." And by the way, I wrote a whole book addressing this perspective; if you're interested, check out By the Waters of Babylon published last year by Kregel.
So the question I want to address in this series is this: Should philosophical differences over culture or worship hinder cooperation among Christians? To answer that question, I would like to first explain exactly what I mean by a conservative philosophy of worship and culture—I need to do this, because for many people conservative means being against anything contemporary and desperately holding onto "good old hymns" that are neither good nor old; that's not what I mean, so I need to clarify before we go any further. Then I will explore what constitutes the center of Christian unity, and finally examine how a biblical understanding of Christian unity and necessary disunity applies to differences over philosophy of culture and worship.
3 Responses to Should philosophies of culture hinder cooperation?
Yes! Glad you are putting this on the blog. You mentioned Driscoll. I blogged about that same idea (https://abeggarsbread.wordpress.com/2016/04/15/the-two-hands-of-ministry/) earlier this year. Since he used to be in Seattle, he was on my radar a bit. Thanks, Scott.


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text:
Chapter Thirty Six
Fierce anger like nothing Toke had ever felt burned in his stomach as he flapped his artificial wings, rising out of the roof of Navras' laboratory. The ceiling must have been at least thirty feet above his head to begin with, and yet when he shot out into the open air he found himself surrounded with lush, green grass.
It was underground, he realized as he climbed higher and higher. Of course it was underground. Nothing that big could stay secret for so long otherwise.
None of that mattered, though. Toke could see the path the Terracaelum had taken the moment he left the laboratory. A long line of bare earth stretched out into the distance, with trees and boulders strewn haphazardly all around it. The inventor's ship had, indeed, created a massive Gravity Storm in its wake, but all traces of kaosuryo seemed to have passed as the Terracaelum left its birthplace behind.
A blast of cold wind hit Toke square in the face, and he had to flap his arms as hard as he could to keep from being thrown off balance. His legs flailed, threatening to spin him around and flip him upside down, so he pressed them both together and tried to keep his body in a straight line.
I wish I had thought of this before, he thought as his journey into the sky continued. The trees, and then the hills the trees were growing on, gradually became smaller and smaller as Toke ascended. This would be hard enough even if I knew what I was doing.
The Terracaelum's path of destruction became even more obvious the higher he went. From the sky, he could easily trace the ship's course as the devastation continued in a straight line for several miles, and then looped around to the left. After that, it continued in another straight line before…
There it was! So far in the distance that Toke had to squint to see it, there was a barely detectable glimmer of green in the sky. The Terracaelum, and the inventor it carried, were shooting across the horizon like a comet. And then, abruptly, it changed directions again, this time coming straight back towards the base.
He had to loop around so he could build up speed, Toke thought. And now he's going to make a beeline straight for Hashira.
He wasn't going to make it, though. Toke clenched his fists around his wings and took off in the direction Navras was coming from. He would stop him. He had to stop him. If he didn't, every Sorakine on Fissura was going to die.
The Terracaelum approached faster than Toke expected, and two minutes later the tiny spark of green had turned into a raging ball of kaosuryo big enough to engulf a building. The ship itself looked like it was being chased by the Gravity Storm, and had a lead on it by about fifteen feet. Even though it was miles away, Toke could already hear the engines roaring.
Toke was now thousands of feet up in the air and the wind was battering him like an ocean current, always trying to throw him off course. It took all his strength and concentration just to stay lined up with the Terracaelum. If his estimates were correct, the Terracaelum would pass about a hundred feet directly below him in less than a minute.
He would only get one chance to do this right.
Still flapping his wings, Toke counted in his head as he watched the Terracaelum come closer. And then—
"Now!" he grunted, and pulled the cord at his waist. The straps binding the wings to his body came free, and they were immediately blown away from him. Toke began to fall.
Keeping his eyes on the approaching Terracaelum, Toke flipped himself upside down so that he was falling toward Fissura in a perfect nosedive. His heart pounded in his ears, but his rage was strong enough to bury his fear.
He could see Navras' silhouette through the glass windshield on top of the Terracaelum.
"I trusted you," he said through gritted teeth, and began to untie the white cord around his waist.
He could see the land behind the Terracaelum being torn to pieces by the Gravity Storm.
"I respected you," he said, taking the cord in one hand. The metal gear he'd tied to the end thrashed around in the air behind him. With his other hand, he drew one of his axes.
The air itself started to vibrate, though Toke couldn't tell whether it was kaosuryo or the power of the machine itself doing it.
"I idolized you!" he yelled, and swung the cord with all his might.
The cord, and the gear tied to it, lashed out in front of him like a whip. For half a second, terror overpowered Toke's determination when he thought he had missed his mark. Then, however, the wind going through the turbines caught hold of the gear and sucked it inside, bringing Toke's fall to a sudden stop. Now Toke was being towed behind the Terracaelum, much like how the gear had trailed behind him as he'd fallen. He looked backwards, but saw that the Gravity Storm was still a good five feet behind him. That wouldn't matter if his grip gave out, though. If the Storm didn't tear him to pieces, the fall would kill him.
Putting the axe handle in his teeth, Toke bit down on it as hard as he could and grabbed the rope with both hands. The Terracaelum was so close. He couldn't fall now! Weakening his gravity as much as he dared, he began to climb hand over hand towards his target.
I have to get to the controls, he thought as he inched his way nearer. Fighting Navras was a lost cause, he realized that now, but if he could sabotage the controls the Terracaelum would crash.
Reaching out, Toke put his hand on the cold steel of the ship's rear and hauled himself onto it. Just like he'd predicted, the Gravity Storm was so far behind them that he could anchor himself to the machine. The winds pounded him harder than ever, but now that he had a solid surface beneath his feet he no longer felt like he was in danger of falling.
Unfortunately, falling was the least of his worries.
His feet were heavy under his increased gravity, but he managed to walk up the Terracaelum's hull to the back of the control room. He could see Navras standing at the wheel, his undivided attention on the open skies in front of him. Bracing himself, Toke jumped and pulled himself on top of the control chamber. He took the axe out of his mouth, and drew the second one. He would have to take Navras by surprise, or else—
With the sound of screeching metal, Navras' spear came up through the roof, nearly taking Toke's foot off. Toke dodged out of the way, but lost his balance and went tumbling over the side of the cockpit. Now he was lying on the front of the Terracaelum, the bow of the aircraft coming to a sharp point thirty feet in front of him. He rolled over, and saw Navras glaring at him through the black visor of his helmet.
Oh, smite…
Navras gave the steering wheel a sharp tug to the right, and Toke anchored himself down as strongly as he could. The Terracaelum flipped over sideways, corkscrewing through the bright blue sky. Even though he'd increased his weight to more than ten times what it normally was, Toke still went sliding across the ship's smooth exterior. In a desperate move, he swung both of his axes, digging the crescent shaped hooks into the metal. Sparks flew as he dragged the blades behind him. It didn't do much, but it did manage to stop the ship's momentum from throwing him off.
When Navras righted the craft again, Toke breathed a sigh of relief. That relief was short lived, however, when he saw the murderous inventor slip two leather straps around the prongs of the steering wheel to hold it in place. Then, taking up his spear, he kicked open the door of the control chamber and walked outside. His kaosuryo powered armor glowed, and he stood facing his enemy with more balance than Toke could believe possible.
The controls are unmanned, Toke realized, looking back at the cockpit. The door was flapping open and closed in the wind, but with Navras outside…
Toke stood up, bracing his feet against the wind and the Terracaelum's speed, and held his axes out in a fighting stance. The teacher and his student faced each other, but neither said a word. There was nothing left to say.
Navras moved first, taking his spear in one hand and lunging at Toke. Toke dropped to the ground, the spear passing an inch over his head, and weakened his gravity for half a second. In that time, he shot forward, extended his leg, and tried to trip the professor. Navras merely raised his own leg, letting Toke slide underneath him, and then spun around to swing the butt of his spear at him. Crossing both his axes over his head, Toke caught the spear in between them. Navras' armor-enhanced strength nearly made his arms buckle under the impact, but he didn't waste his time struggling against his teacher's power. If Zashiel couldn't do it, then he definitely couldn't. Instead, he reached out with his powers until he felt the glass walls of the control chamber and anchored himself to it. Uncrossing his weapons, he shot out from underneath Navras' spear and fell towards the controls.
He landed on the window hard enough to crack the glass under his weight, and looked up just long enough to make sure Navras was still on the other side of the Terracaelum. Then, with a skillful flip, he jumped up and fell through the open doorway into the cockpit, anchoring himself back to the floor again in the process. A quick glance at the elaborate controls told him that flying the machine was out of the question. Still, he thought, raising his axes, he could at least throw it off course.
Before he could swing, Navras' metal-clad hand grabbed him by the back of his hood and hoisted him off the ground. Drawing him back a little, the inventor threw his former pupil into the windshield. The cracks Toke had made earlier widened, and the entire window shattered, sending him skidding across the Terracaelum's hull again. Glass rained down all around him, and he felt warm blood leaking from at least three different cuts. He caught a glimpse of Navras putting one foot on the hole he'd made in the window, and instinctively rolled out of the way. Sure enough, a moment later the jidoryo powered spear slammed down into the metal where he had just been lying. It punched a hole straight through the ship's hull, sending up a shower of blue sparks.
For the first time, the hopelessness of Toke's situation finally dawned on him. Navras outmatched him like a lion outmatched a mouse, and even if he did manage to divert the Terracaelum, there was no way he could survive the crash. One way or another, he had signed his life away the minute he'd strapped those wings to his arms.
And yet, he didn't care. He charged at the man he'd practically worshipped, and their weapons met with the sound of a ringing bell. Navras kicked Toke in the stomach, sending him sprawled out on his back again. This had been Zashiel's mission first, but there wasn't anything else she could do. It was all up to Toke now, and that meant this was his mission, and his alone.
And he intended to complete it.
With a wild shout, Toke leaped into the air and threw one of his axes at Navras. The professor batted it away, just as Toke had known he would, and it went flying over the edge of the Terracaelum. While Navras was distracted, though, Toke threw his second axe at the control room. It flew straight and true, slicing through one of the leather straps and cracking the window behind it. The Terracaelum rocked as the steering wheel bounced with its newfound leniency, but Toke was able to keep his balance. A new spark of exhilaration lit up in his heart, and he held out his hand to draw the weapon back to him.
He felt the gravity field behind him shift at the last second, and dodged out of the way just in time to avoid being skewered by Navras' spear. It slammed into the ship's hull again, leaving a second hole in the metal. Before Toke could get up, Navras raised his foot and brought it down on Toke's chest. The Juryokine's breath was knocked from his lungs, and though he struggled, his enemy's strength was too great for him to break free. With deliberate slowness, Navras raised his spear again and aimed it directly for Toke's heart.
"No!" Toke shouted.
His hand shot out as Navras lunged, and he caught the spear just before it pierced his jacket. Jidoryo surged through his body, making him twitch and thrash on the ground underneath Navras' boot, but he refused to let go. If he let go, if he let Navras kill him, then the entire Sorakine race would pay the price for his weakness.
The smell of cooking meat reached his nostrils, and he realized it was coming from him.
Even though he could barely focus through the pain, Toke looked past Navras and saw the steering wheel in the control room. One of the straps had already been cut. If he could just…
With one hand still holding the spear away from him, Toke tried to reach out with his powers. The pain was too much, though. With the jidoryo frying him from the inside out, he couldn't concentrate enough to create an anchor. To be able to do this, he would need a clear head.
Don't think about it. Just do it!
With a ragged gasp, Toke let go of the spear. In the split second reprieve he had from the jidoryo, he anchored himself to the steering wheel and pulled on it as hard as he could. The strap snapped just as Navras' spear pricked his skin, but then the inventor was thrown off his feet when the Terracaelum turned on its side. Both he and Toke went rolling across the ship's bow. Navras drove his spear into the hull again, just as his feet went over the edge. Toke, following a split second behind him, grabbed hold of his ankles. Dangling from an out of control airship thousands of feet above the ground, the only thing keeping Toke alive was his own enemy.
Grunting with exertion, Toke threw himself upwards and anchored himself to the Terracaelum again. Navras tried to grab him, but Toke managed to step out of his reach. With Navras hanging from the edge of the ship, there was nothing between Toke and the controls. His body quivered from the jidoryo shock, but he forced himself to walk toward the back of the ship yet again.
I don't have to fly it, he thought once he stood behind the wheel. I just have to crash it.
Taking the wheel in both hands, Toke pulled it to the left. The ship righted itself, and what Toke saw before him was enough to make him freeze in terror.
Hashira hovered before them on the horizon, almost blinding as it reflected the afternoon sun. The Terracaelum would be there in just a few minutes. Toke was running out of time.
His axe! Looking back, Toke found his axe still lying on the floor of the control room. He picked it up and turned to the controls again. He didn't know how to fly this thing, but he didn't need to. If he messed enough of it up, Navras wouldn't be able fly it either. All he had to do was point it in away from Hashira.
He raised his weapon just as the Sorakine city disappeared behind the spearman's black and green armor.
"Smite it, no!" Toke yelled in frustration. Before he could take a swing, Navras grabbed him by the collar and hauled him out of the cockpit, tossing him away like piece of garbage. Toke landed on his back on the Terracaelum's prow, and somersaulted onto his feet.
Navras was reaching inside the cockpit, desperately trying to put the Terracaelum back on course. Toke tried to pull Navras away from the controls, but the kaosuryo in his armor still prevented him from anchoring himself to the professor. There was one thing, though, that wasn't filled with the chaotic green energy. Anchoring himself as tightly as he could to Navras' spear, he gave a mighty pull on it.
To his surprise, the spear actually shot towards Toke. Navras, not expecting such a strong attack, was pulled off balance, though he refused to let go of the spear. Toke weighed himself down, and continued to pull. For a minute the two of them struggled against each other, Navras trying to regain his weapon and Toke trying to break his opponent's grip. Toke's advantage was gained purely out of surprise, though, which he realized when Navras began to pull the spear back in his direction. His armor was strong enough to rival a Sorakine's strength. If he kept this up, all Toke would manage to do was wear himself out.
So he let Navras win.
Without giving the professor any warning, he released his anchor on the Terracaelum and came flying at Navras like an arrow out of a crossbow. Caught off guard again, Navras reeled when the force pulling the spear away from him vanished, and wasn't prepared when Toke slammed into his chest feet first. With his enhanced strength, the impact only made him stumble backwards a couple of steps. That was all Toke needed, and he swung his axe at his teacher's helmet. The blade struck the black glass visor, shattering it.
Navras cried out in pain, and for a moment Toke let himself hope that he had scored a fatal blow. Then the inventor's fist struck him in the face, making him lose concentration, and he fell back onto the Terracaelum. With an agitated grunt, Navras pulled the axe out of his helmet and flung it away.
Now I'm completely unarmed, Toke realized as he looked up at the insane old man's face. Through the slit in his helmet, Toke saw a thin trickle of blood running down his face, but no sign of considerable damage.
Acting out of anger rather than skill, Navras kicked Toke where he lay, sending the Juryokine flying head over heels towards the tip of the Terracaelum. Toke landed on his head, and stars danced in front of his vision when he collapsed onto his back. Through his clouded vision, he could see Navras crouching in front of the control chamber. He leaped into the air with a green flash, and raised his spear.
At that point, Zashiel's training took over completely. His conscious mind was too muddled to do anything, but the instincts his Sorakine instructor had drilled into him had honed his reflexes, and his instincts knew exactly what to do. Kicking his legs up, he put his hands on the floor and sprang upwards and out of Navras' way just as the energized spear came down, puncturing yet another hole in the Terracaelum's metal shell.
Toke landed on his feet facing Navras, fists raised to defend himself, but he found the professor standing motionless, staring at the place he'd stabbed the Terracaelum. Toke followed his gaze downwards, and realized what he was looking at.
Navras hadn't just stabbed the ship, he had punctured the battery.
For a fraction of a second, their eyes met. Then a surge of jidoryo greater than any Toke had ever seen travelled up the professor's spear. Trails of the blue energy wove their way around his body, making the glowing veins of his armor flash an even brighter shade of green. He twitched and jerked, but didn't seem to be able to let go of the spear. Then, just like Toke knew it would, the battery exploded.
A blinding blue flash and a wave of heat struck Toke, throwing him off his feet. He flew backwards over the Terracaelum's pointed tip, and was only saved by the ship's own speed. Almost as soon as he went over the edge, the Terracaelum caught back up to him and he was able to grab the ledge. Dangling by his fingertips, he watched as his former teacher was thrown into the air as well. Even with his armor, Toke doubted Navras could still be alive after taking that much jidoryo into his body. Still, as if the Terracaelum itself wanted firm closure on the matter, the Master Inventor's body was sucked into one of the still-spinning turbines. Whether it was chopped to pieces, or if the armor protected his corpse from the spinning blades, Toke wasn't sure because at that moment a second explosion rocked the Terracaelum, nearly throwing him off.
Half in shock, Toke hauled himself back onto the ship and got to his feet. His knees wobbled, and he had to put a hand to his head to stop it from spinning. He had won. That, alone, shocked him even more than seeing the man he'd idolized all his life be killed. He had beaten Navras, and was still alive.
He turned around, and whatever sense of victory he was feeling vanished. Hashira loomed in the distance, closer now than ever before, and the Terracaelum was flying straight for it. Even if its power source had been destroyed, the ship still had enough energy left to propel it all the way to the floating city, which meant Toke's job wasn't finished yet.
Now that the battle was over, his injuries were becoming harder to ignore. In the space of a few minutes, he had been thrown around, beaten, sliced, and shocked. Quite frankly, he was surprised that he was still on his feet. He couldn't let his pain get the best get the best of him, though. With grim determination, he began to limp back to the cockpit. Blue sparks were shooting up all around him, and every few seconds a smaller explosion would shake the ship, but he ignored them. If he could do this one last thing, it would all be over. His mission would finally be completed.
It had only been a month since Zashiel had approached him and asked for his help. One month since he'd swallowed her feather and became a Juryokine. One month since he had made enemies out of the Nails, Yasmik's government, and even his own hero. It felt like a lifetime ago, and the memories of when he had been a frail, weak boy with no goals except to become an inventor seemed to belong to belong to somebody else. He wasn't the same person he had been a month ago. Not just in body, but in spirit. He was Toke Gnasher, the Juryokine. The transformation had been painful, but looking back now, he wouldn't have traded it for the world.
Taking his place behind the Terracaelum's wheel, Toke gripped it with both hands. This would be the last thing he ever did, but it would also be the greatest. He hoped that his parents would be proud of him for this, but in the end it didn't matter. It was the right thing to do, and he was proud of himself for doing it.
NEXT TIME: Navras has been defeated, but Terracaelum is still flying straight for its target. If Toke doesn't do something, Hashira is going to fall anyway. Can he turn the machine out of the way in time, or has this all been for nothing? Remember, if you're tired of waiting for updates, you can purchase the entire book for $2.99 on Kindle and $16.00 for a paperback.