STOCK MARKET COMMENTARY

It is now almost two years since the start of credit crisis. The challenging conditions that impacted financial markets for the past have continued and deepened. The financial shock that erupted in August 2007, as the U. S. sub prime mortgage market was derailed, has spread quickly and unpredictably to inflict extensive damage on markets and institutions at the core of the financial system.

The financial market clouds hanging over the global economic horizon have darkened substantially in 2008 and for 2009. The announced losses of banks have reached billion as at the end of November 2008. Even final heavyweights and numerous others large European banks have to be bailed out. The collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008 has had a profound impact on the entire financial and securities industry, from which they are still to recover.

The money markets are still facing severe challenges as governments across the world in a concerted effort have pledged to support the beleaguered financial system and economy from collapsing. Regional banks, too, are facing severe pressures on their stock prices. Recent fall in regional stock markets, particularly United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar markets exemplify the complete loss of confidence of investors in stock markets.

The ongoing stress in the money market activities is leaving a great scar in the investment world. What would be the performance of the stock markets in the future? Is there a chance of recovery?

WOMEN ABUSERS BEWARE!

Read an article in today's daily about a woman who attacked her husband with a stick, forcing him to go to hospital. The husband suffered cuts and bruises. The wife was arrested and when interrogated at the police station, she reported that she went on beating her husband because he did not resist. She further said that she didn't know what she was doing. She was released on bail, but the police authorities said they would pursue the case once the man recovers and decides whether he would like to press charges or not. The man would need thee weeks' treatment and rest before returning to work.

So, women are not the only abused partners after all, ha ha!!!

Meanwhile, a man beat up his wife, hospitalizing her, in another domestic abuse case in the same neighborhood. The police said the women's brothers later assaulted the man to avenge their sister.

When I was on leave, I visited a brother. I saw some bruises and cuts on his head. Of course, the normal reaction was to ask what happened! He said, my sister-in-law gave him a good beating. Why? She got fed up with him because he would always drink away whatever little money he would make on whatever job he would have. Hope he learned his lesson.

ONE LITTLE CANDLE!

It is a line from an old praise song, but it conveys one of the deepest meaning about faith, "It is better to light just one little candle than to stumble in the dark." This means that our faith will serve as our light, which will guide us to the right path. This faith in God is not just a feeling of optimism in the face of life's difficulties, but this faith must be accompanied with action, patience, determination, and more prayers because Jesus said, "ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you."

The lighted candle is one image of the Holy Spirit. Keep it burning brightly and keep the gifts of the Holy Spirit alive in our hearts.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - TEACHING

"Benevolence alone will not make a teacher,
nor will learning alone do it. The gift of teaching
is a peculiar talent, and implies a need and
a craving in the teacher himself."



John Jay Chapman

TRIVIA - GLITCH

Some odd words enter into the scientific vocabulary. When the rotation period of a neutron star changes suddenly, it is called a "glitch." Why? A Jewish astronomical observer noticed a change in the regularity of the pulse of a star, as though there had been a sudden slip. In referring to this colloquially, he used the Yiddish word for "slip," which is glitch, and the designation stuck.

THE SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE

In some communities many couples live together without getting married. When a person becomes a Christian he will want to legalize his marriage. In this way, he has a better testimony in the community, he gives protection of the laws of the land to his family, and he honors Christ.

God's Word is very strong against any kind of sexual relation outside of marriage. He strictly prohibits any flirtation or illicit love affair by either marriage partner with another person. One of the great blessings of a Christian home is the fact that husband and wife can trust each other when they know that each is faithful to the other in thought, word, and deed. As they serve the Lord together, it becomes a "little bit of heaven," free from the deception, suspicion, jealousy, and unfaithfulness that wreck so many homes.

HE IS

HE IS

HE is fairer than the lily of the valley,
HE is brighter than the morning sun,
HE is purer than the snow,
Fresher than the breeze,
Lovelier by far than all of these.

But HE calms all the storms,
and conquers the raging seas.
HE is the high and lofty one,
Who inhabits eternity.
Creator of the universe,
and HE's clothed with majesty,
HE is and evermore shall be.

Maranatha

WAKE ME UP, PLEASE!

A friend asked if coffee really helps to keep you awake. He has been transferred to the night shift and cannot help falling asleep while on duty.

What I know is that one of the stimulants common to most of our lives is caffeine found in coffee, tea, and some cola drinks. Stronger, more dangerous stimulants included in this category are the amphetamines, the family of drugs sometimes called "uppers" or "speed." Drugs of this type stimulate the central nervous system. They increase arousal and attention so that the user remains alert and wakeful, even though long hours without sleep. Powerful stimulants initially promote feelings of paranoid fears, and auditory hallucinations. As with other hand drugs, users develop a tolerance for amphetamines and they must be taken in larger and larger doses to achieve the euphoria that is sought. Not much is known about how these drugs work in the body.

Aha! sleeping at work, ha!

SOME FUNNY LINES ABOUT MARRIAGE

"My wife dresses to kill.
She also cooks the same way."

"A good wife always forgives
her husband when she's wrong."

"I was married by a judge.
I should have asked for a jury."

"I bought my wife a new car.
She called me said,
"There was water in the carburator."
I asked her, "where's the car?".
She replied, "in the lake."

"Never go to bed mad.
Stay up and fight."

"The secret of a happy
marriage remains a secret."

"When a man steals your wife,
there is no better revenge than
to let him keep her."

"A man said his credit card was stolen,
but he decided not to report it since
the thief was spending much less
than his wife did."

"Getting married is very much like
going to a restaurant with friends. You order
what you want, then when you see what
the other fellow has, you wish
you had ordered that."

"Man is complete until he is married.
Then he is finished."

THE CREAM ROSE

Cream Rose

the symbol
of richness
and perfection
rare, charm, grace
thoughtfulness
elegance
and the best qualities

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - MATRIMONY

"What counts in making a happy marriage
is not so much how compatible you are, but how
you deal with incompatibility."



Leo Tolstoy

WITH THIS RING!

Marry in May and you'll live to rue the day!

May has been considered an unlucky month to marry in, and this wedding superstition really happened to a couple, who are now trying to forget their most hellish wedding ceremony.

Weddings can go swimmingly well or they can be stressful. But rarely does so much go so wrong as it did during the nuptials of a young couple that took place here last May. Let's start with the food, which was beyond bad but actually so noticeably spoiled that the entire crowd refused to consume the catering. Then a group of guests got stuck in the elevator on their way to the banquet hall, and while guests were trying to figure out how to pry open the doors, somebody else got locked in the bathroom. Eventually, the people in the lift were freed and the bathroom door was pried off the hinges to release that wedding detainee. And just as the wedding was getting back on track, the groom and bride took a tumble when the wedding throne collapsed under their weight. The manager of the hotel's wedding hall offered the newlyweds a free one-week stay. No thanks, they said, and departed from the wedding.

DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO!

Here's some advice: If your group is going to travel around to speak out against domestic abuse, make sure nobody in your group is a domestic abuser.

A woman was sent to hospital by her husband after he beat her senseless, inflicting head and body injuries. The woman was ordered to remain in hospital for a number of days to heal. The perpetrator of this criminal act was a man who was preparing to preach against the evil of domestic abuse. Apparently this man adheres to the maxim of "do as I say, not as I do."

Is it right to ask why women stay in an abusive relationship? There are number of reasons why they can't stay and why they can't leave. Only those who have been abused can understand why they stayed.

DO THE FREDDIE!

Onchong enjoying his

first school dance participation!

Hear the happy feet
dancing to the beat of the
Freddie (Freddie!)!

Put a guy in front
make a line in back then
you're ready!

Kick your feet up
swing your arms up to,
move your head both ways
like you see me do!

Then jump three feet
to the swinging beat
do the Freddie, do the Freddie!

MY BABY'S NAME!

What's in a name?
We shall name him after my father!
No, no, no! he will be named after my father!
But your father's name doesn't sound nice!
I want my son's name to be unique
and different!

For one set of parents it means enough to separate 48 hours after their first baby was born because they couldn't agree on what to name him. The father wanted to name the boy after the baby's late grandfather, while the mother had promised to name her firstborn after her father. The parents wouldn't budge and the disagreement grew. The families tried in vain to intervene by offering suggestions for alternative names. The dispute got so bad the mother went back to her family with the child while the father sent a divorce letter to the father-in-law. This couple is acting immature.

What's in a name, anyway!

I feel especially fortunate 'coz I got to choose the names of my grandchildren, and nobody ever dared to disagree with me.