Australia has the highest incidence of bowel cancer in the world. Each year, the national road toll claims about 1500 lives while bowel cancer claims about 4000 lives.

 

Apparently, drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, according to an urban legend that floats around the internet, unproven.

 

Then again, you could always try All Bran.

 

 

I've been reading various things about the stock market crash of 1987, being compared with the recent ASX market correction. Although the ASX and US now appear to have resumed since August, some analysts think that China is on the boil and ready for a big dive (e.g. Dale Gilham, Alan Hull). Others, such as Daryl Guppy, say "2007 is not 1987. Modern market crashes take on a different character because the nature of the market mechanism and participation has changed."

 

I found an article at the weekend in the Adelaide Advertiser with the title, "Crash of '87 still so fresh in the mind." It recounted the happenings at the time of the 1987 crash of the ASX and around the world. The Dow Jones dropped 22.5% in one day (508 points at the time). A similar drop today would remove 3000 points from the Dow Jones and 1500 off the ASX S&P/200 index. The crash of Wall Street on October 19, 1987 was bigger than Black Friday in 1929 which started the Great Depression.

 

I am writing this on Monday 22nd October, 2007. This week is 20 years since the 1987 crash. So it is obvious that people ask these questions, comparing one crash with another. They compared 1987 with 1929. And we're comparing 2007 with 1987. But nobody knows.

 

The Advertiser reports that by the end of 1987, Australian shares had fallen 50% from their high point immediately before the crash, compared with the US markets, which were 35% down. The USA recovered within 2 years, but Australia took nearly 7 years to recover to the same point. Australia follows the US market profile like a smaller shadow, but clearly the restoration time is much longer.

 

This time, the ASX fell nearly 12% in response to the US sub-prime mortgage problems, but recovered fully within 5 weeks and has gone past previous highs. So clearly we're looking at something different in terms of structure and connection with overseas markets. Some people say that a lot depends on China, which has a large number of small private investors (80%) who will flee if trouble appears. The Chinese market is high and apparently flattening, but who knows when the correction will come, or what damage will result worldwide.

 

 

When I was fourteen I had a great skateboard. It had ACS 651 trucks and 60mm red Kryptonics wheels which were fast and grippy. The wheels were fitted with smooth running sealed bearings, I think they were by NSK. At first I had a flexible yellow fibreglass Benjyboard deck ('fibreflex?') which I then replaced with a solid multi-ply timber one, it had a Rolling Stones (mouth) logo in red cut into the black 'sandpaper' top. The wide ACS trucks (6.5") were great for slalom and were fasted with cross-head screws and lock nuts, and a 1/2" red plastic spacer block lifted each truck away from the deck. I had a truck spanner to make adjustments.

 

My Dad helped me fit a tough white poly tail-guard under the tail of the board with two brass screws and washers. I had a white Norcon helmet but I can't recall using the knee or elbow pads very much.

 

I took a black marker pen and carefully coloured in the indented lettering on the edge of the red wheels which said  K R Y P T O N I C S. Some of my mates had blue or green Kryptonics which were faster due to the harder compound used. I liked the red ones because they were good for tricks and fast enough! Now I think about it, we used to call them, 'Krips".

 

 

 

 

One weekend in my early twenties, I just gave that thing away to a charity shop. Because the shop was shut on a Saturday afternoon, I left it at the side door with some other gear - including old computers - which I was getting rid of. Somehow I doubt the skateboard was still there on Monday morning.

 

Happy days. I loved skating on that board: I kind of regret letting it go.

 

-- Max Ehrman, Desiderata.