It’s an issue so totally divided. My grandfather (who I only met once when I was 9 years old in a hospital 2 weeks before he died) died of alcohol. My sister is an alcoholic and I haven’t been able to see her for over a year. Her ex husband who was like a brother to me is an alcoholic. So in terms of drugs, I’ve seen and experienced the damage that it has on people and their families. Other drugs like dope and mushrooms grow ‘NATURALLY’ upon the planet. Yet they’re against the law. Do you think making ‘NATURE’ against the law seem, I don’t know, ‘UNNATURAL???’ There are so many variables and costs involved (emotions, legality, health, money, politics, socio/economic, personal choice, mental illness, etc) that you can look at a drug issue from every angle and each angle makes sense. Dope is used for terminal diseases such as cancer and MS, etc. Dope can also trigger off panic disorder and schizophrenia for those genetically predisposed. These are just some of my thoughts while reading this post.
Cheers,
Gatsby.

“First issue on the agenda in the “PEOPLE WHO HATE PEOPLE PARTY”
1/.DRUG CRISIS.
“I hated coming here today. The traffic was a pain in the bum!”
” Maybe you should have stayed home and legalized dope?”
“Don’t be an idiot!”
“F#$k you! I also think it should be mandatory!”

Imagine next time I’m stuck in traffic with a car up my bum blasting his horn. I’ll just get out of my car, go up to the driver and say ‘SHUT UP AND SMOKE THAT! IT’S THE LAW!!!!!’
(driver takes 2 or 3 puffs).
“Sh#t I’m sorry, I was taking life too seriously!!”
END OF MEETING
(“Judge ‘Gatsby’ will return in a moment!”)

Hi Brad,
May be one good way would be to see at least 4 or 5 brokers and screen them to see who you feel has an understanding of what your financial goals are.
You would be amazed at the different opinions and options you will recieve from one broker to the next.
Kind regards,
Gatsby!

What about when someone says,
‘My foot’s fallen asleep.’
(does that therefore mean it will keep you up all night???).
Cheers,
Gatsby!

I Want to Share You My Story. Maybe we should close this post (plus I’ve run out of material for tonight) if it is only inciting a downward spiral of negativity?
Cheers,
Gatsby.

Hi wayneL,
I just looked at the website you posted and the thing that caught my eye was the term ‘War on Drugs.’ You know what that implies? There’s a war being fought and people on drugs are winning it? Just think about it for a minute. I picture the war on drugs like the American colonials fighting the Indians? (Anybody seen ‘Dancing With Wolves?’) There’s a field of red coats and the Indians are up in the trees ‘toking’ away saying to themselves, “Are they fighting us? We’re not even in that field? I guess we’re winning by ‘default?’ “No combat, we’re ahead!” I don’t use drugs but I just don’t get it? Alcohol and cigarettes are drugs and they kill more people than marijuana and heroin combined! So the war has definetely taken a ‘cease fire’ there? The only time I’ve heard of drug stories on the news (which is supposed to be ‘objective’) is always negative. The same story. “Young man on LSD thought he could fly so he jumped off a building and died.” I know it’s tragic but if he thought he could fly why didn’t he take off from the ground first to check it out? You don’t see pidgeons going up to the 12th floor before flying south for the winter???? I’d like to see a ‘positive’ news worthy story just for a change. Just once, to hear what it’s all about?
“Today a young man took LSD and realized that matter is really energy condensed to a small vibration. That we are all one conciousness experiencing itself subjectively. There is no such thing as death. Life is only a dream and we are the imagination of ourselves. Now here’s Bruce MacAveney with Sports!!!”…………”Golly, did you see the news mum about drugs?”
Cheers,
Gatsby!

I was lonely. “She was on SHORE LEAVE!”
Cheers,
Gatsby!

Thanks Shaun,
Working out has to become as ritualistic as brushing your teeth. You have to be competitive. The best part is that you are only competing against yourself. For every workout/program their will always be other workout pundits who will give you every reason why their work outs are better. Just like some people love property/shares and it’s in their blood, so too are the gym rats. My work out is 2 days on, 1 day off then 2 days on again and then I repeat the cycle. I haven’t worked out for about 4 months and the current work issue of bullying has taken a bit of a toll as I don’t know if I’ll have a job or not. But instead of using that as an excuse not to work out, it is now my ‘reason’ to work out (which I’ve recommenced). Another personal belief is that if you are going to donate time to working out then you may as well give it a 110% otherwise why bother (I know some will disagree for valid reasons)? This approach just works for me. If you hate your job, boss, the ‘SYSTEM’- WHATEVER!, channel that into your work outs. Harness that emotion into 1 extra rep, half rep, etc. Reward a good workout with a good meal (clean). Don’t feel like ‘because I ate crap for lunch I’ll have to burn it off.’ It’s better to say to yourself ‘because I completed a difficult workout despite being over motivated, under motivated, tired, too active, too bored, too busy, etc I’ll reward myself with a healthy meal, a rest day to recuperate, etc. When is the best time to work out? When your body feels at it’s peak. For me that’s between the hours of 11.30am and 2pm. That’s the window where my circadian rhythm is at it’s most alert. For others it may be after they first wake up in the morning or just prior to going to bed. Also visualize your goals. Imagine your arms, legs, gut, etc already being the size you would love. Supplements are another area for discussion so I won’t go into it. However don’t rule out the placebo affect. If I gave you a sugar tablet and told you it contained steroids and you believed me, you would have no option but to lift heavier weights and grow larger muscles as a result. Also re: visualization I always watch about 10-15 minutes of some DVD to psyche myself up to maximize the work out. It may be a couple of scenes from Ali in ‘When We Were Kings’, De Niro in ‘Raging Bull’, etc. I also turn off my mobile phone and take the phone off the hook while working out. After all, with the busy/stressfull lives we lead, be it meditation or bodybuilding, it’s probably the only one time we get to shut out all of life’s distractions and allow time just for ourselves. This I believe is the GREATEST BENEFIT of all that bodybuilding can offer.
Cheers,
Gatsby!
PS. Where do I work out? In a room next to my bed which is about 10ft x 10ft. It has all I need to attack each muscle group. I don’t have a spotter (a major limiting factor to growth), however I don’t have to drive to the gym, find a car park, queue up to use a machine, be distracted by socializing, etc. Yet for others the sound of clanging weights, etc works for them.

Hi Byronet,
The point that I was trying to highlight was that saving tax is great. For some people saving tax may not be a priority over CG, cashflow, return on investment, etc. I’m not bagging the scheme. If it works then that’s all that matters. I’m just trying to highlight what my experience (what little of anyway) of investing in trees has been to make Gump aware of. That aside, it sounds like you’re onto a good thing. Well done!
Cheers,
Gatsby.

Hi NATHAN17,
I went to a seminar prior to buying an investment property and it was based on investing in trees, due to some inevitable future major deficit in paper. The main focus during the seminar was the ‘tax cuts’. Most of the audience were high roller/CEO executives. Then there was me sitting in the back with a protein shake and a track suit. The ‘investment’ pitch was no different to any property seminar over the past 5 years where at the end you’re coerced into signing up for a property. Needless to say, I left before the seminar ended. The thing I want to point out is that the presenter himself after singing all the virtues of this investment highlighted again and again how it would save tax. I hope this has been of some help.
Cheers,
Gatsby.