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This Recession Was Brought to You by the Letters U, V and L

A popular question [1] for economists lately has been what shape this recession will take. Will it be a “U,” a “V,” or maybe an “L”? Could we even find ourselves caught up in the roller coaster of a “W,” just when we think we’ve finally voted out that letter once and for all? What’s with the alphabet soup? This categorization is a kind of verbal shorthand for describing the shape of the ups and downs of the gross domestic product and the broader economy. It’s not an exact science, which is part of the reason there’s so much debate [2] about which type the United States is experiencing. There’s no governing body or think tank tasked with crunching the numbers and officially declaring a recession one letter or another. In general, V-shaped recessions are those that last for a few quarters, while the more unpleasant U-shaped recessions can drag on for up to a couple of years. It’s the difference between a head cold that clears your system in a week and a case of bronchitis that leaves y...
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Petroleum: Basic and Pricing

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An Overview The petroleum industry is involved in the global processes of exploration , extraction , refining , transporting (often with oil tankers and pipelines ), and marketing petroleum products. The largest volume products of the industry are fuel oil and gasoline (petrol). Petroleum is also the raw material for many chemical products , including pharmaceuticals, solvents, fertilizers, pesticides, and plastics. The industry is usually divided into three major components: upstream , midstream and downstream . Midstream operations are usually included in the downstream category. Petroleum is vital to many industries , and is of importance to the maintenance of industrialized civilization itself, and thus is critical concern to many nations. Oil accounts for a large percentage of the world’s energy consumption, ranging from a low of 32% for Europe and Asia, up to a high of 53% for the Middle East . Other geographic regions’ consumption patterns are as follows: South and Central...
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Xin Ning is approaching 6 next January

Soon turning to 6 years old Xin Nning has gradually developed her own personality and preference. She now express stronger desire in what she likes to do, the kind of haircut she preferred, selective in extra-curriculum activities (she prefers swimming, painting, and what else ...???), and list goes on. Occasionally it crosses my mind on what her peers are doing and how Xin Ning fairs in comparison. Is this mental comparison healthy though (I believe normal for most parents)? How should I help Xin Ning navigates through what she likes, those activities she has not been exposed to and may develop a liking to it once exposed, and those activities her peers are better than Xin Ning?  My personal preference is to have her develop the reading skills with "I Can Read" and Arts especially painting but are these enough to help her develop her thinking and creativity? In addition, would like to expose Xin Ning to some outdoor activities such as trekking, exposing her to childr...
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