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- That the following statement be added to the Objectives of the 1916 Relatives Association as they appear in its constitution, "To highlight the role our relatives played in Ireland's revolutionary period including the War of Independence and to ensure that their contribution is appropriately recognized in State Commemorations"
- The Facebook Account of the 1916 Relatives Association represents a key asset of the Association. For this reason it is necessary for it to be under the direct responsibility and control of the Executive Committee EC). At the first meeting following each AGM the EC will appoint two administrators; one will be a member of the EC who will have an oversight role and overall responsibility for all aspects of the function the Facebook Account. This role will be time limited to his/her period in office. The second person appointed will undertake the day to day administration of the Facebook Account, liaising with the relevant EC member on all matters s/he see fit.
- The 1916 Relatives Association supports the work of the Ministerial 'Moore St Advisory Group' (MSAG) in its objective of delivering Phase Two of the 'Securing History' process, namely the achievement of a new, generally agreed Planning Application for the area in line with the recommendations of the Moore St Report
- The 1916 RA welcomes the publication in 2017 of the Moore St Report 'Securing History' and supports its conclusions and recommendations for the future development of the area.
- The 1916 RA welcomes the decision of the Dept. of Arts, Culture and Heritage to undertake a comprehensive and definitive survey of the Moore St battlefield site, taking into account all previous surveys and reports on the area.
- The 1916 RA welcomes the decision this year of Hammerson PLC, the owners of most of the battlefield structures, to join the Minister's Moore St Advisory Group (MMSAG) process. We also welcome their stated intent to apply for a fresh Planning Permission along the lines of their current outline proposal as presented to the MMSAG, subject to agreement on the handling of key elements of the 1916 battlefield site based on a definitive architectural, heritage and historical survey.
- That this AGM agrees to commence an initiative to seek support from the Government and members of the Oireachtas to declare the 24th of April as Irish Republic Day.
- That this Association request some type of memorial/roll of honour be established to those who were processed through Richmond Barracks Easter week 1916.
- That the 1916 Relatives Association reaffirms its commitment to the naming of the national children's hospital in honour of Dr. Kathleen Lynn".
- That the 1916 Relatives Association will commemorate the centenary of the election of Countess Markievicz in December 2018.
- That some form of regular communication be established between the Executive Committee of Cumann Gaolta 1916 and the various Garrison Groups so as to ensure that the latter are informed as to the business of the Executive Committee of Cumann Gaolta 1916. The form that this communication will take is to be agreed between the Executive Committee and the Convenor for each Garrison Group.
Motions passed at our 2018 Annual General Meeting
Easter Saturday Annual Commemoration – A Tribute to the Women of 1916
The videos capturing the following aspects of the event are available here
A Tribute to the Women of 1916
A Reading of the Proclamation
The Death of Fr. Joseph Mallin S.J. — Last direct living link with the 1916 Easter Rising
Statement from the Mallin/Hickey Family
It is with great personal sadness that we learned from Hong Kong this Easter morning of the death of Fr. Joseph Mallin SJ, and just as we were about to commemorate the 102nd anniversary of the Easter Rising. We always knew this day was near but it came as a shock all the same to know that Fr. Joseph is gone to his heavenly reward. What a poignant day to complete his earthly life. And what a good and long life in the service of God it was and he lived it well. May he rest in peace. We will miss him. Solas na bhflaitheas dó agus ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.
Joseph Michael Mallin was born in September 1913. He was the youngest son of Agnes Hickey and Michael Mallin. His mother was the daughter of Joseph Hickey, a Fenian man who was deported from Ireland for 11 years for his part in the Fenian Rising of 1867, and the granddaughter of John Francis Nugent a United Irishman, a printer & publisher from Cookstown Co. Tyrone. Agnes was born in Liverpool in 1870 during the deportation. Joseph was just a young boy when his father, Michael Mallin, Commandant and Chief-of-Staff of the Irish Citizen Army was executed at Kilmainham Gaol in 1916.
Fr. Joseph Mallin SJ was the last direct living link with that period of our history. His siblings, brothers Séamus & Fr. Seán, sisters Sr. Agnes, a Nun with the Loreto Community in Seville, Spain, and Maura Phillips have all pre-deceased him.
He served for more than 70 years as a missionary and educator in mainland China and Hong Kong with the Jesuit community there. He was ordained in 1946 and two years later was sent to the Jesuit Mission in China. He worked tirelessly for the people there. He loved that community and they loved him and it is there where he will be laid to rest. With others he played a significant part in the ongoing development of education and progress of Wah Yan School and college in Hong Kong and Kowloon. He managed Wah Yan College for a number of years and, like most teachers, he often talked with pride of the pupils educated at that college, many of whom went on to become leaders in their various walks of life.
Fr. Joseph was a very spiritual and humble man. He had a deeply held Christian faith and love for his fellow man and woman. His was a practical faith with a strong base in social justice and equality; not unlike his father who as a trade union activist fought for social justice and workers' rights and who gave his young life for such a cause.
Fr. Joseph lived to be 104. He was given more time than most on this earth and he used that time wisely. His parents, Michael and Agnes Mallin would be very proud of their son's achievements and the way he lived his life.
Fr. Joseph was a great communicator all his life, a prolific letter writer, just like his father. He was an inveterate letter-writer and he wrote letters to his family members on a regular basis and also to many other correspondents, never failing to respond to a letter when anyone wrote to him, be it a young school child from Donegal or an academic historian from the University, they would receive a thoughtful reply. His command of the Irish language, written and oral, was unbelievable considering he was out of the country since 1948. He wrote to family members and others as Gaeilge – always, san sean-cló, in the old Irish script, and he was delighted to speak Irish to anybody from Ireland who visited him, Fīor Eireannach gan dabht. He had numerous friends in Ireland and around the world. He kept in contact with them all and whenever he was home in Ireland he would make sure to visit them.#
Fr. Joseph Mallin SJ was proud to be honoured with the Freedom of the City of Dublin during the 1916 Centenary Commemorations. An honour presented for his service to education and his family's connection to the Easter 1916 Rising and the struggle for Irish Independence.
One of his last official acts was his major historical contribution to the memory of his father, Commandant Michael Mallin. This historical document was published last year and it presents new insights and facts about the record of his father's court martial. This document is now available in the archives of Kilmainham Gaol Museum and the National Library of Ireland. It was Fr. Joseph's wish that historians would be cognisant of this work.


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Check out noteworthy things done and honors received by cities around Idaho as they work to create quality cities.
Caldwell Police Department officers joined students at Van Buren Elementary School for National School Breakfast Week. The officers spent more than 45 minutes talking to kids about how important breakfast is and just hanging out with the kids.
The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality awarded an $800,095 low-interest wastewater construction loan to the City of Franklin. The funds will be used to purchase 110 acres of land for reuse, construct reuse and intermediate pump stations and a new lined lagoon, and install a conveyance line to the reuse site.
The City of Malad held its Arbor Day celebration on April 26. The celebration included a free workshop on tree care and the presentation of Malad as a Tree City USA.
The City of Meridian held its 11th Annual Spring Clean Meridian on April 23.
The City of Moscow held a ground breaking ceremony on April 13 for its Wisescape demonstration garden project. Wisescape will promote water-efficient landscaping and is expected to be completed in late May.
As part of its Earth Day celebrations, City of Moscow volunteers installed "Drains to Stream" placards near storm drain catch basins. The placards will help citizens identify connections to the storm sewer system. Storm sewers route water directly, with no treatment, to the creeks and rivers, making public awareness imperative in order to preserve water quality and protect aquatic life.
Preston community volunteers raised over $65,000 for a splash pad in Preston City Park, which will be completed during the summer.
If your city has done something noteworthy or received an honor and you would like it listed in City Clips, send the information to GayDawn by e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com or fax 344-8677.
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MERCHANDISE exports rose 43.7% in March as demand from the country's main markets continued to recover along with the global economy.
Data from the National Statistics Office (NSO) showed that the country's export earnings for the third month of 2010 rose to $4.18 billion from the year-ago level of $2.9 billion. On a monthly basis, exports rose 17% from $3.57 billion in February. Overall, exports jumped 42.9 % in the first quarter.
Acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Augusto Santos said this is the highest year-on-year increase since the National Statistics Office started compiling monthly exports statistics in 1991.
Shipments of electronics, which dominate exports and are largely assembled from imported parts, climbed 49.1% year-on-year to $2.42 billion in March after a 53.3% jump in February.
The Philippines expects exports to grow 12% and imports to rise 18% in 2010. In 2009, exports fell 21.9%, not as sharp as the government's forecast drop of 25%.
The main electronics industry group expects shipments to grow 20% or more this year on strong demand from China and India.
The government may consider raising its 2.6%-3.6% economic growth target for 2010 amid a slew of strong indicators this year. (PIA-Bohol)


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48th International Film Festival of India concludes in Goa
48th International Film Festival of India concludes in Goa
At the 48th International Film Festival of India, legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan was honoured with the Indian Film Personality 2017 award.
The 48th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) was held in Goa from November 20 to 28. It was conducted jointly by Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Directorate of Film Festivals and Government of Goa.
The closing ceremony of India's largest film event was marked by the presence of film industry stalwarts like Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Akshay Kumar, and Karan Johar among others.
Listed below are the winners at the IFFI 2017
|Best Film
|Robin Campillo (Director)
|120 Beats Per Minute
|ICFT Unesco Gandhi Medal
|Kshitij A Horizon
|Indian Film Personality of the Year
|Amitabh Bachchan(Actor)
|Best Male Actor
|Nahuel Pérez Biscayart
|120 Beats Per Minute
|Best Female Actor
|Parvathy Thiruvoth Kottuvatta
|Take Off
|Best Director
|Vivian Qu
|Angels Wear White
|Lifetime Achievement
|Atom Egoyan
|Best Debut Film of a Director
|Kiro Russo
|Dark Skull
|Special Jury Award
|Mahesh Narayanan
|Take Off
About IFFI
- The international film festival of India, commonly known as the IFFI, is the first international film festival to have been held in Asia
- It aims at providing a common platform to the cinemas across the world to project the excellence of the art of film making
- It started in the year 1952 with the participation of 23 countries with over two hundred film entries, and since then, the festival has been held annually in India. This year, the numbers have increased multifold to submissions from over 100 countries across the world
- Since 2004, this festival has been held in the state of Goa, on the west coast of India.


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Last week, we covered the first half of my top ten list for the best vintage Seikos money can buy. Today, we're going through the rest of my picks, culminating in what I believe to be the ultimate watch from the brand's historical catalogue. Any guesses before we get started? Let's get to it.
5. 0624-5009 Quartz LC
This one may not make everyone's list, but it is definitely a personal favorite. The sleek, space-age design of the case with its integrated solid steel bracelet and dual front buttons and yellow tinted LCD panel give this one a unique look that doesn't just speak to me, it sings. I am partial to the Streamline aesthetic of the 1930s, and this watch borrows heavily from that era. It is truly a paragon of design, and every time I strap this one on it puts a smile on my face.
Produced for only two years in 1974 and 1975, the 0624 was the first digital LCD watch that Seiko marketed outside of Japan. It features a time-only display with hours, minutes and running seconds. The left button activates the back light for nighttime legibility, and the right button is used to set the time when the "crown" on the right is pulled out.
For a more in-depth look at the 0624-5009 Quartz LC, click here.


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Are you aware why is there a craze and demand for tablet computers growing rapidly and answer to this question lies in the fact that a tablet is mobile computer, bigger in size compared to a personal digital assistant or mobile phone, having the facility of the flat touch screen and operated primarily by touching the finger on the screen compared to utilizing a keyboard of physical type. Often it utilizes a digital pen or a passive stylus pen, an onscreen virtual keyboard. Also the term may apply to a number of form factors, which vary in position depending on the screen in respect to the keyboard.
Basic things about the tablet computer
The basic form is known as slate that does not contain the integrated keyboard, however, can be linked to a USB port or a wireless link. Notebook computers of convertible type have an included keyboard, which can be concealed by a slide joint or swivel joint, exposing the touch screen only for doing the touch operation. Hybrids consist of a keyboard of detachable type as such the touch screen may be utilized as the stand-along tablet. Booklets contain two numbers touch screens and may be utilized as the notebook with the help showing the virtual keyboard among one of them.
When the concept of tablet computer originated
Early instances for the information regarding tablet computer took place in the nineteenth and twentieth century's as concept and prototypes ideas. The initial commercial electronic devices of portable type depending on the concept evolved at the end part of twentieth century. In the year 2000, Microsoft tried a relatively ineffective product line by introducing Microsoft Tablet Personal Computer that carved outdoor businesses and a positional market at hospitals. In the year 2010, Apple introduced the iPad that utilized technology of touch screen, which is similar to which utilized in the iPhone and treated as the first time computer tablet to gain commercial success all over the world.
Growing usage of tablet computer
Why is there a craze and demand for tablet computers increased phenomenally as the same having majority capabilities of PC computer, well liked, characteristic tablet computers bought in the previous year included GPS navigation, potential functions of cell phone, functions of wireless internet browsing and functions of video camera, weighing about one to one and half kilograms and characteristically possessing a battery life span of four to eleven hours. In various ways the purposes and functions of tablets and smartphones and laptops are getting closer.


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|Swadeshi welcomes you
The State of Kerala, which is situated at the southern part of India has many successful stories and become a model state in many important aspects. We would like to share with you such an important experiment – the Swadeshi Movement, which has got wider acceptance and public attention among the people of Kerala.
Swadeshi is the concept coined by Mahatma Gandhi for the economic regeneration of the common people. The Swadeshi Movement in Kerala tries to regenerate the Swadeshi Spirit among the people of Kerala, especially among the school students and it has become a very successful experiment, which gives employment to more than 1,25,000 common people. The movement visualizes the production and distribution of all commodities of daily use by each and everybody. The movement is initiated by the Centre for Gandhian Studies of the University of Kerala when Dr.Jacob Pulickan was its Director and is coordinated by the Gandhi Centre for Rural Development (GCRD Swadeshi Trust).
The Swadeshi Movement is the direct outcome of the extension activities initiated by the Centre for Gandhian Studies of the University of Kerala under the dirctorship of Dr.Jacob Pulickan as an income generating programme. The first activity selected by the Centre was the Soap Making. It became very successful and this led to the starting of the training courses in Soap Products Making. Slowly these training courses became the best training programme in Kerala which necessitated the formation of a separate organisation for coordinating the Swadeshi training programmes, supply of raw materials and allied support items, starting of small production centres and door to door village level marketing network.
GCRD Swadeshi Centre


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Web Design & Hosting
Web, FTP and POP3/SMTP Email Hosting
eSudo offers small businesses and nonprofits a variety of hosting services for Web, e-mail and DNS. The service allows to transfer and exchange large files with your client without using additional bandwidth on your network. Our plans include the following features and more:
- Customize disk storage
- Web base e-mail (i.e., hotmail.com, YahooMail)
- Dedicated Account Manager
- POP3 E-mail Access for Outlook Express, Office Outlook, Entourage or Eudora
- E-mail Anti-Virus protection
- E-mail Anti-SPAM filtering
- E-mail Forwarding
- E-mail Auto responders or vacation notification
- Secure FTP access, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- Monthly Statistics usage report
- Online Account Administration
- Password-protected user accounts
- Own CGI-BIN for Perl, PHP Script
- Domain name registration
- Name Server Service (DNS) hosting for your domain name
Web Hosting Services from eSudo Technology Solutions, Inc allow your business to harness the power of the Internet in order to better leverage your investment in technology. We can modernize your business with improved security, organization, collaboration and communication.
Here is a list of websites we host, design and/or manage:


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I spent a lot of my childhood wanting my mother to make her 'from scratch' mac 'n cheese. Kraft is more convenient, but let's face it – it's no where near as good. This is not her recipe, it's from someone else who does a great job in the kitchen – Alton Brown. If you don't know who he is, get out of the kitchen.
This is the link to Food Network, where the great Alton Brown works.
Now, this recipe is good. I've made it twice now. But, the addition of a touch of garlic powder with the milk mix is a great addition. And you can always add bacon – which I plan on doing next time I make it. *grin*
- 1/2 pound elbow macaroni
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoon powdered mustard
- 3 cups milk
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 large egg
- 12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh black pepper
- 3 tablespoons butter for topping
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente. While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf. Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.


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Creatine – all you need to know about it
If you're looking to buy creatine, be sure to read this article. Here you will find answers to all the questions bothering you. In addition, you will learn what is good and what is bad for this supplement. I invite you to read.
There is no doubt that creatine is the strongest, legal supplement available on the market. Right next to whey protein is also the most sold supplement to the diet. Almost every gym amateur heard about the effects of creatine while working on their own figure. Below you will learn everything you should know before buying the first can of this supplement.
What exactly is creatine?
Creatine is a component of three amino acids, namely arginine, glycine and methionine. It occurs naturally in the human body, and its amount depends on muscle mass. The average man, weighing 90kg, has about 150g of creatine throughout the body, more than 95% of which is found in muscles, mainly skeletal. The remaining amount is in other parts of the body, ie the brain, etc. Creatine is responsible for storing energy. The liver is responsible for its production, through the ability to combine the above-mentioned amino acids. Creatine is the effect of this phenomenon. Creatine, in principle its trace amounts, can be found in meat, especially beef. However, the only way to fully satisfy her daily needs are dietary supplements. Creatine, due to its anabolic effect, is used mainly in figure sports and strength sports.
How does creatine work?
We do not ask if creatine works because the answer is obvious. This is indicated by numerous studies, which explicitly say creatine is the strongest anabolic agent intended for all people training figure sports, strength and combat sports.
It should be noted that it is responsible for several functions that indirectly and even directly affect the human body. So in turn
Increasing the amount of ATP in muscles or providing energy.
Since increasing ATP is responsible for delivering more energy to the muscles, what exactly is this ATP? It is a source of energy, you can say "explosive". Everyone has their own ATP supply in the muscles, which is used during a strong physical effort. Providing a dose of creatine in the form of a supplement will increase its amount in the body, and this in turn will translate into greater strength during training. The effect of using creatine can be noticed after the first week of its use.
When natural ATP stores end during training, the muscles that are less useful for the bodybuilder – ADP molecules – remain in the muscles. At this point, phosphocreatine (the target form of creatine) is entering the action, which, through reaction with useless ADP molecules, transforms into explosive energy ATP. In this simple way, creatine increases the amount of energy in the muscles.
You are definitely wondering if carbohydrates will not be a better source of energy. Well, carbohydrates are a great source of energy, but their conversion into a useful source lasts much longer than the conversion of ATP. That's why this supplement is the "king" on the market for legal anabolic agents.
Creatine increases the volume of muscle cells.
It is not new that creatine is responsible for pumping muscles with water. Many people say that it is a minus of creatine, because after stopping this supplement, the muscle gain drops. This is obvious, however, if you keep a proper diet – this effect will be practically imperceptible. It should be noted that this acquisition is a powerful plus. Larger muscles, even those filled with water, will be able to use heavier weights. Larger weights = stronger damage to muscle fibers = bigger muscles.
There are other effects – indirect. It has been proven that the regular use of creatine increases protein synthesis and buffers lactic acid which is very important in the light of bodybuilding.
Which creatine to choose?
What is the best form of creatine to try for the beginning?
It can be said that the market is steeped in various types of creatines, ranging from a standard monohydrate to complicated stacks containing several types. However, at the beginning you need to recommend standard creatine monohydrate. It is the simplest form of this supplement, and consequently, side effects in the form of often mentioned intestinal problems, will occur the least frequently.
Is there a difference between different types of creatine?
As I mentioned in the above section, the shops are full of "creatine" inventions. Theoretically, they differ in the speed of absorption and the amount of creatine delivered to the muscles. In practice, any creatine has the same task to fulfill – increasing the amount of ATP in the muscles. So is it meaning to buy "inventions"? Answer this question yourself.
How to use creatine?
How to build a creatine cycle?
There are two theories that are slightly different from each other. The first one is found on most packages and says that creatine should be consumed for a maximum of 8 weeks after which one should take a break of about 4 weeks. The second theory, which more often you can hear from various trainers and dieticians, says that you should consume a constant dose of creatine – 5g per day, without interruption. The first theory may be a protection from the potential producer, so as not to take responsibility for the side effects that may come after several years of its use. The second one is the result of using this supplement by many athletes, who after long years of using it do not notice any side effects. However, let us note that there is no long-term research that would support it.
At what times is it best to take creatine?
As in the above question, there are two theories in this too. Manufacturers recommend creatine intake about 30 – 60 minutes before weight training. This is justified by the fact that the ingested creatine circulates in the bloodstream for about 90 – 120 minutes after its consumption. So what do you do with non-training days? According to this theory, it would be superfluous. A better and more logical solution is the second theory. Creatine is found in muscle cells for a long time after it has been consumed, so it does not matter what time you eat it. This theory very well illustrates the years of bodybuilding experience, who claim that intake of 5g each day, regardless of the time, will give the best results.
What about the saturation phase of creatines, which are often included on the packaging?
Read it carefully. The saturation phase is unnecessary! It is only a marketing gimmick of sellers to accelerate the purchase of a new can of this supplement. Use the same amount from the first to the last day of creatine use.
What else should I know about it?
The optimal amount of creatine. Remember that more does not mean better. Consuming 10 grams of creatine monohydrate per day is enough. There is no reason to take more. Any excess amount will be excreted in the urine, weighing only your organs.
What is the best way to take creatine? It's best to combine it with food that has a high glycemic index. A good example of this will be grape juice. However, it does not have to be food, it can be a supplement, eg Carbo or Vitargo. Studies have shown that creatine combined with highly glycemic products will increase its bioavailability.
How to increase the level of creatine naturally, without supplements? As I mentioned earlier, the most creatine is found in beef meat. However, the most does not mean optimally. To deliver a daily dose of 10g to the body, you would need to digest about 4.5 kg of beef, which is impossible. So the only problem is to provide it in the form of a supplement.
Is creatine harmful? If you are fully healthy then taking creatine should not be a problem. However, there are cases where some people have liver problems. This is the effect of taking cosmically large, in the case of this supplement, doses. If you constantly load your liver with doses of 40g a day, it will definitely end up in your health.
Below, as a warning, I will post a few myths about creatine. Of course, each of them is "sucked out" and the side effects of creatine are negligible.
Creatine is a form of steroid.
Creatine will inflate you with water, which will have no effect.
Creatine was legalized, it was once on the list of illegal drugs.
The more creatine you eat the better the final result.
After the discontinuation of creatine, CI's muscles will go down.


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Maybe it's just November (I actually recited My November Guest to my buddies at the bar the other night) or maybe the economy is in the tank and my 401k is approaching 50% of what it was just 6 months ago. Anyhow, I feel low down.
Tamar Lewin of the NYT recently pointed out that in times like these hemlines fall, crime rates go up and people prefer songs like "'Bridge Over Troubled Water,' and 'That's What Friends Are For,'. In better times, it's more likely to be faster, upbeat songs like 'Macarena.' " So, I cehcked what's topping the charts today – it's T.I. – "Live Your Life" which instructs us to "make the most of the life you've got." What's more depressing than that is even "Playboy bunnies are beginning to look more mature – older, heavier, more reassuring."
Oy vey.


text: I will regret selling this all original circa 1969 BREITLING Chrono-Matic automatic caliber 11 micro-rotor chronograph. You just don't find vibrant and ORIGINAL neon accented dials such as this very often. The neon handset is original. The black and silver printed bezel reflects light in my photo but in real life is rather clean and is without any major wear. The original BREITLING crown remains. The 40mm. and 13.7mm. thick case is without any major flaws. The caliber 11 was the FIRST automatic chronograph movement sold. This watch is keeping accurate time with the chronograph functioning properly. I'm not going to embellish this watch any more. You will thank me in the future. A true collectable piece for only $3450.


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Welcome to Episode 328 of The Ziglar Show. I'm your proud host, Kevin Miller and today's quote is straight from Zig, "Money isn't the most important thing in life, but it's reasonably close to oxygen on the 'gotta have it' scale." From that, the title of today's show is, "How much money are you working to accumulate?"
Have you ever thought about this? Maybe, or maybe not, but we're going to rip the concept apart and challenge all our conscious and subconscious perspectives.
We're going to start off by listening to a message from Dan Miller on who the millionaires are in our culture, which is pretty eye opening, to say the least. Dan Miller, best selling author of '48 Days To The Work You Love'and 'No More Dreaded Mondays', renowned career coach, pals with Dave Ramsey and Michael Hyatt, and most importantly…my Dad. Yes, the guy who ruined me for traditional employment and a normal life. And as a Ziglar Show listener, you need to go now to your favorite podcast source and subscribe to the "48 Days" podcast.
Today's show is brought to you by The Art of Charm, which you can find at TheArtOfCharmPodcast.com. Host Jordan Harbinger was our guest in Show #327 where he gave his personal Ziglar testimony and told the story of how he came to evangelize the Ziglar Principles in his company today. On The Art Of Charm Podcast Jordan interviews today's world changers. The shows are raw and uncensored, so for Ziglar listeners, understand some of the guests use colorful language from time to time. But the shows teach the powerful skills that are at the core of Ziglar, like influence and persuasion that allow you to network better for business, make more friends with ease and learn to increase biz contacts the natural way. Go to The Art Of Charm Podcast.com or find The Art of Charm in iTunes or Stitcher and start taking your life to the next level.
Here then is a quick, informative and paradigm shifting message from my Dad, Dan Miller. The premise is who the millionaires in our culture are. But I want to stop you right there. For all of you who immediately thought, I don't care about being a millionaire and making a lot of money, please tune in here. What we're going to discuss afterwards is not whether you want to be a millionaire, but what you do want, and why? And how best to get there.
Ok Dad, so the initial impetus is breaking down who the millionaires are. But to go back to my premise, the point we're landing on isn't whether you want to be a millionaire, but what financial level you DO want to be at? So let's start with the breakdown. Dad, you shared some stats:
- 74% of Millionaires are self-employed
- 10% CEOs or Executives
- 10% Professionals, dentists, doctors, lawyers
- 5% Salespeople and Consultants
- 1% (less) Lottery, Stockmarket, Athletes, Celebrities
First off, nearly 3/4s of millionaires are self-employed. Yet ask the average person on the street about their perception of being self-employed, and I doubt their visions are millionaires. They think of the small, struggling biz owner who works nonstop, their business owns them more than they own it, and they sure don't seem to have much abundance of anything but anxiety.
DAD, what's the disparity of perception here?
> > Hear Dan explain in the show below!
So on one hand we have more people becoming millionaires, but I honestly don't see the masses even aspiring to this. Maybe they would if they understood these stats up front. We have 74% of the largest income earners from self-employed. And 10% as CEOs and executives. And we know CEOs and top executives don't get hired by their degrees, but often by the success they've achieved doing things on their own. Leading, innovating and often times, succeeding in self-employed endeavors.
I'd propose that the truth is 80% is actually due to self-employment
Two questions from that:
- How many of them have formal education degrees and certifications?,
- How much of formal education is breeding people to succeed in these sectors of top income potential?
Dad, what do you think?
> > Dan gives a perspective which is not the cultural view
If formal education isn't teaching us how to attain the most probable path to wealth, where do we turn?
> > You'll want to hear Dan's response!
I'm going to dive right in to what you said there, after I share a couple of resources I'm jazzed about, because they save time and hassle:
STAMPS.com The post office is not a place I enjoy visiting, whether to send one letter or hundreds. I don't like sending employees either, as it's an incredible time waste to drive there and back, wait in line where nobody behind the counter seems to be in as much of a hurry as those of us waiting in front of the counter. The good news is, you don't have to any more. You can now do your mailing online and on demand from the comfort of your home or office, at Stamps.com. Anything you can do at the Post Office you can do right now and anytime 24/7 from a computer and printer. When i heard about this I was on one hand excited about the opportunity, and on the other hand, frustrated I didn't know about it sooner. Apparently many others already knew, asStamps.com boasts over 500,000 small business customers and last year did $1.5 billion in business. My only hesitancy with things like this sometimes, is just figuring it out. I figure it will be a hassle learning curve. But again, Stamps.com has dealt with this. It's ridiculously simple and easy. Plus they have top notch, U.S. based tech support. You'll pay the same fees you'd pay at the post office, and often LESS, as they have frequent special postage discounts. Of course we have a special offer from Ziglar. Go now to Stamps.com and click on the microphone at the top of the homepage, and type in ZIGLAR. You'll get a No-Risk Trial and a $110 Bonus Offer that includes a digital scale and up to $55 in FREE postage.
ZIPRECRUITER.com And while we're on the topic of saving time and money, I'm involved in a business endeavor right now, that provides a truly incredible product. Almost a monopoly. But the business has an achilles heal. Poor staff and therefore, customer service. And no level of quality in a product or service can overcome customers being treated poorly. So this morning I was writing out new job descriptions, and I'm incredible eager to get them out to new applicants. Actually I'm excited to TALK to new applicants, the 'getting the job position out' part is a headache and pain. Or it used to be. Now, ZIPRECRUITER.com has solved that issue. I can take my new positions and post them to ZipRecruiter, which will immediately post them to 100 plus job sites with my one, single click. I just post once and within 24 hours I have candidates rolling into ZipRecruiter's easy to use interface. Plus my position will be instantly matched to candidates from over 4 million resumes. ZipRecruiterhas been used by over 400,000 businesses and you can try it right now, of course, compliments of Ziglar…for free. Getting the right people for your company is direly important, friends. Try ZipRecruiter for free! Go toZipRecruiter.com/ZIGLAR.
Back to what you said Dad, about understanding what you're choosing with being an employee, or not. I'm very interested in the 5% of millionaires being Salespeople and Consultants. First, Zig Ziglar was self-employed for the most prosperous time of his life. But his beginnings and much of his primary training was in Sales.
TOM, again, I don't think the public perception of 'sales' is millionaires either. In today's day and age, the profession of 'sales' is not a forerunner in people's minds. And again, it doesn't have ANY place in traditional, formal education. Where can people turn to take advantage of this significant opportunity for financial wealth and abundance?
> > Tom continues to load this resource-rich show and shares his belief that most of those millionaires excell in sales skills. And…nearly breaks the show with his quip about "natural born brain surgeons"!
Now, distinctly missing from the vocational list is where most people reside – as employees in big corporate America. People who may not have any sights on being millionaires. But they do have desires. goals, or at least expectations.
So what I'm wondering here is, what is the message for the average person? Sure, one is, "If you want significant financial abundance, here are your best chances". But if your goal is not a lot of money, but enough to be ok, what can the 'common man' still learn and adopt from these stats? Dad?
> > Dan discusses the value of "being entrepreneurial", including references to Seth Godin's book, Linchpin and Zig's Self-Talk cards where he has you recite, "No matter who my employer es, I am self employed."
Thanks for tuning in…here is the show!


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"American Hustle" by David O. Russel~Hustle & Bustle without much Muscle
As Shakespeare said, "Full of sound and fury signifying nothing." That about sums up my reaction to the late-opening "American Hustle" by David O. Russell, which hustles and bustles without much muscle. It's ANOTHER Mob movie. ANOTHER one that is trying to out-Scorsese Scorsese, and THANK GOD they've got Jennifer Lawrence in this!
In a spectacularly showy Supporting role as one of the dumbest blondes of all time, she absolutely steals the picture. THANK GOODNESS! Or otherwise it would be a very dull sit indeed. It would have been unwatchable, but Jennifer Lawrence makes it a very, funny charming experience. She very much reminded me of that other great dumb blonde Oscar winner Judy Holliday in this.
Lawrence is so appealing as Christian Bale's old-fashioned housewife- with-a-kid, who is obsessed with her finger-nail polish. She lights up the screen like a bonfire, never missing one laugh line, or funny moment, and every time she's absent, you can't wait for her to come back on again. And writer/director O.Russell uses her sparingly, so you never get tired of her. But you do get tired of the other characters, I'm sorry to say. Real tired.
Having just suffered through "Out of the Furnace" with Bale again in the lead, I was expecting the worst. But at least in this one, he was playing a comic character, a Jewish con-man with pretensions. He owns dry cleaning stores but he wants to own the world. And Lawrence is his trophy wife, who blows up microwaves and enacts her comic role like a poodle in heat.
I didn't buy Bale's Yiddish-ness. And he's pitted against Bradley Cooper who has his hair tightly curled here. Why? To look more Jewish? And he is seen in curlers A LOT, as are all the leading characters, as a matter of fact, except Bale, who has an elaborate comb-over and who put on quite a bit of weight of this role. We see a close-up of his bulging stomach, shirtless, just to prove that yes, he's not in a fat suit. We see him painstakingly creating his comb-over, which takes up the entire first scene of the movie, finishing it off with hair-spray, like he was a super-model…
But to what avail? Con man movies. Mob movies. I just am kind sick of that done-to-death genre, and this involves ABSCAM and a faux-Arab. A FBI plant played stoically by Michael Pena. Robert De Niro pops up, too, as what else? A Mafia chieftain. And Amy Adams, poor thing, who has the female lead, Bale's con partner and "whore" except next to Jennifer Lawrence, who is just blooming with youth(22) and vital sexuality here, Adams looks old and cold. Worn out. And she should look and seem more alluring than Lawrence. And she doesn't. She the most miscast she's ever been. I kept seeing her as the young nun in "Doubt" in my mind.
Mothers or nuns or even intrepid girl reporters like Lois Lane. She was better in the recent "Superman" re-boot, than she is in this. Sad to say. She deserved better.
But this is what O.Russell hands her.
And I can't understand the New York Film Critics giving this Best Picture over "12 Years a Slave" It's criminal. Yes, they did. Unbelievably,. It's a funny little movie. But Best Picture? New York Film Critics seriously disgraced themselves this year. And Best Screenplay, too??? Seriously??? They gave Best Supporting Actress to Jennifer Lawrence, and I would nominate her for an Oscar, were I voting, but I wouldn't nominate this semi-funny movie for anything else. Except maybe the zippy '70s hairstyles. You can skip it and live.
Give me the real thing. Give me Scorsese. Or better yet, "Born Yesterday" with Lawrence as Billie Dawn. Directed by Scorsese.
I can't wait to see the last opening film of the year "Wolf of Wall Street" by Martin Scorsese.


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Raw, atypical, and brutally honest – as never experienced before. Are you ready to see Greece in its darker shades of blue?
Future 2020 dates :
5 to 8 April 2021
This is a much needed fresh take on the achingly beautiful, warm and welcoming destination that's been a travellers' favourite since the 17th century Grand Tour explosion. With a history and heritage spanning millennia, great food and weather, and a characteristic openness to visitors, it has always been an easy choice for a memorable holiday. However, Greece isn't just about the postcard-perfect whitewashed island houses, the trendy beach resorts or the old lady Acropolis. It is a country of many lingering contrasts, and if you scratch its carefully cultivated mainstream tourism surface, you will see a much different country – divided, disillusioned, and sometimes down right indigestible – but still full of surprises , and perhaps even more mysteriously attractive than you thought it could be.
I have been involved in the local travel industry for over a decade : tourism is an important part of the country's output, and the majority of everyone involved are genuine, diligent professionals. The quality of accommodation, services and tours is one the highest one can ever expect on a holiday, anywhere in the world. But I couldn't help noticing that more often than not, it comes cherry-picked, bubble-wrapped, too-good-to-be-true : For example, you hear a lot about the majesty of the Athenian Golden Age, but less about the primal darkness of Spartan Hegemony. You hear a lot about the glory of the Albanian Epic, but less about the horrors of the Civil War. You hear a lot about the characteristic friendliness, openness, and laid back character of the culture, but less about the schadenfreude, intrigue and mutual mistrust that's been marring it for centuries. And beyond the tidy cosiness of a quaint little Aegean island or the cosmopolitanism of a classy resort, there are gritty cities and rugged villages where life is hard, and forgotten places where rust, grime and abandonment takes over. This mythical, travel packaged Greece is a sort of brushing part of the reality under the carpet, a form of cheating : like playing Pacman – only all the dots are big, and so the ghosts seem to always be on the run. That's why I always felt an urge to challenge the typical "Been to Greece" experience, and try to shed some much needed light into the country's bursting skeleton closet.
In my Forgotten Greece tour, I aim to showcase a different, more atypical side of the country we all think we know. I wanted it to be about different perspectives and interpretations of its history, culture, and people : about local pride (and much prejudice), atavistic folly, fatal stubbornness, heroic desperation and often, abject abandonment. But it will still be about Greece, nevertheless – or at least the aspects of it that are not as well advertised. We will look for the difficulty, the indigestion in Greek history, culture, and reality – and through this process, perhaps we will arrive to another understanding, and a different appreciation of the country as it emerges today. To this end, I have created an alternative itinerary through the rugged southern region of Peloponnese : it's a part of the country I am very familiar with, and my natural choice to explore and showcase. I have also put together a riveting narrative, that will take you through millennia of history and culture – some of it palatable, most of it not, and all of it bewildering. It will be a search for Greece's true, and often contradictory, nature. It will again be like playing Pacman – only all the dots will be small, and the ghosts will surely be chasing us without respite.
Fairytale castles. Derelict factories. Ship graveyards. Secret bunkers. Ghost cities. Abandoned train stations. Places of death, darkness and memory : sounds interesting? Then read on about what we'll see and do in The Itinerary, check the Pricing, Terms and Conditions and for even more detail, check out the What is this tour about ? section :


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I am on a journey. I am a child of the sixties who lived a whole lifetime before I met my husband in college – and have live a whole lifetime since then. I have always found it easy to go through changes and adapt easily to new ideas. It was never an adjustment for me to get married or to move around so much because of the career path my husband chose. Leaving friends behind was always harder for me than a major move – and frankly I had more trouble leaving Canada when I was 8 because of a friendship – than I ever did moving so much when I was an adult.
When I was young most everybody had one television in their home – usually black and white and if you were really rich – you had a color set in addition to the black and white. There was no such thing as VCR's for recording programs that you missed – if you were gone (like church) you just simply missed it. Being a child of the 60's and 70's was not fun for that reason. Transistor radios and tape recorders were popular then – and I remember getting my own tape recorder when I was 10. I would record myself talking and singing – it was great fun!
When I was in Junior High and High School – record albums were in vogue – and I had many vinyls – like Michael Jackson, Carpenter's, Barry Manilow, Elton John, Chicago and Earth Wind and Fire. Cd's were starting to become popular in the early 80's and did not catch on with us until later than that. We owned many cassette tapes and it was expensive to switch over – but switch over we did! And I remember when people were first getting Cd players in their cars – so expensive!
Our first computer in the mid 80's was a 286 – long before the world-wide web was popular in homes. This computer was more like a word processor and I remember being at a job in Alaska where it was a big deal to train on one of these to make the office more efficient. I even worked as a manager for a cable place in Fairbanks, Alaska – and they used microfiche – and it was usually a week behind.
Our first taste of the internet was when Greg was given a computer for his 40th birthday – 11 years ago. We were a little slow getting with the program 🙂
I did have a cell phone back in the day. I used to be a sales director for Mary Kay Cosmetics and would have long commutes to and from church on Wednesday – when I would drive down from our home to choir practice with 2 children in the car and it wasn't against the law to talk on a cell phone yet. I would make my business calls while traveling. This was about 15 years ago. Cell phones and computers have come a long way since then.
I have always loved each new change – I had a LG flip phone for a couple of years – when it was new it was really great – but like any technology it soon got left in the dust – to be replaced by newer and more efficient models. I now use an iPhone – not the newest one – but it's still an iphone 🙂
When my daughter was a teenager I joined MySpace. Facebook wasn't even invented yet. I liked MySpace – could put my favorite music on there – and was considered to be a pretty 'hip' Mom for joining in and being a part of the younger people's world.
When Facebook started to make some noise – and when my friend, Nat Holland told me she liked it better than MySpace because it was international – I thought I would check it out. I was ahead of my time because this was about 5 years ago – when NO ONE my age was on it yet. After that everyone began to join – even the ones that swore up and down that they would NEVER do it. 🙂 I have connected with hundreds of people from our ministry life all around the world because of this vehicle.
Two years ago I started a blog site and have been writing ever since. My husband says that I've always been a little bit ahead of the curve – fearless about starting something new – and though not reinventing the wheel – I'm really reinventing myself – through all the changes in technology and how people relate in social media available today. My life has taken on new meaning by doing this – I get numerous emails from my blog and have been able to develop and minister to many hurting people as a result. I love my blogging buddies! And I'm just a newbie – but I have actually encouraged and helped MANY people start blog sites of their own. It's been a great experience for me.
My latest reinvention – twitter. I joined a couple of years ago – but could never get the hang of it – until…my pastor and friend, Stephen suggested that it might be good for connecting with others in business. I took him at his word and have put myself out there a little more and have searched and FOUND many music teachers like myself – who just need a little encouragement. Twitter is a quick way to stay involved and see what others are doing in the music community – and for them to see what I do as well. When you're a private teacher – you need all the help and encouragement you can get!
Here's to you as you reinvent yourself in this fast paced technology of today's world. It's your choice – learn something new – or get left behind. I choose to keep learning as I age.
God Bless


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Kelly Clarkson and Jordan Meredith Nail It With 'Mama's Broken Heart' on 'Duets'
After last week's performance on 'Duets,' Jordan Meredith needed to prove that she had some swagger to go with her voice. After an unbelievably fun performance of Miranda Lambert's 'Mama's Broken Heart,' she definitely changed her fate on the show.
Meredith sounds great with Kelly Clarkson, but she hasn't shown she has the stage presence to walk away from the competition a star. She admitted during her rehearsal video that she gets nervous on stage and feels uncomfortable. The two chose Lambert's girl power song because it has so much sass that it would have to pull Meredith out of her shell.
It worked. Not only did the two rock the song, Meredith owned the stage. Clarkson backed off and let her take the limelight, and her duet partner lit up in it. She even went to the "Superstar Lounge" and engaged the other stars individually with the confidence she needed for a high-ranking performance.
The superstar judges ate it up. She got rave reviews. John Legend said, "Wow. Wow. Wow." He loved the energy Meredith was projecting and said, "You looked like a rock star. You looked like you wanted to own this place and you did it." Robin Thicke agreed that Meredith looked good. In fact, he said she looked "as tasty as pie." He told her she was sultry, sexy and gorgeous and he was excited to see a whole new person.
Jennifer Nettles finished the comments by agreeing with her counterparts. She loved the performance and she loved the choice of song. She was happy to hear Meredith's voice separately from Clarkson's in the song. She also complimented Meredith for taking the notes and criticism from the week before and growing in her next performance.
After the scoring, Meredith ended up in the second place spot out of the first three performers. We hope she earned herself plenty of time on the show with that performance, because we want to see her and Clarkson sing together again and again. They feed off each other in a really exciting and fun way.
Watch Jordan Meredith + Kelly Clarkson Perform 'Mama's Broken Heart' on 'Duets'


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Une occasion unique pour en apprendre davantage sur l'organisation du programme et ce qu'il implique, et de vous offrir la possibilité d'échanger avec les participants actuels et l'équipe pédagogique.
Courses ans purposes :
This course is based on the observation that, in the current business world of complexity, it is almost impossible to envision a manager or leader who does not spend significant time functioning as a team leader or team member. Participants in advanced management learning programs such as the Kedge Global MBA Programme are assumed to bring with them extensive experience of working as part of a team. Such experience, however, often comes at the cost of lack of time for reflection on and exposure to best practices related to high-performance team leadership.
This course is designed to increasethe understanding and abilities ofparticipants related to the interpersonal and team management skills required to successfully lead the teams that will naturally be required to achieve superior organizational goals. The special focus on this course builds on the experience that participants bring with them and provides output-focused analysis frameworks and action strategies for successful team achievement in organizational settings.
The course will focus on the variety of levels of thinking that participants, both as managers and as effective team members, must pay attention to in today's organizational world. These include the processes of team-building, work group dynamics, the significant impact of team design of the team for success, and the skills that a manager needs to communicate effectively both at the team level and as liaison between the team and the other levels of the organization. Given the increasing use of globalized teams, the course will also address issues related to leadership of global virtual teams, including management of cultural diversity.
About Michael MILES
Micheal Miles is a Visiting Faculty Member of the MBA Program at the University of Ottawa's Telfer School of Management where he teaches organization change, corporate governance & ethics and organization redesign. He has worked for over 30 years providing consulting advice related to high performance to Canadian corporations in the banking, petroleum, telecommunications, and high tech sectors. In addition to his Canadian experience he has lived and worked extensively in Asia (Thailand, China, and Malaysia) and Europe (Romania). He has been active as a Board member for a number of non-profit Boards and advises them on best practices.
He completed his doctoral degree in Human and Organization Systems at the Fielding Graduate School in Santa Barbara and holds 3 management-related Masters Degrees. In 2004 he was voted one of the top 20 "hottest/coolest" management professors in Canada by the Canadian Business Magazine. Areas of his current research and consultancy activity include international leadership practice and business strategy (focus on China and Romania), comparative cross-cultural organization effectiveness, and the use of simulation to teach real-world business skills. For relaxation he flies small planes.
Comment venir
Adresse de l'événement


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According to Deadline.com (a reliable source within the film community), theBreaking Dawn Part 2 promotional tour will kick off October 6th in Spain where Chaske Spencer will present the film at the Sitges Film Festival.
October 6 – Spain: Chaske Spencer to appear at Sitges Film Festival for fan event and press.
October 14 – United States: U.S. press tour in select regional markets to be announced.
October 21 – United States: U.S. press tour in select regional markets to be announced.
October 21 – October 28 – Australia, Japan, Brazil, South Africa, Scotland, Ireland: Robert Pattinson visits Australia, Kristen Stewart visits Japan, Taylor Lautner visits Brazil, Ashley Grene visits South Africa, Kellan Lutz and Nikki Reed visit Scotland and Ireland.
October 28 – November 3 – Los Angeles, California: Worldwide press junket in Los Angeles with Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Nikki Reed, Ashley Greene, Kellan Lutz, Jackson Rathbone, Michael Sheen, director Bill Condon, author Stephenie Meyer, and screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg.
November 3 – November 4 – Burbank, California: The Twilight Saga Official Convention in Burbank featuring Peter Facinelli, Gil Birmingham, Charlie Bewley, Alex Meraz, Booboo Stewart, Tinsel Korey, Casey LaBow, Julia Jones, and Bronson Pelletier. (Details here.)
November 4 – November 11 – Various Cities, U.S.: The cast will do national press and talk shows.
November 12 – Los Angeles, California: World Premiere of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 at Nokia Theater at LA LIVE featuring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner and the cast along with Bill Condon and Stephenie Meyer.
November 14 – November 16 – England, Spain, Germany: Premiere Tour in London, Madrid, and Berlin featuring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Bill Condon, and Wyck Godfrey
November 14 – November 16 – Denmark, Norway: Premiere Tour in Copenhagen and Oslo featuring Nikki Reed and Jackson Rathbone
Source: Deadline


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Idowu Akinlotan: Kachikwu's letter sparks something sinister
by Idowu Akinlotan
In the days ahead, officials of the Muhammadu Buhari presidency, like many other analysts, will be tempted to focus almost exclusively on the contents of the August 30th letter written to the president by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu. The letter accuses the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Maikanti Baru, of insubordination and bureaucratic misconduct. It is possible the NNPC boss will be found guilty of some or all the allegations levelled against him. It is also possible that the infractions listed against him may be of such tameness that he and his accusers could get away with only a slap on the wrist. But overall, the outcome of any discussions or investigations apparently being conducted by both the president and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, is not certain. For now, until the investigations are concluded, it is pointless examining the content and severity of the infractions allegedly committed by Dr Baru.
The temptation to focus only on the contents of the letter should be resisted. What is far more important and weighty is to focus on why a letter written to the president in late August, and should have been delivered not later than early September, should receive no attention until the first week of October, and only after someone leaked it to the media. The allegations are so weighty and disturbing that the letter should have received immediate attention once it got to the president's table. If it becomes established that the letter indeed got to the president — and there is no reason it should not have got to him if the presidency has not become dysfunctional — it would even be far more worrisome to know that the president treated the letter with the idiosyncratic casualness many Nigerians attach to him when he is discomfited by the public censure that accompanies his misconceived or misplaced policies.
Unlike the scandals that have engulfed both the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Babachir David Lawal and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) director general, Ayodele Oke, it is impossible for the president to limit himself to the usual squirming he has become accustomed to when some of his top appointees are accused of malfeasance. In October 2016, Mr Lawal had first been accused by national lawmakers of feeding fat on contracts meant to bring succour to internally displaced persons in the Northeast. By December, the controversy over the SGF's conduct was deafening. In January of the following year, the government hastily cleared him of any wrongdoing after what looked like an investigation. Because the noise did not die down, however, the government was forced to take a closer and second look at the allegations, and the SGF was eventually suspended in April. The president feigned disinterest in the scandal, travelled abroad on May 7 for a second medical attention in the United Kingdom, and seemed justified to leave the matter in abeyance. But he returned on August 19 and has yet to find a closure that satisfies justice and morality.
READ: Pres. Buhari faces his 'Sanusi moment' as Kachikwu and Baru visit State House
The Kachikwu letter, however, strikes at the heart of the Buhari presidency, particularly its awkward and contradictory image as a reformist government. The letter is both denotative and connotative of the temper and philosophy of the Buhari presidency, and of the worldview and fundamental character of the president himself. It does not just insinuate that gross and unforgivable bureaucratic malfeasances were committed by a government appointee, much of it deliberate and orchestrated, it also quite clearly infers disturbing connivance at the highest echelons of government and an inexplicable and probably contemptuous foot-dragging at the presidency. This is why it is deeply troubling. That the president has suddenly woken up more than one month after Dr Kachikwu wrote him a letter does not absolve him and his aides of dereliction of responsibility.
While the president and vice president in their interactions with the accused and the accuser are free to establish the accuracy or otherwise of the allegations, it is far more important for Nigerians to establish a few other salient facts. The first is whether the president received the letter or not. If he did not, then it is necessary to find out who held the letter up, because there must be consequences. But if the president got it, he needs to explain why he ignored it for over a month, for surely he can't feel so unperturbed as to think that for so weighty a letter, acting with dispatch was needless, or that his office is too indpendent and too powerful not to owe those who elected him an explanation. Indeed, by acting frantically after the letter was leaked, the president seemed to indicate that he was not devoid of a sound assessment of the weightiness of the contents. In addition, the president and his aides must not go away with the impression that all they need to do is find common ground between the accuser and the accused, or rekindle esprit de corps in the NNPC. Terrible infractions have allegedly been committed. They must not only be explained and blames and punishments apportioned, the presidency must also recognise that the accusations indicate that so much is wrong with the running of government, particularly under the Buhari presidency, and ethnic and regional biases have become accentuated.
The Kachikwu letter exemplified the author's deep frustrations, perhaps frustrations other similarly excluded cabinet members share. By penning such vigorous and specific allegations against Dr Baru, the Minister of State appears to have resigned himself to whatever consequences his feistiness might attract. The letter not only exposed alleged wrongdoings in the NNPC, some of them truly mindboggling, it also clearly indicates that the author's position cannot be rendered worse or more prostrate than he already was. Outflanked, outgunned and outmanoeuvred, Dr Kachikwu appears to know he was throwing his last dice. That throw would make or mar him. Should the president resolve this big dilemma — probably the biggest his troubled presidency has faced so far because it deals with his image — by simply doing away with both Dr Kachikwu and Dr Baru, he would not have shown himself or his presidency to be as courageous as he has constantly let out, nor the fair and just man he is cracked up to be.
The president must accept responsibility for the scandalous allegations. He is Minister of Petroleum Resources though he does not need to be. That ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo kept the job to himself does not make combining the ministerial and presidential jobs sound or correct. Chief Obasanjo freaked everyone out, including the youths in his government, with his bizarre and frenetic work rate. It was purely animalistic adrenalin at work in him. However, there was nothing done in the ministry under Chief Obasanjo that showed he brought uncommon savvy to the job, or that he left the ministry far more organised and ethical than he met it. It was even more unwise for President Buhari to have resolved to keep the jobs of president and petroleum minister when he does not possess half the energy, exposure and attention to detail of Chief Obasanjo to do even one of the two.
It appears that President Buhari was impervious to the rot alluded to by Dr Kachikwu, despite the two working together to manage the same ministry. The implication is that the president was neither supervising the ministry as closely as he should, nor setting the tone and philosophy by which it must be run. It meant that too many things were happening in that ministry without his knowledge, and if stories are to be believed, without his consent. It also meant, very sadly, that he was virtually an absentee minister. Otherwise, there is no way the controversial appointments that infuriated the Southeast, and the contracts mentioned by the Minister of State, could have been issued without him being in the driver's seat. More damningly, for a president who swore to have the presence of mind needed for the top job, and who says he is above suspicion or capable of any connivance, how could the tempestuous controversy over the recent postings in the NNPC have escaped his attention? Surely he reads the news, and should have shown interest in what was shaping up into a national crisis, for the country was in a lather over the matter for weeks. It will, therefore, be taken with a pinch of salt to say the president, as Minister of Petroleum Resources, was ignorant of the ministry's affairs. But if he knew, as seems sensible to speculate, his refusal to probe the controversy and arrest the drift when it began showed connivance.
Dr Kachikwu was smart to have brought the matter to the attention of the president. Whoever leaked the letter to the media also did the minister a great favour. The worst punishment he can get is to be reshuffled out of the cabinet. But if it comes to that, he will leave with his reputation and dignity intact. He complained of being sidelined and treated shabbily by a subordinate. Now everyone knows it was not because he shirked a fight or was too unintelligent to understand when he was being insulted. Everyone now knows that the strange and indefensible policies and measures emanating from the ministry in the past one year or so came essentially not from him but from a shadowy group of powerful individuals.
What is even more critical is that everyone now knows, without prejudice to the investigation of the $25bn contracts, that the widespread allegation of a cabal hijacking the Buhari presidency are unlikely to be an exaggeration. Dr Baru himself might still turn out to be a pawn on the convoluted chessboard of the so-called cabal, and Dr Kachikwu a victim. It may even be somewhat established that the Minister of State himself, going by the unsubstantiated allegations against him, might have performed less than stellar in some of his assignments, as many have suggested, but there is no question where the ultimate blame lies. The buck stops with the minister or the president. By combining the two positions less effectively than the positions demanded, President Buhari should tender an unreserved apology and relinquish the ministerial position. If a minister had proved incapable of supervising such an important ministry, he would be sacked. But how does the president sack himself? If he kept the portfolio because he could trust no one to handle it ethically, does his abdication of both responsibility and close supervision not amount to implicit assignation of the ministry to someone else?
Except President Buhari is in denial, he must begin to appreciate that his presidency is more troubled than he seems to acknowledge. Apart from the intolerable skewness in his key appointments, probably the worst ever, he also dithers badly in tackling deep bureaucratic infractions committed by the offending appointees. And for an elected president, he has not shown any inkling that he understands what democracy, from which he has profited so extravagantly, is all about, nor demonstrated that he has a special liking for it. On top of his curious fondness for the wholesale application of force in every conflict that appears to challenge his political chauvinism, not to say his refusal to respond well to accusations of promoting ethnic exceptionalsim, it is uncertain that after the Buhari presidency, Nigerians will still recognise the democracy they thought they received in 1999.
As Minister of State, Dr Kachikwu, was barred for an unhealthy long time from meeting or conferring with the Minister of Petroleum Resources, that is, the president. But after the letter leaked, he was summarily ushered into the president's presence. However, it is doubtful whether the rapprochement is anything but a ruse. The Buhari presidency's minders are too stouthearted and cabalistic to bend in accommodation. They will be incensed that the junior minister wrote the damning letter, and fly into a rage that the letter leaked. In fact, they will have no interest in mollifying him, or if they do, it will be grudgingly tokenistic. Instead, they will wait in ambush to unhorse him at an opportune time. No one has yet survived their strangulation, not even the sometimes idealistic and optimistic wife of the president, Aisha, whom members of the cabal reportedly painted in unflattering colours not too long ago, complete with a nom de guerre.
A few weeks before the president returned home from his last medical treatment, Mrs Buhari had eulogised her husband's newfound vigour and charisma in ecclesiastical allegories that suggested that those who held him captive would be publicly drawn and quartered on the canvass of public prayers. He would return and call his soul his own, she had enthused. Her optimism was unfortunately like a red rag to a bull. Not only are the president's cynical captors stimulated by opposition, sometimes even deriding those who say the inflexible former army general has been held captive, they see the sanguinary consequences of war as both inevitable and indispensable. Dr Kachikwu may reap short term benefits from his potent and provocative letter, and perhaps be regaled by the president's bucolic humour during very brief interactions, he will do well, however, to consider the anecdotal graves in which those who took on the president and thumbed their noses at his aides are interred. For if 'the other room' suffers from rising damp, there is no reason to think the president's office, already scarified by rodents, cannot suffocate a daring epistolary upstart.
- This Best Outside Opinion was written by Idowu Akinlotan/The Nation


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Birth announcement
Wed, 06/13/2018 - 2:25pm
Ali and Hunter Crawford, of Slayden, proudly announce the birth of their daughter, Grayson Kate. Grayson was born March 27, 2018. She weighed 7 pounds and 7 ounces and was 19-½ inches long. Baby sister is welcomed home by big brother Myles.
Maternal grandparents are Renea Childress and Leland and Staci Reed. Maternal great-grandparents are Dot Childress and Doyle and Ruth Reed.
Paternal grandparents are Boyce and Kathy Crawford.


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June 27th has always been a personally significant day for me. It's the anniversary of my first date with "Mostly Wonderful." I guess it's safe to say that date went fairly well because exactly 3 years later; he proposed. (Smart move. I was hot back then.) A year after that, June 27th, 2002, we took the plunge and got married. Fast forward eighteen years and we've had our very own Lifetime Movie version of marriage. Cancer, family drama, blindness and oh yeah, two toddlers. However, it wasn't until after I lost my eyesight that I realized June 27th is significant for another reason – it also happens to be Helen Keller's birthday. And when you're a blind woman navigating vision loss; you need to stop and pay homage to the woman who paved the way.
Helen Keller History
No elementary school education would be complete without learning something about Helen Keller. She was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama to Arthur Keller, a retired Army Captain, and Kate Adams. Helen was actually a healthy baby, but contracted what doctors referred to as "acute congestion" (possibly from scarlet fever or meningitis) at nineteen months old, essentially causing her to become both deaf & blind. My youngest daughter, Aoife, is twenty months old and I can't imagine the fear Arthur and Kate must have felt as they watched their little girl make that transition, especially during the 1800's.
Helen was a smart cookie. She tried her best to understand her surroundings by using her remaining senses of touch, smell and taste. However, in her autobiography Keller admitted she was pretty frustrated and perhaps understandably pissed off (my words, not hers) that should could not communicate with her family though traditional modes of conversational speech. By the age of 6, Helen resorted to a way many children express their anger; she began having tantrums, and by all historical accounts they were EPIC!
Her parents were beside themselves and knew they had to do something to help their daughter. They began to search for a teacher. Several candidates were hired only to quit after receiving a dose of Helen's raging behavior. Helen's mother contacted Perkins School for the Blind Director, Michael Anagnos, who sent Annie Sullivan, his prized graduate, to Tuscumbia in March of 1887.
Enter the "Miracle Worker"
Annie had a reputation for being a bit of a bad-ass herself. Also visually impaired, Annie was sent to Perkins School for the Blind after the death of her mother and brother. She was a Perkins educated, strong-willed woman, dedicated to her profession. But little Ms. Keller wasn't about to make Annie's job easy for her – not by a long shot.
While Helen eventually referred to her and Annie's initial meeting as her "soul's birthday" – ever grateful for the impact Sullivan had on her life – the relationship started out as more of a Ramsey Bolton versus John Snow battle, cirque Game of Thrones 2016.
Helen liked to fight, and the chick fought dirty. She hit Annie. Punched her. Kicked her. It's even documented that Annie Sullivan lost a tooth as a result of Helen's rages. (Who the hell would want to put up with that crap?) And if the daily smack downs weren't enough to deal with, Keller's parents also interfered with Sullivan's teaching methods.
Eventually, Annie convinced the Keller's she needed to be alone and independently control Helen. She moved into a small cottage on the family's property. Through patience, perseverance and consistency, Annie finally developed a trusting relationship with Helen Keller that blossomed into a mutually respectful working relationship.
Sullivan taught Helen "finger-spelling" – signing letters for words into the palm of her hand. Annie adapted some of the methodology she learned at her time with Perkins to incorporate Keller's fascination with nature. The real breakthrough occurred when Helen learned the word "water" while Annie pumped it onto her hands from the well located just outside her home.
From that point forward, Helen Keller was a force to be reckoned with in changing the world's attitudes towards the disabled community, especially for deaf-blind people. Here are "6" amazing facts about Helen Keller that prove why she deserves our utmost R-E-S-P-E-C-T!
- Helen Keller was brilliant.: By age 10, Helen Keller had mastered braille and the manual alphabet. She even learned to use a typewriter. When she was 16, she spoke well enough to enroll in preparatory school. In 1904, Helen Keller became the first deaf-blind person to graduate from a college. But in typical Keller style, she didn't just graduate, she finished cum laude from Radcliffe College.
- Helen Keller had an impressive posse.: Yeah, that's right, I said "posse." Helen rolled with the big boys of her generation. She was friends with everyone from Alexander Graham Bell to Lyndon Johnson. She also had a very close relationship with author Mark Twain, who actually coined the endearing term "miracle worker" for Helen's teacher, Anne Sullivan.
- Helen Keller was an "OG" feminist.: Helen Keller didn't just advocate for the disabled community; she took an active interest in a lot of issues, especially those relating to the woman's suffrage movement. Keller had an opinion and she wasn't afraid of sharing it on every subject from politics to birth control. (Yeah, I know. I was shocked too). She used her disability as a platform to explore these issues and proved to the world that she was an independent thinker.
- Helen Keller was an accomplished writer.: Helen wrote her first book, an autobiography about her life, when she was in college. She authored 12 books in total and countless articles reflecting her experiences as a deaf-blind woman and other causes she was passionate about. In the mid 1950's, Helen's writing inspired a television movie about her life which was then produced into a successful Broadway play. Eventually, "The Miracle Worker," became an Oscar-winning film – landing both Patty Duke and Anne Bancroft with the coveted golden statues.
- Helen Keller was a frequent flier.: Between 1930-1950, Helen traveled to over 39 countries, changing perceptions about people with vision loss all over the world. Her mere presence was so impactful in some of these communities that blind schools and rehabilitation centers were established as a direct result of her visits.
- Helen Keller was a passionate activist: Helen Keller lobbied on behalf of the American Federation for the Blind for 44 years. During World War II, she specifically sought to help blind veterans, orphans and refugees. She received several awards and citations for her dedicated activism from both the US and abroad.
Since losing my eyesight 4 years ago, Helen Keller has become more than just an elementary school history lesson. She's more than the infamous "Miracle Worker" scene of Patty Duke pushing on that water pump.
Helen Keller is the woman who laid the foundation. She taught the world that the disabled community can do more than merely exist within society; we are capable of contributing to it.
As someone who, like Helen, lost my sight from an unforeseen medical condition, I believe her birthday is something to be celebrated. Thank you, Helen Keller for being a strong, deaf-blind woman. Thank you for using your disability as a platform to educate the world. Thank you for paving the way for me to live successfully as a blind wife, mother, social worker and blogger! Like you, I will never lose sight of life, love and laughter. Happy Birthday, Helen Keller!


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€ = Inexpensive: 30€ and under; €€ = Moderate: 31€-49€; €€€ = Expensive: €50 -75; €€€€ = Very Expensive: more than €76 (prices based on minimum 2-courses)
1-Bell = Pleasantly quiet (less than 65 decibels); 2-Bells = Can talk easily (65-70); 3-Bells = Talking normally gets difficult (70-75); 4-Bells = Can talk only in raised voices (75-80); BOMB = Too noisy for normal conversation (80+)
4 - Stars.............................................€ (pre-fix menu)..............................................2 - Bell
Our friend John of "John Talbott's Paris" recommended that we try this restaurant in the 11eme. Our other good friend Marie Johnston, "The French Market Maven" joined us as well. This tiny restaurant with a capacity of maybe 25-seats has gone through several owners in the past couple of years, with Eiji Doihara, a Japanese chef with a classical French resumé holding the current reigns. It's an extremely simple restaurant, and devoid of almost any decoration, save for the table of bottle wine displayed by the window, and the large billboard where their handwritten menu is hung prominently on one of two large walls. Despite the lack of decor, it's the food we wanted to focus on.
I was expecting French cuisine with a fusion of Japanese flavors, just because. I don't know, maybe wasabe flavored beets or something. Instead, we got some excellent classical French dishes with incredibly simple and beautiful presentation. The Japanese influences were there, but very subtle. For one, his Japanese aesthetics were quite evident when it came to his "plating." The balance of colors, textures, and taste was a hit with all of us. As you will see from some of the photos, they're art onto themselves.
|Pre-fix lunch menu
OK, let's start with the menu. They had a pre-fix lunch: 2-courses for 18€, and 3-courses for 24€.
We opted not to have the pre-fix lunch and go "a la carte." Our wait-person, explained to us that ordering from the main menu would take longer. Hmm, that's a good sign. In my book anything that takes longer means, maybe they're actually cooking the food, or parts of it versus warming it up and plating.
After we all made our decisions, two of the items we wanted: Crepinette de pied du porc au vin rouge et foie gras poélé, lentilles vertes (pig's feet), Pigeon ramier d'esossé aux champignons sauvages, sauce au sang (pigeon) were only served for dinner, not for lunch. We had a discussion how we found it annoying that they don't put a star or asterisks next to the dish to say dinner only, rather then getting our hopes up, but that's the way they do in Paris, oh well.
|Foie gras with balsamic reduction
John and I had the "foie gras poêlé aus figues, réduction de viniagre balsamique" -- Oh my God, not only was it presented beautifully, but was nicely seared on the outside and melt it your mouth tender inside. He probably was able to accomplish this by slicing the foie gras thin to avoid over and/or undercooking.
|Consommé of oysters and grilled winter vegetables
Jack had the "consommé, aux huîtres chaudes, légumes d'hiver grillés." When I first saw the dish, my first thought was what are those little balls? So, as I tasted it it was like little crackers of some sort. We asked our wait-person and she said they were "puffed rice." Aha, so here's the Japanese influence, aside from the presentation. The broth was delicious, and the juxtaposition of the different textures came together fabulously. A definite hit.
|Leek terrine
Marie ordered the "terrine de poireaux au vert." Marie loved the dish. It was encased in a gelée to keep it's shape. Again, the presentation was beautiful, we're seeing a trend here.
|Roasted duck breast
For our entrées John and Marie had the "margret de canard rôti aux légumes, croquants de Thiebault, sauce aigre-doux." John had asked that the duck breast be cooked as the Chef would want it to be eaten, so it was on the rare side. I tasted it, I loved it. It was very juicy. But I am a sucker for anything duck.
|Turbot fish
Jack and I had the "filet de turbot rôti, sauce Noilly Prat, purée de betterave poirée." this to me was the most beautiful dish of all. It had color, texture, and height. Sounds like I'm talking about interior designing, but I loved the beauty of it. And, the fish was absolutely mild and perfectly cooked. The crispy purple potatoes and crispy parsnips brought me back to my childhood when I use to put potato chips in my tuna fish sandwich. I've come a long way, n'est-ce pas?
|Poached persimmons with white wine gelée
And, now for dessert. The three had the "kaki poché à la gelée de vin blanc, coulis de fruits rouges." Since I'm trying to cut down on my sugar intake, I had the "assortiment de fromages." My companions were kind enough to let me taste their desserts. Oh my God, loved the wine gelée and the poached persimmon was wonderful.
|Comté, chèvre, and brie
The cheese plate had comté, chèvre, and a soft brie. I forgot to mentioned, we loved the bread that accompanied our meal. And, I especially loved it with the cheese. I swore the bread was from "Poilâne". We asked our wait-person, and she said, no she got it from a bakery in the 11ème. I did some research and discovered that it was definitely from Poilâne, they have very distinctive breads that cannot be mistaken, but they get it from their neighborhood boulangerie that sell Poilâne bread, voila, my taste-buds have been redeemed!
Summary: First of all "chapeau" (compliments) to John, excellent choice. If we had ordered from their pre-fix menu our bill would have been much, much less and it really is good deal. However, we went a la carte, so our bill came to almost 66€ for each person which included two bottles of wine, 2-glasses of white wine, and coffee. it was worth every centime! Definitely go for the food, since decor is lacking. I would go back in a heartbeat!
Note: The restaurant was filled to capacity, and people were being turned away, so reservations are highly recommended.


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Team 2 Issues and Recommendations
Back to the complete list of Issues
Issue discussed was: There are differences in production and automation systems between companies, which make it challenging to share data.
The data coming from various Operators is hard to put together for a Partner because it comes from various sources in different formats.
Team 1 Results
Team 3 Results
Team 4a Results
Team 4b Results
Team 5 Results
page revision: 1, last edited: 18 Apr 2009 19:54


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How many times have you read somewhere or heard someone state the "S&P 500 is up or down X% today?" Or have you heard someone say that they own a mutual fund or ETF mirrors the S&P 500? Lastly, have you read one of our stock analyses where we compare a company's price to the S&P 500 to determine if the company is undervalued? If you are a beginning investor, when asking those or similar questions to yourself, did you even stop and wonder what exactly the S&P 500 is?
This year, we have started our financial education series where we educate investors of all experience levels about various topics. We've covered topics such as Who and What Is Vanguard?, What is the Dividend Payout Ratio?, and What is a Dividend? In this article, we will take a deeper dive into the S&P 500, explain what the stock market index is, provide a background, and review how the S&P 500 determines which stocks are included in the index.
What is the S&P 500?
Let's start with the Investopedia.com definition: "The S&P 500 Index (formerly Standard & Poor's 500 Index) is a market-capitalization-weighted index of the 500 largest U.S. publicly traded companies by market value, The index is widely regarded as the best single gauge of large-cap U.S. equities." To simplify it, the S&P 500 is a basket of 500 companies that are weighted based on the market caps of the companies included in the index. The companies included are all large-cap stocks.
The index is considered a strong gauge of the broader market/economy due to the large volume of companies included in the index and diversification of industries among the index. Here is a diagram showing the weights of the S&P 500 as of 6/30/18 and some of the previous fiscal year ends. The source of the information from the table was Siblis Research. As you can see, this is a pretty diverse index.
How was the S&P 500 Created?
The S&P 500 was introduced in its current model/format in 1957. There were earlier versions of the index; however, this was the year the current model was established. Currently, the index is owned by the S&P Global Inc., which also owns the Dow Jones Industrial Average. For those of you that are history buffs, S&P Global was formally named. McGraw-Hill Financial, Inc. Yes, the same McGraw-Hill that publishes textbooks and educational content.
How Does the S&P 500 select the companies included in the index and How is the Index weighted?
As a beginning investor, this is a question I was always curious about. How on earth were the 500 companies of the index selected? On top of it, how is this list maintained and how are new companies selected when companies fall off the list? Surely with acquisitions, sudden decreases in value, or private buyouts, IPOs, etc., there must be a lot of companies either being removed or added to the S&P 500.
After looking into this, The Motley Fool provided the criteria required for companies to be considered to be added to the S&P 500. This goes not guarantee a company will be added; however, each company that meets this criteria will be up for consideration. Here is the listing of the criteria that must be met to be added to the S&P 500 per The Motley Fool:
- It must be a U.S. company.
- The market cap must be $5.3 billion or more.
- The public float must consist of at least 50% of outstanding shares.
- It must have positive reported earnings in the most recent quarter, as well as over the four most recent quarters.
- The stock must have an active market and must trade for a reasonable share price.
At first, for some reason, I thought that companies were only added or removed on an annual basis or as needed. However, an interesting thing I learned while performing research for this article is that the S&P 500 is constantly adding or removing companies from the index. So if a company suddenly meets the investment criteria or the company suddenly no longer meets the criteria, it will be evaluated and action will be taken.
Lastly, how is the S&P 500 weighted? Each company does not simply represent 1/500th of the value of the S&P 500. Instead, the S&P 500 is weighted using each companies market cap. From there, the price of the overall index is calculated using each company's weighted percent of market cap. To calculate each company's market cap, simply multiply the company's share price by the current shares outstanding.
Can you invest in the S&P 500?
While you cannot invest directly in the index, nearly every mutual fund or ETF family offers a low-cost fund that mirrors the S&P 500. By investing in this kind of mutual fund or ETF (learn about key differences between mutual funds and ETFs here), you are essentially investing in the S&P 500 as the fund family will do their best to resemble the holdings and weightings of the index. For the two of us, we invest in two Vanguard S&P 500 Index Funds (VINIX and VIIIX) in our 401k plans at Vanguard and Fidelity. The options have an extremely low expense ratio, pay a solid dividend (1.8%-2%ish), and provide us diversification and exposure to the broader market. This is definitely appreciated given the fact that we invest in so many individual dividend growth stocks as well (See our portfolios here to view our individual holdings).
Hopefully this has provided you with some more background about one of the most heavily used terms in the investing community….the S&P 500. The index provides a great benchmark for the market, allows investors to achieve diversification if they choose to invest in an index fund, and will reward you with a solid dividend along the way. I enjoyed learning about the process for selecting companies to join the index while performing research for this article. I definitely learned a few new things tonight and hopefully you did as well!
Do you have anything to add about the S&P 500? Have you invested in any index funds or ETFs? Or do you prefer to follow a different index? Are there any additional facts about the index that you would like to add that I did not include in the article? I know I didn't catch them all!
-The Dividend Diplomats


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Examines and diagnoses disorders and diseases using x-rays and radioactive materials. May treat patients.
This career is part of the Health Science cluster Therapeutic Services pathway.
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Being a smokeless industry, Tourism is increasingly proving its leading position in national economic development; moreover, the orientation of tourism promotion goals is a series of strategies where translation solutions and content globalization are definitely essential.
Quality requires translators to have deep understanding and profound practical knowledge. Our services are offered by native individuals who are passionate about experiencing life and commit to a spirit of optimism with abundant and insightful ideas while working.
Style is a particular feature of the tourism industry; in order to produce good and appropriate translations, our team always keeps on learning, reading and getting thorough understanding of client's products and services, or sometimes conducts researches on the general tourism industry to ensure that our final products have ultimate practicality so that the clients can be confident to employ them in their tourism communications strategies.
What we can help you:
We understand that our clients always require us to provide translations or localizations in a quick manner to help them boost their competitiveness in the tourism market. Besides, the continuous change and relentlessly creation to attract potential customers as well as the self-renewal of the tourism industry require us to be ready for our job at all time.