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Hugo Chavez>
Wendy's, What Are You Waiting For?: Calling on the Fast Food Giant to Stand up For Farmworkers
Anna Lappe
Christina Bronsing
May 18, 2013Common Dreams
Who has freckles, pigtails, and is still holding out from joining the Fair Food Program? If you guessed the fresh-faced mascot of Wendy's, give yourself a gold star. As part of its efforts to improve conditions in the fields, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a group of farmworkers based in Florida, is calling on the fast food giant Wendy's to step up for farmworkers and their families.
The Coalition has had an impressive wave of wins as many companies -- eleven to date -- have signed an agreement to improve conditions for farmworkers. Of the top five fast food chains, McDonald's, Burger King, Subway, and Yum! Brands (owners of Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC and A&W) have all joined the Fair Food Program. In response to pressure from the Coalition and its allies, the list has grown to include Chipotle, food retailers (Whole Foods, Trader Joe's), and food service companies (BAMCO, Aramark, Sodexo and Compass Group). The overwhelming majority of tomato growers now participate in this farmworker-driven commitment through the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange, which represents 90 percent of the industry.
By signing on to the agreement, companies must now comply with a code of conduct that includes protections for cases of wage theft, sexual harassment, and forced labor. Companies also agree to pay a small premium for tomatoes -- just a penny more per pound. As a result, workers have safer working conditions and have started seeing increases in their paychecks for the first time in more than 30 years.
Think a penny a pound doesn't sound like much? It adds up. Over $10 million has been paid out through these victories since January 2011. That number will only keep growing as more companies sign on.
Hey, Wendy's, are you listening?
Wendy's, of all companies, can afford paying this premium. One of the highest earning fast food chains in the country, Wendy's comes in at number two behind McDonald's. Nearly 6,600 restaurants in the U.S. and around the globe afford the company serious market power-- influence that can go a long way to shift purchasing practices. Instead of leveraging that power to demand lower prices from suppliers, Wendy's could be rewarding growers who respect workers' rights.
Other fast food companies have stepped up, like Taco Bell. The fast food giant was the first company to sign on to the Coalition agreement back in 2005, after four years of pressure and organizing. In its announcement, Taco Bell said:
"As an industry leader, we are pleased to lend our support to and work with the CIW to improve working and pay conditions for farmworkers in the Florida tomato fields... We recognize there is a need for reform... We hope others in the restaurant industry and supermarket retail trade will follow our leadership." - Emil Brolick, Taco Bell President (2005)
Brolick and Taco Bell showed that signing on to the agreement wouldn't threaten a company's bottom line. In fact, Brolick's tenure is credited with boosting sales and 'turning things around at Taco Bell. Proof that profits don't come at the expense of workers' rights.
Seven years later, Wendy's is still dragging its feet instead of following Taco Bell's example -- or more accurately Brolick's own example, since he has now taken over as CEO of Wendy's.
This week, as Wendy's convenes its annual shareholders' meeting in New York City, the Coalition is in town to make sure the company has its priorities straight. On Saturday, May 18th, farmworkers and allies will march from Union Square to nearby Wendy's locations, reminding shareholders that farmworkers aren't an abstract budget line item, but hardworking women and men who deserve respect. (And, sure, to give Wendy's CEO Emil Brolick a dose of deja vu. He already has some experience with this, after all.)
If you're in or around New York, show your support: join the march from Union Square this Saturday at 2pm. And if you're miles from the action: raise your virtual voice and sign the e-petition!
As farmworker and organizer with the CIW, Gerardo Reyes Chavez says, "The change we are seeking is underway--and it is unstoppable. And it is unstoppable not because we say it is -- but because there's people like you taking action."
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Anna Lappe is a national bestselling author, most recently of Diet for a Hot Planet: The Climate Crisis at the End of Your Fork and What You Can Do About It and a contributor to the 50th anniversary edition of her mother's Diet for a Small Planet. She is a founder of Real Food Media and works with funders to support food system transformation around the world.
Christina Bronsing is an activist and researcher supporting social movements that protect the rights of producers and farmers in the face of a largely industrial, corporate food system. Based in New York, she is currently engaged in research, writing and web roles with Food MythBusters, ongoing research around the social and environmental impacts of global quinoa production with Food First, and editorial support for the Food Security Learning Center at WhyHunger.
Hugo ChavezSumOfUs


11Web is seriously thrilled to announce the hiring of our brand new Creative Director, Sherry Duncan.
Sherry is a talented, detail-oriented (ie, ridiculously organized), and very creative designer with over 18 years experience in the design industry. She has worked with national clients such as Kellogg, Keebler, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Haworth and John Deere. She has also had the pleasure of working with local businesses like Simply Eight, Uncle Goose, Fox Motors and Southwest Michigan First.
Sherry and I first came together when I realized 11Web shouldn't continue to use the awful logo I created for myself in my first few months in business.
As soon as I saw her portfolio, I knew her style fit exactly what I wanted 11Web to be. She created several logo concepts, and one of them was an immediate winner for me. With basically no revisions, it is the logo you see at the top of this site.
I knew we had to keep working together. Shortly after, 11Web brought Sherry on for the branding/web/print/billboard/everything project for Catalyst University. She created a beautiful, cohesive brand for the conference that was carried throughout dozens of design projects. We've continued to work together for this client and others for almost a year.
We've enjoyed working together so much that as of April 1, 2015, we have decided to join forces. Sherry will lead all design projects as our Creative Director, and I will lead web projects and handle our customer relationships.
For Sherry's design clients, 11Web will bring our business and value focus to what will hopefully be many web, social media, and email marketing projects.
Together, we will be able to offer so much more for our clients. Here's a short list to get you thinking.
Sound interesting? Want to explore how we can make your business look more professional and attract more customers? Contact us here.
And if you'd like a taste of what the new and improved 11Web can do for you…. here you go.
We can create really cool things for you, too. What do you say?


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Jon Moscot has solid outing as Blue Wahoos win
Jon Moscot had a very efficient outing in earning his seventh win of the season as the Pensacola Blue Wahoos rolled to a 5-1 win over the Jackson Generals on Friday.
Moscot gave up only three hits while striking out four batters in seven innings of work in getting the victory on the hill. He threw only 85 pitches in the game — 58 of which were strikes.
The Wahoos (19-29, 50-68) took advantage of Moscot's strong pitching performance by jumping out to a lead in the second inning on a strength of a Seth Mejias-Brean homer — his third of the season.
Pensacola was aided by three unearned runs over the third and fourth innings to take a 4-0 lead. For the second straight night, the Wahoos were able to capitalize on Jackson's miscues to gain an early advantage.
The Wahoos scored in their fourth straight inning when Mejias-Brean got his second RBI of the contest with a run scoring single to give Pensacola a 5-0 lead.
The Generals didn't strike until the Wahoos went to their bullpen in the eighth inning. Carlos Gonzalez allowed a run and exited the game with the bases loaded.
RHP Ben Klimesh (S, 1) came on and struck out Pat Kivlehan to end the threat in the eighth inning. Klimesh finished off the Generals in the ninth inning, earning his first save with Pensacola.
Ross Perez was held hitless tonight snapping his 13-game hitting streak, the second longest in team history. Despite going 0-for-4 at the plate, he won off the field by proposing to his girlfriend Smirna Flores before the game as part of a ceremonial first pitch. She said yes and the two shared a moment before the start of Friday night's game.
RHP Stephen Landazuri (L, 6-4) took the loss for the Generals. The Generals' right-hander went five innings and allowed five runs on five hits.
The Blue Wahoos have tabbed RHP Robert Stephenson (5-8, 4.29) as their starting pitcher for Game 4 on Saturday. The Generals will send RHP Victor Sanchez (6-4, 3.62) to the mound.
Saturday's game will feature a Fireworks Extravaganza and a "Pack Your Bags" contest.
• Who: Pensacola Blue Wahoos vs. Jackson Generals.
• When: 6:30 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 9.
• Where: Blue Wahoos stadium.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Superstition isn't about feeling like one has a place in the world, or has a specific purpose, but rather feeling like the world's variety, randomness, and meaninglessness have some kind of self-affirming order beyond evidence otherwise. Religion endows purpose and belief in ultimate reality, origin, or destiny, which allows it to function on a much more doctrinal level. Both are pervasive, but superstition is much more like guerrilla warfare; there's no formal rules, just strong suggestions, and even though superstitions are culturally or socially affected, each person can subjectively customize their flavor based on personal experience or memory.
Culture and society influence superstition, though since superstition lacks a formal doctrine, people's behaviors are limited only by the bounds of their imagination, or their emotive compulsion. I used to know someone who watched a football game with her father every sunday, each standing in the same spot in the room and wearing the same type of jersey. It's culturally fed because professional football was the cue, and socially fed because she and her father worked out a specific ritual that made the apparently torturous game more tolerable. I once made the mistake of telling her those rituals had no bearing on the results of the game, but that conversation didn't develop because apparently her customary response to superstition-critique was denial. Maybe superstitions have built-in defense shields that are raised when an investigation is cued, or maybe that was unique to her. I tend to think that since they're based in ignorance, they defend ignorance, though.
Superstitions are functionally like humans playing gods, extending their minds and emotions into the world, categorizing things until they subjectively work for them. It cares not about actual categories or evidence or natural causation, but about the subject feeling as if the variety, randomness and meaninglessness are anything but. Take the football example; dressing up and standing in those spots makes she and her father feel like they have more control over the situation than they actually have. In reality, the game's result would be no different if they sat on the couch silently, didn't watch the game at all, or blasphemously donned the opposite team's colors. But superstition wants participation, it wants action, it makes us feel like we're not just seeing a world infinitely larger and more significant than us, but that we've figured out a way to order some of the mess, despite the conflicting evidence.
Not all evidence is valid, let alone is evidence by definition. When a black cat crosses your path it's bad luck, right? It is...just because it is... Some still believe this, even though the basis of the myth has been nullified because witches were disproven, and they were the ones using cats. Such a superstition preceded formal scientific evidence, but despite that, the feeling still lingers in many that it's bad luck for a black cat to cross one's path. What about those who accept their superstition is a delusion but practice it anyway because it makes them feel better? This is where superstition and religion can cross paths, with many people practicing compulsive superstitious rituals, or attending church on sunday even though they don't believe in it, because their habits are so engrained. It's thus one step further from real evidence because it mutated into a reinforced behavioral appeasement. Habits are strengthened by repetition and since humans are habit and pattern-seeking animals, then we really do experience a certain fulfillment from repeating habits. Superstitions like tossing pennies into fountains and not breaking mirrors have no causal linkage to their future effects, but if we're encouraged and reinforced to believe in such things, and create habits based on those empty beliefs, we still experience discomfort when we don't act upon them. Superstitions thus become easier and easier the more we practice them, not because of their innate validity or legitimacy, but because we're simply playing out an evolutionary trait.
Not all superstitious beliefs are about good luck and bad luck, just many of them are because it's easy and convenient to break conclusions down into the binary model of good and bad. Nothing could be more erroneous though. Many superstitions do beg different implications: 666 is the mark of the beast, the devil, or whatever. This isn't just about bad luck, it's an omen that indicates something is doomed or possessed. (This is another crossover with religion). I read a week ago that a marathon runner bowed out of a race because she was given the number 666 which the judges wouldn't change. Yes, you guessed it, she was a devout Christian who believed that the ink on the paper that took the specific numerical shape that was randomly given to her to provide a numerical distinction in this one race, was really the mark of the anti-Christ. The behavioral affects of superstition are thus limitless, because since the subject practicing them isn't implementing objective criticality or analysis, they don't approach them from a perspective of natural causation, non-existence of special signals and cues, or neutrality toward physical cues. Superstitions break natural causal linkage to impart their own ideal of order, impart special meaning on certain signals and cues, as well as the same on chosen physical cues. Ironically, it makes a mess of reality when it intends to order it.
All superstitions are triggered by some cue. Friday the 13th. A ladder. A rabbit's foot. A professional football game. Each of these have cues that literally trigger a customary response within the brain, so strong that it's a compulsion. Superstitions are thus addictions that need to be acted upon for that person to continue functioning what they perceive as normally and properly.


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David's a seasoned Silicon Valley veteran who's helped start, grow and lead numerous successful technology companies. He has extensive experience helping organizations of all sizes establish business models, build product/marketing strategies, and meet their go-to-market challenges. All while defining models of leadership, communication and culture.
Prior to launching Aktana, David was Executive in Residence with Mohr Davidow Ventures, and before that served as CEO of ParAccel, an early pioneer in the field of analytic databases. David's also held senior level positions with NetIQ Corporation, Visual Networks, Inverse Network Technology, and McKinsey and Company, where he played a leadership role in the firm's Asian Telecommunications, Electronics, and Media Practice.
In addition to being an angel investor and advisor to early stage technology ventures, David currently serves as the Executive Chairman of Reso Holdings, Inc. and is on the Board of Trustees of San Francisco's Brandeis Hillel Day School. David also spent over a decade on the Board of Directors for Travelzoo, Inc., where he served as Chair of the Audit Committee and Lead Independent Director. And David was a member of the Board of Directors for Infravio, Inc.
David received a BA degree in Sociology with Honors and Distinction from Stanford University, an MS degree in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University, and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.
Derek Choy
Co-Founder; Vice President of Products
Derek is responsible for product strategy and direction. Prior to co-founding Aktana, he was a Strategy and Innovation Associate in the Small Business Division at Intuit, where he drove initiatives to enter new markets and develop new products. Derek has also served as a Senior Associate at The Boston Consulting Group, where he developed and implemented strategies for a diverse range of public and private sector clients. Prior to BCG, Derek worked in several large law firms in Australia and Hong Kong and co-founded a medical IT company in Australia, applying his expertise in sales force optimization, change management and IT systems development and implementation.
Derek has dual degrees in Computer Science and Law (Honors) from the University of Melbourne.
John Dyson
Investment Director, Starfish Ventures
John Dyson is one of the founders of Starfish Ventures. John has personally overseen and managed investments in a range of technologies and industries. John has achieved numerous exits for his portfolio companies including a NASDAQ listing, ASX listings, and trade sales to local and overseas companies.
In May 1995, John was appointed General Manager (Australia) of JAFCO Investment (Asia Pacific), a Singapore based private equity manager. In this role John was responsible for establishing the Australian office, recruiting a team of investment professionals, overseeing investments into 24 companies totaling $95 million invested, and achieving 19 exits. Prior to joining JAFCO, John worked in the investment banking and stockbroking industries for Schroders, Nomura Securities, KPMG, and ANZ McCaughan.
John holds a Bachelor of Science from Monash University, a Graduate Diploma in Finance and Investment from Securities Institute of Australia, Master's of Business Administration from RMIT University and is a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. John attended the Stanford University Executive Program in 2010.
John has been an active participant in the Australian venture capital industry. From 1997 to 2002, John was a Director of the Australian Venture Capital Association Limited, including Deputy Chairman in 1998 and Chairman in 1999. John is currently a Director of Aktana, Atmail, Audinate, DesignCrowd, Echoview (Myriax), Hearables 3D, and Nitro Software.
Gary Kurtzman, MD
Managing Director, Safeguard Scientifics
Gary Kurtzman, MD is Managing Director at Safeguard Scientifics (NYSE:SFE), which provides capital and relevant expertise to fuel the growth of technology-driven businesses in healthcare, financial services and digital media.
Gary has more than 30 years of experience in operations and investments, leveraging his medical expertise to enable businesses to enhance their products and grow their services, as well as to discover new partnering potential in developing entrepreneurial companies. Gary joined Safeguard in 2006, where he is responsible for identifying, deploying capital in and supporting emerging healthcare companies. Gary is a board member of MedCrypt (Chairman) and Oncora Medical (Chairman), as well as Safeguard's partner companies Aktana, meQuilibrium, Prognos, Propeller Health, Syapse (Chairman), Trice Medical (Chairman) and Zipnosis.
Throughout his career, Gary has realized value for companies through a series of successful IPOs, M&A and turnaround transactions. A board-certified internist from Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, MO, with a hematology sub-specialty, Gary has ed more than 40 research articles, book chapters and reviews, and is credited as inventor on twelve issued United States patents. Presently, Gary serves on various academic and biomedical committees and boards. He is also a lecturer in the Health Care Management Department at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania where he teaches entrepreneurship in life sciences.
Jared Kesselheim, MD
Managing Partner, Leerink Transformation Partners
Jared Kesselheim, MD is the co-founder and Managing Partner of Leerink Transformation Partners (LTP) and co-leads the firm's growth equity investing in healthcare information technology and services. Jared has over 10 years of experience in healthcare as an investor and physician.
Prior to founding LTP in 2016, Jared was a Partner and the leader of the healthcare investing practice at Bain Capital Ventures, where he focused on growth equity investments in healthcare information technology and services companies. At Bain Capital Ventures, Jared worked on investments in such companies as: Apixio, Remedy Partners, MedHOK (acquired by Hearst), Liazon (acquired by Towers Watson), Ability Network (acquired by Summit Partners), and National Cardiovascular Partners (acquired by Fresenius Medical Care).
Prior to his investing career, Jared completed a residency in Internal Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. As a resident physician, Jared oversaw a primary care panel of 300 patients and directed care teams within the hospital's general medical wards and the medical intensive care unit.
Jared graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in Biochemical Sciences from Harvard College. Jared also received an MD from Harvard Medical School and an MBA from Harvard Business School where he was a Baker Scholar.
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Students Should Be Banned For Life From The MBA
By David Safier
Image courtesy of shutterstock.com
My headline is facetious, of course. It would be ridiculous to get rid of the Master of Business Administration degree. But it's not ridiculous to be concerned about the enormous intellectual brain drain caused by so many top students opting for careers in finance and business.
Lots of people complain that too few students go into the most challenging STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields, that we're lagging behind other countries in those areas. But not enough people point out that many of our potentially brilliant structural engineers, mathematicians, medical researchers and rocket scientists are lured away from those valuable pursuits by the siren song of Wall Street and Big Business. Our society, and most likely our economy, would be far better off if more of those talented young adults pursued vocations which move our knowledge base and our society forward instead of going into what one writer calls "lucrative but socially useless jobs." Blame our schools, if you wish, for our loss of a competitive economic edge over other countries. But don't forget to blame the seductive MBA degree with its promise of outsized financial rewards for people who manipulate stocks, bonds and businesses. It draws too many of our best and brightest young adults away from more socially useful professions.
I read a review of the book "Young Money" by Kevin Roose, which is about the stressed lives of young Wall Street investment bankers who abandon sleep, relationships and any vestige of morality in their quest for bigger and better salaries, bonuses and promotions. According to the review:
36 percent of the 2010 Princeton class who had full-time jobs at graduation went into finance. (In 2006, before the crisis, 46 percent did.) The head of the University of Pennsylvania's career services tells Roose: "To come to Penn is to, at some point in your undergraduate years, ask yourself the question, 'Should I think about investment banking?' "
A disproportionate number of graduates from Princeton and U Penn, two of our highly selective, prestigious universities, choose the dream of multi-million dollar salaries over professions many of them would find more interesting and rewarding. If half of those aspiring Wolves of Wall Street chose more socially valuable professions — and if similar students in other universities did the same — we might be suffering from a welcome embarrassment of intellectual riches in professions which add value to our society. I'd rather have a brilliant young man or woman searching for better ways to produce non-polluting energy or to treat and cure cancer than searching for that perfect algorithm to increase the earnings of some multi-billion-dollar hedge fund.
Three economists from Harvard and the University of Chicago looked at our growing income inequality from an unusual perspective. They argued in a research paper, Taxation and the Allocation of Talent, that increasing taxes on the rich might be justified simply to decrease the attractiveness of high paying but socially unproductive professions. From the abstract of the paper:
If, as the literature suggests, the ratio of social to private product is lower in high-paying professions (e.g., finance and law) than in low-paying professions (e.g., teaching and scientific research), progressive taxation is justified even absent a redistributive motive.
An op ed in today's Star discusses how college Humanities programs are maligned as a waste of money. Better, the humanities detractors say, to funnel all those English, philosophy and art majors into STEM-related majors. The writers of the op ed strongly disagree, arguing for the importance of training people in the humanities. I would add this to the op ed's point: Instead of cutting back on majors which encourage in-depth study of texts and aesthetics as well as the intellectual history of the world, fields which produce divergent thinking and probing analysis, fields which add much-needed intellectual heft to our society, let's cut back on those undergraduate business and graduate MBA courses where they preach about the philosophy of greed and the art of the deal.
Gulf Tastes: Parish Owner Brings a Little Southern Comfort to Downtown with The Delta
Ducey Budget Would Spend $14.25 Billion Next Year
Pima County Works To Reduce Overrepresentation of Native Americans in its Jails
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Sq. Ft.:2,370 to 3,581Sq. Ft.
This neighborhood is perfect for those seeking single-family homes. The homes in Pepperwood represent a wide range of time periods and styles. In general, homes in Pepperwood are about $265,000 – $450,000 and sit on quarter-acre lots with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The most common type of parking is garage.
How would you rate Pepperwood?
Homes in Pepperwood are on the market for an average of 75 days and are typically purchased at close to asking price. Property taxes hover around $4,948 per year. On average, homes here are $134 per square foot and typically list for around $350,000.


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Pullbacks
50-Day Fractals
50-200 Day Pinball
Bullish and Bearish Crossovers
Strategies & Applications Behind The 50-Day EMA (INTC, AAPL)
By Alan Farley
Gordon Scott
Reviewed by Gordon Scott
Gordon Scott has been an active investor and technical analyst or 20+ years. He is a Chartered Market Technician (CMT).
The 50-day moving average marks a line in the sand for traders holding positions through inevitable drawdowns. The strategy we employ when price nears this inflection point often decides whether we walk away with a well-earned profit or a frustrating loss. Considering the consequences, it makes sense to improve our understanding about this price level, as well as finding new ways to manage risk when it comes into play.
The most common formula takes the last 50 price bars and divides by the total. This yields the 50-day simple moving average (SMA) used by technicians for many decades. The calculation has been tweaked in many ways over the years as market players try to build a better mousetrap. The 50-day exponential moving average (EMA) offers the most popular variation, responding to price movement more quickly than its simple minded cousin. This extra speed in signal production defines a clear advantage over the slower version, making it a superior choice.
The 50-day EMA gives technicians a seat at the 50-yard line, the perfect location to watch the entire playing field for mid-term opportunities and natural counterswings after active trends, higher or lower. It's also neutral ground when price action is often misinterpreted by the majority. And as our contrary market proves over and over again, the most reliable signals tend to erupt when the majority is sitting on the wrong side of the action.
There are dozens of ways to use the 50-day EMA in market strategies. It works as a reality check when a position hits the magic line after a rally or selloff. It has equal benefit in lower and higher time frames, applying the indicator to intraday charts or tracking long term trends with the 50-week or 50-month version. Or play a game of pinball, trading oscillations between the 50-day EMA and longer term 200-day EMA. It even works in the arcane world of market voodoo, with 50/200 day crossovers signaling bullish golden crosses or bearish death crosses.
The 50-day EMA most often comes into play when you're positioned in a trend that turns against you in a natural counterswing, or in reaction to an impulse that's dragging thousands of financial instruments along for the ride. It makes sense to place a stop just across the moving average because it represents intermediate support (resistance in a downtrend) that should hold under normal tape conditions. The problem with this reasoning is it doesn't work as intended in our volatile modern markets.
The 50 and 200-day EMAs have morphed from narrow lines into broad zones in the last two decades due to aggressive stop hunting. You need to consider how deep these violations will go before placing a stop or timing an entry at or near the moving average. Patience is key in these circumstances because testing at the 50-day EMA usually resolves within three to four price bars. The trick is to stay out of the way until a) the reversal kicks in or b) the level breaks, yielding a price thrust against your position.
Image by Sabrina Jiang © Investopedia 2020
The risk of getting it wrong will hurt your wallet, so how long should you stick around when price tests the 50-day EMA? While there's no perfect way to avoid whipsaws, examining other technicals often pinpoints the exact extension of a reversal. For example, Intel (INTC) returned to the January high in April and sold off to the 50-day EMA. It broke support, dropped to the .386 Fibonacci rally retracement and bounced back to the moving average in the next session. The stock regained support on the third day and entered a recovery, completing a cup and handle breakout pattern.
The moving average works just as well in lower and higher time frames. As a result, day traders will find benefit in placing 50-bar EMAs on 15 and 60 minute charts because they define natural end points for intraday oscillations. Just keep in mind that noise increases as time frame decreases, lowering its value on 5 and 1 minute charts. On the flip side, the indicator shows excellent reliability on weekly and monthly charts, often pinpointing exact turning points in corrections and long term trends.
This makes sense when considering that the 50-week EMA defines mean reversion over an entire year while the 50-month EMA tracks more than four years of market activity, approaching the average length of a typical business cycle. Market timers can use these long-term moving averages to establish profitable positions lasting for months or years while violations offer perfect levels to take profits and reallocate capital into other long term instruments.
Apple (AAPL) set up excellent buying opportunities at the 50-month EMA in 2009 and 2013. It broke moving average support in September 2008 and spent 5 months grinding sideways before remounting that level in April 2009, issuing a "failure of a failure" buy signal that yielded more than 80 points over three years. It tested the moving average a second time in 2013, spending four months building a double bottom that triggered a 100 percent rally into 2014. Note how the lows matched support perfectly, offering an incredible low risk entry for patient market players.
Fast trends in both directions tend to increase the separation between the 50 and 200-day EMAs. Once a countertrend breaks one of these averages, it often carries into the other average, setting up a few rounds of the 50-200 "pinball" strategy. Swing traders are natural beneficiaries of this two-sided technique, going long and then short until one side of the box gives way to a more active trend impulse.
Biogen (BIIB) hit a new high in March after a long uptrend and entered a steep correction that broke the 50-day EMA a few days later. Price action then entered a two month game of 50-200 pinball, traversing more than 75 points between new resistance at the 50-day EMA and long term support at the 200-day EMA. Swing reversals took place close to target numbers, allowing easy entry and relatively tight stops for a triple digit stock.
The downward crossover of the 50-day EMA through the 200-day EMA signals a death cross that many technicians believe marks the end of an uptrend. An upward crossover or golden cross is alleged to possess similar magic properties in establishing a new uptrend. In reality, numerous crisscrosses can print in the life cycle of an uptrend or downtrend and these classic signals show little reliability.
It's a different story with the 50 and 200-week EMAs. SPDR S&P Trust (SPY) shows four valid cross signals going back 15 years, two in each direction. More importantly, there were no false signals during this time, which included three bull markets and two bear markets. Looking at historic Dow Industrial data, the last invalid cross occurred more than 30 years ago, in 1982. This tells us that golden and death crosses deserve a respected place in market analysis.
The 50-day EMA identifies a natural mean reversion level for the intermediate time frame. It has numerous applications in price prediction, position choice and strategy building. Traders, market timers and investors all benefit from 50-day EMA study, making it an indispensable ingredient in your technical market analysis.
Advanced Technical Analysis Concepts
Adjusting Strategies to Moving Average Slopes
Golden Cross vs. Death Cross: What's the Difference?
Strategy & Education
What Charts Should Crypto Investors Use?
How to Use a Moving Average to Buy Stocks
Technical Analysis Basic Education
What Is the 200-Day Simple Moving Average and How to Find It
Top Technical Indicators for Rookie Traders
Golden Cross Pattern Explained With Examples and Charts
A golden cross is a candlestick pattern that is a bullish signal in which a relatively short-term moving average crosses above a long-term moving average
What Is a Crossover in Technical Analysis, Examples
A crossover is the point on a stock chart when a security and an indicator intersect.
Simple Moving Average (SMA): What It Is and the Formula
A simple moving average (SMA) calculates the average of a selected range of prices, usually closing prices, by the number of periods in that range.
What is EMA? How to Use Exponential Moving Average With Formula
An exponential moving average (EMA) is a type of moving average that places a greater weight and significance on the most recent data points.
MACD Indicator Explained, with Formula, Examples, and Limitations
Moving average convergence/divergence (MACD) is a momentum indicator that shows the relationship between two moving averages of a security's price.
Relative Strength Index (RSI) Indicator Explained With Formula
The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is a momentum indicator that measures the magnitude of recent price changes to analyze overbought or oversold conditions.


Mr Richard Aitken is an influential and respected engineer and business leader who has been Executive Director of Beca Group Limited for almost 40 years.
Mr Aitken has a reputation for delivering on time, under budget, and above the quality and performance standards and has overseen major projects such as the Manukau Wastewater Plant, Auckland Motorway Projects, and the Waterview Tunnel. Beyond Beca Group, he has helped to develop young engineers, represented the profession on legislative and industry bodies, and promoted New Zealand's engineering capabilities overseas. His governance skills are reflected in appointments to external boards including Trustpower Limited, Manukau Wastewater Services Limited, Development Auckland, and Hutt Valley Water Services Limited. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Structural Engineers United Kingdom and a Distinguished Fellow of the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand. Mr Aitken has recently been appointed Chairman of the Board of Te Punaha Matatini, a newly established National Centre of research excellence hosted by the University of Auckland.
Ms Naomi Ballantyne has had a 34 year career in the New Zealand life insurance industry and has been responsible for the establishment of the three largest and most successful Life Insurance Companies in New Zealand, namely Sovereign, OnePath Life and Partners Life.
Ms Ballantyne has been the main driver of the industry's product innovation over the past 34 years and during that time has created careers for hundreds of New Zealanders, business opportunities for thousands of Small Medium Enterprises, hundreds of millions of dollars in shareholder value, and financially supported many thousands of New Zealand clients when health issues interrupted their lives. Ms Ballantyne has also been a motivational speaker, sharing her experiences to encourage others from all walks of life.
Mr Roger Bridge is a Christchurch businessman and company director with a background primarily in property investment and management.
Mr Bridge is Chair of the Rātā Foundation (formerly the Canterbury Community Trust), the largest philanthropic organisation in the South Island with an endowment fund of more than $500 million. The Foundation funds organisations in Canterbury, Nelson, Marlborough and the Chatham Islands. He has worked with the Rātā Foundation's Board to develop its strategic direction and the establishment of the Foundation's $25 million Special Fund, a one-off fund created to assist with the social and economic impact of the Canterbury earthquakes. He is a Director of the New Zealand Venture Investment Fund and Quotable Value. He is a member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors and has been involved in the formation and development of new business ventures, notably co-establishing Allstor Self Storage Ltd in 1994. He has held Trustee roles with the Christchurch Arts Festival and the Re:Start The Heart Foundation, which administers the Re:Start container mall in Cashel Mall, Christchurch. He has been a key supporter of these organisations to boost the recovery of Christchurch post-earthquake. Mr Bridge has also been a Trustee of the Te Papa Foundation.
Mr Cameron Brown is an athlete who has been involved with triathlon for 30 years and has been competing professionally for 26 years.
Mr Brown has competed in the Ironman discipline and has podiumed at numerous Ironman World Championships, New Zealand competitions, European Championships and Ironman events throughout Australasia. In 2016 he extended his world record as the oldest winner of any Ironman race and also became the first professional man in the world to win the same Ironman race on 12 occasions. In 2014 he became the official Ambassador for Ironman in the Asia Pacific region. In this role he conducts pre-race seminars with athletes, provides guidance and training advice, and plays a key role with government and other key partners. He is currently an ambassador for Melanoma New Zealand and in partnership with Ironman New Zealand raises awareness for sun safety and the importance of regular skin checks. He was the ambassador of Breath for Cystic Fibrosis (CF) for five years, during which time he promoted awareness of CF in the community and encouraged children to remain fit and healthy, with funds raised going towards sports equipment and swimming lessons. Mr Brown became the Weetbix Tryathlon ambassador in 2016.
Mr Kelvin Coe has served three terms as Mayor of Selwyn District Council, having previously been a Councillor for the Ellesmere Ward from 1991 to 2007 and Deputy Mayor from 2004 to 2007.
Mr Coe led the Selwyn district through the aftermath of the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes. He contributed to the Greater Christchurch Urban Development Strategy Implementation Committee, the Canterbury Earthquake Commission, CERA's Recovery Strategy Advisory Committee and the Advisory Board for the Transition. He also chaired the Canterbury Regional Civil Defence Committee. He led the district through a major housing expansion as thousands of people moved out of Christchurch City seeking accommodation, and opened up Council premises to house the displaced Commissioners and staff of Environment Canterbury. He was one of the mayors who originally worked on the Canterbury Water Management Strategy, and has been one of its leading advocates. He has held a range of leadership positions within various community organisations. He has been a member of St John's Area Committee for nearly 15 years and has contributed to fundraising activities and engaging with major sponsors. Mr Coe has been involved with Federated Farmers for more than 40 years, including time as Provincial President of the North Canterbury branch from 1991 to 1994.
Ms Vi Cottrell was a co-founder of Trade Aid and has been involved in the movement for more than 40 years.
Ms Cottrell received the Queen's Service Medal in 1994 for her services to Trade Aid. Since 1994 she has been an ongoing member of the Trade Aid Importers' Board, was Development Manager for several years and continues to be a prominent spokesperson for the organisation. She has been a leader in the development of Trade Aid's trading partnerships and is a member of its Development Committee. Trade Aid now imports more than 3,000 craft and food products from around the world, which are sold in more than 30 Trade Aid shops throughout New Zealand, as well as through organic retailers, supermarkets and cafes. It now manufactures fair trade organic chocolate under the Sweet Justice brand. She is an Honorary Member of the World Fair Trade Organisation and a member of its Monitoring Committee. She served on the Voluntary Agencies Support Scheme Committee of New Zealand's International Aid and Development Agency. Ms Cottrell was named one of Zonta's 50 Women of Achievement in 2016.
Mr Stuart Crosby was Mayor of Tauranga for four terms from 2004 until standing down from re-election in 2016.
Mr Crosby has been an elected representative at local government level since 1986, serving as Chairman on various committees and a period as Deputy Mayor of Tauranga. He has represented the Metro Sector on the National Council of Local Government New Zealand. During his term as Mayor he was involved in the response to the grounding of the cargo ship Rena on the Astrolobe reef in 2011, New Zealand's worst maritime environmental disaster. Mr Crosby has been a Director of Rotorua Regional Airport Ltd since 2010 and was a Director of Tauranga City Investments Ltd in 2013.
Mr Peter Diessl has been a member of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra Board since 2007 and is currently Deputy Chair of the NZSO Foundation.
He is an active member of the New Zealand String Quartet Foundation, was Chair of the New Zealand String Quartet Trust Board from 1991 to 1995 and is a former Chair of Chamber Music New Zealand. He has been an active and generous arts and music philanthropist, having contributed more than $1 million to date through gifting and investment in music alone. Recipients of his philanthropic contributions and support include the New Zealand String Quartet, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Music New Zealand, NZTrio, Nelson Arts Festival, the New Zealand Portrait Gallery, Adam Festival of Chamber Music and the New Zealand Festival event 'Brass Poppies'. He has supported commissions to New Zealand composers, national tours of chamber music by national and international artists, recording projects, and Major Concert and Maestro Circle sponsorships. Mr Diessl has been the long serving Honorary Consul-General for Austria in New Zealand since 1997.
Mrs Rae Duff is an international advocate for women's rights and gender equality and has been involved with a range of NGOs supporting these causes since the 1980s.
She has been the National President of the National Council of Women New Zealand (NCWNZ) since 2014 and has led the work on several key reports to international forums on gender equality. She was National President of the New Zealand Federation of Graduate Women (NZFGW) from 2003 to 2006, during which time she developed and carried through a strategic plan for the future direction of the organisation at a critical time, among other practical innovations to improve the organisation. She has established links with Graduate Women International (GWI) and the Pacific Graduate Women's Network. As Chair of the NZFGW Charitable Trust she untangled outdated financial arrangements to establish a new charitable trust to manage the provision of scholarships and awards to help women and girls participate in education. She has held a range of roles with the GWI, including convening the Education Committee in 2012, membership of the Resolutions and Status of Women Committees and as New Zealand delegate to a range of conferences. Locally Mrs Duff oversaw the improvement of financial and stock systems for Graduate Women Wellington's Academic Regalia Hire Business, which generates funding towards scholarships and awards offered by GWW and NZFGW.
Mr Roland Ellis was Mayor of Tararua for two terms until standing down from re-election in 2016.
Mr Ellis was elected as a North Ward Councillor to the Tararua District Council in a 2009 by-election, prior to becoming Mayor in 2010. As Mayor he has held the Economic and Business Development Portfolio and has overseen growth in the farming and urban industries. During his time as Mayor he worked on obtaining funding and progressing three major projects for the district: water storage facilities at Pahiatua and Woodville, and an upgrade of Saddle Road. He has been involved with the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs, which locally in Tararua has included a building and carpentry course initiative at the Eastern Institute of Technology. Mr Ellis is the president of the Dannevirke and Districts Returned and Services Association and is a Committee member of the Woodville-Pahiatua Racing Club.
Mr John Fiso founded the New Zealand Institute of Sport, was the CEO from 1996 to 2016 and through the acquisition of the New Zealand College of Massage based in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, the Institute has become one of the largest NZQA Category One private tertiary providers.
Mr Fiso has been instrumental in the development of a number of community events such as the Pacific Health and Talent Festival in Christchurch and the PACWELL secondary school cultural festival in Wellington. He has served on the Board of Ako Aotearoa, was Chair of Independent Tertiary Education New Zealand and Pacific Islands Tertiary Education Providers of New Zealand, and has been the sector representative on a number of education bodies. He developed international collaborations with Victoria University Melbourne, Surabaya University Indonesia, Xian University China, and set up an English language school in Italy. As a former athlete and national representative Mr Fiso coached and managed the Samoan Student Rugby League teams at two world cups, was Head of Delegation for New Zealand Volleyball teams, served on the Board of Volleyball New Zealand and was a delegate to the World Congress.
Mr Peter Garden has flown helicopters for more than 30 years and has held a range of positions within the New Zealand aviation industry.
Mr Garden has been Helicopter Safety Counsellor and Chair of the Helicopter Division for the Aviation Industry Association of New Zealand. He has been Chairman of the Steering Committee of the New Zealand Helicopter Association. He ran his own company, Peter Garden Helicopters Ltd, specialising in agricultural work around Southland and Otago for a number of years. He has been Aviation Advisor to New Zealand Land Search and Rescue and a founding Trustee of Southern Region Air Ambulance Trust and the Forest Hill Foundation. He is regarded as one of the world's pre-eminent eradication helicopter pilots and has been involved with numerous predator eradication projects with the Department of Conservation and other New Zealand and international organisations. He was the Chief Pilot for predator eradication on the sub-Antarctic Campbell Island, and lead pilot for various Habitat Enhancement Programmes internationally, including the Pacific Islands, the Seychelles and the Aleutian Islands. From 2013 to 2015 Mr Garden was Helicopter Advisor and Flight Operations Manager for South Georgia Heritage Trust for the eradication of rats from South Georgia Island during the final phases of this five year project.
Ms Jenny Gill is the CEO of Foundation North, formerly the ASB Community Trust, a community trust with more than $1.1 billion in assets which distributes grants of more than $40 million annually to community projects in the Auckland and Northland regions.
Under Ms Gill's leadership Foundation North has pursued an innovative new funding strategy based on a venture capital model. This strategy has resulted in notable successes such as Sylvia Park School's Mutukaroa School programme, which has been adopted by the Ministry of Education in more than 100 schools throughout the country. She established the Foundation's Centre for Social Impact, which provides community organisations throughout New Zealand with capability building and training. She became involved with the charity and non-profit sector in 1976 when she became regional organiser for the Council of Organisations for Relief Services Overseas. She was a founding member and chaired the Boards of Philanthropy New Zealand, the Wellington Regional Community Foundation, and led the committee establishing the Funding Information Service's online funding search tool. She was Executive Officer of the Roy McKenzie Foundation from 1985 to 1994 and was a Trustee and Chair of the J. R. McKenzie Trust. Ms Gill was Executive Director of Fullbright New Zealand for 10 years.
Mr John Harrington has been a youth worker and a leader in the development of youth work for more than 35 years.
Mr Harrington established Te Ora Hou in Papanui in 1983. With the support of Spreydon Baptist Church he established Cross Over Trust in 1991, providing a unique Christian service supporting young people's development. He played a key role in establishing the Hoon Hay Youth Centre in 1993 and chaired the Board for five years. He joined the Canterbury Youth Workers Collective (CWYC) in 1991, of which he became the Coordinator in 1997. In this role he created a new paradigm in youth work in Canterbury, developing youth work as a viable career with progression and leadership possibilities for a network of Youth Workers. He established the National Youth Workers Network Aotearoa and became the director in 2006. He drove the writing of the new National Youth Work Code of Ethics, undergirded by the Youth Development Strategy Aotearoa. He led CWYC following the Canterbury earthquakes and managed the Strengthening the Youth Sector Project initiative. Mr Harrington holds a number of advisory board positions, including the Vodafone New Zealand Foundation, The Wayne Francis Charitable Trust Youth Advisory Group and chairs the Weltec Advisory Group for the Bachelor of Youth Development.
Mr Durham Havill is a former farmer and gold miner and is currently a transport operator who has been a leader in the West Coast community for the past 30 years.
Mr Havill served on the Westland County Council and the Westland District Council for a total of 21 years and was Mayor of the Westland District Council from 1989 to 1998. He has been involved in a wide range of organisations, community groups, committees, clubs and boards. He established Aratuna Freighters with just one truck and has grown the business to service the whole West Coast. He has regularly made his trucks available to support community groups and charitable fundraising events. He was a director of the Phoenix Meat Company when it was first established on the West Coast and a Trustee of the West Coast Electric Power Trust. He was Chairman of the Council Controlled Organisation Westroads ltd for 20 years from its establishment, and from 2010 to 2013 he was Chairman of Westland District Property Ltd. He has remained a key leader in campaigning for the Haast/Hollyford road link between the West Coast and Milford Sound to encourage growth opportunities. Mr Havill has been a Trustee of Westland Student Nurses Trust for more than 20 years.
Professor Robert Jahnke has been involved in education for more than 30 years as a teacher, researcher, writer and art practitioner, and is a leader in Māori arts education nationally and indigenous art education internationally.
Professor Robert Jahnke leads the Toioho ki Apiti programme at Massey University, which he introduced at a time when no other Māori arts programme existed within the university system. The programme has seen a raft of undergraduate and over 50 postgraduate completions at masters and doctoral level and these graduates are working at the forefront of contemporary Māori art in various roles. He has received a number of international invitations to exhibit, present research and participate in discussions in major indigenous arts centres, such as chairing a panel of indigenous artists and curators at the National Museum of the American Indian in New York. He has worked as an arts assessor and moderator for all of the major arts bodies in New Zealand and has acted as a research advisor within the Polytechnic and Wananga systems. He has completed a range of sculptural commissions and has featured in solo and group exhibitions around New Zealand and internationally. Professor Jahnke is the current chair of Matakura, the collective of Māori Art educationalists, writers, critics, historians and curators, and is a Trustee of the Toi Iho Charitable Trust.
Ms Justine Kidd has contributed widely throughout the New Zealand dairy industry for more than 20 years.
Ms Kidd has traversed farm business consulting, farm ownership and property development, dairy production research, corporate farming leadership and governance. As CEO of BEL Group Dairy Farming, milking 9,500 cows and employing 65 people, she led through the upheaval of an owner's death to establish it as a successful family-owned corporately structured farm business. Alongside establishing Kitahi, a Hawke's Bay-based farmers collective, she is a shareholder in her own dairy farming business, seeking opportunities for primary producers to grow product value and market access and providing strategic consulting into business projects such as the Organic Dairy Hub and the Dakang New Zealand farm business. She worked with Bank of New Zealand to develop their Farm First Growth Programme and Dairy New Zealand in creating a farm governance programme. She has been chef'dEquipe for the New Zealand Dressage Young Rider Programme and Equestrian Sports New Zealand High Performance Manager for the 2004 Olympic Games, and was appointed Chief Executive of Equestrian Sports New Zealand from 2004 to 2007. Ms Kidd has also held governance roles with Eventing New Zealand, Equestrian Sports New Zealand and Horse of the Year HB Ltd.
Mr Kiely is Chairman of the Pacific Development and Conservation Trust and the Pacific Cooperation Foundation. His long association in helping promote New Zealand's interests in the Pacific have included a directorship on the Board of Pacific Forum Line between 1991 and 2001. He was the Chair of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Advisory Committee on External Aid and Development from 1996 to 2001, prior to the Development of New Zealand Aid. He was a foundation member of the Papua New Guinea-New Zealand Business Council in 1993 and wrote its constitution. He is an active member of the Fiji-New Zealand Business Council and a founding member of the French-New Zealand Business Council. In 1999 he was appointed Adjunct Professor of Employment Law at Victoria University and he is also a member of the Industrial Relations Centre Advisory Board, part of the Victoria University of Wellington Management School. Mr Kiely has been the Honorary Consul for the Slovak Republic since 2000.
Mr Glenn Leach was Mayor of Thames-Coromandel District Council for two terms from 2010 until 2016, along with two terms as Councillor from 1989 to 1995.
As Mayor, Mr Leach oversaw the economic development and restructuring of the Council to become one of the most cost effective councils in the Waikato. He was instrumental in establishing the community empowerment model across the Thames-Coromandel district. He led the Council's successful efforts to deal with arsenic contamination at the Moanataiari subdivision that affected more than 200 homes. He led projects encompassing the State Highway 25 seal construction between Whitianga and Coromandel, Great Coromandel Walks, and a regional cycleway. Mr Leach was involved with regional tourism across the Thames-Coromandel and Hauraki District for more than 30 years and chaired the regional tourism group from 1987 until the late 1990s.
Ms Annette Main was Mayor of Whanganui for two terms from 2010 until standing down from re-election in 2016.
Ms Main was a Councillor on the Manawatu-Whanganui Regional Council for 12 years before being elected Mayor, the first woman to hold the position. She has worked to increase tourism and improve environmental sustainability in the Whanganui area. She has been involved in numerous committees, organisations and advisory groups focussing on sustainability and business and has held a number of Council appointments, including Chairing the Environment Committee. She has worked with local iwi to provide visitors with authentic Māori experiences on the Whanganui River. She owned a visitor accommodation business, The Flying Fox, which has been seen as setting an eco-tourism benchmark for more than 25 years. Ms Main was instrumental in the establishment of the Whanganui River Traders Trust in 2005, which oversees the operation of the successful River Markets every Saturday.
Professor Donald McRae is a legal scholar and practitioner specialising in international law at the University of Ottawa, Canada who routinely advises governments, including the New Zealand Government, on international legal issues.
Professor McRae is an elected member of the United Nations International Law Commission and an Associate Member of the Institut de Droit International. He was advisor to the New Zealand Government in connection with its successful maritime boundary negotiations with Australia between 2000 and 2005. Over the past two decades as Legal Counsel to the New Zealand Government he has contributed significantly to successful outcomes for New Zealand in five separate trade disputes before the World Trade Organisation. In 2013 he provided legal advice to New Zealand in 'Whaling in the Antarctic (Australia v. Japan), New Zealand Intervening', a case heard before the International Court of Justice. Most recently he has provided expert advice to the Crown on the scope of the Treaty of Waitangi exception in relation to the Claim to the Waitangi Tribunal regarding the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement. Professor McRae has published extensively in the field of international law and is on the editorial board of numerous international legal publications, and was the founding Editor-in-Chief of the Otago Law Review.
Dr David Mitchell is a world leader in the field of inclusive education and has held a wide range of international appointments, including various visiting professor and research fellow appointments, speaker at a range of international conferences, and various UNESCO consultancies.
Dr Mitchell's UNESCO consultancies have primarily focused on inclusive education and the development of education for children with special needs in countries such as India, China, Thailand, Ethiopia and Kazakhstan among others. His book 'What Really Works in Special Education: Using Evidence-Based Teaching Strategies' (2008 and 2014) has been published in six languages and is in high demand. He has published more than 200 works across books, book chapters, journal articles and reports and has delivered more than 130 papers at conferences in New Zealand and internationally. He has been a long-standing member of the editorial boards of six international special education/disability journals. Within New Zealand he was appointed to the National Advisory Committee on Special Education, which steered the development and implementation of the foundation special education policy 'Special Education 2000'. Dr Mitchell is currently Adjunct Professor at the University of Canterbury's College of Education, Health and Human Development, and previously held various roles with the University of Waikato's Educational Studies Department between 1969 and 2001.
Mr Robin Murphy has been Chair of the Canterbury Water Management Strategy's Lower Waitaki-South Coastal Zone Committee, a largely voluntary position he has held for five years.
In this role Mr Murphy oversaw the significant restoration of the Wainono lagoon and its catchment, securing funding and getting local farmers on-board with the project. He has been a founding director of Waitaki Irrigators Collective, who developed a collective structure of irrigation schemes which is now a model for integrated irrigation and policy development for wider New Zealand. He has been the long standing Chairman of the Morven Glenavy Ikawai Irrigation Scheme since 1993 and has championed and overseen several projects which improved the viability and reach of the South Canterbury scheme. Recently he oversaw the commissioning of the $32 million Waihao Downs project which expanded the scheme's reach to 27,000 hectares. He has also been a director of Hunter Downs Development Company, a scheme that proposed the irrigation of several thousand hectares of farmland between Waimate and Timaru. Mr Murphy was a Councillor for Waimate District Council for a number of years and served on the Lower Waitaki River Management Committee.
Ms Tihi Nobel has been a driving force in iwi achieving Treaty settlements across Taranaki.
Ms Nobel is the Hapū Chair for Kanihi-Umutahi and is the lead negotiator for the Ngāruahine Settlement, currently before the Māori Affairs Select Committee. She spearheaded her iwi's fisheries settlement in 2004, which saw the return of $2 million in fishery assets. She is currently Hapū representative for the Taranaki Regional Council and the South Taranaki District Council. She is Trustee and Secretary of Te Rangatapu Reserve Trust and Te Rua o Te Moko 2B Land Trust. Ms Nobel has previously been a Board member of Ngaruahine Iwi Authority, Trustee of Mawhitiwhiti Pa and Secretary of Muru Me Te Raupatu Mo Nga Hapu o Ngaruahine.
Mr Barrie Osborne is a world-renowned film producer who has been an ambassador for producing blockbuster films in New Zealand.
Together with Sir Peter Jackson and Ms Fran Walsh, Mr Osborne was part of the Oscar-winning team behind 'The Lord of the Rings' (LOTR) trilogy who were recognised with the 2004 Academy Award for Best Picture for 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'. He had previously received two further Academy Award nominations for the preceding two LOTR films. He has been instrumental in attracting a large variety of films to be produced locally in New Zealand, including 'The Rescue', 'The Water Horse', 'Pete's Dragon', 'Krampus', 'Ghost in the Shell', and 'MEG', and the telling of New Zealand stories such as 'The World's Fastest Indian'. Productions Mr Osborne has supported have contributed well in excess of $500 million in economic benefit to New Zealand.
Mrs Ranjna Patel has been the driving force behind the expansion of Nirvana Health Group, one of New Zealand's largest Primary Health networks, which she and her husband started as a sole GP practice in 1977.
The Nirvana Health Group now serves as an umbrella company for more than 30 medical clinics servicing 190,000 registered patients from predominantly lower socio-economic communities. Mrs Patel was the first women President of the Manukau Indian Association from 2010 to 2012 and has been a member of the Executive Committee of the New Zealand Indian Central Association. She chaired the South Asian Leadership Group and is a member of the Counties Manukau South Asian Police Advisory Board, Commissioner's Ethnic Focus Forum, the Middlemore Foundation Board, Kootuitui ki Papakura Trust, Global Women and Co.OfWomen. She has taken an active role in early intervention for family violence prevention, working closely with New Zealand Police on a unique project called Ghandi Nivas, which offers counselling and temporary accommodation for family violence perpetrators. She has held ministerial appointments to the national Advisory Council on the Employment of Women and the Lottery Auckland Distribution Committee. Mrs Patel is a Trustee of International Swaminarayan Satsang Organisation (ISSO) and ISSO Seva, which provides programmes for seniors, youth and the community.
Mr Laurie Paterson was a Director of the New Zealand Hereford Association from 1991 to 2010 and President from 1997 to 1999.
Mr Paterson has been a key innovator for the organisation and has represented New Zealand breeders internationally. He is one of only six breeders to have been awarded Fellowship of the Hereford Breed. In his role with the Hereford Association he advocated for the establishment of New Zealand Performance Beef Breeders, which saw all major New Zealand beef breeds combining resources to develop a business which provides streamlined administration services for all breeds involved. In the 1980s he recognised the value of the BREEDPLAN genetic evaluation software, which calculates estimated breeding values, and introduced it to Hereford breeders in New Zealand, which eventually led to its use for other breeds in New Zealand and the combining of New Zealand data with Australia for Trans-Tasman genetic evaluations. Mr Paterson was pivotal in the establishment and development of Hereford Prime and has been a Director since inception in 1992, and Chairman since 2000. Hereford Prime was the first ever branded quality beef programme in New Zealand and has been a catalyst for other breed beef brands to be established around the country.
Mr Ross Paterson was Mayor of the Western Bay of Plenty for seven-and-a-half years until standing down from re-election in 2016.
Mr Paterson has been involved in local body politics for 21 years. He spent seven-and-a-half years as Deputy Mayor of the Western Bay of Plenty District Council before becoming Mayor following the death of then Mayor Graeme Weld in 2008. As Mayor he has been involved with the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs and SmartGrowth, the shared growth management strategy between Tauranga City, the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Western Bay District Council and iwi, which oversaw the development of the Tauranga Eastern Link highway. He has been Co-Chair of the Road Controlling Authorities forum. Mr Paterson was involved with the introduction of performance-based roading contracts in 2002 in a joint venture between the Council and the New Zealand Transport Agency, which has since been adopted nationally.
Ms Linda Penno has been a firm advocate for women's health and universal sexual and reproductive rights in New Zealand, having first become involved with voluntary governance for Family Planning in 1997 when she became a member of the Family Planning Council.
The Council of Family Planning is a skills-based board of volunteers who give their time and expertise to the organisation, which provides sexual and reproductive health education and clinical services in 33 centres across New Zealand. Ms Penno became President of Family Planning in 2003 and remained in the role until 2009. Under her leadership she maintained a commitment to Family Planning becoming an Early Medical Abortion provider. She served as immediate Past President and as a member of the Family Planning Council until 2015. From 2004 she has attended the annual International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) governance meetings and was voted onto the Regional Executive Committee for East and South East Asia and Oceania in 2009. She held the role of Regional Treasurer from 2011 to 2014. Ms Penno was voted onto IPPF's Governing Council in 2008 and during her time on the Council she was Chair of the Membership Committee, responsible for the 152 member associations from 172 counties around the world.
Mr Simon Perry is a highly respected businessman and philanthropist who chairs the Brian Perry Charitable Trust.
The Trust donates approximately $750,000 every year to community projects, including the Perry Outdoor Education programme for low decile schools, developing the Te Awa River Ride, and partnering with Swimming Waikato and Parafed Waikato to assist the delivery of their programmes. He is also a former trustee of the Lion Foundation. He also volunteers his time to serve on the boards of a number of sports organisations, such as Cycling New Zealand, Swimming New Zealand, the Te Awa River Ride Charitable Trust, and the Home of Cycling Trust. Through this support, he has helped the Waikato region to become a key sporting hub and has led some of the region's most high profile property projects, including the Home of Cycling Avanti Velodrome and the Te Awa Cycleway. Mr Perry received Swimming New Zealand's Volunteer of the Year Award in 2013, and the New Zealand Property Council Outstanding Leadership Award in 2012.
Ms Leanne Pooley is an award-winning documentary filmmaker who over a career of more than 20 years has directed more than 20 films.
Ms Pooley has directed award-winning and commercially successful documentaries covering prominent subjects of interest to New Zealanders including '25 April', an animated film about Gallipoli, 'Beyond the Edge', an account of Sir Edmund Hillary's ascent of Mount Everest, and 'Try Revolution' about the 1981 Springbok Tour. Her film 'Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls' is the most successful documentary ever made in New Zealand, winning more than 20 international awards and taking close to $2 million at the New Zealand box office. She has been on the Board of the New Zealand Director's Guild, taught documentary filmmaking at film schools around the world and has served as a judge for the International Emmy Awards. For five years in 1990s Ms Pooley made documentaries for Britain's major broadcasters including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, as well as PBS in the United States.
Mrs Ahi Robertson has been a matriarch for the Heretaunga Tamatea Treaty Claims and has played a significant role in advancing these claims to settlement.
Mrs Robertson worked initially with her grandfather and then took over as lead claimant to seek redress for the wrongful inclusion of Lake Whatuma in the sale of the Waipukurau block in 1851, finding resolution in 2014 and 2015 which saw the return of 100 hectares bordering Lake Whatuma and the restoration of the lake's original name. More generally she has been involved with a range of community organisations in the Hawke's Bay region for more than 60 years. She has been involved with the Waipawa Anglican Māori Pastorate Church since 1960 and has been an active member of the vestry and their Synods person. She is a Life Member of the Māori Women's Welfare League and Patroness of the Porangahau Branch. From 1987 to 1997 she was Chairperson of Abbotsford Kāinga Atawhai Whānau Support Committee and was actively involved in organising child minders while their parents were being counselled. Mrs Robertson has been actively involved with Rongomaraeroa and Mataweka marae and was actively involved with efforts to keep Mangaorapa School open when it was at risk of closure.
Ms Libby Robins is the director of Family Help Trust (FHT), which has helped Canterbury's most disadvantaged families develop effective parenting skills since 1990.
Ms Robins established FHT to help break the cycle of social deprivation and family violence she had observed in her previous career as a social worker. FHT's team of specialised social workers have worked alongside families susceptible to child maltreatment to provide them with skills to become effective, loving parents. FHT has gained widespread respect as a pioneering agency in this challenging sphere and has worked with more than 500 families to improve the lives of more than 1,200 children. FHT has developed an evidence-based, outcome-focused framework for their specialised work with vulnerable families, which uses a well-tested set of criteria to determine which families and babies have the most acute need of FHT's service. Ms Robins initiated a cloud-based online caseload reporting and monitoring system in 2015, which reinforces FHT's evidence-based approach through the recording of all interactions between FHT social workers and the families in their care. In 2012 FHT established HIPPY (Home Interaction Programme for Parents and Youngsters) at Rowley Avenue Primary School, a two-year home-based programme that builds the confidence and skills of parents to prepare their child to enter the primary school system.
Ms Kate Russell has been involved with the not-for-profit health sector for 24 years as a leader and expert in fundraising, marketing and governance.
Ms Russell is currently CEO of the Canterbury Medical Research Foundation, which has funded more than $24 million to health research in the Canterbury area. She is also Commercial Director of the New Zealand Brain Research Institute, which is home to several key projects investigating Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's dementia, Huntington's disease and multiple sclerosis. She was previously Chief Executive of Cystic Fibrosis New Zealand (CFNZ) and during her tenure CFNZ transitioned from a parent-to-parent support group to a full service non-government organisation that provides financial, educational and social support, as well as significantly increasing its revenue. She has also held roles with CCS Disability Action, Presbyterian Support and St John. She is a member of the Fundraising Institute's National Board, was previously Chair of the Institute's Ethics Committee, and is a Fellow of the Institute. Ms Russell holds Trustee and advisory roles on various other charitable boards and mentors small not-for-profit organisations.
Mrs Gaylene Sciascia has been an inspirational leader in New Zealand dance and education since the 1970s both as an artist and educator, and has been a visionary in the development of contemporary dance that celebrates the cultural diversity of Aotearoa.
In 1972 Mrs Sciascia founded New Dance, New Zealand's first professional modern dance company, before instigating the first National Dance Congress in 1976 at Rongomaraeroa marae in Porangahau. She later went on to choreograph significant works such as 'Face to Face' for the South Pacific Arts Festival, 'Wananga I te Rangi' for Impulse Dance Theatre and 'Moko' for the Royal New Zealand Ballet. These works contributed a new bicultural development grounded in contemporary dance and kaupapa Māori. She was a member of Tamatea Arikinui performing at Te Matatini for more than 25 years. She lectured at various tertiary institutions before founding Whitireia Performing Arts in 1991. She led the programme for more than 20 years and was instrumental in the extensive international touring throughout Europe, Asia and the United States. Mrs Sciascia has served on various local and national committees including Te Ope o Rehua – Toi Maori and as a Director of Dance Aotearoa New Zealand.
Mr Charles Shadbolt has made a significant contribution to the New Zealand Fishing Industry over the past 50 years and has built his business Independent Fisheries Ltd into a major private company, employing more than 1,000 people at its peak.
Mr Shadbolt has been a major benefactor in the Christchurch region and has supported a wide range of organisations through financial contributions over the past 30 years, including such organisations as Canterbury Charitable Hospital, St John Ambulance, Salvation Army, St Georges Cancer Care Trust, Conductive Education New Zealand, Canterbury Inspire Foundation and many more. Following the Canterbury Earthquakes it was decided that his Woolston factory was to be closed. He personally undertook to ensure every staff member was compensated and that those needing a job obtained one. He has been a member of the Fishing Industry Association and Seafood New Zealand and was an early pioneer in the development New Zealand's deepwater fishery, which remains a valuable contributor to Canterbury's economy. Mr Shadbolt played an integral role in setting up the Kurashiki/Christchurch Sister City Exchange programme, which allows for a disabled student from each city and a carer to travel to the other city in a cultural exchange and has benefitted 20 students over the past decade.
Mr Bruce Sheppard is the founder of the New Zealand Shareholders' Association.
Mr Sheppard is a Partner at Gilligan Sheppard Accountants which he formed in 1985. In 2001, he founded the New Zealand Shareholders' Association to represent shareholders and improve the equity investment market in New Zealand. He was Chairman of the Association until 2011, during which time it grew from an initial membership of 100 to over 1,000 with six branches throughout New Zealand. He advocated for the Association to develop financial literacy as a key objective, including the development of education courses, particularly for the elderly. He led the campaign for financial market reform and accountability, particularly the Companies and Securities Act and the right to take an action on behalf of investors. He encouraged the establishment of the Financial Markets Authority and was a member of its Establishment Board and Foundation Board. He is a regular speaker at professional events, corporate governance conferences, for community groups, and as a guest lecturer and Expert Witness. Mr Sheppard is a shareholder and director himself, having been involved in a number of new and often innovative ventures including Argus Fire Protection Limited and Connexionz Ltd.
Dr Neil Sinclair has been Mayor of the South Waikato District Council since 2004, having previously served as Deputy Mayor from 2002.
In his 12 years as Mayor Dr Sinclair has overseen or been involved with a large number of successful projects. These projects have included the establishment of the South Waikato Economic Trust, the Waikato River Trail, a Health Centre in Tokoroa, a Youth Park, a Mayoral Scholarship, a Village Green in Tirau, a recycling centre, and a sister city relationship with Yichen City in China. He was involved in creating economic and investment trusts for South Waikato, the Te Waihou Walkway upgrade, the Warm Homes/Clean Air project for South Waikato, the construction of the South Waikato Sports and Event Centre, the linking of the Waikato River Trail with the National Cycleway, the expansion of pensioner housing. Dr Sinclair has been a member of a range of organisations including the Northern Regional Arts Council, Community Health Advisory Group and the Waikato Mayoral Forum.
Mr Alistair Sowman was Mayor of Marlborough for 12 years until standing down from re-election in 2016.
Mr Sowman has been the longest serving Mayor of the Marlborough District Council. He was first elected onto the Council in 2001. During his term as Mayor he has focused on the long term needs of the region and future-proofing. He has overseen the completion of a number of projects by the Council, including the Picton foreshore redevelopment, a stadium and aquatic centre, the Endeavour and Giesen centres and the Southern Valleys Irrigation Scheme, along with multi-million dollar sewerage and stormwater upgrades in Blenheim and Picton, and Blenheim's water treatment. He has also been involved in the delivery of a new Marlborough Environment Plan. Mr Sowman's previous involvement in the community has included 20 years (including time as President) with the Blenheim Round Table, Board member of the Marlborough Chamber of Commerce, committee member of Blenheim Golf Club, member of the executive of Marlborough Cricket Association, committee member and club captain of Marlborough Squash Club, a Trustee of Marlborough Enterprise Employment Trust and a Director of Marlborough Business and Enterprise Centre.
Mrs Adrienne Staples was Mayor of South Wairarapa for 12 years until standing down from re-election in 2016.
Mrs Staples was the South Wairarapa's first female Mayor when she was first elected in 2004. She has represented Zone Four on the National Council of Local Government New Zealand. During her time as Mayor she has overseen the completion of the redevelopment of Greytown's historic town hall into the Greytown Town Centre, complete with library and community hub, and the formation of the Cross Creek to Featherston cycle trail. Her latter years as Mayor have seen a focus on advancing local infrastructure, including wastewater treatment. She has chaired and been a member of a wide range of Council committees. She was involved in bringing the Passchendaele Exhibition to Featherston and was a member of the Re-enactment March Committee that in 2015 commemorated the march by World War One soldiers from Featherston Military Camp over the Rimutaka Hill to Trentham. Mrs Staples was previously Chairperson of the Featherston Community Board in the early 2000s.
Mr Bruce Stewart co-founded and has successful managed the construction and property company Calder Stewart Industries since 1955.
Calder Stewart was established with two employees and now more than 60 years later is a multi-million dollar national company with more than 450 employees. Mr Stewart has been a Board member of the Otago Manufacturers Association, Otago Master Builders, and New Zealand Metal Roofing Manufacturers. He has been a member and committee member of the South Otago Farm Forestry Association for 35 years. He was a Councillor on the Milton Borough Council for six years and was on the Bruce District Council for three years. He has been a member and held leadership roles with the Rotary Club of Milton over the past 50 years. He has been Elder and Deacon of Tokomairiro Presbyterian Church for 50 years. Mr Stewart has been a member of the Milton Youth Council and a youth leader with the Presbyterian Church.
Mr Keith Taylor has been a member of the Board of the Earthquake Commission for 10 years and has held the position of Deputy Chair from 2006 to 2016.
Mr Taylor's governance, financial, actuarial, insurance and management experience contributed directly to the ability of the Commission to manage the aftermath of the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes. His standing with private insurance companies in New Zealand, and reinsurers internationally, aided EQC in navigating the major insurance sector challenges posed by the widespread damage caused by the earthquakes and substantially reduce the national financial impact of these events. He has assisted Treasury in its reconsideration of the EQC Act to take account of the lessons from the Canterbury earthquakes. He has been Chairman of the Government Superannuation Fund Authority since 2011, having been a Board Member from 2008. Mr Taylor is Deputy Chair of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand and has been a Board Member since 2009.
Mr Geoff Thorpe established Riversun Nursery in 1982 to supply a range of grafted plants to the Gisborne horticultural industry.
Having visited grapevine nurseries, universities and plant breeders around the world throughout the preceding decade Mr Thorpe decided in 1998 to focus Riversun's production solely on the New Zealand viticulture industry. In 1999 he established Linnaeus Laboratory to provide the vine nursery industry with an accredited virus testing service. In 2000 Riversun launched New Zealand's first independently audited grapevine certification programme and in 2002 signed up licensee agreements with several offshore grapevine breeding organisations. In 2003 he opened New Zealand's first privately operated grapevine quarantine facility and over the next seven years facilitated the introduction of more than 120 new varieties and clones to the wine industry. In 2006 he played an instrumental role in co-establishing the New Zealand Winegrowers Grafted Grapevine Standard, adopted by all grapevine nurseries by 2012. Since 1995 his company has been a major sponsor of the wine industries annual Romeo Bragato Conference. Most recently Mr Thorpe has helped bring together New Zealand Winegrowers, New Zealand Viticulture Nursery Association and other industry players to establish an internationally recognised research project designed to allow the vine nursery industry to optimise the microbial health status of certified grafted grapevines.
Ms Sarah Trotman is the Director of Business Relations at Auckland University of Technology (AUT) Business School and a Trustee and a Director.
Previously Ms Trotman was a small business support specialist and organised three major Initiatives for New Zealand's small and medium business sector. The first initiative were the Business Expos, the largest events for business owners in New Zealand, with more than 13,000 attendees. The other initiatives were the Excellence in Business Support Awards and the Bizzone Business Magazine, a dedicated business magazine for small and medium enterprises which was distributed to 40,000 businesses throughout the country. She was Chief Executive of Business Mentors New Zealand from 2000 to 2003, where she supervised free business mentoring for over 3,000 small businesses annually and saw a 70 percent increase in the number of businesses using the service. She is a former Trustee of the Sir Peter Blake Trust and Leadership New Zealand, and is a member of Be.Accessible's Fab 50 Network. Ms Trotman helped establish the Lifewise Big Sleepout fundraising event to support people out of homelessness, has mentored young women under the YWCA Future Leaders Programme and is an active business mentor.
Ms Vanessa van Uden was Mayor of Queenstown Lakes District Council for two terms until standing down from re-election in 2016.
Ms van Uden was the first female Mayor of the Queenstown Lakes District when she was elected in 2010, having previously been a Councillor for a term. During her time as Mayor she oversaw the signing of the Queenstown Lakes Housing Accord in 2014 to construct further homes in the region. Ms van Uden's previous work in the community has included involvement with the Wakatipu High Board of Trustees, Wakatipu Trails Trust, St John area committee and the Branches Trust.
Ms Anne Wilkinson has been at the forefront of advocacy for disabled people for 30 years.
Ms Wilkinson was the National Services Coordinator for the Parent to Parent New Zealand National office from 1999 to 2003, at which point she became Chief Executive of Parent to Parent New Zealand. In this role she has been responsible for the management of the 11 branch offices throughout New Zealand of Parent to Parent, a support and information service for families with disabled children and family members. She has facilitated partnership relationships with other disability organisations. In a joint venture with Life Unlimited she was part of the team that established the support and advisory service Altogether Autism in 2007, where she currently holds a strategic management position. She was a member of the Ministry of Health's New Model National Reference Group. She has been involved with the Enabling Good Lives project since inception and was a member of the stakeholder group which contributed to the development of the Enabling Good Lives report published in 2011. Ms Wilkinson is currently a member of the Enabling Good Lives National Leadership Group and the Waikato Leadership Group.
Mr Gad Propper has been New Zealand's Honorary Consul in Israel since 1998 and has gone above and beyond to assist New Zealanders who have required consular assistance in Israel.
Mr Propper has provided exceptional support to the New Zealand's diplomatic representation to Israel and during difficult periods in the New Zealand-Israel relationship. He has been heavily involved in working with the Beersheba Municipality and other local authorities in preparation for New Zealand's 2017 World War One centenary commemoration of the Battle of Beersheba. He serves as the Chairman of the Israel Federation of the Bi-National Chambers of Commerce & Industry. From 1993 to 1997 he was Chairman of the Israel-British Chamber of Commerce and was Chairman of the Israel Export Institute from 1987 to 1991. He is a member of the boards of directors of several companies. He was Joint Managing Director of Osem Investments and Chairman of Osem International. He is currently Chairman of L'Oreal-Israel Ltd. Mr Propper is a member of the Board of Governors of Tel Aviv University, the Executive Committee of the Manufacturers Association of Israel and is the Chairman of the Israel-European Union Chamber of Commerce and Industry.


There's something intriguing about predictions, and doubly so when they tend to be highly accurate.
For the last five years I've invited Aleksandra Dorann to do a webinar about the energy of the coming year. Her work is based in Chinese Metaphysics, including systems developed by advisers to the emperors of China for making the country's most significant strategic decisions for generations.
So it's time to do it again. The Chinese solar year starts on 4 February. Note that this is not the same as the traditional Chinese New Year celebration which is based on the lunar year and changes date every year.
I can give you a bit of an insight into what to expect. You may already be feeling the energy of the new year, as it started to rise in November.
It's very different from 2018. I've never heard so many people say that last year was horrible and they never want to experience anything like it again. It was a time for digging into your worst secrets and deepest fears and weaknesses. That's very challenging, especially for "nice people". It's likely that wherever you're weak in your life, you felt very exposed or tested over the last 12 months.
This was a good thing because it was laying the foundation for the next 10 years or more. It was clearing out all the rubbish so you can have a clean start. Aleksandra prepared us for this from the beginning of the year and it helped a great deal to know what we were in for and why it was happening.
It was also an exceptionally thorough year. Nothing could be done in a hurry. Even small details had to be done perfectly before you could reach an outcome – there were no shortcuts. For many that was frustrating but there's no avoiding the energy of the year. It affects all of us.
This year. by contrast, things are moving a lot faster. You may already have noticed. There's a sense that a lot is possible, but it's a pretty wild ride and requires incredible balance to be able to stay on track.
Interestingly, at the same time, I'm noticing that it's very important for me to stay tuned with my husband and to listen much more deeply than I have before. It seems that I lose track when I get caught in the speed of what's happening around me. When I pay attention to the details of my personal life, I can manage and maintain the speed more easily. This might sound like a contradiction, but it's the energy of the earth pig.
It's clearly going to be a fun year, with lots of enjoyment and no room for looking backwards or being stuck in old ways of being and thinking.
If you want to find out the details, please join me in the annual webinar with Aleksandra. She's provided accurate predictions every year. She's shown us what to expect in public life. She's helped us overcome the challenges of the year and ride the waves of what's possible with far more grace and ease, just by being in the know.
It's valuable knowledge and it's free to come and listen. Sign up here.


John WELLS - Three CDs for the dialog and explanations of 13 Esperanto lessons originally taught as a BBC course in Great Britain. It provides a sound basis for understanding spoken Esperanto and is a model for correct pronunciation. The course includes many Esperanto phrases for pattern practice, which helps you build the speaking habits you need for conversation. Excellent for those who prefer to hear the learning material. 2005. 3 CDs: 3 hours 6'49". Great Britain.