text:
UT rejects funding from group linked to Chinese Communists
Nikita Chirkov "Vladimirov" | Contributor, Washington Examiner
Tuesday, January 16, 2018 7:45 AM
The University of Texas at Austin will not be accepting funds from a group that has suspected ties to the Communist Party in China.
According to an op-ed published by The Washington Post on Sunday, the decision to reject the funding from China United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF) was made after a high-level investigation and a letter from Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R) expressing concerns about the proposed donation.
[RELATED: Harvard student scorns casual communism of classmates]
The funding was originally intended to go toward the school's new interdisciplinary China Policy Center, which is part of UT's LBJ School of Public Affairs, before being blocked by university President Gregory Fenves.
On January 2, Cruz penned a letter to Fenves expressing his "concern over the potential for Chinese governmental access to UT-Austin's education system, which may lead to undue foreign influence and exploitation."
Both the Chinese group and its leader, Tung Chee-hwa, were suspected of having strong ties to the Communist Party branch that is tasked with influence operations abroad. The connection quickly raised eyebrows among several university officials after the China Policy Center's Executive Director David Firestein, who is a former foreign service officer, proposed to fund the project through CUSEF.
[RELATED: Chinese student scorned by peers for praising free speech]
According to the Post, Fenves then launched an investigation into the matter that lasted for several weeks, with experts probing the risks of accepting the Chinese group's money to fund the initiative.
"Under the direction of Xi Jinping, the PRC and the CCP have initiated information operations throughout the entire world, most recently in Australia, Latin America, and the United States," Cruz wrote in his letter to Fenves. "The PRC aims to gradually establish influence in policy debates abroad by shaping Americans' perception of China."
Fenves responded to the lawmaker's concerns on Friday, outlining the lengthy investigation and assuring Cruz that he already made the call to reject the funding before the Senator's warning.
"Based on that review, I had decided prior to receiving your letter that the university will not accept programmatic funding from CUSEF," Fenves assured the senator. "Neither will we accept any funds for travel, student exchanges or other initiatives from the organization."
[RELATED: U.S. college opening campus in China, wants Communists]
Peter Mattis, a former U.S. intelligence analyst and a fellow at the Jamestown Foundation, told the Post that "the party's united front activities are intended—still described in Maoist terms—to mobilize the party's friends to strike at the party's enemies," adding, "That has no place on a university campus in America."
A CUSEF official, however, told the publication that the organization is funded by private sponsors who support relations between the two superpowers and does not act as a Chinese government agent.
Sen. Cruz did not immediately respond to Campus Reform's request for comment.
Follow this author on Facebook: Nikita Vladimirov
Nikita Chirkov "Vladimirov"
Contributor, Washington Examiner
Nikita Vladimirov is a contributor at the Washington Examiner and the ProActive Communications. Previously, he was Correspondents Editor for Campus Reform. His work has appeared on the front pages of The Drudge Report and The Hill, and has been featured by leading media organizations including Fox News, MSN, Real Clear Defense and many others.


We study the interaction of charged particles with a (6, 4) single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) under channeling conditions by means of the linearized, two dimensional (2D), two-fluid extended hydrodynamic model. We use the model to calculate analytically and numerically the image potential and the stopping force for a proton moving parallel to the axis of the SWNT, both inside and outside the nanotube at the speeds from 0.5 a.u. to 15 a.u. The effects of different angular modes on the velocity dependence of the image potential are compared for a proton moving in different types of SWNTs. We also compute the spatial and angular distributions of protons in the 2D two-fluid extended hydrodynamic model and compare them with the 2D two-fluid hydrodynamic model with zero damping. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.


text:
Moves – 9 January 2014
Cleary Gottlieb partner Megan Tang will join the Securities & Futures Commission of Hong Kong as Director of the Corporate Finance Division in February 2014. She joined the firm's Hong Kong office as a partner in 2008 and made a significant contribution to the firm's capital markets, M&A and private equity practices. Tang has advised numerous high-profile public companies and their major shareholders and management on corporate governance and compliance matters, including general disclosure obligations, insider trading, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and anti-corruption regulations.
Howse Williams Bowers has appointed Jill Wong as a partner. She has 20 years' experience advising financial institutions and multi-national companies on contentious and non-contentious regulatory, compliance and risk management matters. Joining from King & Wood Mallesons, Wong was previously deputy general counsel at the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and was the Asia-Pacific head of a major international bank's Regulatory Advisory Group, Legal & Compliance. Her experience includes advising financial institutions and listed companies on, among other things, money laundering, insider dealing and other market misconduct, investor protection, sale of structured products, listing rules, auditing issues, corporate governance and clearing/settlement/payment systems.
Singh & Singh Law Firm's managing partner Prathiba M Singh was designated by the Full Court of the Delhi High Court as a senior advocate on 16 December 2013. This is a distinguished designation and the first time an IP practitioner has been recognised in this vein. Following her designation, she will be stepping down as managing partner of the firm and will be appearing and advising only in such matters as the firm may engage her services as a senior advocate.
Tilleke & Gibbins has strengthened its insurance practice group with the addition of Michael Turnbull as Of Counsel in the firm's Bangkok office this January 2014. He joins from Hong Kong–based firm Deacons, where he worked as a partner for 15 years. Turnbull's work is primarily focussed on insurance commercial litigation, having acted for reinsurers, insurers and insureds, brokers, and loss adjusters in various legal jurisdictions (including the PRC) on a range of claims-related issues arising from critical policy disputes, high-stakes inter-insurance commercial disputes and mediation of insurance-related disputes. On the non-contentious side, he has advised brokers on regulatory issues relating to doing business throughout Asia, and he has assisted international insurers in establishing their operations in numerous jurisdictions.
Winston & Strawn has appointed Marco Pocci as a partner in the energy sector practice to be based in the firm's Hong Kong office. Formerly a partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, Pocci concentrates on cross-border M&A, corporate restructuring and corporate transactions, including international group reorganisations among multi-nationals. He has worked with European, Indian and Chinese clients actively in a variety of industry sectors, including renewable energy. He also advises investors on corporate governance issues and how to invest in emerging markets.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Assasination of Jesse James 5/10
That is a shame. I have had this movie on Blu-ray for more than a year now and I still haven't watched it.
Bamboota
Year one ssuuuucccckkkeeedd!!! 2/10
Equilibrium - 10/10
Such a bamf film. only made it better that it was in HD
shocktrooper_au
Bedtime stories - 5/10 not his best :( but not rotten
The day the Earth stood still 7/10 (never seen the original so can't compare)
Yesman 6/10 got some good giggles in the early, it bit died a bit later though
last house on the left 8.0
Pretty good although the rape scene was gross and lasted way too long :(
Freddy vs Jason 9.63/10.
Does not get any better than that movie.
So what stopped you from giving it 9.64 ?. :lol:lol
YoNoSe
Hicks is that Oldman from The Professional in your avatar?
Yep. My fave movie and possibly favorite character too. His characters name is Stansfield. :D
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best hitman movie ever!
:rock :rock :rock :rock :rock :rock
It was OK. At least there was a lot of nudity.
Total Recall - 8/10
The Exorcist - 8/10
I used to find this scary, but not anymore. Still a great film, though
Blade Runner (The Final Cut) - 8/10
My first viewing, also. I enjoyed more than I thought I would. Awesomeness.
The Hangover 9.5
Frigging awesome :lol :lol :lol
p!tu
:rock:rock:rock:rock saw it yesterday and have to agree!!!
Dr.FeelGood
Terminator Salvation....
I want my £8 back...
Really that bad? :horror
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen 1/10.
Feeling generous too. Overly long, bad acting generally, camera cuts too much and cannot keep still for two seconds. Ironhide sounded weird, the comic relief nots were dreadful and EXPLOSION, EXPLOSION, EXPLOSION seemed to be the plot.
The Hangover 8.5/10
Thought it was VERY funny indeed. Excellent film.
....yes...
I had a more enjoyable time having root-canal surgery...only reason i didnt walk out halfway through the movie was because i was boxed in between a wall and a woman who was doing her best to evolve into a small planetoid...
"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen 1/10.
Feeling generous too. Overly long, bad acting generally, camera cuts too much and cannot keep still for two seconds. Ironhide sounded weird, the comic relief nots were dreadful and EXPLOSION, EXPLOSION, EXPLOSION seemed to be the plot"
Snakeater...are you supprised?...its Mike Bay, the guy wouldnt know plot if it came up and offered to do dirty dirty things to him
Bad acting - check (cant even be bothered to insult the lead today)
Overly Long - check (current thinking in holywood "lets make the movie over 2 hours, that'll make it good!")
Quick cuts and handheld - check (BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!)
Ironhide - i cant bring myself to check this...damn you Bay!
Explosions - please put Bay next to the biggest one...please...
darthman
Transformers ROTF - 8/10
Optimus Prime was the nuts in this one. Went on for a long time though.
Bloody hell you 2 i was looking forward to these 2 films :lol
Just in terms of context for us, how would you rate the first one? Thanks.
You might still enjoy them Jay...
I'm just biased as i still remember the brilliance of Terminator and Terminator 2, not to mention my almost fanatical desire to eradicate every copy of T3 that ever has, and will exist!
My OWN war against the machienes!
As for Transformers 2, my comments are more a poke at Bay himself, as i cant stand the man...
And Reinhardt the long textual part was SnakeEaters take on the film, the checklist is just my rant against Bay...lol
But as you ask....
Transformers 1, a good idea in theory.
Take a cartoon that was created JUST to sell toys, and make a movie with big explosions and a hot brunette designed to sell Toys (and millions of copies of skinmags worldwide!)
Now...i have to admit i did like the first film, more for the design of the Transformers and less for Bays sometimes addict like requirement to put an explosion in any scene thats going slowly...I probebly would not have seen it on the big screen if my then 9 year old nephew hadnt dragged me to see it
I'm seeing Transformers 2 this friday (or maybe wednesday depending on how bored i get), i really hope that SnakeEaters points (and my checklist) is only nit-picking and the film actually does well...
otherwise it'll really be a bad year for the muscle-car-driving jock bregade if the biggest movie of the year turns out to be Star Trek instead of the one with the red hot brunette wearing hot-pants and a low-cut top...
Khev
Finally saw Rocky Balboa for the first time last night when it aired on FX HD. The most inspiring film I've seen in years. Totally ended the series with class. I got chills at the end of the fight when the final round began and the announcer said something to the effect of "we are now watching the last round of Rocky Balboa's career."
9/10. Great movie.
For sure. I knew it was going to be terrible and thought I was prepared, but nothing could prepare me for just how terrible it was.
Liking your avvy by the way!
meth head
I really loved this movie!!! Liam Neeson kicks ass in this film!!!
Its like Bourne/Hostel which really works
I cant rate this film highly enough, everything a revenge film should be, i thought this was as good as Man On Fire for me which is a bold statement
Fully agree with what you've just said! :)
I still have to see Taken.
I watched it again last night. 4th viewing... :lol
Its one I can watch again and again.:rock
Get it watched Ringer, this movie never really got much hype it was played down for me considering just how good it is!!! You will not be disappointed, everybody i know that has seen it says its one of their all time favourites
couldnt agree more, this is a film i will revisit time and time again
i just dont think this movie will ever tire with me
which takes me onto my next point which is a 1/6 Liam Neeson from Taken in his leather jacket i would so be in for one of these!!!
SnakeEater, how would you rate the first Transformers movie?
TBH, I really cannot remember it that well. Watched it once at the cinema and was pretty unimpressed, so have stayed away from it since.
Seem to think I enjoyed it more than ROTF though, as it was not as long. Although, ROTF has a lot more Megan Fox, so that is a positive. :D
Citizen Kane: 8/10
The Guardian (2006): 7/10 Good, but predictable though...
Sweet! Your review has made me EVEN MORE excited! I cannot wait till tuesday night!
Felon 9.0
First time i've seen this film and i loved it! :)
Dan In Real Life: 7.5/10 Good movie, fun, sad and awkward moments in combination with a nice story made this one well worth the watch.
Speed Racer - 5/10
I watched it on HBO for the first time last night. It wasn't quite as bad as I was expecting, but I felt like I was watching a video game. Maybe that was the point. It certainly wasn't made for an adult audience.
Halloween (1978) 9.5/10
Oz Season 2 8.7
A 9 for H20? No more than 7 for me. Very weak kills.
My Bloody Valentine 3D 7.5/10 An above average remake with some interesting kills. It was also nice to see Tom Atkins in a movie again. My only real question is was the guy from Supernatural posessed or just insane?
I thought H20 was one of the better sequels. Sure the kills wern't great but were no less "weak" than the kills in H1 and H2 imho. My only complaint was Michael had the build of a 14 year old. He seemed to be very scrawny in this one (even more then D!ck Warlock).
April Fools Day 7/10
Body Heat: 7/10
Solid movie with a nice, noir-ish plot and dialogue, but it is no Double Indemnity by any means. Damn Kathleen Turner was hot back in the day.
Yeah man, I love H20, the kills were equivilant to H1 and H1 is still one of the best horror films to date. I don't judge a horror film on the kills creativity, I judge it on its overall feel and environment.
siren3-4
Let the Right One In : 9/10
Fantastic movie.
Babylon AD : 6/10
I am going to give this one another shot later as I had a bunch of interruptions and actually missed a bunch of scenes . . .
H20 is the only sequel to live up to H1 IMO :rock :rock that movie kicks ass.
The Hang Over! Dude!!!! :rock 8/10 for me! "Carlos, not at the table...." :lol
Transformers Revenge Of The Fallen: 8/10 Not as good as the first one, but definitely an awesome summer blockbuster! :rock :rock :rock
Hehehehe this was VERY funny indeed. :D
Really? That is surprising, I am hearing A LOT of hate for this movie.
Yeah I liked it a lot! Sure there were some negative things to mention, but overall it was a good film.
Although I think that people who didn't like the first one, won't like this either IMO.
Cool, I didn't mind the first one, I enjoyed it. I think what is ruining for me (from what I hear anyways) is going to be the twins, the robot with the testicles and bumblebee was ALWAYS annoying. They are friggin robots!
Bumblebee is my favorite Autobot :D
I didn't find him annoying at all :)
The testicled one isn't to bad either, but the twins... now that's another story. Those were really annoying!
Queen of the Damned - 7/10
Well thats it i've finished the sheild and they ended it in a fantastic way Shane killing himself and his family :( Vic selling Ronnie out, Vic losing his own family and stuck behind a desk but that's better than prison i guess Just an awesome show with and awesome ending.
Wish there were more seasons but there isn't already missing it. :(
I am Legend: 7.5/10 Good movie, especially the first hour or so, seeing Will Smith survive in a desolate New York. Good music too!
I am glad you liked it. It is a fantastic show.
That it is man anyone that hasn't watched it yet is missing out big time!
Our babysitter's back in town - woo hoo!
UP - 10/10
Can't wait to see Drag Me To Hell, Transformers:ROTF, The Hangover... and I think there was something else I wanted to see, but I forgot what it was :lol
TRANSFORMERS:rotfL 5/10........:huh
....too long, annoying characters and franchise lost its spark!(no pun intended)
http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm314/DinoLast/international-transformers-revenge-.jpg
YES! Waiting for some more hate on Transformers because Michael Bay is an ^^^^^^^.
Transformers:Revenge of the Fallen - 7,5/10
shandy_man
7/10 for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
It was a good action flick...a bunch of laughs and I enjoyed Wheelie and The Twins despite how much negativity I've seen towards them.
lforigno
Transformers: ROTF 5/10 and I actually really enjoyed the first
Crimsonbob
The Hangover - 5/10
Watchmen - 8.5/10
Night At The Museum 2 - 7/10
The Last House on the Left (2009) - 6/10
Race to Witch Mountain - 6/10
Terminator Salvation - 6.5/10
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - 6/10
These two are surprising to me. I would rank the Hangover MUCH higher than Salvation.
Terminator Salvation 7/10
I liked it.. didn't love it.
Not only that, but higher than all of those movies except for maybe Watchmen!!!!
Well, I actually enjoyed The Hangover more then that even. lulz
Transformers RotF 6/10
Transformers: ROTF 5.5/10
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein - 8/10 - Haven't watched it since I was a kid, like 15 years, still funny.
Transformers 2: 10/10. Same as the first. Fun fun fun fun fun.
Go ahead and attack me. I dont watch movies for you. :lol
Thank God for that! :lol
I'm surprised you didn't give it an 11/10.
For me, Transformers 2 was a decent, scaled-for-summer time-waster. 6/10
Wow i'm seeing alot of 5 and 6's/10 for Transformers .......... I haven't seen it yet but I dunno, I figured it would have been amazing.
The CGI and SFX deserve nothing less than a 10/10, if that's any consolation.
On a different note, I think I gave Terminator:Salvation a slightly higher score in this thread, but to be honest I enjoyed Transformers 2 more now that I've seen both films. My opinions of TS has gone downhill in the time since.
So then you're saying there is awesome action and special effects then? Meh good enough for me :D
I should have snuk in to see drag me to hell again after terminator.. :lol
NOW THATS A MOVIE GUYS !!. :rock
Have you seen it yet Roy ?.
No :banghead I have a wuss for a wife and brothers/buddies that despise horror films. :(
Transformers 2 1,000,000,000,000,00,000,0,00,00,00,00,000,0,0,00, 00,0/10
:rock:rock:rock:rock:rock:rock:rock:rock
So what's wrong with seeing it yourself?
I think while all my friends go see Transformers on Friday I will see Drag Me to Hell for the 3rd time and go home and rent Dead Snow.
21% on RT does not bode well for me, especially when the first one, to me, was ok at best.
Nah I don't play that ^^^^ :D
I think it's awesome that you enjoyed it bro!
I unfortunately did not. LOVED the first one, but this felt like a mess. Loved Prime though, and I actually thought the Twins were hilarious.
Its a cinema watch for sure. Try and catch it before its off the cinema man. :rock
Its worth it. :rock So much fun. :banana:D:rock
Total Recall - 8.5/10
Van Nuys Blvd - 7/10
The Proposal - 5/10
The 13th Warrior - 8/10
Constantine - 8/10
:monkey2:monkey2:monkey2 it saddens me that you didnt enjoy it!:monkey2
Chimera 1
Transformers 2 - 8/10
Great animation sequences
Was a fun not to be taken serious summer movie.
Drawn out
unnecessary cursing
to much sexual innuendo
the flow was off a little. Didn't have the feel of the first one.
DPrime
Punisher: War Zone 7.5/10
Went into this not expecting much, but I was very entertained! The guy from Rome was a great Frank Castle. Jigsaw and the other villains were a bit hokey, but who cares - it's a comic-book movie. The story was okay, nothing really special - but the violence was completely over the top (in a good way)! I don't think I said "holy sh#t!" out loud that many times since I watched slasher flicks as a kid. Just crazy. Definitely an underrated movie.
Gran Torino: 7/10
I enjoyed the movie overall... good story, emotionally involving. But some of the acting and scenes were just (IMO) very amateurish, not something I expected from an Eastwood film. Still really liked the overall film, but it was just missing a bit of needed polish.
Minority Report: 8/10 Good film with an awesome and intriguing story! The only thing that bothered me a bit was that the music in this one was very similar to Attack Of The Clones. I couldn't help but thinking: "I heard something like this before during the Coruscant air chase or the Kamino Jango Fett fight scenes...
I agree with most of what Chimera said about pros and cons.
Transformers 2- 8.5/10
Even though they did have a little too many jokes I think the action well makes up for it
Transformers 2 is a easy 8.5/10! The first film is 10/10 for me!
Inkheart 6.5/10 - not bad, but not great.
Na it was like a bad copy of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas to me which is a GREAT film. Anyway its personal preference :monkey1
http://thesplice.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/fear_and_loathing_in_las_vegas.jpg
Transformers: 9/10. Alot of people didn't like it but i did.
Doubt: 9/10 ~ exceptional acting, great film thoroughly enjoyed it and certainly had me doubting all the way through
Terror Train 7.5/10 Great 80's slasher with scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis, nuff said.
Fanboys - 8/10
Worst movie Ive seen in along time, 4/10
Sons Of Anarchy Season 1 9.0
Really good show can't wait for season 2. :joy
As a fellow Pens fan, I even have to say you suck.
8/10 Transformers
4.5/10 Fired Up
9/10 Imax Safari 3D
The Fountain - 8/10 - A well done movie. Great visuals and story.
A Few Dollars More - 10/10 - "No, old man. Thought I was having trouble with my adding. It's all right now." Perfect western. I like it even more than TGTB&TU.
Jesseawilson
TF2 5 (TF1 8)
T Salvation 5
Wolverine 6
Wathcmen 8
Did you drink to much while celebrating?? TF2 was a terrible movie dude
On another note ordered the Pens victory package, the hat is sweet man
Leprechaun:Back to da hood 2/10 :rotfl :rotfl
the only reason I give it this high of a rating is cause it made me laugh :lol :lol
Tansformers: Revenge of the Fallen 6/10
Transformers 2 - 2/5 The script must have written during the writer's strike...makes zero sense, can't see what's happening during the action scenes, dog humping, robot humping, robot farts, robot testicles, an hour too long, vulgar, racist, sexist, and dumb.
Where Eagles Dare - 5/5 Can't beat Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood.
Valkyrie - 3/5 Pretty good drama
Up - 4/5 Pixar's on an endless roll of good films
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a115/hvtuananh/Babylon_AD_poster.jpg
7/10 - Good Flick, Vin Diesel is always good.
http://img.tesco.com/pi/entertainment/DVD/LF/677172_DV_L_F.jpg
4/10 - This one had my laughing out loud. The guy uses a wood door as a shield. This is a funny one.
I really need to watch this. I didn't get a chance to start it when it aired and I was pissed. Definitely what to check this out before Season 2 starts.
How about when he flipps the car to take off the bomb??? Classic
Aye....TP2....:(
LOL Worst part in cinematic history. That or the Charlies Angels characters somehow free falling and catching up to a falling helicopter. Fricking stupid horrible movie moments.
Okay... ratings...
Fired Up - 3 out of 10 stars
Friday the 13th remake - 4 out of 10 stars
Lady and the Tramp: 7/10
Good for what it is. Funny that we had the exact same experience as the couple in this movie did at the beginning--trying to get the dog to sleep in the dog bed, saying "just once," and now the dog sleeps in the bed every night.
Dr. Strangelove - 10/10
Now there's a movie that truly and genuinely deserves a 10.
I agree with that. Sellers and Kubrick were an amazing combination there.
Knowing 8.0
Can I see a pic of it? I think I know what package you're referring to. I plan on getting the hat with the cup on the back.
Also, I am getting Cody Hodgson's game worn Calder Cup home jersey either Monday or Tuesday.
Watched Step Brothers last night! WOW! 8/10 for me!
My Bloody Valentine 5/10 Utter ^^^^e!
Revenge Of The Fallen last night 8/10 ~ not perefect but a great kick ass movie bring on number 3!!!
The Hangover last night with the gf. Great comedy flick, 8/10.
Damn straight! :rock :rock they said that season one was just a feeler. They wanted to see how it would go down and how ppl would like it and if it did well they'll give it a bigger longer second season. So season 2 will be more than likely 20 something episodes :D
You have to see it! It's one of the only few shows that I watch on tv. You won't regret it. :D
Eden Lake 7.5/10 solid movie. but very disturbing and twisted. good horror flick :D
I know not techinally a movie, but I think is was great. A fitting tribute to a great generation of Americans.
Revenge of the Fallen - 8 / 10 a fun ride
http://i535.photobucket.com/albums/ee351/roynajmeddine/hulk_2.jpg
City Of Ember 8.0
I always seem to watch this movie on a Sunday.
http://www2.bc.edu/~yanno/Shawshank%20Redemption.jpg
10/10 for me.
:rock:rock:rock:rock
Slumdog Millionaire 6/10
Some good bit's, got predictable and boring thought! A one to watch........ once
Amadeus: 10/10
My favorite movie of all time. Love the music, the costumes, set design, amazing acting by Abraham and Hulce, and can't forget Hulce's laugh.
A Street Car Named Desire - 10/10 CLASSIC !!
Field Of Dreams: 8/10 A wonderful, magical, feel-good film, with some nice humor. Really like this film :)
The 40 Year-Old Virgin: 8/10 Great comedy :rock
Ferris Bueller's Day Off: 8/10 I loved this film since I first saw it about 10 - 15 years ago. Great fun! :lol
Transformers 1 8.5/10
I'm not sure If I like 1 or 2 more
Midnight Meat Train 8 out of 10. A really good adaptation of a Clive Barker story.
The Proposal 7/10
The Goonies - 9/10
The Haunting in Connecticut, disappointing 6/10
Evenmore so that it isnt really based on a true story
Run Fatboy Run - 5 out of 10
Terminator Salvation - 5 out of 10
Friday the 13th Remake - 4 out of 10
Incredible Hulk - 4 out of 10
Jumper - 1 out of 10
Revolutionary Road - 7.5 out of 10
Cape Fear - 9 out of 10
Silence of the Lambs - 10 out of 10
Bubba Ho-Tep - 8/10 Awesome movie.
MooMooEgg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HJrGkCIwYOg/R9vvWYE8w6I/AAAAAAAACH0/3FpUH0OukLE/s400/Gattaca.jpg
Gattaca - 8.5/10
Thought it was extremely interesting, especially since I just took a health care ethics class where we talked about genetic engineering. It was classy, realistic sci-fi drama, so don't expect any action or crazy special effects.
I did like that the name Gattaca is comprised of the letters A, T, G, and C - the bases that comprise the steps of a DNA molecule (adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine). Clever.
Greatest... movie... ever.
10/10 here as well.
ROFT 10/10
Agreed with the bolded....totally disagree with Hulk and Friday. But oh well. You cant have as good of a taste as I do. :lol;)
ROFT? Is that the one with the indian fellow?
The wife and I finished watching it on Ray earlier tonight, I just love this film, ever single second of it. Imo it will always be my all time favorite film.
10/10 easily.
I need to watch it. But i'm sorta afriad because I was disappointed with the Godfather.
Just didnt care for it. Wouldnt call it overrated though. It deserves all the praise it gets. But it wasnt for me. Not a big mob/gangster fan anyway.
The Godfather - 9/10
Years since I last saw it. Amazing film. I'll be watching the other 2 tonight.
Hot Fuzz - 10/10
Too Funny.
Swing Vote 5/10
The Godfather Part 2 - 9/10
The Godfather Part 3 - 8.5/10
Just great.
ROTF 10/10
LOTRFan
Taken - 7/10
The Crow - 9/10
cant believe i never got round to seeing this sooner!
i know alot of people dont rate this, but imo its a good solid movie just not ass good as T1 or T2
Wizard of Gore 6/10 eh, started off good but then just dragged on and lost interest in it :lol
SKYNET CUSTOMS: Terminator Ratings! (In order of favourite)
1) The Terminator 10/10! Five Star, Perfect!
2) Terminator Salvation 9.5/10! Good Movie, it darged on in parts.....
3) Terminator:2 Judgement Day 9/10 Epic Movie, awesome......
4) Terminator:3 Rise of the Machines 3.5/10 Bad Movie, so bad in parts.....
My counter:
1) The Terminator 10/10
2) Terminator Salvation 4/10
3) Terminator:2 Judgment Day 10/10
4) Terminator:3 Rise of the Machines 3/10
SKYNET CUSTOMS AL()ENS RATINGS
1) Aliens 10/10 One of my Favourite movies of all time!
2) Alien 3 8/10 Great Movie, some bits pointless and NO Hicks :(
3) ALIEN 7.5/10 TIMELESS!
4) Alien Resurrection....... Less said the better!..........:lol
I definitely agree this movie was pretty pointless, I would rate it a tad lower though.
Tonight I'm seeing JCVD and Midnight meat Train for the 1st time...gonna rate them afterwards.Both movies I've been wanting to see for a long time.
7.5 for the first Alien....:horror:horror:horror
I give it a 10 :cool:
Salvation over Judgement Day???????
JCVD is awesome.
:lecture:lecture:lecture
I know it's a classic but a bit slow!
Oh how a 1000 posts can change a boy to a man :lol
ALIEN: 10/10
Hicks isnt even that great of a character anyway....:dunno
:mad::mad::mad:
:wave
The Hangover - 8.5/10
Funnier than I expected!
that's why it is so good! because it is all about atmosphere and buildup. same reason why The Shining is fantastic.
to each his own though. :)
HIM AND NEWT DESERVED TO DIEEEEEE!!!!!
But no, seriously, I do like Hicks...but I dont find him the bestest character ever. :monkey1
Jaws - 10 out of 10
Nothing new but...
Horton Hears a Woo: 4/10 fairly boring... had to stretch quite a bit to make a movie out of it and it showed. I actually fell asleep during part of it :lol
Run Fat Boy Run: 5/10 Decent feel good comedy... but ultimately not that good or original. I think if I didn't like Simon Pegg it would have been almost totally useless.
Both Simon Pegg and Hank Azaria's talents were wasted in that comedy. But it wasn't that bad. A few chuckles here and there.
House of Wax (1953) 8.5 /10, I really liked this movie
Mystery Of The Wax Museum (1933) 5 / 10 :(
AVP-R :duh the lowest possible rating ever!
Little Shop Of Horrors (1960) 7.5 / 10
I haven't seen that in years think i'll dig it out soon :rock :rock
Yeah Jay. I saw it last time when I was like 6 or 7, now seeing it again after all these years, it was pretty funny & good movie still. Mel Welles as Gravis Mushnik was a great character :D
Signs - 6.5/10
The Village - 7/10
Iron Man - 8/10
Sunshine - 9/10
SW The Empire Strikes Back - 10/10
Seinfeld Season 3 - 11/10
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Liked the movie a lot after I got used to the singing half of the lines.
However, It burnt me out on Tim Burton's cinematic style. After watching it, I decided that I have had enough of that cinematic style. I may not be able to go see Alice in Wonderland now.
GhostDog
Richard Stanley's Hardware - 8/10
Hopefully the sequel gets made some day.
Drag Me To Hell - 9/10
Great great classic horror. LOVED the scene in the tool shed with the anvil :rotfl
It's just alright, Cruise isn't that great in it. Very slow anticlimactic movie.
The Godfather 10/10
X-Files "I want to believe"
I enjoyed it but it wasn't the greatest and really had nothing to add to the series. 5 out of 10.
Ditto.........
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (The Original Movie): 8/10 This is absolute nostalgia for me. It has to be at least 13 years since I last saw it. Found it on DVD today for only €2.50 :banana
Sure, if you watch it with a critic's eye and movietechnically it's probably not worth the 8/10, but for me it was great to see this again. Also very funny that now I noticed all kinds of things I didn't when I was younger. Sam Rockwell, Corey Feldman as Donatello's voice...
I loved every minute of it :rock :rock :rock
Just watched this last night on HBO. And i would have to agree with your assessment.
Finally got a copy on DVD, Target has it for $4.95 (the 25th anniversary edition) -- not Blu, but I couldn't resist.
barryo
revolutionary road (wife wanted to watch it)...3/10...........TERRIBLE !!!!!!
Brokeback Mountain - 10/10. Beautiful, poetic, heartbreaking.
The Fellowship of the Ring (extended edition) - 10/10
mah45
Tombstone - a classic Western IMO 10/10
Lakeview Terrace - 9/10
Tropic Thunder - 10/10
Oz season 3 9.0 :rock :rock
Push - 5/10
Push this right into the discount bargain dvd bin
The one that screams is proper annoying isn't he? :banghead
The whole concept is so flawed :banghead:duh
Apaloosa 8/10
Into The Blue: 7.5/10 Pretty cool story, nice Caribbean setting and best of all: Jessica Alba in bikini :love :D
Whatever you do, DO NOT WATCH Into the blue 2.
There's a part 2? Never heard of it, so that's not a good sign to begin with...
JCVD 8.5/10 great movie. I have to buy it :D
Spot on!!! I love this movie!!! Its Ang Lee's finest moment for sure
I think Heath is as good in this as he is in The Dark Knight
Its everything you said about this movie its beautiful, poetic and certainly heartbreaking
Making me want to go and watch this now
Nash used to have the scene where Jessica was snorkling in his signature. I miss that signature.
<---shudders, I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.
Transformers a good 8 out of 10 it lost two because of the pretender lol
Homophobic? :monkey3
Or just hated the movie. :D
I personally dont care to watch it, because I hate love stories.
Live Free or Die Hard - 9/10 - Best action movie in a while. Almost better than the first Die Hard.
Identity - 7/10 - It was easy to figure out what was going on, but still a good flick.
Public Enemies - 7/10 - The Tommy Gun never sounded better. Fantasic cast and good acting from everyone. The eye for detail of the era is second to none. A bit long, but worth it.
I disagree that the action was better the Die Hard, but I did enjoy LFDH a lot. Especially the Unrated version. I give it an 8. John McClain was the first hero I knew. Before Luke, or The T2 Terminator.
Public Enemies 9/10 - Great script, good pacing, visually stunning, beautiful music...and the acting was excellent...not just the main actors but everyone was spot on and brought so much honesty and realism to their role. One of the best films of the year (so far).
Missed the word almost, eh?
I did actually. :lol
Gran Torino.
Did not go to the cinema, so been looking forward to this film for a while and it surpassed my expectations. Fantastic.
I was home sick for the the last 2 days so I watched a few movies :lol
Footloose: 2/10 Never saw it before, and never will again. WTF, playing chicken with tractors?!? Guess you had to have been there :lol
John Carpenters The Thing: 10/10 Doesn't get much better than this, classic and probably the best remake ever made!
Predator 2: 7/10 Much better than I remembered it. I've always thought of this one as being a bit of a let down after the original. But, really enjoyed watching it yesterday.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix: 6/10 Having read the books (finally) I can now see how this flick was a disappointment . Still an admirable job for such a dense book, but still could have been better.
Footloose 2/10 ?! Come on Gboy. Mill gymnastics. Dance fighting. Kenny Loggins. I mean, what's not to love?
Man you are just burning through TV shows!
Public Enemy 8/10
I know, I know... if I was a young girl or questioning boy in the 80's I'd be all about it. But for some reason it just didn't do it for me :lol]
Forgot I also watched Prince Caspian: 6.5/10
Better than I remembered and enjoyable, but not as strong as The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Yeah i watch them at work and when i get time at home i have my own office in my dads business so can pretty much do what i like. I get paid for watching dvds or playing games life is good man :D :D
Homophobic implies a FEAR of homosexuals. Nope.
And the movie was a well-made twist on the Romeo and Juliet story, other than the sickening man-on-man twist that it was given.
Don't fear them, don't hate them. But the though of two men being intimate makes my stomach turn (while, on the other hand, the thought of two women doing it has a much different effect).
Now, if my wife tells me she doesn't think I Love her...I just remind her that watched that movie for her.
I see......cant say I enjoy it too much either....
And LOL at the last comment.
Killshot 8.5/10
Micky Rourke is back,man. I was thinking that The Wrestler might have been a one shot thing with him and he'd not have any good roles after that or act that well but man he can act his ass off. Great performance. Loved this movie.
How was Gordon Levitt?
SO how can I get a job with your dad?
Really? I cannot stand that man.
It was weird to see the kid from 3rd Rock from the sun acting like a madman but he really grew into his own. I thought he did a great job! He and Rourke really tore the screen up! :rock :rock
you can get german suplexed for being european :lol
Yeah,man. I knew within the first 1 or 2 mins that I was gonna love this movie. Just the way he was talking and acting in the very beginning sold me that he was acting his ass off.
If you like the boring but amazing acting type movies, i'd suggest checking this one out. I have always said Leo is an amazing actor and this film seals it imo. Again fantastic acting all around, including Kate Winslet.
The score was done by Thomas Newman (Shawshank Redemption) and delivered an amazing feel to this one too.
Drag Me To Hell: 8.5/10 Opening night over here today. Just got back from seeing it. It's a great horror. It scared the cr*p out of me so many times, while at the same time it's funny! Really awesome :rock
blindness 7\10
Willow 10/10
Transformers 2.
Effects were great. Story not so...
The Hard Way 7/10
ice age 3 10/10
very very funny
Killbeggar
Just watched "The Reaping" with Hillary Swank on HBO. First time I have seen it.
Fairly predictable, but well-done and solid movie. Hillary Swank, in this movie, is about as hot as she has ever been.
They were both great, but what's scary is that Michael Shannon stole the show every time he was on screen. I was thrilled he got nominated this year, and if it hadn't been for Heath I would have given it to him. It's an absolute joke that Winslet won for the Reader over this role. Weinstein really had his pole in someone for that to happen.
Public Enemies: 6/10 Honestly I just wasn't that impressed... kind of slow and I didn't really care about any of the characters. I was really looking forward to this one as well, but it just didn't click with me.
He was simply brilliant and almost unpredictable every time he was on screen. Once again I always have similar taste to the Academy's ............. still rewarding Ledger was the right choice. His performance was just so good.
True Romance: 9/10 Such a great movie :rock
The Hangover: 10/10 :rock
So many funny moments!
I just watched that too! Great movie indeed!
I'm glad you liked it I hadn't laughed that hard in years. :D
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. 4/10
Perhaps it needs another watch, I just did not find it that engaging.
Demolition man..... 6/10..... Nothing special, only paid £3 for it!
How did the 3 Seashells work again?:lol


We have for sale a Vintage Pair of American Standard Galvanized Oil Cans, the large one is a two quart size measures 9 ½" tall and the smaller is a one quart size measures 8" tall.
These would have been used at a service station or garage to put oil in your car, oil would be drained from a large 55 gallon drum into these containers.
To see more of our wonderful Industrial and Steampunk items click the link below to go to our Etsy store.


text:
Private school to pay back millions owed to sports staff
A Brisbane private school is set to pay back nearly $2.5 million it short-changed sports staff over eight years.
St Peter's Lutheran College engaged coaches and sports coordinators as volunteers while paying them lump sums of money in recognition of their time and expertise, the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) said on Monday.
The school self-reported to the FWO in November last year after receiving legal advice that these were "employment relationships".
A total of 753 current and former employees who were underpaid between July 2012 and December 2020 will receive $2,460,519.59, including interest and superannuation.
St Peter's has already apologised and back-paid more than $1.9m to 631 of those workers.
It has also taken steps to rectify underpayments for the remaining 122 employees.
An enforceable undertaking the college entered into with the ombudsman requires them to be paid within 30 days.
Individual underpayments – excluding interest and superannuation – range from less than $3 to more than $37,000, while more than 98 per cent relate to staff at St Peter's Indooroopilly campus.
The school also has a campus at Springfield, southwest of Brisbane.
Ombudsman Sandra Parker said the matter demonstrated the importance of employers correctly defining how they engage workers and ensuring they get appropriate advice early.
"Any employer who needs assistance meeting their obligations should contact the Fair Work Ombudsman for advice," Ms Parker added.
The college is required to publish a notice on its website about the undertaking and to make a $20,000 contrition payment to the Commonwealth's Consolidated Revenue Fund.
-AAP
St Peter's Lutheran College
underpayments


text:
Expected Dividend Increases for January 2022
As I'm writing this blog post, only about a week remains in the year. Despite the calendar officially turning to winter here in Central Wisconsin, the weather still isn't too bad with highs in the upper 30s Fahrenheit. At this rate, we may be getting snow in May or June to make up for the fact we haven't had consistent snow cover yet this season!
With that aside, let's delve into what turned out to be my strongest month of dividend increases to date by far in my four-plus years of investing!
Actual Dividend Increases for December 2021
Dividend Increase #1: WEC Energy Group (WEC)
The first dividend increase that was announced in December was from WEC Energy Group, which was the first I have received from the stock. WEC announced a 7.4% increase in its quarterly dividend from $0.6775 to $0.7275 per share. This was slightly above my expectations of a 6.3% increase in the quarterly dividend to $0.72 per share. I believe this will be the first of many more strong dividend increases in the future from this wonderful utility based in my home state.
Across my seven shares, my net annual forward dividends surged $1.40 higher due to WEC's dividend hike.
Dividend Increase #2: Eastman Chemical (EMN)
The next dividend increase declared in December came from Eastman Chemical. EMN upped its quarterly dividend by 10.1% from $0.69 to $0.76 per share. This was well above my projection for a 7.2% increase in the quarterly dividend to $0.74 per share, which I'll gladly take from this excellent stock.
My net annual forward dividends were boosted $1.12 across my four shares of EMN as a result of its dividend raise.
Dividend Increase #3: Amgen (AMGN)
The third dividend boost announced in December was from Amgen. AMGN declared a 10.2% increase in its quarterly dividend from $1.76 to $1.94 per share. Once again, this came in ahead of my forecast for an 8% bump in the quarterly dividend to $1.90 per share. This is why it literally pays to be a dividend growth investor, especially with the raises this year. These kinds of raises will easily combat the four decade high in inflation.
Across my four shares, my net annual forward dividends skyrocketed $2.88 higher due to AMGN's dividend hike.
Dividend Increase #4: W.P. Carey (WPC)
The next dividend increase that I received in December came from W.P. Carey. WPC announced a 0.3% increase in its quarterly dividend from $1.052 to $1.055 per share. This was more than the 0.2% bump in its quarterly dividend that I was expecting to $1.054 per share.
My net annual forward dividends inched $0.084 upward as a result of WPC's dividend increase across my seven shares of the stock.
Dividend Increase #5: CVS Health (CVS)
The fifth dividend increase of December from CVS Health came as a bit of a surprise. I was anticipating that the company wouldn't increase its dividend until the end of next year. But based on CVS's tremendous deleveraging progress to this point, it could afford the 10% hike in its quarterly dividend from $0.50 to $0.55 per share.
Interestingly, this is actually the first dividend increase that I have received since I purchased the stock. That's because CVS Health has been focusing for years on repaying the debt related to its acquisition of the health insurer Aetna.
Across my seven shares, my net annual forward dividends were boosted by $1.40 due to the dividend increase from CVS.
Dividend Increase #6: Broadcom (AVGO)
Another dividend increase that I received in December came from Broadcom. AVGO declared a 13.9% hike in its quarterly dividend from $3.60 to $4.10 per share. This was once again moderately higher than the 11.1% increase to $4 per share that I was anticipating. I'm very glad that I built up my position in AVGO during the COVID crash in March.
My net annual forward dividends soared $6 higher across my three shares of the stock as a result of AVGO's dividend hike.
Dividend Increase #7: Pfizer (PFE)
The seventh dividend increase in my portfolio that was announced in December was from Pfizer. PFE announced a 2.6% increase in its quarterly dividend from $0.39 to $0.40 per share. While this came up well short of the 10.3% raise that I was expecting from the stock, I don't blame them for being conservative. But I would have liked to see more from PFE in light of its leading position in the COVID-19 vaccine industry. At least the dividend is extremely safe with its payout being so low, which leaves room for bigger raises in the future.
Across my 17 shares, my net annual forward dividends inched up $0.68 due to PFE's dividend raise.
Dividend Increase #8: Abbott Laboratories (ABT)
The next dividend increase that was declared in December came from Abbott Laboratories. ABT increased its quarterly dividend 4.4% from $0.45 to $0.47 per share, which came in below my forecast of an 8.9% increase in the dividend. But like the raise from PFE, I can't fault a company for being cautious with dividend increases. This is especially the case after ABT's 25% raise last year before I became a shareholder. Being diligent with the payout ratio is exactly what will allow ABT to become a newly minted Dividend King by the end of next year.
My net annual forward dividends edged $0.48 higher across my six shares as a result of ABT's dividend increase.
Dividend Increase #9: Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY)
The ninth dividend hike that I received in December was from Bristol Myers Squibb. BMY announced a 10.2% hike to its quarterly dividend from $0.49 to $0.54 per share. This was a bit higher than the 8.2% increase that I predicted, which the stock can easily afford with its low payout ratio.
Across my 10 shares, my net annual forward dividends shot up $2 due to BMY's dividend raise.
Dividend Increase #10: Dominion Energy (D)
The next dividend increase that was announced in December came from Dominion Energy. D declared a 6% increase in its quarterly dividend from $0.63 to $0.6675 per share, which was just a bit below the 6.3% increase that I was expecting.
My net annual forward dividends were boosted by $0.90 across my six shares as a result of D's dividend raise.
Dividend Increase #11: Realty Income (O)
The eleventh payout increase that was announced in December was from Realty Income. O declared a 0.2% increase in its monthly dividend from $0.2460 to $0.2465 per share. This was exactly what I projected, which is what I love about this Dividend Aristocrat!
Across my 13 shares, my net annual forward dividends inched up by $0.078 due to O's dividend increase.
Dividend Increase #12: American Tower (AMT)
The final dividend increase declared in December came from American Tower. AMT announced a 6.1% hike in its quarterly dividend from $1.31 to $1.39 a share. This easily beat my expectation of $1.37 per share. A 6% increase in a year would be pretty solid itself. But what makes AMT really impressive is that it raises its dividend each quarter. Talk about dividend growth!
My net annual forward dividends were boosted by $0.96 across my three shares as a result of AMT's dividend increase.
Expected Dividend Increase #1: Realty Income (O)
O is really making the appearances in this series lately with its whopping 4.2% increase in its dividend in November and the slight increase last month. And with another 0.2% increase in its monthly dividend to $0.2470 per share likely to be announced next month, the stock will have raised its dividend for three straight months if it announces an increase in January.
Across my 13 shares of the stock, this would be a $0.078 increase in my net annual forward dividends.
Expected Dividend Increase #2: BlackRock (BLK)
The next stock that I anticipate will up its quarterly dividend next month is BlackRock. Given that analysts are expecting BLK's earnings per share to increase 8.9% to $42.22 next year, I am projecting that BLK will announce a 9.9% raise in its quarterly dividend from $4.13 to $4.54 per share.
If this announcement were to occur, my net annual forward dividends would be lifted by $1.64 across my single share of the stock.
Expected Dividend Increase #3: Kimberly Clark (KMB)
The third stock that I believe will declare a dividend increase next month is Kimberly Clark. Because KMB's EPS is forecasted to grow 9.6% next year to $6.75, I believe that the stock will announce a decent increase to its quarterly dividend. I'm expecting that KMB will raise its quarterly dividend by 5.3% from $1.14 to $1.20 per share.
Across my four shares of the stock, this would boost my net annual forward dividends by $0.96.
Expected Dividend Increase #4: Alliant Energy (LNT)
The final stock that should raise its dividend next month is Alliant Energy. Since LNT is targeting paying out $1.71 in dividends for next year, this won't count as a prediction on my part. This implies that LNT will raise its quarterly dividend by 6.2% from $0.4025 to $0.4275 per share. The company's Board of Directors has already approved the raise, so it's now just a matter of waiting for the actual announcement date.
This will be a $1.30 gain in my net annual forward dividends across my 13 shares of the stock.
December was a great way to cap off a year of robust dividend increases. For the month, I received $17.982 in dividend raises. This would require $513.77 in capital investment at a 3.5% yield to replicate!
On the base of dividends that I was receiving from the 12 stocks that went on to raise their dividends this month, the weighted average raise was a solid 6.6%. Given that WPC, O, and AMT raise their dividends each quarter, the annualized raise from these dozen stocks would be even higher taking that fact into consideration. Even in a very inflationary period like the one we're seeing now, my portfolio is managing to stay ahead of inflation.
While I'm only expecting four raises next month, my net annual forward dividends would grow by $3.978 if these dividend announcements play out as expected.
Overall, my dividend growth portfolio is starting to pick up steam as it rolls down the hill of compounding. I'm very much looking forward to the next year to see just how high my dividends will go!
How was your December 2021 for dividend increases?
Did you receive any first-time dividend increases like I did with WEC, CVS, ABT, and BMY?
Thanks for reading and please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section!
Posted by Kody at 5:18 AM No comments:
My Financial & Personal Goals for 2022
Since there are only two weeks left in this year at the time of writing, there's no better time than now to look ahead to the next year and set goals.
Without further ado, here are my financial and personal goals for 2022.
My Financial Goals for 2022
1. Receive at least $2,700 in net dividends
My first financial goal for 2022 is to collect at least $2,700 in net dividends next year, which I believe is realistic. That's because I am on track to receive close to $1,800 in net dividends this year. My net dividends would only need to grow just under $900 to reach this figure, which works out to investing approximately $27,000 at an average weighted yield of 3.25%, not considering dividend increases.
2. End the year with net annual forward dividends of at least $3,200
The second financial goal that I have is to end next year with net annual forward dividends of at least $3,200. Given that I'll be heading into next year with $2,300 in net annual forward dividends, this would again require roughly $28,000 in investments at a 3.25% yield. This strikes a good balance between being both a lofty and a doable goal.
3. Surpass $100,000 in investments and a net worth of at least $110,000
The final financial goal that I have for 2022 is to end the year with over $100,000 in investments and a net worth of at least $110,000. Since my investments are currently worth $68,000 and I anticipate that I will invest nearly $30,000 next year (including selective dividend reinvestment), my holdings would only need to appreciate about 4% in the next 12 months. This seems pretty reasonable in my opinion. And because I generally have $1,500 in savings and checking and a vehicle worth around $11,000, getting to $100,000 in investments would give me a clear path to $110,000 in net worth by the end of next year.
My Personal Goals for 2022
1. Publish at least 300 articles for Motley Fool
The first personal goal that I have for next year is to publish at least 300 articles over at The Motley Fool. This builds in the equivalent of two weeks of vacation each year as long as I get at least 6 articles a week published the other 50 weeks of the year, which I have been doing for months now.
My reasoning for aiming to publish this many articles over at The Motley Fool is two fold. Financially, it should allow me to hit my goals for next year and helps me to make considerable progress in achieving financial independence by age 35, which is a long-term goal of mine. Secondly, it's a nice balance between work and relaxation. That's because this workload at TMF, along with doing 1 Seeking Alpha article and 1 blog post each week, equates to approximately 35 hours a week of work.
2. Publish 1 Seeking Alpha article each week
Consistent with my sentiment above, I am going to stick with publishing 1 Seeking Alpha article a week. I believe this overall workload gets me to financial independence reasonably fast, while also giving me enough free time each week to recharge.
3. Publish 1 blog post every week
Finally, my third goal is to continue publishing 1 blog post a week for the same reasons I outlined above.
While 2021 isn't quite over yet, I'm projecting that I will likely have achieved at least four out of my six goals for the year. Stay tuned for my blog post next week where I will detail my goals that I achieved and failed for this year.
Next year will be yet another exciting year in that it will be my first full year with TMF since I didn't quit my day job until this past July. Thus far, my earnings have been moderately higher at TMF than they would have been at my day job, while I'm also working less and avoiding a couple of hours each week that would have been spent commuting to and from work.
Financially, I stand a good chance of reaching the milestone of $100,000 in investments next year. As Berkshire Hathaway's Vice Chairman Charlie Munger put it: "The first $100,000 is a bitch." With the passage of time, my dividend stock portfolio is growing bigger and beginning to produce meaningful results. It's my hope that in 10-15 years, my portfolio will be working nearly as hard as I have been in securing the capital to build it over the years. Next year will be yet another chance to take another step closer toward making that dream a reality.
I'm so glad that I live in one of the few countries in the history of the world with the conditions that have allowed me to achieve what I have thus far financially. God bless the U.S.A.
What are your goals for next year?
Out of all of your goals, do you anticipate any will be more difficult than your others to attain?
I appreciate your readership and encourage you to leave comments in the section below. Also, I wish you the best of luck in reaching your goals next year!
Posted by Kody at 6:17 AM 2 comments:
January 2022 Dividend Stock Watch List
As I'm writing this blog post, it's already mid-December. Surprisingly, we're in for a beautiful couple of days with temperatures topping out in the upper-50s Fahrenheit here in Central Wisconsin.
With that aside, I'm going to dive into three of the top stocks on my watch list heading into the New Year.
Dividend Stock #1: 3M (MMM)
The first stock that I'm watching for next month is the Dividend King 3M. While I own 3M indirectly through my Capital Income Builder (CAIBX) mutual fund and a fractional share through M1 Finance, I don't yet actually own whole shares of the stock. There are a few reasons why I'm watching this stock for next month.
The first reason is because 3M is a diversified industrial. Since the company is balanced across a variety of healthcare industries like healthcare, electronics, and manufacturing, it should do well no matter what's going on in the world.
This is why analysts are expecting 3M to deliver 8% annual earnings growth over the next five years. Such growth should allow for mid-single-digit dividend growth over the foreseeable future given that the stock's payout ratio for this year will be around 60%.
It also doesn't hurt that the company's interest coverage ratio through the first nine months of this year was 17.3. This suggests 3M is on solid financial footing, which will undoubtedly help me sleep at night owning the stock.
3M's overall quality with a 3.4% dividend yield at just 17 times next year's average analyst sets long-term investors up for success in my opinion, which is why I like the stock at its current $175 share price (as of December 13, 2021).
Dividend Stock #2: Union Pacific (UNP)
The next dividend stock that I'll likely be buying in January 2022 is the railroad titan Union Pacific.
Ever wonder just how what you buy actually ends up getting to a store near you? Well, after semi trucks, railroads are the next biggest means of transportation. This logistical option recently accounted for 28% of total U.S. freight movement by ton miles. In other words, railroads play a major role in the 57 tons of goods per American that are delivered each year!
What makes Union Pacific such a great railroad play?
The stock's more than 30,000 miles of track cover the western two-thirds of the United States, which makes it the major player in most parts of the country alongside Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) owned BNSF Railway.
The continued need for railroads to play a major role in the U.S. economy explains why analysts are forecasting that Union Pacific will grow its adjusted diluted EPS by 16.5% annually over the next five years.
That's likely why Union Pacific announced its second dividend increase of the year, which was 10.3% to boot. Looking ahead to next year, the stock's dividend payout ratio will only be 41.5% (assuming that total dividends paid next year are raised 10% to $4.72 divided by $11.36 adjusted diluted EPS average analyst estimate). This leaves plenty of room for Union Pacific's dividend to keep growing.
And given that Union Pacific's yield is currently 1.9% at its share price of $246 (as of December 13, 2021), the stock offers a market-beating yield that should grow at a double-digit clip for years to come.
Finally, the stock is trading at just under 22 times next year's earnings. This is a reasonable price to pay for Union Pacific's quality in my book.
Dividend Stock #3: Allstate (ALL)
The final dividend stock on my watch list for next month is the property and casualty insurer Allstate, which was the fifth largest P&C insurer last year as measured by direct premiums written. The company wrote a whopping $34.3 billion in premiums last year.
In a modern society such as ours, it's important for individuals to protect possessions like homes, cars, and rental properties. Allstate's business is to take on that risk for individuals at a price that adequately rewards the company for doing so.
Because its industry is likely to steadily grow in the years ahead due to the essential nature, Allstate stands to benefit quite a bit. Even without considering the strong likelihood of interest rate hikes next year (which would raise Allstate's investment income on its $61.8 billion investment portfolio per page 5 of Allstate's Q3 2021 earnings press release), the company should do well in the years ahead.
The stock also boasts a 3% yield that is well-covered (yield based on $107 share price as of December 13, 2021). Since Allstate trades at just 10 times next year's average analyst EPS estimate, I believe the stock is a solid buy at this time.
I'm expecting that I should once again have a bit more than $2,000 of capital at my disposal next month, which will allow me to put more money to work in some of the best businesses in the world.
Throughout much of this year, there has been an interesting development in my portfolio. That development is that I am focusing less on yield and more on quality stocks that grow their dividends at rather high rates. As my dividend income has grown over the years, I have come to appreciate less spectacular yields with incredible dividend growth rates. UNP and ALL perfectly fit into that category of strong dividend growth, while MMM's dividend growth has decelerated in recent years (though I don't believe that will be the case for much longer).
Are any of MMM, UNP, or ALL on your watch list for the month?
If not, what stocks are you watching for January 2022?
Thanks for reading and I look forward to your comments below!
Posted by Kody at 5:39 PM No comments:
November 2021 Dividend Stock Purchases
As I'm writing this blog post, it's early December. It's hard to believe that less than four weeks are left to this year. But despite the official start of winter being just a couple of weeks away, it has been quite nice here in Central Wisconsin with high temperatures in the mid-30s Fahrenheit.
At any rate, the beginning of a new month is a time for me to look back at the previous month of dividend stock purchases that I executed for my dividend growth portfolio. Let's dig in!
I started off the month by adding two shares to my position in Raytheon Technologies (RTX), which was executed at an average price of $88.55 a share. I added to this holding in my portfolio for the same reasons that the stock was on my watch list in October, which was due to its fair balance sheet, recovering aerospace business, and low payout ratio. These transactions added $4.08 in net annual forward dividends to my portfolio, which works out to a 2.30% dividend yield.
The next stock that I increased my position in during November was WEC Energy Group (WEC), which I purchased a single share of at a cost of $88.80. That's because the stock is one of the smartest stocks investors can buy in light of the company's reasonable payout ratio, mid-single-digit annual earnings growth, and fair valuation. This buy added $2.71 in net annual forward dividends to my portfolio, which equates to a 3.05% yield.
The third stock that I upped my stake in last month was the Dividend King Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), which was a lone share at a price of $165.03. Johnson & Johnson recently raised its earnings guidance for this year, it's the only company alongside Microsoft (MSFT) to possess an unblemished credit rating, and despite these characteristics, the stock trades at a P/E ratio in the mid-teens. Considering that this purchase boosted my net annual forward dividends by $4.24, I was able to secure a 2.57% starting yield on this share of stock.
I also added four shares to my position in the business development company Main Street Capital (MAIN) at an average cost of $45.69 a share. The basic reasoning for this was that MAIN is arguably the best run business in its industry, which is supported by its diversified investment portfolio, its investment-grade credit rating, and solid net asset value per share growth. These transactions advanced my net annual forward dividends by $10.32, which works out to a 5.65% yield.
I increased my stake in Omnicom (OMC) by two shares at an average price of $68.78 per share. My rationale for doing so remains unchanged from when OMC appeared on my watch list for October, which is that the company is rebounding from COVID, the balance sheet is decent, and the stock is attractively valued. These buys added $5.60 to my net annual forward dividends, which equates to a 4.07% yield.
The first stock that I opened a position in during the month was the semiconductor Texas Instruments (TXN), which was really because I wanted another semiconductor in my portfolio alongside Broadcom (AVGO). TXN is a solid dividend growth stock with a great track record, which is why I purchased three shares of the stock at an average cost per share of $189.19. These transactions boosted my net annual forward dividends by $13.80, which is a 2.43% net yield.
The second stock that I began a stake in last month was the communications infrastructure REIT Crown Castle (CCI), which is because I wanted a high-quality company to play the megatrend of growing data consumption. CCI isn't cheap, but it also isn't unreasonably expensive. That's why I added three shares of the stock to my portfolio at an average price per share of $182.57. These purchases increased my net annual forward dividends by $17.64, which works out to a 3.22% yield.
The final stock that I opened a position in during the month was American Water Works (AWK). I outlined the reasons for why I want to own the stock in my December 2021 dividend stock watch list post, which include the incredibly low payout ratio for a water utility, above-average growth prospects, and a firmly investment-grade credit rating. I bought three shares of the stock at an average cost of $172.23 a share and plan to add more in the near future. These buys added $7.23 to my portfolio's net annual forward dividends, which equates to a 1.40% yield.
I added a share to my position in Cummins (CMI) at a cost of $219.20. I would advise those interested in my rationale to check out my recent Seeking Alpha article on the stock. This transaction boosted my net annual forward dividends by $5.80, which works out to a 2.65% yield.
For the first time in nearly three years, I made the decision to sell a stock I had purchased a couple of years prior. That stock was the private prison operator GEO Group (GEO), which slashed its dividend a couple of times before ultimately suspending its dividend earlier this year. This was a classic case of a dividend yield that was too good to be true, which was in the low-double digits when I made my initial purchases in August 2019. It was a transaction I should have never executed in hindsight, but live and learn.
This transaction is what allowed me to add two shares of British American Tobacco (BTI) to my Webull portfolio at an average price per share of $34.07. Given the $5.94 in net annual forward dividends added to my portfolio, this works out to an 8.72% yield.
I deployed $2,670.53 in capital last month (including the $132.68 in funds raised from the sale of GEO within my Robinhood and Webull accounts). This is the fifth straight month that I deployed over $2,000 in capital. Considering the $77.36 in net annual forward dividends that I added to my portfolio during the month via purchases, this equates to a 2.90% net yield.
When also adding in the $11.92 increase in net annual forward dividends via dividend increases, my net annual forward dividends have advanced from over $2,115 at the start of November to more than $2,205 heading into December.
How was your November 2021 for capital deployment?
Did you open any new positions in your portfolio like I did with AWK, CCI, and TXN?
As always, thanks for reading and I look forward to reading your comments below!


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Pro Stand – Is it worth it?
Cameron Lucy June 14, 2019
I know what you're thinking, are you crazy? Of course it's not worth it! $999 for a stand?! You could almost buy a MacBook for that price! Well, yes, that's true, but the people who are interested in the Pro Stand are not interested in owning a MacBook. They're interested in the Mac Pro and it's impressive capabilities. Let's take a deeper look and see if maybe, just maybe, the Pro Stand along with the Pro Display XDR is worth it for you.
Who would buy it?
First, let's talk about the reason why you would buy the Pro Stand, the Pro Display XDR. Let's be honest, this display is not for watching Netflix (although it'd look amazing!). It's an incredibly advanced 32″ retina 6k display, the first of it's kind actually. Because of this, The target audience is not for the average Joe, it's for the pros. It's aimed at visual creative professionals, people working on high budget projects who need the absolute highest quality possible. This includes fields such as photography, videography and cinematography to name a few. People who have a lot of heavy duty workloads, especially involving some form of media, are the ones who should be considering the Pro Stand.
The dream for a lot of creative professionals
Isn't the price just a bit too steep?
Well, actually no, what Apple have done is actually quite ground breaking. If you were to buy the new Mac Pro, Pro Display XDR and the Pro Stand, the total cost would be $11,997. Sounds like a lot, but let's compare with one of the current leaders on the market, Sony's BVM-X300 V2. It's currently Sony's flagship model in their professional monitor line-up and the cheapest i could find was for around $28,000. That's just for the monitor, not including all your other set-up. So when you compare the two, it's actually mind blowing what Apple are offering, a more advanced setup with a huge discount on what's currently available.
The biggest competitor to the Pro Display XDR, Sony's BVM-X300 V2
Where did Apple do wrong?
The biggest mistake that Apple made, was to sell the Pro Stand seperately. If it was sold with the Pro Display XDR and bumped the price by an extra $999, no one would've batted an eyelid. However, when it's sold seperately, the price sticks out like a sore thumb. you could even hear the groans at WWDC 2019 when the price was revealed.
But maybe that was all part of Apple's plan, it seems to me that the evil geniuses at Apple knew exactly what they were doing. They must've known that the price was outrageous, but they also know that there's no such thing as bad publicity. What better way to advertise their new stand, than to have everyone talking about it, making memes and writing articles (like the one you're reading now) so that they get the utmost coverage for it.
Yes, it's possible to buy a VESA mount adapter for $199 which you can use with a third party stand which is a hell of a lot cheaper. Sadly, this is the ONLY alternative for the Pro Stand. It's frustrating because you feel manipulated into buying the Pro Stand and you know what's going on. But, really, what other choice do you have?
The new VESA Mount Adapter for the Pro Display XDR
The Pro Stand is as vital to you as the Pro Display XDR. If you really need a monitor with those capabilites, you're going to need the Pro Stand. But don't be saddened by the price. Just consider the monitor costs you $5,998 and you'll be happy. Don't think about this as Apple's most expensive and ridiculous accessory, think of it as apple's ridiculous ploy to get people talking about their new products.
So is the Pro Stand worth it? For me, yes. Although I'll never buy one personally as I would never need it. I see this product as a necessity, but that's it. If you need it, buy it. If you don't need it, absolutely don't buy it! In this scenario, I would say don't let your wants become needs.
Do you agree? Let us know what you think in the comments!
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This little beauty was christened 'Dixie' by the girls Easter weekend. Her dam is JWest's Brigit and she was sired by JWest's El Presidente. Dixie was 14 days old in this photo and is obviously a healthy, thriving little heifer. Her dam is one of my favorite cows, having an excellent nature as well as being a really beautiful, well made British White cow that she passes on to all her calves.


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Reid, Daniel (1785–1869)
Daniel Reid (Read/Reed), a farmer's boy, was sentenced to life transportation. He arrived in Sydney in 1814 aboard the Surrey. According to the ship's indent he was 5 feet 5¾ inches (167.5 cms) tall; with a fair, pale complexion; light brown hair; and hazel eyes. He was assigned to James Ruse as a servant and later married Ruse's adopted daughter Anne.
absconds after stealing a pig, Sydney Gazette, 9 August 1826, p 3, column 2
death notice, Sydney Morning Herald, 9 September 1869, p 1
Payne, Ann (wife)
Ruse, Elizabeth (mother-in-law)
Ruse, James (father-in-law)
Ruse, Rebecca (sister-in-law)
Armfield, Elizabeth (sister-in-law)
English, Susannah (sister-in-law)
Kennedy, Mary (sister-in-law)
Tandy, Elizabeth (sister-in-law)
Wells, John (brother-in-law)
Harrigan, Patrick (brother-in-law)
Armfield, Edward (brother-in-law)
Ruse, James (brother-in-law)
Crook, John (brother-in-law)
Kiss, James William (brother-in-law)
Ruse, James (master)
'Reid, Daniel (1785–1869)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/reid-daniel-25261/text33699, accessed 20 January 2020.
Read, Daniel
Burrowa, New South Wales, Australia
general debility
Passenger Ship
Surrey (1814)


In The Flying Squirrel plantations in Coorg, long rows of coffee bushes poke out their branches with red swinging cherries. Founder Ashish Dabreo defines their cultivation "a combination of science and art." In the fields, vanilla, citrus, banana, spice, and cardamom patches nourish the coffee with their aroma. Machines wash and pulp cherries; big pools collect them at various stages of fermentation to create different textures and characters; and billion of beans are poured on vast brick yards for drying, raked in multiple cycles.
Experimenting is one of the magic ingredients of the company, which produces and sells high quality coffee. The passion that grows coffee and fuel the company has its roots in a childhood spent in Mangalore, where friends and relatives use to gift coffee beans from their estates. "Drives up to the estates every few months for holidays or weddings were all contributors to our early coffee indoctrination," says Ashish.
After innumerable cups of coffee, Ashish decided to start up a company in 2011 because good quality coffee in India was hard to find. "When we began R&D on cultivation and blending there were not many significant online players in the market selling non mass-packaged freshly roasted and ground coffee," says Ashish. Since they started, the team has been very particular about the consumers they want to target: not those who look for their 'caffeine fix' or their 'morning jolt', but those who are 'serious coffee drinkers'. Two years later, The Flying Squirrel sold its first batch of coffee. "In the two years that we took for product development a few brands began retailing online. In the last six months there has been a surge in online coffee brands," remarks Ashish.
"Unlike a lot of our competitors, we grow our own coffee as we have been doing so for generations," he adds. Ashish's college friend Tej, who is now a farmer, takes care of coffee from its growth till its drying in Coorg before the beans are sent for roasting and packaging to Bangalore. He continues, "Tej works on the farm and is one of the most passionate growers one would have the privilege of talking to. He has an in-depth knowledge of coffee cultivation and a very contemporary approach to technology. This and our innovative methods to get exciting bean profiles, makes us unique." The rest of the team has expertise in branding, design, digital marketing and advertising which matches with and completes the farming skills.
To learn more about The Flying Squirrel and order some of their different types of coffee click here.


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Is This Hearthrob The Next Beast?
By ARN Radio
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST [US 1991] Date: 1991
Could Ryan Gosling ever pull off a role as a beast…. the best in Beauty and the Beast to be more precise.
That is the rumour currently circulating after last week's news that Emma Watson had been cast to play Belle in Disney's new live-action version of the fairytale.
The Tracking Board has reported that the in demand actor is being courted for the male lead and may have already been offered the role.
Our next thought is who will play Gaston, Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs Potts and of course Chip!
It of course comes after the live-action version of Alice in Wonderland, the yet to be released Cinderella and a version of The Jungle Book rumored to be released in 2016.
Will it live up to the 1991 Disney release or can that kind of magic only exist in animation?
Missed The Christian O'Connell Show? Catch up by clicking play below and join us from 6AM every weekday!
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Promising Gulgong filly Plucky Star will make her metropolitan debut at Royal Randwick this Saturday.
The Brett Thompson-trained three-year-old will line up in the Class 2 TAB Highway Handicap (1400m).
From just six starts Plucky Star has recorded two wins and two seconds.
In her most recent outing in the Gilgandra Toyota Class 2 Plate (1200m) on New Year's Day she travelled three wide the whole way but managed to fly home down the outside to be just beaten for second.
Prior to that she notched a gutsy win in a class 2 1200m race at Narromine and even when 6th at Wellington on 26 November, she hit the line strongly.
"She's still a bit green but she's improving all the time," Thompson said. "She certainly has ability."
"I can attribute most things she has done wrong to a tight track.
The query for Thompson is the 1400m but he is happy to have a go and let the horse show him what she wants.
Stablemate Pencita is also nominated for the TAB Highway Handicap on Saturday but will most likely be saved for a 1100m Class 1 race at Wellington.
A strong performance there would see Thompson send her to Sydney.
Thompson has only had one crack at a Highway race and that was with Landuar who finished 5th to Handwritten in August last year.
"We're really looking forward to the race this weekend," Thompson said.


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By RiverTown Newsroom on Jul 8, 2019 at 9:50 a.m.
The flowers of cutleaf teasel have distinctive bracts and the stems are prickly. Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture
By Emilie Justen, Minnesota Department of Agriculture
July's Weed of the Month, cutleaf teasel (Dipsacus lacinatus), once had a useful propose. But now the weed is being targeted for eradication in Minnesota.
Cutleaf teasel is an herbaceous perennial plant that dies after producing seed. It was brought to North America from Europe in the 1700s and its stiff, bristly seed heads were used in the textile industry to raise the nap on fabric. Cutleaf teasel has also been used as an ornamental plant in gardens and flower arrangements.
Despite its uses in the textile and floral industries, cutleaf teasel has become invasive in Minnesota and is a noxious weed on the eradicate list. It produces a large amount of seed that can stay viable in the soil for several years. Most of the seed falls near the parent plant, and when the seed germinates it forms dense monocultures that choke out other plants. The seed can be spread by water and has been found growing along creek banks in southeastern Minnesota.
Cutleaf teasel prefers disturbed, open, sunny areas with moist to dry soils. It is commonly found along roadsides and in ditches. The plants form a rosette of hairy leaves and a long taproot before sending up the flower stalk. Cutleaf teasel derives its common name from the long, deeply cut, prickly leaves that form a cup around the stem. The stems are rigid and spiny. It can stay in rosette form for several years until it has stored enough resources to produce a flower stalk.
Cutleaf teasel produces a unique flower and seed head. The flowers are large, showy, oval-shaped and are enclosed by stiff, spiny bracts. The plant blooms from summer to fall. It also has the ability to form seeds on very short stalks after mowing, making management of this plant a challenge.
As a target weed on Minnesota's Noxious Weed Eradicate List, it's required by law that all above- and below-ground plant parts must be destroyed. Recommended management practices for cutleaf teasel include the following:
• Do not use seedheads in floral arrangements. Do not plant cutleaf teasel or intentionally move soil containing seeds of this species, including soil attached to equipment or recreational vehicles.
• For small infestations, hand-pulling and digging are management options, though the large taproots can be difficult to remove. Flowers and seed heads should be removed and dealt with according to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture/Minnesota Department of Health disposal recommendations.
• Mowing of the flowering stalks can disrupt seed production; however, mowing will not kill the rosettes and cut flower heads should be contained and disposed.
• Foliar applications of herbicide can be used on cutleaf teasel at the rosette stage. For specific herbicide recommendations, contact your University of Minnesota Extension Regional Office.
To report infestations of cutleaf teasel or any other noxious weeds on the eradicate list, please notify MDA by email at arrest.the.pest@state.mn.us, or voicemail at 1-888-545-6684 (toll-free).
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New to Manchester this September? We've got your back. We give you a heads up on the best places to hunt for records, the best place to catch a gig and the best place to take your mates for a pint.
Manchester has long been one of the best cities for record shopping. Whilst the Northern Quarter is somewhat of a record shopper's mecca, recent years has seen certain gems popping up all around the city. Whilst Piccadilly Records and Vinyl Exchange continue to reign downtown, it's also having a rummage through the collections at Clampdown Records, Empire Exchange and of course Eastern Bloc which is the place to find your Techno, Drum & Bass, House & Electronic music gems. Once you've purchased your Magicbus weekly pass, it's worth hopping on a bus to Withington to check out new hot spot Deco Records which is a great place to catch a local band while you have a coffee.
Top 5 venues: For gigs, Gorilla and Deaf Institute are my favourites as you get amazing smaller acts there and the sound/atmosphere is always great.
Matt & Phred's should be on every musician's list for Manchester and HOME is a great venue for meeting friends/colleagues and has awesome films & food. The Whiskey Jar in Northern Quarter is great for its Open Mic night – and has top quality musicians doing stripped back acoustic versions of tracks.
Top bars: Eastern Bloc / Soup Kitchen : The Stephenson Square area in the Northern Quarter is great for drinks and coffee, particularly in summer as there's lots of places to sit outside and people watch. Beech Road in Chorlton is a nice place to go if you fancy bar hopping. Lots of small cosy bars with good atmosphere. The Refuge is fancy, but beautiful. The Grade II* Listed building has a stunning indoor garden area as well a courtyard which hosts some pretty ace events throughout the summer.
Top 3 Venues: O2 Apollo has a great sound and you can see from anywhere! Academy 3 – The smallest Academy but has the best sound and vibes, Soup Kitchen has a good bar upstairs, club nights and bands downstairs.
When it comes to music venues, Manchester can compete with the best as the city is abundant with great places to see live music. If you're living in the town centre Gorilla and The Deaf Institute should be on your list of go-to venues. Both offer the chance to see bands and DJs in a small intimate environment which makes for a great atmosphere. Moving towards the Northern Quarter and you should take the time to check out the downstairs event list on offer at the Soup Kitchen. Their eclectic listings include everything from pounding techno to psych rock and almost everything in between. Across the road is Eastern Bloc and around the corner is Night and Day. The Northern Quarter is a great place to start if you're on the hunt for a great night out and almost every taste is catered to. Even if Jazz isn't on your list of interests, it's worth checking out Matt and Phred's simply for its unique atmosphere. The venue is one of the best places in the city to catch a live jazz band and offers up an alternative night like no other in Manchester.
Outside the city centre and there are a few places worth mentioning. Just a short walk from SEM is The White Hotel, probably Salford's best underground venue which exists in an old warehouse unit on an industrial estate and in the opposite direction, you've got Hidden, Indigo and Cubo which all host a selection of great house and techno nights.
If you're on the lookout for somewhere to have a pint, there's a good selection of places to start your night near SEM. Sharing Bexley Square with us is The New Oxford which draws in a mixture of students, locals and musicians from SEM and right next door, we've got the Deli Lama which offers a small cosy cafe area in which you can have a drink and often listen to live music. 5 minutes up Chapel Street will bring you across The Old Pint Pot which is two floor quirky pub attracting the hipster crowd.
Heading into town and once again we'd recommend the Northern Quarter as a top place for drinks. Places to discover include Crazy Pedro's, Dusk Til Pawn (a secret bar designed in the style of a pawn shop), Hold Fast ( a bar in which you can play Nintendo with your mates while you drink) The Washroom (a bar disguised as a launderette) and Twenty Twenty Two ( the city's best ping pong bar).


text:
Q: Best practices for coding a PHP nav_bar file? I'm wondering what the proper practice is in this scenario. I'm using PHP to load the nav_bar file but I'm not sure if the nav_bar file should contain the HTML and body tags in it?
Option 1
    enter code here

Web page name

link 1

link2

link 3

link 4

link 5

option 2
 enter code here

Web page name

link 1

link2

link 3

link 4

link 5

A: Unless your page does not contain any other content, it is best not to contain  and implement the  or/and  tags, as this is would force the browser in re-assigning these tags.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
DNA polymeráza III (Pol III) je asi nejvýznamnější DNA polymeráza bakterií. Je spolu s helikázou a primázou zásadní pro průběh bakteriální replikace DNA. Je rychlá, efektivní a dostatečně přesná. Tato DNA polymeráza se u E. coli skládá ze 17 podjednotek a obsahuje deset odlišných druhů polypeptidů. Nejvýznamnější z nich je alfa podjednotka, která je z enzymatického hlediska schopná právě polymerizační aktivity. Epsilon podjednotka zase např. umožňuje opravu DNA. Beta podjednotka je svírací protein.

Reference

Externí odkazy

DNA polymerázy

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


It doesn't matter if you work in a small doctor's office or lab or for a large hospital chain; all healthcare professionals need to have an online presence. Healthcare and medical providers face a growing set of unique challenges in the SEO world because of the intense need for privacy and sensitivity they face. HIPAA compliance rules make it difficult to directly address some online concerns, but patients are demanding higher levels of satisfaction. They're voicing their opinions and concerns online — loudly.
If you happen to be operating in the healthcare industry, this is an important topic. A single negative review on sites like RateMD can sink a private clinic lightning-fast, leading to a loss of patients or even eventual lawsuits.
Your job is to balance the need for privacy, respect, and sensitivity with the need to market your brand and business. Here's how to achieve that goal and what you need to know in order to avoid a PR disaster.
Let's be realistic – just about everyone with internet access tries to look up some sort of healthcare information now and again. Don't even pretend you haven't tried to play Dr. Google at least once; we all do it. Healthcare providers often show up in those searches, especially if they use the right keywords and content.
How can you make the most of that? The key is to make sure you are using the right keywords and strategies as they relate to your practice or specialties. This can take a little bit of finesse and skill.
In terms of keywords, a primary care physician may want to use search terms that relate to their geographic area, to their areas of specific interest, or even to the specific age groups they treat (e.g., geriatrics or pediatrics). Some choose to focus on the type of insurance plans they accept instead, because searchers often look for what their insurance will cover first.
A specialist, on the other hand, may be able to take a broader approach regarding geographic area since people are often willing to travel further for a well-known, highly-skilled specialist. Other keywords would have to be more specific to their areas of expertise; e.g., cardiology, endocrinology, orthopedics, and related terms.
Once you have a specific list of healthcare related keywords, the practice's website will need to be properly optimized. The site's title descriptions, meta tags, and of course content should all reflect your chosen terms. Unique on-site content needs to be created around these terms, and not just within service and information pages, but on informative blog and article pages, too.
Healthcare providers are not exempt when it comes to creating high-quality content for SEO purposes. In fact, because most are classified as industry experts, visitors often expect an even higher level of content than they might from, say, a department store, restaurant, or hair salon. Keep this in mind at all times.
HIPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, was designed to create guidelines healthcare facilities must follow in order to keep patient information safe and secure. While this generally applies mostly to patient files and how they are shared among different offices and other providers, there are some things you need to keep in mind for SEO and marketing purposes.
Your website should be using SSL (Secure Socket Layer) to prevent unauthorized access to private information. This is especially important if your website has an online portal your patients can use to connect with the office, send messages, and view records. Having SSL will help boost your rankings.
HIPAA requires that all websites have a Notice of Privacy Practices in order to remain compliant. The notice must specifically disclose how information is collected and how it will be used.
HIPAA guidelines require medical websites to change their passwords on a regular basis. It also dictates that only certain people in your organization should have online access to PHI (personal health information).
In terms of website content, you must have a patient's express, written permission to share details of their treatment or story on your website or social media platforms. This includes anecdotes, even if you switch out a few details to try and mask the possible connection of identity.
In short, everything you do must comply with HIPAA guidelines. The actual bill is almost 140 pages long, though, and most of us here aren't lawyers. If you are ever in doubt, have your practice attorney take a look at the regulations and your plan. This is one instance in which it's best to be safe, rather than sorry (or even sued).
Review and reputation management is a huge part of search engine optimization. Every business entity should be paying attention to what people are saying about them online, but healthcare providers need to be especially conscious of this feedback. Patients can leave reviews just about anywhere, including the standards like Google, Facebook, and Yelp, as well as other narrow-themed sites like Vitals, HealthGrades, ZocDoc, and RateMD.
Some patients will leave reviews on third-party sites and write their own Facebook posts or blogs about what happened during their office visits. They may or may not call you out by name. The important thing to remember is that you simply can't engage with these people or reply with specific details. Not only is it a HIPAA violation, but it's also extremely ethically questionable, too.
We've seen business owners react emotionally to reviews time and time again, but you simply can't do that in the healthcare industry. In most instances, best practice would be to leave a comment inviting the person to contact your office so that you can go over their issues. There is very little else, even if they disclose personal details, you can say online without violating HIPAA.
Having a social media presence is obviously important to SEO, but your profiles can be a ticking HIPAA time bomb if they are not handled properly. The first problem is that too many healthcare organizations allow employees who seem social media savvy to handle their accounts without any true knowledge of social media management. They get over excited, post pictures, and share details they simply shouldn't.
That snapshot of Carol laughing with your patient last week you posted to Facebook? If you don't have a waiver signed for it, it just might get you in trouble.
The biggest thing to remember when it comes to social media is that nothing you share should include anything at all that could tie the post back to a specific person – directly or indirectly. It doesn't matter if you didn't use a name if you did use a full-face photo. HIPAA guidelines specifically forbids you to use any PHI in your marketing or social campaigns, paid or organic. Just don't do it.
You also need to make sure your staff are trained to not discuss the details of their jobs on their personal social media accounts. VeryWell shared an article detailing some chilling examples of privacy violations gone wrong, including an EMT that posted enough details about an assault victim that the media was able to figure out where the victim lived. This can lead to real, serious harm – physical and emotional – especially in situations where a crime has been committed.
The key to good healthcare SEO is to make sure the information you distribute, whether posted on your website or on social channels, sticks to your area of expertise without using real-life examples or personal details. You can be friendly, informative, and engaging without violating someone's privacy.
If you do want to share something about a patient, do the right thing – ask them for permission. Have them sign a waiver giving you permission to share that inspiring story or successful treatment picture. They'll appreciate it, and so will your lawyers.


text:
Joseph DAWSON
HAIRSTON.org ID#4246, b. about 1730, d. about 1822
Birth* Joseph DAWSON was born about 1730 in Amherst County, Virginia.1�
Marriage* He married Judith DUDLEY on 20 November 1753 in Goochland County, Virginia.1�
Property* Peter Hairstone and his wife Agnes sell 250 acres in the North Garden of Goochland County to Joseph Dawson of Amherst County on 24 oct 1762. This is the land next to Robert Lewis. Albemarle County Deed Book 3, page 242.2�
Death* Joseph DAWSON died about 1822 in Amherst County, Virginia.1�
Judith DUDLEY b. a 1724
Jane DAWSON+1 b. a 1754, d. 16 Aug 1816
[S73] Daughters of American Revolution (DAR) - This information has been claimed, but I have no idea if it is accurate.
[S3411] Albemarle County, Virginia Deed Book 3, Pages 242-243. Family History Library, Film #007893699, Image 331., Family Search, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.