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April 18, 2020 October 26, 2020 queerthling
Rating Doug Jones Monsters (by Fuckability)
Doug Jones is an amazing actor. From behind latex masks and under elaborate costumes, he takes inhuman characters—aliens, robots, ancient beings—and imbues them with personality. He lends not only his own graceful movements, but a true sense of character, bringing each figure to life. They transform from a costume to a real person that you can connect with, even when you can't see a face.
Naturally, I'm taking those incredible characters and reducing them to mere sex objects.
I have always loved monsters and other non-human characters in media. As a neurodivergent Queer Earthling, they are sometimes easier for me to relate to, particularly when they're written sympathetically. Additionally, I'm kinda face blind (I can't reliably recognize my own beloved spouse if they're in a wig!) and monsters are often the only characters I can consistently identify within a short time. Is it any wonder, then, that a lot of my romantic and sexual energy has found itself aimed at inhuman characters?
A quick note: this list is pure silliness and not meant to be taken seriously. Anyone looking for actual merit in this article will be severely disappointed. This is also far from a complete list; this consists of some of my favorites (or unfavorites). A complete list would take a very long time because the man has like 900 acting credits.
(Fun fact: whenever we watch a movie and Doug Jones shows up, monster or not, everyone in my house goes "Dougie!" while throwing up their hands. It's fun. I recommend it.)
These rankings also have nothing to do with Doug Jones himself who is, by all accounts, a very kind, happily monogamous man who was reportedly not thrilled by that Shape of Water dildo. I'm writing about characters that he has played, not him. If you don't know the difference between a character and an actor, you might want to stop here. These are varied characters from many different stories who just happen to all be played by the same dude, that's all.
This ranking is from 1-5, one being "meh" and five being "TAKE ME NOW, MONSTER MAN." This list may also contain mild spoilers for various media.
Billy Butcherson, Hocus Pocus
[Description: Billy Butcherson from Hocus Pocus, with his mouth sewn shut.]
Billy Butcherson may have been the first Doug Jones character many of us met. In the Disney Halloween classic Hocus Pocus, Billy was once the lover of the witch Winifred, then cheated on her with her sister, the witch Sarah, and then Winifred killed him and sewed his mouth shut. He then comes back during the events of Hocus Pocus as a zombie who is, it turns out, perfectly happy to help our youthful heroes defeat the bad guys, two thirds of whom he's banged. So that's a thing. He's pretty nice, though. He's got some late 80s goth hair going on.
Fuckability factor
3/5. He's cute, has a human face if you're into that kind of perverse thing, but apparently his breath is not good, and the ex-girlfriend baggage is a little awkward. Also, he's full of moths. Also, his dick might have rotted off and I'm not sure I want his mouth or fingers on me.
Saru, Star Trek: Discovery
[Description: Saru, orangey with bright blue eyes, from Star Trek Discovery.]
Saru is the only Kelpien in Starfleet. He's a capable leader, especially once he developed some confidence, speaks 94 Federation languages, has a dry sense of humor, and can run really fast. He had threat ganglia, which warned him of coming danger, but then he hit puberty or something and they were replaced with spiky things, which can shoot at danger instead, which could be a metaphor for overcoming anxiety or could just be really fuckin' metal.
5/5. There are very few Star Trek aliens I wouldn't fuck, and very few Starfleet officers I wouldn't fuck (except admirals), and Saru is both of these.
The Faun, Pan's Labyrinth
[Description: The Faun, wooden and with curly designs, standing in darkness, captioned "I am a faun."]
In Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth, the Faun is a guide to Ofelia in an eerie quest to reinstate herself as a magical princess, and also might be a figment of her imagination, or a metaphor, or something. Extremely tall, he also appears to be made of wood, with some extremely splendid horns, and he has some trickster fae aspects that mean you aren't sure if you can trust him.
4/5. Listen, you can't trust him and he has horns. These are two of my greatest kinks. He's like the Lord of Darkness in Legend but creepier. Also, unlike most of the characters here, he actually has genitals, so that's neat. Good for him. He does get a point knocked off for the possibility of splinters, and also because he may or may not be real, which I guess does make it hard to fuck.
The Pale Man, Pan's Labyrinth
[Description: The Pale Man (described below, don't make me do it again) with his palm eyes on display]
Doug Jones got an extra role in Pan's Labyrinth as the most horrifying monster in del Toro's extremely horrific gallery of horrifying monsters. The Pale Man is a grotesque white creature driven solely by appetite, who has eyes on the palms of his hands, and also is a metaphor for white colonialism, demonstrated by his constant need to consume. Everything. Including you.
-763/5. Fuck no. No no no.
Carl Swangee, Automata
[Description: A white-faced robot dressed in a black overcoat, looking at a Victrola in the foreground]
Automata was a series of shorts (edited together as one 40-minute piece and distributed by Dust on YouTube) based on a comic, featuring an alternate 1930s where prohibition is not on alcohol, but on the manufacture of sapient robots. Carl is a private investigator with a dry sense of humor who works alongside his BFF Sam Regal. He's loyal, strong, and clever. He's also made of metal and plastic, so he's a pretty good match for the rest of my sex life.
5/5. Listen, you listen to the part about "mice plans" and tell me you wouldn't fuck him. And robots can apparently fuck in this version, since there's a robot brothel. Look, just watch it, it's fucking good and you can't leave the house anyway.
Abe Sapien, Hellboy and Hellboy 2
[Description: Abe, blue fish man, wearing goggles and showing his webbed, oddly-textured hands to the camera]
Abe is a fish man. He's a touch-telepath, extremely intelligent, who lives in a very large fish tank in a library when he's not going on cool-ass missions with his buddy Hellboy, as played by Ron Perlman. He has the requisite dry sense of humor because this is apparently a requirement for all Doug Jones characters who are not terrifying. In the first one he's voiced by David Hyde Pierce, which is great if you have a thing for Niles Crane (which you do, let's be honest, everyone does, it's okay) but in the second he has Doug Jones' own voice, which he also uses to sing drunkenly with Hellboy, which also happens to be the finest scene in any film thus made.
10/5. Damien calls him my boyfriend. He's smart, funny, and has a really weird hands. Hells yeah.
The Chamberlain, Hellboy 2: The Golden Army
[Description: Square-headed monster looking at own very skinny hands, wearing a kickass velvet outfit]
His head is square yet droopy, his arms and fingers are very long, and he never discovered waterproof eyeliner. Nice outfit, though.
1/5. I'm not mad at him, just doesn't do it for me.
The Angel of Death, Hellboy 2: The Golden Army
[Description: Bony-faced Angel of Death with eyes on her wings.]
A nonbinary angel who uses she/her pronouns, the Angel of Death has a bony dish thing for a face with no eyes, which is fine because her wings have a lot of eyes! She speaks in an extremely eerie multi-voice, has an exposed ribcage that might be armor but is probably not, and is just an extremely cool monster.
4/5. I'm not sure if you CAN fuck her, but I'm down to try. It'd probably be a Lovecraftian experience that would exceed dimensional space but, like, you know, we all have our faults.
The Asset/Amphibian Man, The Shape of Water
[Description: Blue fish man wearing a metal collar]
Look, this is like the only one of Doug Jones' characters who actually got to fuck anyone, but…I haven't seen it. The main antagonist is a terrifying bigoted misogynistic white man, and I've had enough of those IRL. I like monster movies, not Actual Monsters. That said, he's basically Abe Sapien with more scales and less verbal speech, and he's a romantic lead, uniquely heroic, and amazing.
5/5. Obviously.
Man, I, Helios
[Description: Bald skinny white man with numbers on his head]
He's expressly not a monster in this, but I'm actually not even posting about fucking or anything. Does anyone have any idea what's going on in this short? Can you explain it to me slowly? It was beautiful and engaging but I feel dumb now.
?/5. I don't know what I just watched.
Want more monsterfucker content? Check out my fantasy tag and my fantasy dildo tag, and don't forget my sci fi tag for more stupid lists and things.
This post is extremely not sponsored. Screencaps taken by either me or my spouse, and belong to their respective distributors, and are used here under fair use.
To the best of my knowledge: Hocus Pocus is property of Disney; Pan's Labyrinth is property of Warner Bros; Automata is distributed by DUST; Hellboy and Hellboy 2: The Golden Army are properties of Sony; The Shape of Water belongs to Fox Searchlight Pictures; I, Helios belongs to James Berry. Doug Jones belongs, as far as I know, to himself. No offense or copyright infringement is meant by this post.
geeky nonsense
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On the 30th of August in the year 2015 St. Peter Damian finished the renovations on the main church's sanctuary. After many months of hard work all the efforts finally came together to create a beautiful new environment for the parishioners to come and worship. The team running the renovations, lead by Father Walter Takuski, worked tirelessly through our summer months until the day Bishop George Rassas would come to Consecrate the Altar and Bless the New Sanctuary. In this album is the mass that was held at 7:45 am on August 30, 2015. With the help of Deacon Ron Yorkis and Father Walter Takuski, Bishop Rassas was able to welcome St. Peter Damian and her followers into the new home for worship.
Here is a picture of the procession of the altar services with the Bishop, Father Walter and the Lectors.
With the help of our altar servers Emily and Anthony, Deacon Ron Yorkis holds the sacred book for all to see. Michele is in the background singing joyful tunes in preparation for the reading from the holy gospel. For those not seen, our awesome altar servers Dominic, David and Matthew are patiently waiting in the side lines.
Father Walter is preparing the relic for its placement in the altar.
More photographs of the placing of the sacred relic into the altar.
The Bishop Rassas and Deacon Ron continuing the mass for the blessing of the Sanctuary.
Bishop Rassas is continuing the blessing of our new altar, with the observing Deacon Ron and Father Walter.
Here Bishop Rassas, and Deacon Ron await the gifts. The ever patient altar servers Matthew, Anthony and Emily await alongside Bishop Rassas while David and Dominic stay alongside Father Walter.


This is the 64bit version, if you're looking for the 32bit version click here. If you're unsure, use the 32bit version.
HWiNFO (Hardware Information) is a small but very informative application that scans our hardware and tells us exactly what components our computer contains including manufacturers and excluding assembly companies like HP for example which, like many others, try to hide the model names and numbers of their components so you have to go through them if you need any exact replacements.
It is completely free to use and very resource-light so it's definitely a good idea to install it on our systems specially as it also monitors temperatures which can help us keep an eye on things.


Exquisite home in ESTATES section of Laurel Springs! 2 story Marble foyer, stunning 2 story paneled study, dramatic 2 story Living Rm w/firepl, Gourmet custom kitchen w/SS appls overlooks vaulted/Beamed keeping Rm w/stone Firepl & wood ceiling. Romantic Mater suite on main w/opulent remodeled spa bath. 3 large bedrms w/full baths & bonus Rm upstairs. Professionally finished terrace level w/custom pub-style bar, pool rm, media rm, exercise rm, bedrm & full bath. Amazing golf course lot & views from the covered porch & brick patio. Double lot affords total privacy!
Listing courtesy of Keller Williams Rlty Atl. Part. Selling Office: Keller Williams Rlty Atl. Part.


An analytical model of the cavitation process in a pump is developed assuming that the flow is adiabatic, frictionless, steady, and irrotational. A relationship is developed relating the volume percentage of the fluid vaporized during the cavitation process to the "thermal cavitation parameter." Two assumptions are then introduced concerning the cavitation process in a pump pumping fluids of different cavitation characteristics. Using these assumptions, a relationship is derived indicating that the difference in net positive suction head (NPSH) of a given pump handling two fluids is a function of the difference of the reciprocals of the thermal cavitation parameter for the two fluids and of the volume percentage of the fluid vaporized. This relationship is compared with data describing the cavitation characteristics of six pumps handling four pure fluids. The change in NPSH for all of the pumps and fluids, using the cold-water NPSH as a reference, is found to correlate as a function of the reciprocal of the thermal cavitation parameter with an accuracy of ±1 ft in NPSH. Experimental and analytical methods for determining the cavitation characteristics of pumps handling petroleum-based hydrocarbon mixtures are then described. Cavitation data for two pumps handling gasoline, fuel oil, and crude oil are presented. The data correlation for pure fluids is extended to include cavitation data for petroleum-based hydrocarbon mixtures. It is found that mixtures exhibit an additional decrement in NPSH over that for pure fluids having the same value of the thermal cavitation parameter. This additional decrement is found to be temperature dependent.
Spraker WA. The Effects of Fluid Properties on Cavitation in Centrifugal Pumps. ASME. J. Eng. Power. 1965;87(3):309-318. doi:10.1115/1.3678264.


Christine Amanpour looks at if Cuba is primed for its version of the Arab Spring.
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Top 12 Biggest Container Ships in the World
Container ships (sometimes spelled containerships) are cargo ships that carry all of their load in truck-size intermodal containers, in a technique called containerization. They are a common means of commercial intermodal freight transport and now carry most seagoing non-bulk cargo.
12 Emma Maersk
EMMA_MAERSK
Photo source: Marine Traffic
Emma Maersk-Emma Mærsk is the first container ship in theE-class of eight owned by the A. P. Moller-Maersk Group. When launched in 2006 she was the largest container ship ever built, and in 2010 she and her seven sister ships were among the longest container ships. Officially, she is able to carry around 11,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) or 14,770 TEU depending on definition. In May 2010, her sister ship Ebba Mærsk set a record of 15,011 TEU in TangerMed.
11. CMA CGM Marco Polo
mag-48-fleet-1-minCMA CGM Marco Polo is a UK-registeredcontainer ship of the Explorer class owned by the CMA CGM group. On 6 November 2012, it became the largest container ship in the world measured by capacity (16,020 TEU), but was surpassed on 24 February 2013 by the Maersk Triple E 4 class (18,270 TEU), which is 4 metres (13.1 ft) longer at precisely 400m in length. It is named for Venitian merchant and traveller Marco Polo.
10. CMA CGM Vasco De Gama
cma-cgm-vasco-de-gama-min CMA CGM Vasco de Gama is an Explorer class containership built for CMA CGM. It is named after Portuguese explorer Vasco de Gama. CMA CGM had originally planned to name the ship after Benjamin Franklin. The ship was delivered in July 2015, it is among the world's largest containerships, at 17,865 TEU.
9. CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin
cma-cgm-benjamin-franklin-3bis-1-min CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin is an Explorer class containership built for CMA CGM. Delivered in November 2015, she is named after United States Founding Father Benjamin Franklin. She is one of the largest container cargo vessels, capable of carrying 18,000TEU with lenght of 399.2m.
8. Madison Maersk(EEE)
madison-maerskeee-min– Madison Maersk is one of the largest very large container vessels (VLCV) in the world. The ship is Maersk Triple E class and was built in 2014 by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in South Korea. The ship was ordered together with her sister shipsMagleby Maersk, Maribo Maersk, Marstal Maersk, Matz Maersk and Mayview Maersk. With improved architecture and more. powerful engineering and propulsion system, the 3 ship achieves better dynamic characteristics and lower fuel consumption. The ship has capacity for 18,270 TEU and is accommodated with 1800 reefer plugs.
7. MSC New York
msc-new-york_9606314_930653-570×1140-min
Photo source: Fleetmon
MSC NEW YORK is a container ship built in 2014 and currently sailing under the flag of Panama. MSC NEW YORK has 399m length overall and beam of 54m. Her gross tonnage is 176490 tons and has a capacity of 18270 TEU.
6. Magleby Maersk
magleby-maersk-minMagleby Maersk is Triple E-Class and one of the largest container ships of the world. The vessel was built at the shipyard of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering under the hull number 4255. The vessel owned and managed by the Danish shipowner Ap Moller Maersk, which is the largest operation of container shipping in the world. Magleby Maersk is the largest Maersk Triple E-Class ship and has capacity for 18,270 TEU
5. Barzan(UASC)
barzanuasc-minBarzan is an ultra large container ship and among the largest container ships in the world (as of July 2015. It is the first of a series of six 18,800 TEU container ships built for United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) in South Korea.[2] According to 2 the builder, it has carbon emissions far lower than the Maersk EEE class container ships
4. CSCL Globe- MV CSCL
cscl_globe-min
Globe is a container ship owned and operated by China Shipping Container Lines(CSCL). The first of a class of five ships intended for Asia-Europe trade routes, she was the largest container ship in the world at the time of her launch in November 2014,with a maximum capacity of 19,100 twentyfoot containers.
3. MSC OSCAR
39391b2fc310ef454bad39903199a83e-minThe ship was first planned for 18,400 TEU. Upon completion of construction, the capacity was 19,224 TEU, including the capacity for 1,800 refrigerated containers. As the deadweight tonnage of the ship is 197,362DWT, she can only carry a full load of containers if each has a mean weight not exceeding 10.2 tons. With average 14-tonne containers, the capacity is around 14,000 TEU.
2. MOL Triumph
MOL's newest vessel, the first of a fleet of six 20,000 TEU-class containerships for the company, it is the 2nd largest container ship in the world. was named MOL Triumph in a ceremony at SHI in South Korea on March 15, 2017. At 400 meters in length and 58.8 meters in width, MOL Triumph is currently the world's largest containership. With a capacity of 20,170 TEU, the vessel is the first 20,000 TEU-class containership deployed in THE Alliance's Asia to Europe trade via the FE2 service.
1.Madrid Maersk
Photo Source: Ship Spotting
Danish container shipping major Maersk Line has taken delivery of Madrid Maersk in April 2017, a 20,568 TEU boxship, from South Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME), the shipping company told World Maritime News.
The previous record has been shortly held by the recently delivered MOL Triumph, which has a capacity of 20,150 TEU.
The 196,000 gross-ton Madrid Maersk features a length of 399 meters and a width of 58.6 meters.Maersk Madrid belongs to the 2nd generation of the company's Triple-E class of vessels and is the first of 11 ships ordered from DSME back in 2015. Even though the official capacity rating of the ships was set to 19,630 TEU, Maersk Line seems to have modified the design resulting in breaking of the 20,000 TEU mark.
Source: World Maritime News
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This lightning font, Tesla Font, is a dedication to the legendary and iconic figure of Nikola Tesla, Serbian inventor. His master-mind gave our civilization the design of modern current electricity supply system and these works inspired us to create a fantastic electric typeface to hit the lightning typography skyline like a thunderbolt.
Well, for the moment many associate Tesla with an automaker company by Elon Musk; however, the aim of this electric typeface is to lay emphasis on the Serbian genius. The lightning font will inspire great minds to keep working on their projects no matter what the audience think of them at the initial stage. We know that your intentions in the result will turn out as a masterpiece that's why we would like to support you with the help of the science typeface. Tesla Font is a new type of energy, a very pure one. The thunder typeface will give you powers you need so desperately. Besides, the blue font reminds of one of the most dangerous yet beautiful natural phenomena – thunder! Play with electricity safely and breathe with ozone after the end of the storm.
Maybe, you want to see another example of a good blue typeface? Have a look at our fonts made by hand. Browse and buy fonts like Melting Blue Font, Ice Ice Baby Font or Bluelight Font.
Of course, we don't mind if you use Tesla Font for Tesla Inc., to promote modern cars and everything. However, this electric typeface suits comprehensible physics books and popular scientific literature. The creative font will also be pretty good on a movie poster. Perhaps, there will be another continuation of Thor's adventure in the Marvel cinematic universe and you can make a cool logo with our unique typeface for it.
Each letter comes as a separate PNG file on a transparent background. Each image has the high resolution size of 2200x2700px. This downloadable package contains 46 files. PNG images can be opened and edited with all major image and document layout applications. You can change the color of letters. For this, you need basic skills in using Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, etc.


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The Tamimi Family – a Dynasty of Arab Terrorists
Lital Shemesh | 09/01/2018 24/01/2018
The young women who assaulted soldiers and who is now portrayed as a folk hero fighting for freedom, is in fact another product of the well oiled Arab incitement and propaganda machine
Ahed Tamimi, a history of provocation. (Photos - Flash 90)
Two indictments were filed last week, against 17 year old Ahed Tamimi and her 21 year old cousin, Nur Tamimi, the daughter of the head of the Nabi Salah council. They were arrested for assault on IDF soldiers. We all saw the difficult to stomach images of these young women assailing the soldiers as they stood helpless, holding themselves back so not to be tempted to respond physically to the provocation.
http://en.mida.org.il/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/VID-20180110-WA0003.mp4
This is not the first time that IDF soldiers are forced to deal with such situations. This happens practically every day. Every Israeli citizen who has served as a combat soldier is familiar with this type of harassment, done deliberately in front of the cameras, as I myself am, having served as a fighter in conflict areas.
This disturbance to IDF soldiers in the performance of their duties is carried out on a daily basis. Most often young boys and girls are used for this mission to create a provocation in any way possible which can then be used as a propaganda weapon against Israel in the international media.
The Arabs have turned this behavior into a flourishing industry of lies that has been dubbed "Pallywood," and the Tamimi family are among the biggest stars in the field. The family, which lives in the village of Nabi Saleh in the south of Samaria, has been in contact for years with activists from extreme leftist organizations such as B'Tselem, who instruct them on how to act and even equip them with cameras to document the activity.
Following the recent incident, Ahed Tamimi (who is often misleadingly reported to be 14 or 15 years old for some reason) has become the darling of Arab propaganda. Despite her young age, she has already managed to accumulate a rather impressive record in staged provocations.
She is very active in the social networks and six years ago was documented in a video cursing IDF soldiers and waving her fist at them. As a result, she was invited to Turkey, where President Erdogan gave her a medal of honor. Two and a half years ago she came back to the headlines after being photographed physically assaulting a soldier along with some of her relatives.
There is no doubt that the image of an innocent blonde girl facing a group of armed soldiers is a very effective visual weapon in the Arab battle against Israel in the media, which succeeds at pulling at the heartstrings of people in European countries, where Tamimi has already become a symbol of a struggle for freedom. When you look though at Tamimi's roots and her family history, it turns out that the truth is the complete opposite.
In 1993, a resident of Beit El, Haim Mizrachi, went to buy eggs in a village near Ramallah, as he had done for years. When he arrived at the store, he was ambushed by two terrorists who stabbed him and then burned him to death in his car. The two terrorists were Said and Nizar Tamimi, cousins of Ahed's father, Bassem.
The terrorist murderer Nizar Tamimi married Ahlam Tamimi from the village of Nabi Saleh, who in 2001 drove the suicide bomber who blew himself up at the Sbarro restaurant in Jerusalem and murdered 15 Israelis, including seven children. Another 140 people were injured in the attack. Tamimi was released as part of the Shalit deal and is currently living in Jordan where she presents a television program in which she praises terrorists and calls for attacks.
Another famous relative of this delightful family is Manal Tamimi, Bassem's sister-in-law, whose Twitter account is one of the most popular in the Arab world. In it she shares anti-Semitic videos and distributes terrorist propaganda.
Bassem, the father of the family, was once convicted of organizing violent acts against soldiers. He is also very active with his wife in spreading anti-Israel propaganda and is occasionally invited to lecture on the issue in Europe and the United States.
When you look at the dark past of the Tamimi family, you can understand how the younger generation grew up to be brainwashed and full of hatred for Israel, continuing the path of terror and violence of its parents, with the support of left wing organizations, in their best tradition of justifying terror.
Last week, Ahed Tamimi's lawyer, Gabi Laski, was interviewed on IDF Radio and explained that this is the narrative of occupation and that the story of Ahed and the soldiers is the story of the occupied and the occupier.
Lasky is also one of the founders of Peace Now, one of the left-wing organizations that fund and support the Tamimi family and are now trying to portray her as an innocent child struggling with the occupation. In fact, she is simply a new stage in the Arab aspiration to delegitimize Israel and bring about its elimination by incessantly inciting against Jews .
So the next time you see another masterpiece, courtesy of Tamimi Productions, remember the dynasty of terror and hatred that these young women, who have become heroines in Arab society, have grown up with, and you will understand again what kind of enemy we are facing and what its real intentions are.
(Translated from Mida.org.il Hebrew)
Lital Shemesh is an Israeli Journalist and Commentator
[Find this article interesting? You can find more in depth articles on Israel and the Middle East @en.mida.org.il]
Paul Attah says:
Very unfortunate I learn t the girl was jailed for only 2 years and why? I believe she should be in jail till she learn how to behave. That nonsense couldn't have been done in any black country. However the Europeans especially England is really behind all the confusion in the world that is why they are now one of the worlds most active supporter of evil
Dina Moskowitz says:
I don't believe she can be rehabilitated, either in or out of jail. She is too inculcated for many years with hatred of Israel and the Jewish people, she has already publicly advocated violence against them and encouraged other Arabs to do the same. There's only one proper fate for her and her allies, and we all know what that is.
https://en.mida.org.il/2018/01/09/tamimi-family-dynasty-arab-terrorists/


The Blue Dot musicians will join dancers from Mahasti for a number of free performances at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, Canada.
We have three 30-min shows featuring different dance and music styles at the beautiful atrium at the museum. No need to reserve seats.


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Home » Wellness Services » Adult Sports & Rec
Adult Sports & Rec
Attention Apple users and others who may not be seeing this page display properly: Please click here to register for adult sports. Disregard any error message you may see here.
Register for Adult Sports
All ages. Group exercise classes, therapy classes, private & semi-private swim lessons, Adult free swim and even American Red Cross certifications.
(Members Only) Pick-up Games
NOTE: Pick-up games may resume once social distancing is lifted. As of Friday, June 19, 2020, the Cohen Gymnasium is open for shootaround only.
Ages 18+. Teams are selected at the beginning of each session. Just show up to jump in a game.
FREE with your JCC Membership.
First team to score 12 points meets a new challenging team.
Mon, Wed, Fri 6-8 am
Sun 9-11 am
NOTE: Subject to change based on program needs.
35+ League
Ages 35+. Veteran officials referee weekly games. Team jersey provided. Fall and Winter leagues.
$500 per team
Register as a full team.
B League
$98 / $75 Member
B League teams set by JCC.
Please note that classes may be Ages 16+. Classes for beginners and advanced dancers. We have tap, ballet, Chicago Style Steppin and La Blast dance classes.
Ages 18+. In partnership with Circle City Athletics (CCA). Register on the CCA website as an individual ($65) or a 10-person team ($600).
Tae Kwon Do & Hapkido
Ages 7-Adult. We've combined these two ancient Korean disciplines of combat and self-defense with sport and exercise. Tae Kwon Do, or the "way of the foot and the hand," and Hapkido, or the "way of harmony," emphasize good health, happiness, generosity, independence and coexistence.
Instructed by Master Jean-Pierre Decaudin
Promotion test given every 3 months (Tae Kwon Do only). Students must participate in the Tae Kwon Do class to take Hapkido.
Ages 11-Adult. Pickleball is a paddle sport for 2-4 players that combines elements of badminton, tennis, and table tennis. All levels welcome!
Pickleball Schedule
Open Play in Cohen (Big) Gym
Mon, Wed, Fri | 10 am-Noon
Tue, Thu | 1-3 pm
Sun | 4-6 pm
Click to view Pickleball Rules
Game & Match
In tournaments, a match will usually consist of the best 2 out of 3 games to 11. A game is finished when one player or team reaches 11 points and is leading by at least two points. If the score is tied at 10-10, then the game continues until one player or team wins by two points. Players switch sides after the first game. If a third game is needed, the players will switch sides after the first player or team gets to 6 points, and the game will then continue to its conclusion.
For consolation events, or when time is short, matches often consist of just one game to 15 points. The winner in this format must also be ahead by two points. In a 15 point game, players should switch sides after one team gets to 8 points, and the game will then continue to its conclusion.
Pickleball is similar to Volleyball in that a player or team can only score points when serving.
Prior to 2007, players were allowed to step over the baseline with one foot when serving, as long as they kept at least one foot behind the baseline until after they contacted the ball. However, the rule has been changed by the National Pickleball Association (USAPA) so that now both feet must remain behind the baseline until after the ball is struck.
Players must announce the score prior to serving. Always call the server's score first!
The serve must be made with an underhand stroke so that contact with ball is made below waist level.
Underhand Defined: The arm must be moving in an upward arc and the paddle head shall be below the wrist when it strikes the ball.
Serves must travel diagonally and land between the non-volley zone and the baseline of the service court opposite of the serving player.
Each player is allowed only one serving attempt unless it is a "let" serve. A let serve occurs when the serve hits the net and still lands in the correct service court. If this occurs, the serve is played over. Each player will continue to serve until he does not win a point.
Serving in Doubles
At the start of each new game , only one player on the first serving team is allowed a service turn before giving up the ball to the opponents. Thereafter both members of each team will have a service turn before the ball is turned over to the opposing team.
In doubles , the player on the right at the start of a service turn, will be the first person to serve for their team and will continue to serve until he or she does not win a point. Then his or her partner will serve until he or she does also does not win a point. Then it is the other team's turn to serve.
When the serving team scores a point, the server moves to the other side of the serving team's court. The receiving team should never switch sides.
If the serve rotation is done properly in doubles, the serving team's score will always be even when the player that started the game on the right side is on the right side and odd when that player is on the left side.
Serving in Singles
In singles, the server will serve from the right when he has an even number of points (0, 2, 6, 10). The server should serve from the left when he has an odd number of points (1, 3, 7, 9). The receiver should adjust their position according to where the server stands.
Non-Volley Zone
To volley a ball means to hit it in the air without letting it bounce. All volleying must be done with the player's feet behind the non-volley zone.
If a player's momentum causes them to step on or over the non-volley line after hitting a volley they have commited a fault and lose the point.
If a player's paddle, clothing, hat, or any part of their body touches any part of the non-volley zone while hitting a volley or because of their forward momentum after hitting the ball they lose the point!
A player may jump accross the no-volley line after hitting a volley if they don't touch any part of the non-volley zone including the lines while doing so.
Double Bounce Rule
Each team must play their first shot off the bounce. That is, the receiving team must let the serve bounce and the serving team must let the return of the serve bounce before playing it. After the two bounces have occurred, the ball can either be volleyed or played off the bounce.
The ball may only bounce once per side. After the ball is hit by a player, it must travel to the other side of the net.
If the ball hits one of the sidelines or the baseline, it is a playable ball. When a player or team fails to win the rally they are said to have made a fault. Some, but not all of the things that cause a fault are listed below:
Serving the ball into an incorrect area.
Hitting the ball out of bounds.
Volleying the ball before it has bounced once on each side.
Hitting the ball into the net or hitting the net with your paddle or body.
Hitting the ball while in the non-volley zone before it is allowed to bounce.
Touching the non-volley zone with your paddle or clothes while attempting to hit a volley.
Stepping on or over the non-volley zone line on a follow through.
Missing the ball when you try to hit it.
Server swings the paddle with the intent of hitting the ball but misses.
Three air-conditioned racquetball courts are available to JCC members at no charge. Racquets and balls are available for free at the Fitness Desk. Courts are open to members on a first-come, first-served basis, or by reservation. To reserve a court, call 317-251-9467. Looking for people to play with? Write your contact information down in the racquetball binder at the Welcome Desk.
Racquetball Court Hours
Mon-Thu | 6 am-8:50 pm
Fri | 6 am-5:50 pm
Sat & Sun | 7 am-6:50 pm
Wednesdays | 4:30-6 pm
Sundays | 9-11 am
Reservation Regulations
Please make a reservation for court use.
Open courts may be used on a first-come, first-served basis. Players with reservations take priority.
Reservations are accepted 2 weeks in advance.
Courts may be reassigned if players are ten minutes late. At least two players must be present on the court to recognize a court time.
Children under the age of 13 are allowed on the courts only when supervised by an adult or if they have a permission slip from a parent or guardian.
A maximum of one reservation per person per day is allowed.
Court reservations are for up to 2 hours.
Please give a name and telephone number when making a reservation.
Court Regulations
Only regulation racquets and balls may be used (both may be obtained at the Fitness Center desk free of charge).
Eyeglass wearers must wear athletic or shatter-resistant lenses. We recommend that non-eyeglass wearers wear eye-guards or some other form of eye protection.
Only non-marking gym shoes are permitted on the playing floor. All players must wear appropriate gym clothes (e.g., sweatshirt or t-shirt, sweatpants or
shorts).
All racquetball racquets must have wrist straps that are to be worn securely around the player's wrist.
Food and drink are prohibited on the courts.
The JCC Tennis program is committed to the development of players of all ages and abilities. Open to members and non-members, our program encourages tennis as a lifetime sport. We focus not only on skills and competition but also on enjoying the game.
USTA Adult League
18+, 40+ and 65+ | Men and Women. Looking for a little competition? Sign up for a USTA League. Register alone or as a team. Teams need a minimum of eight players and typically have around ten.
Work on tennis drills and get a great, high-intensity aerobic workout! Be prepared to sweat: Our instructors will get you moving with heart-pumping drills and games to supplement your fitness routine.
Wheelchair tennis classes prove once again that tennis is a sport for everyone. All ages and abilities are welcome.
Private Tennis Lessons
Note: A 24-hour cancellation notice will be strictly enforced.
The JCC's tennis program offers classes and leagues for children as young as age 4 and for adults of all levels. Court time and ball machine rental available by appointment. A private lesson is a great way to improve a specific area of your game. Contact Kim Shippy for more information regarding private lessons with Tennis Staff.
Court Rentals
Permanent Court Time
Per hour: $23 / $16 Members
Make your reservations early.
No refunds, no exchanges in times and/or days.
Daily Court Time
Reservations can be made at the East Desk or via phone at 251-9460.
Payment must be made prior to play. Reservations may be made up to 7 days in advance.
Early Bird Court Time | 5:30-8:30 am Weekdays
Mid-Day Court Time | Noon-3 pm Weekdays
Free for members with cost of court rental.
Non-members $5 per court rental. Reservations may be made up to 7 days in advance.
All participants in Fall/Winter sessions have priority for Winter/Spring registration.
Non-members are welcome in all group classes at the non-member rate.
Minimum deposit of $100 for class registration is non-refundable. Classes must be paid in full by start date.
JCC professionals reserve the right to move players between groups based on ability if necessary.
Make-ups and credits will not be issued for absences.
Registration fees will not be refunded after the first session.
Tammy Hopkins
General Manager of Fitness & Membership
thopkins@JCCindy.org
Kim Shippy
Racquet Sports Program Director
kshippy@JCCindy.org


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Jussi's Recordings
MORE THAN 50 YEARS have elapsed since Jussi passed away, but his recordings are still in great demand, whether sold on CD or downloaded from the web. His art is preserved in 39 complete operas and choral works and at least 628 individual titles like songs and arias. Most of these have now been reissued on CD.
In June 2015, Harald Henrysson's list of recordings of Jussi Björling and the disc and tape issues where they are represented (A Jussi Björling Phonography) was published in its entirety on the web for the first time. After his latest revision in May 2019, it comprises 3171 issues, 1460 of which are CDs.
By clicking the links below you will access this list.
The link Chronological list of recordings is divided in two subdivisions: A) studio recordings; B) live- and radio recordings
Chronological list of recordings
Issues on records & tapes
Issues on CDs, DVDs & Blu-rays
Interviews with Jussi


text:
Twi [] ( auch: Tschi) ist eine Akan-Sprache. Twi wird von ca. 3,4 Millionen Menschen vor allem in Ghana gesprochen, wo es auch eine der Amtssprachen ist.

Innerhalb des Twi werden die Dialekte Aschanti-Twi (auch: Asante-Twi, Aschanti, Asante) mit rund 2.800.000 und Akuapem-Twi (auch: Akwapem, Twi, Akuapim, Akwapi) mit rund 555.000 Sprechern unterschieden.

Zu den frühen europäischen Erforschern der Sprache gehörte der Missionar Johann Gottlieb Christaller (1827–1895).

Bekannte Twi-Sprecher
 Nana Abrokwa, Musiker
 Kwame Nkrumah, erster Präsident Ghanas
 Ignatius Kutu Acheampong, ehemaliger Präsident Ghanas
 Otto Addo, ehemaliger Fußballspieler
 Akwasi Afrifa, ehemaliger Präsident Ghanas
 Kofi Annan, ehemaliger Generalsekretär der Vereinten Nationen (UNO)
 Gerald Asamoah, ehemaliger Fußballspieler
 Albert Adu Boahen, ghanaischer Historiker und Politiker
 Abédi Pelé, ehemaliger Fußballer
 Samuel Kuffour, ehemaliger Fußballspieler
 John Agyekum Kufuor, ehemaliger Präsident Ghanas
 Sarkodie, Musiker, siehe Konvict Muzik#Künstler (Auswahl)
 Anthony Yeboah, ehemaliger Fußballspieler
 Asamoah Gyan, Fußballer

Literatur
 William Nketia: Twi für Ghana. Reise Know-How Verlag, Bielefeld 2004, ISBN 3-89416-346-1.
 Samuel Gyasi Obeng: African Anthroponymy. An ethnopragmatic and norphophonological study of personal names in Akan and some African societies. LINCOM Europa, München 2001, ISBN 3-89586-431-5. (LINCOM studies in anthropology 8)
 Paul F. A. Kotey: Let's learn Twi. Africa World Press, Trenton/NJ 2000, ISBN 0-86543-854-4.
 J. E. Redden, N. Owusu: Twi Basic Course. Hippocrene, New York 1995, ISBN 0-7818-0394-2. (Nachdruck der Ausgabe von 1963)
 Florence Abena Dolphyne: A Comprehensive Course in Twi (Asante) for the Non-Twi Learner. Ghana University Press, Accra 1996, ISBN 9964-30-245-2.

Weblinks

Fußnoten

Einzelsprache
Tonsprache
Kwa-Sprachen
Aschanti

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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ETF Investing
Ten Commandments of ETF Investing
Jared CummansApr 24, 2015
As ETFs have burst on to the scene the number of products available and complexity of exposure offered has increased significantly. Advisors and investors have taken steps to educate themselves on the ins and outs of ETFs, but many are still scrambling to play catch-up and unaware of the complexities these products can present.
What began as a handful of securities seeking to replicate widely-known stock and bond indexes has grown into a lineup of funds offering exposure to nearly every asset class, region, and investment strategy imaginable. While this impressive growth has enhanced the arsenal of securities available to ETF investors, it has also created the potential for misuse and made finding the right ticker symbol a bit more challenging.
While ETFs offer countless potential advantages relative to strategies that revolve around mutual funds and individual stocks, there are some potential pitfalls along path to enhanced cost and tax efficiency. Below, we offer up ten pieces of advice that will help to maximize the benefits of exchange-traded products for all types of investors, including tips on minimizing expenses, avoiding potential pitfalls, and picking the right fund for your portfolio.
10. Honor Thy Expense Ratio
The incredible rise of the ETF industry in the early 2010s has been attributable to a number of different factors. The enhanced tax efficiency of ETFs relative to mutual funds, intraday liquidity, and unparalleled transparency have all played a part in driving significant cash flows into exchange-traded products. But many investors have made the switch to ETFs based on the potential cost savings relative to actively-managed mutual funds, and the expense ratio delta is likely to be at the top of any list comparing mutual funds to ETFs [read ETFs vs. Mutual Funds: The Ultimate Guide].
After converting to ETFs, some investors pat themselves on the back for minimizing expense ratios, especially those buy-and-holders cognizant of the potential impact of compounding costs on a portfolio's bottom line return. Not everyone realizes that even within the ETF industry, there are often gaps in expense ratios wide enough to drive a truck through. For those truly interested in minimizing expenses, finding the right ETF can make a significant difference. Consider the following portfolio, consisting of six ETFs and diversified across domestic and international equities, fixed income, and commodities:
Russell 3000 Index Fund (IWV A-) 40% 0.20%
EAFE Index Fund (EFA A) 10% 0.34%
Emerging Markets Index Fund (EEM A-) 10% 0.67%
Barclays Aggregate Bond Fund (AGG A) 30% 0.08%
Dow Jones-UBS Commodity ETN (DJP A-) 5% 0.75%
Gold SPDR (GLD A-) 5% 0.40%
Total 100% 0.26%
The effective expense ratio of 26 basis points is impressive, especially considering that a similar portfolio comprised of actively managed mutual funds could incur upwards of 2.0% annually in management fees. Plenty of investors seeking to minimize expenses make it to this point and are satisfied, but the portfolio outlined above has only scratched the surface of the cost savings available through ETFs. Consider a second portfolio that offers similar asset class exposure (and nearly-identical index exposure):
Broad U.S. Market ETF (SCHB A) 40% 0.04%
EAFE ETF (VEA A) 10% 0.09%
Emerging Markets ETF (VWO A+) 10% 0.15%
Barclays Aggregate Bond Fund (LAG A-) 30% 0.10%
Dow Jones-UBS Commodity ETN (DJCI C+) 5% 0.50%
COMEX Gold Trust (IAU A-) 5% 0.25%
Without materially altering the asset allocation, the identification of the most cost-efficient ETF options reduced the effective expense ratio by more than half, lowering it to just 13 basis points [see our list of the 25 Cheapest ETFs].
9. Consider The Total Cost Of ETF Investing
When praising the cost efficiency of ETFs or seeking out the cheapest options, many investors focus in only on the expense ratio. But in reality the expense ratio is only one element of the total cost of investing with ETFs; computing a more accurate and complete cost of ETF investing requires consideration of both additional explicit costs and fees that may be incurred during the trading process. Among the other factors that contribute to the total cost of ETF investing are commissions, bid-ask spreads, and perhaps even effective interest rates:
Because trading fees are generally measured in absolute dollar terms, the effective percentage this cost component represents can vary significantly. For those investing significant amounts of money with very little turnover, the impact of commissions can be minimal. But for investors using a more active approach, the costs can add up in a hurry. Consider an investor with a $100,000 portfolio who pays $10 to execute every trade. If that investor makes a trade monthly–one buy and one sell order–the annual cost can exceed $200, effectively adding another 25 basis points to the total expense figure. That more than doubles the cost of the ultra-cheap portfolio outlined above.
Taking advantage of free commissions is an easy way to add to your bottom line. Fortunately for ETF investors, there are several options for avoiding trading commissions altogether. Schwab and Vanguard offer commission free ETF trading to their brokerage clients (on their respective lines of ETFs) and iShares has partnered with Fidelity to offer free ETF trading on 25 of the most popular iShares ETFs [for a full list see Commission Free ETFs].
Bid-Ask Spreads
Another element of the total cost picture that must be considered isn't as explicit as expense ratios and commission fees, but can add up rather quickly. Consider an investor who buys 100,000 shares of an ETF at $100.05 when the NAV is an even $100 and closes out the position at $109.95 after the NAV has climbed to $110. While the value of the ETF rose 10%, the bottom line return to the investor—before considering commissions—was about 10 basis points lower. Depending on the holding period on that investment, the bid-ask spread component of the expense equation could dwarf the expense ratio component [read Five Critical Questions To Ask When Investing In ETFs].
Interest Earned
For certain ETFs, there are other more advanced cost components that must be taken into account. Products that utilize derivatives to establish exposure—such as leveraged ETFs and futures-based commodity products—often maintain cash balances on which interest can be earned. The higher the yield earned by uninvested cash held by leveraged and commodity ETFs, the larger the offset to the expense ratio charged by the fund and the lower the actual overall cost. The issuers of leveraged ETFs pride themselves on their ability to offer competitive yields on uninvested cash, understanding that doing so can have a material impact on the bottom line return [see Free 7 Simple & Cheap All-ETF Portfolios].
8. Thou Shall Not Use Market Orders Recklessly
While there are numerous advantages of ETFs compared to traditional actively-managed mutual funds, there are some potential drawbacks that must be avoided as well. When dealing with mutual funds, investors buy shares from the issuer at the underlying asset value and redeem them at NAV as well. Unlike mutual funds, ETFs are traded like stocks—between market participants at whatever price clears the market.
The advantage to this system is the enhanced liquidity available to ETF investors, as shares can be traded at anytime throughout the day, and not redeemed only once at the end of the day. But the stock-like trading characteristics of ETFs also create some potential pitfalls that investors must avoid. The assumption that a trade will be executed at NAV is not always a safe one; while there are arbitrage mechanisms in place to ensure that the price of an ETF doesn't deviate substantially from the underlying net asset value, reckless use of limit orders can potentially put investors in an early hole or erode gains when exiting a position [read Ten Common Mistakes Every ETF Investor Should Avoid].
The combination of market and orders and ETFs can lead to disaster, especially when the fund in question features a relatively low average daily trading volume. Fortunately, limit orders are very simple and cheap to implement, and are very powerful tools for ETF investors [see 50+ All-ETF Model Portfolios].
Lessons From The "Flash Crash"
The events of May 6, 2010 were terrifying for many investors, as an unprecedented chain of events caused many securities—including many ETFs—to temporarily lose nearly all of their value. While many trades were ultimately canceled, a number of investors learned additional lessons about ETF investing the hard way. Many investors with straight stop orders on ETFs watched as values plummeted and stop orders kicked in well below the net asset value of the ETF.
Again, there is a relatively simple solution to prevent against a repeat of such a phenomenon: stop limit orders. "I think you need to replace all your stops with stop limits and be pretty generous with those limits, so as to actually get executed when the market might crater one way or the other," said Paul Weisbruch, VP of ETF/Options Sales and Trading at Street One Financial, in an interview. "So if investors build into their expectations 10 to 25 cents away from their initial stop target and establish stop limits there, at least they will get protected and they won't have any executions go far away from the actual NAV of the funds, which happened on May 6th."
When trading ETFs, there is most certainly a potential to get burned by premiums and discounts. But that doesn't mean that individual investors should be frightened off: there are very simple and powerful tools that can make trading ETFs a lot safer. Don't be afraid to take advantage of them [see Ten Shocking ETF Charts From The Flash Crash].
7. Thou Shall Not Covet Your Neighbor's Weighting Methodology
The impressive rise of the ETF industry in the late 2000s and early 2010s has transformed indexes from hypothetical performance benchmarks into investable assets. Not surprisingly, this transformation has brought increased scrutiny to the methodologies used to construct and maintain indexes.
Some investors have come to the conclusion that market cap weighting—giving the largest allocation within an index to the company with the largest market capitalization—has some potential drawbacks, including the tendency to overweight overvalued stocks and underweight undervalued securities. A number of firms have attempted to come up with a better mousetrap, rolling ETFs linked to indexes utilizing lesser-known but potentially more appealing weighting strategies:
Equal Weighting: Several ETF issuers offer funds linked to equal-weighted indexes, including Rydex and State Street. As the name suggests, equal-weighted indexes afford an equivalent allocation to every component, generally resulting in lower concentration of assets compared to cap-weighted benchmarks.
Dividend Weighting: Not to be confused with indexes comprised of dividend-paying companies, this methodology uses cash dividends paid to determine the weighting afforded within an index. Dividend weighting breaks the link between stock price and weight, and can potentially avoid companies that have been "cooking the books" (it's tough to manipulate dividend payments). This strategy can also result in a tilt towards value stocks, since those are more likely to pay a cash dividend.
Earnings Weighting: This strategy is similar to dividend weighting, but ranks each potential index component by earnings. Relative to a cap-weighted benchmark, the earnings-weighted methodology will tend to overweight companies with low price-to-earnings ratios while underweighting those with higher ratios. WisdomTree is the industry pioneer in both dividend-weighted and earnings-weighted ETFs.
Revenue Weighting: This methodology focuses not on a bottom line measure of profitability, but on top line sales. Revenue-weighted ETFs seek to capitalize on short-term imbalances when price/revenue ratios exceed a fair level, essentially overweighting stocks with low price-to-sales ratios [see Revenue Weighting: New Twist On An Old Drink].
RAFI Weighting: This concept has been made popular by Rob Arnott, founder of Research Affiliates. The idea behind RAFI weighting is to break the link between a security's weight in an index and its price. Arnott devised a methodology that focuses on four fundamental factors believed to be more accurate measurements of a company's true size: book value, income, dividends, and sales [see Does Your Portfolio Need A RAFI ETF?].
On the whole, the ETF boom has bolstered the popularity of and familiarity with market cap weighting, as many of the largest ETFs are linked to cap-weighted benchmarks. But the rise of ETFs has also brought increased attention to alternative methodologies.
For most investors, consideration of the most appropriate weighting methodology isn't a part of the asset allocation process. Once the desired exposure has been identified (e.g., developed market equities or U.S. financial sector), the default choice is often a cap-weighted ETF that focuses on that sector. The weighting methodology isn't a major consideration primarily because most investors don't realize the impact this decision can have on bottom line returns. But in many cases, the manner in which weightings are determined can be just as important as the actual securities selected to make up the index. The following ETFs all offer exposure to large cap U.S. stocks, and the overlap between these funds is considerable. In some cases, the underlying names are identical (SPY and RWL both hold the stocks that make up the S&P 500 Index).
Weighting Methodology
1-Year Return*
(PRF A-) RAFI 10.93%
(SPY A) Market Cap 13.75%
(RWL A-) Revenue 13.68%
(EPS A) Earnings 12.73%
(EQL B) Equal Sector 11.54%
(DLN A) Dividend 11.58%
(RSP A-) Equal 13.94%
*As of April 20, 2015
Investors who held RSP and SPY over 2014 maintained exposure to an identical basket of large cap domestic equities. But those with holdings in the Rydex equal-weighted fund gained excess of 310 basis points, but in previous years lost nearly 120 basis points. That relatively large gap drives this point home: the weighting methodology implemented by the related index can have a material impact on an ETF's total return depending on the general market.
Cap weighting isn't necessarily an inferior methodology; in certain environments, cap-weighted indexes will outperform similar strategies implementing various other methodologies. But it is only one of the many options available, and many investors may find the benefits of the alternatives to be quite appealing. Investigating the pros and cons of each weighting methodology is a worthwhile endeavor that may end up enhancing bottom line return [see The Guide to ETF Index Weightings].
6. Thou Shall Not Bear False Witness Against ETFs
As ETFs have burst on to the investing scene in recent years, the reception has been overwhelmingly positive. ETFs have been praised for reducing management fees, democratizing entire asset classes and investment strategies, and simplifying the asset allocation process. But there have been some criticisms of ETFs as well. While ETFs are generally simple securities, some investors have failed to grasp the nuances of some of the more complex products, leading them to cry foul when performance didn't line up with their expectations. More recently, concerns popped up that the ETF structure was inherently unsafe, and that investing in certain products came with excessive risks.
While some of these criticisms seem initially compelling, they don't have much—if any—basis in fact.
Flash Crash
The Myth: Because ETFs accounted for a big portion of the canceled trades on May 6, 2010, some investors became convinced that ETFs were behind the day's chaos and flash crash. Several massive ETFs saw prices decline to as low as a penny, and speculation immediately began to swirl around structural flaws in the ETF wrapper [see Ten Shocking ETF Charts From The Flash Crash].
The Truth: ETFs absolutely did account for the majority of canceled trades on May 6, but the erratic behavior of these products wasn't necessarily indicative of any sort of vulnerability in the ETF structure. Rather, market makers became concerned that if trades on underlying ETF components were canceled, they would get burned. So they understandably pulled out of the market, and liquidity temporarily dried up. Further research has showed that a big trade in E-Mini Futures started a chain of events that caused billions of dollars in market capitalization to be temporarily erased.
ETF Collapse
The Myth: A report surfaced expressing concern that big net short positions in certain ETFs were setting the state for a calamitous collapse that would potentially leave countless investors completely out of luck.
The Truth: There have always been mechanisms in place designed to prevent against an "ETF collapse," including provisions that require share redemptions to occur with settled shares. There is simply no way for the doomsday scenario outlined to unfold, regardless of how massive the short interest in a fund becomes [see Why An ETF Can't Collapse].
The Myth: Earlier in 2010 BusinessWeek ran a cover story titled Amber Waves of Pain. The magazine's cover issued a blanket warning against exchange-traded products designed to offer exposure to commodity prices, repeating "Do Not Invest In Commodity ETFs" three times. The feature went on to detail stories of investors who thought they were buying securities that would replicate the hypothetical returns of investing in spot prices, implying that flaws in commodity products led to disappointing returns [read Five Things BusinessWeek Didn't Tell You About Commodity ETFs].
The Truth: Returns of commodity products can and often do vary from the hypothetical change in spot prices. But that isn't the result of nefarious design on the part of ETF issuers, rather a cold, hard fact of futures-based investing. What the article failed to mention was that the investors profiled apparently failed to perform even the most basic of due diligence, and totally failed to understand the basics of an investment product into which they poured money.
The Myth: In 2009, a year before commodity ETFs came under attack, a firestorm raged around leveraged ETFs that seek to deliver daily results corresponding to a multiple of the day's change in a particular benchmark. The unprecedented volatility of 2008 had caused many leveraged ETFs to lose money over extended periods of time, a result of the daily resetting of leverage. Leveraged ETFs were accused of being scams designed to dupe investors, and several lawsuits ensued (some of these have since been dismissed). Although much of the misinformation has been cleared up, confusion still remains; as of 2010 some members of the media stubbornly stick to the claim that these securities exhibit massive "tracking error" that indicates their flaws.
The Truth: Leveraged ETFs actually perform their stated objectives with impressive efficiency; the confusion surrounding the performance of these products was the result of investors failing to do their homework, and then crying foul when the results they were hoping for didn't materialize. The daily resetting of exposure definitely creates the potential for "return erosion" when markets seesaw, but it also sets the stage for "return enhancement" in trending markets [see Two Sides To The Compounding Coin].
It's hard to tell for sure why these attacks on ETFs have become more prevalent—or how they manage to spread so quickly despite the fact that there is no meat to the argument. There are certainly some potential drawbacks to ETFs, and these securities aren't for everyone. But be careful about some of what you see written—it's not always true.
5. Thou Shall Not Make Wrongful Use Of The Name "ETF"
When discussing the universe of exchange-traded products now available, many investors group a number of securities under the ETF umbrella, including exchange-traded notes, grantor trusts, holding company depository receipts, and others. While these securities are similar in many ways, there are some structural complexities that can potentially impact returns and shouldn't be overlooked.
Perhaps the most important distinction to make is between exchange-traded funds and exchange-traded notes. Although these securities are often lumped together as ETFs, they offer exposure to the related asset class in very different ways. ETFs maintain a portfolio that corresponds to an underlying benchmark; for example, the Russell 1000 Index Fund (IWB A) holds equity securities that correspond to the Russell 1000 Index. ETNs, on the other hand, are debt securities issued by a financial institution that pay a return linked to the performance of an underlying index. In other words, ETNs don't actually hold the assets that comprise the underlying index, and are instead promissory notes that pay returns based on the change in a reference benchmark.
ETNs offer investors both advantages and disadvantages. On the positive side, these securities eliminate tracking error that can plague ETFs. Because ETNs are debt instruments linked to an index, there isn't actually an underlying basket of securities that can deviate from the benchmark. Moreover, achieving commodity exposure through ETNs may offer enhanced tax efficiency relative to otherwise similar exposure achieved through funds that invest in futures contracts [read how Contango Impacts ETFs].
The drawbacks of ETNs are primarily related to the credit risk to which investors are exposed; because these products are debt securities, there exists the potential for investors to be left holding the bag if the financial institution behind the ETN goes under. While some investors write off the possibility that firms like Barclays or UBS banks that have issued billions of dollars worth of exchange-traded notes—will go bankrupt, it's important to be aware of this risk. Lehman serves as a cautionary tale—the bank was an issuer of ETNs at the time of its collapse. In some cases, ETNs can be less efficient from a tax perspective, since distributions are taxed as interest income [see MLP ETFs: Fact And Fiction].
Structure Matters
Even among ETFs, there are some subtle structural differences that can impact the returns delivered by various products. For example, Rydex, WisdomTree, and iPath all offer exchange-traded products designed to reflect movements in the value of the euro relative to the U.S. dollar. But the three products aren't identical: (ERO B-) is structured as an exchange-traded note, (FXE A) is a grantor trust, and (EU A-) is an actively-managed ETF. Those distinctions may not mean much to most investors, but the different structures can lead to unique tax treatments, dispersion of counterparty risk, and, ultimately, bottom line returns [see Euro ETFs: Three Different Options].
A distinction can also be drawn between two popular ETFs offering exposure to the S&P 500. The ultra-popular S&P 500 SPDR (SPY A) is a unit investment trust (UIT), which means it is forced to hold dividends in cash and exactly replicate the underlying index. The iShares S&P 500 Index Fund (IVV A), on the other hand, can reinvest dividends from underlying securities until the distribution date, making it a potentially better play during bull markets.
The bottom line: once the desired exposure has been identified, it's worth considering the most efficient vehicle for establishing such a position. While the differences between the various options may seem minor, they can (and often do) impact the effective return realized [read Five Ultra Popular ETNs].
4. Thou Shall Not Use "Liquidity Screens"
When searching for the right ETF, many financial advisors and individual investors first narrow down the field of the 1,000-plus products available to U.S. investors to a much smaller list consisting of funds that offer the exposure desired. From there, the first step for many is to implement a "liquidity screen" designed to filter out products that don't meet a certain volume or asset threshold. The rationale behind including these screens is simple, but flawed. Investors worry that small ETFs will be illiquid, and that establishing or closing out a position will involve navigating wide bid-ask spreads and introduce the potential to get burned by a shallow market.
In an attempt to gauge the liquidity of an ETF, many investors rely on average daily trading volume, a readily available and easily understood metric that conveys the frequency with which shares of a particular security trade hands. But trading volumes are backward-looking statistics related to trading activity, and aren't indicative of the true liquidity available to an investor considering a purchase of the security.
Just as the fair value of an ETF is derived from the value of the underlying securities, so too is a fund's liquidity linked to the individual components. Because of the nature of the issuance mechanism in place behind ETFs, true liquidity is derived from the stocks (or bonds) that make up the creation basket. Under the hood of exchange-traded funds is a somewhat complex mechanism that allows Authorized Participants to create new shares of a fund if sufficient demand exists in the market, potentially resulting in "spontaneous liquidity" for tickers that may otherwise be thinly-traded.
"The liquidity of an ETF is one of the most misunderstood pieces of the entire structure," writes David Abner in The ETF Handbook [Incidentally, Abner's book is the most thorough and best researched piece on the ETF space that we've seen]. "It is a hotly debated concept primarily because many people do not fully comprehend that ETF valuations are derived as a function of their underlying constituents and that there are alternative ways to create liquidity beyond the use of the ETF itself." For investors who don't cut off a huge chunk of the ETF universe due to liquidity deemed to be insufficient, the number of options obviously increases significantly.
Caution must be exercised when trading in low-volume ETFs, but excluding funds from consideration altogether because they don't meet somewhat arbitrary thresholds can cause investors to overlook a huge chunk of the ETF lineup, potentially scratching off a fund suited to meet one's investing needs in the process [also Myths About ETF Liquidity].
3. Not All ETFs Are Created Equal
As investors have embraced the many benefits of ETFs, the number of products available to U.S. investors has multiplied. Investors looking for an S&P 500 ETF have three options, not including those products implementing alternative weighting methodologies highlighted above. Those seeking diversified exposure to emerging markets have nearly two dozen different options, each of which offers a relatively similar risk/return profile.
For almost any type of exposure identified, investors are likely to have several ETF options. Even within the targeted semiconductor space, there are four options from which to choose. Once investors have narrowed the universe of nearly 1,600 U.S.-listed ETFs down to those that meet their criteria, selecting the best fit can become a bit challenging.
While many ETFs appear similar on the surface, it's important not to judge a book by its cover. Below, we highlight several factors worthy of consideration when comparing multiple ETFs head-to-head:
Expense Ratio: As demonstrated above, the difference in expense ratios between various ETFs can be quite significant, and choosing the fund with the lowest management fees obviously won't hurt your bottom line returns [also see Five Critical Criteria For Rating ETFs].
Tracking Error: It's a common misconception that replicating an index is a simple task, and that ETFs will always perform spot-on with the underlying benchmark. In reality, however, almost every ETF exhibits some degree of tracking error—a gap between the return on the fund's price and the return of the related index. Most issuer websites show the return over 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year periods for both the ETF and the benchmark to which it is linked, making calculation of tracking error relatively straightforward.
Distributions: Consideration of distributions can be important for any investor seeking current income, but this metric can also shed some light on the efficiency with which an ETF is managed. ETFs generally offer enhanced tax efficiency relative to mutual funds, as capital gains distributions are less frequent within the ETF structure. So reviewing the distribution history can be a worthwhile step in the comparison process, with ETFs that haven't made capital gains distributions being more attractive. Again, this information is generally available from the issuer websites: for example, the history for QQQQ shows that no capital gains distributions have been made recently—a good sign for investors.
Yield: When hunting for current return, navigating through the features of each ETF can be a tricky task. Most issuers present the 30-day SEC yield for each fund, a standardized metric that gives an apples-to-apples comparison of the yield that investors can expect.
Structure: As discussed above, the structure utilized by an ETF can have an impact on the ultimate risk/return profile achieved, so it's worth figuring out whether each potential investment is packaged as a UIT, ETN, grantor trust, or some other structure.
Weighting Methodology: Also highlighted above, the weighting methodology utilized by the underlying index can have an impact on the ultimate return realized in an ETF investment. And this isn't just limited to the equity ETFs; recent innovation in the fixed income space has included the introduction of the first RAFI-weighted bond ETF.
Concentration: ETFs are praised for their ability to offer immediate diversification to investors, delivering access to a broad basket of securities through a single ticker. But just like expense ratio, the diversification offered by various ETFs can be wildly different. Consider the Financial SPDR (XLF A) and Vanguard Financials ETF (VFH A+), two funds within the Financials Equities ETF Database Category that offer generally similar exposure. An x-ray look at XLF's holdings shows 81 individual holdings, with about 55% of assets in the top ten. VFH, on the other hand, consists of nearly 500 component stocks, with only about 40% of assets in the top ten. Lower concentration isn't necessarily always more desirable, but the number of individual holdings and weightings afforded to each are worth looking into.
Exposure Type: When considering international equity ETFs in particular, take a look at the breakdown of holdings across both market capitalizations and sectors. While both the iShares MSCI Brazil Index Fund (EWZ A-) and Market Vectors Brazil Small Cap ETF (BRF A-) offer exposure to Brazilian equities, the differences between these funds are significant—both in terms of sector exposure and return characteristics. In general, small cap stocks tend to be more of a "pure play" on the local economy, while large caps focused on banks and oil companies can exhibit higher correlations with global equity markets. Again, one isn't universally superior to the others, but different funds will make more sense for different investors.
2. Thou Shall Buy Commodity ETFs (But Only If You Truly Understand Them)
Commodity ETFs have become tremendously popular securities, as the marriage of futures-based investment strategies and the ETF wrapper have democratized an asset class with potentially valuable diversification benefits for countless investors. But commodity ETFs have also attracted a fair amount of scrutiny, even prompting some publications to advise against buying them altogether. But warnings against the use of commodity ETFs seem to stand in sharp contrast to the billions of dollars in cash inflows into these products in 2009 and 2010. If commodity ETFs are so dangerous and inclined to erode value—as some have implied—why have investors been flocking towards these products in record numbers?
In reality, commodity ETFs offer efficient exposure to an asset class that would otherwise be difficult and costly to access for many investors. And they generally perform exactly as marketed and as presented in fund literature. Unfortunately, the diligence completed by many investors in these products included only reading the name of the fund and making assumptions about the exposure offered and the return that could be reasonably expected. Commodity ETFs can be incredibly powerful tools with a wide range of applications to all sorts of investors—if the nuances and return implications of a futures-based strategy are understood. Those investors who didn't take the time to figure out how these products work may end up disappointed and looking for someone to blame, a scenario we've now seen play out several times.
The vast majority of exchange-traded products available to U.S. investors are relatively straightforward, including sector-specific and country-specific equity funds, as well as dozens of plain vanilla fixed income ETFs. But others are more complex, and thoroughly understanding the factors that will influence the return of each can be a bit challenging. For many investors, commodity ETFs fall into this category; the connection between the slope of the futures curve and the change in price of the United States Oil Fund (USO B) may be a hazy one. Understanding the differences in expected returns to the Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3x Shares (FAS A) in trending versus seesawing markets is beyond the grasp of some investors [also read the Definitive Guide to the United States Commodity Index Fund].
This advice certainly isn't original, but it is perhaps more valuable now than ever before: if you don't understand how an ETF or ETN works, don't touch it with a ten-foot pole. It sounds obvious, but the allegations of fraud against ETFs that have performed exactly how they should—as summarized above—clearly demonstrates that a lot of investors are jumping into products that they don't understand a bit. If you don't understand the risks of an ETF after studying the fund literature for a few minutes, don't hesitate to walk away and find a security with which you are more comfortable. At a certain point, the responsibility to protect investors falls to the investors themselves—and sometimes it seems as if proper discretion is in short supply. There is a tremendous amount of educational material out there in the ETF industry, including pieces from issuers and third parties. Make sure to take advantage of it.
1. Thou Shall Take Advantage Of Free ETF Resources
Navigating the world of ETFs can be a daunting task, particularly for those investors and advisors who have primarily utilized mutual funds historically. But there are a number of powerful, free resources out there that have the potential to make ETF investing a much easier process. Some of the free ETF tools offered by ETF Database include:
ETF Screener: Detailed descriptive information on all U.S.-listed products allows investors to slice-and-dice the ETF universe in countless ways, including by asset class, region, sector, bond and currency types, index tracked and expense ratio.
Mutual Fund To ETF Converter: For investors looking to make the switch from mutual funds to ETFs, this tool can help to simplify the conversion process. Entering in a mutual fund ticker directs users to two lists of ETF alternatives, including those that seek to replicate the mutual fund's benchmark and others that fall into the same category [read more about the tool's methodology].
ETF Country Exposure Tool: For investors looking for international equity exposure, this resource can be quite valuable. Highlighting a country from our global map directs to a list of ETFs with exposure to that country, including both "pure plays" and funds that offer only partial exposure [you may be surprised at how many ETFs include exposure to Kazakhstan].
ETF Stock Exposure Tool: Figuring out which ETFs have considerable exposure to a particular stock is now incredibly easy–simply enter the ticker into this tool and find a list of all the equity ETFs with a big weighting [there are a ton of other great ETF tools out there as well; check out our list of 50 valuable online ETF resources].
[For more ETF analysis make sure to sign up for our free ETF newsletter or try a free 14-day trial to ETF Database Pro.]
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I have mercury oil. I know it's used for communication. I'm trying to get somebody I know to get back to me by email or letter. Would mixing this with influence oil help? What color candle should I use. I own both oils.
I want that book badly. Sadly I didn't win it on the giveaway contest. I will order it next purchase. Thanks so much. I am standing up for myself now and not going to let anybody use me.
It's always important and a good factor to keep up with love spell work. Once you stop, things can dwindle. If you have a honey hear work it at least once a week on Friday. I always say my intent when anointing the candle, and crave my petition onto the candle for extra oomph.
I have posted a few times and not one reply. Just to let everybody know things sort of went my way. I am not losing my place, have to pay for the floors in installments though.
I have another question. After we do the mirror box it tells us to do uncrossing bath. Is that with Hyssop or incrossing bath crystals?
When people refer to the "gatekeeper" of a cemetery, who is the gatekeeper?


Investment bankers at Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley booked impressive revenue totals during the second quarter, particularly in merger and acquisitions and equity capital markets. The two banks were so successful that they each ranked first globally in both M&A and ECM. Wait, what?
No, they didn't tie. Or lie, even. Goldman and Morgan Stanley simply used selective annotations to crown themselves king of the same two mountains. As Bloomberg was first to point out, both banks announced in their earnings reports that they were the top global advisor for M&A deals and IPOs over the first half of the year. The apparent contradiction is due to the fact that Goldman Sachs relied on figures from Dealogic while Morgan Stanley cited numbers compiled by Thomson Reuters.
This isn't the first occasion that multiple banks claimed the same top-ranking, and likely won't be the last. Creating accurate league tables is an extremely difficult task. Data providers need to account for announced and completed transactions and allocate credit between banks that co-advised on deals and firms that essentially just had their name in a press release. Some rankings are based off deal volume while others estimate revenue.
Back in 2016, three banks – the two in question along with J.P. Morgan – each claimed the title as the top dealmaker for the first quarter, according to Bloomberg. Oddly enough, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley both cited Thomson Reuters in their respective press releases.
As for who actually won this time around, the titles may have been split. Data compiled by Bloomberg suggests that Morgan Stanley took the M&A crown while Goldman ranked first in ECM. The picture becomes even more muddled if you use earnings as a secondary indicator. Advisory revenue for the first six months of the year was greater at Goldman while Morgan Stanley earned more in equity underwriting. So who really knows?
Elsewhere, banks in the U.S. are healthy and are back to adding headcount. Just not on Wall Street. Financial firms added 17,000 jobs during the first five months of the year, according to Crain's. During the same period, the number of people working in the securities business in New York fell by 3,000. While banks have been actively moving jobs to lower-cost cities for a while now, a drop in headcount of such size over just five months is eye-opening considering banks are growing again. The good news: if you still work in New York, you're likely getting paid handsomely. Securities professionals in New York City account for less than 5% of private sector jobs but generate more than 20% of wages.


text:
Q: Can't connect to Samba/LDAP share, no obvious error I just did an initial Samba/LDAP configuration on a Debian Squeeze system. I added a single user to an ldap directory and installed libnss-ldap. I can now successfully login to the system using the newly created user, so it seems that Debian itself has no problem authenticating with LDAP.
I configured Samba based on a number of tutorials, but I haven't been able to connect to a share since I've configured LDAP. Here is the smb.conf:
[global]
    workgroup = ANDROCS
    passdb backend = ldapsam:ldap://127.0.0.1/

    log level = 5
    log file = /var/log/samba/log.%m
    max log size = 100

    time server = Yes

    domain logons = Yes
    preferred master = Yes
    domain master = Yes
    wins support = No

    # LDAP
    ldap admin dn = cn=admin,dc=androcs,dc=com
    ldap group suffix = ou=group
    ldap idmap suffix = ou=Idmap
    ldap machine suffix = ou=Computers
    ldap passwd sync = Yes
    ldap suffix = dc=androcs,dc=com
    ldap user suffix = ou=Users
    ldap ssl = off

    idmap backend = ldap:ldap://127.0.0.1
    idmap uid = 10000-20000
    idmap gid = 10000-20000

# now define some shares
[technical]
    comment = Common Engineering and Technical Material
    path = /export/technical
    force group = technical
    read only = No
    create mask = 0770
    directory mask = 0770
    browseable = No

[development]
    comment = Software Development Repositories
    path = /export/development
    force group = development
    read only = No
    create mask = 0770
    directory mask = 0770
    browseable = No

[business]
    comment = Common Business Material
    path = /export/business
    force group = business
    read only = No
    create mask = 0770
    directory mask = 0770
    browseable = No

So I try logging onto the share from another Debian system using the gnome 'Connect to server' function. Simultaneously I tail the output of the syslog, and here is the result:
Jul 29 11:27:34 androserve slapd[3038]: conn=1004 fd=13 ACCEPT from IP=127.0.0.1:53334 (IP=0.0.0.0:389)
Jul 29 11:27:34 androserve slapd[3038]: conn=1004 op=0 BIND dn="cn=admin,dc=androcs,dc=com" method=128
Jul 29 11:27:34 androserve slapd[3038]: conn=1004 op=0 BIND dn="cn=admin,dc=androcs,dc=com" mech=SIMPLE ssf=0
Jul 29 11:27:34 androserve slapd[3038]: conn=1004 op=0 RESULT tag=97 err=0 text=
Jul 29 11:27:34 androserve slapd[3038]: conn=1004 op=1 SRCH base="" scope=0 deref=0 filter="(objectClass=*)"
Jul 29 11:27:34 androserve slapd[3038]: conn=1004 op=1 SRCH attr=supportedControl
Jul 29 11:27:34 androserve slapd[3038]: conn=1004 op=1 SEARCH RESULT tag=101 err=0 nentries=1 text=
Jul 29 11:27:34 androserve slapd[3038]: conn=1004 op=2 SRCH base="dc=androcs,dc=com" scope=2 deref=0 filter="(&(uid=tarcuri)(?objectClass=sambaSamAccount))"
Jul 29 11:27:34 androserve slapd[3038]: conn=1004 op=2 SRCH attr=uid uidNumber gidNumber homeDirectory sambaPwdLastSet sambaPwdCanChange sambaPwdMustChange sambaLogonTime sambaLogoffTime sambaKickoffTime cn sn displayName sambaHomeDrive sambaHomePath sambaLogonScript sambaProfilePath description sambaUserWorkstations sambaSID sambaPrimaryGroupSID sambaLMPassword sambaNTPassword sambaDomainName objectClass sambaAcctFlags sambaMungedDial sambaBadPasswordCount sambaBadPasswordTime sambaPasswordHistory modifyTimestamp sambaLogonHours modifyTimestamp uidNumber gidNumber homeDirectory loginShell gecos
Jul 29 11:27:34 androserve slapd[3038]: conn=1004 op=2 SEARCH RESULT tag=101 err=0 nentries=0 text=
Jul 29 11:27:34 androserve slapd[3038]: conn=1004 fd=13 closed (connection lost)

The line the immediately sticks out to me is:
conn=1004 op=2 SRCH base="dc=androcs,dc=com" scope=2 deref=0 filter="(&(uid=tarcuri)(?objectClass=sambaSamAccount))"

In particular the objectClass. I am new to LDAP, but I configured the user as person, inetOrgPerson, posixAccount, and shadowAccount.
Does anyone know where I should start? Can I increase the logging level to get a better clue as to what is wrong?
Thanks!

A: The search filter looks suspect because of the '?' before the text objectClass but that might be a translation or pasting error. The search returned zero entries (nentries=0) because as you said, no entries had a uid of tarcuri and an objectClass of sambaSamAccount.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


FLYNN - Funeral services for J. Irwin Flynn, 76, of Cheyney's Point, were held from the Partridge Funeral Home at 1:30 P.M. Monday, Rev. George A. Tolley, pastor of the First Baptist Church officiated. Bearers were O.B.Nichols, Sr., O. B. Nichols, Jr., Richard Nichols, Robert Nichols, Edgar Helser and William S. Jones, Jr. Burial was in Ashville Cemetery. Attending from away were Mr. and Mrs. Frank W. Morris of Tulsa, Okla., Dr. and Mrs. Gilbert A. Breucken of Pittsburgh, Pa., Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Helsler of Kenmore, Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Hart of East Aurora.


Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) have been around for some time. These accounts have a bit of a bad reputation as qualifying means you are in a high-deductible health insurance plan (HDHP). However, beyond having higher deductibles these types of accounts are one of the best long-term investment tools. This is particularly true for healthcare expenses in retirement. Think of HSAs as your secret weapon against this always increasing expense. Let's hit some reasons the HSA is so great.
You can contribute $3,450 as an individual or $6,900 as a family to your HSA. If you are 55 or older you can contribute another $1,000, which brings the total to $4,450 for individual and $7,900 for family.
Here is where I like to call it a Triple Crown – Contributions, Growth and Distributions (used to reimburse yourself for out-of-pocket qualified medical costs) are ALL tax-free! WHAT?!? HSAs combine all the best of IRAs and Roth IRAs. Not only do you lower your taxable income by contributing to it, it also does not add to your income upon distribution like your RMDs do. Again, distributions have to meet the rules for paying for medical expenses.
Sometimes people confused HSAs with flexible spending accounts (FSA). The big difference is HSAs do not have a "use it or lose it" component like flex accounts. You never have to worry about losing your savings in a HSA because you did not use the balance.
You can contribute to HSAs up until you are 65 and receiving Medicare. However, unlike IRAs, there are no RMDs (required minimum distributions) with HSAs. You take it out when you need it.
Investment choices in an HSA are often larger than what is available through your 401k, however, I still don't think you should be buying BitCoin in them.
If you are under a HDHP through work and an HSA is not available you can go out and get your own HSA. Just be careful as they can become expensive with administrative and investment fees. Just like investing in your 401ks and IRAs, you don't want to pay too much in fees as you will lose quite a bit of your growth to those fees.
Now, here is where it gets interesting. Some of the bigger thinkers in the financial planning world (I am NOT included in this group) have run the numbers and frequently it is more advantageous to max out your HSA before your 401k. Their analyses showed the HSA is more beneficial if you have a limited amount to contribute toward your retirement including if there is a small match to your 401k. It all comes down to future tax rates, how HSAs are the Triple Crown, and we know you will have medical expenses in retirement.
Regardless of whether you max out your HSA first, the conversation I often have is to treat the HSA as another leg on the retirement stool. Yes, you can put money in tax-free and then pull it out quickly to cover those eligible expenses, it may be better to pay those out-of-pocket and let the money in the HSA grow for retirement.
There are a couple of primary reasons for this. First, to really get the triple tax-free benefit of HSAs you need to leave the money in the account to grow. Otherwise, it is a glorified FSA where the only advantage you are getting is the tax-deduction for your contribution. You are leaving 2/3 of the tax-free benefit on the table by following this method. The next is healthcare expenses in retirement are not going down. Estimates are all over the board, however, consensus is the average cost for healthcare in retirement is $250,000. Maxing out an HSA annually and letting it grow for a decade or two sure would go a long way toward helping cover those costs.
There are too many benefits of an HSA to not participate if you are eligible. And, if you are, you may want to consider treating it like another tool for retirement. Take advantage of this Triple Crown resource that is available out there as we know retirement healthcare expenses are not going away.


Here's the rest of what we were up to during the end of October.
The three of us before heading out to (an adult) friend's birthday party. Layla came along and the boys stayed home with Nana.
Lake View cemetery is just north of the park. The boys enjoyed walking through and looking at all the tombstones. Some notable people here include John W. Nordstrom, Guy Carlton Phinney, and Bruce & Brandon Lee. Here we are checking out one of Seattle's founders, Thomas Mercer's grave.
Silas really didn't like it that some of the flowers were blown over or out of their holders, so he helped put them back. He started to get a little carried away with the rearranging, but it was thoughtful, nonetheless.
We had a fun Halloween this year with our little munchkins! We went trick-or-treating with Indiana Jones, a forest ranger, an astronaut and a pink bunny. Lucky for us the rain held off just long enough for us to do all the trick-or-treating Mom and Dad really wanted to do and then it was time to head back to the house!
That's Marshall, the dalmatian from Paw Patrol in the back, a cyclops on the right, and Little Bear from the Indian in the Cupboard in the front.


To allow users to control their television using Alexa, Amazon is rolling out the Amazon Fire TV Cube. The device, which is available for preorder starting on Thursday (June 7), allows consumers to use voice to play, pause and resume video content using the company's voice assistant, Amazon said in an announcement.
Using "far-field voice recognition" combined with eight microphones, the device is able to hear consumers from a distance away – from across the room, for example. In addition, beamforming technology reduces reverberation, noise and content playing from a television set to ensure that Alexa can understand requests.
The news comes as Sonos unveiled a new smart speaker – the Sonos Beam – that will come with support for Alexa and Apple's AirPlay 2. With the technology, users will be able to control the smart speaker by using voice commands through both voice assistants, TechHive reported.
In addition, Sonos will add functionality for AirPlay 2 to three other speakers: the Sonos One, the Sonos PLAYBASE and the second generation of the PLAY:5. Although older models of the company's speakers will not come with compatibility for the feature, Sonos is still working on support for Google Assistant.


Gilson announced today the launch of a new benchtop instrumentation product line offering mixing, temperature control, and centrifugation of samples. The instruments feature advanced technologies that improve lab productivity and save valuable time. In addition, the digital controls on many of these instruments offer adjustable speeds and temperatures, providing increased flexibility and accuracy that allows them to be used across a variety of workflows and techniques. The line complements Gilson purification, extraction, and liquid handling product offerings, where they work harmoniously in a variety of lab workflows with existing instruments.
Backed by Gilson's reputation for reliability, the new benchtop instrumentation line provides cost-effective solutions that improve lab efficiency and accuracy. The initial benchtop offering includes the CENTRY™ 101 Plate Centrifuge, the CENTRY™ 117 Microcentrifuge, the Digital Mini Incubator, the Digital Drybath series, the Mini Vortex, the Vortex Mixer, the Digital Hotplate Stirrer, and the Roto-Mini Plus. These new instruments have small footprints, allowing them to easily fit on the most crowded benchtops.
For more information on Gilson's new benchtop instruments, please view the range here.


In all areas of my work, I try to work in close conjunction with clinicians of other disciplines including GPs, nurses, psychologists, and occupational therapists, as well as with the patient and, where appropriate, their families, carers or representatives. Collaboration with and support from families is important, especially in the care of people with dementia and I organise and run a carers' support group for this client group.
Where patients are physically or mentally too frail to travel, I try to offer assessment at home.
In life outside of psychiatry I run a music festival in which school students play for elderly people and I am a director of a group of care homes.
My research interests have included chronic fatigue syndrome, the difficulties in designing services for London, and the problem of defining the severity of mental illness.