text:
Champagne Gift Baskets |
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Bucket of Joyful Spirit $79.95 |
Celebration Baby Girl $50.00 |
Roederer Champagne Gift $75.00 |
Magical Mumm Gift Box $85.00 |
Celebrating in Style $89.95 |
A Gift That Sparkles $89.95 |
Veuve Clicquot Classic $99.95 |
Roederer Gift Basket $125.00 |
Chandon Sparkling Joy $129.95 |
Champagne & Chocolate Festival $139.95 |
Veuve and Chocolate $150.00 |
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Occasion for Celebration $79.95 |
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Recent Game Medals
Yin Badge
25 Points
Defeat Amira the Dark-Type Gym Leader
Medal Stats.
10 Points
Unlock this medal to see it's details.
Medal Stats.
You beat Kyurem?
25 Points
Defeat Dark Kyurem
Medal Stats.
Absolute Zero Badge
25 Points
Defeat Gym Leader Jay the Armor Titan
Medal Stats.
Evolution Complete
25 Points
Fully evolve and beat all the levels.
Medal Stats.
Terrorist Attack
10 Points
Take down a jumbo jet.
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First Blood
5 Points
Eat something tasty.
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Monster Hunter
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Total Medals Earned: 30 (From 7 different games.)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I'm seeing stars for this gingham covered Sparkly Pink Star Party {Backyard Birthday} by Jenny Raulli of Bloom Designs Online! For her daughter, Audrey's 11th birthday, she took inspiration from her girly and glam personality and celebrated with a spa treatment, super star photo booth and more 5-star party ideas!
PARTY HIGHLIGHTS to look out for:
– Shooting Stars, "Star"berry cakes, cloud donuts, star bars, star shaped marshmallows & "Milky Way" milk jars!
– Outdoor Movie with Star Grazing Snacks (chips, popcorn, packaged candy & gum ball tubes)
– Strands of twinkle "stars" over the silver and pink decorated dinner table
– Seeing Stars Activity: the girls decorated telescopes with washi tape and pink jewels
PARTY DETAILS, as told by Jenny…
I styled this party for my daughter, Audrey's 11th birthday. She brings so much sparkle to our lives and her personality really shines so a star party was just the perfect theme. Since she is getting older, I wanted to keep the party as girly and sweet as possible while she will still let me. We used several shades of pink, silver and a lot of sparkle in all of the printables and decorations. Everything at the party dealt with stars!
We set the dinner table under an over hang in the back of our yard. I draped over a dozen strands of twinkle lights over the table and down the wall to create a beautiful, star like mood. Once the sun set, the area truly sparkled. The table was covered with ruffled tablecloth and I used glittered scrapbook paper for the placemats. Each place setting had a takeout box with dinner inside. I glittered wooden utensils and attached them to the box. For the backs of the chairs, I cut out pink stars and used my Cameo Silhouette machine to cut out the girls' names. I made pedestals out of wooden star cutouts and round boxes for the candles. Pink pompoms in two shades of pink hung over the table.
The backdrop of the dessert table was a plywood board that I painted with chalkboard paint. I then traced a star that matched the invitation and filled it in with pink colored chalk. Ruffled curtains framed the backdrop. The centerpiece of the table was a two tiered chocolate cake decorated with gingham ribbon and star toppers that matched the other printables. The dessert table consisted of a Milky Way, which was milk bottles decorated with stars that I also cut from my Cameo machine. There were shooting stars, stars in jars with wooden spoons decorated with star jewels, "star"berry cakes in mason jars, clouds (donuts), cupcakes with star suckers, star bars, star marshmallows, star dust and cups of star cookies.
The girls did many activities including:
– Shoot for the stars: Using marshmallow guns, the girls shot at stars hanging on a frame I made out of PVC. Each girl got 6 marshmallows and received points for hitting different sized stars.
– Seeing stars: The girls decorated telescopes with washi tape and pink jewels.
– Star treatment: the girls did their nails in pink polish of course.
– I'm a Star: Photo booth.
Once the sun went down, the girls watched a movie on a big screen set up in the yard. We moved our couch outside and I sewed a bunch of pillows in pink fabrics for the girls to lie on. I made the "star grazing" table for the movie area out of old palates. The candy boxes were wrapped to match the party printables. We had mini cellophane bags of Star Bursts, like a diamond, and little star candies. The girls also snacked on popcorn and chips and took home tubes of pink colored gumballs.
The drinks were set up on an old wagon that we had. Luckily, it had pink wheel rims. The girls picked from "star"berry soda, sparkling soda, lemonade and personalized water bottles.
I always make a mini "smash cake" for my kids- a tradition from their first birthday. For this party, I did a mini pink ombre cake with star bunting. The girls all had big sparklers that held while we sang.
I made star t-shirts with the word shine on them for each of the girls again using my Cameo. A framed signed told that girls that Audrey thanked her lucky stars for having them as friends.
Audrey had such a fun birthday- it was beautiful, girlie and a little bit of glam- just like her. All of the printable were done with patterns and shades of pink. Invitations, food labels, water bottle wraps, candy box covers, and more can be found here.
– Party design and styling: Bloom Designs Online
– Invitations, printables, pompoms, gumball tubes, cupcake holders, cookie boxes, take out boxes, wooden utensils- Bloom Designs Online
– Sparklers: Sparkle
You might also like
1Wendy SAYS:
This party is just perfect for tweens! I love every detail, beautiful job!!!
2lisa-sweet pop studio SAYS:
I LOVE this party!! LOVE parties with endless details and this one has 'em all!
Fun! Fun! Fun!!
3Event Manager SAYS:
I really hope this page is a useful ideas tool for many Mum's and Dad's to create a fun filled and memorable party for your little one!
4Kate SAYS:
Where did you get the balloons? I'm looking for those shades of pink!
This is gorgeous and I'm actually kind of jealous LOL!
6Veronica pray SAYS:
Where did you get the telescopes to decorate?


text:
Those who wish to help support relief efforts can do so by clicking here: www.RedCross.org, calling 1-800-RED-CROSS or mailing a check to the Red Cross at 6235 River Crest Drive, Suite A, Riverside, CA 92517.
Donate to the Red Cross
POSTED: 01:24 PM PDT Aug 30, 2012
UPDATED: 06:42 PM PDT Aug 15, 2012
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text:
centers on Eliza Thornberry and her highly unusual (if altogether
normal) family.
Eliza speaks to animals - it's her special gift - and no one seems to
know that
she has such ability except for her best friend chimp named Darwin. I
guess the
other animals she speaks to realize she has a gift as well... or at least
sometimes they seem to. The other members of Eliza's family are
Nigel, Debbie, and Donnie. Marianne seems to be the most level headed
of the
family as the strong-willed, highly spirited, and extremely intelligent
Nigel is the most eccentric character as the bizarre father who seems
to always
be quite a bit lost within his own nature-oriented thoughts. Debbie is
a semi-rebellious
teenage sister and Donnie is the reportedly adopted younger brother who
mostly gibberish no one understands. The
plot is just that: basic. It seems as though the plot of the
entire show
is kept to a minimum in each episode and it also seems as though it
doesn't necessarily
come with any major developments in the course of the series to this
point. It makes
one wonder if every episode for the rest of the series will feel
repetitive if not just simply the same. The first season seemed more
varied in
story and plot as the setting was changed regularly in addition
to the
characters being properly developed or focused on. The characters make
series and the first season understood that element well. Season
(as it has been represented on this half-season collection) is nowhere
near as successful
at having varied storytelling. Instead, the writers seem to opt for an
increasingly generic approach of having Eliza help one animal after
another in
regards to getting out of some kind of zany situation. The basic idea
bothersome, but it's the lack of distinctive elements to tie the
together that disappoints on some intrinsic level. It makes the series
difficult to view in marathon or multi-episode mode. Cartoons are often
of relying on formula to achieve a certain degree of success but once
it seems
as though the writers are simply yanking out a list and checking off a
set of ideas to reuse again and again - without some
differences - most of that original creative energy seems to become
may continue to be worth sharing with children but it might lack the
same level
of repeated viewing or nostalgic fondness that made the first season
release a
great value all around. The second set also contains a significantly
run-time with only thirteen episodes presented from the second season.
reason the series has shifted towards an entirely different model of
release is
unexplained and sort of bizarre. The idea of releasing complete season
sets simply
makes more sense for an already finished television series. The
2, Part 1 set contains the following batch of season two episodes: Rebel
Without a Trunk, Pal Joey, Rain Dance, Darwin
Plays The
Palace, Stick Your Neck Out, No Laughing Matter, Chimp
The Old Block, Koality and Kuantity, Chew If By Sea,
of the Teutons, You Ain't Seen Nothing Yeti, On The
Right Track,
and Polar Opposites. The
Video: The Wild
Thornberrys is
presented on DVD in its
original broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The series has surprisingly
to step-down in the picture quality department. While the first season
somewhat lacking in color-depth this set seems to try unsuccessfully
contrast to improve colors. The image ends up having a waxy-look that
is softer
and less pleasing than it was on the previous release. There are fewer
of grain, dirt, and other imperfections this time around but the
less sharp presentation will disappoint even as minor improvements were
made in other areas. Audio: The
English Stereo Dolby 2.0 audio track is the same
quality as the first season set release. It never manages to be that
but it is an accurate representation of the sound design used for the
series at
the time of its broadcast. The dialogue is easy to understand and that
important enough to make this an acceptable audio presentation for
audiences. Extras: There
aren't any extras at all on this release. Final
Thoughts: The Wild
Thornberrys simply
wasn't as much fun during these second
season episodes on this segmented box-set release. The series became
formulaic and the excitement and humor even felt a bit underdeveloped.
characters make this show. The writers almost seemed to forget that
aspect. Season 2, Part 1 has some good moments (some episodes
are better
than a generally lackluster selection would indicate), but it doesn't
add up to
a great time. Rent It. |


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Jamie Dimon's Diaspora: The lofty perches where ex-JPMorganites land by Stephen Gandel @FortuneMagazine February 26, 2015, 4:44 PM EDT E-mail Tweet Facebook Google Plus Linkedin Share icons On Thursday, British bank Standard Chartered hired Bill Winters as its chief executive. You may recognize Winters, who has been in hibernation for the past few years running a small asset management firm. But before that, he was a top executive at JPMorgan Chase. In September 2008, Fortune dubbed Winters, along with then-CFO Heidi Miller among others, Dimon's Swat Team, in an article about how the bank had managed to avoid the worst of the financial crisis that had begun to unfurl. Winters was considered a potential successor to Dimon. But in 2009, he was abruptly ousted from the bank by the JPMorgan CEO. A Wall Street Journal article published Thursday reported that Winters had told friends he was shown the door because he never really believed in the universal banking model of combining an investment bank with a traditional lender. Of course, that model has worked out very well for Dimon. And now it looks like Winters, the former investment banker, is embracing the lending business as well. Standard Chartered STAN is a very large commercial bank. Winters was one of the first members of Dimon's swat team to leave JPMorgan. Since then, nearly all of those executives have left the bank, many in the wake of JPMorgan's $6 billion so-called London Whale trading loss. Winters and the others likely felt that they were ready to run their own firms, and Jamie Dimon was not ready to stop running his. Whatever the reason, JPMorgan, under Dimon's tutelage, has proven to be a viable training ground for future CEOs. These days, a growing number of large financial firms are now run by ex-JPMorganites. Here's where they have landed:
Is JPMorgan Chase really America's dog-friendliest bank? by Stephen Gandel @FortuneMagazine February 26, 2015, 11:49 AM EDT E-mail Tweet Facebook Google Plus Linkedin Share icons JPMorgan Chase's CEO Jamie Dimon wants investors and regulators to know that his bank is not about risky whale-sized derivatives trading. What is JPMorgan Chase really about? Serving regular Americans, who love dogs. On Tuesday, at JPMorgan's annual investor day, Dimon stressed how dog-friendly the bank's branches are. "Around the country, people bring in their dogs and sit around for social reasons," said Dimon. "We give out little doggie bones." The bank's event was packed with six hours of presentations from top executives and included plenty of PowerPoint. There were 78 slides on the company's consumer banking operation alone. But Dimon's dog biscuit statement got more responses on social media than just about anything else that was said during the day: @carney @matt_levine @ReformedBroker this is american banking at it's best! free coffee, pens, and dog treats for everyone — Ben Walsh (@BenDWalsh) February 24, 2015 Turns out JPMorgan JPM is indeed pretty dog friendly. In fact, a lot of banks are competing to be America's friendliest bank to man's best friend. Dimon's "doggie bone" statement, though, is only mostly accurate. Not every branch is giving out treats. There are two Chase bank branches within a quarter mile of my midtown Manhattan office. Both say customers are welcome to bring in their dogs to make deposits, get money orders, or socialize. But neither one has doggie treats. That could be because there aren't a lot of people looking to socialize with their dogs in midtown Manhattan. The people I talked to at all three branches seemed to know that dog treats were available at other branches. An employee at the Chase branch at 96th and Broadway, on Manhattan's Upper West Side, told me about the dog treats when I asked if I could bring in my dog. (Full disclosure: I don't actually own a dog.) A reporter at Fortune who does have a dog and is a Chase customer says she regularly gets dog treats when she goes in to a branch, but she has to ask for them. (Her dog now wants to go banking all the time.) Rover.com lists Austin first on its list of America's most dog-friendly cities. An employee at a Chase bank branch in an office building in downtown Austin says it has dog treats, but that I would need to use the entrance in the back of the building. The guard at the front entrance, which is also used by other tenants, does not allow dogs in the building. One Austin dog owner, though, seems happy with her Chase experience. I'm not sure if being dog friendly and handing out treats gets banks customers, but a lot of banks seem to think that it will. The trend appears to have been started by Commerce Bank, which, according to Wikipedia at least, gave out lollipops as well, though not for dogs. TD Bank TD , which bought Commerce in 2007, mentions that it has dog biscuits available on the about page on its website. I did not find any similar language on JPMorgan's website. The Wells Fargo WFC branches I called told me they offer customers dog treats. The one exception among all these dog-loving big banks is Citigroup C . An employee at the Citibank branch six blocks south of my office told me that, other than for blind customers, dogs are not allowed in its branch. I got the same message from other Citi branches. One asked me how big my dog was, which was hard to answer because I don't have a dog. A staffer at a Citi branch in San Francisco, which is also listed on Rover.com as a dog-friendly city, told me that dogs are allowed in the bank as long as they are leashed. No treats. Jamie Dimon has been talking about dogs quite a bit lately. On the bank's most recent earnings call, Dimon said JPMorgan would do just fine as long as the firm "stops stepping in dog shit, which we do every now and then." I believe he was speaking metaphorically. Then again, maybe this has something to do with all the dog socializing going on at JPMorgan's branches? JPMorgan has another kind of canine connection. The Oscar-winning film Dog Day Afternoon is based on a 1972 bank robbery of a Chase branch in Brooklyn. The movie has nothing to do with actual dogs.
Why JPMorgan Chase wants a 'Wonderful Life' bank by Stephen Gandel @FortuneMagazine February 25, 2015, 10:25 AM EDT E-mail Tweet Facebook Google Plus Linkedin Share icons These days, JPMorgan is emphasizing dog treats over derivatives. On Tuesday, at the bank's annual investor day, when CEO Jamie Dimon took the mic, one of the first things he told investors to do was check out one of the bank's branches. "Around the country, people bring in their dogs and sit around for social reasons," said Dimon. "We give out little doggie bones." The buzzword these days in big banking is simplicity. And on Tuesday, JPMorgan Chase executives became the latest top bankers to claim they want to be more George Bailey than, well, J.P. Morgan. The bank said it will cut $2.8 billion in expenses from its investment banking division in the next three years. About $1.5 billion of those cost reductions will come from "business simplification." JPMorgan JPM has long had one of the largest financial derivatives operations on Wall Street. The bank invented the securities that were used to bet on—and eventually against—the mortgage market. On Tuesday, Daniel Pinto, the head of JPMorgan's investment bank, emphasized how the bank was looking to reduce its activity in one of the most complex areas of finance. Pinto said the bank would either exit or dramatically scale back its processing of over the counter derivatives transactions for clients. He said the bank also plans to "rapidly compress" its own derivatives exposure. JPMorgan said it was reducing its derivatives operations on account of new regulations that would require the bank to set aside more capital. Also, if you want to be known as a simpler bank, derivatives is probably not the place you want to be. The bank on Tuesday said it was looking to reduce the amount of deposits it holds for other businesses by $100 billion, cut back on the amount of lending it does to hedge funds and even close about 300 of its dog-friendly bank branches. All of this comes as an olive branch of sorts to JPMorgan's critics, who say the bank is too big. Last month, Goldman Sachs issued a report that said JPMorgan would be worth more if it were split up. On Tuesday, though, Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan's CEO, said he has no plans to do that. "We're not going to give up investment banking for anyone, not even Richard Ramsden," said Dimon, referring to the Goldman analyst who wrote the report. Wall Streeters typically say they are in the business of helping clients manage sophisticated risks and transactions. Stressing simplicity is an odd sales pitch for a large bank like JPMorgan. But the problem Dimon and other top bankers have is that investment banking—in part because of new regulations and also on account of the fact that the business has change—is not as profitable as it used to be. Just four years ago, the return on equity of JPMorgan's investment bank was nearly 20%. Now, it is half that. Investors may accept lower return businesses as long as they are convinced that they are lower risk as well. Shares of Morgan Stanley MS , for instance, have outperformed rivals recently, as CEO James Gorman has emphasized lower risk businesses like asset management. Dimon seems to be getting the message. On Tuesday, he said JPMorgan was really no different than the average regional bank, just, ya know, bigger. In fact, he said this twice. For a bank that still has a derivatives book with a notional value of $65 trillion, that statement is a stretch. But even as large as it is, JPMorgan is probably far less risky and complex than its detractors would have you believe. Nevertheless, the notion that JPMorgan is just too big to work seems to be gaining momentum. So, if Dimon wants JPMorgan to remain in investment banking, and all of the many businesses it is in, he needs to sell simplicity. He's trying his best. Watch more business news from Fortune:
JPMorgan's Dimon gets his bonus again by Stephen Gandel @FortuneMagazine January 22, 2015, 5:47 PM EDT E-mail Tweet Facebook Google Plus Linkedin Share icons (REUTERS) – JPMorgan Chase & Co's Jamie Dimon's compensation in 2014 stayed unchanged at $20 million, but the chief executive officer got a cash bonus, something he was not awarded in 2013. Dimon's compensation in 2014 comprised a base salary of $1.5 million, $11.1 million in restricted stock and a $7.4 million cash incentive bonus, the company said in a regulatory filing. His package in 2013 was composed of a base salary of $1.5 million and $18.5 million in restricted stock units. JPMorgan is the biggest U.S. bank, with $2.6 trillion in assets. Dimon, 58, is the most outspoken of big bank CEOsand has recently bristled at public criticism that JPMorgan is too big and complex to manage safely and efficiently. JPMorgan did not explain its rationale for the compensation decisions. The board is expected to provide an explanation in a proxy statement to be filed ahead of the company's annual meeting in May. Two year ago, Dimon's pay was cut in half to $11.5 million for 2012, which was the year JPMorgan traders handling company accounts lost $6.25 billion in the so-called "London Whale" derivatives transactions. Previously, Dimon had received $23 million for each of 2011 and 2010. Dimon was treated for throat cancer in the latter half of 2014. JPMorgan JPM said on Thursday that the base salaries also remained unchanged at $750,000 for other operating committee members, except Daniel Pinto, the London-based chief of corporate and investment banking. Chief Financial Officer Marianne Lake and asset management chief Mary Erdoes got an increase in total compensation, while compensation was kept unchanged for other operating committee members. The bonuses for Dimon and all operating committee members, except Pinto, was composed of 60 percent restricted stock and 40 percent cash.
Jamie Dimon calls regulation un-American, once again by Stephen Gandel @FortuneMagazine January 14, 2015, 12:54 PM EDT E-mail Tweet Facebook Google Plus Linkedin Share icons JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon still thinks the way banks are treated these days is un-American. On a conference call on Wednesday morning in which the bank reported that last year it had earned $22 billion, or roughly 240,000 times what's in the average American's retirement account, Jamie Dimon said that JPMorgan JPM was "under assault," and questioned whether the increased scrutiny by regulators of banks since the financial crisis has gone too far. "In the old days, you dealt with one regulator. Now it's five or six," Dimon said, referring to instances when multiple regulators have sought to punish JPMorgan for the same issue. "You all should ask the question, how American that is." It's not the first time Dimon has questioned the American as apple pie-ness of banking regulation. In 2011, Dimon called an earlier version of capital rules contemplated by international bank regulators in Switzerland un-American. "I'm very close to thinking the United States shouldn't be in Basel any more. I would not have agreed to rules that are blatantly anti-American," Dimon told the Financial Times at the time. "Our regulators should go there and say, 'If it's not in the interests of the United States, we're not doing it.'" Back then, Dimon seemed to be arguing that his bank had come through the financial crisis better than others. So, why should it be penalized? Dimon's Wednesday comments came in response to a question about a new proposal from the Federal Reserve that would require JPMorgan, the biggest bank in America, to hold more capital in reserve to protect against losses, even compared to its other mega-bank rivals. The Fed has said the new proposal adjusts capital rules to account for the fact that risks at some banks are more complex than others, and maybe harder to detect. But Dimon effectively said the proposal shows that regulators still don't get his bank. "It's just because we're big," said Dimon. But regulators aren't the only ones questioning JPMorgan's size. Last week, rival Goldman Sachs released a report that said JPMorgan should be broken up. When asked by Fortune on Wednesday's call whether he thought Goldman should be broken up, Dimon laughed and then offered, "No comment." Like he has in the past, Dimon defended JPMorgan's size. He said it makes the bank more diverse and safer, not the opposite. He also noted that many of the aspects of JPMorgan that have raised concern among regulators, like the bank's $300 billion portfolio of so-called available for sale securities, make it safer, not riskier or more complex. "Our AFS portfolio adds to liquidity," said Dimon. The bank's size also seems to attract the attention of more regulators, something that Dimon thinks is unfair. But it has been a very long time since a big bank like JPMorgan would have had to deal with only one federal regulator, long before Dimon's career began. According to bank historian John Gordan Steele, the Federal Reserve got its mandate to oversee the nation's largest banks in 1913 (the same year that the actual J.P. Morgan died), making it the second federal regulator besides the Comptroller of the Currency. Banks also had to answer to state regulators. Regulation doesn't seem to be holding JPMorgan back that much. The bank reported a nearly $1 billion charge in the last three months of 2014 for increased legal expenses. But even with that, JPMorgan said that its per-share profit in 2014 was the highest in its history. Recently, Bloomberg reported that Jamie Dimon was a key player in an industry-wide effort to roll back a provision of the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill that would have required banks to split their derivative trading units from the rest of the bank. JPMorgan would have been among the banks most affected by the rule, which has been dropped.
JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon is cancer-free by Stephen Gandel @FortuneMagazine December 5, 2014, 3:03 PM EDT E-mail Tweet Facebook Google Plus Linkedin Share icons Earlier this year, Jamie Dimon, JP Morgan Chase's CEO, announced that he had been diagnosed with throat cancer. Today, he sent a memo to company employees saying that he had been declared cancer-free. "This week I had the thorough round of tests and scans that are normally done three months following treatment, including a CAT scan and a PET scan," he said. "The good news is that the results came back completely clear, showing no evidence of cancer in my body." Dimon, leader of the nation's biggest bank, rattled investors in July when he announced his diagnosis and his upcoming treatment. Shares in the company immediately fell as investors worried about the possibility of a change in management or that he would be distracted for the next few months. With the hopeful news today, shares of JP Morgan JPM gained more than 2%.
The London Whale-sized loopholes in Wall Street pay reform by Stephen Gandel @FortuneMagazine October 27, 2014, 7:46 AM EDT E-mail Tweet Facebook Google Plus Linkedin Share icons Just weeks after his first inauguration, President Obama delivered a landmark speech on the dangers of over-the-top Wall Street pay. Today, more than five years later, he's still nagging regulators to do something real about it. Wall Street pay practices, as Obama put it so well in February 2009, have "contributed to a reckless culture and quarter-by-quarter mentality that in turn have wrought havoc in our financial system." The Obama administration did win some modest compensation reforms the next year. The 2010 Dodd-Frank Act includes a ban on banker pay that "encourages inappropriate risks." But federal regulators still haven't finalized the enforcement rules that will put the ban into effect. Earlier this month, the President summoned financial regulators to the White House to prod them to get the job done. The regulators, unfortunately, haven't just been dragging their feet. The only proposal they've advanced so far turns out to be incredibly wimpy. That proposal, released in 2011, ignores key lessons from the last half-dozen years of financial scandals — everything from Bear Stearns and Angelo Mozilo to the London Whale. You remember the London Whale, don't you? JPMorgan Chase JPM trader Bruno Iksil's high-risk recklessness lost his employer $6.2 billion. But the proposed pay restrictions now on the table only apply to banking top brass. That leaves traders like Iksil off the hook. No one who can put shareholders and taxpayers at risk should get a regulatory free pass. What about the executives the proposed regs do cover? They have little reason to complain either. The only specific pay restriction relates to the timing of bonuses. The idea: if bankers have to wait to see if their bets actually pay off in the long-term, they'll do less high-risk gambling for short-term gain. Not a bad idea. But the only requirement federal regulators are considering —that bankers have to wait three years to collect half their annual bonuses — doesn't amount to much of a disincentive to short-term recklessness. Former Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo would be living no less large today if this mousey reform had been in force during his subprime-mortgage golden years. Mozilo annually raked in huge payouts over eight years — accumulating more than half a billion dollars — before the housing market bubble burst. Requiring Mozilo to spread half those annual bonuses out over three years would have made only a marginal dent on that fortune. Or consider Mozilo's counterparts at Bear Stearns. That bank's top five executives pocketed $1.1 billion in "performance shares" between 2000 and 2008 before their venerable financial institution went down in flames. No three-year wait would have changed their behavior either. At least the Bear Stearns guys did, in the end, lose their jobs. We can't say the same for the top execs at the Wall Street giants that taxpayer largesse kept afloat after the 2008 crash. These bailed-out banks just kept doling out new share and stock option grants, perpetuating a system that offers massive rewards for boosting share prices by whatever means necessary — with zero downside risk. The proposed "inappropriate risks" rule does nothing to restrict such equity-based forms of compensation. U.S. regulators could learn a few things from their European counterparts. While not loophole-free, the EU's new banker pay standards are tougher. Europe's new rules limit bonuses to no more than 100% of base salary, or up to 200% if shareholders approve. And, with some exceptions, these limits would hit everyone who makes more than 500,000 euros per year or whose pay ranks them in the top 0.3% of staff. Another fresh idea for cracking down on the reckless Wall Street bonus culture has come from New York Federal Reserve Bank President William Dudley. He has just proposed that part of senior banker pay be sequestered in a "performance bond," subject to forfeiture if the bank is fined for breaking the law. The International Monetary Fund, meanwhile, is promoting a "financial activities tax" on profits and executive compensation at the largest banks. These higher tax bills could prompt boards to reduce the overall size of the outrageous paychecks that have encouraged outrageous behavior. None of these three approaches would totally erase the threat of "inappropriate risks." But they would do much more to protect us from financial recklessness than the paltry first stab at pay reform. It's time for financial regulators to refocus — and really take aim at the London Whales, Angelo Mozilos, and Bear Stearnses of tomorrow. Sarah Anderson directs the Global Economy Project at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, DC.
Goldman rides tax inversions to top of M&A heap by Stephen Gandel @FortuneMagazine July 29, 2014, 2:31 PM EDT E-mail Tweet Facebook Google Plus Linkedin Share icons Tax inversions have been, well, golden, for Goldman Sachs. The investment bank has made more than any other Wall Street firm advising companies on the controversial acquisition deals that have enabled U.S. companies to move their headquarters overseas and avoid U.S. taxes. According to Thomson Reuters, Goldman GS has raked in just over $200 million in fees in 3.5 years advising companies on how to do deals that will allow them to contribute less to the United States. Goldman is certainly not alone in benefitting from inversions. It is closely followed by JPMorgan Chase JPM , which stands to make $185 million on these deals. The New York Times noted on Tuesday that, collectively, Wall Street firms are nearing in on the $1 billion mark in fees from the deals, and don't forget all the fees charged by law firms and other advisors who work on these deals. By jumping with both feet into inversions, Goldman has been able to regain the top spot among M&A advisors this year. According to Wells Fargo, through mid July, Goldman was an advisor on just under 30% of all completed global M&A transactions this year. That helped it secure the No. 1 spot over Morgan Stanley MS . This time last year, Goldman followed Morgan slightly on M&A transactions. But Goldman still led last year by the number of deals announced. In response to a question from a Fortune reporter on an earnings conference call, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon gave the tax inversion deals a thumbs up. He said as long as the U.S. was going to have a higher tax rate than other countries, American companies should feel free to move elsewhere. He likened the move to consumers who choose to shop at Wal-Mart WMT because it's ostensibly cheaper than alternative options. Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein does not seem to have made any similar statements on inversions, either for or against. Two years ago, as the U.S. was nearing the fiscal cliff, Blankfein wrote an editorial for the Wall Street Journal saying the government needed to raise more tax revenue. He said that President Obama had signaled that he was willing to make a deal on corporate tax reform, and Blankfein called for business leaders to work with the president. No deal was ever struck. Inversions have become an increasingly popular way for U.S. companies to avoid the IRS, and they have come under increasing scrutiny. Fortune's Allan Sloan recently called corporate executives who do inversions "positively un-American." What's more, Sloan argued that inversions undermined the U.S. tax base and that such deals will be bad for all shareholders in the long run. You know who else is worried about inversions? Economists at Goldman Sachs. The bank recently noted in a report how much money the U.S. could lose in tax dollars because of them. Someone should show that report to the bankers.
Is JPMorgan really ditching government homeownership programs? by Stephen Gandel @FortuneMagazine July 17, 2014, 2:40 PM EDT E-mail Tweet Facebook Google Plus Linkedin Share icons Get ready for the bankers to say I told you so. Earlier this week, on a conference call with analysts following its second quarter earnings, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said his bank was pulling back, and may ditch completely, FHA lending, a key government program meant to promote homeownership. The reason: all those government fines that JPMorgan and other banks have had to fork over recently. "We collected $600 million on [FHA] insurance. They disputed $200 million. The government called that fraud. We reimbursed $600 million to get out of the lawsuit," said Dimon in response to a question from an analyst. "So the real question to me is, should we be in the FHA business at all?" Bankers have been saying for a while that increased regulation will cause them to cut back on lending and other services. Banks have already started to step away from the business of offering cheap money transfers for immigrants and others. Regulators have forced banks to put in place more controls to make sure those services are not being used by terrorists or drug traffickers to launder money. "Dimon was expressing a widely held frustration about the crackdown," says Burt Ely, a bank consultant. "If the government is going to get tough on the banks, some are going to say forget it." The FHA program offers government insurance to lenders for mortgage loans with as little as a 3.5% down payment from borrowers, and it opens the mortgage market up to consumers with lower than average credit scores. Since the financial crisis, the program has been key in getting money to first-time homeowners. In recent years, about a third of all mortgages taken out for home purchases have been backed by the FHA program. "I think [Dimon] is sick and tired of writing the government checks," says Paul Miller, the analyst who asked the question that spurred the comment about the FHA. Consumer advocates say if the nation's largest banks were to pull out of the FHA program, many Americans would suffer. "What you would see is a severe reduction of blue collar people and minorities able to get loans," says John Taylor, who is the head of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition. On Wednesday, at a lunch in Washington of current and former bank regulators, Tony West, the U.S. Associate Attorney General, who has overseen the recent multi-billion settlements with banks, was asked whether he thinks the fines will limit the credit that banks offer consumers. He said the government was looking into the issue. But here's the thing: While FHA lending is down overall, JPMorgan loans in the first quarter accounted for a larger percentage of the direct loans made through the government program compared to the same time period last year. And the bank plays an even bigger role in the secondary market for FHA loans, buying up and funding mortgages that others make. In the secondary market, JPMorgan's activity is down 64% in the first half of this year. But so were all the big banks, according to Inside Mortgage Finance. For example, Wells Fargo funded 59% fewer FHA loans in the first half of the year. Overall, the FHA lending market is down. And the amount of FHA loans that JPMorgan is funding is down more than its rivals. But JPMorgan's home loan business in general was down to a larger degree compared to its rivals. So the drop in FHA lending could simply be a part of that trend. And Dimon could just be using FHA and his frustration with the government as an excuse. JPMorgan loans that have some sort of government guarantee—including loans sold to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac—were down 73% for the first half of this year compared to the same period last year. That's a bigger drop than the shift in the bank's FHA business by itself. Of course, JPMorgan could be looking to stop doing mortgage business with the government completely. But that would be tough. Right now, the government—through FHA, Fannie, and Freddie—is involved in about 80% of all mortgage lending. "You can't be a serious mortgage market player and not be involved in government programs," says Guy Cecala, who runs Inside Mortgage Finance. "And it's hard to be a large national bank without a larger mortgage business." What's more, banks have to meet Fair Lending and Community Reinvestment Act requirements. If Dimon does chose to go it alone, he will still have to make many of the same loans, but hold them on the bank's balance sheet without a government backing, at least until the mortgage market opens up again. That could end up increasing the bank's risk, something Dimon is saying he is trying to avoid. "I think Jamie just got a little hot under the collar," says NCRC's Taylor. "I don't think he really thought through what his statement means."
Jamie Dimon: Companies should feel free to bail on the U.S. by Stephen Gandel @FortuneMagazine July 15, 2014, 3:52 PM EDT E-mail Tweet Facebook Google Plus Linkedin Share icons JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon says he's okay with companies using a hot tax dodge that could cost the U.S. tens of billions of dollars over the decade. Dimon's public thumbs up for inversions—the growing practice where American companies buy smaller foreign companies to relocate overseas and avoid paying U.S. taxes—came in response to a question from Fortune on a media conference call after JPMorgan JPM released its second quarter results. He said the real problem was the tax code, not CEOs trying to shirk their responsibilities. "You want the choice to be able to go to Wal-Mart to get the lowest prices," Dimon said on a conference call with reporters on Tuesday morning. "Companies should be able to make that choice as well." Dimon did not elaborate on the difference between choosing where to buy your underwear and where a corporations calls home. In a recent cover story for Fortune, Allan Sloan argued that U.S. companies are "positively unpatriotic" when they move their corporate headquarters overseas to pay lower taxes because of the benefits they receive by being (except for tax purposes) American companies. What's more, Sloan argued undermining the U.S. tax base will be bad for all shareholders in the long run. Dimon seemed to brush aside those concerns. He said it was inappropriate for anyone to moralize against deals in which U.S. companies seek lower tax rates through mergers. No large U.S. bank has proposed an inversion deal. Since the financial crisis, there has been a debate about the size of the subsidizes that large banks like JPMorgan receive from U.S. taxpayers. At least for now, inversions are good for Dimon and his shareholders. The firm has been an advisor on 19 inversion deals that have been announced since last year. The bank is advising drug maker AbbVie ABBV on its $53 billion bid for Dublin-based Shire SHPG , which was announced on Monday. "I love America. I'm just as patriotic as anyone," said Dimon. "But we have a flawed corporate tax code that is driving U.S. companies overseas."


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Reveals The Crucial Questions To Help Prevent Investment Fraud And Send The Con-Artist Ducking For Cover
Investigators and prosecutors cannot protect you from investment fraud. Even with secured, regulated investments you should always assume that fraud is a possibility. The front-line of defense against investment fraud is an educated and skeptical consumer. You must protect yourself. That is why due diligence is necessary.
The reason investment fraud succeeds is because people are lured into emotional decisions by the con artist without first completing their due diligence. Due diligence is what forces you to look behind the façade, uncover the facts, and make a well reasoned decision; however, due diligence takes time and effort. The sad reality is most people spend more time planning their vacation than they spend on investigating their investments.
"Let the fear of danger be a spur to prevent it; he that fears not, gives advantage to the danger." Francis Quarles |
Con artists are different. They do their homework first. They learn persuasion techniques designed to convince you to buy on faith without investigating. They study the characteristics of affinity groups to create a sense of trust and common bond. They have well-rehearsed answers to common questions. In short, they are professionals out to get you.
If it's worthwhile for the con artist to spend so much time and energy preparing a strategy to scam you out of your money wouldn't it make sense for you to spend a little effort to prevent his success? Below is a step-by-step due diligence process to help protect your portfolio from investment fraud. Each step in the process becomes increasingly difficulty for the investment to pass and increasingly more cumbersome for you to apply. For that reason, start at the beginning because few investment frauds can pass even the most basic tests. This will keep things simple and only require you to implement the more detailed due diligence questions on rare occasions.
Investment Fraud Prevention – The Business Common Sense Test
The first thing to notice about investment fraud is it's usually promoted by promising a high return on your investment. Easy money, get-rich-quick returns are almost universally appealing to less experienced investors. It is a powerful sales tool. But do returns in excess of market rates pass the business common sense test – our first test for investment fraud?
The reality is investing is nothing more than the application of capital to business. As a result, the return on your capital must be consistent with the laws of a competitive business environment. The high returns must make business sense.
"Nature never deceives us; it is we who deceive ourselves." Jean-Jacques Rousseau |
Above market returns only make business sense if a competitive advantage exists that you can exploit but other potential competitors cannot. The reason is because excess return on capital (above market rates) will always attract sufficient new capital to lower those returns back in line with the expected risk. It's called competition, and the only time it doesn't hold true is when artificial barriers limit capital inflows or a proprietary investment edge exists that can't be exploited by competitors.
Below are two questions to help you address the business common sense test for any investment:
(1) How exactly does this investment strategy create above market returns? What is the competitive advantage?
Ask yourself if the answer you are given is complete, thorough, and makes business sense. Is the answer is glib, laced with jargon and techno-babble, or is it simple and straightforward? Do you understand the competitive advantage well enough to explain exactly how it works to someone else? If you can't explain it then you don't understand it.
(2) What are the barriers that will lock out competitors so that additional capital and supply doesn't force returns down to market level?
There must be a legitimate business reason that returns will remain excessive. Again, does the answer pass the common sense test or does the explanation sound like something from the Top 24 Warning Signs of Investment Fraud? Can you explain the reason why to a friend in every day language?
Fully exploring these two questions should help prevent investment fraud right from the beginning. In order for an investment to pay you above market rates of return it must have a competitive advantage and barriers to competition. If it doesn't then it can't pass the business common sense test for legitimately offering above market rates of return.
How The Sales Person Reacts To Your Due Diligence Questions Is An Important Clue
As you begin asking due diligence questions it is important to notice the quality and tone of the sales person's response. This can provide you with vital clues to the quality of the investment he is peddling.
Serious questions are a symptom of a serious buyer and honest salespeople know it, welcome it, and respect it. They have nothing to hide so they will attempt to simplify their answers so you can understand the investment and make an informed decision. Buying investments should be a professional, businesslike experience – not warm and fuzzy like a trusted friend nor too cold and abrasive like a distant competitor – but just right like a professional you respect.
"Never value the valueless. The trick is to know how to recognize it." Sidney Madwed |
Watch out for the "Friendly Fred" fraud sales tactic where you feel too guilty to ask pointed questions because he's such a nice guy. After all, how could you not trust such a charming person? Alternatively, the salesperson might become cold and use intimidation tactics to make you feel stupid and derail you from getting the answers you deserve. Excessively warm and excessively cold sales tactics are designed to bring emotion into the sales decision and derail common sense. That is a key point.
Another tactic sometimes used by investment fraud promoters is to respond to your questions with techno-babble terminology so that you become too confused or intimidated to ask more questions. They might claim the investment is too technical to understand or get irritated with your questions. The purpose is to keep you from looking behind the façade and finding the truth.
What you want is a professional sales environment where a rational, fully informed decision can be made. You want to ask your questions and get straightforward answers. Never allow trust, friendship or emotion to get in the way of that task. It's your money and investing is serious business.
When you don't understand an investment it doesn't mean you are dumb: it just means the investment doesn't make sense. If they make you feel dumb, then go ahead and be dumb and get your questions answered anyway. Be like "Columbo" from the TV series and be dumb like a fox.
"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes! Leonardo Da Vinci |
Never be intimidated or allow the con man to sidetrack you with flippant answers that lack substance. Con-artists are second only to politicians in evasion and double-speak. Don't allow their manipulative tactics to derail you from getting behind their façade. Never settle for anything less than a complete and detailed understanding that allows you to make a fully informed investment decision. Drill them until you get the answers you deserve.
It's your money. You're taking the risk. You deserve to know what you are getting involved in. Accept nothing less.
Investment Fraud Protection: How Can I Lose Money?
If the proposed investment passes the business common sense test and your sales person is providing reasonable answers to your questions, then the next step in due diligence is to understand all the ways you can lose money with the investment.
Why? Because you can't understand an investment until you know the risks. Investment fraud is often sold on the basis of high returns with little or no risk, but this sales appeal is pure nonsense.
"Approach each new problem not with a view of finding what you hope will be there, but to get the truth, the realities that must be grappled with. You may not like what you find. In that case you are entitled to try to change it. But do not deceive yourself as to what you do find to be the facts of the situation." Bernard M. Baruch |
Every investment includes risk of loss and anyone who tells you otherwise is either a liar or self-deceived. There is no such thing as a perfect investment. The investment business is a constant battle between risk and reward. You can't have one without the other.
I've detected investment fraud in hedge funds just by noting track records that were too good to be true. Later discoveries by regulatory authorities verified my suspicions. I've researched thousands of investment strategies and never found an exception to the rule that every investment has risk either in terms of purchasing power loss, opportunity cost, or outright capital loss. There are no exceptions. All investments have risk.
To discover the risk of loss ask the promoter the following questions and don't be surprised if you have to press hard to get a thorough answer:
(1) What are all the conditions under which this investment will lose money?
(2) What is the worst market environment for this investment strategy?
(3) What assumptions or correlations must remain valid for profits to continue?
(4) What crazy, impossible to imagine situations would result in losses if they actually occurred no matter how remote the possibility of their occurence?
Until you uncover the risk inherent in the investment strategy then you don't understand the deal. If the risk doesn't appear, then the investment is probably not legitimate or you don't understand it.
Additionally, be wary of guarantees. The more an investment is touted with a guarantee the more I want to know what I am being guaranteed against. Guarantees are frequently marketing tactics designed to make you accept claims at face value, invoke trust, and make your decision easy so that you don't look deeper into the issues. Don't fall for it. There is no free lunch in the investing game.
Because investment fraud is often sold as low or no risk, one of the primary tasks in due diligence is to uncover all the ways you can lose money on the deal. You must know the risk because your objective as an investor is to balance risk with reward. The only way to do this is by fully understanding the risk before ever committing a dime.
Investment Fraud Prevention: Selling To Individual Investors
As a former money manager, I can tell you that selling to many small investors is the most difficult way to gather capital. If you are an individual investor being sold on the next great investment then ask the promoter why he is trying to attract capital from "the little guy" rather than large institutions?
Underlying this question is the logic that it doesn't make business sense for a legitimately great investment organization to bother with all the marketing costs and headaches of many small investors when they can attract all the capital needed with a lot less hassle by doing business with institutional investors.
"Integrity is the recognition of the fact that you cannot fake your consciousness, just as honesty is the recognition of the fact that you cannot fake existence." Ayn Rand |
This may not sound nice, but it is the business reality of money management and investing. Great investments will be marketed to large investors because it is the most cost efficient way to raise capital. The little guy is left with the retail level stuff.
The primary reason investment fraud is marketed to individual investors instead of institutions is because individual investors rarely do their due diligence; whereas, institutions nearly always do their due diligence. That makes small investors easier prey.
For that reason, be extra careful when sophisticated or non-traditional investments are marketed to individual, non-accredited, investors in denominations under $100,000. It is another warning sign that should prompt you into even more detailed due diligence as shown below.
Due Diligence Checklist for the Promoter
If an investment made it this far in the due diligence process then it probably merits investigating the background of the promoter as follows…
(1) Verify that the person and company offering the investment are registered with your state's securities regulator. You can contact the North American Securities Administrators Association ( http://www.nasaa.org 202-737-0900 ) for local securities regulator's contact information. Request a copy of the offering from the regulator and determine if there are any complaints or actions recorded.
(2) Contact the NASDR ( the regulatory branch of the National Association of Securities Dealers http://www.nasdr.com 800-289-9999 ) and the Securities and Exchange Commission ( http://www.sec.gov 800-732-0330 or 202-942-8090) to determine if the company and promoter are registered. Request a copy of their offering and check for complaints and actions filed.
(3) Determine the state in which the company is incorporated and use the National Association of Secretaries of State http://www.nass.org to find the contact information for the appropriate Secretary of State. Some state's information may be limited to officers and directors lists, and other states may offer more complete information such as annual financial statement filings or business plans.
"There is danger in both belief and unbelief." Phaedrus |
(4) Check with the Better Business Bureau http://www.bbb.org and state attorney general to see if there are any complaints filed against the company.
(5) Verify all claims of patents, trademarks, and large contracts. Large contract claims can be verified with the counterparty and intellectual property claims can be verified whether completed or pending at http://www.uspto.gov U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
(6) Search the internet using your favorite search engine by trying keywords such as the company name, promoter name, investment name and anything else you can think of. What is the buzz? Your goal is to find negative or contrary postings that might refute the promoter's claims or make you aware of previously unforeseen problems.
(7) What are the track records, backgrounds, and histories of the person and company soliciting the investment?
(8) How long has the company been in business?
(9) Verify the company offices and address by physically inspecting for existence. Prestigious addresses can turn out to be little more than a mail drop location.
(10) What background information can you obtain about the officers, directors and other key personnel for the investment?
(11) Review recent financial statements for the company. Have they been independently audited by a reputable accounting firm or are the statements self-prepared?
(12) Can you obtain a contact list of other investors for further due diligence? Be wary of handpicked reference lists. Determine the credibility of the references by discussing their background, knowledge, and level of due diligence. Just because they are happy investors doesn't make the investment legitimate: they could be self-deceived.
(13) Are there any current or pending lawsuits or bankruptcies against the company or any of its officers or directors?
(14) Determine exactly how the promoter will be compensated by the company if you purchase the investment. How does this compensation compare to competing investments? Above market sales compensation is a symptom of potential fraud.
(15) Your local library can provide many other resources for researching companies and investments. For example, you can learn about the company, credit reports, lawsuits, judgments, liens and much more. Resources vary widely depending on your library so check with your local librarian.
Due Diligence Checklist for the Investment
Very few fraudulent investments should make it this far in the due diligence process. Most should be weeded out by now. However, here are a few more actions to add to your checklist to flush out the remaining few bad apples…
(1) Verify that the investment offering is registered with your state securities regulator and/or the Securities and Exchange Commission. Depending on capital and shareholder requirements it may be exempt from SEC registration but should still be required to register with the state. Get a copy of the offering document and read it.
(2) Beware if the only written material you receive is a glossy brochure. Demand a prospectus and/or other legal disclosure documents as required by law.
(3) Make sure you will receive regular, written reports updating the investment. Review past issues of investor reporting for completeness, accuracy, and disclosure.
(4) Determine how the funds solicited for investment will be used? Will the funds be segregated from other accounts available to the business?
(5) What is the basis for the purchase price of the investment? Does it represent fair value?
(6) What does it cost to own this investment? Are there any annual fees, holding charges, custodial fees, or hidden charges? Let the promoter know you want a complete disclosure of every last penny required to own this investment.
(7) What is the liquidity of the investment? Can you sell it whenever you want to? Is there a ready market of buyers? What are the expected transaction costs when selling? What are the restrictions to selling?
(8) If you're not confident or lack experience in a particular investment then consider consulting with a third party such as your attorney, accountant or registered investment advisor for a second opinion before investing.
(9) Maintain a file with all correspondence and notes from conversations. Print a hard copy of all on-line solicitations noting the internet address (URL), time and date. Get all claims, guarantees, and terms of the deal in writing. If it's not in writing then it's not real.
Due Diligence Checklist Summary
The con artist's biggest fear is an informed investor. He doesn't want you to ask detailed questions; therefore, asking questions is exactly what you should do. Be a cautious and skeptical investor by investigating before you put money at risk.
And if all of this sounds overwhelming don't despair. Rarely will you have to complete the entire due diligence checklist to flush out an investment fraud. Most frauds won't make it past the first couple of tests. However, if you are suspicious then this checklist will help you find the information that the con-artist doesn't want you to uncover.
"We are never deceived; we deceive ourselves." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe |
When asking your questions never allow a salesperson to rush you into a decision. Don't be influenced by the charisma, kindness, or enthusiasm of the salesperson. Additionally, don't take everything you read and hear at face value. The wise investor goes slow enough to ask their questions, reflects on the answers, and gets written confirmation of verbal statements. Don't be afraid to sleep on your decision for added perspective.
Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Due diligence may be a pain in the neck but it is also necessary. It is simply a part of investing. Accept it or pay the price.
Remember, once a con man gets your money then it's gone forever. The only solution is to do your homework up front so that the con-man never gets the money in the first place.
This article may not be uplifting, but the unfortunate reality of investing is you must be skeptical because fraud does exist. People get cheated every day.
"You may be deceived if you trust too much, but you will live in torment of you do not trust enough." Frank Crane |
Likewise, there is no value in paranoia because most regulated investments and dealers are honest. It won't serve you to walk through life believing there's a con man lurking around every corner ready to steal your money, but it is necessary to be cautious enough to realize that eventually you will turn the corner and stand face to face with a con man.
You must be prepared when that day occurs, and this due diligence checklist should provides the answers you need.


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External Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring
Illustration copyright 2000 by Nucleus Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. http://www.nucleusinc.com
Electronic fetal heart monitoring is done during pregnancy, labor, and delivery to keep track of the heart rate of your baby (fetus) and the strength and duration of the contractions of your uterus.
By | Healthwise Staff |
Primary Medical Reviewer | Sarah Marshall, MD - Family Medicine |
Specialist Medical Reviewer | William Gilbert, MD - Maternal and Fetal Medicine |
Current as of | June 18, 2012 |
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise
Last Updated:
June 18, 2012
This information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor.
Healthwise disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this
© 1995-2014 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.


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Welcome, Sign In
Student Suspended for Twirling a Pencil?
Description:A parent in New York says his son was kicked out of class for days after he twirled a pencil and a classmate claimed he was pointing it like a gun. (2:28)
Source: PIX11
Tags: gun , gun in school , Middle School , new york news


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I found this article to be very interesting. Although I don't agree with all of his assertions, I certainly do agree with some of them. Big 12 seems destined for a break-up - STLtoday.com
Ain't gonna happen....
I especially found the comment of ND joining the Big 12 pretty funny.
Gordon's main job there is to support management/ownership of the local teams, which frees up the other writers to do call-outs as needed. He gets himself in trouble when he strays away from his primary focus. ;)
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Well-schooled and a voracious reader, "Addy" Rose Quigley dreamed of being a mystery author like her hero, Agatha Christie. Even though she never finished her novel, Adelaide found her calling when working at a children's hospital. She experimented with an old recipe for an exotic elixir, Orgeat. After perfecting her Orgeat elixir, a savory syrup made from almonds, sugar and rose water used its delicate almond taste to sweeten medicine for young patients at the hospital. Luckily for you, its rich, nutty flavour is used to enhance many cocktails–perhaps the most famously the Mai Tai. Orgeat can also be combined with soda water to create a delectable almond-flavored Italian Soda. Two 375ml bottles of this fine elixir included.
Shipping: This product ships from the maker within 7 days, via USPS
Returns: Unused and unopened items may be returned within 30 days


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I like that, it fits with the curve of the stars, good find :fing02:
Printable View
Very nice Nate. I'm partial to the Red.
that will get you realllll far :lmao:[/QUOTE]
If that doesn't work I will just :booty: that gets them every time :lmao:
Very nice and it dont make my storm slow i love it :-)


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Sat, Sept. 28 at UC Davis, Schaal Aquatics Center, Davis, Calif. 10 a.m.
Sat, Sept. 28 vs. Redlands, Schaal Aquatics Center, Davis, Calif. 11:30 a.m.
Bear Bites: After a busy NorCal Invitational last weekend at Spieker Aquatics Complex, No. 4-ranked Cal (6-2) has a lighter load with two matches Saturday (Sept. 28) at the Aggie Shootout at UC Davis. The Golden Bears play host UC Davis at 10 a.m., followed by a 11:30 a.m. match versus Redlands. Cal has already faced both teams, defeating UC Davis, 15-4, and Redlands, 21-3, Sept. 7-8 at the season-opening Triton Invitational in San Diego. The Bears feature 2012 first-team All-American Collin Smith and 2012 Olympian Aleksa Saponjic. Smith led Cal with 61 goals and 31 steals last season, and Saponjic won a bronze medal as a member of the Serbian National Team in London and was a 2012 second-team All-American. Cal also returns three honorable mention All-Americans from the 2012 squad that finished 17-8 overall (5-3 in the MPSF) and were runners-up to national champion USC at the MPSF Tournament. Senior Hunter Gettelfinger notched 20 goals and was a top defender with a team-high 46 steals in 2012. Junior goalie Jon Sibley had 110 saves in 12 matches, including 12 saves in his first collegiate match against top-ranked USC, while sophomore Colin Mulcahy tallied 25 goals in 25 matches and was second on the squad with 29 ejections earned as a redshirt freshman.
Smith Standout: Cal senior attacker Collin Smith was stellar last season, leading the Bears in both scoring and assists, while also tallying 31 steals, 11 ejections earned and 10 field blocks. Smith, who was elected 2013 team captain by his teammates, has been a major contributor for Cal ever since his freshman year in 2010 and was a 2011 honorable mention All-American. He joins fellow senior Giacomo Cupido as the only two Bears on the current squad who competed in the 2010 national title match in which Cal dropped a 12-10 overtime decision to USC. Smith currently has 111 career goals, 75 assists, 75 steals, 25 ejections earned and 21 field blocks.
Saponjic's Olympic Experience: Cal junior attacker Aleksa Saponjic helped his native Serbia to a 12-11 victory over Montenegro in the bronze medal match of the 2012 London Olympics. Saponjic became the first Bear to win an Olympic medal in men's water polo since Kevin Robertson and Olympic assistant coach Steve Heaston were members of the USA team that won a silver medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Saponjic, who as a freshman was an honorable mention All-American for Kirk Everist's Bears, helped Serbia to a 6-1-1 record in London. In the bronze medal match, Saponjic, the second youngest player on the Serbian national team at 20, played more than eight minutes, recording a steal and winning the sprint to lead off the second and third quarters. For the entire Olympics, Saponjic notched a goal in Serbia's 21-7 win over host Great Britain back on July 31, and ended up winning seven sprints with four steals, two block shots and one assist.
Cal's 2013 Scenario: In 2013, the Bears will look to continue their momentum from 2012 when they won seven of their last eight contests, including upending then-No. 2 ranked UCLA, 12-9, in the MPSF Tournament semifinal. After defeating Air Force (17-8) and Long Beach State (15-10) at last weekend's NorCal Invite, Cal lost to now No. 1-ranked UCLA (6-5) in the tourney semifinal, and to No. 3 Stanford (12-10) in the third-place match. Saponjic leads the Bears with 14 goals and 12 assists, while Smith has a team-high 13 steals, freshman Max Schell has 11 ejections earned and Mulcahy has four field blocks. Cal has won more collegiate titles (13) than any other team in the nation, last upending USC for the 2006 (8-7) and 2007 (8-6) NCAA titles.
Head Coach Kirk Everist: A 2004 inductee into the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame, Kirk Everist is in his 12th year with a 250-73 mark (.774), leading the Bears to NCAA titles in 2006 and 2007, and MPSF crowns in 2002 and 2006. He was the 2006 NCAA Coach of the Year and 2002 MPSF Coach of the Year. A 1990 Cal graduate, Everist led the Bears to NCAA titles in 1987 and 1988, earning All-American status three straight seasons (1986-88) and NCAA Player of the Year honors in 1988. He played for the USA National Team for nine years (1988-96)and competed in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games.


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Big Thanks go out to Bilbao for submitting this one!
The seven inner triangles in the picture are isosceles. The outer big triangle is also isosceles.
What is the value of each of the angles in the picture?
Answers to this challenge can be entered into the section below; submissions will automatically be revealed when time is up!
Earlier puzzles from Bilbao:
The 12 dots
The Unreadable Account
3 Men by the Seaside
My first attempt, working from right to left, yielded a big fat zero for the angle at the tip of the large isosceles triangle. Either my math is wrong, or this is a trick.
Cool puzzle; You got 10 vars and 3 equations, so its solvable by algebra using geometry knowledge: Here are the equations: 1)2a+y= 180 2)2b +x = 180 3)2c +z = 180 4)2d +v = 180 5)2e +w = 180 6)y+b=180 7)a+x+c=180 8)b+z+d= 180 9)c+v+e=180 10)d+w= e
The solution is 180/11= 16,36363636363636363636….. degrees, cool!
Big triangle:12/84/84 Small triangles: 156/12/12; 132/24/24; 108/36/36 etc
From left to right, the isosceles triangles are:
12-12-156 24-24-132 36-36-108 48-48-84 60-60-60 72-72-36 84-84-12
Thanks, Bilbao, for letting me know that I still remember my high school geometry.
Should work for starting angle of 12 degrees.
From left to right, the angles of the 7 triangles are: 12,12,156 24,24,132 36,36,108 48,48,84 60,60,60 (still isosceles!) 72,72,36 84,84,12
This will work for any starting triangle whose side:base ratio is 4.78339
My answer was for the smallest angle or "a" because you can derivate the others form the equations and I am too lazy but here its the relantionship, b=2a; c=3a; d= 4a; e= 5a, and you can see how you get the suplementary angles x,y,v,w similarly, cool.
Ok, I did not counted all the triangles cool!!!!!, I missed two triangles, big difference
Very good, Shawn, Bobo The Bear, and Bizarette18 have the answers up. Here's a diagram Bilbao sent along to help illustrate,
cool !
From right to left the angles would be 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70…. nice puzzle… some more please…
Does anyone want to explain how to solve this please!???!(:
To comment log in or register for a free Smartkit account.


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hey all. annalists think there will be a new one hitting the streets this summer or fall... i really hope not because I really want to buy one with tax refund and I would feel pretty shitty about dropping the cash just to see an announcement about a replacement so soon. anyone have any thoughts or info if this is true?
or Connect


text: Most of Palolem's accommodation is of the simple beach-hut variety, with little to distinguish where one outfit stops and next door's begins, particularly as huts become annually closer and closer packed together. Since huts are dismantled and rebuilt with each passing season, standards can vary greatly from one year to the next: it's best to walk along the beach and check out a few before making your decision. A simple hut without attached bathroom will usually cost upwards of ₹600, while something more sophisticated can run to ₹2500 and well beyond. Colomb also has some good options, and you'll still be within walking distance to Palolem. Note that many beach huts operations these days offer free wi-fi.


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Released: Apr 01st, 2006
Running Time: 118
Director: Zak Wylde
Company: Elegant Angel Productions
Karina Kay, Kaiya Lynn, Brian Surewood, Tommy Gunn, Penny Flame, Alektra Blue, Jack Lawrence, Pat Myne, Sahara Knite
Critical Rating: AAA 1/2
Genre: All-Sex
Teens who crave cum are the specialest teens of all, and so we give this vid our stamp of hard-on approval. Karina Kay gets the box cover, and our tent poles raised. Brian Surewood gives her the ol' high hard one but good, much to our delight, and he also is lucky enough to take on newcummer Sahara Knite, whose name is quite apropos of her Saharan hotness. Penny Flame fans will flock to this one, as well, for her opening pairing with Tommy Gunn. A nice collection of under-alcohol-aged cum cravers.
Retailing: A good one for fans of the younguns.


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Financial Aid
Alternative Loans
There are several lenders who offer loans that are not backed by the federal government. Most of these loans will require that you have good credit and/or require a cosigner. Many lenders approve loans to International Students as long as they have a credit worthy cosigner who is either a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
Alternative Loans are offered through private lenders and are meant to provide additional educational funding only after a student and his/her family has exhausted all other sources of funding such as federal and state aid. These loans are not guaranteed by the federal government and may carry high interest rates and origination fees. All the loans require a credit check and most will require a cosigner if the borrower has little or negative credit history.
CUNY does not recommend any specific lender/programs. Contact the lender of your choice for details about their program and application process.


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The next night, Zook and Shamil made their way out to the road. Twilight
was just fading when they arrived at their destination. Zook took
a post, high in a blue spruce, about 100 yards down and across from Shamil,
who was hiding under some brush between two large boulders.
They sat and watched the road until they spotted a likely target: a solitary
human traveler, riding a tall, ornately outfitted horse, wearing the robes
of a rich man. Zook quickly produced a vaguely humanoid shape that
shimmered with a ghostly light. When the man neared it, Zook sent
a ghostly whisper to the targetÆs ears, ōGive me a coin, and you shall
pass unharmed.ö
The manÆs horse shied at the unnatural light and noise, nearly unseating
his rider. The man steadied his steed and nervously looked around
as he spurred the horse into a fast trot. As he neared ShamilÆs hiding
place, she made the same dancing light appear, while Zook dispelled his.
Her ōghostly whisper,ö however, said, ōI told you a coin! Now you
shall pay!ö With a simple bit of prestidigitation, she made the manÆs
too-full moneybag slip from his belt. The man hardly noticed the
loss of his pouch as he urged his horse to a gallop.
Shamil bolted out of the bush and picked up the pouch as Zook shinnied
down from his perch. ōWhatÆd we get?ö He asked excitedly.
ōHis entire pouch! I think we scared him big time.ö
ōSeebo was right. Those humans are too stupid for their own good.
LetÆs get off this path and see how much we got!ö
They walked to the same rocky patch where their discussion of the night
before took place. They emptied the pouch of its contents.
The treasure that sparkled before them was more than they could believe
at first. They overcame their disbelief in short order and quickly
set to counting the booty. The pouch held many coins of copper, platinum,
silver, and gold, as well as several small gems.
The last item almost went unnoticed. It had wedged itself in a shadowy
crevasse between two small boulders. Shamil noticed the moonlight
glinting off its surface and picked it up.
ōWhatÆs that?ö Zook asked when he noticed what Shamil held.
ōHavenÆt a clue.ö
Shamil examined it from almost every possible angle before handing it over
to Zook. It was about five inches long, cylindrical, about an inch
thick. It appeared to be made of either silver or platinum.
Its most unique feature was that it had a blue diamond embedded in one
end and a black pearl in the other.
ōMaybe a wand?ö Zook was intrigued.
ōSeems too short.ö
ōWhat else could it be?ö
ōDunno, but letÆs not mention it to Seebo. HeÆd probably just find
a way to snitch it.ö
ōSpeaking of our dear brother, what should we give him?ö
ōHow about the odd silver piece?ö
ōYeah, I see no need to give him any more than that. More for us.ö
ōWhoÆd have though this would be so easy! IÆm definitely doing this
again tomorrow.ö
Zook threw back his head and laughed.
ōWhatÆs so funny?ö Shamil loved jokes, you know.
ōIÆve decided to call you Ghost Picker from now on.ö
ōBecause you used a ghost to pick that guyÆs pocket instead of your hands!ö
Shamil shook her head
and giggled as they gathered up their newfound treasure and headed home.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
That summer, Shamil discovered the joys of relieving the lesser of their
money. Had she been born in another time, another place, she would
have been claiming to follow the ideals of P. T. BarnumŚthereÆs a sucker
born every minute. She and Zook went to the road and did the ōghost
pickerö routine nearly every night, sometimes getting a gold, other times
getting only a copper. Though the prank kept them in coin, they never
did have the luck of that first night again.
Shamil might have continued her prank indefinitely, if word hadnÆt gotten
out that her favored stretch of road was haunted, and people began avoiding
it. She still went out occasionally until midwinter; Zook stopped
going with her after Boddyknock relented and allowed his eldest son to
train as a fighter.
One night, not long after her birthday, Shamil went out to the road, hoping
that someone would chance by. She was just about to return home when
somebody did. She hurriedly readied the ghostly apparition, but to
her surprise, the man didnÆt appear to have stopped in fear. In fact,
she could hear a low chuckle of amusement floating to her. The man
turned and stared directly at the place Shamil was hiding. ōSorry
to disappoint you, little one. Illusions donÆt frighten me.
I suggest you find more worthwhile work to do.ö A strange ethereal
light shot from his hands and blasted away part of the brush near Shamil.
ōBe gone with you now, or IÆll aim at you.ö
That was the last ghost picking Shamil ever did, even though to her brother
Zook, and a few select others, she will always be Shamil Turen, sometimes
known as Vinestitcher, infamous as Ghost Picker.


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Thank you for being part of the first ever Give OUT Day for the LGBTQ community and making history! Because of your generosity, countless lives will be impacted through your gifts to LGBTQ nonprofit organizations that address our community's needs in a changing and complex society.
If you donated on May 9 or are a nonprofit that participated in Give OUT Day, please complete one of the short surveys below. By completing a survey, you can qualify to win a $100 gift toward the LGBTQ nonprofit of your choice! Complete a survey by June 9 to qualify for the gift.
Thank you for uniting to give where you live!
Donor Survey Nonprofit Survey
Well done! On May 9th you raised over $602,920.24 during Give Out Day!
Bolder Giving works to inspire people to "Give More. Risk More. Inspire More." In 2011, we launched an LGBTQ Equality Initiative to specifically lift up and inspire giving to the LGBTQ community.
Visit the website of Bolder Giving >>KEVIN J. MOSSIER FOUNDATION
Thanks also to those who contributed to make our national prize pool possible: Jason Franklin, The Strategy Lab, Gael Murphy & Laurie Emrich, and several anonymous donors.


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Buy | Sell | Trade ..For Sale . Device/Item(s) ..Sprint Galaxy Nexus 32GB - Clean ESN . Price ..$200 . Shipping Included? ..Yes . Payment Options ..Paypal . Condition ..Mint: Perfect device and all original included items . Extra Included Items ..Includes Otterbox Defender case and holster . Additional Information/Comments .
MJMcMahon, Your not quite there. You need a note with your username, date and lotto number included in your pictures. BC EXCERPT FROM FORM TEMPLET Form for posting in the root Classifieds section - intended to buy/sell/trade Android products in the US. You must make the effort to do this right if you are serious about using this section of our forum. Attaching an image with the following is REQUIRED for all "for sale" or "for trade" posts: 1) The main item in question 2) Piece of paper containing: ....a) your username ....b) the date ....c) the previous day's winning lottery numbers (one of them, they do two a day) for Massachusetts State Lottery - Lottery Games - Numbers
The $200 listed including shipping. I've already received local offers for $175 and I believe $200 is fair and reasonable for everything included.


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Japanese-English translation(Making online store)
Closed - This job posting has been filled and work has been completed.
Job Description
This job is for person who can understand Japanese and English.
I request you
1)to write blog comment to Japanese blog
2)translation from Japanese to English
(Making correct item's title.)
3)to pick up pictures from Japanese online store.
(Picking up pictures from Japanese online stores.)
This is movie about how to write blog comments.
This is how to do translation.
This is how to pick up pictures.
1) Person who can work every day.
It is very important to write blog comment everyday for good SEO.
2) Person who can use Excel
3)Person who can use Japanese & English
4) Payment : USD1/hour
You can get stable job for a long time.
(So it is ok to have other job at a same time.)
1)How many days do you work in a week?
2)Is it possible to work more than 6 monthes?
3)How many hours can you work in a week?
(If you can work very much,I will think other job.)
4)Is it possible to use Excel?What is version?
EX)excel 2010
5)Please tell me your level of english and Japanese.
6) Do you have dropbox? Could you send your drop box's email address?
If you don't have,please register from below website.
7)Payment (USD1/hour) is ok?
When you apply job, please tell me.
I will reply person who tell me above.
Especially, I will not reply if you don't inform me dropbox email.
If you can do my job correctly,
you can get job stably, more than 6 monthes.
I hope person who can work for a long time together!
After you apply
1, I will send some files to dropbox we share.
2, Please do trial test, after I hire.
(Your working time will be limited until you finish trial test.)
3,After you clear trial test,
We will tell you that I want to contract for a long time.
(Please work maximum time that you can do.)
If you cannot clear, I will finish our contract.
Best regards,
Skills: english, test


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Events - Mounting Evidence - Why we Need a New Investigation Into 911
About the Book
Buy the Book
Author Bio
Other Writings
9/11 Resources
9/11 Photos
Events/Forthcoming Attractions
Author Appearances/Books for Sale
. .
Gala Book Launch Party for Dr. Rea's Comprehensive New Book . . .
Mounting Evidence: Why We Need a New Investigation into 9/11
Co-Sponsored by the Northern California Truth Alliance and Project Censored
When: Wednesday September 21st
—7:00-7:30: Refreshments in Garden
—7:30–8:45: Hosting by
Prof. Mickey Huff
~ Recognition of Contributors to Book plus . . .
Paul W. Rea
in Conversation with popular Talk Show Host
Peter B. Collins,
followed by Q and A ~ Music by folk singer
Vic Sadot
—8:45: Book Sales and Signing, Tabling for Peace/Social Justice Groups, and Social Mingling
Where: Humanists Hall, 390 27th Street (between Telegraph and Broadway) Oakland 94612 ~ Safe street parking available
Admission is free ~ early arrival advised.


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Motor Bicycles at Perris
Arrow Motorized Cycles at Perris
By Jamey
Remember the old Whizzer motorized Bicycles from the 1950's? Ever wonder what they might have evolved into with modern technology applied to this inexpensive form of transportation / fun vehicle? Well; back in 2011 with gas prices always going ever higher and the economy in the tank Dave Rush found an inexpensive way to have fun and go racing. Dave coming from a Flat Track racing background knew all too well how much money was needed to fund a solid racing program, but what about the guy's or ladies who just wanted to race for fun, or even just ride for fun. Dave found a Russian designed / Chinese built two stroke engines made for attachment to bicycles. At first Dave developed and tested his own reed boxes for these engines, (which come in three different displacement sizes) then he and his brother Jim attended a local race just for Motorized Bicycles. Suddenly Dave realized there were enough enthusiasts for him to market his reed box as there was nothing available in the industry to enhance the performance of these one hundred plus mile per gallon bikes. So it was that in 2012 Dave launched Arrow Motorized Cycles offering reed box kits, exhaust pipes, performance cylinders and heads, along with spare parts and some smaller items from his newly created web-site. www.arrowmotorizedcycles.com
For publicity Dave created a three bike race team using neighborhood kids. They started racing in local races on asphalt (Le Grange in Apple Valley Ca.) as well as dirt. Dave's initial concept for the dikes was to resemble flat track bikes since that was his passion and background, so this called for him to manufacture his own frames, gas tanks, and seats. He sourced existing twenty four inch wheels and tires, Shimano drive train (sprockets, hubs, levers, calipers, etc.) with Avid rotors. The tires are three inch wide dirt track style bicycle tires and Dave prefers the 66cc engine called the "Gruby Skyhawk". Stock this engine produces 2 ½ horse power but with Dave's modifications he can reliably get 8-10 horse power, which in this trim have been clocked as fast as fifty miles per hour on the street. Total weight of an Arrow Motorized Cycles machine tips the scales at fifty five pounds with 6 1/2 " steel cranks (with standard pedals) and the 24" Sun rims. In this configuration a buyer can expect to pay in the neighborhood of $1,500, of course with lighter materials and more custom work the price will head upward.
As for the law where these motorized cycles / bicycles (they do have pedals) is concerned. As long as you wear a DOT approved helmet, adhere to traffic laws and don't exceed thirty miles per hour (right) they are not considered by the DMV to need a license plate or have the need to meet their codes. Think of it this way, you couldn't keep up with Lance Armstrong on your own bicycle, but on an Arrow you just might be able to. It's like performance enhancing without the penalties.
For information you can reach Dave at
(562) 640-1244
#5 Andy Rust posted a 19.94 second lap time around the Perris1/4 mile oval on the Jake Busey sponsored Specialty bike. Andy won the main event of this growing field by a large margin...#89 Ryan Scruggs gives chase but couldn't keep Rust in sight. After the races with his first dirt track victory Andy Rust was all smiles.
Apparently there are many manufactures of Motorized Bicycles. This class seems to be growing as Ron Rudy didn't race his, but brought it out as a pit bike. This one uses a 50cc 4-stk engine.


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Selected as Party of the Day on June 16th!
Jacqui's Bridal Shower
ByParty Recap
I made this yellow, white and green dessert table for Jacqui's Bridal Shower. I baked every non-candy item on the table. Some of the highlights of the table included Mini Cookies n Cream Sunflower Cupcakes, Mini Banana Chocolate Chip, heart shaped blondies, chocolate cake pops, and mini lemon cheesecakes with a graham cracker crust. I also made the white and yellow fondant covered cake in the center of the table. I placed candy in clear vases of various shapes and sizes, and included personalized bags so guests could take some of the goodies home with them.
Party Helpers
Lauryn Bronstein
Cake designer
add your comment
To leave a comment Log in -or- Join the party


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Top Definition
a person who needs nothing but the skin they are in to be beautiful to the eye; brianna.
Golly, that Brianna girl sure is a natural beauty.
by Papupus
February 18, 2008
1 more definition
A person who holds the power of sunshine, life, and love on the outside.
Usually an absolutely all around gorgeous girl.
Usually an absolutely all around gorgeous girl.
Vanessa has natural beauty, not to mention the name itself and it's infinite beauty.
by Ilovelovelypankakes
May 22, 2011


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North Side High School (Fort Wayne, Indiana)
Coordinates: 41°5′49.85″N 85°8′7.73″W / 41.0971806°N 85.1354806°W
North Side High School | |
Location | |
475 East State Boulevard, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Indiana United States |
Information | |
Type | Free public |
Established | 1927 |
School district | Fort Wayne Community Schools |
Principal | Chad Hissong |
Grades | 9-12 |
Enrollment | 1,582[1] |
Campus type | urban |
Color(s) | Cardinal and White |
Mascot | [Redskins] [Chief Mac] |
Website | North Side High School |
North Side High School is a secondary school in the Fort Wayne Community Schools system, serving the north central neighborhoods of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States.
Established 1927, North Side High School has been dedicated to giving the best education available. Recently, it has had a massive renovation to accommodate the growing number of students expected to attend in coming years. The North Side High School Gym was home to the Fort Wayne Pistons of the Basketball Association of America (later the National Basketball Association) from 1948 to 1952.
The men's basketball team were the 2005-2006 Summit Athletic Conference Champions and star guard Eshaunte "Bear" Jones was an Indiana Junior All-Star.[citation needed] The following season, Jones was an Indiana Senior All-Star, wearing #10 in a pair of wins over Kentucky in the state's annual games.[citation needed] In 2008, Justin Jordan was an Indiana Junior All-Star before becoming an Indiana Senior All-Star in 2009.[citation needed] In 2010, an unlikely Redskin team, with a losing record, topped Marion to win Class 4A Sectional #6 for its first Sectional title since 2005.[citation needed]
The men's cross country team has won awards including the SAC (Summit Athletic Conference) Championship in 2008. It qualified for the Indiana State finals competition in 2008 in Terre Haute; the first time since 1969 that the Redskins qualified in cross country.[citation needed]
North Side's marching band, the North Side Marching Redskins, was founded in the 1920s. It placed ninth in the ISSMA State finals competition in 2011, competing in ISSMA class B.[2]
North Side's Football won the SAC for the year 2013-2014. The boys basketball team followed up the SAC winning football team by winning the 2013-2014 SAC regular season and tournament titles. Their back to back regular season conference titles were the first for the school in 35 years and were part of a state best 18-1 start to the 2013-2014 season. The 2014-2015 boys basketball would again win the regular season SAC title, their third in a row under coach Shabaz Khaliq.
Notable alumni[edit]
- Bill Boedeker, NFL player
- Bob Cowan, NFL player
- Gray Morrow, American illustrator
External links[edit]


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- Filed Under
About the series
Aging is tough enough. Doing it alone brings its own set of physical, financial and emotional challenges.
Whether widowed or single, an estimated 36,000 people aged 60-or older live alone in Brevard County -- and their ranks are growing.
FLORIDA TODAY reporter Britt Kennerly and visual journalist Craig Rubadoux spent months visiting with six Brevard County seniors whose lives bear common threads: the devastating isolation that can overwhelm a person at an increasingly vulnerable stage of life. The fear of losing control of their lives. The desire to enjoy the best life possible, as long as possible.
Baby boomer to Greatest Generation, this sextet's experiences provide powerful examples of the joys and pitfalls of aging alone.


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President (회장) 심용희 (Joyce Y.H. Shim) School of International and Public Affairs School of Social Work firstname.lastname@example.com
Vice President (부회장) 민호준 (Eric H.J. Min) School of Law firstname.lastname@example.com
Vice President (부회장) 고성배 (Steven Kauh) Mailman School of Public Health email@example.com
Executive Secretary (총무) 류지혜 (Sarah J.H. Ryu) Graduate School of Arts and Science firstname.lastname@example.com
Executive Secretary (총무) 정은주 (EunJoo Chung) School of Social Work firstname.lastname@example.com
Treasurer (회계) 이지은 (Felicity J. E. Lee) School of Social Work email@example.com
Webmaster (웹지기) 이노아 (Noah Lee) School of Engineering & Applied Science firstname.lastname@example.com
Corp. Relations (대외협력부장) 윤경화 (K. H. Yoon) School of International and Public Affairs firstname.lastname@example.com
Event Manager (행사부장) 강석민 (Seokmin Kang) Teachers College firstname.lastname@example.com
Public Relations (홍보부장) 황유실 (Y.S. Hwang) School of International and Public Affairs email@example.com
2013 Spring Board of Directors 2012 Fall Board of Directors 2012 Spring Board of Directors 2011 Fall Board of Directors 2010-2011 Board of Directors 2009-2010 Board of Directors 2008-2009 Board of Directors 2008 Spring Executive Board 2007 Fall Executive Board 2006-2007 Executive Board 2005-2006 Executive Board