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Mingo schools fight poverty with fitness
Bill Clinton helps W.Va. kids get fit CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- In 2010, Mingo County Schools Superintendent Randy Keathley took a hard look at the facts. Thirty two percent of his fifth-graders had high blood pressure, according to West Virginia University screening, and 35 percent were obese.Twenty-seven percent of second-graders were already obese.More than 80 percent of all students qualified for free or reduced-price lunches."It threw us," said Keathley, a Williamson native. "It caused us to refocus our attention. Hungry or sluggish kids don't perform well."Mingo's academic achievement was well below the state average, and the absentee/dropout rates were above state average.In the past two years, Mingo schools have launched a system-wide wellness campaign. "Our children deserve no less," Keathley said. "Research tells us, the lower the income, the worse children's health and achievement is likely to be." Many studies show that, the lower the income, the higher the probability of diabetes and obesity.Mingo already has the state's highest hypertension rate and almost a 40 percent obesity rate, "so what we're doing will affect the future," Keathley said."We expect substantial results over time," he said, "but we're already seeing enough results to know we're on the right track." * Between Sept. 1 and Feb. 1 of this year, there were 195 fewer out-of-school suspensions system-wide than there were in the same time period the year before. "Disciplinary referrals have dropped sharply," Keathley said.* Mingo's Westest scores rose in reading and math after the first year of the wellness program, especially at the elementary level. Elementary proficiency scores rose 8.1 percent for all students in reading and 14.4 percent for all students in math.* Mingo's dropout rate was cut in half in the past year, moving them from above the state average to below the state average.* The county's attendance rate rose three points to 96 percent."We haven't really substantially changed anything else, so I would say it's the wellness program," Keathley said. "Talking with our principals, it's evident that the overall atmosphere of the schools is changing. I would say students are feeling better about school and enjoying it more." Mingo County has become one of five West Virginia school systems recognized by the USDA's Healthier U.S. School Challenge, which promotes "excellence in nutrition and physical activity."How are they getting those results? They're making changes on several fronts:They're beefing up after-school physical activity and added several sports: volleyball, golf, track and soccer. "Counties like Kanawha already have those, but they're not common in southern West Virginia," he said.With help from the state Office of Child Nutrition, all cooks were trained to cook healthier meals from scratch. Mingo adopted the universal free breakfast program and doubled the number of students eating breakfast. They serve a fresh fruit or vegetable snack every afternoon through a federal program for low-income elementary schools.Teaming up with the Mingo County Diabetes Coalition, they started a running/walking program in middle schools. Every eighth-grader got a pedometer and a 10,000-steps-a-day challenge. They ran/walked their own 5K. "We hope to spread this program to all grades," Keathley said."The collaboration with the community groups has been phenomenal, because students are getting healthier messages in school and out of school," he said.Every Mingo school also joined the Healthy Schools Program of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. That's a free national program that includes 158 West Virginia schools, sponsored by the Bill Clinton and Robert Wood Johnson Foundations. The program helps schools plan next steps for their wellness program and give teachers workshops and materials for four years.As part of the Healthy Schools program, each school now has a wellness coordinator who organizes ongoing activities for kids and teachers. "It's an important step beyond the wellness council," Keathley said, "Someone is responsible for making it happen."You can see it happeningOn a recent Friday at Mingo's Lenore K-8, about 60 kids were rocking out on the stage with several teachers, no partners, boom box blasting, constant motion, shifting easily from the Macarena to The Twist to the Wobble. Every five minutes or so, the music segued. So did the kids."They love it, dancing through the decades," said principal Sabrina Runyon. "We teach them the moves, and they go at it!" In the gym, other students shot hoops and ran relays. One group was training for a 5K.It was Fun Friday, last period every week, Reward Friday for students who make it through the week with less than three violations in any class. Instead of candy or objects as rewards for responsible behavior, they choose activities like free time in the gym, shooting hoops or running relays with their friends, or dancing with a teacher who teaches them cool dance moves."This works better than any reward system we've ever had," principal Runyon said. "We make it so much fun they don't want to miss it."The reward system is part of the schoolwide wellness program. "We're weaving physical activity through the whole week now," she said. "We've been doing it more than a year now, and we see the benefits. When kids stir their brain cells by moving, they focus better and perform better."Our discipline problems are also way down since we started this." Last year, 47 violations were reported in January. This January, only two violations were reported. "We feel the extra movement lets them release energy they would have spent acting out," she said.She shifted the schedule to get the kids moving more:* Lenore now serves universal free breakfast and cooks from scratch. For 18 minutes of the 47-minute lunch period, all students go outside or to the gym in bad weather. "If we can pull that off with 600 students, any school can," Runyon said. "It's a matter of making a schedule and sticking to it, like a well-oiled machine."* Kindergarten through 4th grade get another recess during the day, so younger kids get two activity breaks.* Teachers cannot take away recess as punishment. "Lots of times, a misbehaving kid just needs to get up and run around." Instead, they get a violation, the loss of a class trip or party, or if necessary, a visit to the office.* Runyon often plays a "Jammin' Minute" over the PA system first thing. Sleepy kids stand beside their desks and stretch and move. "Teachers do that kind of thing all day too."* Music classes involve movement: modified yoga, physical learning activities to music.When the wellness coordinators from the various schools met in January, Superintendent Keathley came too. "I'm here because I want you to know how important I think your wellness job is," he told them.Amy File, state program director for the Alliance for a Healthy Generation, listened as each school described their activities. Some listed teacher wellness activities too. "We've got 17 teachers signed up to run the Hatfield-McCoy Marathon," said Lenore's Pam Chapman. "The kids are impressed.""I see a big, positive difference in just in a year," File told the coaches. "When we first started, you were organizing one-day events, like the Cupid Shuffle. This year, I'm hearing about things that go on week after week. I'm hearing about teachers as role models."File gave all the coaches a new DVD of quick classroom exercises. "The Alliance is always giving us useful stuff, and it costs us nothing," said Kay Maynard, Mingo wellness coordinator.Wellness coaches, existing staffers, get paid an extra $250 a year from excess levy funds. "Obviously, we don't do it for the money," Chapman said. "I'm a believer.""We get a whole lot of value for that little bit of money," Keathley said. "Our excess levy lets us do the after-school activities and have the wellness coaches," he said. "We're very thankful for that, because it's working."Reach Kate Long at 304-348-1798 or email@example.com. "The Shape We're In" has been supported by a Dennis A. Hunt Fund for Health Journalism fellowship, administered by the California Endowment Health Journalism Fellowships at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.


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Rumba Rose Cloud Lambswool ThrowKlippan
Brand: Klippan
Designed by: Birgitta Bengtsson Bjork
Details: 100% Eco Lambs Wool Throw, 130cm x 200cm.
A lovely soft lambswool throw in a classic weave. An enduring design that will never go out of style. Perfect for the end of the bed or snuggling on the sofa.
Care: Wool has excellent natural dirt-resistant properties which makes it unnecessary to wash often. The wool cleans itself and repels dirt with its naturally-occurring oil (lanolin). A tip: let your blanket air outside in humid weather. If your blanket still needs maintenance, please follow the instructions below:
Dry clean only. Iron on medium temperature. Do not tumble dry or use bleach.


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So, today I realized that it has been ten years since I started blogging, way back when this blog was teal colored and hosted by Blogger.
Since then, I have...*
- Moved five times
- Acquired a cat
- Gotten married
- Switched over to freelancing full time
- Had an essay published
- Learned to kayak (sorta)
- Hiked part of the Camino de Santiago
- Traveled to Japan
I feel that I'm a lot calmer and more focused than I was at the beginning (which probably accounts for the lesser amount of blogging, at least in part), and am looking forward to the next ten years, which I expect to be at least as eventful.
How's your decade been?
*If I think of more things, I'll add them as they do.


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1776Riddles are little poems or phrases that pose a question that needs answering. Riddles frequently rhyme, but this is not a requirement.
I was born in 1776
in Independence Hall,
I am very precious to most Americans,
and signed by 56 people in all.
AnswerThe Declaration of Independence
What Next?
See another brain teaser just like this one...
Or, just get a random brain teaser
If you become a registered user you can vote on this riddle, keep track of
which ones you have seen, and even make your own.
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Yoko Ono Heats Up Dancefloors Once Again With Her Latest Summer Smash "Talking to the Universe"
Following the overwhelming success of her eighth #1 BILLBOARD HOT DANCE CLUB PLAY charting remix single "MOVE ON FAST", YOKO ONO heats up dancefloors once again with her latest summer smash "TALKING TO THE UNIVERSE".
Since bursting onto BILLBOARD'S HOT DANCE CLUB PLAY SINGLES CHART as the Hot Shot Debut at #36* (with a bullet) (Issue date: 07/16/2011), "TALKING TO THE UNIVERSE" has proved to be a fiery confection and one of Yoko's most feverish and dynamic reinventions. Throughout its eight week stint on the chart, the single has quickly gained momentum claiming "the #25* spot (with a bullet)" as that week's Power Pick (Issue date: 07/23/2011) before leaping into the "Top 20 at #17* (with a bullet)" (Issue date: 07/30/2011). It's currently at #3* (with a bullet) (Issue date: 09/3/2011) nestled among contemporary pop and electronic music stalwarts BEYONCE, KYLIE MINOGUE, BRITNEY SPEARS, RIHANNA and DEPECHE MODE.
Originally taken from the 1995 YOKO ONO / IMA collaborative album RISING, the lean, funk-fueled rocker finds ONO tuning in to the universe as our as our celestial medium and ambassador to the cosmos urging listeners to purge all the preconceived notions, pretenses and fears that confine us in order to bask in a freer state of being. It's an inspiring message of self actualization and empowerment that has become hallmark themes throughout her vast career.
ONO has long been credited with igniting the punk-rock fire years before its official explosion and her work continues to be relevant and generation-inspiring decades later. Meticulously reinventing her material for 21st-century dancefloors has given the vanguard artist a greater platform and visibility of which many contemporaries and present-day contenders can be envious.
"TALKING TO THE UNIVERSE" marks the latest chapter in ONO's staggering body of remixed works which, to date, has yielded eight #1 BILLBOARD CLUB PLAY chart hits ("MOVE ON FAST", "WOULDNIT' (I'M A STAR)", "GIVE ME SOMETHING", "I'M NOT GETTING ENOUGH", "GIVE PEACE A CHANCE", "NO NO NO", "EVERYMAN / EVERYWOMAN" and the timeless "WALKING ON THIN ICE") and two critically-acclaimed remix anthologies: YES, I'M A WITCH and its companion release OPEN YOUR BOX, an incredibly impressive feat for an artist who has spent her life on the cutting edge of music, art and pop culture.
"TALKING TO THE UNIVERSE" is available as three separate digital green releases (no materials used or abused) on MIND TRAIN / TWISTED Records issued July 5th, August 2nd and September 6th, respectively, on iTunes.
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2012 Olympics Equestrian Eventing Medalists
An Event to Remember: Wrapping Up the Olympic Eventing Competition
Among the Olympic equestrian sports, eventing is undoubtedly the most grueling, putting horse and rider through four days of nerve-wracking competition. Eventing tests competitors in three disciplines — dressage, cross-country, and jumping — and awards medals at both the team and individual levels. These four days of equestrian drama wrapped up yesterday, dominated by the Germans, led by Michael Jung and his horse Sam, who jumped a clean round on Tuesday to win the individual gold and helped their team nab the team gold medal for the second straight Olympics. The home team, Great Britain, snatched the silver due to outstanding performances by Will and Harry's cousin Zara Phillips and Mary King, while New Zealand secured the bronze behind the legendary Mark Todd.
See who topped the eventing standings each day when you check out this slideshow!


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Jason Dufner tees off today at Oak Hill Country Club, likely finding the course much different from the one he played the first two days of the PGA Championship.
How the course changes and how players respond will be a major part of the story from suburban Rochester, N.Y.
TRACK LIVE: Leaderboard | Photos | Tee times | TV schedule | Updated odds
It was a delightful day in northern New York, with warm sunshine, light wind and low humidity. So instead of the weather, it was the course that was making things miserable.
Oh, brother! It's bad when Jim Furyk, among leaders the first two days, plops down bogeys on two of his first three holes. Oak Hill became a stick in the eye for other leaders, with double bogeys on No. 3 for Matt Kuchar and Justin Rose.
No one learned a harder lesson than Webb Simpson, who had a triple bogey on No. 5. Simpson, remember, had a 64 on Friday.
Blame the rough. Players who failed to stay in the fairway were left to hack their way out of the heavy stuff.
Even Dufner was not immune. He uncorked a rotter of a tee shot on No. 5 that resulted in a drop.
Players had to know how the course would play even in the changing conditions.
"A guy playing really well here, hitting a lot of fairways, you can find yourself hitting a lot of middle and short irons into holes," Kuchar said after his strong Friday round. "If you are hot and taking advantage of those holes, you have got a chance to really post a good number."
Among early starters, Dustin Johnson was a standout. He was strong on the back nine to finish with a 65. Kevin Streelman, Marc Leishman and Ken Duke also put up below-par scores.
Johnson picked up a stroke on the front nine before birdies on Nos. 10, 13, 14 and 15.
Changes included the weather, with a breeze stiffening, and pin placements that were of added difficulty.
Golf's biggest names weren't among Saturday's surging stars.
None was a bigger dud than Phil Mickelson. After consecutive rounds of 1-over 71, he ballooned to a 78 in the third round. The ugly part was a 39 on the front nine holes. That was 4-over par, thanks to a triple-bogey at the par-4 seventh.
Mickelson also three-putted No. 4 for a bogey. And, he hit a spectator with an errant tee shot. Three weeks after winning the British Open, Mickelson's game remained in embargo.
Mickelson's day equaled his worst in a PGA Championship. Eleven years ago, he shot 78 at Hazeltine. That, too, came in the third round.
Tiger Woods appeared masterful in contrast to Mickelson. He was stuck on the downslide and finished Saturday with a 3-over 73. He missed a par putt on No. 3 and his swing remained erratic. There was no better example than No. 1, when he chunked his tee shot left en route to a bogey.
Woods also missed birdie putts on No. 2 and No. 7.
"Obviously, I need to hit it better than I have," Woods said Friday. "Obviously, keep the ball below the hole so I can be aggressive with the putts."
Obviously, it isn't working.
This won't be the soft, inviting course players saw in the first two rounds.
Dufner entered Saturday at 9-under par, having ridden a hot second round to a two-stroke lead in the year's final major. He shot a 63 on Friday, tying a record for one-round scores in major championships. Simpson had been the talk of the day with a 64 until Dufner mastered Oak Hill.
If he hadn't left three putts shot — he just missed at 15, 17 and 18 — Dufner would have thrown a stunning round on the leaderboard. His success came on his approach shots; he hit 15-of-18 holes and hole out on No. 2 for an eagle.
Oh, what might have been if he had sunk those three late putts.
"As we walked down to the fairway, we had a chance to watch his putt, all kind of hoping," Kuchar said. "And I know for me, it would have put him an extra shot ahead, but it would have been pretty cool to see a 62 posted as the lowest round ever in a major championship.
"It was kind of too bad that he missed it."
Scott is one of three golfers tied for second to open Saturday. He, Furyk and Kuchar are 7-under. Rose and Henrik Stenson are at 6-under.


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Children of asylum seekers have been sent to offshore detention as a deterrent strategy and have been deprived of medication, mental health care and adequate clothing, an inquiry has heard.
Doctors, aid workers and former government officials have given damning testimonies about the treatment of children in Australia's immigration detention centres to the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) inquiry.
The inquiry has also heard that 659 children remain in immigration detention centres.
Former director of offshore processing and transfers with the Department of Immigration, Gregory Lake, told the inquiry that in 2012 he was instructed by a ministerial staffer to choose the youngest-looking children from those eligible for transfer to Manus Island.
"Because they wanted to send a deterrent message, it was important to send some children, to say that children are not exempt from transfer," Mr Lake said.
Doctors who worked at the Christmas Island detention centre in 2013 said asylum seekers had medications, hearing aids, glasses and even parts of prosthetic limbs taken from them.
Dr Grant Ferguson told the inquiry a three-year-old girl had epilepsy medication taken away and she subsequently developed fits.
Psychiatrist Peter Young, a former mental health services director with the International Health and Medical Service, which provides services to detainees, told the commission that there were elements of a cover-up, with the immigration department wanting the extent of mental health problems among children removed from official reports.
AHRC president Professor Gillian Triggs, in a press conference outside the commission, said the testimonies signalled Australia needed to ask whether it had gone too far.
"The inhumanity, the cruelty of these processes is very apparent and when it's repeated without any conditions attached by all of these medical experts, as Australians we have to ask have we gone too far?" she said.
Department of Immigration and Border Protection secretary Martin Bowles told the inquiry the number of children held in detention centres in Australia and offshore had fallen by more than 1330 since hitting a peak of 1992 in July 2013.
There are now 659 children in Australian detention centres, with 153 at Christmas Island.
Some children from Christmas Island had been transferred to Nauru, where there were now 185 children, Mr Bowles said.
Mr Bowles defended the treatment of all asylum seekers and said the department had made significant improvements to facilities and treatment over the past decade.
In a statement to the inquiry, Mr Bowles rejected claims in the media about poor health care standards at the Christmas Island detention centre, saying the claims "offend greatly" staff at the centre.
Mr Bowles also said healthcare services on Christmas Island were "commensurate with those available to the Australian community".
In other evidence, a former social worker on Nauru with the charity Save the Children, Kirsty Diallo, said children regularly begged for new shoes because the stony ground was painful to walk on.
Ms Diallo said children had "grossly inadequate" clothing for the humid, 40C environment, saying one seven-year-old girl, who had only a skivvy and tracksuit pants, continually asked her for a T-shirt and shorts.
She could not help the girl and eventually her mother cut up their mosquito net to make her a skirt.
Children had no books and few toys, but an 11-year-old girl had a seashell, collected on a rare beach excursion, confiscated by security guards, Ms Diallo said.
The commission has concluded its hearing but Immigration Minister Scott Morrison is expected to appear at a new hearing, with the date yet to be announced.


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The last few weeks in Portland have been fairly spectacular, weather-wise. As the date to launch our new soup mixes drew closer, I started to worry that the weather might be too nice for soup. Of course many of you are still in the throes of winter, but some of us have been enjoying a beautiful spring. This week, however, has proved to be as wet as it comes and really reminds us why Oregon is so green. A hot bowl of soup sounds pretty good today.
For years our customers have loved our 13 Bean and Vegi soup mixes. They're simple, with no seasoning added, and full of carefully selected ingredients to create soups that are versatile and hearty. After receiving many requests from our customers to offer a wider variety of soup mixes, we're happy to bring two new blends to you—Bountiful Black Bean Soup and Whole Grains and Beans Soup.
Bountiful Black Bean soup combines black turtle beans, black-eyed peas, navy beans and pearl barley to create a beautiful blend that works well as a simple black bean soup or can be dressed up with roasted vegetables and spicy sausage. We leave the seasoning up to you, but have included a delicious recipe on the package for inspiration.
Whole Grains and Beans soup is just as full of whole grain goodness as it sounds. We've combined red beans, red lentils, pinto beans and brown lentils with our Grandé Whole Grains blend to bring you the heartiness of a bean soup with a variety of grains including Kamut® wheat, oat groats, buckwheat and many others.
Both soups take approximately 1-1/2 hours to cook from dried beans into a delicious soup perfect for a cool evening. Serve with our Irish Soda Bread for a meal that is sure to please. Both soups are 25% off through the month of April.


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Premium Wine Brands Uses SOA for Application Integration
Premium Wine Brands-Pernod Ricard leverages Oracle SOA Suite, Oracle Service Bus, BPEL Process Manager, AIA, and ADF Mobile using a services-based approach to simplify application integration, drive re-use and provide information governance.
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Register Today for Oracle OpenWorld 2017
Oracle OpenWorld is evolving so you can cultivate a greater opportunity for your business. Join us at OpenWorld 2017 and begin your future.


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Stonesoft Corporation Stock Exchange Release 18 October 2010 at 10:58 AM
Stonesoft Press Release, Helsinki, Finland — October 18, 2010 — In the stock exchange release published on 4 October, 2010 Stonesoft Corporation announced it has discovered a new network security threat category. These are so-called Advanced Evasion Techniques (AET), which can bypass current network security devices without leaving a trace. Advanced Evasion Techniques can also transport already known malware or phishing programs, worms and viruses, which otherwise would be detectable and stoppable by network security systems.
Stonesoft has reported the threat posed by these advanced evasion techniques to the national computer security incident response team of Finland CERT-FI for vulnerability coordination, and ICSA Labs, a US-based security-product testing and certification laboratory has confirmed the severity of the discovery.
In addition to testing their own network security solutions, Stonesoft has extended their research to cover also solutions by other leading vendors in the field. The test results show that most of current network security solutions do not detect attacks that utilize advanced evasion techniques. The most efficient protection against the threat posed by advanced evasions techniques is provided by software-based systems, which can be remotely updated and centrally managed. Stonesoft's network security solutions fulfill these criteria.
Stonesoft estimates the discovery to open new business opportunities for the company and to have a positive effect on the company's net sales, but it still cannot estimate the magnitude nor the schedule of this effect.
More information about advanced evasion techniques is available at Stonesoft website www.stonesoft.com and at the web address antievasion.com.
Stonesoft Corporation
Ilkka Hiidenheimo


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Wheelsmith® spokes are made from ultra-grade corrosion-proof 304 stainless steel which is progressively drawn and heat treated to produce fine gauge wire. The drawing process, performed at room temperature, produces tremendous tensile strengths and leaves the wire with a lustrous and extremely smooth finish. Also does not need a coating of grease or oil for protection. Following threading and final checking, the spokes are thoroughly cleaned of any residual oils and packaged in bags of 50 . Although we recommend lubricating threads for building, we know you will appreciate working with clean spokes.
Package ID: Small_Package


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Bonifacio beginning rehab assignment
CHICAGO -- Emilio Bonifacio will begin his rehab assignment on Friday with the Arizona League Cubs, the organization's Rookie-level affiliate.
Bonifacio has been on the disabled list with a right oblique strain since June 13. He sustained the injury the previous day against the Pirates. In his first at-bat, he took a swing that caused him to fall to the ground, and he limped off the field with the support of head athletic trainer PJ Mainville.
Bonifacio is hitting .261/.307/.340 in 61 games this season.
Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. She writes a blog, Muskat Ramblings, and you can follow her on Twitter @CarrieMuskat. Joe Popely is a contributor to MLB.com. Daniel Kramer is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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While plenty of high-yield opportunities exist, investors must always consider the safety of their dividend and the total return potential of their investment. It is not uncommon for a struggling company to suspend high-yielding dividends and subsequently result in precipitous share price declines.
TheStreet Ratings' stock rating model views dividends favorably, but not so much that other factors are disregarded. Our model gauges the relationship between risk and reward in several ways, including: the pricing drawdown as compared to potential profit volatility, i.e. how much one is willing to risk in order to earn profits?; the level of acceptable volatility for highly performing stocks; the current valuation as compared to projected earnings growth; and the financial strength of the underlying company as compared to its stock's valuation as compared to its stock's performance.
These and many more derived observations are then combined, ranked, weighted, and scenario-tested to create a more complete analysis. The result is a systematic and disciplined method of selecting stocks. As always, stock ratings should not be treated as gospel — rather, use them as a starting point for your own research.
The following pages contain our analysis of 5 stocks with substantial yields, that ultimately, we have rated "Hold."
Home PropertiesDividend Yield: 4.80% Home Properties (NYSE: HME) shares currently have a dividend yield of 4.80%. Home Properties, Inc. is an independent real estate investment trust. The firm invests in the real estate markets of the United States. It is engaged in the ownership, management, acquisition, rehabilitation and development of residential apartment communities. The company has a P/E ratio of 36.73. The average volume for Home Properties has been 510,900 shares per day over the past 30 days. Home Properties has a market cap of $3.3 billion and is part of the real estate industry. Shares are down 4.2% year to date as of the close of trading on Wednesday. TheStreet Ratings rates Home Properties as a hold. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its impressive record of earnings per share growth, compelling growth in net income and revenue growth. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including poor profit margins and a generally disappointing performance in the stock itself. Highlights from the ratings report include:
- HOME PROPERTIES INC reported significant earnings per share improvement in the most recent quarter compared to the same quarter a year ago. The company has demonstrated a pattern of positive earnings per share growth over the past two years. We feel that this trend should continue. This trend suggests that the performance of the business is improving. During the past fiscal year, HOME PROPERTIES INC increased its bottom line by earning $1.27 versus $0.81 in the prior year. This year, the market expects an improvement in earnings ($1.58 versus $1.27).
- The net income growth from the same quarter one year ago has significantly exceeded that of the S&P 500 and the Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry. The net income increased by 97.0% when compared to the same quarter one year prior, rising from $13.73 million to $27.04 million.
- Net operating cash flow has slightly increased to $74.98 million or 4.53% when compared to the same quarter last year. Despite an increase in cash flow, HOME PROPERTIES INC's average is still marginally south of the industry average growth rate of 5.47%.
- In its most recent trading session, HME has closed at a price level that was not very different from its closing price of one year earlier. This is probably due to its weak earnings growth as well as other mixed factors. The fact that the stock is now selling for less than others in its industry in relation to its current earnings is not reason enough to justify a buy rating at this time.
- The gross profit margin for HOME PROPERTIES INC is currently lower than what is desirable, coming in at 34.07%. Regardless of HME's low profit margin, it has managed to increase from the same period last year. Despite the mixed results of the gross profit margin, HME's net profit margin of 16.17% is significantly lower than the industry average.
- You can view the full Home Properties Ratings Report.