The Internet – Now That’s Entertainment
The Internet is now a source of everything from pure entertainment to up to the minute news for the private citizen, but it hasn’t always been that way. In fact, in the early days of the Internet (before it even carried that name), it was strictly limited in its use and no one would have dared suggest it be used for any frivolous. The Internet was originally conceived of in the early 1960′s as a way to enable multiple computers to access information for research and development purposes in the scientific and military communities.By 1970, several major universities had super computers sharing information between research groups and libraries as well as exchanging an early form of email. The increase in information necessitated a way of indexing and organizing the information that eventually led to simpler codes, hypertext and ease of use in the 1980′s. Initially, the government funded the development of the Internet, so commercial use was prohibited unless it was directly linked to research or education.Everything changed in the late 1980′s and early 1990s, when independent commercial networks sprang up in response to the ease of use and smaller, less expensive computers for office and home use. Since these independent commercial networks could pay for their own Internet connections, they could route to each other and bypass the government’s “backbone.” By 1995, the World Wide Web was in full swing and the government was out of the Internet business.Predictably, as soon as the Internet was open to the public, individuals changed its look. Individuals wanted more than just a way to conduct business or do their banking, although such practical applications were certainly popular. Today’s Internet provides information, ease and more than anything else, entertainment to home users.The entertainment industry quickly jumped on the Internet bandwagon by distributing movie trailers, early release teaser chapters from new books and lots of press photos for always-interested fans. They created entire websites dedicated not only to networks, but also to movies, particular televisions shows and even particular fictional characters. Today, many televisions shows have mirror websites with special features that add to the viewer experience. For instance, if you love the show “Monk” on the USA Network, you can play games relating to the character’s peculiarities, take quizzes about past episodes and enter contests to win prizes or learn more about the characters to enhance enjoyment of the show. That’s savvy marketing.In an entirely different vein, the Internet brought entertainment of other kinds right into the home that people previously had to go to, not the other way around. Video poker, arcade games, and downloadable streaming video all mean that you can be entertained 24/7 without ever leaving home. Users can play a few hands of cards or enter a tournament. There are tournaments going on around the world at any given time. It’s even possible to play a classic pinball game by downloading it to your computer.In fact, the face of entertainment has changed considerably by allowing individuals to upload their own photos and videos for the world to see and even script and edit their own films. The Internet has made us all into amateur photographers and videographers with a potential audience of millions thanks to YouTube, Flickr and other programs. Not only does the Internet provide us with 24/7 entertainment, it allows us to provide the world with entertainment that we’ve made. Upload a clip of that amazing wipe-out you made on the slopes during your last ski trip and you’ll be amazed how fast you become entertainment for millions of viewers.Some of the most popular sites on the Internet are celebrity gossip sites. It’s human nature in today’s hectic world, when we’re all hunkered over our computers hours every day working to earn a living, to want to click over to a gossip site for a few minutes and check out how “the other half” lives. It’s harmless entertainment news that reassures us that are lives aren’t so bad, and we get the guilty thrill of checking out the photos.With so much instant gratification at our fingertips, the Internet has changed the face of entertainment forever. With the Internet in almost every home, you can no longer feel there is nothing to do. After all, there’s always something entertaining just a click away.
House of Brands
Short term vs long. Regional reach vs national. Diversification vs focused niche. When does it make the most sense to keep one singular Branded House vs a collective House of Brands? Understanding which type of strategy is appropriate for an organization’s objectives and resources is a crucial step in building a successful brand and should be clearly defined before the brand is presented to consumers.House of Brands: A brand like P&G has a parent brand and then a number of consumer-facing brands loosely connected back to the parent – brands like: Crest, Iams, Bounce, Vicks, & Pringles. The House of Brands pushes equity to the individual niche brands.
Branded House: A brand like FedEx has one master brand even though it offers a range of services – Ground, Custom Critical, Office, and Supply Chain. The Branded house funnels all equity back to the master brand.Both of these strategies can be effective, but their effectiveness largely depends on where the business is in its life cycle, how far it reaches, and how proven each niche service is within the marketplace. Before deciding on either of the aforementioned strategies, an organization should determine whether it is a:Emergent Brand: New brands typically have the hardest time focusing. What will customers resonate with? What service will make us the most money? Can we survive limiting our offerings? Since the brand is still finding its legs, its smart to keep it as one singular entity – a branded house. This allows equity to build even as the focus may shift and mature throughout its formative years.
Maturing Brand: A maturing brand begins to refine itself – asking the tough questions: ‘what business should we be saying no to’, ‘where should we invest into our own identity’ and ‘what type of customer is our ideal’. A business at this stage may have many lines of revenue streams, but none may quite be ready for its own niche. After reaching mature status, brands may decide to expand through pursuing:
Business Diversification: As the business continues to grow, multiple services may begin to branch out from the core. As these ancillary businesses begin to grow, the real question of moving from a Branded House into a House of Brands will rise to the surface. Are we Toyota trying to create Lexus, or are we Mercedes creating the C-class?
National Reach: If a brand grows to the point of national reach, this is where I believe the Branded House can really payoff. Having invested most, if not all, of the accumulated years of goodwill, equity, and reputation into one identity can provide an organization with more opportunity to gain momentum as a national brand-name. However, this is not always the case. There are certainly times where branching off from the parent can allow a subsidiary to take a risk without marring the reputation of the parent.Determining whether a brand should pursue a House of Brands or Branded House strategy is dependent on where the brand is in its life cycle as well as its resources and goals. Strategies do not need to be stagnant however, as they can be adapted as the brand grows. A brand may start out as a Branded House in the beginning then slowly grow into a House of Brands as it expands and grows more successful. As with many aspects of branding, there is no right approach to building a successful brand but only the approach right for you.
Affordable Health Care Insurance – Why You Need to Get One Now
You never know what can happen in the future, especially events regarding your health. It is advisable you acquire an affordable health care insurance today to avoid any huge expenses incurred due to unforeseen health issues that may arise and you need to seek medical attention.These days, the living costs are always increasing but your salaries may not rise as fast. However, an affordable health care insurance is definitely required to see you through the huge expenses that you may incur when you seek medical attention in the future. Then again, there are also reasons why there are still so many people avoiding getting one. This is mainly because these health insurances are getting more and more expensive that a lot people could not afford to buy one. Therefore, there is a growing demand and need for an affordable health care insurance these days.Because of the high medical insurance costs, many people have no choice but live without one. Those who cannot afford the high premiums feel that it better for them to spend such money on basic necessities rather than on the health insurance. However, they do not know that without such health care insurance, they could burn a big hole in their pocket and even wipe out their entire life savings easily with just one unforeseen major illness or accident that could happen to anyone.However, that does not mean that one should live without a health insurance. With the availability of internet, you could look around for some of the best affordable health care option that is available online. The premiums are affordable and provide the necessary coverage for your requirements. Some of the most common and affordable ones include the HMOs, PPOs and POSs. These options not only are affordable, they provide you with the health coverage necessary to see you through in times of needing medical attention.Therefore, be wise to get an affordable health care insurance right now. See things in a long-term perspective as you can actually save more for the future this way by getting a health care insurance today. If you are young especially, you should start getting one today as premiums are lower for younger people. If you are young and healthy and do not smoke, your premiums can be even be further reduced. So, if you are smoking today, quit it immediately. This can help save you a lot in your monthly health premiums when you get one.
What You Should Know About Home Health Care
Home health care services may just be the assistance you need for your aged parents. But you need to understand that the term itself is so diverse. There are different kinds of professionals who can provide home health care assistance to you. Just the same, there are also different types of institution where such care can be provided.The most common health care personnel you might have encountered are registered nurses. They are also considered the most skilled because they don’t just care for the basic needs of their patients. They can also be made to supervise monitoring for vital signs as well as giving the right medication for the patient. RNs and experts in using health equipments.Another type of home health care personally are home care aides. They are a good choice for a health companion because they can provide assistance to basic living skills such as bathing and dressing up. They can also provide a nutritional diet for your aged loved ones as well as do some light cleaning to avoid the spread of illnesses at home.Then there are also the homemakers or home companions. However, these people are not exactly schooled or formally skilled with caring for aged people. But they can be expected to take care of the home where your aged loved ones live and also make sure that some of their basic necessities are being cared for.Getting the type of home health care is something that you should talk over with the whole family. If your parents are still good enough to comprehend the situation, it would be best to also involve them during the decision-making process. This way you can prevent having any problems between the caregiver and the care recipient because the latter actually resents having someone else to tend to him.After that is cleared, the next important thing would be to clearly define what the caregiver tasks should be. Do this in accordance with your aged loved ones current medical conditions. It would even be best if the tasks are actually advised by the doctor. If you can also include an actual daily schedule for the caregiver to follow, then that would be much better.When the decision-making process to hire a caregiver and the actual tasks are done, then you will now be ready to find the best homecare services. It would be best to look for one within your area so you can easily compare their fees and requirements.When choosing your home health care services, make sure that you get from an agency duly certified by the government. It would also help to engage in the services of an agency whom you can pay through your insurance coverage.
Is a Fitness Franchise Right For Me?
Fitness franchises are among the most popular type of franchise businesses. When you own your own fitness franchise, you’ll be tapping into a major need for the vast majority of the population. Each year more and more people want to lose weight and get in shape. As the nation looks at rising obesity rates, especially in children, fitness is going to become a bigger concern.If your background is in the fitness industry, or you’ve been a lifelong athlete, owning a fitness business could be the opportunity you’ve been looking for. Consider the following fitness industry statistics:* There are over 30,000 health clubs across the United States
* Over 42 million Americans belong to a type the fitness club
* Adults 55 years of age and older make up about a quarter of fitness club membershipsWhen you own a fitness business, people trust you with their health. Unlike other types of businesses, your fitness franchise can have a lasting impact on the quality of life of your customers. With this in mind, it takes a lot of trust in order to build a customer base. When you own a fitness franchise business you’ll be backed by the familiarity and high-level professionalism that comes from the fitness franchise. Instead of working hard to prove to the public that you’re running a legitimate fitness business, they’ll know instantly that yours is a gym that they can trust.Fitness franchises come in many different shapes and sizes, no pun intended. There are fitness businesses that cater to women only. Women-only fitness franchise businesses are growing in popularity and there are many from which to choose. One of the most popular is Curves, but there are many other fitness franchises that have taken advantage of this popular trend. If you want to offer women a secure place to work out and lose weight you may want to consider one of these fitness franchises. While Curves focuses on low impact circuit training, others like Fit Zone for Women offer a wide variety of fitness classes.Twist Sports Conditioning Centres have been offering athletic training in a gym environment since 1999. This fitness franchise offers personalized training that helps athletes achieve better performance on the court, the field or the ice. The professional trainers focus on challenging customers to push their bodies to new limits. If you’re coming from an amateur or professional sports background, Twist Sports Conditioning may be the perfect franchise for you.Fitness businesses aren’t just for the young and fit; they are also for the young at heart. Nifty After Fifty is a fitness franchise that allows you to cater to the growing population of older Americans who want to stay fit. While this franchise business is just two years old, it will allow you to tap into a hungry market and offer a facility that will allow them to exercise in a non-judgmental environment. Nifty After 50 offers exercise classes, nutritional training and other services that help customers improve their health and overall quality of life.
S&P 500 Rallies As U.S. Dollar Pulls Back Towards Weekly Lows
Key Insights
The strong pullback in the U.S. dollar provided significant support to stocks.
Treasury yields have pulled back after touching new highs, which served as an additional positive catalyst for S&P 500.
A move above 3730 will push S&P 500 towards the resistance level at 3760.
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Pfizer Rallies After Announcing A Huge Price Hike For Its COVID-19 Vaccines
S&P 500 is currently trying to settle above 3730 as traders’ appetite for risk is growing. The U.S. dollar has recently gained strong downside momentum as the BoJ intervened to stop the rally in USD/JPY. Weaker U.S. dollar is bullish for stocks as it increases profits of multinational companies and makes U.S. equities cheaper for foreign investors.
The leading oil services company Schlumberger is up by 9% after beating analyst estimates on both earnings and revenue. Schlumberger’s peers Baker Hughes and Halliburton have also enjoyed strong support today.
Vaccine makers Pfizer and Moderna gained strong upside momentum after Pfizer announced that it will raise the price of its coronavirus vaccine to $110 – $130 per shot.
Biggest losers today include Verizon and Twitter. Verizon is down by 5% despite beating analyst estimates on both earnings and revenue. Subscriber numbers missed estimates, and traders pushed the stock to multi-year lows.
Twitter stock moved towards the $50 level as the U.S. may conduct a security review of Musk’s purchase of the company.
From a big picture point of view, today’s rebound is broad, and most market segments are moving higher. Treasury yields have started to move lower after testing new highs, providing additional support to S&P 500. It looks that some traders are ready to bet that Fed will be less hawkish than previously expected.
S&P 500 Tests Resistance At 3730
S&P 500 has recently managed to get above the 20 EMA and is trying to settle above the resistance at 3730. RSI is in the moderate territory, and there is plenty of room to gain additional upside momentum in case the right catalysts emerge.
If S&P 500 manages to settle above 3730, it will head towards the next resistance level at 3760. A successful test of this level will push S&P 500 towards the next resistance at October highs at 3805. The 50 EMA is located in the nearby, so S&P 500 will likely face strong resistance above the 3800 level.
On the support side, the previous resistance at 3700 will likely serve as the first support level for S&P 500. In case S&P 500 declines below this level, it will move towards the next support level at 3675. A move below 3675 will push S&P 500 towards the support at 3640.
SPDN: An Inexpensive Way To Profit When The S&P 500 Falls
Summary
SPDN is not the largest or oldest way to short the S&P 500, but it’s a solid choice.
This ETF uses a variety of financial instruments to target a return opposite that of the S&P 500 Index.
SPDN’s 0.49% Expense Ratio is nearly half that of the larger, longer-tenured -1x Inverse S&P 500 ETF.
Details aside, the potential continuation of the equity bear market makes single-inverse ETFs an investment segment investor should be familiar with.
We rate SPDN a Strong Buy because we believe the risks of a continued bear market greatly outweigh the possibility of a quick return to a bull market.
Put a gear stick into R position, (Reverse).
Birdlkportfolio
By Rob Isbitts
Summary
The S&P 500 is in a bear market, and we don’t see a quick-fix. Many investors assume the only way to navigate a potentially long-term bear market is to hide in cash, day-trade or “just hang in there” while the bear takes their retirement nest egg.
The Direxion Daily S&P 500® Bear 1X ETF (NYSEARCA:SPDN) is one of a class of single-inverse ETFs that allow investors to profit from down moves in the stock market.
SPDN is an unleveraged, liquid, low-cost way to either try to hedge an equity portfolio, profit from a decline in the S&P 500, or both. We rate it a Strong Buy, given our concern about the intermediate-term outlook for the global equity market.
Strategy
SPDN keeps it simple. If the S&P 500 goes up by X%, it should go down by X%. The opposite is also expected.
Proprietary ETF Grades
Offense/Defense: Defense
Segment: Inverse Equity
Sub-Segment: Inverse S&P 500
Correlation (vs. S&P 500): Very High (inverse)
Expected Volatility (vs. S&P 500): Similar (but opposite)
Holding Analysis
SPDN does not rely on shorting individual stocks in the S&P 500. Instead, the managers typically use a combination of futures, swaps and other derivative instruments to create a portfolio that consistently aims to deliver the opposite of what the S&P 500 does.
Strengths
SPDN is a fairly “no-frills” way to do what many investors probably wished they could do during the first 9 months of 2022 and in past bear markets: find something that goes up when the “market” goes down. After all, bonds are not the answer they used to be, commodities like gold have, shall we say, lost their luster. And moving to cash creates the issue of making two correct timing decisions, when to get in and when to get out. SPDN and its single-inverse ETF brethren offer a liquid tool to use in a variety of ways, depending on what a particular investor wants to achieve.
Weaknesses
The weakness of any inverse ETF is that it does the opposite of what the market does, when the market goes up. So, even in bear markets when the broader market trend is down, sharp bear market rallies (or any rallies for that matter) in the S&P 500 will cause SPDN to drop as much as the market goes up.
Opportunities
While inverse ETFs have a reputation in some circles as nothing more than day-trading vehicles, our own experience with them is, pardon the pun, exactly the opposite! We encourage investors to try to better-understand single inverse ETFs like SPDN. While traders tend to gravitate to leveraged inverse ETFs (which actually are day-trading tools), we believe that in an extended bear market, SPDN and its ilk could be a game-saver for many portfolios.
Threats
SPDN and most other single inverse ETFs are vulnerable to a sustained rise in the price of the index it aims to deliver the inverse of. But that threat of loss in a rising market means that when an investor considers SPDN, they should also have a game plan for how and when they will deploy this unique portfolio weapon.
Proprietary Technical Ratings
Short-Term Rating (next 3 months): Strong Buy
Long-Term Rating (next 12 months): Buy
Conclusions
ETF Quality Opinion
SPDN does what it aims to do, and has done so for over 6 years now. For a while, it was largely-ignored, given the existence of a similar ETF that has been around much longer. But the more tenured SPDN has become, the more attractive it looks as an alternative.
ETF Investment Opinion
SPDN is rated Strong Buy because the S&P 500 continues to look as vulnerable to further decline. And, while the market bottomed in mid-June, rallied, then waffled since that time, our proprietary macro market indicators all point to much greater risk of a major decline from this level than a fast return to bull market glory. Thus, SPDN is at best a way to exploit and attack the bear, and at worst a hedge on an otherwise equity-laden portfolio.
S&P 500 Biotech Giant Vertex Leads 5 Stocks Showing Strength
Your stocks to watch for the week ahead are Cheniere Energy (LNG), S&P 500 biotech giant Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX), Cardinal Health (CAH), Steel Dynamics (STLD) and Genuine Parts (GPC).
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While the market remains in correction, with analysts and investors wary of an economic downturn, these five stocks are worth adding to watchlists. S&P 500 medical giants Vertex and Cardinal Health have been holding up, as health-care related plays tend to do well in down markets.
Steel Dynamics and Genuine Parts are both coming off strong earnings as both the steel and auto parts industries report optimistic outlooks. Meanwhile, Cheniere Energy saw sales boom in the second quarter as demand in Europe for natural gas continues to grow.
Major indexes have been making rally attempts with the Dow Jones and S&P 500 testing weekly support on Friday. With market uncertainty, investors should be ready for follow-through day breakouts and keep an eye on these stocks.
Cheniere Energy, Cardinal Health and VRTX stock are all on IBD Leaderboard.
Cheniere Energy Stock
LNG shares rose 1.1% to 175.79 during Friday’s market trading. On the week, the stock advanced 3.1%, not from highs, bouncing from its 21-day and 10-week lines earlier in the week.
Cheniere Energy has been consolidating since mid-September, but needs another week to forge a proper base, with a potential 182.72 buy point formed on Aug. 10.
Houston-based Cheniere Energy was IBD Stock Of The Day on Thursday, as the largest U.S. producer of liquefied natural gas eyes strong demand in Europe.
Even though natural gas prices are plunging in the U.S. and Europe, investors still see strong LNG demand for Cheniere and others.
The U.K. government confirmed last week that it is in talks for an LNG purchase agreement with a number of companies, including Cheniere.
In the first half of 2021, less than 40% of Cheniere’s cargoes of LNG landed in Europe. That jumped to more than 70% through this year’s second quarter, even as the company ramped up new export capacity. The urgency of Europe’s natural gas shortage only intensified last month. That is when an explosion disabled the Nord Stream 1 pipeline from Russia that had once supplied 40% of the European Union’s natural gas.
In Q2, sales increased 165% to $8 billion and LNG earned $2.90 per share, up from a net loss of $1.30 per share in Q2 2021. The company will report Q3 earnings Nov. 3, with investors seeing booming profits for the next few quarters.
Cheniere Energy has a Composite Rating of 84. It has a 98 Relative Strength Rating, an exclusive IBD Stock Checkup gauge for share price movement with a 1 to 99 score. The rating shows how a stock’s performance over the last 52 weeks holds up against all the other stocks in IBD’s database. The EPS rating is 41.
Vertex Stock
VRTX stock jumped 3.4% to 300 on Friday, rebounding from a test of its 50-day moving average. Shares climbed 2.2% for the week. Vertex stock has formed a tight flat base with an official buy point of 306.05, according to MarketSmith analysis.
The stock has remained consistent over recent weeks, while the relative strength line has trended higher. The RS line tracks a stock’s performance vs. the S&P 500 index.
Vertex Q3 earnings are on due Oct. 27. Analysts see EPS edging up 1% to $3.61 per share with sales increasing 16% to $2.2 billion, according to FactSet.
The Boston-based global biotech company dominates the cystic fibrosis treatment market. Vertex also has other products in late-stage clinical development that target sickle cell disease, Type 1 diabetes and certain genetically caused kidney diseases. That includes a gene-editing partnership with Crispr Therapeutics (CRSP).
In early August, Vertex reported better-than-expected second-quarter results and raised full-year sales targets.
S&P 500 stock Vertex ranks second in the Medical-Biomed/Biotech industry group. VRTX has a 99 Composite Rating. Its Relative Strength Rating is 94 and its EPS Rating is 99.
CRISPR Stocks: Will Concerns Over Risk Inhibit Gene-Editing Cures?
Cardinal Health Stock
CAH stock advanced 3.2% to 73.03 Friday, clearing a 71.22 buy point from a shallow cup-with-handle base and hitting a record high. But volume was light on the breakout. CAH stock leapt 7.3% for the week.
Cardinal Health stock’s relative strength line has also been trending up for months.
The cup-with-handle base is part of a base-on-base pattern, forming just above a cup base cleared on Aug. 11.
Cardinal Health, based in Dublin, Ohio, offers a wide assortment of health care services and medical supplies to hospitals, labs, pharmacies and long-term care facilities. The company reports that it serves around 90% of hospitals and 60,000 pharmacies in the U.S.
S&P 500 stock Cardinal Health will report Q1 2023 earnings on Nov. 4. Analysts forecast earnings falling 26% to 96 cents per share. Sales are expected to increase 10% to $48.3 billion, according to FactSet.
Cardinal Health stock ranks first in the Medical-Wholesale Drug/Supplies industry group, ahead of McKesson (MCK), which is also showing positive action. CAH stock has a 94 Composite Rating out of 99. It has a 97 Relative Strength Rating and an EPS rating of 73.
Steel Dynamics Stock
STLD shares shot up 8.5% to 92.92 on Friday and soared 19% on the week, coming off a Steel Dynamics earnings beat Wednesday night.
Shares blasted above an 88.72 consolidation buy point Friday after clearing a trendline Thursday. STLD stock is 17% above its 50-day line, definitely extended from that key average.
Steel Dynamics’ latest consolidation could be seen as part of a larger base going back six months.
Steel Dynamics topped Q3 earnings views with EPS rising 10% to $5.46 while revenue grew 11% to $5.65 billion. The steel producer’s outlook is optimistic despite weaker flat rolled steel pricing. STLD reports its order activity and backlogs remain solid.
The Fort Wayne, Indiana-based company is among the largest producers of carbon steel products in the U.S. It engages in metal recycling operations along with steel fabrication and produces myriad steel products.
How Millett Grew Steel Dynamics From A Three Employee Business
STLD stock ranks first in the Steel-Producers industry group. STLD stock has a 96 Composite Rating out of 99. It has a 90 Relative Strength Rating, an exclusive IBD Stock Checkup gauge for share-price movement that tops at 99. The rating shows how a stock’s performance over the last 52 weeks holds up against all the other stocks in IBD’s database. The EPS rating is 98.
Genuine Parts Stock
GPC stock gained 2.8% to 162.35 Friday after the company topped earnings views with its Q3 results on Thursday. For the week GPC advanced 5.1% as the stock held its 50-day line and is in a flat base.
GPC has an official 165.09 flat-base buy point after a three-week rally, according to MarketSmith analysis.
The relative strength line for Genuine Parts stock has rallied sharply to highs over the past several months.
On Thursday, the Atlanta-based auto parts company raised its full-year guidance on growth across its automotive and industrial sales.
Genuine Parts earnings per share advanced 19% to $2.23 and revenue grew 18% to $5.675 billion in Q3. GPC’s full-year guidance is now calling for EPS of $8.05-$8.15, up from $7.80-$7.95. The company now forecasts revenue growth of 15%-16%, up from the earlier 12%-14%.
During the Covid pandemic, supply chain constraints caused a major upheaval in the auto industry, sending prices for new and used cars to record levels. This has made consumers more likely to hang on to their existing vehicles for longer, driving mileage higher and boosting demand for auto replacement parts.
Fellow auto stocks O’Reilly Auto Parts (ORLY) and AutoZone (AZO) have also rallied near buy points amid the struggling market. O’Reilly reports on Oct. 26.
IBD ranks Genuine Parts first in the Retail/Wholesale-Auto Parts industry group. GPC stock has a 96 Composite Rating. Its Relative Strength Rating is 94 and it has an EPS Rating of 89.
Shoe Repairs And Several Other Things When I Was 7
Shoe Repairs And Several Other Things When I Was 7
My Dad repaired most of our shoes believe it or not, I can hardly believe it myself now. With 7 pairs of shoes always needing repairs I think he was quite clever to learn how to “Keep us in shoe Leather” to coin a phrase!
He bought several different sizes of cast iron cobbler’s “lasts”. Last, the old English “Laest” meaning footprint. Lasts were holding devices shaped like a human foot. I have no idea where he would have bought the shoe leather. Only that it was a beautiful creamy, shiny colour and the smell was lovely.
But I do remember our shoes turned upside down on and fitted into these lasts, my Dad cutting the leather around the shape of the shoe, and then hammering nails, into the leather shape. Sometimes we’d feel one or 2 of those nails poking through the insides of our shoes, but our dad always fixed it.
Hiking and Swimming Galas
Dad was a very outdoorsy type, unlike my mother, who was probably too busy indoors. She also enjoyed the peace and quiet when he took us off for the day!
Anyway, he often took us hiking in the mountains where we’d have a picnic of sandwiches and flasks of tea. And more often than not we went by steam train.
We loved poking our heads out of the window until our eyes hurt like mad from a blast of soot blowing back from the engine. But sore, bloodshot eyes never dampened our enthusiasm.
Dad was an avid swimmer and water polo player, and he used to take us to swimming galas, as they were called back then. He often took part in these galas. And again we always travelled by steam train.
Rowing Over To Ireland’s Eye
That’s what we did back then, we had to go by rowboat, the only way to get to Ireland’s eye, which is 15 minutes from mainland Howth. From there we could see Malahide, Lambay Island and Howth Head of course. These days you can take a Round Trip Cruise on a small cruise ship!
But we thoroughly enjoyed rowing and once there we couldn’t wait to climb the rocks, and have a swim. We picnicked and watched the friendly seals doing their thing and showing off.
Not to mention all kinds of birdlife including the Puffin.The Martello Tower was also interesting but a bit dangerous to attempt entering. I’m getting lost in the past as I write, and have to drag myself back to the present.
Fun Outings with The camera Club
Dad was also a very keen amateur photographer, and was a member of a camera Club. There were many Sunday photography outings and along with us came other kids of the members of the club.
And we always had great fun while the adults busied themselves taking photos of everything and anything, it seemed to us. Dad was so serious about his photography that he set up a dark room where he developed and printed his photographs.
All black and white at the time. He and his camera club entered many of their favourites in exhibitions throughout Europe. I’m quite proud to say that many cups and medals were won by Dad. They have been shared amongst all his grandchildren which I find quite special.
He liked taking portraits of us kids too, mostly when we were in a state of untidiness, usually during play. Dad always preferred the natural look of messy hair and clothes in the photos of his children.