What Careers Are Available for an Entertainment Technology College Graduate?
If you enjoy being on the inside track, then a career in entertainment technology could be the perfect choice. Entertainment technology graduates are qualified to work behind the scenes on entertainment productions, ensuring that performances are enhanced by lights, sets, sound and multimedia effects. And this could serve as quite the exciting job for anyone that just can’t get enough of the entertainment industry. Now they get to experience it up close and personal. If you have strong problem-solving skills, a solid grasp of digital technology and are comfortable with physics and math, a career in entertainment technology could be in your future.Lighting and sound technicians and audio video (AV) technicians are in demand for theatrical productions, trade show exhibits, theme park operations as well as film and television productions. They also can find jobs as marketing representatives for equipment manufacturers and as support technicians for equipment rental companies. In addition to installing equipment and operating light and sound boards, many entertainment technologists design lighting, sound and video effects for stage and film productions. They may also design and install control systems for theme parks, casinos and clubs. Once lighting, sound and video systems are in operation, entertainment technicians are often called in for fine tuning or to trouble shoot for problems.Due to the technical aspects of the job, there is usually a high demand for skilled lighting, sound and AV technicians. Many entertainment technology students gain practical experience by completing an internship or summer job. By the time they graduate, entertainment technology students should be familiar with some the of the leading software packages that are used for lighting, sound and AV system design and control.Scenic technicians construct sets for theatrical, television and film productions as well as commercials, advertisements, theme parks and trade show displays. They play an important role in the creation of the “world” of a production or display, working with a set designer to create scenery from scale models and drawings. Scenic technicians must be comfortable working with computer-aided design tools (CAD) as well as traditional drafting techniques. They are qualified for jobs in the scene shop of a theater or studio, working as a carpenter, painter, plasterer or welder.With a few years experience, entertainment technicians can move into positions as technical directors or production tour managers, evaluating lighting, sound, AV and scenic designs and determining how they fit into the overall vision, schedule and budget of a production.
Use Timecards For Payroll & Employee Schedules to Plan Labor Costs
It is important to pay payroll expenses from the time and attendance system, and not the theoretical labor schedule. This attendance system tracks the “actual time” worked by business employees. Each staff member should have their own “timecard”, although computer systems have improved these paper systems over the years. At a minimum, the timecard can be a paper card which has the time and date the employee arrived for work, and the time and date the employee left work, printed or stamped on the card.o If management pays the employee directly from the theoretical work schedule and the employee arrived later than scheduled, then the business is paying too much to the employee – reducing profit.o If the employee arrived earlier than the theoretical labor schedule suggested, the business will not lose any money by paying from the schedule – however, a number of regulations are violated by not paying the employee for actual time worked.Employees, in most industries, are notorious for arriving to work 15-minutes earlier than scheduled, or leaving 10-minutes later than scheduled, requiring that employers pay appropriately for worked time.To ensure compliance with regulations and to reduce the loss in profits, the correct way to pay employees is with the clock in / clock out times from the time and attendance system. Employee pay should be based on actual time worked. Where applicable, biometric systems, such as fingerprint logins will help control employee early clock ins, buddy punching, and labor regulations compliance.Example: Using a modern labor management system, employees from a country club can clock-in and clock-out from an Internet-connected computer at the store. Each employee is given a username and password for security, or alternatively given a biometric fingerprint scanner. In addition to punching in and out, the employee can review their timecard, view upcoming schedules, request time off, change work preferences, swap shifts with other employees, find out when other staff members work, and view messages sent to them by management. After clocking into the labor management system, remote managers (such as corporate, district, or regional level managers) can easily login to view which employees are currently “on the clock” and how long they have been clocked in.Labor management systems with employee scheduling and time and attendance features can reduce the employee’s ability to clock in early, or “ride the clock”. These types of software systems have an instant Return On Investment for your business.
Business Online – More Honeypot Secrets To Attracting Online Visitors
A recent news article made a comment about ‘the lonely world online’, which is quite an unusual idea given the prolific nature of the internet. How can it be lonely? It turns out to be referring to the whopping four out of ten British businesses with a website but zero visitors. Weighing in to add my pennyworth, I wrote an article about business online – how to attract online visitors like bees to a honeypot, and I wasn’t finished yet, so here are some more secrets!To begin with, I had to get my head around the fact that it was possible for businesses online not to have attracted a single visitor – the whole idea of going ‘online’ was to gear business to the worldwide market place and reach beyond the normal boundaries of your city etc. But then I began to realize that businesses were just that, businesses, and probably not into furthering their online education to figuring out what makes a website work.So, I jotted down four honeypot secrets to attracting and keeping visitors in a business online, which were:1) You have to take responsibility to make your website work – not the designer2) Create great words that work – good copy skill is essential in attracting visitors3) Tell your visitor what’s in it for them – they aren’t particularly interested in cold facts.4) Tell them WHY they need your product or service. Learn to link the facts with the benefits.Of course, these ideas are just the tip of the iceberg, and making your business online a success is a bit of a balancing act. So I dug up a few more honeypot secrets to attracting online visitors which are:a) Grab your browser’s attention with a great headline. This is the very first thing they will see and decides whether they stay or go. There are several types of headlines including:
Call to action eg: “Sign up here for the latest news on oxygen….”
Question eg: “How much is oxygen worth paying for?”
How to eg: “How to get free oxygen”
Which one would you guess is the most popular? It seems that people are so inquisitive, they just have to know the “how to” for just about everything!b) Tell your customer what you want them to do. The average browser may give your business online 10 seconds of his time, so you don’t want him to go away just having had a good read – tell him specifically what you are after. Do you want his email address to send him more info? Do you want him to buy your product now? Do you want him to sign up for your free newsletter? Whatever the next step is, tell him in the first few paragraphs so that if he doesn’t scroll down further, he knows.c) Be Google aware. Google bots do a lot of comparison between the websites that are linked to your site and also the relevance of the keywords you are using to your online business content. Attracting online visitors means balancing keyword research with relevance and giving your target customers good content – when they type in a particular search phrase, your website has a good answer ready and waiting.If you are new to business online, have you thought how you can further your online education to stay abreast of trends etc? The answer is by investing in learning new skills. Find out now how one online centre can supply you with everything you need to know to build a great business online. iMMACC is totally geared to showing both beginners and seasoned business owners how to market and sell any product using over 50 methods and strategies both online and offline. As an added bonus, you also get a free business to promote. I hope my ‘more honeypot secrets to attracting online visitors’ has been helpful.
Get Lowest Rate Interest Personal Loans With Minimum Hassle
The lowest rate interest personal loans are hard to get these days, because many banks and financial institutions have made stricter rules and increased their rate of interest on these loans. Many people who are in serious need of lowest rate loans look for banks that offer them. How do people find banks offering low rate of interest on loans? Will there be any hidden costs or conditions that might rob the individual of all benefits for these loans?Banks give people loans to help people buy homes, cars, appliances, or to start their own business or to pay bills. Many people are in dire need of lowest rate interest personal loans, because they find it hard to make ends meet. Low rate loans are hard to find these days, because the interest rates have shot up due to economic conditions and the demand for loans, especially on low rate interest.How do people identify banks that offer lowest rate interest personal loans? First, collect data about the banks offering loans and analyze the rate of interest charged at each bank. Then contact the bank that offers low rate interest loan and meet the bank’s financial assistant to determine the real value of the personal loan. These loan officers are able to guide the customers through the process and assist them in assessing the real interest value of the loan.Lowest rate interest personal loans are generally offered by micro-finance companies and government organizations. Some NRI banks also try to offer loans with a low rate of interest, as they want to serve people who are in need. Identify these banks that offer lowest rate interest personal loans and apply for the loan by submitting the proper documents. Generally, address proof and credit history is what the banks check before offering loans.Today, almost all banks have online web portals; hence checking the personal loan options and the rate of interest for each loan type is very easy. Lowest rate interest personal loans generally might have other hidden costs, so it is important to check if there is any other cost to be paid. Some banks will say they offer low interest loans, but when people actually apply, the bank asks too many questions or does not agree to loan the amount needed. They also ask for too much documentation and verifications that are unnecessary.It is best to go personally and consult with a banker about the lowest rate interest personal loans before actually making the decision on which loan to take. These loans help people in many ways. People can get out of debt, pay back their long pending bills, get a health benefit, buy a home or car, or even educate their children. It is always best to keep some savings for unexpected expenses. But sometimes, events happen so fast that we exhaust every penny we have and so we have to opt for low rate loans. Making the right inquiries so as to make the best decision when choosing the best bank that offers lowest rate interest personal loans will help in the long run.
Bad Credit Auto Loan Application – Online Applications Are Easy
When buying a new or used car, many people, even those with bad credit need to complete an auto loan application in order to finance the purchase of their new vehicle. There are a few ways you can get a application for you car loan. You can get one from a dealer, your local financial institution or you can get a loan application for your auto purchase online.One, you can make the mistake of going to a dealer first for your auto loan application, without having done any research or getting competitive auto loan rate quotes. This is a mistake and can cost you in higher interest rates and payments. This can also lead to you paying more for the car itself. Dealers earn money, in many cases, from the interest rate that is charged on loans they offer. In some instances your annual percentage rate (APR) will be 3-5 percentage points higher than you qualify for. If you have bad credit you are likely to receive a sub-prime loan with an even higher interest rate and not be able to pick the car you want but one the dealer says you qualify for.Second, you can either pay a visit to your local bank, credit union or other financial institution and following a discussion with a loan officer or person employed there who specializes in lending money to consumers, you will find that some also specialize in offering car loans to people with bad credit. For most you will complete an auto loan application on the spot or you can take it home and complete one at your leisure. Quite a few lenders will give you a immediate decision there and then, although the majority of them will contact you either by telephone or in writing at a later date to let you know if you qualify and that they are prepared to go ahead and process your request for a auto loan. This takes time, and time is money. Your ability to compare auto loan quotes from different institutions will be influenced by the lenders location and other factors.Your final and best option is to complete a auto loan application online. To do this you have to be over eighteen years of age and have legal residency within the United States. There is no need to be anxious about the personal information you are supplying ending up in the wrong hands as the on line companies will not pass on your details to third parties without your permission and the software they use is encrypted and, therefore, provides full protection for the private information you have submitted.When trying to find the best auto loan rate, regardless of you credit history, comparison of different lenders quotes is essential. The internet has made it possible to find and complete multiple auto loan applications that are free while never leaving your home. Since competition for our business is high you will find free, no obligation, simplified applications that are made to be completed and submitted in minutes not hours. Response times are for how you qualify are almost instant in some cases, but usually within 24 hours. Now you have choices, just pick the best one. Money saving is why completing a bad credit auto loan application on line is a wise choice.
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.
US Markets in green on Friday; Dow 30 up over 345 points, Nasdaq Composite, S&P 500 up nearly 1%
US Markets were trading in the green on Friday with Dow 30 trading at 30,678.80, up by 1.14%. While S&P 500 was trading at 3,701.66, up by 0.98% and Nasdaq Composite 10,690.60 was also up by 0.71 per cent
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US Markets in green on Friday; Dow 30 up over 345 points, Nasdaq Composite, S&P 500 up nearly 1%
Earlier today, Indian stock markets ended the week on a winning note. It was the sixth straight gains for equity markets. Source: Reuters
US Markets were trading in the green on Friday with Dow 30 trading at 30,678.80, up by 345.25 points or1.14 per cent. While S&P 500 was trading at 3,701.66, up by 35.88 points or 0.98 per cent and Nasdaq Composite 10,690.60 was also up 75.75 points or 0.71 per cent. A Reuters report said that today’s strength was on the back of a report which said the Federal Reserve will likely debate on signaling plans for a smaller interest rate hike in December, reversing declines set off by social media firms after Snap Inc’s ad warning.
Source: Comex
Nasdaq Top Gainers and Losers
Source: Nasdaq
Earlier today, Indian stock markets ended the week on a winning note. It was the sixth straight gains for equity markets. The BSE Sensex ended at 59,307.15, up by 104.25 points or 0.18 per cent from the Thursday closing level. Meanwhile, the Nifty50 index closed at 17,590.00, higher by 26.05 points or 0.15 per cent. In the 30-share Sensex, 13 stocks gained while the remaining 17 ended on the losing side. In the 50-stock Nifty50, 21 stocks advanced while 29 declined.