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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.

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Great Guidance In Achieving Network Marketing Success

Tangible, in-demand products sell well in any economy, and this fact of business may have drawn you to the realm of network marketing. If it has, or even if you’re entertaining the idea for some other reason, you would do very well to educate yourself about the market before attempting to start your business. Read this article for some great MLM tips.When you’ve completed your initial website, ask someone you know who knows nothing about network marketing to look at it. Have them use a critical eye when reviewing everything, and then find out if they would sign up through you if the website is all they had known about you.When you set your network marketing goals, look at the big picture. Consider how your marketing will affect your business in the longer term. Take careful stock of how your current marketing strategies will influence your business in three to five years. If the picture is not what you have in mind, make appropriate changes now.Avoid wasting your time. While working on the internet, it is very easy to become side-tracked. How many times have you found yourself reading everyone’s statuses on Facebook when your original plan was to post a quick update? Work with a schedule and make efforts to stay focused on your work.In network marketing, when people ask a question, you should provide the information they’re looking for. If you keep an index of topical information, people will see your website as a resource and continue to return time and time again. Keep your content fresh, useful, and plentiful, and you’ll see a great rise in visitors.Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it. If you see other successful network marketers, ask them what they are doing to be so successful. Most networkers are not adverse to sharing their secrets, so long as long you are marketing a different product and won’t be honing in on their market share.One way to get bigger pools of potential recruits for your network marketing efforts is to encourage recruits to start thinking in terms of “friends of friends.” If your recruit provides you with a potential recruit, ask them who that person knows who might be suited to the program. Exploring wider circles this way can exponentially expand your recruiting pool.When you have a career doing network marketing, you need to make sure that you are spending your time wisely. Taking a lot of time to check your emails or Facebook is not really going to get you anywhere in terms of making more money. Make sure you know the sales of your company product, and how your sponsors are doing, then you can spend some time doing the things first mentioned.A great tip that can help you become successful at network marketing is to devote a lot of time and effort to your customers. Try to make a connection with each and every one of your customers. A great way to do this is by checking up with them after they make a purchase.Not everyone who joins your network marketing team will actually be a part of your downline. You can have what I call “horizontal hires”, people who you will pay for their services as they help you. The best way to use this is with a finders fee – a single payment that you set out when you make your agreement which they receive when finding someone who is interested in your offer.TwitterIn order to succeed at network marketing you need to focus on income producing activities and make sure that you spend your work time wisely. When working on your computer, do not waste all of your time logged onto Facebook or checking emails. Spend the majority of your online work time marketing, sponsoring people and selling your company’s products.A great tip that can help you become more successful at network marketing is to be aware of how much time you spend on social networking sites. Twitter and Facebook can be great resources when it comes to networking, but just make sure you aren’t wasting too much of your time on them.Don’t stick with what you already know and think that will be enough. If you want to be a successful network marketer, you need to have many skills that will advance your career. Know how to use Facebook and Twitter to help market. Learn how to write a successful blog. Always try and learn something new.FacebookUse the power of social media sites in today’s world to help you with your network marketing business. Network marketing is a business of today, and today is revealed through the internet and media. The two biggest things in today’s world are Facebook and Google. Optimize your search results on Google, and market your business and products on Facebook.Avoid wasting your time. While working on the internet, it is very easy to become side-tracked. How many times have you found yourself reading everyone’s statuses on Facebook when your original plan was to post a quick update? Work with a schedule and make efforts to stay focused on your work.When you have a career doing network marketing, you need to make sure that you are spending your time wisely. Taking a lot of time to check your emails or Facebook is not really going to get you anywhere in terms of making more money. Make sure you know the sales of your company product, and how your sponsors are doing, then you can spend some time doing the things first mentioned.In order to succeed at network marketing you need to focus on income producing activities and make sure that you spend your work time wisely. When working on your computer, do not waste all of your time logged onto Facebook or checking emails. Spend the majority of your online work time marketing, sponsoring people and selling your company’s products.A great tip that can help you become more successful at network marketing is to be aware of how much time you spend on social networking sites. Twitter and Facebook can be great resources when it comes to networking, but just make sure you aren’t wasting too much of your time on them.Use the power of social media sites in today’s world to help you with your network marketing business. Network marketing is a business of today, and today is revealed through the internet and media. The two biggest things in today’s world are Facebook and Google. Optimize your search results on Google, and market your business and products on Facebook.When you are involved in network marketing, it can be very easy to lose track of time by maintaining your network instead of expanding it. You can find yourself checking e-mails, logging on Facebook, and other activities that can be considered work but do not necessarily improve your income. Be aware of this and make sure that you dedicate at least a few hours each day strictly to expanding your network or finding customers.Don’t forget about social media when it comes to network marketing! Tweets get retweeted, and Facebook posts can be shared. Have your blog write on both sites when you post to your blog, and make sure to add other tidbits of information throughout the day to keep your followers interested. Link to articles that match the topic of your website, or mention positive achievements you’ve made recently.Don’t forget about social media when it comes to network marketing! Tweets get retweeted, and Facebook posts can be shared. Have your blog write on both sites when you post to your blog, and make sure to add other tidbits of information throughout the day to keep your followers interested. Link to articles that match the topic of your website, or mention positive achievements you’ve made recently.Don’t stick with what you already know and think that will be enough. If you want to be a successful network marketer, you need to have many skills that will advance your career. Know how to use Facebook and Twitter to help market. Learn how to write a successful blog. Always try and learn something new.Up top, you read about how popular products will sell well anytime. Throughout this article, you read some great tips on how to do your selling and how to pitch your products in order to build your team. Understand that there is a demand out there. You just need to educate yourself on how to become the supplier. Hopefully this article just helped with that.

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.