The stock of a corporation is partitioned into shares, the total of which are stated at the time of business formation. Additional shares may subsequently be authorized by the existing shareholders and issued by the company. In some jurisdictions, each share of stock has a certain declared par value, which is a nominal accounting value used to represent the equity on the balance sheet of the corporation. In other jurisdictions, however, shares of stock may be issued without associated par value.

Shares represent a fraction of ownership in a business. A business may declare different types (classes) of shares, each having distinctive ownership rules, privileges, or share values. Ownership of shares may be documented by issuance of a stock certificate. A stock certificate is a legal document that specifies the amount of shares owned by the shareholder, and other specifics of the shares, such as the par value, if any, or the class of the shares.

In the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, South Africa, and Australia, stock can also refer to completely different financial instruments such as government bonds or, less commonly, to all kinds of marketable securities.

In finance, investment is the purchase of an asset or item with the hope that it will generate income or appreciate in the future and be sold at the higher price. It generally does not include deposits with a bank or similar institution. The term investment is usually used when referring to a long-term outlook. This is the opposite of trading or speculation, which are short-term practices involving a much higher degree of risk. Financial assets take many forms and can range from the ultra safe low return government bonds to much higher risk higher reward international stocks. A good investment strategy will diversify the portfolio according to the specified needs. The most famous and successful investor of all time is Warren Buffett. In March 2013 Forbes magazine had Warren Buffett ranked as number 2 in their Forbes 400 list. Buffett has advised in numerous articles and interviews that a good investment strategy is long term and choosing the right assets to invest in requires due diligence. Edward O. Thorp was a very successful hedge fund manager in the 1970s and 1980s that spoke of a similar approach. Another thing they both have in common is a similar approach to managing investment money. No matter how successful the fundamental pick is, without a proper money management strategy, full potential of the asset can’t be reached. Both investors have been shown to use principles from the Kelly criterion for money management. Numerous interactive calculators which use the kelly criterion can be found online.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Investment

A stockbroker is a regulated professional individual, usually associated with a brokerage firm or broker-dealer, who buys and sells stocks and other securities for both retail and institutional clients, through a stock exchange or over the counter, in return for a fee or commission. Stockbrokers are known by numerous professional designations, depending on the license they hold, the type of securities they sell, or the services they provide. In the United States, a stockbroker must pass both the Series 7 and Series 63 and or Series 66 exams in order to be licensed. In most English speaking venues, the two word term stock broker, like stock brokerage, normally applies to the brokerage firm, rather than to the individual.

While the term “stockbroker” is still in use, more common terms are “broker”, “financial advisor”, “registered rep.” or simply “rep.” — the latter being abbreviations of the official Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) designation “Registered Representative,” obtained by passing the FINRA General Securities Representative Exam (also known as the “Series 7 exam”) and being employed (“associated with”) a registered broker-dealer, also called a brokerage firm or (in the case of some larger money center broker/dealers) a “wirehouse”, typically a FINRA member firm.[7] Other FINRA licenses or series exams exist. Although individuals holding some of those licenses, such as the “Series 6”, cannot be called stockbrokers since they are prohibited from selling stock and are not trained or licensed in the full array of capabilities of a Series 7 stockbroker (see list of securities examinations). Selling variable products such as a variable annuity contract or variable universal life insurance policy typically require the broker to also have one or another state insurance department licenses.

Science

Salvador Dali & Walt Disney worked on a film together!

January 20, 2017 Professor Nerdster Leave a comment

This production started in 1945 was finally completed in 2003. It was a collaboration between Walt Disney & Salvador Dalí.

Business

What’s Wrong with Kentucky Fried Chicken in the USA?

January 17, 2017 Professor Nerdster 2 Comments

Transcript of AustinMcConnell’s video: SUBSCRIBE to his channel if you like. This is an algorithm test page.

“All right, so check it. I miss eating at KFC. When I was a kid, Kentucky Fried Chicken was the bomb. My seven-year-old heart would jump with joy whenever my grandparents decided to pull into the KFC in my hometown for lunch. We’d get a big bucket of the 11 herbs and spices, green beans, coleslaw, enough Pepsi-Cola for everybody, the whole nine yards, and it was awesome. You couldn’t beat it.

Who needs Christmas when you’ve got KFC? The chicken was crispy, the restaurant was clean, and the eating was good. But 20 years later, I go to KFC practically never, maybe the drive-thru if there’s absolutely nowhere else to eat, but never ever, ever inside. Why? Because KFC ain’t what it used to be and we all know it.

The past decade hasn’t been kind to the Colonel. Consumers have rated the restaurant as consistently terrible. They’ve been overtaken by Chick-fil-A as the largest chicken chain in the U.S. by sales. They have a truly awful marketing campaign that’s generated more anger than interest. They ranked at the very bottom of customer surveys in 2013, and they’ve been steadily closing stores since 2005.

So what’s going on? You might not know it but there are five keys to the success of your average fast food joint. Fail in any of these areas and folks aren’t gonna wanna buy your product. The less folks buy, the less money you make. Less money you make the closer your franchise comes to extinction. So let’s see how your average KFC stacks up.

First thing you’re gonna need is fast and efficient service. QSR puts Kentucky Fried Chicken in the middle of the pack, not poor, not great, with an average service time at 3.39 minutes and an 88.6% accuracy on orders. Now a question for the Colonel’s corporate bigwigs. If you owned a skydiving business and the parachutes only opened 88.6% of the time, would that be acceptable?

[inaudible 00:01:43], would you skydive there? No. So why use a price when your customer base shrinks, if out of every 100 people to go there, 11 or 12 be charged incorrectly? Sorry, I’m doing that accent thing. KFC, get it together brah. Have a training day. Get your people on the right page. Bump that figure up to the low 90s and you’ll see more customers. An A-minus always looks better on a report card than a B-plus. You feel me?

Next, let’s talk about food quality. Look, I know it’s a little bit picky to ask for a bucket of fried chicken to not be totally greasy. But why ask me if I want original or crispy if it’s all gonna be covered in oil anyway? Just ask me what you’re really asking. Mostly greasy or totally greasy? I can’t even hold onto the stuff when I eat it. And even if I get a solid grip, the thing will fall apart before I get it in my mouth. This grub is whack.

I remember when KFC meant Finger Lickin’ Good. Now I’ve got to wash my hands in a sink because licking this grease off could seriously affect my health. I shouldn’t have to put on a hazmat suit and get the green light from the CDC before tackling an eight-piece bucket meal.

Next category, cash money honey. Look, if it’s gonna be messy and give me congestive heart failure at least don’t charge me an arm and a leg for it too. You’re out of your mind if you think I’m gonna pay $22 plus tax for eight pieces of slimy chicken. Sixteen piece family meal for about $41 in total, get out of here. $41 will buy you a nice meal at a fancy restaurant with mood lighting and a personal waiter.

Why would anybody wanna pay that much money to come here? If you want more customers, lower your prices. I see what you’re trying to do with the $5 fill up and the $10 chicken share. Wrong. If people think your food is too expensive, the solution isn’t to create a budget meal for him. The solution is to lower your prices.

Right across the street from this KFC is a Popeyes where you can get the exact same meal for cheaper. That’s a stupid business strategy for you guys. Hey, which of these prices you think looks better on a windows sign? If you wanna charge people that much to eat at your restaurant at least let the dining experience be worth it.

And that leads us to our next point, the cleanliness of your crib. So you wanna know the real reason I don’t go to KFC anymore? Here it is. This is me walking into a KFC while out on the road, totally unplanned, didn’t set anything up, just walked into a random location without preparation. And oh look, it’s completely disgusting.

Know how I knew it would be? Because you all have a serious sanitation problem. Six percent of your restaurants are dirty or damaged, 6%. That’s the highest of any of your competitors. That’s triple the national average. You guys are getting beat by Taco Cabana. Most people nowadays know to stay away from the inside of KFC. Walking into this particular location, I noticed the tables are dirty. The bathroom lock is broken. There’s grease and grime everywhere. There’s a disgusting mat laying out in the very front that’s damp with all kinds of spilled drinks and chicken grease for everybody to walk on.

And none of the staff seems to think that any of this needs to be cleaned up. Your crib is gross. Look, take a weekend, close your stores, retrain your staff and invest some of your money in private sanitation inspectors. You could fix everything else on this list and if you don’t shed that stigma folks have about your business’s cleanliness, you’ll never get out of the hole you’re in.

Last but not least, marketing. Look, I don’t know what you guys were thinking this year with your comedian rotation Colonel Sanders stick but it’s about to grate on the nation’s last nerve. We’ve got real problems in this country to deal with like ISIS and healthcare, and all we want is to watch TV without seeing one of your poorly conceived and self-depreciating commercials.

Here’s how to fix it in three quick steps. One, take yourself seriously. The wink and nod routine keeps falling flat, so cut it. Entrepreneur says it best. The new Colonel is a caricature. Instead of resurrecting the Colonel to lead KFC’s sales back to their former fried glory, the company has instead unleashed a childish pantomime that people old enough to remember Colonel Sanders don’t like and people too young to know him can’t possibly understand.

Your own company’s research says that one in five people hate your ad campaign. Yet here’s you CEO saying “I’m actually quite happy that 20% hate it, because now at least they have an opinion. They’re actually talking about KFC. And you can market to love and hate. You cannot market to indifference.” Hey, Greg, respectfully? Fire yourself.

The indifference folks were feeling came from years of you giving everybody the impression you don’t really care about the quality of your product. If you don’t care, why should we, as consumers, care? Your problem isn’t that you’re losing relevance. It’s that you’re acting indifferent to legitimate problems. Until you wanna take your business seriously and advertise a KFC that people will be happy to eat at, you’re not gonna rebound.

Step two, embrace nostalgia. If you want a new Colonel cut the live action one, go animated. No, not this train-wreck, go retro. Get the guys from “Fallout” to handle the aesthetic and you’ll have a marketing strategy that looks completely different from anything else out there and you’ll find your footing. Think about it. How many fast food restaurants do you know were doing hand-drawn animated commercials these days? Yeah, exactly. There’s your opportunity. Step three, whatever this is…

Recorded Commercial 1: Six pieces of chicken or 12 hot wings or popcorn nuggets. Now get out there.

Man 1: Stop it. It’s not funny. None of this is funny. You’re not gonna annoy someone into buying your product, right? So why do you wanna annoy your customer base? Oh, look, it’s not like the good folks at KFC don’t know any of this. They somehow pulled it off in foreign markets. KFC’s exploded in popularity overseas, especially Japan. [foreign language 00:07:14]

If they can somehow get folks who can’t read, speak or understand the King’s English to like their stuff, there’s no reason they can’t do the same in the good old U.S. of A. It’s a shame to their board of directors that a business with the name Kentucky Fried Chicken is valued more by people in Tokyo than in the state it’s named after. KFC, I love you, but you’ve got to get it together.

I want future generations to know what it’s like to eat the Colonel’s chicken the way I used to, the way we all used to. Your ship is sinking but you still have time to fix it. If you find yourself endowed, just remember to ask, “What would the Colonel do?”

Recorded Commercial 2: It’s nice to feel so good about a meal.

Man 1: And that’s the video. Thanks for watching. If you liked it and wanna see more, feel free to subscribe to my channel. Or don’t, I don’t really care.”

Politics

What’s The Deal With Mecca | Everything Your Wanted To Know About This Holy City But Were Afraid To Ask

January 15, 2017 Professor Nerdster Leave a comment

Why I Wrote This Article

I think it’s important to learn about different cultures, religions and cities because learning has the effect (I believe) of enlightening and strengthening the mind. Understanding the perspectives of others helps you understand who you yourself actually are. Intellectually closed-minded people are quite powerful in society (occum’s razor types) but they are frequently exposed as fearful of any challenge to their way of life. For them, learning about something ‘foreign’ might compromise their own identity. Open-mindedness is the path to enlighten and superior thinking, innovation and progress. This guide to Mecca is a side project created to inform.

First Key Point: The Restrictions of Mecca

As per Saudi law, non-Muslims are not permitted an entry into the city of Mecca. This might seem like a shock to westerners but rules are rules so get over it. No point over analysing this point as a non-Muslim. People who travel to this place with fraudulent passports or any other documents might receive some kind of strict punishment or could be arrested.
There was a non-Muslim dude who entered Mecca named: Burton but there’s more on that later.
Drinking of Alcohol is strictly prohibited in the place of Mecca. No surprise there as alcohol is banned in Islam. Quite an impressive doctrine considering the prevalence of alcohol again in the West but also in Asia. All such intoxicants are not allowed as per the law in Saudi Arabia which is a devoutly Muslim country.

Outline & Structure: The Spiritual City

Mecca is a city in Hejaz and is also the capital of the Makkah Province in the county of Saudi Arabia. The city of Mecca is located at about 70km from Jeddah and is located in the narrow valley. This is located at a height of 277m which is approximately 909 feet above the sea level. The present population of Mecca is estimated to be 2 million, but this place has thrice the number of visitors paying a religious visit to this place every year. The visitors who are mostly Muslim pay a visit to this place in the religious period of Hajj, which falls in the lunar month called as Dhu-al-Hijjah.

Mecca is known as the birth place of Muhammad and is also known to be the site of the Muhammad’s first revelation of the holy book Quran. This was initially known to have existed like a cave which was 3.2 kms from Mecca. The city of Mecca was always considered the holiest city in Islam and the pilgrimage which is known as Hajj is obligatory for all those Muslims who are eligible (physically able).

Mecca is also known to be the home to Kaaba which is also one of the holy sites of Muslims and is also known for the direction of the Muslim prayer.

Where to Stay

The holy place of Mecca has a number of hotels for the pilgrims to stay. Mecca is a house to some of the Worlds well known and the most luxurious hotels and is mostly full the complete year. Always make sure to make your bookings as early as possible. Some of the famous hotels where one can stay are:

Dar Al Tawhid Makkah or known as the Inter-Continental – This is known to be one of the luxurious hotels with some beautiful views of the city of Mecca. The staff at his hotel can speak Arabic, English, Urdu, Punjabi and French.

Inter-Continental Mekkah – This is also one of the well known hotels in this place which offers luxury inside the walls of the city.

Hotel Elaf Al Huda – This hotel has some simple rooms along with air conditioned rooms and is located at just 15 minutes walk from the Haran. They also have a provision of shuttle till Haran and the tariff of the rooms here start at $105.

Mövenpick Hotel & Residences Hajar Tower Makkah – This hotel is a part of the prestigious Abraj Al Bait complex and is located centrally at the Haram court and faces the King Abdul Aziz Gate.

History of Mecca

The holy city of Mecca was once ruled by the descendants of Muhammad, later by sheriffs and most of them acting as independent rulers or as vassals to much bigger political parties. This narrow valley town was absorbed into the Saudi Arabia in the year 1925.

Close to as early as the 5^th century, Kaaba was the place which saw the worship of deities of Arabian Pagan tribes. The most important pagan deity for the Arabians was the Hubal which was then replaced by the quarish tribe. These changes remained as it is till the 7^th century.

The camel caravans were first used by the grandfathers of Muhammad and were also considered to be a major part of the improving economy of this place. All the exports from this place like leather, metals or live stock were loaded on camels and were sent to places like Syria and Iraq. Some of the historic stories and findings also show that there were many goods from other continents which passed through the city of Mecca. The people of Mecca during that period also signed treaties with the Byzantines and the Bedouins and also took care of the safety of those people who were travelling by providing them with water as well as pasture rights.

The Future of Mecca

There is an increased demand for ill or sickly people to be able to access Mecca. One way to solve that problem is to use technology. Surrogate pilgrims could wear cameras on their head and walk the path on behalf of the viewers in their homes in Canada or Indonesia. These ill people could experience Mecca in a virtual sense. Would that work? Probably a daft idea to be sure…

Must See (if you are Muslim)

There are a number of places which are a must visit for those who visit the city of Mecca. Mecca is well known for the Masjid-al-Haram which is known to be the largest mosque in the World. The Masjid-al-Haram surrounds the Kaaba, the place where the Muslims turn while offering their prayers. This mosque is also known by many as the Grand Mosque or the Haram.

There are also quite a few monuments in this place with a history of more than 1500 years which have also survived the Saudi rule.

The Mecca also is the house to the Worlds 2^nd tallest building which stands tall at 1,972 feet and is located at the street from the Masjid-al-Haram. This tower is named as Abraj Al Bait Towers. The famous Ajyad Fortress was demolished for the construction of these towers and this had then become a major cause for a tiff in between Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

Another famous place in Mecca is the Zamzam well which is known to be a home for spring waters. The Qishla of Mecca is another place which is an Ottoman castle, which faces the Masjid-al-Haram or the Grand mosque and helps in defending the city from any attack.

A cave near Mecca by the name Hira is located on the mountain called Jabal Al-Nūr is another tourist location. This is located in the region of Tihamah in the present Saudi Arabia. This place is famous as Mohammad was believed to have received his first revelations from Allah trough the angel named Jibreel who is also known as the Angel Gabriel in Christianity.

One can also visit the five pillars of Islam and also pay a visit to the Kaaba Masjid al Haram where one can get to pray and read the holy Quran.

Other places which can be visited by the tourists are:

Mina, which is a site of the stoning of the devil.
Muzdalifah, which is a desert where many pilgrims spend a night.
Hill of Arafat and Jabal Rahma
Jabal Al Noor, which is also known as the mountain of light
Jabal Al Thur
Masjid e Taneem
Hudaibiyah
Jannat ul Mualla
Ja’aronah
Abraj Al Bait

Must Do

One needs to take care of the kind of clothing which they wear during the visit to Mecca. While doing their prayers at Mecca, Muslims need to shed all the signs of wealth and need to wear simple and white clothes which are commonly called as Ihram.

The dress code for men in Mecca comprises of two white clothes, one which covers the body and another which is worn around the shoulder. Women can wear a simple white dress with a scarf which covers the head or they are also allowed to wear any of their native dress. The Ihram is known to be a symbol of purity and also signifies that the pilgrim is indeed in the state of devotion.

While they wear Ihram, they cannot harm any living creature and they cannot hunt or fight with anyone or use any vulgar or foul language. Perfumes and colognes in excess are also not permitted. Hair was well as finger nails are also to be left in their natural state without any trimming or styling. Any marital relations are also suspended during this time and any weddings are also postponed till the pilgrimage is completed.

How to Visit

Once one gets prepared to travel to the city of Mecca, it is not as simple as to book a flight and leave. The annual number of visitors to this place has very recently touched about 3 million. Hence, to manage such huge number of people and to maintain proper security measure, the Government of Saudi Arabia has put across few procedures and policies which have to be followed by the pilgrims to visit this place. Some of the policies are:

Apply for Hajj visa with a help of a qualified agent in the home country. The embassy of Saudi does not allow visas for those who are travelling alone.

All the travel agents who deal with Hajj visas are to be approved by the Ministry of hajj and also need to have a contract with the local Hajj provider.

Quotas are provided for each country for the number of pilgrims. So, it gets important to check on the same.

Public Transport

The city of Mecca is said to lack in any public transportation for the resident population as well as for visitors. This is applicable in both the pilgrimage season and in the non-pilgrimage season. One of the main transportation options which are available to commute within and around the city are personal vehicles or private taxis.

A metro at a distance of 18kms from Mecca was opened at Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah Metro was started in the year 2010. 5 metro lines from this place are known to carry the pilgrims to the religious sites in Mecca.

People who travel to Mecca from other countries can avail the services which are available at Hajj or Umrah. The city of Mecca is also said to have a small airport but has to airline service. Hence most of the pilgrims take the services from Hajj from its King Abdul-Aziz International Airport or some take the terminal at the Jeddah Seaport. Both if these are located at the city of Jeddah.

There is also news for a proposal of a high speed intercity rail which is known as Haramain High Speed Rail Project. This project is expected to link about 444 kms and the holy cities of Medina going through Jeddah, King Abdul-Aziz International Airport, Rabigh and the King Abdullah Economic City. This project is said to be taken by a firm from Spain.

Shopping

There are a number of shopping malls in the city of Mecca. One can get good bargains, especially while shopping with the local shops. One can find a number of local as well as international brands in Mecca. If you really wish to purchase the perfume oils which are also known as Attar, one can get them at good prices from the well known Arabic brands and shops.

There are also a number of local shops from where one can buy things like prayer mats, Abaya, Thawbs, Islamic hats and many more.

Entertainment

There are quite a lot of amusement parks near and in the city of Mecca. Some of the most famous amusement parks which are available for the tourists which are located in Saudi Arabia are Al Qalzam Park, Alamwaj Amusement Park, , Al-Shallal Theme Park and Al Nawrus Park to name a few.

Crazy Facts

The place of Mecca is always surrounded by the dry hills and mountains. Any Muslim has to pay a visit to this pilgrimage to his place and is known as the five pillars. Non Muslims are permitted entry into this place. The focal point of Mecca is known as the Kaabah is also known as the house of God.

Festivals

Most of the festivals in Mecca are religious and non Muslims are not allowed to participate in such events. There are many checkpoints which lead to the city where they check if the person is a Muslim or a non Muslim.

Ramadan is one important event which is mandatory for all Muslims. In a lunar month, they fast for the day until sunset. They follow the same for the complete Lunar month and once the month completes there is a great feast in the name of Eid Ur Fitr.

The festival named by Eid Ul-Adha takes places during the period of Hajj and this festival also commemorates in response to the willingness of Ibrahim to pay his son Ishmael as a sacrifice over the command of Allah.

One non –Muslim festival which takes place in Mecca is the Jinadriyah National Festival. This festival takes place every year in the month of February and this is always inaugurated by the Crown Price. This festival is held to celebrate the rich culture as well as the Arabic heritage and has seen a lot of transformation in the past twenty years from the time it was started. This is also one of the most popular events among the nationals of Saudi. This is a two week festival which includes festivals like camel race and also initiates music, celebration as well as national dances.

Where to Leave your Kids

If you are travelling to Mecca with your kids, then it is advised to rent a trolley, stroller or a wheel chair for the kids to get seated. There is no availability of a daycare/ crèche in Mecca and hence taking a stroller can be quite helpful as kids tend to get tired while walking. The couple can also take turns while performing the prayer so that each of you can equally concentrate on the prayer which is the main reason for your visit to this place.

Where to Eat

One can find food of all cuisines in Mecca which ranges from the Arab food to the Asian delicacies. One can also find well known American Fast food centres in this place like Kentucky Fried Chicken or the world famous Dunkin Donuts. If you are a pizza lover, do not worry as one can find a number of pizza corners around including the Pizza hut. Food which have pork, Ham or which involves any part of pig is not served in Saudi as this is forbidden by the law of the country.

Do not forget to treat yourself to the number of variants which are available in dates and dry fruits and nuts. Almost every second shop in Mecca sells dates and one can find the best quality of dates as well as dry fruits in this place. Many stores here offer fresh dates as well as packed ones which can be taken along to your home place. The famous of the ones is the Ajwa Kajoor, and this is said to be recommended by the Prophet Mohammed himself as it is known to contain some special healing powers. Hence, this is also one of the most sought after of all the dates. This is small in size and black in colour and tastes very sweet too.

Many of the hotels where one gets to stay during their journey to Mecca also serve a lot of variants in the local food. One can also find a number of local restaurants which serve the best delicacies which are relished by both kids as well as adults. Some of the restaurants of Mecca are:

BOMBAY DLITES: One can find some good Indian food in this restaurant.

Heraa Restaurant: One stop for traditional Mecca food.

Bin Dawood Date Centre: Get dates in abundance.

Professor Nerdster

Monthly Archives: January 2017

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