W o W - Week of Words - December

This section covers the certain words related to Christmas. The “W o W” word Christmas Tree (Noun): An evergreen tree decorated at Christmas with ornaments and lights. Origin of Christmas Tree The Christmas tree comes to us from Germany. Martin Luther a German monk, is credited with being inspired by the starry heavens one night, and expressing his feelings to his family by bringing a fir tree into his home, and attaching lighted candles to its branches. Fir meant fire, and fire is an ancient symbol for spirit. The tree also pointed toward the heavens. Evergreens were thought to represent the ever-burning fire of life. The color green signified the life force through the year. Eventually decorative balls represented the planets, while the star that radiates from the top reminds us of Bethlehem. The entire tree and decorations teach us that the universe is witness to the Incarnation. Red at Christmas reminds us of the fire of the Spirit. Green affirms nature, and the ongoing life. And in the Incarnation, Spirit unites with nature.

The “W o W” word Santa Claus (Noun): The personification of the spirit of Christmas, usually represented as a jolly fat old man with a white beard and a red suit supposed to bring gifts to children on Christmas Eve. Legend of Santa Claus The American version of St. Nicholas, or Santa Claus originally came from the Dutch version called Sinter Klaas. The Dutch settlers in New Amsterdam (New York) brought this fun and lively tradition (some even say cult) to America. This version of Santa has given the current myth its visual form and the most curious tradition: A merry old man with red and white clothes. He arrives on a sledge rode by eight flying reindeers from his home located near the North Pole. With the habit of filling socks or stockings with presents on the night of December 24th, he is popular for entering houses through the chimney.

The “W o W” word Crèche (kresh) (noun): Christmas manger scene. A day-care center for small children The Baby in a Manger A crèche or Christmas crib, is a replica of the Nativity scene; the stable where Jesus was born in Bethlehem. It usually includes a manger, with figures of Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the Magi, shepherds, sheep, and other animals. The custom was popularized by St. Francis of Assisi on Christmas Eve in 1224 outside his church in Greccio, Italy. He used real people and animals to re-create the manger scene. This practice soon spread all over Europe, being adapted differently by each culture. Some countries developed a fine art of wood carving to create beautiful scenes. Some cities to this day create large spectacles, dramatizing that holy time and place in Bethlehem. The custom of the crèche was brought to the United States by Moravian settlers. It is found mainly in Catho1ic countries (the Pope has his own in Rome), but has spread to more Protestant countries.

The “W o W” word Hogmanay (Scottish) (noun): New Year's Eve; Silvester New Year’s Eve in Ecuador New Year's Eve is on December 31, the final day of the Gregorian year, and the day before New Year's Day. Ecuador celebrates a unique tradition on the last day of the year. Elaborate effigies are created to represent people and events from the past year. Often these include political characters or leaders that the creator of the effigy may have disagreed with. The dummies are made of straw, newspaper, and old clothes, with papier-mâché masks. Often they are also stuffed with fire crackers. At midnight the effigies are lit on fire to symbolize burning away of the past year and welcoming of the new year. In Ecuador, other rituals are performed for the health, wealth, prosperity and protection of each member. These rituals are the following: v Twelve grapes: Each person eats twelve grapes before midnight, making a wish with each grape. v Yellow underwear: One of the most popular traditions, yellow underwear are said to attract positive energies for the New Year. v Suitcase: Walking around the block with the suitcase will bring the person the journey of their dreams.

The T&T word Spaceflight (speys flIt ) (noun): A voyage outside the Earth's atmosphere. Spaceflight is the use of space technology to fly a spacecraft into and through outer space. Space Tourism Ready... Virgin Galactic is a company within Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group which plans to provide sub-orbital spaceflights to the paying public. Further in the future Virgin Galactic plans to offer orbital spaceflights as well. Virgin Galactic’s mission is to fly passengers who are not professional astronauts to an altitude slightly over 100 kilometers (62 mi) and allow them to experience weightlessness for up to 6 minutes. Although seats on the first flights have been sold at a premium (starting at US$200,000 for the first 100,) after the first 500 passengers, seats will be booked with a deposit of US $20,000. According to Virgin Galactic president Will Whitehorn, the company had sold nearly 200 seats as of November 2007. The first passenger flight is planned for 2010. Virgin Galactic is aiming to be the first space tourism company specializing in the provision of sub-orbital flights to the public. [More Info] : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaceflight / http://www.virgingalactic.com/ / http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_Galactic

W o W - Week of Words - November

FINANCE / STOCK MARKET

The “W o W” word Mr. Market (Noun): Benjamin Graham used an imaginary investor called Mr. Market to demonstrate his point that a wise investor chooses investments on their fundamental value rather than on the opinions of others or the direction of the markets. Father of Financial Analysis Benjamin Graham is considered by many to be the father of financial analysis and value investing. He revolutionized investment philosophy by introducing the concept of security analysis, fundamental analysis and value-investing theories. More than 20 years after his death, he continues to have one of the largest and most loyal followings of any investment philosopher. Known as "the father of value investing" and the "Dean of Wall Street", Ben Graham (1894-1976) excelled at making money in the stock market for himself and his clients without taking big risks. Graham created and taught many principles of investing safely and successfully that modern investors continue to use today

The “W o W” word Caveat emptor(‘keyvee’at’emptor ) (noun): A commercial principle that without a warranty the buyer takes upon himself the risk of quality. let the buyer beware... Latin for 'let the buyer beware'. This implies a buyer must ensure that goods about to be purchased are free from defects and that he/she bears the risk. It is particularly relevant in property transactions, where the seller is legally obliged not to mislead the buyer, but other than that the onus is on the buyer to satisfy himself that the property is in the condition he wants. In the UK, consumer law has moved away from the caveat emptor model, with laws passed that have enhanced consumer rights and allow greater leeway to return goods that do not meet legal standards of acceptance. Many companies operating in the UK, as well as most consumer based economies, will allow customers to return goods within a specified period for a full refund, even if there is no problem with the product. [More Info] : http://www.finance-glossary.com/terms/caveat-emptor.htm / http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caveat_emptor

[Bonus]: NASDAQ is an acronym standing for National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations.

The “W o W” word Inflation (in-FLEY-shuhn) noun: A persistent, substantial rise in the general level of prices related to an increase in the volume of money and resulting in the loss of value of currency How inflation eats up into savings and increases costs? Inflation means less bang for your buck, as it erodes the purchasing power of a unit of currency. Inflation usually refers to consumer prices, but it can also be applied to other prices (wholesale goods, wages, assets, and so on). It is usually expressed as an annual percentage rate of change on an index number. Let's say, you have saved up Rs 100. “Item A”, that you have your eyes on, costs exactly Rs 100. You decide to hold your savings to buy “Item A” after one year when the time is right. Being smart, for that one year, you allow your money to grow by investing it in a savings scheme that gives you 9% interest. Hence, you will get Rs 109 after one year. Now suppose inflation is 7%. This would mean that “Item A” that now costs Rs 100 will cost Rs 107 after one year. Your wisdom will prevail, not only will you be able to purchase “Item A” with your savings, you will also save Rs 2. On the other hand, if inflation is at 11%. Item A will cost Rs 111. That means, you will be short of Rs 2.

The “W o W” word Stagflation (stag-fley-shuhn) noun: A condition of slow economic growth and relatively high unemployment - a time of stagnation - accompanied by a rise in prices, or inflation. Stagflation in the 21st Century: A series of dramatic rate lowerings by the U. S. Federal Reserve designed to fight the Credit Crisis caused commodity prices to soar. For example, there was a one-year gain in the price of oil from about $70 per barrel to about $145 per barrel at the July, 2008 peak, depending on market and grade. The major developed economies almost universally reacted by printing money"; in the United States alone, permanent funding approaches a total of one trillion dollars and temporary funding is nearly double that much. In parallel the U. S. central bank again lowered interest rates to a further non-economic low in parallel with similar moves across Europe. European central banks also put forth nearly two trillion dollars to recapitalize crippled banks. As a result long-term interest rates edged upward, with the cost of a 30-year mortgage in the U.S. rising from 5.75% to 6.25%. These are classic causes of inflation during recession, i.e., stagflation.

The “W o W” word Oligopoly (`ólu'gópulee) noun: A market in which control over the supply of a commodity is in the hands of a small number of producers and each one can influence prices and affect competitors. Studio Oligopoly Six Hollywood studios that control around 90% of the US film business. All the real independents together have an inconsiderable share of the market, and most of them have to work with or through a major studio to get national release. Most of the major studios are now divisions of gigantic international media empires. Some of them, like Universal studios, have been bought and sold several times. DreamWorks and MGM/UA were exceptions until recently, when DreamWorks was sold off to Paramount (once part of Viacom) and MGM was bought by Sony. Company Studios % share of market Time-Warner Warner Brothers, New Line, Warner Independent 20.4 News Corp. 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight 15.3 Paramount (was Viacom) Paramount, DreamWorks, Paramount Classics 15.1 Sony Sony, Columbia, Screen Gems, MGM, Sony Classics 12.5 Disney Buena Vista, Miramax, Touchstone, Hollywood Pictures, Pixar 12.5 Universal (General Electric) Universal, Focus 11.4 [More Info]: http://www.oligopolywatch.com/