Above: What Is A Failed State And Is Syria Becoming A Failed State? What Is Life Like In Aleppo, Syria?
As the civil war in Syria continues, the future of Syria hangs on a thread. Over the past 5 years, Aleppo has turned into a war zone, forcing many of its residents to leave the city. So what is life like for those who remain in Aleppo, Syria?
Above: 10 Countries That Might Exist In The Future.
The world is changing and many people around the world are eagerly awaiting for their country to declare independence. These are 10 countries that might soon exist. Continue reading
Above: AT&T Invents And Discovers A Way To Use Power Lines To Deliver Super Fast Wireless Internet | Meet Project AirGig From AT&T.
Project AirGig, developed by AT&T Labs, is a transformative technology that could one day deliver low cost, multi-gigabit wireless internet speeds using power lines.
Above: How To Invest In Silver Coins | Supergirl Fine Silver Colored Coin – DC Comics Originals: Unity (2015).
Supergirl Silver Coin Specifications
Mintage: 30,000 Supergirl Silver Coins
Composition: 99.99% Pure Silver
Finish: Matte Proof
Weight: 15.87 g
Diameter: 34 mm
Edge: Serrated
Certificate: Serialized
Face Value: $10 Dollars
Artist: DC Comics (Reverse), Susanna Blunt (Obverse)
The DC Comics Originals series has a classic, slightly retro style, recalling the look most comic book fans grew up with and remember fondly. Basing itself on the DC Comics style of the 1980’s, this silver coin series celebrates one of the most established looks for the DC Comics pantheon of super heroes, including some of its most memorable young heroines.
Supergirl is the most powerful teenager on the planet; Batgirl is the police commissioner’s daughter who spends her nights fighting crime in Gotham City; Wonder Girl is the adopted sister of Wonder Woman, raised on Paradise Island.
Supergirl, Batgirl, and Wonder Girl are not simply female analogues of their mentors — each superhero has the spirit of their associate, plus additional skills: Batgirl is an exceptional fighter and detective, and is unparalleled in her computer skills; Wonder Girl is a founding member of the teenage supergroup known as The Teen Titans; and Supergirl is…well…SUPERGIRL! She has all the powers of her cousin, Superman, with the temperament and passion of a teenager.
Crafted from 99.99% pure silver, this beautiful silver coin makes a wonderful gift for any fan of comic books, DC Comics, and timeless superheroes!
Supergirl Silver Coin Special Features
This beautiful Supergirl silver coin is the first wave in an exciting new series that celebrates DC Comics’ greatest superheroes presented in their classic form, just the way millions of comic book fans have loved them for decades. Traditional engraving and finishes meet selective color and cutting-edge laser engraving, giving this beautiful Supergirl silver coin depth and the illusion of movement. This beautiful Supergirl silver coin is made with all the respect and devotion that only the Royal Canadian Mint can provide.
About The Supergirl Silver Coin Design
The Supergirl silver coin reverse design mimics a comic book splash page with a colored and engraved rendition of Supergirl, followed by Batgirl and Wonder Girl. With a confident expression, the youthful and powerful Girl of Steel flies off to the right of the silver coin; to her right is a laser-engraved representation of Batgirl and Wonder Girl. Both superheroes are depicted in their most recognizable costumes, as Batgirl’s cape billows in the wind and Wonder Girl carries her lasso. They are ready to take action alongside Supergirl, all united in their battle against evil! Also engraved on the reverse within a spiked word balloon are the face value of “10 DOLLARS” and the year “2015”.
How To Invest In Silver Coins | Supergirl Fine Silver Colored Coin – DC Comics Originals: Strength (2015)
Above: How To Invest In Silver Coins | Supergirl Silver Colored Coin DC Comics Originals Supergirl Coins.
Superman may be the most powerful being on the planet, with his ability to leap tall buildings and outrun speeding bullets. But what would have happened if he hadn’t been raised by the decent, humble Mr. and Mrs. Kent who instilled in him strong morals and values? What if Superman had arrived on Earth as a teenager, with all the attitude and rebellious tendencies that come with the territory? Well… he would be Supergirl!
As the most powerful teenager on the planet, Supergirl (also known as the Girl of Steel) possesses all of Superman’s powers — from superhuman strength, speed, and invulnerability, all the way down to his flight and enhanced senses. Still learning to control her awesome powers but lacking her cousin’s self-restraint, Supergirl may be even more dangerous than Superman (the Man of Steel). Disconnected from a world she’s still struggling to comprehend, Supergirl has found non-stop action from her very first minute on this planet.
About Supergirl
Supergirl is actually Kara Zor-El from the planet Krypton; she is endowed with super strength, flight, invulnerability, speed, heat vision, freeze breath, x-ray vision, superhuman hearing, and an incredible healing factor. Batgirl is Barbara Gordon, the daughter of Gotham City’s Police Commissioner, James Gordon. She’s an exceptional martial artist, a tactician, and a master of combat strategy, not to mention one of the most advanced computer experts in the DC Universe! Wonder Girl is Donna Troy, who was rescued by Wonder Woman and raised as an Amazon on Paradise Island. She’s able to fly, has super strength and speed, shares an empathic link with Wonder Woman, and is trained as an Amazon… which means she’s strong and resilient!
Supergirl first appeared in Action Comics #252 in 1959 in a story called The Supergirl From Krypton! Before this issue, Superman had always assumed he was the sole survivor of the destruction of Krypton. Barbara Gordon wasn’t the first (or the last) Batgirl, but she is the most recognized and popular. First gracing the pages of Detective Comics #359 in 1967 in The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl!, Barbara Gordon was introduced as Police Commissioner Gordon’s rebellious teenage daughter. Wonder Girl (Donna Troy) first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #60 where she joined forces with Robin, Aqualad, and Kid Flash in the newly formed “junior” Justice League, The Teen Titans.
Supergirl Silver Coin Packaging
The Supergirl silver coin comes enclosed in a very unique packaging that recreates the look of a well loved comic book, in addition to also giving this beautiful silver coin a fun element that makes this superhero series a one of a kind collecting experience!
Above: Should The United States Apologize For Bombing Hiroshima And Nagasaki? Why The United States Dropped A Nuclear Bomb On Japan.
Above: What Are The World’s Newest Countries? What Are The Newest Countries In The World?
In 2016, South Sudan will turn just five years old. The new country has spent decades fighting for its independence. So what are some of the other countries that recently obtained their independence and autonomy? Many people do not realize that over the past 30 years approximately 10 new countries have formed and declared their independence from other countries.
Montenegro
Montenegro is a sovereign state in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast, Kosovo to the east, and Albania to the south-east. Podgorica is the capital and largest city of Montenegro, and was also called Titograd from 1946 to 1992 when Montenegro was part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). On the basis of an independence referendum held on May 21, 2006 Montenegro declared its independence on June 3, 2006.
Classified by the World Bank as an upper middle-income country, Montenegro is a member of the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Council of Europe, the Central European Free Trade Agreement, and a founding member of the Union for the Mediterranean. Montenegro is also a candidate negotiating to join the European Union and NATO. On December 2, 2015 Montenegro received an official invitation to join NATO, whereby it would be the 29th member country. This invitation was meant to start final accession talks.
South Sudan
South Sudan (officially the Republic of South Sudan) is a landlocked country in northeastern Africa that gained its independence from Sudan in 2011. The current capital of South Sudan is Juba, which is also its largest city. South Sudan became an independent state on July 9, 2011 following a referendum that passed with approximately 98.83% of the vote. South Sudan is a United Nations member state, a member state of the African Union, the East African Community, and of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development. In July 2012, South Sudan signed the Geneva Conventions. South Sudan has suffered internal conflict since its independence, and as of 2016 it has the second highest score on the Fragile States Index (formerly the Failed States Index).
Above: Can The Middle East Survive Without Oil?
As oil prices remain low, oil rich Middle Eastern countries search for new revenue sources. How are oil states such as Saudi Arabia diversifying their economies? Many people believe that not even the mighty Middle East can survive cheap oil forever.
Territories and regions usually within the Middle East are Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
Unilever Business Facts & Figures
Did you know that over 2 billion people use Unilever products every day? As the world’s third largest consumer products company, the global nature of Unilever’s operations should come as no surprise to anyone. In fact, the company remains one of Europe’s best performing dividend companies with 36 years of consecutive dividend growth.
*Revenues of approximately 53.3 billion Euros in 2015.
*Emerging markets now account for 58% of their business.
*Unilever has 13 brands with sales of more than 1 billion Euros per year.
*More than 172,000 people work for Unilever.
When consumers search for nutritionally balanced foods or great tasting ice creams, affordable soaps that combat disease, luxurious shampoos, or everyday household care products, there’s a good chance that the brand they select belongs to Unilever.
Seven out of every ten households around the world contain at least one Unilever product, and Unilever’s range of world leading household name brands includes Lipton, Knorr, Dove, Axe, Hellmann’s, Omo, Blue Band, Pureit, and Suave. In fact, Unilever owns approximately 400 world class brands making it one of the best stocks to own in the world.
Risks nevertheless remains, mainly with regards to brand preference. Unilever faces stiff competition for shelf space and consumer loyalty from its direct competitors Procter & Gamble (stock symbol: PG) and Nestlé (stock symbol: NESN).
Unlike many other European companies that pay once or twice a year, Unilever pays a quarterly dividend, which makes it an excellent company for investment purposes if you are looking for a constant revenue stream going into your bank account.
Unilever’s ability to maintain and grow its dividend for at least 36 consecutive years is truly impressive, but not a surprise given that industry peers like Procter & Gamble and Swiss food company Nestlé are able to do the same. Nevertheless, Unilever is one of the few European companies that has been able to accomplish such an incredible achievement.
How To Invest In Unilever | How To Become A Part Owner In Unilever
American investors can purchase a part ownership in Unilever by opening an account with a stock broker such as Charles Schwab, TD Ameritrade, or Fidelity. Once your account is opened you can place a Unilever stock purchase order by giving your broker the Unilever stock symbol (you can also buy Unilever stock online through the above stock brokers without having to talk to anyone).
Unilever PLC (stock symbol: UL) and Unilever N.V. (stock symbol: UN) both trade in the New York Stock Exchange as ADR’s (American Depositary Receipts). This basically means that instead of you having to buy the shares in Amsterdam (The Netherlands) or in London (The United Kingdom) in Euros, you can buy Unilever shares in United States Dollars in the United States. These Unilever ADR’s (American Depositary Receipts) are backed by the Unilever shares that are traded in Europe, and subject to transaction costs can be exchanged for the European shares (though it is rare for individual investors to do this exchange because of the convenience of owning the Unilever ADR’s (American Depositary Receipts).
For international investors it’s important to note that Unilever formed following a merger between the Dutch Margarine Unie and the British Lever Brothers in 1930, which to this day results in two controlling holdings that operate as one economic entity: Unilever N.V. and Unilever PLC. Consequently, the company is listed on both the Dutch Euronext Stock Exchange (stock symbol: UNA) and the London Stock Exchange (stock symbol: ULVR).
We mention this distinction because many international investors prefer to purchase the Unilever PLC shares that trade in London or the Unilever PLC ADR’s (stock symbol: UL) since those are subject to a 0% withholding tax on dividends. The Unilever N.V. shares that trade in the Netherlands and the Unilever N.V. ADR’s (stock symbol: UN) that trade in the United States are subject to a reduced Dutch withholding tax of 15% on dividends, whereas the Unilever PLC dividends from the Unilever shares that trade in London and the Unilever ADR’s (stock symbol: UL) that trade in the United States aren’t taxed at all to foreign investors even though both of the European shares declare their dividends in Euros (or United States Dollars for both versions of the ADR’s that trade in the New York Stock Exchange).
Unilever History | Why Are There 2 Types Of Unilever Shares?
Unilever has been in business since the 1880’s. In the 1890s, William Hesketh Lever, founder of Lever Bros, wrote down his ideas for Sunlight Soap – his revolutionary new product that helped popularize cleanliness and hygiene in Victorian England. On September 2, 1929 Lever Brothers and Margarine Unie sign an agreement to create Unilever. The businesses initially aim to negotiate an arrangement to keep out of each other’s principal interests of soap and margarine production, but ultimately decide on a merger instead.
Unilever Shares – The Basics
Unilever NV and Unilever PLC, together with their group companies, operate effectively as a single economic entity.
Unilever was founded in 1930 following a business merger between Naamlooze Vennootschap Margarine Unie of the Netherlands and Lever Brothers Limited of the UK.
To avoid punitive taxation levies and the disruption to the business that would result from dividing integrated national companies into their component parts, both companies pooled their interests through a business merger as opposed to a legal merger.
Two controlling companies were set up, one English (Unilever Ltd – now Unilever PLC) and the other Dutch (Naamlooze Vennootschap Margarine Unie – now Unilever N.V.).
To allow both companies to operate as a single legal entity notwithstanding their independent legal structures, a series of agreements was put in place: mutual sharing of brands and technology; equalisation of dividend; mutual guarantee of borrowings; identical Boards of Directors and equal treatment for shareholders in the event of dissolution. Thus, Unilever N.V. and Unilever PLC have separate legal identities but operate as a single entity.
So what’s not to like about Unilever? Unilever is a truly multinational business that’s greatly positioned to take advantage of future economic growth in emerging markets while having huge pricing power over its core brands. On top of that, Unilever is heavily focused on shareholder value through capital appreciation and by increasing their dividend year after year making Unilever one of the best dividend stocks to own in the entire world.
Above: Why Do Brazilians Speak Portuguese And Not Spanish?
Unlike other Latin American countries, Brazil’s official language is Portuguese, not Spanish. So what led to the country’s different language?
About Brazil
Brazil, is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. As the world’s fifth largest country by both area and population, it is the largest country to have Portuguese as an official language and the only country in the Americas. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, Brazil has a coastline of 7,491 km (4,655 mi). Brazil borders all other South American countries except Ecuador and Chile and covers approximately 47.3% of the continent’s land area. Brazil’s Amazon River basin includes a vast tropical forest, home to diverse wildlife, a variety of ecological systems, and extensive natural resources spanning numerous protected habitats. This unique environmental heritage makes Brazil the subject of significant global interest and debate regarding deforestation and environmental protection.
Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness worldwide. Vision loss from glaucoma occurs when axons in the optic nerve become damaged and can no longer carry visual information to the brain.
Glaucoma is most often treated by lowering pressure in the eye with drugs, laser surgery, or traditional surgery. However, these treatments can only preserve remaining vision; they don’t improve or restore vision that has already been lost due to glaucoma.
Why Is Vision Loss In Glaucoma Permanent?
The nervous system is divided into the peripheral and the central systems. Damaged peripheral nerves, in your arm for example, can regenerate after injury. However, the optic nerve and the spinal cord are in the central nervous system and unfortunately cannot regenerate after injury. This is why vision loss from glaucoma, like paralysis from spinal cord injury, is permanent. The unique cellular environment of nerve cells in the central nervous system may be why regeneration is prevented.
Angola is officially known as the Republic of Angola and is a country in Southern Africa. It is the seventh largest country in Africa, and is bordered by Namibia to the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Zambia to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean to west. The capital and largest city is Luanda.
The standard of living in Angola remains low for the majority of the population, and life expectancy and infant mortality rates in Angola are among the worst in the world. In addition, the majority of the wealth in Angola is concentrated in a disproportionately small sector of the population.
Angola currently has over 24.3 million people that span various tribal groups, customs, and traditions. The official language of Angola is Portuguese due to the fact that it was a Portuguese colony until 1975 (that same year Angola descended into an intense civil war that lasted until 2002). Angola is currently the deadliest place in the world for kids and the most dangerous country in Africa for children.
