Apple is Now, the World's Most Valuable Company

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Image via CrunchBase

After briefly surpassing Exxon Mobil during Tuesday’s trading day as the world’s most valuable company, Apple took over the number one spot again  yesterday and stayed in the lead for the first time at the close of a trading day.  This change in the overall market value leader prompted me to re-run the world’s 25 most valuable companies now and compare it the top 25 from our 2011 Forbes Global 2000 (published in March). The latest rollercoaster ride in global markets not only put Apple in the driver’s seat, but has shuffled the deck.

Despite the recent downturn on Wall Street, Apple’s stock is up 3% since March while Exxon Mobil is down 17% over the same time period.  Since then, Apple has also seen its latest twelve month sales eclipse the $100 billion mark. The question now is how long will Apple stay at the top.

In the current list of 25 most valuable companies, the market value winners are all Swiss-based companies. Nestlé, Novartis and Roche Holding, saw double-digit growth in market value over the past six months.  Novartis, up 20% and Roche Holding, up 16%, showed the biggest gain in market value and jumped into the elite group of the world’s 25 most valuable companies.  The other newcomer to the list is U.S-based Coca-Cola. The loser of the group is General Electric, falling 12 spots to number 20 after taking a 26% haircut in market value.

Taking a look back at the top 25 from the Global 2000, Brazil’s Petrobas,China Construction Bank and General Electric saw the biggest decline in market value and fall in rank since March, but are still among the current top 25. Russia’s Gazprom, U.S. banks’ JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo, fell out of the top 25 with double-digit declines in market value.

The tables below show the both looks at the world’s 25 most valuable companies: now and six months ago with % change in market value and change in rank.

Is This House Really The Most Expensive and Sophisticated House In Nigeria?

Is This House Really The Most Expensive and Sophisticated House In Nigeria?

If this earth is a permanent place or eternal, some people have built themslves paradise on earth but it is not...We all shall one day leave all these and depart naked as we came into this world. For me....True success is to know, fear and fulfill ones purpose here on earth with the gifts and talents which the Most High God has endowed one with and thereby be a blessing to one's generation - Chiugo Anthony Josephat-Nwokolo.... What DoYou Think?

Kim Kardashian Talks "Super, Super Small, Intimate" Wedding With Kanye West, Wants Three Kids

Kim Kardashian Talks "Super, Super Small, 

Intimate" Wedding With Kanye West, Wants

 Three Kids

CELEBRITY NEWS

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Kim Kardashian told Ryan Seacrest that she and Kanye West are scaling back their wedding plans in favor of a "super small, intimate" ceremonyCredit: Marc Piasecki/WireImage

Sounds like Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have decided that bigger isn't always better. The couple are scaling back their wedding plans and instead arranging for a "super, super small" ceremony in Paris later this year, the bride-to-be told Ryan Seacrest on his KIIS FM radio show on Tuesday, Feb. 25.

"We're having a super, super small, intimate wedding," she told the Keeping Up With the Kardashians producer. "As we go along, we're realizing we want it to be smaller and more intimate than people are imagining and thinking."

"Small" may be relative, though. After all, West has a tendency toward big gestures, like his epic proposal on Kardashian's 33rd birthday, when he rented out a baseball stadium and invited all of her family and friends -- not to mention an entire orchestra -- to witness their engagement.

"He told me he was actually nervous about proposing, because he was worried you might not say yes," Seacrest told North's mom. 

"I don't know how he could ever think that!" she replied. "I believe in his heart, he knew I'd say yes. I mean, we have a child together, we have loved each other a really long time, and I think it's the right time."

Indeed, things seem to be going swimmingly for the couple, who welcomed little Nori last June. "I'm loving life right now," Kardashian told Seacrest. "My daughter is the cutest thing ever...I'm loving being a mom.

"I never thought I would say that. I went into this so scared -- so scared of every last thing pregnancy meant, and motherhood, and the responsibility," she confessed. "And everything everyone tells you about having a kid -- how it'll change your life, and it's the greatest experience, and you'll love it -- it's that times 100."

"She's the sweetest, she's the calmest," she added of Nori. "All she does is laugh. She'll laugh at anything. I'll put my toe right near her, and she'll crack up. She's the sweetest, happiest baby I've ever seen."

Eventually, she said, she'd like to give North a sibling or two -- but no more than that. "I don't think I can do more than three tops. That would be my absolute top top tops," she admitted. I even contemplate, 'Should North be an only child?' But then I contemplate all the...fun experiences I had, so I might have to tough it out."

Her nephew, for one, is hoping the next kid is a boy. "I was talking to [Kourtney's son] Mason about it the other day, and he was like, 'Can you make a boy? I need a friend to play with,'" Kardashian recalled. "And I was like, 'Let me think about that!'" 

culled from US Weekly

Angela Jolie's Charity Trip To Lebanon Shows Love To Syrian Refugee Children

Angelina Jolie makes surprise humanitarian trip to Lebanon

True Success is measured by how many lives one affects positively and that is what Angela Jolie does.

      

Angela Jolie has made a surprise trip to Lebanon to visit Syrian refugee children and draw attention to the massive displacement Syria's three-year conflict has created. True Success is measured by how many lives one affects positively and that is what Angela Jolie does.

During her three-day visit, the Oscar-winning actress met unaccompanied children living in the eastern Bekaa Valley, where many of the poorest Syrian refugees in Lebanon reside.

"Lebanon, as you know, has the highest concentration of refugees of any country in the world in recent history; it is an extraordinary thing and we must do all what we can to support them," said the United Nations Refugee Agency Special Envoy.

Photo: © Getty Images

"I spent time in the Bekaa Valley recently with Syrian refugees and they are very grateful to the people of Lebanon, they are clearly very traumatised from what has happened to them in Syria," the 38-year-old added.

The Hollywood actress and UN special envoy also met with the prime minister of Lebanon, the tiny Mediterranean country which neighbours Syria, Tammam Salam.

The meeting was to call on the international community to ensure the implementation of a recent U.N. resolution that called for humanitarian assistance to reach Syrian civilians, as well as to thank Lebanon for hosting nearly one million refugees, which has increased the small country's population by one fifth.

Photo: © Rex

Angelina speaking during a news conference after meeting with Lebanon's Prime Minister Tammam Salam

On Saturday, the UN Security Council passed a resolution dem anding immediate access everywhere in Syria for humanitarian aid.

'Meeting these children was a heart-rending experience,' said Angelina in a statement issued via the U.N.

'They have lost their families and their childhood has been hijacked by war. They are so young, yet they are bearing the burdens of their reality as if they are adults.'
culled from Hello Magazine

2 Leadership Traits Needed to Become a Great Leader

2 Leadership Traits Needed to Become a Great Leader

Brian Tracy

The great Supreme Court Justice, Oliver Wendell Holmes, once said that there are three types of people: the people who make things happen, the people who watch what’s happening, and the people who haven’t the slightest idea of what’s happening. Today, as never before, our society is experiencing a pressing need for great leadership.

This need for leadership can be felt in our homes, in our business organizations, in our private and public associations, and in our government. We need great leadership more than ever before. And we especially need great leadership to take us into the future. We need people who have key leadership traits, they have a vision, courage, and the ability to chart new seas and break new ground.

Two Types of Leadership Traits

Leadership is the single most important factor in the success or failure of any business. Leaders are primarily self-made . . . they continually work to improve their skills and become more capable. In order to be successful in business, we need great leaders with two types of leadership traits.

1.      The first type of leader that we need is the transformational leader. This leader is a pathfinder, a visionary. These types of leadership traits motivate, uplift, inspire, and empower people to perform at levels far beyond anything they’ve ever done before.

2.      The second type of leader we need is perhaps the most important or foundational. They are the transactional leader. The transactional leader is the person who gets things done with and through others.

Great leaders use their leadership traits to motivate, inspire, and build a high performance team. Download my FREE report and leadership questionnaire to learn the types of leadership traits you desire by using the 7 Responsibilities of Leadership!

What is Great Leadership?

One of the major reasons that people go to work for any organization is because of the leadership. So what exactly is great leadership? Two excellent definitions of leadership apply especially to business organizations. The first one is: Great Leadership is the ability to elicit extraordinary performance from ordinary people. Another definition is: Great Leadership is the ability to get followers.

Leaders Are Made, Not Born

Leaders are made, not born. Nobody comes into the world as a natural leader. A person becomes a leader by, first of all, deciding to become a leader, and second of all, by learning the skills necessary to “elicit extraordinary performance from ordinary people.” Along a continuum of personalities at the very bottom are people who haven‘t the slightest idea about what is going on.

Then at the very top are those 1 or 2 percent of people in our society who really are the spark plugs in the engines of change. Every one of us is on that scale somewhere, moving up or down depending upon the things that we are doing and saying on a daily basis. You are what you think you are. Your self-concept determines your performance. You can become a much more effective leader by changing your self-concept, by changing the way you think about yourself as a leader.

Select Leadership Traits to Emulate

The starting point of developing great leadership traits is to begin thinking about the leaders you know, who you admire, and then to think about how you could emulate their behaviors. Think about the types of leadership that you could develop. In no time at all, you will actually begin to imitate their qualities and behaviors, and become a better leader yourself.

All great leaders were at one time good followers. All great leaders at one time worked closely with other successful leaders and learned from them and emulated their behaviors. The study of great leaders of the past and present is one of the fastest and surest ways to develop leadership traits and qualities. The more you study what constitutes great leadership, the more likely you will be to internalize the same values and behaviors. These values and behaviors will then be externalized in your actions and in your results.

Timeless Leadership Qualities

Today we find that the only lasting type of leadership is one that does not come from position, or from money or authority. It is what we call ascribed leadership, which occurs when people decide for themselves that they are going to follow the direction, the guidance, and the vision of someone else. In other words, it is a voluntary form of following that marks great leadership today. Great leaders have great leadership qualities and leadership traits that lift up and inspire people to achieve the same mission.

If you’re ready to see yourself as a powerful and successful leader, I’d like to tell you about my book, “How the Best Leaders Lead,” and the special bonus package I’ve created to complement it.

4 unknown gunmen abducted Princewill Arinze Nwobodo, an alleged serial fraudster and suspect in two cases being handled by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

 Princewill Arinze Nwobodo

On Thursday, 4 unknown gunmen abducted Princewill Arinze Nwobodo, an alleged serial fraudster and suspect in two cases being handled by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Nwobodo was abducted within the premises of the Lagos High Court, Igbosere where he was to be arraigned before Justice Aishat Opesanwo on a 4-count charge bordering on obtaining $ 92,000(Ninety-Two Thousand United States Dollar) under false pretense. 

The Rise and Rise of Davido (David Adeleke), His Biography, Houw He Started, His Achievements and Toys

David Adeleke aka DAVIDO

The Swimming Pool in Davido's House at Lekki,Lagos

 Davido's House at Lekki,Lagos

 Davido's Sports Car

Davido's Audi Q7 SUV

Davido (David Adeleke), His Biography, Houw He Started, His Achievements and Toys

Davido (born David Adeleke) is a performing and recording artiste and also a music producer. Davido was born in Atlanta GA, USA on November 21st to Mr. And Mrs. Adeleke and attended The British International School, Lagos. Travelling between the USA, the UK and Nigeria, Davido has experienced different cultures but still stays true to his roots and this is evident in his music and the people he considers his biggest influences musically, which include Don Jazzy, 2 Face idibia, Sound Sultan and Wande Coal. Though Davido started music professionally a year ago, he has been performing and making music since the age of 11. Now 18, he has set up a record label called HKN Music, jointly owned by Davido and Ade, his older brother. The saying “If you want something done, do it yourself” is what led the brothers start the label as Davido believes that as a producer and recording artiste, he would be in the best position to create music that suits his style. When asked to choose an ideal producer to work with, he responded “...myself, because I know what I want exactly!” He is however quick to mention that he would definitely be excited to work with Sarz, Jaysleek and/or Don Jazzy.

In a short space of time, Davido has developed a huge fan base (14 to 28 year olds) in Nigeria, the US and the UK and the young fresh talent’s first  single “Back When” featuring Naeto C, is enjoying massive media attention and airplay online, on radio and TV. In his own words, his greatest reward so far is “having my family and friends support my dream. I can’t ask God for more”. Within no time Davido took us by storm when he released Dami Duro, which has been said to be one of Nigerians top hits ever made. Without a doubt, dami duro has become a leading club song as well as one of radios most played.

Without wasting much time, Davido and his management team, in collaboration with Clarence Peters, put together a first-class, never seen before type video, to back up the banger, Dami Duro. Not only did this video create major buzz around websites, TV stations and you tube, but was also said to be one of the best videos out of Nigeria. Without saying much, it is evident that Davido is one to watch out for in 2012! He is evidently here to stay, and deliver.

Davido had a very eventful Christmas (2011) season performing all over Nigeria. He had amazing performances at shows like the Koko concert, Rhythm Unplugged, Echo 2011, Access Bank End of year Party and the Sahara End of year concert

The Artiste 

Davido admits that his love for entertaining people comes from his late mother who passed away in 2003. Losing his mother has been the most traumatic experience Davido has had to suffer but it has also been his inspiration as he states “...she’s the reason I do what I do.... she loved to entertain and I plan on carrying that legacy...”

With collaborations with artistes like Naeto C, Shank, Lynxxx and popular UK artiste, Dotstar, Davido is set to prove to the music industry that he has what it takes to succeed. He has also shared stages with people like T-Pain, Fabulous, Keith Sweat, Cabo Snoop, D'Banj, Naeto C and more.

The Producer

As a versatile artiste, Davido is able to adapt to any beat produced by other producers. However, this is a craft he has succeeded in mastering and with help from his brother Ade, HKN Studios would be a force to reckon with the in the Nigerian Music scene. 

Often asked where his inspiration as a producer comes from, David explains “... I like it when people are happy and when they can dance to my music! My mom liked to dance to music and I am inspired when I think of the kind of beats that would make her dance” 

His debut single “Back When” featuring Naeto C is a testament to Davido’s ability and skill as a producer. He has also produced music for ... Naeto C, Skales, Tiwa Savage and Sauce Kid. So, the next time you are dancing to a well made beat, pay attention because you might just hear “on the beat its Davido”... A signature that will be heard on chart topping songs for a very long time!

The Student 

Often considered playful and fun loving, Davido has shown that he is a focused individual and not allowing his music career get in the way of his education. Davido is currently studying Business Administrations in Babcock University and he is applying things he learns in school into running the business of his music career. Ensuring that a proper system and business tools are in place for his music career, Davido has not only built a recording studio for the HKN Records, he has also assembled a management and PR team to help him run his affairs while he focuses on his education. Music doesn’t take a back seat though... Davido runs on a very tight schedule to ensure that neither his music nor education suffers!

The Brand 

Good talent is hard to go unnoticed. However, more profitable than good talent is a good brand. The Davido brand is increasing growing and commanding attention. The good quality of the debut single “Back When” featuring Naeto C, produced by Davido, is complimented by the quality of the video shot by Award Winning Video Director, Clarence Peters. 

The “Back When” video has over 100,000 views on youtube and has had massive airplay on MTV, SoundCity, 1 Music Channel and all Terrestrial TV stations.

Davido is probably one of the busiest of the new artistes in Nigeria as he has performed in some of the biggest shows this year. These shows include

• The Music Meets Runway Show
• PSquare Invasion Concert
• “This is Lynxxx” Campus Tour
• Vivendi Fashion Show
• Clan by Deola Sagoe
• Loud on Sound Concert
• Koko Concert London
• Elite Model Look 2011 and many others
• Rhythm Unplugged,
• Echo 2011,
• Access Bank End of year Party
• The Sahara End of year concert.

 

With offers already coming his way for more appearances and performances, Davido’s fan base is set to go “off the roof”. Without a doubt, Davido will be vital to selling a few brands in the country.

As an artiste and a producer, Davido is focused on ensuring consistency in the quality of music he gives his fans that are increasing by the minute. Davido’s brand management team is looking forward to developing concepts and working with brands to establish mutually beneficial relationships.

Davido is managed by 21 year old Asa Asika, who has worked with artistes such as Sasha, Naeto C, YQ, GT The Guitarman, Ikechukwu, Pype and many more.

What’s Next? 

Davido has been recording with artistes like Dotstar, Lynxxx, Sauce Kid, DJ Skales, Tiwa Savage, Mo’Cheddah, DJ Neptune, Wizkid, Shank, and many more in preparation for his debut album, which is currently untitled. With the debut single entering countdown charts across the country, Davido is almost set to release a follow up single to ensure that his fans always have something new to enjoy.

A date has not been set for the release of his debut album, however, the targeted period is some time next year. Davido’s management will communicated a date once confirmed. 

In the mean time, Davido will continue to make great music and performing on the biggest stages across the country.

Follow Davido on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/iam_davido

Become a Fan on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/davidohkn