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April 30, 2009

Today I Made What A Man Made in 2008

Today is Fair Pay Day. Today, as an average woman, I will finally earn what an average man made in 2008. Took me almost 4 more months to get even. That's because I make 78 cents for every $1 a man makes. But at least I am Caucasian, if I were African American I would only earn 69 cents and, even worse, if I were Hispanic, I would only earn 59 cents.

Are things improving. No. For example:

In 2006, women physicians earned 72% of their male counterparts.
Women in sales were at 64%.
Women in construction at 86%.
Women in computer and mathematical occupations at 85%.

While we applaud President Obama for signing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, this law simply reinstates rights we had previously before a shocking Supreme Court decision.

We cannot continue this discrimination against women. Especially when women are often the sole providers in many households. Equal pay for equal work. What's so shocking about that?
What's so frightening about that? What's so hard about that?

Ladies (and gentlemen). Let's all stand up and make it happen. We can start by demanding the passage of the The Paycheck Fairness Act, It would deter wage discrimination by closing loopholes in the Equal Pay Act and barring retaliation against workers who disclose their wages. The bill also allows women to receive the same remedies for sex-based pay discrimination that are currently available to those subject to discrimination based on race and national origin.

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Now, I need to go back to work. My earnings for 2009 are just beginning. And I am already 4 months behind! Reminds me of the guinea pig on that wheel! OK, no wheel. I just learned those are really bad for guinea pigs...maybe worse than pay discrimination for women???

Gillian Parrillo
SacWomen.com

April 24, 2009

Bush and Moses

Recently, while going through an airport during one of his many trips, President Bush encountered a man with long gray hair, wearing a white robe and sandals, and holding a staff. President Bush went up to the man and said, "Has anyone told you that you look like Moses?" The man didn't answer. He just kept staring straight ahead.

The president said, "Moses!" in a loud voice.The man just stared ahead, never acknowledging the President. The President pulled a Secret Service agent aside and, pointing to the robed man, asked him, "Am I crazy or does that man not look like Moses to you?" The Secret Service agent looked at the man and agreed.

"Well," said the President, "every time I say his name, he ignores me and stares straight ahead, refusing to speak. Watch!" Again the president yelled, "Moses!" and again the man ignored him.

The Secret Service agent went up to the man in the white robe and whispered, "You look just like Moses. Are you Moses?" The man leaned over and whispered back, "Yes, I am Moses. However, the last time I talked to a bush, I spent 40 years wandering in the desert and ended up leading my people to the only spot in the entire Middle East where there is no oil."

From my friend Malcolm.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

April 21, 2009

Legendary Pianist To Hold Concerts To Benefit Sacramento Homeless

Sacramento, CA – Today the Sacramento Philharmonic announced a week of concerts and events by the renowned pianist, teacher, conductor, humanist and laureate of the 2007 Kennedy Center Honors, Leon Fleisher. A fixture in the American music scene for over six decades, Mr. Fleisher will perform the following concerts with Sacramento Philharmonic musicians:

Thursday, May 14 at 5:30pm (doors open at 5:00pm)
“Sacramento Philharmonic for the Homeless”
Westminster Church, 1300 N St, Sacramento, CA
Moved by the plight of Sacramento’s homeless, Mr. Fleisher and Philharmonic musicians created this unique event to raise much-needed funds for housing and other services for the city’s homeless.
NOTE: This is a free concert and open to the public. All donations will go to Sacramento’s Gifts to Share

Saturday, May 16 at 8:00pm (doors open at 6:45pm)
“Leon Fleisher, Renaissance Man at 80”
Community Center Theater, 1301 L St, Sacramento, CA
Performing under the direction of Mr. Fleisher is a first for the Sacramento Philharmonic. The concert will include Antonin Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 in E minor (“New World Symphony”), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Concerto No. 7 for Two Pianos and Concerto for Piano No. 12. Concert sponsors: McDonough Holland & Allen, P.C. and Sutter Medical Center Foundation of Sacramento, CA. Guest artist sponsor: Barbara K. Jackson of Davis, CA.
NOTE: For tickets call the Community Center Theater Box Office at 916-264-5181 or www.tickets.com. For group sales call the Sacramento Philharmonic offices 916-732-9045 ex. 103 Greg Wellman.

EDITOR’S NOTE: In March 2009, Mr. Fleisher released his first two-handed concerto recording in over 40 years. The release includes Mozart’s Piano Concertos No. 12 in A Major, K. 414; No. 7 in F Major for two pianos, K. 242 and No. 23 in A Major, K. 488. You can purchase it on Amazon.

Sounds like a fabulous week and a wonderful cause. Let's get behind this generous donation of talent by a gifted artist.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

April 18, 2009

Governor "General Lee" Perry

For all our friends who are planning to visit us in Texas, we wanted to let you know that things have changed since our beloved Governor "General Lee" Perry suggested we secede from the Union:

A Travelers Guide to Wackadoodleonia
by: Harold Cook
Fri Apr 17, 2009 at 09:44 AM CDT
Originally posted at Letters From Texas

Dear Foreign Visitor:

As your guide to the sovereign state of Wackadoodleonia, welcome!

Yes, we realize you probably made your travel plans to "Texas" long before former Texas Governor Rick Perry, now the President And Supreme Commander of Wackadoodleonia, seceded and formed our own country. But despite this abrupt change, we think you'll find your stay here in Wackadoodleonia to be an enjoyable one.

We can't fault you for a bit of unease. We, too, thought at first that El Presidente Perry was kidding, when his comments suggested that he doesn't blame people a bit for wanting to secede from the United States of America - our neighbor to the North. But then, nationally-renowned statesmen Rush Limbaugh and Tom DeLay weighed in, the concept caught on, and the rest, as they say, is history.

We hope you will enjoy your time visiting Wackadoodleonia, but as with travel to any foreign country, a few precautions should be taken.

First, if you're traveling with children, please be aware that their health insurance coverage was declared null and void at our border. Please contact the Wackadoodleonia Department of Insurance for a rider which will cover your child during your visit. Unfortunately, coverage is very expensive here, when it's available at all, so good luck.

Also, please be aware that here in sunny Wackadoodleonia, we have instituted a "no tolerance" policy on crime, including instituting the death penalty for parking violations. There are no appeals, since there are no court houses. We tore them down after we deported all the lawyers. We now settle our disputes as a civilized and free people should - with guns.

We love our U.S. neighbors to the North. However, we must take issue with the border wall your country is now constructing, segregating us from the American states of Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. Well, we don't mind the Oklahoma wall so much, but you get the point. Wackadoodleonians only want good paying jobs to feed their families; the fact that we are sneaking across the border into the U.S. is testament to your good-paying jobs and great employee benefits. Plus, we Wackadoodleonians are doing the jobs Americans don't want to do anyway. So please keep that in mind and try to be a little more sensitive, mmm-kay?

Also, as a U.S. visitor to Wackadoodleonia, please keep in mind that we have very strict laws against Americans voting in our elections. That's why we require that all voters show a valid Wackadoodleonia drivers license and an NRA Lifetime Membership card prior to being allowed to cast a vote for the Republican of their choice.

And finally - it's true what they say, "you can go to Wackadoodleonia, but don't drink the water!" Please note that even before Texas broke away from our oppressors to the North, Wackadoodleonia had the hightest amount of toxic chemicals released into our water anywhere in the U.S.

With those details aside, we hope you enjoy your stay, and hope you enjoyed Lee Greenwood's rousing "I'm Proud To Be A Wackadoodleonian" over the loudspeakers as you arrived at the airport! As President Perry says, "we're proud of Wackadoodleonia - how 'bout you?"

PS: we realize that we kind of messed up the whole look of the American flag when we withdrew from the Union. 49 stars instead of 50 just looks like crap - our bad. May we suggest that you take in Puerto Rico a state, if only to maintain the symmetry? Just a thought.

Y'all come down, y'hear?

Gillian and Pierre
The Sacramento Executive

April 9, 2009

Sacramento Philharmonic - Ansel Adams - Almost Sold Out

The Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra presents a new composition by the legendary Dave Brubeck entitled Ansel Adams: America. The piece is orchestrated by his son Chris Brubeck. This performance will be for one night only Saturday April 11, 2009 at 8pm in the Sacramento Community Center Theater, located at 1301 L street Sacramento California 95814.

Dave Brubeck composed this work as a tribute to the legendary California photographer Ansel Adams. Adams’ iconic photographs will be projected in the theater above the orchestra on a high definition video display, while the Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra performs music composed especially to be performed with the photography.

The project is part of the orchestra's ongoing California Compositions, recognizing composers, musicians and people who have contributed to the cultural and historical richness of the Golden State. Chris Brubeck and Levi Saelua will co-host a pre-concert lecture at 7pm in the Auditorium of the Community Center Theater.

For tickets call the Community Center Theater Box Office at (916) 264-5181 or www.tickets.com. For group sales call the Sacramento Philharmonic offices (916) 732-9045 ex. 103 Greg Wellman

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

April 4, 2009

How Reinvesting Dividends Will Make You Rich

I subscribe to the Motley Fool and their Hidden Gems investment newsletter. Frequently, the service sends me emails with links to their latest analysts' reports. This week the following showed up in my inbox: "5 Unbelievably Solid Companies" by Brian Richards and Tim Hanson. These items in the report caught my eye:

  • Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG). Has been paying dividends without interruption since 1890.
  • 3M (NYSE: MMM). In February, 3M raised its dividend for the 51st consecutive year.
  • Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO). This year, raised its dividend payout for the 47th year in a row.
  • Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ). Raised its dividend for the 46th straight year in 2008.
  • Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI). Has paid dividends to shareholders since 1887.
The companies' dividend track records stopped me in my tracks.

But hold on - there's more to these numbers!

I decided to research the dividend history of Johnson & Johnson (as my daughter Rebekah has owned JNJ since she was twelve years old). Here's what I found:

On January 1, 1979, the price of a share of JNJ was $1.54. In 1979, the company paid a per share dividend of $.0417 (4.17 cents). On Friday, JNJ closed at $52.15 with a dividend of $1.795 per share paid in 2008. If an investor bought 1,000 shares at the beginning of 1979 ($1,540 investment) and faithfully reinvested the dividends, the investor would now have 1,802.45 shares and be worth $93,997.79 (annual return of 14.2%).

If the investor spent each dividend check rather than reinvesing, the investment would be worth $52,150 today.

Now that's an argument for reinvesting your dividends!

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Note: email me at pierre@sacramentoexecutive.com and I will send you the details on my analysis.


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