video interview Isaiah Small

Video Interview with Pittsburgh artist Isaiah Small.

Check out his music: https://soundcloud.com/isaiahsmall

Video Project 1

My first video project!

Audio Blog Post 2

https://sites.google.com/site/audiopost2/audio-post-2

 In this post I interview Dan Loreti. In the interview we talk about Dan's choice to become a vegetarian.

Mini Podcast

This post is my first audio/mini podcast post. In this post I go over my top three list of makeup products!

https://sites.google.com/site/minipodcastpost

Life Expectancy Rates Drop in the US

The United States has recently seen a drop in life expectancy rates. The rate of death has increased in the U.S. for the first time since 1933. This statistic is disturbing and alarming to many citizens. Life expectancy is the best way for researchers to indicate the overall well being of a nation. In 2015 the death rate was 724.6 for every 100,000 people. Over the past year, 2016, this rate rose to 733.1 per 100,000.  Although this may not seem like a very drastic change, it is significant enough to lower the overall life expectancy rates in the U.S.

 There are various reasons that have contributed to this figure. Deaths related to heart disease and stroke have jumped in the past year, increasing the number of deaths per capita. Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the Untied States, with cancer as a very close second. The death rate rose 1.2% over the course of 2015. Approximately 45 percent of the 2.7 million people that died in 2015, died of heart disease or cancer. Heart disease killed approximately 633,000 Americans in the U.S. in 2015. Cancer killed an approximate 595,000 people during that same year. The cause of death that rose the most over the year of 2015 was Alzheimer’s disease, which rose from 25.4  to 29.4 people per every 100,000 people. Additional causes of death rose along with Alzheimer’s such as respiratory disease, kidney disease and diabetes.

Another aspect of how life expectancy is measured is how long someone at the age of 65 is expected to live. In 2015, men at the age of 65 could be expected to live another 18 years, while women of that age would be expected to live 20.6 years. These numbers have shown very little decline over the last year, which suggests that more people under the age of 65 died in 2016. The overall drop in life expectancy statistics is largely due to the deaths of people under the age of 65. There are a few reasons that people are dying younger. Drug overdose and suicide as causes of death have gone up over the past year. The United states is currently facing an abuse of prescription medication epidemic. This issues that also fuels the epidemic of heroin abuse. The decline in life expectancy rates could be directly related to these two public health issues that currently face the United States.  

The rate of unintentional deaths also saw a significant increase over the 2015 year. In 2014, approximately 136,000 died of unintentional injuries, over the next year that number rose by 10,000 to 146,000. This figure includes deaths caused by car accidents and overdoses due to drugs, alcohol, etc. Another startling fact regarding life expectancy in America is the number of deaths caused by suicide. Suicide claimed the lives of about 44,193 people in 2015 which rose by about 1,500 people from 2014 when the figure was around 42,770 people.  In America, the tenth leading cause of death is suicide. This figure is startling to many and a cause for concern in our nation. Experts have linked these rates to unemployment and economic circumstances.

Other patterns, about the demographics most effected by the drop in life expectancy were also noticed. Deaths rose for both white men and women. Death rates also increased for black men, while staying consistent in black women. For both Hispanic men and women, death rates essentially stayed consistent.  

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American Eagle Sales Figures

EPS Data Chart

Today I will be writing about American Eagle Outfitters sales patterns. This topic is relatable to me because I have worked for this company for the past year I started working for AEO on the store level in my hometown. I have since moved to the cooperate headquarters where I am currently a Visual Lab Associate. My goal is to eventually work as a graphic designer for this company once I graduate. I really enjoy being employed by this company and their progress is important to me.

In recent years American Eagle has been doing very well as a company and even surpassed projected goals. For the past five years, AEO’s sales and revenue has fluctuated slightly, but in the last year alone they have experienced a major increase. In 2012 the company’s total revenue was 3.16 billion dollars. The next year, 2013, the company’s sales jumped by .32 billion to 3.48 billion. Over the next two years, the company’s revenue slightly declined with a 3.31 billion dollar sales figure in 2014 and a 3.28 billion dollar one in 2015.

2016 was when AEO rose up and surpassed its projected sales and revenues figures. In 2016, American Eagle Outfitters reported a total net revenue of 3.52 billion dollars. This figure shows a 7.28% sales growth from the prior year of 2015.  This was significant for the company considering that they experienced a 5% decrease the year before (2015).

The company was projected to experience a 2.8% sales growth, but they reported a 3% total sales increase, surpassing its original sales projection. The American Eagle brand sales itself rose only 1%. Aerie, American Eagle’s lingerie brand, increased by a whopping 24%.

American Eagle is one of the few retailers that is excelling in the teen and women’s sales categories. They are also one of the few retailers that is experiencing an influx of sales and revenue in the digital age where many stores are struggling to survive.

Another impressive figure that AEO has managed to produce of the past few years is it EPS, or earning per share.  In 2012, the companies EPS value was $0.77 cents. The company experienced an EPS increase in 2013 with a $1.16. Over the next year, the company saw a drop in EPS value with a $0.43 in 2014 and a $0.41 in 2015. In 2016 the company flourished and had a 169.68% increase in EPS with a $1.09. The EPS value rose by 73% that year.

Again the company surpassed its expectations. AEO was projected to have an EPS value of only 21 cents on revenue of $820 million.

American Eagles CEO, Jay Schottenstien had this to say about the increase in figures, ““Initiatives to strengthen our merchandise and improve operational execution fueled strong results in 2016.. The American Eagle brand delivered solid growth and Aerie exceeded our expectations.”

American Eagle Outfitters has high hopes for the current year of 2017.

Additional Resources:
http://investors.ae.com/news-releases/news-releases-details/2016/American-Eagle-Outfitters-Delivers-Record-Second-Quarter-Revenue-and-Strong-EPS-Growth/default.aspx

http://investors.ae.com/overview/default.aspx


Sources:
http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/aeo/financials

http://investors.ae.com/news-releases/news-releases-details/2016/American-Eagle-Outfitters-Reports-2015-Annual-EPS-Growth-of-73-to-109/default.aspx

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/american-eagle-profit-sales-rise-above-forecasts-2016-08-17

Weaving

A woven wall hanging I made.

Among my various creative interests is weaving. Today I am going to share how I picked up one of my favorite creative hobbies. I picked up weaving as a hobby about a year ago. I started seeing a lot of beautiful woven wall hangings on websites like Pinterest and Etsy. I was moving into a new house at the time and was looking for some wall decorations and I thought these pieces were unique works of art that looked great on wall and was a lot more interesting than a picture or poster.  I originally just wanted to purchase one as a decoration, but not long into my search for the perfect wall hanging, I realized they were very expensive online. After some quick research about weaving techniques, I thought “why don’t I just make my own”? After looking for a loom to start weaving on, I quickly noticed they were also rather expensive. My solution to not wanting to spend too much money was again “why don’t I just make my own?”. I acquired the help of my grandfather who is a skilled woodworker. Him and I worked together to make a custom loom. Making the loom was not too complicated. Basically, we just made a wooden frame with notches on it, to wrap the string around. It only took us one afternoon to complete the loom project. As soon as it was finished I took it home and started my first weaving. After I completed it I was hooked. I started using most of my spare time to weave.  Soon I began to sell my woven wares to friends and family, and eventually moved to small craft fair events. I then began taking custom orders and completing them.  I still weave in my spare time and after a long day, I enjoy coming home and weaving and listening to music or watching some television. It helps me unwind. I enjoy weaving because it is an almost mindless task that can be very relaxing. Weaving allows me to come up with a creative design but then be able to relax while I’m creating it. The process of weaving is extremely simple and anybody who has patience can do it. Although it can be very tedious, it is very rewarding once you finish a piece and see it hanging on a wall somewhere.

A custom woven wall hanging for a local high school sports team I made.