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I'm glad you looked me up! If you'd like to learn more about my work, my background, and my interests, feel free to have a look around. If you're just here to buy a book, click here!
What's New??
Living Happily Ever After - Separately,
my new book, is available from Brandylane Publishers, Inc. by clicking here. Or, you can also find it on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.
Prevention Magazine Feature!
Did a really fun photo shoot back in August for this little feature in the October issue of Prevention. They liked the story of how I reinvented my life and our marriage. Click here for the lowdown.
Read it in....
Redbook.com wrote a great article on how couples have done whatever it takes to make their marriages work. We are featured along with a few other very interesting and resourceful couples. Click here for the story and share it around!
Skyping with Spain!
What a fun chat across the pond with Warren and Betsy Talbot who are "Married with Luggage"! Click here to listen to our conversation about how living separately has worked so well for me and Emil.
Having your (wedding) cake and eating it too...
Now this is what I call proactive! Brides Magazine does an article on living separately and plugs my book! I've been hoping that it would get into people's hands before the marriage turns sour, but this is even better!
Woman TalkLive with


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LORD, make me to know my end, and the measure of my days, what it is: that I may know how frail I am.
Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.
Psalm 119:84 How many are the days of your servant? when will you execute judgment on them that persecute me?
Job 14:13 O that you would hide me in the grave, that you would keep me secret, until your wrath be past, that you would appoint me a set time...
how frail I am, or, what time I have here

subset: commoncrawl


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Keep in mind...
In some cases, you may be enrolled in multiple programs. It is important to remain mindful of this and always make sure you are viewing the right program.
Below are instructions on how to switch between programs:
1. On the web app and make sure you're on the "Dashboard". Towards the top right of the screen you will see a button titled "Change Program" - click this and select the appropriate program.
2. On the mobile app, simply tap the program name bar towards the top. A pop-up should appear listing the programs you're enrolled in. From there, select the appropriate program then tap "Switch".
Other reminders!
If there is anything you are unsure about, or simply have questions about something, feel free to chat/leave us a message below - we would be happy to answer any questions you may have!


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Birthday star can enjoy the following offer at Café Allegro during the birthday month.
1. Complimentary lunch or dinner buffet for the birthday person
2. Complimentary birthday cake
3. 20% off for the accompanied guests
For reservation or enquiry, please call 2313 8718
Terms and conditions:
From now till 30 December 2019
Cafe Allegro
Tel: (852) 2313 8718
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Regal Kowloon Hotel


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Wisconsin Hotels
Search for Hotels
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- Downtown Milwaukee Hotels, United States of America
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- Southeast Wisconsin Hotels, United States of America
- Northeast Wisconsin Hotels, United States of America
Best Wisconsin Hotels
If you're looking for a cheap hotel deal in Wisconsin, we have a range of accommodation to suit every need from the best 5 star hotels, family friendly Wisconsin hotels or even hotels with a pool.
From the best luxury Wisconsin hotels to the cheapest business accommodation, our mapping and search facilities will let you compare hotels in a variety of ways such as:
- - Nightly rates/ price
- - Location within Wisconsin
- - Cities in Wisconsin
- - Top attractions in Wisconsin
- - Hotels in different areas of Wisconsin
- - Genuine Hotels.com guest reviews for each hotel in Wisconsin
- - Star rating
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- - Hotel name & chain
- - Theme (business, luxury, romantic...)
As well as our Hotels.com guest reviews, we also display Expedia Wisconsin reviews for hotels and also the TripAdvisor Wisconsin review score for each of our hotels.
When you book your stay in Wisconsin with Hotels.com you may also earn free nights on participating hotels by joining the Hotels.com Rewards program. It's free to join and only takes 2 minutes to sign up and when you Collect 10 nights you receive 1 night free*. So even a short weekend break in Wisconsin can get you on your way to a free night.
And when you make a hotel reservation in Wisconsin with Hotels.com we'll send you a confirmation with the reservation details of your hotel booking along with contact details, directions, information on nearby attractions to your accommodation, restaurants and even the weather.
To make the most of our service, download our mobile & tablet apps and sign up to our newsletter or follow us on Facebook, Google+ or Twitter to receive the latest Wisconsin deals.
Wisconsin Travel Guides & Things To Do
Where to Stay in Milwaukee - From Historic Hotels to Budget-Friendly Chains
Accommodation in or near Milwaukee meets the needs of a broad spectrum of travellers and a range of...
From Thrift Finds to Gourmet Delicacies, Shops in Milwaukee Celebrate Diversity
Each of Milwaukee's neighbourhoods offers a unique shopping experience and treasures that span upscale...
Explore Milwaukee's Various Neighborhoods for Fine Art, Vintage Shopping, and Acclaimed Dining
Often referred to as the "big city of little neighbourhoods," Milwaukee is noted for its philosophy...
Milwaukee - Lake Michigan's Shining Jewel of Industry
As a major port on Lake Michigan located at the confluence of 3 mighty Midwestern rivers, Milwaukee...
A Guide to Madison - Eclectic Capital City With an Outdoorsy Streak
Madison - or Madtown - ranks as one of America's healthiest and happiest cities, according to National...
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Configuring audit logging to a Cassandra table
Steps to configure audit logging to output to a Cassandra table.
If you've enabled audit logging and set the logger to output to a Cassandra table as described in Enabling data auditing in DataStax Enterprise, you can configure the logger by setting options in dse.yaml.
ALTER TABLE dse_audit.audit_log WITH COMPACTION={'class':'TimeWindowCompactionStrategy'};
The logger can be run synchronously or asynchronously. By default, the logger runs synchronously.
Use the
GRANT or
REVOKE CQL commands to manage the
permissions for accessing the
dse_audit.audit_log table.
When run synchronously, an event does not complete until the event has been written to the table. If there is a failure after the event has been written to the table but before the event completed, the log may contain events that were never completed. For example, a query may be logged in the table but it did not successfully complete.
When run asynchronously, audit events are queued for writing to the table, but may not be logged before the event is completed. For example, when logging a query, the query may execute before the audit event is written to the table. A pool of writer threads handles logging audit events from the queue, writing to the table in batch queries. The advantage of writing audit events asynchronously is better performance under load, however if there is a failure before an audit event is written to the table, the audit event may not be logged even though the event has completed.
Open dse.yaml in a text editor.
The location of the dse.yaml file depends on the type of installation:
Installer-Services /etc/dse/dse.yaml Package installations /etc/dse/dse.yaml Installer-No Services install_location/resources/dse/conf/dse.yaml Tarball installations install_location/resources/dse/conf/dse.yamlThe location of the cassandra.yaml file depends on the type of installation: Installer-Services /etc/dse/cassandra/cassandra.yaml Package installations /etc/dse/cassandra/cassandra.yaml Installer-No Services install_location/resources/cassandra/conf/cassandra.yaml Tarball installations install_location/resources/cassandra/conf/cassandra.yaml
Set these audit_logging_options:
- cassandra_audit_writer_options
- Logging to a Cassandra table can provide a more centralized auditing view.
Configuration options for the
cassandra_audit_writer_options: mode: sync batch_size: 50 flush_time: 500 num_writers: 10 queue_size: 10000 write_consistency: QUORUM dropped_event_log: /var/log/cassandra/dropped_audit_events.log
- Save the file and restart DataStax Enterprise.


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Ever since I changed my hairstyle, more and more often, I've been wearing my hair straight. One reason is that it's much easier for me to manage shorter hair. Before I got a lob, it could easily take me an hour to go through my long, tangled hair and straighten it. These days, the whole process takes 15 minutes at most. Oh, I almost forgot to mention, my blow-dry routine is much easier since I started using products from the Fromm Beauty line (kindly provided to me by the brand for testing purposes). Read up as I'll not only be sharing my step-by-step blow-dry strategy, but also some tips and tricks on how to make your hairstyle last.
Another important tip concerns how often you should wash your hair. I think many girls try to wash their hair as often as possible, but this approach simply doesn't work for me. My hair is very thin and oily and I can never go without washing for more than two days (using my favorite dry shampoo trick on day two is a necessity!). Having said this, shorter hairstyles are much easier to wash and blow-dry more often as there is less hair to work with.
One more moment to consider is a weekly deep-moisturizing treatment. Usually, I give my hair a treatment after taking a shower. I blow-dry my hair a little bit using the positive ions setting on my 1907 Zero7 Air Lightweight Dryer. By doing this, I open up the hair cuticles so my hair product goes deeper into the hair shaft and thus works more effectively. Some of my favorite hair masks include: amika Nourishing Mask, It's a 10 Hair Miracle Mask, and SheaMoisture Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Mask.
Finally, I was never a fan of layering too many products on my hair as these seem to add weight to my already heavy and oily hair. These days, instead of using a hair conditioner in the shower, I skip this step and simply apply a leave-in conditioner or a blow-dry spray on towel-dried hair. If you have breakouts around your hairline area, you might want to stop using a hair conditioner too. I'm not sure that it was the only thing that helped me with my major breakouts (facial oils is another thing to consider), but it seemed to work for me.
Okay, now we're all set with the basics, let's dive into my every-other-day blow-dry routine.
Step #1
Right after showering, I wrap my hair in a towel so it's out of the way while I apply a body oil, serum, and moisturizer. Then, I leave the towel on for a few minutes while I apply makeup. That way, with no hair getting in the way, it's easier to work on applying foundation and contouring.
Step #2
I use a piece of paper towel to remove excess moisture (my favorite brand is Bounty as it leaves no paper residue on my hair). One of the biggest mistakes I made when I was less experienced with at-home styling was to start blow-drying sopping wet hair. These days, I prefer to have my hair 60-to-70 percent dry as this makes blow-drying less damaging and much easier.
Step #3
I used to skip this step with my old dryer simply because it was a cheap, heavy device that wasn't up to date and didn't include a diffuser! After testing the 1907 Zero7 Air Lightweight Dryer, I realized that one possible reason my hair is always so frizzy is that I've never incorporated a diffusing step into my routine. It's just my personal preference, but I prefer having a hairdryer set on medium heat and low speed while using a diffuser. Usually, it takes just a few minutes to complete this step and trust me—you don't want to skip it. It really adds volume to your hair!
Step #4
You probably noticed that until this step I haven't brushed my hair yet. That's right: to avoid ruining my hair, I leave this step until my hair is 60-to-70 percent dry. Then, I splash a bit of heat protectant in my hair or use a blow-dry spray (this time, I used amika Bombshell Blowout Spray) and then brush my hair using a 1907 Glosser Paddle Brush by Fromm.
I'd like to stop here for a moment to explain why picking the right paddle brush is essential if you'd like to have more good hair days. If you're like me, with naturally straight fine hair that's prone to tangling, a mixed-bristles brush is the way to go. Over the years of testing different hairbrushes, I noticed that regular plastic brushes make my hair prone to static electricity (especially during the cold season), while those with metal bristles never last as my super-tangled hair breaks these brushes in a matter of minutes.
In my opinion, the best way to go is to combine the best of two worlds: a natural boar and nylon bristle brush that easily combs through hair and makes it silkier. Check out the 1907 Glosser Paddle Brush by Fromm if you're looking for a new paddle brush. It's exactly the type of brush I've been using for years (even before I started testing Fromm products).
Step #5
Separate the top part of your hair and secure it on your crown with a hair clip. Try to have your improvised bun a bit loose so your hair doesn't get flat while you're working on the bottom strands.
Step #6
Change the nozzle on your hair dryer to a flat one (hair stylists call these concentrators). This nozzle helps to direct airflow so you can achieve sleek, straight hairstyle. Also, change the setting on your hair dryer to negative ions. This setting allows you to seal the hair cuticles for a silky, shiny look, and helps to eliminate the frizz. Usually, I put my hair dryer on medium speed and high heat while straightening my hair.
Step #7
Using a rounded brush (I picked the 1907 Square Thermal Rounder Brush by Fromm), start wrapping the hair around it and blasting it with heat.
The most important thing here is to start brushing from the roots (not from the ends!) and then move toward the ends. By doing so, you are adding extra volume and cutting the time required for completely drying each strand of hair. Usually, I start from the hair on either side of my face and then move toward the back of my head, as these parts tend to dry quicker.
Step #8
Take the clip off the hair at the crown and start drying your hair toward the back. Start from the roots and then move toward the ends.
Step #9
Using a hairpin, part your hair the way you usually wear it. You can also use a hair comb, but I prefer a pin as it provides more precise results.
Step #10
Use a finishing spray of your choice (I used amika Un.Done Texture Spray). On an everyday basis, I prefer texturizing spray to a regular hair spray as it adds additional volume and provides an invisible, undone hold that looks so effortless and natural.
I hope you enjoyed my step-by-step tutorial and learned something new about taking care of fine, frizzy, and unruly hair. Please let me know in the comment area below if you have any questions about any of the tips mentioned in this post. Also, feel free to share your favorite blowout tips and tricks!


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With 33 car manufacturers from all over the world and over 500 individual models the driver is given a virtually limitless selection of automobiles to choose from. Each car has its own individually tailored physics and handling properties and you can personalize them as you like. Plus replay options so realistic you may be thinking you're watching a real race!
18 months of research and development by creators Polyphony Digital, under the scrutiny and guidance of GT creator Kazunori Yamauchi have made Gran Turismo 2 worthy of its title. . .
Gran Turismo 2 - still the most comprehensive racing game of all time, only now it's twice as big.
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There are several versions of German coils made on piano wire when stringing a piano; in this demonstration and photo album we look at making the single looped coil with three turns on the tail. There are other versions; the double looped coil with three turns is a common one also; then both of these with either a left-handed or right handed tail. I have also come across German coils of types, the single loop and the double loop, with only one or two turns at the tail.
With any piano stringing, the more one develops a technique over time, the better and more consistent the coil making looks. When using a looping machine for the first few times I would encourage the attempts to be practice on spare wire, until such time as the loops and coils begin to become consistently the same size and amount of turns. This does not take long to learn consistently once familiarized with the way the looping machine works.
One must also be aware that the tied end of the wire with the tail end must come over to meet the other side of the wire, so that in the end result, the length of wire is almost a complete straight line. In other words, while this demonstration is of a left-handed coil, one must also notice in the last photo of the photo album, that the left side does indeed come over to meet the right side, leaving the length of wire beyond the loop and coil in a straight line. This is an important part of German coil making; if done so that the two sides meet in the middle of the hitch pin, this will pinch the length of wire on the back side with too much angle, causing the string to eventually break when pulled to pitch.
Here is the link to the photo album with a looping machine making the German coil.
Looping machine
Looping machine


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Waterfalls in Costa Rica
Browse 160 attractions, meet 208 travelers, 136 tour guides and discover 394 photos
Travelers are voting La Fortuna Waterfall as the best waterfall in Costa Rica. Want more? Check out our map of waterfalls in Costa Rica.
La Fortuna WaterfallRecreation / Outdoor WaterfallsCosta Rica
La Fortuna Waterfall is located in central Costa Rica, in the Alajuela Province. In Spanish, it is known as Catarata Fortuna. The waterfall drops…


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- Motorcycle Mounts
- Bicycle Mounts
- Sailing Mounts
- Cases & Parts
Sorry but this item is currently unavailable.
Please check back at a later stage.
The RAP-B-201U, is the standard length (3") double socket arm from RAM. It has a socket at both ends that accommodates 1" ball bases. A single spring inside the arm opens the end sockets, allowing you to pivot the ball and socket connection. This socket technology allows for almost infinite adjustment and perfect viewing angles.
The RAM double socket mounting arm is used to connect the Twisty Ride iPhone Case quick release adaptors to the motorbike mount of your choice.
Dimensions: Standard Length:
Overall Length: 3.69"
Socket-To-Socket Length: 3"
High Strength Composite
Ball Size:
1" Rubber Ball "B" Size
All of our RAM motorcycle mounts carry a lifetime warranty. They have been selected to mount all Twisty Ride iPhone holders and cases.
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When I was browsing Facebook today my attention went to for some survey query from Facebook.
Written By:Yakub CEO Conveyor Express-GreenCourierEven Mark Zuckerburg of Facebook, Jack Ma of Alibaba, Jeff Bezos of Amazon, did not get such success in 3 years.
Hello Japan. Today I will share some of my opinion reason behind why Japan Government should stop Kanji as their official uses. Its my opinion only, please.Actually, I and all people...
The amount of money paid by the insurer to the insured in consideration latter's surrendering the policy to the former is known as surrender value.
Job number 21003BRJob title Global Graduate- OperationsLocation/City DhakaAppointment type PermanentJob purpose and key deliverables We are BAT.


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Open- or closed-cell spray foam: The age old question
While both open-cell and closed-cell spray foam insulation are proven and effective commercial solutions, each product has its own unique set of qualities and is more suited to certain applications. Armed with this knowledge, specifiers can make better educated decisions when it comes to product selection.
A typical 0.5 lb per cubic foot light density open-cell product, like Icynene's Classic, forms into a soft and flexible, yet air tight seal, and therefore accommodates a building's normal structural movement and shifting over time. As a vapor permeable application, it supports bi-directional assembly drying and provides better sound absorption than its closed cell counterpart. Open cell is also a lower cost product and uses an eco-friendly water-based blowing agent for application.
Meanwhile, 2.0 lb per cubic foot medium density closed cell spray foam such as Icynene's MD-C-200, offers a higher R-value* of 6.75 per inch (as compared to open cell's 3.7 per inch), impact resistance, and a hard, rigid texture which increases the wall racking strength. Furthermore, its low vapor permeance qualifies it as a class II VDR (vapor diffusion retarder), enabling building owners to meet International Code Council building code requirements for vapor retarders where required.
For example, in Marine Zones 4 and 5 and above, ICC codes require Class I (less than 0.1 perms) or Class II (between 0.1 and 1.0 perms) vapor retarders on the interior side of framed walls. While closed cell meets the requirements of Class II vapor retarders, open cell would require a separate vapor retarder.
As a side point regarding open cell, a 6 mil poly vapor retarder is commonly used with fiberglass insulation materials. However, the application of the poly material can be time-consuming since it requires stapling and cannot cover electrical outlets. Consequently, the use of vapor retarder paint directly over the insulation surface is recommended.
Another important rule of thumb for open vs. closed cell is the fact that open cell is limited to interior applications whereas closed cell can be installed on the building's exterior as well (in many situations).
While these are some general guidelines, each project must be evaluated by its own unique set of requirements, including climate, budget, and performance requirements.
* R means resistance to heat flow. The higher the R-value, the greater the insulating power. Compare insulation R-values before you buy. There are other factors to consider. The amount of insulation you need depends mainly on the climate you live in. Also, your fuel savings from insulation will depend upon the climate, the type and size of your house, the amount of insulation already in your house, and your fuel use patterns and family size. If you buy too much insulation, it will cost you more than what you'll save on fuel. To get the marked R-value, it is essential that this insulation be installed properly.


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in: Furniture
Cota-18 Lift Top Coffee Table
Cota-18 Lift Top Coffee Table suggests that you should have something along with your morning coffee like magazine, newspapers. This coffee table can contain all of it you want in your mornings. The lifting top is the innovative dexterity behind this coffee table that lets you store many things in the hidden compartment. The top is made of high quality wood veneer, rubber wood and aluminum giving it extra strength even when it's lifted to hold things in place.


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This year I'm going to be twenty-one and I'm terrified while excited. I'll finally be a college student working towards a degree while also assuming a mass amount of debt will be coming my way. I'll be starting more projects revolving around the internet and particularly social media. I will be moving to a new apartment by the end of the year (hopefully- though I love my place now I realize I need space to grow). I will be taking on more jobs and working more. I will be finding myself by going to extreme lengths. I'm in my twenties, and it's time to start taking on my life.
In my own words I can describe to you how I have no idea who I am and the tangled mess it's caused. I feel things on an extreme emphatic volume that I can literally go one day with wanting to be that badass chick you see rocking a leather jacket with black skinnies, smoking a cigarette outside a party and laughing as her red lipstick imprints the cigarette. My nails are long and a shiny black, my makeup is bold, my lashes are long, and my hair is perfect. I've got on combat boots, my AC/DC shirt is half tucked into my shirt, and Dean Winchester would maybe come chat me up from across the way. But then the next day I'm cozied up at home nursing my social hangover sitting on the edge of my couch watching Gilmore Girls in an oversize sweater. I have that childish wonder while still being a woman that drives the men insane. I'm holding a cup of coffee, it's 2 in the afternoon, my cat is at my feet, I'm surrounded by greenery and the book I was reading is on the floor in front of me. I'm bathing in the sunlight from my large patio window hoping a cute tall (emphasis on tall please) Dean Forrester like boy will walk past and fawn over me from afar like Dean did to Rory without me even having to leave my apartment. Let the season change from Fall to Spring and I'm wearing floral short dresses walking around campus with a book or journal and sitting in Sigma Sigma Commons under the shade of trees. I'm listening to old Taylor Swift songs, occasionally looking back up at reality from one of my thousands of 'love books' to people watch. I'm feminine, I'm delicate, I act like the little lady my grandmother would be proud of and that badass 'biker chick' I am in Fall would despise (perhaps). When Summer rolls around I'm my mother's hippie child- cropped tops and flowing pants with elephants printed on them galore. Sit me on the beach and leave me be- I shall dissolve into the sea or sink into the sand. I am an island child now and no one can tell me otherwise, my mind is at the sea and not here in the city.
With all of this said, I want to explore more of what makes me who I am as well as all of these personas that I shift to from time to time. I know I've said this before in my other blog post but I really wanted to write it out better and repeat it. I want to take 2018 and find out which parts of these, or even maybe which 'character' I occasionally 'play' is the one I really am, whether it be all or none. I'm in my twenties, it's time to explore my life and who I am on my own. So if that involves me playing a new person every week until I find one that screams me, then that's what I shall do.
It's like when a woman finds her wedding dress- once you know, you just know. Maybe I truly am all of these things- the nerdy book worm, the badass biker chick, the innocent Rory Gilmore, the beach bum hippie, or whatever else I may fall into. I'm excited to try on these metaphorical new hats of mine and see where I fit in. Or maybe by mid year I'll realizing being all these different things is what makes me me. One second I can fit in with all the individuals of The Breakfast Club and the next second I can fit in with the sorority girls off of sorority row or the girls who mock them and all their pep.
So here's to 2018 and finding myself, the most important thing I hope to accomplish this year- and to all the follows and all that comes.


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The Cargo Box is a multi-purpose storage container made by the Swiss design studio Big-Game.
Inspired by the classic form of a toolbox, the PMMA box has the typical wooden handle with which the Cargo Box can flexibly be carried from A to B. This makes it suitable to be used as a storage box for the desk and as a desk organiser for the office as well as storing cleaning items, sewing utensils, or toys with small parts.
The universal design of the Cargo Box has received several awards. These include the Swiss Design Award in 2014 and the Wallpaper Design Award.
Available in different colours.


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Tony Curtis: Charismatic actor and hunk ("Some Like it Hot" proves both), swell guy (he chummed around with all the biggies), and funny author who can spin a compelling yarn. The silver-screen heartthrob is stopping at Book Soup to talk up "American Prince," a revealing new autobiography that looks back his start in Tinseltown and the headliners he called pals.
One of those people, Marilyn Monroe, was not only his ukulele-strumming, hourglass-figured costar in "Some Like it Hot" but a girlfriend long before the celebrated Billy Wilder film was shot. His romance with the bombshell was recently excerpted in "Vanity Fair" and was very steamy stuff, no holds barred. We tore through that article, only to stop for a cooling sip of water, though we wished we had a sparkly flute of Dom, reportedly a favorite of Marilyn's.
It isn't all starry nights with the most legendary leading lady in movie history. The actor also writes about the tough times, and anyone who's been through a few months -- days? -- in Hollywood can relate to that. Sure to be juicy, lively and totally Tony.
Tony Curtis Signs "American Prince"
Tuesday, November 25, 7PM
Book Soup, 8818 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood


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Pulley lining and lagging by Continental protect your conveyor belt system and improve friction resistance where required. Our comprehensive product range includes wear protection for non-driven pulleys as well as profiled lagging for drive pulleys.
Find a distributor near you.
February 12 – 15, 2020
Kentucky Expo Center
Louisville, KY, USA


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Target Employees Say They Were Shooed Away Due To High Salaries
Target says it's not into saving on salaries by demoting and laying off longtime workers, but the Tucson Weekly reports a bunch of fired longtime Target employees believe the company discriminated against them because of their ages, among other reasons.
From the Tucson Weekly story, in which the former employees say Target's upper management took a year to fling baseless accusations at the workers in an effort to drum up reasons to let them go:
(Manny) Lovio says he went to see a lawyer, but realized he could not afford legal action. But shortly after his dismissal, his best friend at the company, Lavonne Beckford, was also fired. And over the last five years, other longtime employees he knew from his early days at Target were also forced to quit or were fired. The former co-workers started meeting with each other and sharing their stories.
They say they began to notice a pattern. Their group, mostly hired in the '80s, had each been with the retail company for 20 years or more. Most of them were salaried executives, making more than $50,000 a year, sometimes even more. Besides the wages, the employees had full benefits, and most were eligible for up to five weeks of vacation.
"They could hire two or three people at the price they were paying us," (Manny) Lovio says.
Attention current and former Target Team Members — do you believe there is merit to such complaints, or is it just sour grapes?
Getting the Ax: Longtime Tucson Target employees say they were forced out because of their higher salaries [Tucson Weekly]
Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.


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- Options
Sale 25% Off$52.46 $69.95
Item # MRP000NItem # MRP000N
Optimal retention in mucky conditions.
The MRP Wave Oval Ring Cinch Direct Mount goes beyond the narrow-wide design of the competition with its innovative Wave tooth pattern, which offers optimal chain retention while shedding excess mud and debris in nasty conditions. Another bonus, it reduces overall friction for greater longevity.
This particular version is oval-shaped, which helps to reduce the "dead spot" in each pedal stroke for increased pedaling efficiency. It pairs with the Race Face Cinch system, making it all the more future-proof with its modular, direct-mount design. It's available in a wide variety of sizes for customizing your gearing to the local trail and terrain at hand.
- 7000-series aluminum for durability on the trail
- Oval chainring shape reduces "deadspot" in pedal stroke
- Prevents dropped chains without relying on a chain guide
- Wave teeth evacuate mud and debris in nasty conditions
- Race Face Cinch compatibility makes it future-proof
- Direct-mount with Race Face Cinch cranks
- Compatible with 8 to 11-speed chains
- 50mm chainline in all ring sizes


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The Print with Compassion (PWC) program is a series of educational sessions and hands-on training using Mimaki products that produce real-world objects and materials for use by local communities and organizations throughout the U.S.
The initial Print with Compassion program was co-located at the International Sign Expo in April 2015. Participants in our inaugural program helped create a kindergarten environment while learning each step of the digital print process using solvent, latex, UV and dye-sublimation technologies. Hands-on sessions include Design for Large Format Basics; Color Management for Non-Color Managers; Cut-and-Print, UV Printing, and Textiles Print Production; and Finishing and Assembly. We also presented a business session on how to integrate new technologies into existing operations. All objects and materials created during the program were donated to a local charity.
At SGIA 2015, we'll carry on the tradition of providing for a local charity through the Print with Compassion Program. At this show, we'll wrap a vehicle for the Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation, which provides vision and hearing services through education, detection, prevention and treatment. Through collaborative partnerships, the foundation enables greater independence and increased quality of life for Georgians in financial need.
Visitors to SGIA can see the vehicle being wrapped live, in the Sidewalk Café area.
Mimaki printer: JV300-160 model using SS21 eco-solvent ink
Print media sponsor: 3M Commercial Graphics
Vehicle type: 2010 Ford Transit Connect
Vehicle graphics installer: Miller Decals, 3M Certified & PDAA Master Certified
Vehicle graphics design: WBC Graphics, Orlando
For more information on Mimaki's participation at SGIA 2015, click here.


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*Credit is subject to status and application.
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Make tortillas
There's no need to have both a bacon press and a tortilla press taking up valuable cabinet space. The bacon press can do both jobs with ease so long as your model has a flat bottom.
Just put a dough ball between two sheets of plastic wrap and press down with all your might! Then cook up your tortillas in a skillet.
Replace that fat-draining indoor grill
You could certainly buy a fat-draining countertop grill — they aren't really that expensive if you get a smaller model. But if you won't need it often, use a bacon press instead. To get rid of the unwanted fat in the meat you're cooking, simply apply firm, even pressure to the top of your cut about halfway through cooking, tilting the pan as you do to drain what's released.
Panini, anyone?
To turn your next sandwich into a piping-hot panini, heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, placing the press inside to heat up as well. Build your sammy as desired, then place the sandwich inside the pan under the heated press. (Note: if your cast-iron isn't seasoned, make sure you grease it — depending on what type of press you have, you may want to grease it too.) Use the press to slightly smash the sandwich, and leave the press in place until it's golden brown.
On the outdoor grill
Use a bacon press on your outdoor barbecue grill to quick-cook meats on both sides at the same time. Just heat up the press on the grill before you start cooking and place it on top of the meat when you begin cooking.
No-flip hash browns
Make crispy-fried hash browns in half the time. Heat three tablespoons of oil in a pan on medium-high heat with the bacon press inside the pan while it heats. When it's up to temp, toss in your potatoes and place the press on top. Continue cooking until they're golden-brown.
Bar cookie press
Get perfectly flat bar cookies and crispy rice treats by using a (greased if necessary) bacon press to ensure perfectly presentable treats.
Perfect quesadillas
Preheat your bacon press in the pan you'll use to make the quesadillas, then place it on top of the top tortilla to ensure even melting and golden-delicious crunch.
Make bacon more presentable
Last, but not least, you can use it to... press bacon! This is really an aesthetic decision for the most part. It keeps your bacon from curling up and that's about it. But it does make your bacon perfectly flat for use on your panini!
Bacon press in photo available at Williams-Sonoma, $15
More stove-top how-tos
How to make your own corn and flour tortillas
How to grill vegetables
Grilling bacon-wrapped meats


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HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- Asian markets posted solid gains Wednesday as an overnight rally in Citigroup shares set the stage for rises in the financial sector.
But few analysts believed the region's advance could be sustained, with weak export figures for China damping expectations of a faster recovery on the mainland.
"The momentum may not continue because it's not a turnaround story, either for the U.S. or Asian markets. I think it's just a technical rebound," said Linus Yip, strategist at First Shanghai Securities. "We're still far from the recovery stage."
Flat U.S. stock futures in screen trading also failed to assure investors that the overnight surge on Wall Street - after Citigroup Chief Executive Vikram Pandit said the bank was profitable during the first two months of the year - would continue.
Japanese shares snapped a three-session losing streak, with the Nikkei 225 Average jumping 4.6% to end at 7376.12.
Stocks rallied across the board, with Sony Corp. SNE, +0.14% (6758) jumping 4.5% and Toshiba Corp. (6502) TOSYY, +1.65% soaring 9.5% as investors overlooked all negative news, including a downgrade of their long-term issuer default ratings by Fitch Ratings.
Fitch also cut the ratings of Sharp Corp. SHCAY, +0.27% (6753), Panasonic Corp. PC, -0.16% (6752), Hitachi HIT, +2.48% (6501) and NEC Corp. (6701) NELTY, along with a host of other technology companies in the Asian-Pacific region.
The gains in Toshiba shares came after the Nikkei reported the electronics company was likely to post a group operating profit of about 100 billion yen ($1.01 billion) for the year ending March 2010, rebounding from the 280 billion yen operating loss expected this fiscal year.
Elsewhere in the region, South Korea's Kospi added 3.2%, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 1.9%, New Zealand's NZX 50 gained 1.4% and Taiwan's Taiex finished 1.9% up, while Singapore's Straits Times advanced 1.9% in afternoon trading.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index ended up 2%, with HSBC Holdings (5) HBC, -0.98% extending a recovery from its recent slide, which came on news of a planned rights offer. Shares of the banking giant ended up 2.3%, but well off the day's highs.
In mainland China, the Shanghai Composite dropped 0.9% to 2139.03, reversing early gains after data showed the country's exports fell as much as 25.7% in February, marking the second straight month of a large decline. Imports also fell, by 24.1%. China also reported a 26.5% increase in urban fixed asset investment during the first two months of the year.
Banc of America-Merrill Lynch economists wrote in a report that the "ugly" exports number and the higher-than-expected fixed-investment data illustrate "the opposing forces acting on the Chinese economy: contracting global demand but positive policy stimulus."
"We expect policy to stabilize growth, and maintain our above-consensus 8% forecast for 2009," they added.
In Shanghai, shares of Poly Real Estate Group lost 3.6% and SAIC Motor gave up 4.7%, while Industrial & Commercial Bank of China slipped 0.5%.
Financials were among the biggest gainers of the day, with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group MTU, +0.00% (8306) jumping 4.1% and Mizuho Financial Group (8411) MFG, +0.00% surging 5.4% in Tokyo. Australia & New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) ANZBY, +0.33% added 3.2% in Sydney and KB Financial Group KB, +2.49% spiked 7.3% in Seoul.
In Singapore, DBS Group Holdings DBSDY, +0.30% (D05) added 4.6% and United Overseas Bank UOVEY, +0.39% (U11) gained 2.6% in the afternoon.
In Tokyo, Pacific Holdings' filing for court-led rehabilitation due to fund-raising problems hurt shares of Nippon Residential Investment, which tumbled 6.9%. Nippon Residential is managed by Pacific Residential, whose major shareholder is Pacific Holdings.
Australian commodity stocks rose, with BHP Billiton BHP, +1.31% (BHP) gaining 4.2% and Rio Tinto (RIO) RTP adding 3.1%, though gold miners were hit by Tuesday's decline in the price of gold, with Lihir Gold (LGL) LIHR off 6.2%.
The gains in Seoul were aided by a fall in the U.S. dollar against the won on hopes it would make repayment of dollar-denominated debt easier. Posco PKX, +1.71% gained 4.3%, Korean Air Co. KRNRF advanced 1.8% and Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. HYHZF, +0.00% jumped 3.8%. The dollar recently bought 1,470 won, from 1,511.5 won Tuesday.
Malaysia's benchmark index was 0.8% lower, unassisted by news late Tuesday of the government's larger-than-expected 60 billion ringgit ($16.3 billion) economic stimulus package.
In afternoon trading, Indonesian shares gained 1%, Philippine's main index was up 1.5% and Thailand's SET Index slipped 0.1%.
In currency markets, the U.S. dollar bought 98.51 yen, while the euro changed hands for 124.77 yen.
Spot gold reclaimed the $900-a-troy-ounce level after falling below it Tuesday. The metal was recently up modestly at $902.50, after moving in a narrow range.
April Nymex crude oil futures were down 41 cents at $45.30 a barrel on Globex, after a $1.36 fall in New York.


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Product no. 139892
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IRD supplied and supervised the installation of WIM equipment at 16 sites throughout North Dakota. The equipment supplied includes iSINC??WIM Electronics, cabinets, Kistler Lineas??quartz WIM sensors, modems and associated components to complete the WIM system. This equipment is operated by North Dakota Highway Patrol. IRD-PAT has been supplying equipment to NDDOT since the early 1990's.
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Sport Fishing Tours
Tour Description
Get ready to sit back, relax, and reeeel'em in! Both half-day and full-day fishing charters are available.
Trip Itinerary
Our Sport Fishing Tour along the Central Pacific Coast of Costa Rica are one of the best. Jaco, Costa Rica is the perfect environment for a variety of fish species due to its ideal water temperature. All year round you can catch sailfish, marlin, mahi mahi, yellow fin tuna, snook, wahoo, amberjack, mackerel, cubera, and roosterfish.
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Sport Fishing Tours
Information on one of our most popular sports fishing boats
• Twin Cummins 430Hp Diesels
• Air Conditioned Lounge, Leather Couches
• Stove, Fridge, Bathroom, Shower
• Flat Screen for DVD's if kids are on boat…very important because they get bored quick and there is nothing better than Dora the Explorer to calm them down.
• Center hull underwater mounted video camera
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Photo Gallery
Sport Fishing Tours
Tour Video
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Sport Fishing Tour Reservations
Contact Us to Learn More and Receive Custom Quote


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Translated by Demographia.ru | Original version in Russian
|Prof. Anatoly Antonov, Department Chair of Family Sociology and Demography at the Moscow State University
Before its widespread decline in the 19th century, the European bith rate was high enough to exceed the level of mortality and reliably provide the population growth that was the basis of rapid development of the market-industrial capitalism.
This population growth in Europe was never considered as a threat to the human race's welfare [1], never was called "overpopulation" or "demographic explosion"; although in different concepts of the Malthusian doctrine it was associated with the growth of the poor, a connection between the wholesomeness of the urban industrialism and the orientation of capitalism towards mass production (and, thereby, to mass society) was too obvious.
Up to the 20th century, the capitalism dexterously and gratuitously used the system of values and sociocultural norms, including norms of the large family, which had been created by the millennia of the familistic civilization. And this life-critical heritage—a moral capital of the past ages, one may say—revealed an incredible vitality.
Despite the practice of far-from-moral capitalistic relations, the power of the familism (family altruism) seemed inexhaustible. Therefore, even in economic theories of capitalist production, the inflow of labor was taken as a perennial variable: it was impossible to doubt that it would ever run out.
Taking care of that inflow and the need for some kind of social control that can provide a flow of human resources required for development of production was outside the scope of science and could become neither a scientific nor yet a social problem.
This is not surprising in the context of population growth and constancy of birth rates. So, during 1800–1880 the birth rate in Europe kept equal to 38 births per 1000 population; it began to decline only in the last quarter of the 19th century.
Although in some countries the decline was observed a bit earlier: in Finland — since the mid-18th century (from 45.3‰ to 33.1‰), in France — since the end of the 18th century (from 33‰ to 21.6‰). in the 1850s the birth rate decreased in Sweden (by 21 percent); in the 1860s — in Spain (by 10 percent); in the 1870s — by 21.2 percent in the UK, by 13 percent in Germany, Hungary, Holland, Belgium and Italy, by 10 percent in Austria, Denmark and Switzerland. [2]
In the first half of the 20th century, the birth rate in Europe declined from 32.5‰ in 1900 to 20‰ in 1940; down to 14–15‰ in Western European countries (in Austria to 13.3‰, in Sweden to 14.2‰), to 16–18‰ in Central Europe, to 25–27‰ in the Eastern and Southern Europe. [3]
Before the beginning of the 1960s, the European population declined due to the partially unmet need (which yet existed at that time) for 3 or more children, and, therefore, the decline rate was liable to variations caused by economic circumstances and living conditions of families.
The post-war "baby boom" in the late 1940–50s was the result of more full realization of the need for 3–4 children; but it was in no way an increase of that need. With many new married couples and gradually raising standards of living, the then existing need for children was more fully met, but at the same time it, though slowly, continued to weaken itself.
It is difficult to determine in what periods of time a particular type of the need for children was predominated (since the need was not measured, directly or indirectly, by demographers), but the TFR (total fertility rate) figures show that during the first quarter of the 20th century the need for children in large families in Europe continued to decrease down to its lower limit (to 5 children).
In the 1930-40s, the WW2 blocked possibilities of full meeting the need for many children; having less children becomes a practice of necessity, which resulted in predomination of medium-sized families (with 3–4 children), and then the need for many children ceased to be a Europeans' leading need.
An analysis, carried out within the theory of reproductive behavior from the standpoint of familistic and pro-natalistic school of thoughts, shows that the historical process of dying-out of the large family, i.e. of the social norms related to large families and their needs for 5 or more children, once begun and being associated with the breakdown of sociocultural norms of high fertility (breaking the contraception and abortion taboos, etc. [4]), has a tendency to complete refusal to marry, to live a family life, to have children.
Strictly speaking, we can state only the fact that the need for many children, which had been formed through millennia, is dying out, and this leads to a fertility decline, up to childlessness.
Hence, while the fertility declines, the science conventionally fixes the decline stages, which related to the phases (also conventional) of weakening of reproductive norms and needs for children.
Consequently, it is not crucial, though possible and somewhat convenient, to determine precise periods of medium- and small-sized families predomination (including some detailed sub-periods for each family type). Different numbers of children in families are only conventional marks of the overall process of historical dying-out of many-children families, with a tendency to the total childlessness.
Therefore, it is pointless to speak about any "transition"—from "high" to "low" fertility, from "having many children" to "childlessness," from "traditional" family to "modern", etc. There is no "transition" to something definite, lower or higher, but there is an obvious process of destruction of the old system of social norms. And in the course of this destruction, or regress, it is possible only to state conventionally the fact of existing of some stages, phases, levels. [5]
With the help of its leverage (science and policy), the society can, when it wants to, inhibit the family and fertility crisis and fix it on an acceptable (but artificially maintained) level. And it will achieve that sooner or later.
It is, unfortunately, an illusion created by the "transition" terminology that the history tends to a good event or phenomenon that will finally crown the whole sequence of intermediate stages. On the contrary, the terminology of crisis of the familistic system attracts attention to the fact that there is no obstacle in this destructive way but a special policy of resistance aimed to increase the number of families with 3–4 children, to avoid depopulation, for example.
The whole complexity of the problem is certainly in the lack of desire in society (and in government bodies as well) to pursue a policy promoting medium-sized families, which is a direct consequence of the fact that having no more than 1 or 2 children has become the most popular family life pattern. This pattern, as a new reality, creates a breeding ground for both man-in-the-street and scientific conceptions of anti-natalism.
In the second half of the 20th century, people began to discard their need for the family with 3–4 children, but in 1950–60s scientists could not measure this process directly. However, we can estimate the scale of dissemination of the new, 2-children, type of family\'s need (or, to be more precise, the scale of further dying out of the large family norms) by the degree of realization of socio-biological fertility potential.
According to Russian demographer Vladimir Borisov, in Europe in the 1960s the realization of the hypothetical minimum of natural fertility (when neither abortion nor contraception is in use)—HMNF—decreased to 40 percent. We can suppose that in the late 19th/early 20th century the realization of the HMNF was much higher, ~60–70 percent (if the fertility potential is about
It should be noted that in the 1970s the realization of the HMNF in Europe decreased to 30 percent, and in the late 1990\'s even to 20 percent. So, the lesser the HMNF realization, the more widespread the practice of contraception and abortion becomes, and it always happens when an already low need for children is being weakened.
The figures of the TFR in 1960–1970s show how the need for the 1–2 children family was spread in many European countries. For example, in Austria, it was a decline from 2.79 to 1.91, in England—from 2.66 to 2.03, in Belgium—from 2.53 to 2.08, in Denmark—from 2.54 to 1.92, in Finland—from 2.71 to 1.59, in Sweden—from 2.17 to 1.89. Note that all the cases the TFR fell below the replacement level—2.1 children per woman over her lifetime.
In 1980–1990s, when there was no special pro-family policy, the number of one-child families grew dramatically, and it led to further diminishing of family values, to weakening of motives for marriage, to increasing the number of cohabitations and divorces.
The eventual result can be estimated from the European TFRs of 1993–2004. the figures reveal the effect of reproductive attitudes being declined as well as of the family's and personality's need for children that is reducing too.
In the EU-15, the TFR averaged 1.47–1.52; the TFR of the EU-25 countries was 1.52–1.50, i.e. almost 0.5 child less than in 1970s (0.25 average decline per decade).
In 1993, the lowest TFRs were observed in Italy (1.25), Spain (1,27), Germany (1.28), and Greece (1.34); in 2004—in Slovenia (1,22), Poland and Czech Republic (1.23), Latvia (1.24), Slovakia (1,25), Lithuania (1.26), Hungary (1,28), and Romania, Bulgaria and Greece (1,29). [7]
Surely, a more accurate picture of the fertility decline can be seen from sociological measurements of reproductive attitudes, but such information is available not for all countries. With this TFR decline, it is also of interest to compare between the dynamics of childbearing attitudes and the dynamics of the need for children.
But first, let us look at some figures for the European Union. On January 1, 2003, the EU15 has 378.5 million population (EU25 has 453 million). the natural increase of 0.8 people per 1000 population per year barely exceeded the boundary of depopulation (in 3 of 15 countries, a population decline was observed; in 5 countries, births and deaths were close to balance against each other).
After the EU had been enlarged to 25 countries, the natural increase was declined to 0.5 people per mil, because most of the new members were from Eastern Europe, where the increase was –1.1 people per mil per 10 countries. [8]
For all European countries the picture was as critical as for the EU: 11 births and 10 deaths per 1000 population in Northern and Western Europe; 10 and 9 in Southern Europe; 9 and 14 in Eastern Europe (among 10 countries of this region only Poland had a positive natural increase). [9]
The TFR figures show how far the fertility decline has gone: 1.2 in Eastern Europe (i.e. 0.9 lower than the replacement level), 1.3 in Southern Europe. the situation is a little bit better in Northern and Western Europe (1.6), but, according to surveys on reproductive behavior of families and individuals, the number of births will keep on decreasing in this region too.
However, when demographers, including UN experts, make their projections of the population and fertility, they do not take into account the declining trends in reproductive attitudes and families\' need for children. As a result, the decline rates of the predicted parameters in Europe are underestimated (see Table 1).
Table 1.
Total fertility rate in the EU-15
according to the World Population Prospects: the 2002 Revision. Medium variant
|The average number of births per woman over her reproductive period
|The Netherlands
|Great Britain
The projection-makers hope, rather groundlessly, that the TFR in all European countries will reach 1.85. Apparently, they suppose the childbearing motivations would naturally increase and the number of children in families would fluctuate at the level of 2, as if the need for two children would keep constant. This assumption requires specific reasoning and should be confirmed by results of sociological surveys.
If we look at the TFR evolution, we can see that since the beginning of the 20th century, up to the year of 2000, the number of births in the EU steadily decreased from 3.5–5 to 1.3–2.0 in "conventional" generations as well as in "real" cohorts of women born between 1941–1950 and 1961–1965.
The total number of births by the born-in-1965 women to their age of 50 years is preliminary estimated to be 2.21 in Ireland, 2.03 in the U.S., 1.99 in France, 1.96 in Hungary and Sweden, 1.92 in Czech Republic, 1,91 in Denmark, 1,90 in Finland, 1,86 in England and Wales, 1,83 in Portugal, 1,76 in the Netherlands, 1,73 in Greece,1,65 in Switzerland and Russia, 1,63 in Spain, 1,61 in Austria, 1,52 in Italy, 1,51 in Germany. [10]
An especially marked drop in the number of births per woman is observed in 1970–1999, mainly due to weakening of the need for children among mothers under 25. in the next age and marital generations, the number of births is reduced under the influence of decrease in reproductive attitude, as can be judged indirectly by the reduced portion of births of third or subsequent children.
For example, in Italy, according to a survey of 1988, the highest percentage births of third or subsequent children was observed among 40-years-old women born in 1917—42 percent; about 33–35 percent—among mothers born in 1922, 1927, 1932, and 1937; 28 percent—among mothers born in 1942 year of birth; 23 percent—among mothers born in 1957.
In Spain, among 35-39-years-old mothers born in 1955–1960 there were 21.4 percent of births of third or subsequent children; in Austria, the same percentage was 19.2%. [11]
The process of extinction of the need for 3 or more children becomes more evident if we decompose the TFR in order of births. For example, 2.0 average births per woman in the U.S. (in 1996–1999) are composed of 0.5 births of the third or subsequent child, 0.7 births of the second child, and 0.8 births of the first child.
The same figures in Finland (TFR = 1.7) are 0,4/0,6/0,7; in the Netherlands—0.3/0.6/0.8; in Japan—0.2/0.5/0.6; in Russia—0.1/0.4/0.7; in Spain—0.1/0.4/0.6. [12]
While the portion of the second births also decreases, the portion of the first births predominates, which means that the need for only one child becomes mass-distributed.
The TFR decline repeats the decrease in the ideal family size that is revealed from surveys\' questionnaires ("How many children is it better to have in your family?").
In 1950–1979, in Italy, Great Britain, and France the average ideal number of children decreased, respectively, from 2.8/2.8/2.9 to 2.1/2.3/2.5, which caused a decrease in births during this period—from 2.5/2.7 /3.0 to 1.7/1.9/ 1.9.
In 1979, the ideal number\'s excess over the number of births per woman was as follows [13] :
Thus, the actual number of children is always less than the ideal number, and, therefore, the future fertility dynamics can be predicted from the reproductive attitudes of young age and marriage cohorts.
The average ideal number of children in 9 European countries was 2.40 among women of 55 and older and 2.13 among 15–24-years old women (among men—2.27 and 2.18 respectively). [14]
20 years later, the ideal numbers decreased: while the EU-15 average was 2.14 in 2001 (see Figure 1), in Germany and Austria it reached a sensational 1.7.
Figure 1.
The ideal number of children
among 20–34-years-old women of the EU-15.
A decrease of the ideal number is also observed in younger cohorts—among women of 15–34 (see Figure 2).
Even more clearly this trend is expressed by the expected number of children ("How many children are you going to have?"). the most striking example is Austria, where women of 15–34 are going to have less than 1.5 children and the fertility, consequently, promises to decline further (see Figure 3).
Figures 2 and 3.
the ideal (2) and expected (3) number of children
among 20–34-years-old women
(solid line—the EU-15, dashed line—Austria)
According to a survey of 1996 (4,564 participants), 51.4 percent of the pollees were going to have two children, 21,3 percent—three or more. 43,8 percent of childless pollees were going to have one or less children; 12.5 percent— three or more. Among those who already had one child, 43 percent was going to have two; 10,2 percent— three or more.
The women with two children had the strongest orientations to have three or more children—14 percent; among those who already had three children, 8.8 percent was going to have more.
Thus, two-children attitudes among having-only-one-child persons are 8.4 percent less than in the entire sample; their three-or-more-children attitudes are almost 50 percent less. [15]
Greece is a country where the TFR was kept 2.3 over 1960–1980 and where it dramatically decreased in the 1980–1990s, down to 1.32 in 1997. Some national surveys showed the expected number of 2.29 and the ideal number of 2.70.
An orientation towards the two-children family model was corroborated by a 1999 survey, in which 3,049 women and 1,026 men of the age of 18–50 were participated. the expected number of 2.3 was typical for most age cohorts (at the average, 10.9 percent of women was going to have one child and less, 51.8 percent—two children, 32.6 percent—three or more).
Among childless men and women, about 50 percent were oriented towards two children,
Among all socio-economic factors (income, education, division of labor, urbanization), the women\'s employment is the strongest reason for insufficient realization of the expected number of children.
The factors that contribute to the coincidence of the actual number of children with that of expected are as follows: separate rooms for all family members; household income; the expected number of children in the beginning of the marriage; the actual number of children in the families of the respondents\' parents. [16]
In 1997, to study the stability of reproductive attitudes and the degree of their realization, 507 women among 1,924 15–44-years-old married women from the Greater Athens area who took part in 1983 national survey were selected for a re-polling (see Table 2).
Table 2.
Unrealized reproductive potential,
according to Greek fertility surveys: 1983, 1997
|What was expected
in 1983
|What was realized
15 years later,
in 1997
|The number of children
expected to be born in the family
|Percent of women who did not want to have any or any more children
|Percent of women who were going to have one more child
|Percent of women who were going to give birth to 2 children
|Percent of women who were going to give birth to 3 or more children
Thus, if we sum up these figures, it appears that those who gave a birth were 2.3 percent fewer than those who intended to do it, and the number of those who did not gave a birth were 8.6 percent more than the number of those who did not want any more children. the bottom line is that 10.9 percent of respondents did not fully realize their need for children (for various reasons—because of age-weakening of fertility, discrepancy between the needs of individuals and families, etc.).
It is interesting that after 15 years the women who had not met their need for children changed their ideal numbers; moreover, the number of those who considered three or more children as their ideal number increased 10.5 percent, while the number of those for whom the ideal number was 2 or less decreased 15.1 percent.
It is generally known that there is an inverse relation between the number of births in the family and such indicators as social status, profession, education, income, etc. This means that the future consistency of the current trends to improve life-style and living conditions, to expand women\'s employment, to increase welfare of individuals and families, to spread of families where two spouses build a career will continue to lead—through changing the values of life—to further reducing of the family\'s and individual's need for children, to family instability, to divorces, to the decrease of the portion of 2-and-more-children families, and to other crisis phenomena.
Reproductive behavior researches (with new methods of measuring values, attitudes, and motives for giving birth to children) conducted in the 1970s and 80s under my scientific supervision in 15 former Soviet republics (some of them are now members of the EU-25) show that the level of aspiration to individual achievement and personal career grows dramatically with increase of social status, income, educational level as well as professional women\'s employment.
in other words, the growth of out-of-family attitudes, caused by reducing values of family and children, makes us consider any change in living conditions and family life-cycle as inappropriate for giving birth to a child.
Therefore, the decrease in the number of children in the family as well as the fertility decline is explained not by financial and housing difficulties, but by the devaluation of the family lifestyle, by unpopularity of the family as a pattern of behavior in society, by considering motherhood and fatherhood as anti-values.
The collapse of these universal values, which ensure the existence of mankind in history as well as of alternation and continuity of generations, actually explains the reason why the need for children has been dying out (5 or more in the beginning of the 20th century, 3–4 in the middle, 2 or less in the end). [17]
If the value of the family and children is recognized as a priority in European countries, the family-and-fertility collapse can be stopped. Otherwise, i.e. if the individualistic values would not be limited in the social system, the family institution will continue on the downward path towards further elimination of the two-parent-and-several-children family with and growth of non-family forms of marriage and partnership accompanied with increasing number of divorces, single mothers, etc.
Social researches of reproductive behavior of individuals and families conducted by sociologists and demographers of Russian familistic school of thought in 1970-2006 (V. Borisov, V. Medkov, V. Archangelsky, A. Kuzmin, O. Lebed, A. Noskova, A. Sinelnikov and others) revealed the socio-psychological mechanism of reducing the average number of children in the family and, thereby, the reducing of the TFR.
The results of these researches convince us that if the whole system of life values of an individual is not pro-family oriented, any family situation will be estimated as unacceptable for meeting the whole need for children. Among groups with high levels of living standards and education, the negative influence of non-family orientations will overpower any improving of the possibility to meet the need for (still two) children.
For example, in 1978, there were about 7.4 percent of two-child mothers in Moscow who had not fully met their need for children and wanted to have one more child (in total, 59.4 percent of women were completely satisfied with the two-child family model; 32,2 percent were satisfied partially).
Four years later, in 1982, among 200 re-polled mothers (100 of them were going to have the third child, another 100 were not) there were only 25 percent of those who wanted the third child regardless of the circumstances and really had it; and among those who wanted a child under certain conditions, only 6.7 percent realized their reproductive attitude.
In a control group of 100 people who wanted to have the third child under no circumstances nobody gave birth to the third child.
A nationwide survey of 2000 showed that the situation became worse: only 5.1 percent of two-children women still wanted the third child. This means that 3–5 years later, only a quarter of the women would give birth to the third child; among the others, only 7 percent of two-children women were expected to have one more child.
Measurements of the need for children based on the "semantic differential" (SD) and a method suggested by me [18] showed that the need for the family with three children practically halved over the 25 years between the two surveys.
The SD, which expresses the the degree of non-acceptance of the three-children family pattern, practically doubled.
In 1978, the negative attitude to the third child was expressed by the SD of 2.89; in 2000 it equaled 5.03.
The need for the two-children family became about 20 times weaker — from 0.64 in 1978 to 5.38 in 2000.
The need for the single-child family remained the same, being sightly increased from the SD of 4.48 in 1978 to 4.27 in 2000.
And finally, the family without children became more attractive. Though in 1978 its SD=11.74 expressed almost complete negation, in 2000 it appeared to be strongly decreased (to 8,53).
The above mentioned data indicates the collapse of the need for the two-parent family with several children—not only in Russia, which has been depopulating since 1992, but also in Europe, where the TFRs and the expected numbers of children are similar to those in Russia.
It means that in 2007–2015, while the demographic potential is running low, most of European countries will include themselves in the "depopulational unity."
Without a radical change of the position of the family institution relative to the other institutions, without reorientation of the whole system of values from the individual to the family, the situation will not improve.
[1] Урланис Б. Ц. (Boris Urlanis) Рост населения в Европе (Population growth in Europe). М.1941.
According to the author\'s evaluation, the population of Europe within the borders of 1914 doubled from 1000 (56 million) to 1700 (119 million), increased more than 1.5 times from 1700 to 1800 (187 million), doubled from 1800 to 1890 (364 million). Totally, over 1700–1910, the population of Europe increased 3,7 times, or, in other words, increased about 4 times over 200 years.
[2] Ibid. С.242.
[3] Ibid. С.276.
[4] Борисов В. А.(Vladimir Borisov) Перспективы рождаемости (Prospects of fertility). М. 1976;
Социология семьи. Под ред. А. И. Антонова. М.2005.
[5] This idea, offered by Vladimir Borisov, opposes the logic of the "transition", which is used to describe the process of decaying of the millennial system of values and norms of high fertility.
The sociological-demographic theory of fertility decline reveals the causes of historical dying out of large families (up to the childlessness), thereby stating the fact that in the present social system (which replaces the familistic social structure with its non-market economy) there us no regulators that could make people want to get married and have children.
On the contrary, in the scheme of the demographic transition, which describes the historical "transition" from traditional patriarchal ("outdated") family the modern democratic ("progressive") family, it is assumed that there is a latent "social mechanism" providing the inalterability or even "everlastingness" of the small-family pattern that ever expands the diversity of its forms and the freedom of choice of one of them.
[6] Борисов В. А. Ук. соч. СС.60—64.
[7] Eurostat. Данные от 22.12.2005.
[8] Eurostat. «Premieres estimations demographiques pour 2002». Statistiques en bref. N25. 2002.
[9] Жиль Пизон. «Все страны мира (2003)». Население и общество. Инф. бюлл. ЦДЭЧ. 2003. №74.
[10] Население и общество. Инф. бюлл.Ц ДЭЧ. 2002. №68.
[11] Fertility and Family Surveys in countries of the ECE region. Austria. Italy. Spain. UN.1999. PP.75, 73, 77.
[12] Иванов С. Новое лицо брака в развитых странах. Население и общество. 2002. №63.
[13] A. Girard, L. Roussel. Ideal Family Size, Fertility and Population Police in western Europe. PaDR.1982. vol.8. Issue 2.
[14] Ibid.
[15] Fertility and Family Surveys in countries of the ECE region. Austria.1999.р.84.
[16] Greek fertility surveys: 1983, 1997, 1999. National Centre for Social Research 14—18 Messoghion Av.GR-11527. E-mail: hsymeonidou@ ekke.gr
[17] Борисов В. А. Перспективы рождаемости. М.1976; Антонов А. И. Социология рождаемости. М.1980; Семья и дети. Под ред. А. И. Антонова. М.1982; Детность семьи: вчера, сегодня, завтра. Рук, авторского коллектива А. И. Антонов.М.1986; Жизнедеятельность семьи. Ред. А. И. Антонов. М.1990; А. И. Антонов. Микросоциология семьи.М.1998, Антонов А. И. Сорокин С. А. Судьба семьи в России 21 века. М.2000.
[18] Антонов А. И. (Anatoly Antonov) Социология рождаемости. (Sociology of fertility) М.1980, Микросоциология семьи. (Microsociology of family) М.1998.


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All about my activities, thoughts, inspiration, ideas, and everything that happened around me
Friday, November 12, 2010
From Garage to Showroom
In this article (English translation via Google Translate), it's said that most of family business in Indonesia were started from garage. Just name a few successfull companies, such as PT Kalbe Farma Tbk and PT Mustika Ratu Tbk. You can't imagine that they started the business from such a small and humble space, but they can manage it into a giant player in Indonesian market (some of them have already started to export their products to other countries).
Some big IT companies also were started by Garage. Microsoft and Apple was started at their own garage. Have a look on Pirates of Silicon Valley to see the rivalry of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs since they still in young age.
Here's another successful business that also started from garage: Garagedelparco. It's a buy/sell business focusing on car transactions. It started in 1978 in Valparaiso, but it has been revamped to the new modern compro auto usate, vendita auto usate, and auto usate milano business. They work in team to make sure that all of their clients gets what they wanted.
They have a full team composed of tester, consultant, trainer, support, and also sales which will help you to get the best options for what you need. Don't worry about the risk of getting a scam. They will ensure that what you get is what you expected in the beginning of the deal. They have been working in quality since 1978 and they provide you with many options about warranty that you can pick. If you need proof that they are professional, check their testimonial page. Those were people who have used their service before.
What i like from this site is that they give spesific information about the cars, such as car spesifications, installation options, and conditions of the car. Some sites that i visited only listed some basic information without giving any detail about other information that i think it's important for buyers to understand before they decided to buy the car. Here's an example of information about Audi S6 5.2 V10 QUATTRO AVANT TIPTRONIC.
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TOUGH! by George Walker/DREAMS (REVES) by Wajdi Mouawad (ENSEMBLE Canadian Youth Theatre/Théatre Jeunesse). At the Citadel, August 9-20. canadianrep.ca. Rating: NNNN
Judging from the pair of inaugural shows mounted by ENSEMBLE Canadian Youth Theatre recently, the future of Canadian theatre acting looks sunny.
Ken Gass and his Canadian Rep Theatre put together a talented team of young artists who recently graduated from professional theatre training programs and, for a short run at the Citadel, featured them in two Canadian works: George F. Walker's much-performed Tough! and Wajdi Mouawad's lesser known Dreams (Rêves).
Partly because Walker's play features characters close to the ages of those in the company, it worked better. Teenage Bobby is breaking up with his girlfriend, Tina, but she, supported by her protective friend Jill, has some news of her own: she's pregnant.
Gass's brilliant idea is to cast four actors as both Bobby and Tina, and three as Jill. Besides letting us see ethnically diverse actors play these roles (the company beautifully represents the city's makeup), the concept underlines the universality of the situation, and the sense that one couple's drama is reflected in the larger community.
The show is performed in the round, with all actors within sight. So even when one is talking, your eye goes to the other actors playing that role to see their reactions. And Gass gets some astonishing effects in climactic moments, having all the actors playing Jill, for instance, gang up on a single Bobby to get information.
Walker's funny and psychologically nuanced script is as relevant today as it was when it premiered in the 80s.
Mouawad's script is a tougher piece to make work. Written in 2000, just before the author's acclaimed Scorched (made into the film Incendies in 2010), it's a surreal play about a young writer named Willem (Neil Babcock) who holes up in a hotel room to write. His characters literally come alive in the room. Meanwhile, the -hotel's landlady (Carmen Kruk) has her own complex history involving a son and some other ghosts who inhabit that very room.
It's a complex, multi-layered play that explores internal and external turmoil, and I'd prefer to see more seasoned actors take it on. But there are some fine things in it, particularly the use of musical instruments and the intriguing, fragmented set (by Orly Zebak).
Gass, Canadian Rep and his ENSEMBLE take part in a production of Mouawad's Governor General's Award-winning play Tideline, next month as part of Hart House Theatre's season.
Don't miss the chance to see some fiercely talented young actors in one of Mouawad's stronger works.
Get more Toronto show listings here.


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ISLAMABAD, Sep 7 (APP): After the successful response of the Single Country Exhibition at Colombo, Sri Lanka in January, 2016, Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) is organizing another Single Country Exhibition at Colombo, Sri Lanka in January, 2017.
"The event will be organized at the BMICH Exhibition Centre
from January 13-15, 2017", TDAP sources told APP. The major components of Single Country Exhibition are "display of products and Business to Business meetings".
The recent exhibition at Sri Lanka was a huge success as all companies had received tremendous response of Sri Lankan buyers and visitors.
Many companies have received orders from Sri Lankan buyers and the Furniture, Engineering and Pharmaceutical sectors were still negotiating deals.
General Fan Company (GFC) has already sent its first consignment to Sri Lanka after successful deals which were materialized as a result of the exhibition.
Pharmaceutical companies have also started the process of registration with Sri Lankan authorities as TDAP had introduced their quality products during the exhibition.
The TDAP sources further said that the Single Country Exhibition for 2017 is being organized under the patronage and support of Government of Sri Lanka. It is expected that large number of people will visit the event.
The renowned companies from Textile, Agriculture, Engineering, Marble & Granite, Handicrafts, Garments & Accessories, and from the Jewelry sector are expected to participate in the event.
The TDAP sources also said that it was pertinent to mention that Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Pakistan and Sri Lanka was operational from June 12, 2005.
Under the Free Trade Agreement, Sri Lanka and Pakistan have agreed to offer preferential market access to each other's' exports by way of granting tariff concessions.


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numares' approach utilizes the effects of a disease on the dynamics of human metabolism. Those effects can be recognized as specific changes in a biomarker network, generated by changes in the metabolic machinery caused by the disease. The renalTX-SCORE test, which is available as part of numares' AXINON® IVD system, evaluates the status of a multi-metabolite biomarker network rather than quantifying just one or a few biomarkers as with more traditional diagnostics. A urine sample is obtained from the patient, an NMR spectrum is created, then evaluated by the test. If the result indicates that a patient may be experiencing an acute rejection reaction then the patient would be referred for biopsy to confirm the result or even for therapeutic intervention.
The current diagnostic standard for acute rejection is biopsy of the kidney. This invasive intervention can damage the transplant, cause discomfort and stress in the patient and is relatively expensive. renalTX-SCORE, for the first time, enables a regular and close monitoring of the transplanted kidney without additional strain on the patient and the organ.
renalTX-SCORE was developed in collaboration with Professor Bernhard Banas, Head of the Transplant Center at the Regensburg University Hospital in Germany.
"This non-invasive diagnostic to identify organ rejection in kidney transplant patients, which we have successfully developed together with numares, can be used in outpatient follow-up care even before needle biopsy is performed," said Professor Banas. "renalTX-SCORE has the potential to reduce the number of biopsies, a procedure which reduces both patient discomfort and potential damage to the transplanted kidney. It can be performed more often due to being non-invasive and cost-effective.
Volker Pfahlert, chairman of the executive board of numares AG added, "With renalTX-SCORE, we are launching the first metabolomics test for our AXINON IVD system. We have developed a test that is not only the first to use a biomarker network from urine for kidney rejection diagnostics, but it can also be seamlessly integrated into clinical routine, is easy to handle and delivers fast results. It should therefore be part of the standard repertoire of follow-up checkups of every transplant center in Europe."
Further information about renalTX-SCORE can be found here.
About kidney transplantation
Kidney transplants are the most common organ transplantations worldwide. In 2014, more than 27,000 kidneys were transplanted in Europe and 2,100 kidneys in Germany alone. The annual worldwide number of transplanted kidneys is about 80,000. Around 10 percent of transplant patients are affected by rejection reactions within the first year. These can shorten the lifespan of the transplant and in the worst case lead to the loss of the organ. Meaning there is a great need for early detection and rapid therapy of transplant rejection.
About biomarker networks
The innovative approach to use biomarker networks for diagnostic purposes becomes increasingly relevant for several further medical questions, which can be not be addressed by appropriate diagnostic solutions so far. It is numares' mission to fulfill those unmet diagnostic needs by developing products for its NMR-based AXINON® IVD system. It is reflected by the company's product pipeline. To achieve its mission, numares developed its proprietary Magnetic Group Signaling® (MGS®) technology as a prerequisite.
About Magnetic Group Signaling® (MGS®)
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) has long been used as a research tool, in particular for determining the structure of chemical compounds. In the past, this technology was too complex to be used in metabolomics-based medical research or diagnostics due to several technical limitations.
numares developed its proprietary Magnetic Group Signaling® (MGS®) technology to enable NMR to answer demanding questions in metabolomics. With MGS®, important prerequisites like standardization and qualification can be fulfilled through technical processes and procedures. For the first time systematic processing and use of diagnostic information from the metabolism is possible. Thanks to MGS®, numares' in vitro diagnostic system (IVD) AXINON® is able to generate reliable and reproducible data of highest quality – independent of the NMR device or the user. This enables fully automated analysis of patient samples without any human intervention.
numares AG is a fast-growing innovative diagnostics company that develops and markets software-based test systems for high-throughput use in clinical diagnostics and life science research. The AXINON® IVD system and its diagnostic tests employ nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy creating a numeric spectrum with which to evaluate metabolomic networks. The output of these analyses provide physicians with valuable information on the disease status of patients. numares developed its proprietary Magnetic Group Signaling® (MGS®) technology to enable NMR for highly standardized and rapid throughput testing, making it a cost-efficient new solution for diagnostic purposes. The metabolomics tests address unmet medical needs in the indication fields of cardiovascular diseases, nephrology, oncology and neurology, shaping another important pillar in precision medicine. numares AG is headquartered in Regensburg, Germany, with offices in Boston and Singapore.
You will find more information at [url=http://www.numares.com]www.numares.com[/url].
numares AG
Am BioPark 9
93053 Regensburg
Telefon: +49 (941) 698091-00
Telefax: +49 (941) 698091-01
Telefon: +49 (941) 280949-14
E-Mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
IRA WÜLFING KOMMUNIKATION GmbH
Telefon: +49 (89) 200030-30
E-Mail: email@example.com
Telefon: 1-646-536-7017
E-Mail: email@example.com
Telefon: 1-508-280-6592
E-Mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


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⇒ ⇐
Current Classes
This module based class will help prepare new supervisors to take on the role of supervisor with special emphasis on what a supervisor needs to know to be successful. This class will address such issues as managing a budget, how to complete fact findings, the corrective actions process, payroll and leave management, performance appraisals and managing multiple people and tasks.
Video Trainings
Stormwater Management Training


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Another piece berating economics and its soothsayers. It is a book extract from a book:
Although Britain has an established church, few of us today pay it much mind. We follow an even more powerful religion, around which we have oriented our lives: economics. Think about it. Economics offers a comprehensive doctrine with a moral code promising adherents salvation in this world; an ideology so compelling that the faithful remake whole societies to conform to its demands. It has its gnostics, mystics and magicians who conjure money out of thin air, using spells such as "derivative" or "structured investment vehicle". And, like the old religions it has displaced, it has its prophets, reformists, moralists and above all, its high priests who uphold orthodoxy in the face of heresy.
Over time, successive economists slid into the role we had removed from the churchmen: giving us guidance on how to reach a promised land of material abundance and endless contentment. For a long time, they seemed to deliver on that promise, succeeding in a way few other religions had ever done, our incomes rising thousands of times over and delivering a cornucopia bursting with new inventions, cures and delights.
This was our heaven, and richly did we reward the economic priesthood, with status, wealth and power to shape our societies according to their vision. At the end of the 20th century, amid an economic boom that saw the western economies become richer than humanity had ever known, economics seemed to have conquered the globe. With nearly every country on the planet adhering to the same free-market playbook, and with university students flocking to do degrees in the subject, economics seemed to be attaining the goal that had eluded every other religious doctrine in history: converting the entire planet to its creed.
Yet if history teaches anything, it's that whenever economists feel certain that they have found the holy grail of endless peace and prosperity, the end of the present regime is nigh. On the eve of the 1929 Wall Street crash, the American economist Irving Fisher advised people to go out and buy shares; in the 1960s, Keynesian economists said there would never be another recession because they had perfected the tools of demand management.
More than the predictions going wrong, it is how economics has come to dictate most things we do. If it makes economics sense, there is a point in doing something else dump it..
Econs do their best work when there is humility and limited hubris:
Economists arguably do their best work when they take the stories we have given them, and advise us on how we can help them to come true. Such agnosticism demands a humility that was lacking in economic orthodoxy in recent years. Nevertheless, economists don't have to abandon their traditions if they are to overcome the failings of a narrative that has been rejected. Rather they can look within their own history to find a method that avoids the evangelical certainty of orthodoxy.
In his 1971 presidential address to the American Economic Association, Wassily Leontief counselled against the dangers of self-satisfaction. He noted that although economics was starting to ride "the crest of intellectual respectability … an uneasy feeling about the present state of our discipline has been growing in some of us who have watched its unprecedented development over the last three decades".
Noting that pure theory was making economics more remote from day-to-day reality, he said the problem lay in "the palpable inadequacy of the scientific means" of using mathematical approaches to address mundane concerns. So much time went into model-construction that the assumptions on which the models were based became an afterthought. "But," he warned – a warning that the sub-prime boom's fascination with mathematical models, and the bust's subsequent revelation of their flaws, now reveals to have been prophetic – "it is precisely the empirical validity of these assumptions on which the usefulness of the entire exercise depends."
Leontief thought that economics departments were increasingly hiring and promoting young economists who wanted to build pure models with little empirical relevance. Even when they did empirical analysis, Leontief said economists seldom took any interest in the meaning or value of their data. He thus called for economists to explore their assumptions and data by conducting social, demographic and anthropological work, and said economics needed to work more closely with other disciplines.
Leontief's call for humility some 40 years ago stands as a reminder that the same religions that can speak up for human freedom and dignity when in opposition, can become obsessed with their rightness and the need to purge others of their wickedness once they attain power. When the church retains its distance from power, and a modest expectation about what it can achieve, it can stir our minds to envision new possibilities and even new worlds. Once economists apply this kind of sceptical scientific method to a human realm in which ultimate reality may never be fully discernible, they will probably find themselves retreating from dogmatism in their claims.
Paradoxically, therefore, as economics becomes more truly scientific, it will become less of a science. Acknowledging these limitations will free it to serve us once more.
This blog pointed to the Leontief lecture just a few days ago.


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By D'Layna Huguez-Dixon
So you've got a slammin' track, some cool vocal samples, now what? What's the magic formula for adding vocal samples to music and walking away with a masterpiece? I talked with a few friends who are absolute pros at this. What they said was, "It's a little nudge here and a little nudge there." Voila you have a song!
It sounded pretty easy, so I decided to give it try. Well, let me tell you, it's not that easy. I nudged left, I nudged right, but pretty soon it became downright frustrating. I thought, maybe it's just luck and all I'd have to do is drag and drop the vocals directly onto the track. This was in hopes the vocal samples would roll onto my track like lucky dice and I'd end up with a masterpiece… yeah right.
I will say that in applying this process, I came up with a few vocal arrangements that I would not have sung naturally. The outcome was funky vocal arrangements that ended up being pretty cool. I had to smack myself and say, "You go girl!"
This aroused my creativity to try a few other methods. As a singer, I naturally sing on-the-one. Alternatively, I tend to anticipate my vocals while singing to the beat. My method is to learn the vocal sample part while letting the music play over and over again. Then, when it feels natural and I'm comfortable with the placement of the vocal sample, I place it in the track.
Another method I use is to mix and match various vocal samples. For example, I find the vocals I like. Then, I arrange them to fit my track exactly by editing them, (making them shorter, longer, blending them, or speeding them up). This is done to create my original arrangements.
The beauty of mixing and matching vocal samples is, in essence, the key to letting your individuality shine. There are some who may hesitate using vocal samples they've heard used before. I beg to differ! Your creativity is unlimited in the power of your arrangement process. It's all in how YOU assemble the vocal samples in the mix. Our customers have proven this method over and over again. It never fails to amaze us how creatively different the arrangements can be.
Remember, there is no wrong or right way to use a vocal sample. What some may consider the wrong way, may at times, produce a surprisingly, amazing arrangement!
We would love to hear your little vocal sample production secrets! Drop us a line at firstname.lastname@example.com and we'll post it on our site and you'll get all the credit!