There is a growing movement in the spiritual and holistic fields to bring a more metaphysical and human potential approach to the business community. adult single chat Holism has been integrating into both the health and mental health professions for many years now. live chat adult finder The men’s , women’s and environmental movements are a part of that holistic shift in awareness. However, business seems locked into an older/ outdated model of operation. I have been exploring, training and researching methods to help business take that ‘leap of faith’, and try new perspectives and approaches….but it’s tough to break into their locked mind set. Even when things are not working out……they can’t seem to shift gears. In the last fifteen years or so there have been many large corporate failures.
However, then came the 9/11disasters which shook up the United States and impacted on the whole world. While the world must now face the real issue of terrorism, perhaps something positive can come out of the trauma. I hear, between the lines, that it’s not ‘business as usual’ anymore. There was corporate karma hiding behind ‘success stories’. This started to come to light with scandals and more failures. The economy faltered as we all know.
So, before we rebuild the US and World economy perhaps we need to decide just how to rebuild it. Do we simply go back to the old ‘business as usual’ as soon as possible, or move in a new direction?
Well, for me there is no choice since my spirit guides demanded that I bring them into corporate boardrooms where they will try to help solve many long term problems. So, they have been training me for a decade now..just for this task. I told them, good luck…just leave me out of it …… that’s a place I don’t want to go!
Perhaps they knew all along what was going to happen. Perhaps now, with all the shifting going on the Planet we might be more open to [ spirit at work ]. We will have to wait and see………….
People usually do not think that Ferrari can improve on their cars because they’re already considered perfect and cutting edge, but at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2009, Ferrari had no trouble proving the world that they can still make a more perfect car than before. They did that with the introduction of the 458 Italia. The 458 Italia was announced as the official replacement for the Ferrari F430, which was produced from 2005 to 2009.
The Ferrari 458 Italia is a current production model for Ferrari from 2009 and is considered one of the best looking Ferrari’s that is also capable of challenging the Enzo around the track. As of 2011, a replacement for the 458 Italia has not yet been announced. The 458 Italia comes in four known variants: the 458 Italia Berlinetta (coupe), 458 Italia Spider, 458 Challenge and the 458 GTC (Grand Touring Challenge).
Although the 458 was announced as a replacement for the outgoing F430 model, it was actually based on an entirely different design that was driven by Ferrari’s learning experiences from Formula 1 rather than the F430. The 458 was designed by Pininfarina. There have been unconfirmed reports that the inspiration for the design was drawn from the Ferrari Enzo and was designed to be Ferrari’s best V8 car, significantly distinguishing itself from the current Ferrari California model. Although it would be hard to notice, the design was actually driven heavily by the aerodynamic capabilities and efficiencies.
The car itself doesn’t look like it was engineered to produce a certain amount of drag, rather it looks like it was designed with passion and fury in mind with the end result being extremely aerodynamic. Michael Schumacher, Ferrari’s former Formula 1 driver also provided input on the 458′s design from things such as the steering wheel to the dashboard layout of the interior. A few key notable details of the 458 distinguish it from a number of other Ferraris, such as the triple tailpipes – last seen on the F40, and the five-spoke rims that emphasize the 15.7 inch carbon ceramic Brembo brakes.
The Ferrari 458 Italia features a 4.5 liter V8 engine that produces 562 horsepower at 9000 rpm and 398 lb-ft of torque at 6000 rpm. Despite the low peak torque, Ferrari claims that the Italia has access to 80% of the torque band below 3250 rpm. The 458′s engine is only approximately 3% larger by 150cc than the F430′s 4,300cc engine but displaces 16% more horsepower and torque. A tremendous increase can be attributed to a new direct injection engine design that Ferrari created in collaboration with Maserati, a first for mid-rear Ferrari engine setups. The 4.5 liter V8 gets the Italia from 0 to 60 in 3.4 seconds and a top speed over 202 mph. That is 0.6 seconds faster than the F430, 1.1 seconds faster than the 360, 0.4 seconds faster than the F40 and only 0.3 seconds slower than the Ferrari Enzo. The Italia is Ferrari’s fourth road-car to receive the Getrag dual-clutch 7-speed transmission. It shares the same technology with the Enzo, 360 Challenge Stradale and the F430 Scuderia. The Italia is the first common production car that will not be offered with a traditional manual transmission.
The Ferrari 458 Italia has impressed Ferrari fans since the initial announcement was made in 2009. The Italia has impressive performance figures and has made a strong statement about perfection that will be hard to top, but then again, we are talking about Ferrari here. You can expect to see the Ferrari Italia 458 Berlinetta (Coupe) sell at a MSRP ranged between $225,000 and $250,000 depending on the options. The 458 Spider is expected to sell around $257,000 MSRP. A used 458 Italia rarely sells below $270,000 due to the low availability of the car.
Adi Sankaracharya compares the Atman to a crystal in Atma Bodha verse 15. Crystal is transparent. When a piece of crystal is placed on a colored material, it will take the color of the material. A crystal placed on a blue cloth will appear blue, a crystal placed on a red cloth will appear red, and a crystal placed on a yellow paper will appear yellow. So too, he says, the Self/Atman is crystal clear. It takes the qualities of the five sheaths that are closer to it in each individual.
The experience of the Self in the limited form as jivatman goes through the various modifications of the body like birth, growth, disease, decay, old age and death along with joy and sorrow, which is the bondage. Atman when identifies with these five kosas or sheaths is jivatman which experiences the pleasure & pain, and the six modifications of the physical body just like the example of a crystal above.
The five kosas are:
Annamaya kosa: constituted of skin, flesh, blood, bones etc. The physical body is impermanent, temporary in existence, made up of inert elements and undergoes modification with time. Birth, growth, disease, decay, aging and death pertain to the physical body not the SELF..
Pranamaya kosa: also made up of five elements of nature and are independent of the Self, but operates by the power of the Self. Thoughts such as ‘I am hungry, I am sick’ and all ‘I am’ are irrelevant to SELF, the witness and separate from these.
Manonmaya kosa: is constituted by the mind, memory and the five organs of knowledge. These sensory organs alone cannot perceive objects. The mind plays a part in recognizing the object by going through the organ.. The mind also goes through agitations and modifications like desire, doubt, faith, courage etc. It is an object of awareness as the SELF is the seer and the mind is the seen and they cannot be the same.
Vigyanamaya kosa is comprised of Buddhi, ahankara and Jnana-indriyas. Buddhi is the thoughts of the nature of analysis like differentiation, judgement and reasoning. Ahankara is the thought of doership and enjoyership. Jnana-indriyas are the organs of knowledge eye, ear, tongue, nose and skin.
The final core is the Anandamaya kosa, is made up of the ignorance (of Self) and vasanas (tendencies).
The bliss that we experience during deep sleep (due to being unaware of the non-self, body, mind, intellect, all worldly objects) is called the Anandamaya kosa. We make the bed with soft pillows, adjust turn light, and reduce the volume of the music to glide into the sleep but once we’re in deep sleep none of these matters. The deep sleep is because of it being in close proximity of the Self without the knowledge of the non-self..
We experience bliss momentarily when we are one with the nature near water or mountain or during karma where we’re single pointed.
The intellectual differentiation of the Self from the non-self, which is composed of five sheaths, by the method of negation of each sheath, is called panca-kosa viveka. Removal does not literally mean removing these sheaths but intellectual negation that none of these sheaths is SELF, which is independent, separate witness and that, which illumines these sheaths. This understanding or differentiation of the Self from the five sheaths is called as removal in Vedanta.
Negation of five kosas…
Annamaya-kosa is not the Self – physical body
The physical body is made up of the food eaten by the parents, grows with the food eaten by the mother in the womb, grows with the food eaten by the individual and becomes food to other living creatures like birds, insects etc. upon the death of the physical body.
• This physical body, which is made up of flesh, bones and blood is not the Self because: The body is temporary in existence, has a specific time frame for its existence after which it disintegrates, whereas the Self is permanent.
• The physical body is subject to modifications on a consistent basis like birth, growth, age, disease, decay and finally death. Self is ‘nirvikari’-'changeless’ and therefore this body cannot be that Self.
• The body is inert: Body is made up of Calcium, Carbons and other elements, which are inert in nature while the Self is of the nature of consciousness.
Pranamaya-kosa is not the Self – physical body
The five pranas (prana, apana, vyana, udana, samana), and the five organs of action (hands, legs, organs of speech, genitals and anus) form the pranamaya kosa. These also originate from the five inert elements of nature by the panchikarna. Therefore pranamaya kosa is not the Self.
Therefore actions are not of SELF, functions like breathing are not of SELF. The statements like ‘I am hungry, angry, happy or sad’ do not belong to SELF. I am ever-free SELF, existing as witness and I AM the same in all.
Mononmaya-kosa (mental body) not the Self
This is the mental sheath made up of mind, memory and five organs of action. These organs of actions cannot function by themselves. The mind reaches the object thru’ the particular organ and generates an experience. It is amazing to understand that the mind alone is the experiencer- experienced-experience in the dream state. The mind alone creates man’s attachment to the body & sense objects.
Mononmaya-kosa not the Self because
• the mind arises while waking and ceases while in deep sleep state but the Self has a no beginning (anadhi) and no end (anantha).
• The mind is erratic, with desire, doubt, courage, fear, joyful, sorrow etc. It is not steady or changeless like the Self (nirvikari).
• The mind is constantly afraid or has the fear of change, constantly restless and pain. The mind, which is under the grip of sorrow, fear, and doubt, can never be the blissful Atman.
When we say that ‘my mind was not here’ it simply confirms that ‘I’ is different from the ‘mind’. It is an object of awareness; it is not me, the ‘SELF’.
Viganamaya kosa (causal body) is not the Self
Sankaracharya explains in his Vivekachudamani verse 206, that the Vijanamaya kosa cannot be the supreme Self because it is subject to change, is inert, limited, remains as the object of knowledge and is not always present. A perishable temporary thing cannot be the imperishable SELF.
a. Vijanamaya kosa is subject to change: the intellectual ideas change. When sattva is predominant, it is steady & clear, when rajas takes over it is restless & hasty and when tamas dominates, it is dull & sleepy. Since Self is changeless (nirvikari), vijanamaya kosa cannot be the self and is not Self.
b. Vijanamaya kosa is inert: It is born out of five elements (tanmantras) by the process of pancheekarana; they’re inert in nature. It is only by the light of consciousness it is illumined and functional. Therefore it is not-Self.
c. Vijanamaya kosa is limited: Every thought that appears in the intellectual space dies and give raise to a different thought. Therefore that which is not permanent cannot be the Self, which is vibhu (all-pervading) and ever present.
d. Vijanamaya kosa is an object of knowledge: Vijanamaya kosa, which is an object of awareness (like I am aware of my mood today) cannot the source – a subject that never becomes the object.
e. Vijanamaya kosa is not constantly present: This kosa is absent in deep sleep. When one is asleep, the body, mind and intellect are absent. The ability to reason & decide is the intellectual function. That which is not permanent cannot be the Self, which is nithya.
Ananadamaya kosa (causal body) is not the SELF
a. Anandhamaya kosa is conditioned by the sense of perception, desire and possession. That which relies on the external objects cannot be the Self, which is nirvikalpa.
b. When one is in deep sleep one does not recognize anything else except bliss. When the individual is awake, he acknowledges the fact that he did not know anything during the sleep. So Anandhamaya kosa is subject to modification and cannot be the Self, which is nirvikara.
c. According to the law of causality, every action has a consequence that is borne by the individual. The experiences of Anandhamaya kosa are due to the punyas/good deeds from pervious births and these have a beginning and an end. Anandhamaya kosa cannot be the Self, which has no beginning or end. It is perpetual -nithya.
d. Anandhamaya kosa is associated with other matter: This kosa is ever attached to other kosas – annamaya, manonmaya, pranamaya and vijananmaya kosas. That which remains with the association of something outside can never be the Self – nirguna and nirangana
I, the SELF is totally free from anything and everything in between. I neither have qualities nor attributes. I simply exist as witness!
Have A Simple, Small, Green Wedding
A wedding is one of life’s major rites of passage. It is
certainly something to celebrate! Today, wedding books and
magazines promote large weddings so that more and more
wedding products can be sold. Wedding expenditures run into
many thousands of dollars. And after this major outlay of
money, most of what is purchased is never used again.
On the Spring Equinox 2004, my ex-husband (yes, that’s
right! my ex-husband!) Larry and I remarried. We had been
together for almost seventeen years, and had divorced
several years ago when our relationship problems seemed
impossible to resolve. But we still loved each other, so we
figured out what to do to make things better, and are now
happier than ever.
In planning our wedding, we wanted to keep it simple, small,
and full of meaning. We wanted a ceremony and celebration
that would be easy to prepare for and manage. We wanted an
intimate occasion, surrounded by our closest friends who
would participate with us in the intention of our union. And
as we planned our wedding, we used the same guidelines for
health and the environment that we practice in our daily
home life.
Since most books and articles are about planning big
weddings, I want to offer some tips on planning another sort
of wedding that can be beautiful and meaningful in it’s own
way.
* Make it your day. Each wedding can and should be a unique
expression of the couple getting married. So create the day
just the way you want it, to please the two of you.
* Choose the wedding traditions that are important to you.
When it comes right down to it, the essentials of a wedding
are the two people to be married, the minister or justice of
the peace who performs the ceremony, the ceremony itself,
and the guests who witness it. Everything else is decoration
and tradition. Learn about wedding traditions and choose to
do those that will make your day special.
* Write your own ceremony. The entire reason for having a
wedding, really, is the ceremony. The most important aspect
of a wedding is not the decorations, but the vows and
intentions that are stated in the ceremony and that you give
to each other. Research the time-honored patterns to
wedding ceremonies and follow this pattern in your own
personal way.
* Invite meaningful guests. When you have a small number of
guests, you can spend more time with them and really
experience their presence. Minimum is just the two of you,
the minister, and a witness. Invite family and friends with
whom you have real relationships. Eliminate those that might
be invited out of social obligation.
* Have your wedding at home, either indoors or in your
garden, or in a park. Rather than spending a lot of money on
floral arrangements, we put that money into tidying up our
back yard and planting perennial flowers that we are still
enjoying today.
Looking back on our wedding day, we are very pleased with
our simple, small wedding. We were able to relax and enjoy
the day and experience the love and support of our best
friends. Best of all, we still had energy left for the
honeymoon…
For many more details on planning your simple, small, green
wedding (including choosing flowers, rings, clothing and
reciption, and photos of Debra’s wedding), visit
[http://www.debraslist.com/wedding], and click on “You are
invited to… My Simple, Small, Green Wedding”. Debra is also
available as a consultant to help you plan your wedding.
Top CD Replication Tips
It’s easy enough to burn the contents of one CD to another, but if you’re looking to completely replicate the CD – covers and all - the process gets a little bit more complicated.
Still, the replication of the cover layout is something you can do at home, though you will inevitably need a printer company to print them out.
So here are a few tips to help you out when you are preparing your CD layout for sending to the printers:
1. Use high resolution. Your images should not be lower than 300 dots per inch (dpi). The ideal resolution is 600 dpi or greater. Anything lower than 600 dpi puts you at risk of having less-than-sharp images.
2. Save your image files in TIF format. This file format keeps your file uncompressed, so all shades are colours are perfectly preserved. JPG, or JPEG, on the other hand, tends to compress images substantially, and this definitely creates adverse effect on the quality of the image.
If, for some reason, you must use JPG, then make sure you set it toward the least compression.
3. Make sure the image goes 3 mm beyond the cut lines (the lines where the images are supposed to be cut). This extra image is known as the bleed and is used to make sure that when the image is cut, there will not be any unprinted surfaces showing.
On that same note, make sure all relevant text and bar codes are placed at least 5 mm within the cut lines, to make sure too that they do not get cut off.
4. Scrap RGB. Use CMYK. RGB (red, green, blue) colours are used by your TV or computer monitor to send color images to the human eye. If your intended audience is a printer, however, you need to use CYMK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and key, a.k.a. black), which are the colours layered over each other to create colours on print.
5. Use the right software. You can use Page Maker, Corel Draw, Illustrator, InDesign, Quark, and a few others for creating your layout – but never, ever use MS Publisher or MS Word; doing this can result in problems with the printers.
6. Save your layout in PDF format. PDF was specifically designed to make sure that what you see is what gets printed. There are other pre-printer formats that used to be utilized, such as EPS, but these have often led to issues on resolutions and font types.
Incidentally, while Corel Draw allows you to publish your file directly as a PDF file, not all layout software do the same. Still, if you have Adobe Acrobat, you can use it to export your layout from any software, thus turning the layout into a PDF file.
Another reminder: when saving in PDF, always use the Prepress option, to make sure that the resolution is not reduced.
7. Get your page orientation right.The printing machine inserts the paper booklet-style, fold first. The cover should be on the booklet’s right-hand side. If you make a mistake and put your cover on the left, your front cover will end up showing inside your CD case.
In fact, the printer company will probably not accept your layout in the first place.
These are just the basic stuff you have to remember when replicating a CD cover. Of course, if these sound too complex for you, you could always find a CD replication company online. For a reasonable amount, they could spare you from a whole lot headaches and wasted time.
One of the most famous types of body ink is back tattoos for men. This body art has been widely used in tribal societies as part of their affiliation to the group. No wonder tattoos inked at the back usually tell different stories rich in historical symbolism. In ancient times, graphics tell of transitions from a person’s boyhood to adulthood.
There are tattoos which have intricate and complex designs from shapes and dots which mean a particular event that happened in one’s life. There are even graphics which have certain representations, attributes and connection to an epic tale. Most men even have their bodies inked as part of an initiation to join a family or tribe.
In contemporary world, tattoos at the back are basically used for the purpose of representing body arts. The meaning and symbolism would only come in second unlike the primary objectives of people who had them in the past. Nevertheless, modern designs are still made creatively artistic and rich in meaning.
This type of tattoo has also undergone tons of evolution and changes. There is a stereotypical notion that back tattoos are exclusively associated to a particular group, often outcasts or discriminated in society. This body art is often preferred by men who belong in prison gangs or biker groups. In the past, if you have a tattoo on your back, you instantly suffer the stigma in society.
Nowadays, back tattoos for men have been more and more accepted and its scope widened to more groups and types of people. There are tattoo enthusiasts, specifically Hollywood celebrities who flaunt this body art with pride and style. Male celebrities such as Tommy Lee sport a tribal back artwork, Lebron James with his “Chosen 1″ mark and Josh Hartnett with a back Celtic knot work.
Modern artworks at the back for men are actually preferred as expression of your style, personality and outlets for story and creativity. Thus, more and more men consider this body ink as a stylish way of self expression without the usual stigma.
There is a wide variety of choices as to what design, size and shape you prefer for your next body artwork. Some of the popular options include small tattoos which cover just a specific part of the back. There are large artworks spanning the entire back usually Japanese or Chinese themed designs with large lines and knots. Horizontal designs give a wider back impression while V-shaped graphics give you a sculptured body look.
Back tattoos for men are favorites not only for tattoo enthusiasts but tattoo artists as well. The back is a great canvass for tattooists to work on thus they could explore their artistic inclination to create their masterpiece.
Ballet Steps Through History
From its advent in the pageantry of the Renaissance period of the 15th century, ballet has become an expression of your soul by dance. During the Renaissance period in Italy, Domenico da Piacenza, a master of the arts, taught nobles and others to perform in the court. These musicians and dancers performed for extravagant events such as weddings. With the introduction of the Ballets de cour, performances showcased dancers with beautiful costumes and voices for song. The art of ballet saw great development in the courts of France in the 16th century, when Catherine de Medici of France married Henry II of Italy. Catherine de Medici helped ballet flourish in France, thus most of the terms have French origin.
In 1581, Le Ballet Comique de la Reine was performed in Paris and told the story of a magical sorceress, Circe, being defeated by King Henry III. This was considered to be the first ballet and was staged by Balthasar de Beaujoyeux. He was an Italian composer, violinist, dancer and choreographer. He worked in the court of Queen Catherine de Medicis.
During the reign of Louis XIV (the Sun King) from 1643 to 1715, ballets of the French court thrived. Italian-french composer, Jean Baptiste Lully, and French choreographer, Pierre Beauchamp, created many of these ballets. Beauchamp is credited for documenting the five basic positions of the feet.
L’Academie Royale de Danse was established in 1661 under Louis XIV. Here professional dancing was born in a room of the Louvre. Initially, dancers were men until 1681 when female dancers performed in Le Triomphe de l’Amour.
Ballet began to evolve, in time. Elegant moves were displayed with toe dancing. The lines of the body could be better seen in tutus as opposed to floor length hoop skirts. This was evident in La Sylphide, a romantic ballet danced in Paris in 1832. La Sylphide is the story of a sylph (fairy) and a Scottish farmer named James on his wedding day.
A famous ballet, Giselle, followed in 1841. Giselle is a peasant girl, who becomes a beautiful sylph known as a Wili that dances in the Rhineland forest. The Wilis have met their fate by dying before becoming wed. After midnight, filled with a grudge, the Wilis descend upon human males who may happen into the forest, never to be seen again.
In the latter part of the 19th century, Marius Petipa, chief choreographer of the Imperial Russian Ballet, contributed to the brilliance of the ballet world with The Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake (also choreographed with Lev Ivanov of Russia.) The score to these famed story ballets were by Tchaikovsky.
The Sleeping Beauty is a ballet which begins with the celebration of the birth of Princess Aurora. Unfortunate events occur when the King and Queen forget to include the evil fairy Carabosse who in turn casts a spell upon Aurora to die on her sixteenth birthday. The spell was to be invoked after Aurora gets pricked by a pin. The kingdom’s fairy of protection, the Lilac Fairy, casts her own spell for Aurora to sleep and awaken 100 years later by the kiss of a Prince. A famed ballet virtuoso of the time, Enrico Cecchetti, danced the parts of Carabosse and the Blue Bird. The Cecchetti method of ballet, named for Enrico Cecchetti, involves strict technical training and the understanding of individual ballet movements to the body as a whole.
Set in medieval Germany, the ballet Swan Lake tells the story of Prince Siegfried and his love for the captivating Odette who is a swan by day, gliding in the lake of tears. From midnight to dawn, she lives in her human form. Odette and her companions have fallen under the spell of the evil sorcerer Von Rothbart. The only way to undo the curse is to marry a prince who is pure of heart. Through deception and storms, Von Rothbart tries to maintain his spell. However, his efforts were in vain, foiled by the true love of Prince Siegfried and the swan Odette.
The Nutcracker premiered in 1892. This famed work itself had a journey. Initially, the ballet was based on the story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,” by E.T.A. Hoffman and later revised by the French writer Alexander Dumas. Ivan Alexandrovitch Vsevolojsky, director of the Imperial Russian Ballet decided to make Dumas’ transformation entitled “The Story of a Hazelnut-cracker” to a ballet. Marius Petipa and Pyotr Tchaikovsky again collaborated.
Unfolding at the annual Stahlbaum Christmas Eve party, Clara, a German girl, is given the gift of a nutcracker by her godfather Drosselmeyer. Her brother Fritz breaks the nutcracker which is soon repaired. Yet after the party, a worried Clara sneaks down to check on her beloved nutcracker and falls asleep. Magical dreams come to her of the nutcracker, a mouse king, a prince, and lands of snow and sweets.
In modern times, The Nutcracker was staged with the vision of George Balanchine. As a youth in Russia, Balanchine danced for the State Theater of Opera and Ballet. He also had exceptional knowledge of music having studied at Petrograd Conservatory of Music. With this experience and his genius, he became principal choreographer for the Ballet Russe. He later brought his expectations to the United States in 1933 and revolutionized American Ballet. Under Balanchine, The New York City Ballet Company performed The Nutcracker in 1954. The Nutcracker remains a holiday classic.
Throughout the centuries, ballet has become so refined in music, costumes and movements. Exquisite extensions are showcased from the point of the toe shoe to the aura surrounding the dancer. Ballet steps through history as art.
Traditional advertising focused on pitching to people‘s emotional needs, wants and fears; as a way to grow or instill the idea that a particular product would solve a particular problem or make life easier in a previously impossible way. These techniques often played upon our own misgivings about our lives with promises, true or false, that a particular product would “help” us. These advertising techniques have proved incredibly useful when it comes to selling products but in the last 3 decades (or thereabouts) there has been a shift within advertising towards humour based commercials and campaigns.
The key reason for this is not simply that it is a more effective selling technique; as humour is often deeply personal and hugely variable between potential demographics. Rather humour has become a key advertising technique thanks to the demographic shifts that have taken place amongst populations. In explanation of this point we have to follow the money. Traditionally the people with, what the marketing industry calls, “disposable income” were those in later life; adults, past the age of 35, with grown-up children who had left home, and a paid off mortgage. These individuals were the ones that you were most likely to sell non-necessity items to.
Now however the key demographic groups with disposable income are those aged 16-30. These groups have low outgoings, no mortgages and large amounts of disposable income. Further these groups are part of the technology revolution. They have grown up with TV, video games, the internet and smart phones. This has made them a lot savvier to advertising techniques and much less open to the emotional triggers that made up traditional advertising methods. The groups with the largest disposable incomes are the most profitable markets and advertisers have had to shift their strategies to meet the expectations and wants of these groups.
The key technique they have used is humour. A funny commercial or advertising campaign has a number of significant benefits in terms of creating purchasing power. Initially we can see that a funny commercial has the advantage of being able to disguise emotional triggers using a veil of humour. Generally we laugh at others slip ups and misfortunes and advertisers have been quick to use these to catch our attention. They form a key ingredient of humour by making us laugh on the basis that the given misfortune, or situation, is not befalling us. In the context of advertising this can be used to make light of fears whilst still using the emotional triggers that make us go – “well if I don’t buy that this could easily happen to me.” Of course the advertising is more sophisticated than this, but this shows the basic technique.
However, this is just one of the ways humour has proved effective in advertising campaigns. Humorous commercials also have the ability to go viral, both online and offline, and this is a huge boost to brand identity for companies. Having your advert laughed at and talked about exposes people to your products and makes them much more likely to purchase from you. These advantages have meant that humour has become one of the most successful advertising methods available and companies can ignore it only at their peril.
MIDI Keyboard Controller For Less $200
Not all musicians these days have vast resources to finance a new set of the latest music equipment in their industry. Some composer/musicians stick to their old equipment until they probably get a gig that will pay them well enough to buy a new one. There are also musicians who borrow equipment from good friends while saving up to buy their own.
Budget is an important factor to a musician’s buying decision. If you use MIDI keyboard controller in your work, then there is nothing much to worry about in terms of buying the equipment that would fit into your budget requirements. Unlike in the past when choices were limited and entry-level units are expensive, midi keyboard controllers these days come in different brands and different price range. If your budget for a controller is between $100 to $200 only, there is the M-Audio Keystation 88ES MIDI Controller. This unit is perfect for musicians and composers who love a full range piano keyboard. The good thing about this though is that it’s not too heavy despite the fact that it is a full keyboard with semi-weighted keys action. It’s velocity sensitive feature is another factor that will ensure the accurate sending of data. This M-Audio MIDI keyboard controller is equipped with pitch blend and modulation wheels that will allow you to control synths and samplers. There are no fancy features to this device but it is completely perfect for the musician who is more particular with a product’s functionality. Of course, you will need to use a software so it can produce a sound. It works well with Garage Band.
One problem that is often encountered in using smaller controllers is the constant hitting of the octave switch. But that problem is not an issue if you use the full 88 keys controller. The M-Audio Keystation 88ES has a built-in USB MIDI Interface which can easily connect to majority of the widely-used MIDI software nowadays. As for the power source, you can actually get power from your computer it via the USB port or you may also opt to buy the 9VDC power adapter. Many users of this controller could attest their satisfaction of this product. Most notable remark is that it’s well appreciated for its minimalistic style with no knobs, no screens, no buttons. This device is certainly for the practical musician who wants to get work done without fuss. It is handy, almost plug and play, and it comes in a very affordable that would make any person a happy shopper.
As Community Manager for a baby boomer and beyond online dating site, I often receive messages from new members who are a little rattled about being back on the “market”. For some, it has been many years since they have dipped their toes in the dating pool so understandably they are a little unsure as to how to proceed.
My response is usually a suggestion to make one friend, gain some confidence, hone your conversational skills and start enjoying yourself. Joining a dating site after divorce with the sole aim of meeting a new partner -and quickly at that – is fraught with danger and carries a high chance that expectations will go unmet. Making a new friend after divorce is often a crucial first step in regaining your self-confidence to begin dating again.
Why make new friends?
After divorce, friendship groups can often fragment with “his” friends pairing with “him” and “her” friends pairing with “her”. Moreover, if your mutual friends are all couples themselves they can often find it hard to relate to you as a single person, and may even feel threatened by your new status as a “mature single”. Socialising with either group can become more than a little awkward and unfortunately once strong friendships can quickly dissolve. This loss of support can impact further on the trauma associated with divorce so making new friends who know you on your own merits (not as part of a couple) is an important step in readying yourself for dating. Traditionally, women are better at surrounding themselves with support networks but it is vitally important for men to create new friendships too.
So what about dating?
Dating when you’re older can be a wonderful experience; it can recall the heady days of youth but, being older and wiser, you can be somewhat more practical. In the short term you may only be seeking a regular Saturday dinner night companion. For others you may be seeking someone to establish a long term relationship with. Whatever your dating goals are, don’t rush them. That old adage – good things come to those who wait – certainly applies here.
