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Graduation Stoles

Graduation stoles resemble sashes and are worn on the neck for aesthetic purposes. Initially the stoles which are also referred to as sashes, were also used by clergy and church choirs. In more recent times they have been used in ceremonies such as beauty pageants to identify the beauty queens country of origin and their position in the beauty contests.

Traditionally stoles have been part of the regalia worn during graduation ceremonies. They are also known as honor sashes or honor stoles and are worn over the graduation gowns. They are available in many colors and can be plain or embroidered. In addition one can find graduation stoles
that are made with different trims or personalize them to their liking. For instance, one can digitize a college logo onto the stole. The stole can also be imprinted to suit the needs of the graduate.

The graduation stoles are found in different sizes and styles so that students graduating from pre-school can also get stoles that fit them. For instance one can find stoles for children of approximately 57 inches long. The stoles are made from materials such as satin or silk. One can also get one that is made from ethnic cloth.

GraduationSource, a leader in graduation regalia products since 1960.

At eight months pregnant I was bloated and uncomfortable. It had been a long, tiring day caring for my fifteen month old son. My husband and I prepared for bed. He slipped out of his jeans and t-shirt and got into bed wearing only his shorts as he always did. I slipped into my big, blue flannel mumu of a nightgown and slid under the covers next to him. Little did we know what the morning held for us but the dawn of the next day would change our lives drastically.

The loud banging on the door seemed to be part of a dream. It wasn’t until I heard shouts of “The house is on fire,” that I was jolted from my sleep. I jumped out of bed the best way an eight month pregnant woman can which amounted more to rolling out of bed. I shook my husband as he just mildly stirred from his slumber.

The house in question was a three story apartment building that my husband and I lived in, along with several other families. There was an adjoining door from my bedroom that led into the living room of the neighboring apartment. The door locked on both sides, of course. It was from the other side of that door that all the commotion could be heard. I ran to the door, unlocked it and flung it open not paying any attention to the fact that my husband was still only clad in his underwear. But under the circumstances I really don’t think anyone was paying any attention. He grabbed the nearest thing to put on which was the pair of jeans he had just taken off a few hours before.

My friend Diane and her boyfriend Ed occupied the adjoining apartment. When I opened the door Diane ran into my bedroom. “Hurry, get the baby. The house is burning,” she said breathlessly. As I glanced to my right I saw that my kitchen was beginning to burn. In fact, the whole house was burning fast. My husband grabbed our son from his crib and we followed Diane into her apartment. Diane ran into her kitchen and opened the refrigerator. She had just gone grocery shopping the previous day and I suppose the thought of all that food going to waste must have been on her mind. She reached into the refrigerator and took out a dozen of eggs. If memory serves me correctly, she also took a loaf of bread. Clutching her eggs, my friend led the way down the stairs.

“What are you doing with the eggs?” Ed asked.
“I just bought these yesterday,” Diane replied.
“Forget the eggs. They’re gonna fry anyway,” Ed remarked sarcastically.

“Come on, babe,” called my husband, trying to grasp my hand as he looked back over his shoulder. He was a few paces ahead of me and carrying our son. The smoke was beginning to thicken and the burning stench stung my nostrils. “Go! Get the baby out of here. I’m right behind you,” I yelled.

“I’m not going without you,” he called back.

“I got her Jim. Go. Get the baby out,” Ed yelled, motioning for my husband to go ahead.

As Diane exited the building and Jim continued down the steps, I turned back.

“What are you doing? Where are you going?” Ed asked as he tried to grab my arm.

“The bathroom. I have to go to the bathroom.”

“You’ll have to wait,” Ed said.

“Wait. I can’t wait. I’m eight months pregnant for God’s sake. You can’t imagine the pressure on my bladder,” I told him as I made my way to the throne of relief.

“Aaaaah. God that feels good. It’s better than sex. I thought I was going to bust.”

“Hurry up, Darlene. We’ve got to go. We have to get out of here,” Ed tapped his foot impatiently.

“I know. I know. I can’t stop.”

“Are you done yet?” he asked again.

“No. I’m not done.”

“Well, you are now,” Ed said and with that he reached in, grabbed me off the toilet and said “Piss on the fire. We’ve got to go now.”

“Wait. Wait,” I protested. There I was eight months pregnant, still dribbling, trying to pull up my underwear with one hand as I’m being pulled down the steps by my friend’s boyfriend.

As we ran out of the building, Jim and Diane who were across the street on a neighbor’s porch hollered “Thank God,” and breathed a sigh of relief. The firemen who had a net set up below my living room window realized that we were not trapped but had just taken a slight detour. Although they didn’t rescue us they did make up for it by swinging their axes to match the equivalent of the fire damage. It was early April and there was a bit of snow on the ground. I stood there shivering until a neighbor brought me a blanket and a pair of slippers. After all, I was barefoot and wet.

My husband’s car was parked in the drive behind the burning building and we had almost forgotten about it until a fireman came up and asked my husband to move it. The car keys were still in Jim’s pocket of those same jeans he had taken off the night before. Reaching in his pocket, he pulled out the keys and tossed them to the fireman. “You want it moved. You move it,” he said. Seconds later, part of the roof of the burning building collapsed right onto the spot where the car was parked. Thank God, no one was in the car.

I was taken to the hospital as a precaution because I was pregnant. Of course, I was upset. We had just lost everything we owned but we still had a lot to be thankful for. We had our lives, our children both born and unborn and we had our friends. Diane was thankful that she had salvaged something for breakfast and I was thankful for an empty bladder!

Everytime someone uses the expression “Piss on it!” I remember a time when I actually did.

Darlene Zagata is a freelance writer and author of two books, “Aftertaste: A Collection of Poems” and “The Choosing.” She is a monthly columnist and editor for the print publication Moon Shadows Magazine. Visit Darlene’s website at http://darlenezagata.tripod.com or contact Darlene at darzagata@yahoo.com

When it comes to online dating, most senior singles create obstacles before giving themselves a chance. Let’s take a look at some common obstacles to senior dating success.

“I’m not good with computers.”

One of the main obstacles to online dating for older people is technophobia, though this is fading. Knowing this reputable dating sites make it as easy on you as possible through step by step guidelines. If all you can do is click the mouse and type with two fingers, you’re good to go.

“All the good ones are taken.”

True, the population of available singles narrows with age. But there still are still lots of potential partners out there. Surveys by dating sites indicate that the fastest growing demographic in internet dating is over 40 years old. Leading senior dating sites have databases of millions of senior singles.

“My family won’t understand.”

Another big obstacle: Having to look over your shoulder for approval from family members. Think of how a new relationship might benefit you by increasing your personal happiness. Except in peculiar circumstances, your personal happiness would in most likely rub on those closest to you in a good way.

“My sex life is over.”

Barring physical or psychological problems requiring expert or medical help, sex life need not be over because of age. Many older people report healthy and active sex lives well into old age.

“Someone might find out.”

This is one of the reasons given for not trying online dating. Consider this: what are the odds of someone coming across your ad among millions of others in one of the hundreds of dating sites out there? And, what would they be doing there anyway if not at least entertaining the idea of dating online themselves?

“It’s not safe.”

Horror stories in the press about online dating experiences keep senior singles away from this dating method. Negative news is what sells and naturally, will receive greater publicity. What the press does not say is that most of the negative experiences have their origins in free chat rooms. Dating site membership fees keep most havoc-wreckers away (why pay to wreck havoc when you can do it for free?).

“I want to lose some weight first.”

This and similar self-improvement “reasons” are excuses older people use to postpone dating. Understandable, as it may be, waiting until you are perfect will only prolong your loneliness. Get there and start finding your mate, then begin working on your physical imperfections.

“I will look naughty, desperate or perverted.”

There are senior dating services and senior dating sites dedicated to older people seeking partners within their age group. Young people are not allowed on these sites. Most of the senior singles in these sites are sincere, lively people who have or have been in thriving and respectable careers.

Yes, senior dating online is alive, vibrant and very decent. Give it at try. It works.

David Kamau is webmaster of http://e-datecentral.com. Find top-rated dating services for seniors seeking love, marriage, friendship, fun and more at: http://e-datecentral.com/personals/seniors.htm

What does it mean to have A Monkey Mind?

Having a Monkey Mind can be the Creative Spirit’s worst enemy.

It is the voice that chatters relentlessly in your mind to stop you from what you really want to do. This is how you can recognize Monkey Mind in yourself:

Your Monkey Mind will:

- sabotage your best ideas by creating doubt

- sound real in your head but once voiced can be challenged

- relentlessly feed on fears, bringing up past failures

- throw a wrench into the gears just when action is to be taken

- jump in and stop you cold just before starting something new

- make you ask yourself: “What’s wrong with me?”

- not have any mercy or value of your great ideas

- not give recognition for your strengths, talents, growth, achievements, improvements

- only see the negative sides and compare you to others by pointing out their strengths and your flaws

- make you feel guilty, doubtful, and undeserving of success

- make you say no to yourself and your goals, shutting the door to your dreams

- deny your needs, desires, fun

- wrecks your good intentions and get us stuck in a rut

- pull no stops – it keeps you going in circles

- be a good liar, deceiving you that monkey mind is the true voice of reason

Did you know that Monkey Mind inside us wants us to:

- maintain the status quo and prevent change

- stay comfortable and safe

- prevent growing and risk taking

- discount our inklings and intuition

- get stuck in a rut so we have something to complain about

By listening to Monkey Mind, we loose:

- opportunities

- possibilities

- freedom

- fun

- enjoyment

- growth

- spirit

- learning lessons

What are we afraid to loose when trying out new things and taking risks?

We are often afraid to loose:

- face

- friends

- finances

- fears

- familiarity

- family

- fans

- facts

- filters

- functions

- fights

How can you escape the claws of Monkey Mind?

- train yourself to recognize monkey mind

- be aware of monkey mind and go for your dreams anyway

- hire a coach who believes in your goals

- talk out loud what monkey mind says to you

- write down the monkey mind arguments and counter argue them

- treat yourself better than monkey mind would

- turn your experiences into learning lessons

- call your coach to build an action strategy to achieve your goals

- make a list of your past accomplishments, successes and skills you learned

- make a list of your talents and gifts that you are proud of

- say “thanks for your input monkey mind, but I have already decided to take this action. If it doesn’t work out, it’s a learning experience I needed to have”

- recognize the if —- then —- trap, know it is a trap when it’s negative. Turn it into a positive.

- Remind yourself that old rules are meant to be re-written

- Should, would, could are typical monkey mind words to be discarded

- When all else fails, stay positive!

More Really Creative Monkey Mind Demolition Solutions:

- set your sights high, reach for the stars, and drop Monkey Mind off on the moon

- write “Monkey Mind” on a card board box and drive over it with your car. Satisfaction guaranteed!

- Write “monkey mind” on a rock and drop it over side of the bridge. Watch it sink.

- Write all your “so-called failures” on a piece of paper and then write down everything you have learned from these experiences. Then in your strongest voice, tell monkey mind off.

- Scream out loud: “Back off, you monkey mind!!”

- Say “Stop!” – then laugh as hard as you can

- Reward yourself every time you recognize monkey mind by saying to yourself: “I am a creative genius – I am smarter than monkey mind”

Robert Paisola is an international motivational speaker, trainer and author. He is an expert in the field of Personal Real Estate Investor Training. He is a professional speaker who has been featured on CNN, CNNFN, and the Wall Street Journal. He can answer your questions on the “Basics of the Real Estate Investing Business” to detailed issues regarding your specific transactions. Life Experience Robert Paisola is a Professional International Seminar Speaker in the Areas of Real Estate Investing, Tax Lien Investing, Rental Property Management, Real Estate Coach and Mentor Training and Business Management. He has served companies throughout the world. If you are interested in learning the business from someone like Rob email his office at robert@trumpworldwide.com or call our offices Nationwide toll Free at 1-877-517-9555 or visit http://www.allexperts.com/displayExpert.asp?Expert=38419

Welcome back! In part one of this three-part series, the advantages and disadvantages of laser-engraved rubber stamps were discussed. As discussed in the first article, although laser engraving has a high start-up cost, its quality and efficiency are second to none. In this segment, you will learn the benefit and fallbacks of a photoengraving stamp-making method.

Making a rubber stamp through a chemical or photopolymer process will also require significant start-up costs. Depending on the equipment capabilities, quality, or size, a photopolymer stamp-making kit may cost anywhere from $400-$4000. This process requires a significant amount of labor and tends to have a higher turnaround time.

The first step of the photopolymer process involves creating a negative of the image to be engraved. To begin, create or obtain a completely black graphic on a completely white background. If the graphic has colors, save or convert it to a monochrome or two-color format. A simple graphics editor, such as Paint (which automatically comes with a Windows OS) will allow the user to “Save As” and choose a “Save as type” as “Monochrome Bitmap.” This will convert the colored graphic into a black-and-white bitmap file. Once the image is completely black and white, using a graphics editor (again, Paint will work), invert the colors. This will create a white image on a black background.

Turnaround time for a rubber stamp will vary greatly, as this variable is contingent on the creation of a metal plate. If you are creating stamps for fun, you will need to have enough graphics to fill both a metal plate and a matrix (mold) board. The metal plate and matrix board can be made on a partial board; however, this is not an efficient use of materials and may make for uneven molds and/or stamps. If maximum efficiency is desired, enough graphics will need to be obtained to create a full metal plate. Additionally, the photopolymer process does not allow small businesses to make custom rubber stamps efficiently, as these rubber stamps tend to be made for a one-time order and the mold is no longer needed.

Depending on the materials at hand, the metal plate may need to be made by an engraving company. Once the metal place has been engraved, it is placed in a machine with the matrix board and, with a combination of heat and pressure known as vulcanization, the matrix board is made into a mold. The rubber is cut to the size of the mold, placed in the vulcanizer, and creates a rubber stamp through a similar process of heat and pressure. Be warned: as a mold is put under heat and pressure every time a rubber stamp is created, it may only last for 40-60 stamp vulcanizations.

After the rubber has been pressed, it can be cut into individual stamps. As the rubber is quite thick, most stamp enthusiasts agree regular scissor are not sufficient. Kai Scissors are a considered an essential tool in the arts and crafts world. These scissors can be found at crafts stores or on the web, and Kai Scissors makes 15+ styles and sizes of scissors. Mounting foam is also needed to ensure the block the stamp is mounted on does not come in contact with the surface to be stamped. Once the rubber and mounting foam have been cut, the stamps are glued to a wooden mound and are ready to impress!

We have discussed laser engraving, photoengraving, and one last stamp-making method is yet to come! Next, learn how to make rubber stamps, without any special or expensive equipment, from the privacy of your own home!

Gwendolyn Lee is a statistician and analyst of Internet-related metrics for custom rubber stamps at http://www.rubberstamps.net. She has researched and implemented business models to maximize profitability, efficiency and advertising tracking.

Newsletters are sent for various reasons like to abreast customers of the latest happenings inside the company in terms of various product launchings, new business policies and regulations, upcoming events, news about the achievements of the company and its employees and other stuffs that might be deem interesting and helpful to the customers.

Most companies hire the expertise of reputable newsletter printing companies to help them in creating noteworthy newsletters. Newsletter printing companies in a way relieves busy owners of the task of creating eloquently worded newsletters. Nevertheless, there are electronic newsletters that are also being employed nowadays and can be used by some owners. But inspite of this most companies still prefer to have their newsletters created in the old fashioned way-PRINTED.

Printed newsletters especially those that have undergone full color printing still creates that aesthetic appeal that helps customers in associating with the business. Nevertheless, there are also some business owners that creates their own newsletters and assign the task to their human resource department. Although this may save the company some dollars but in terms of the quality of the output one can clearly see the newsletters that have undergone professional newsletter writing from those that are just merely created by business staffs that have no proper training when it comes to newsletter creation.

Poorly created newsletters would not be good especially in building the company’s image because this will show unprofessionalism in the way the business conduct itself. And aside from that poorly created newsletters would just be shunned away by customers and would just be tacked away in some corner and then forgotten. And so to prevent such from happening always makes sure that you hire the expertise of a reputable newsletter printing company, bear in mind that potential customers may be turn-off if ever they received generic newsletters with caption “TO OUR VALUED CUSTOMERS” and then the newsletters just didn’t show that value. A business must be able to show value and quality all throughout its business endeavors.

Different kinds of people with very diverse opinions meet to discuss books in a book club, and if there are no guided questions to funnel these discussions, the results can be chaotic. The participants may feel shortchanged, some may grow uninterested, and some may even end up fighting!

If you are a book club moderator or a very active participant, it is therefore very important to have a set of questions to guide the flow of discussion and make sure that it achieves its purposes – to dissect the literature into relevant pieces, and to make sure that participants go home more analytical and inspired. Here are some things to remember when formulating book club questions.

Focus on character analysis. Most books are not about the plot, but about the people. Each one of the participants can probably relate to one or more of the characters in the book, so it’s a good idea to ask everyone who they can relate to and why.

Relate the theme and conflicts of the book to real life. Literature is only relevant when it contributes something to the ‘now.’ Ask the participants how they connect the conflicts in the book to day-to-day struggles. Ask them how they feel about the resolutions and conclusions, and what specific elements of the book are especially relevant to the patterns of modern human interaction.

Always ask for suggestions. Avid book readers probably have alternative suggestions to every book they have ever read – and a book club is a good place to bring all of them out. Ask the members how they think the novel could have been better – how they would write the ending, for example, or how they would change any character or setting.

Before giving a book assignment, it is a good idea to ask the participants to highlight parts of the book they think should be talked about, so they can easily refer to them during the discussion.

During the meeting itself, give everyone a chance to speak. Politely interrupt a ‘monopolizing’ member by offering him or her food or drinks, or segueing into another question and then asking someone else to answer it.

It’s quite easy to download Ipod games. Most sites provide the converter you need in order to put the Ipod software downloads onto your Ipod.

Once you’ve downloaded the games of your choice, you can play them directly on your Ipod Mini, Ipod Nano or video Ipod.

There are so many different games you can download to your Ipod; sports, action, strategy, puzzles, driving, adventure, simulations and role-playing. Some of the most popular games at the moment are action games such as Persuit Force, Daxter and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. Popular shooter games include Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror and Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Essentials. A popular arcade/puzzle game is Me and My Katmari. Two popular fighting games are Fight Night: Round 3 and Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai.

There are so many Ipod software downloads out there that you’re spoiled for choice. It can be very time consuming surfing from site to site trying to find the particular games you want to download. Wouldn’t it be great if you could download hundreds of Ipod games from the one site?

Well, I’ve just found such a site. It has hundreds of Ipod games to download and the game database is updated daily. I’m in Ipod game heaven! Want to join me?

Receiving the gift of children seems too wonderful and delicate for our unskilled hands. Parenthood can seem daunting when you are alone with your newborn for the first time. There’s no owner’s manual. The staff at the hospital will wish you well. They will say their good-byes, collapsing your support group, and in this void parenthood takes on new meaning. What does this cry mean? How can I help my baby get to sleep? How will I know if their crying means they are sick? Am I caring for them properly? What will happen if I do it wrong?

These questions are daunting, but don’t panic. Cherish these historical moments. Your baby’s childhood will accelerate. Soon they will be a toddler, and then they will storm through pre-adolescence and become a hormonal teen. Before you know it, they will be grown. So take it slow. Sing a few lullabies to your newborn. Whisper hushes of peace to them. Let them know everything is all right. This will soothe parent and child.

So don’t worry about not knowing everything about parenting. No one begins the journey of parenthood with everything figured out. Nothing worthwhile comes to us overnight. So enjoy the journey. Do the best you can. Love like a parent. Love like a friend. Love will be your gift back to your newborn. And love will be enough, as love always is. You will be a great parent!

Robert Stofel has published four books and numerous articles and short stories in literary journals, such as Zone 3, Aura Literary Arts Review and others. You can sample more of his writing at his website http://www.robertstofel.com

The History of Server Prepared Drinks

Since the creation of food service waiters and servers have been pouring coffees, teas and sodas for their customers. A tradition of service that dates back as far as history records serving food.

Nothing new for today’s restaurant diner except maybe a bit more variety in the choices of drink. And with servers and waiters vying for more and more tip income it only stands to reason that they are pouring more and more free refills.

So where is the problem? Your customers are getting better service and your wait staff is getting better compensated. All looks good on the surface.

But the question arises, are you getting paid for all those drinks, sodas and coffees? You certainly are paying for all the ingredients. Do your sales reflect the prices that should be charged?

The Need to Control Server Prepared Drinks

But what happens when the server forgets to ring up the soft beverage? Your servers and waiters are already pouring the same amounts of soft beverages so your food cost takes a hit. If they don’t ring the drink to begin with (even if by mistake) then you are out the income that is supposed to offset the heavy pouring that is already taking place.

What you need is a way to enforce the ringing of at least 1 beverage/drink per person ordering food. Sounds simple, but not all point of sale systems can do this.

The Solution to Control Server Prepared Drinks

Some restaurant point of sale system have a feature that will allow you to establish items on your menu that will require a beverage, beer or drink be rung to match. For instance, you can set entree’ items to require a beverage, beer or drink be rung to match. Of course, your software company should make a provision that a “No Drink” button be on the screen for those rare instances when a person doesn’t even have a water to drink.

Prior to sending the order to the kitchen the software will scan the ticket to verify that items requiring a beverage do have a corresponding item. If not the software should display a warning message prompting the server to ring the appropriate item before allowing them to proceed.

If the guest does not want a soft beverage or simply wants a water then the appropriate key should be depressed, this will then allow the order to proceed. Management should inspect the nightly sales reports to observe how many “No Drinks” or waters are being served by each server. If one server seems to be out of line with the others then a problem may have been discovered.

The Benefit To You

The benefit to you is simple. You get paid for what is served.

The cost to you is nothing extra. You are already paying for the beverages being served. You are just not getting paid for them.

Take a look at what you could be loosing right now.

• $1.50/Drink
• $90/Mth 2 Drinks/Day
• $135/Mth 3 Drinks/Day
• $180/Mth 4 Drinks/Day
• $225/Mth 5 Drinks/Day
• $270/Mth 6 Drinks/Day
• $2.00/Drink
• $120/Mth 2 Drinks/Day
• $180/Mth 3 Drinks/Day
• $240/Mth 4 Drinks/Day
• $300/Mth 5 Drinks/Day
• $360/Mth 6 Drinks/Day

Mistakes happen. Items are left off the ticket and after the customer is gone it is too late to recover. Your restaurant point of sale system should help reduce your loss by reminding your servers and waiters to properly ring all soft beverages, beers and drinks.

About the Author

Jerry D. Wilson is Director of Internet Sales for DirecTouch Restaurant Point of Sale. 25 years of hospitality experience has given the knowledge to write several articles about restaurant point of sale software and how it can enhance your restaurant or bar operation. Please visit DirecTouch Do It Yourself Restaurant Point of Sale or DirectRetail Do It Yourself Retail Point of Sale for more information.