How to Conceive Baby Girl - How to Increase the Odds and Chances of Having Baby Girl - Natural Gender Selection Methods for Baby Girl
How to Conceive Baby Girl - How to Increase the Odds and Chances of Having Baby Girl - Natural Gender Selection Methods to Get Pregnant with Girl
If you would like to know How to Conceive a Baby Girl or like to increase the chances of having a baby girl in order to create a perfect family, there are a few things that you can do naturally and select the gender of your child. While there is no guarantee and no method is 100% foolproof, following these steps can greatly increase the likelihood or chances that you will have a baby girl.
Before we get started, it is important to understand few things. The sperm that are responsible for having a girl carry the X chromosome. These sperm are slower than their Y counterparts and require a few different techniques if you want to ensure that they successfully reach the egg to result in a girl.
So, How to Conceive a Baby Girl then?
Below are the three main factors that increases the odds or chances of having baby girl
1. How to Conceive a Girl - Timing Intercourse
In order to give the X sperm the chance to reach the egg, you need to time intercourse so that by the time you ovulate, the Y sperm have already died off. This means that it is ideal to have intercourse two to three days before you ovulate. Sperm can remain viable within the body for up to five days and X sperm are the longest lived. By the time the egg drops from your ovary, the only ones left will most likely be the sperm that carry the X chromosome.
2. Increasing The Chances to Getting Pregnant with Baby Girl -Choose the Right Position
In order to give the X sperm the edge they need to outlast the faster Y sperm, sexual positions that offer shallow penetration are ideal. Positions such as missionary are perfect for this, but any position where the man does not orgasm deep within the vagina will work. Once again, you are stacking the deck so that the longer lived X sperm can outlast the Y sperm before they reach their destination.
Whether or not a woman orgasms before a man does have some determination in the gender of the child that they will conceive. This is due to the fact that once you orgasm, the PH inside the vagina changes due to secretions. Before an orgasm, the environment within the vagina and around the cervix is acidic, which is perfect for sperm carrying the X chromosome. Once you do orgasm, the secretions change the PH to more alkalai in nature, allowing the Y sperm the chance to get through. It is recommended that a woman not orgasm first when trying for a girl.
3. Creating perfect Acidic pH with The Right Diet to have a baby girl
In order to have the right PH balance in your body to ensure that the X sperm can reach the egg successfully, you need to give them an environment that is acidic. This is considered to be ideal. Recommended foods include broccoli, apples, fish (as long as it is farm raised and contains no mercury), and dairy products. Focus on foods that are high in calcium and magnesium for the ultimate balance.
For more detailed tips, I would suggest you to read Plan My Baby Prince or Princess eBook by Alicia Pennington to conceive a baby girl. This is a step by step guide detailing 100% safe, natural and effective methods towards baby gender selection with 94% success rate.
In the PlanMyBaby.coms Prince or Princess guide, youll learn
In her ebook http://planmybaby.cz.cc Plan My Baby Prince or Princess, she explains all these factors that influence the baby gender very clearly.
This book really worksand yet the complex factors that influence baby gender are laid out very simple in 3 easy to follow steps. No other book has explained this easy.No other books are straight to the pointâbut Alicia Pennington is able to articulate her readers clearly, what a couple have to do to increase the odds of having the baby they always wantedyes .94% of the time.
Thank you Alicia for this wonderful PlanMyBaby Prince or Princess - Steps Towards Choosing your Babys Gender Before Conception ebook that truly bestowed us a perfect family.
Source : http://www.articlesbase.com/babies-articles/how-to-conceive-baby-girl-how-to-increase-the-odds-and-chances-of-having-baby-girl-natural-gender-selection-methods-for-baby-girl-2839056.html
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Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Christmas Goes Hollywood
Christmas Goes Hollywood
Are you a movie buff? A Christmas fanatic?Who isnt, right? Well, youve come to the right place, because were crazy about movies and Christmas, too. And, thankfully, there are some good Christmas movies out there the kind that put you in the holiday spirit year round, even during the dog days of summer!In fact, there are so many great Christmas movies, so many memorable characters and wonderful story lines, that picking a handful of flicks that stand above the rest is difficult. But were always up for a good challenge, so why shy away from one now? Hey, you dont have to agree with our picks, after all! Without further adieu, we present to you the five best Christmas films of all time:A Christmas Story - Any discussion of the best Christmas movie can begin and end here. The classic tale of little Ralphie - who so desperately wanted a Red Ryder BB Gun despite the misgivings of his parents and teachers (and even a makeshift department store Santa Claus) - is the best Christmas movie ever made. Theres a reason its shown on television each year virtually non-stop for two consecutive days! Youll shoot your eye out! is one of the most memorable movie lines - Christmas theme or otherwise - of all-time.Miracle on 34th Street - Santa Claus is real, and this movie proves it. You could argue this is the best Christmas movie ever made. Were not convinced its better than A Christmas Story, but we grant you that you could make a good argument nevertheless!Babes in Toyland - Few movies made in 1934 (or before) still capture our hearts. But Babes in Toyland features Laurel & Hardy, and when this pair of beloved comedians is involved, you can safely say the project is a hit. Babes in Toyland has been remade several times over the years, but we still like the original the best due to the aforementioned duo.National Lampoons Christmas Vacation - Chevy Chase is one funny (at least he used to be!), and the Lampoons Vacation series is comprised of many instant hits. Theyre all funny and memorable in their own ways, and Christmas Vacation is no different. Wayward cats, senile aunts, a scrooge-like boss and a cousin that can only be described as eccentric combine to help this movie bring a little humor to the Yuletide season.A Christmas Carol - Speaking of Scrooge, no Christmas movie marathon is complete without his appearance, along with the ghosts that haunt him. Charles Dickens novel is among the most beloved of literary classics, so why should the movie be any less popular? A Christmas Carol has been filmed numerous times for both the big screen and television, and most of them are pretty good. This story is too strong to mess up. So when you visit the movie store, take your pick.Okay, okay. We know we left off your favorite, or maybe we included your favorite but left off another hit.With so many choices, it wasnt an easy decision, but we gave it a shot.
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Are you a movie buff? A Christmas fanatic?Who isnt, right? Well, youve come to the right place, because were crazy about movies and Christmas, too. And, thankfully, there are some good Christmas movies out there the kind that put you in the holiday spirit year round, even during the dog days of summer!In fact, there are so many great Christmas movies, so many memorable characters and wonderful story lines, that picking a handful of flicks that stand above the rest is difficult. But were always up for a good challenge, so why shy away from one now? Hey, you dont have to agree with our picks, after all! Without further adieu, we present to you the five best Christmas films of all time:A Christmas Story - Any discussion of the best Christmas movie can begin and end here. The classic tale of little Ralphie - who so desperately wanted a Red Ryder BB Gun despite the misgivings of his parents and teachers (and even a makeshift department store Santa Claus) - is the best Christmas movie ever made. Theres a reason its shown on television each year virtually non-stop for two consecutive days! Youll shoot your eye out! is one of the most memorable movie lines - Christmas theme or otherwise - of all-time.Miracle on 34th Street - Santa Claus is real, and this movie proves it. You could argue this is the best Christmas movie ever made. Were not convinced its better than A Christmas Story, but we grant you that you could make a good argument nevertheless!Babes in Toyland - Few movies made in 1934 (or before) still capture our hearts. But Babes in Toyland features Laurel & Hardy, and when this pair of beloved comedians is involved, you can safely say the project is a hit. Babes in Toyland has been remade several times over the years, but we still like the original the best due to the aforementioned duo.National Lampoons Christmas Vacation - Chevy Chase is one funny (at least he used to be!), and the Lampoons Vacation series is comprised of many instant hits. Theyre all funny and memorable in their own ways, and Christmas Vacation is no different. Wayward cats, senile aunts, a scrooge-like boss and a cousin that can only be described as eccentric combine to help this movie bring a little humor to the Yuletide season.A Christmas Carol - Speaking of Scrooge, no Christmas movie marathon is complete without his appearance, along with the ghosts that haunt him. Charles Dickens novel is among the most beloved of literary classics, so why should the movie be any less popular? A Christmas Carol has been filmed numerous times for both the big screen and television, and most of them are pretty good. This story is too strong to mess up. So when you visit the movie store, take your pick.Okay, okay. We know we left off your favorite, or maybe we included your favorite but left off another hit.With so many choices, it wasnt an easy decision, but we gave it a shot.
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How Badly Do You Really Want to Lose Weight?
How Badly Do You Really Want to Lose Weight?
What motivates you to lose that weight? Is it to finally don that skimpy and sexy swimsuit enough to be on the latest cover of Sports Illustrated? Or how about to simply wear that old blue jeans of yours you used to wear way back when you still have that enviable 25-inch waistline? Or maybe just to feel lighter inside and be more confident? Whatever the motivation, just remember that it can be done and refuse to quit. Weight loss motivation is definitely not as easy as it sounds, and you just have to stick with your plan. If you want to be healthier, focus on what you want and forget about pessimism.There is this process called anchoring to relate motivated feelings in releasing weight via diet and exercises. This method can be applied to many other circumstances wherein great motivation is required. This kind of motivation will be more attainable and realistic when you have anything tangible to look at to help you keep up with your goals. One example of this is, you could cut-out a photo of your favorite celebrity or (anybody that possesses the body you aspired) and simply paste your own photo in their faces instead. Hmmminstant makeover, huh? Quite fanciful, yeah. But you have to admit, it will produce greater effects if motivation is maximized to a heightened level.You can also find some fellow dieters (and befriend them along the way) for increased support and motivation to lose those unwanted excess pounds. Weight loss motivation could really be a big help in reaching your goal. Health reasons can be the best ways to come up with that weight loss motivation you want in order to attain your health to the optimum level. There are some methods which will keep that weight reduction going. There is really nothing wrong when you use the lure of money or fame or some other rewards to find your own weight loss motivation.Remember, you have to invest dearly for something you really hoped for. And if that investment involves money in your weight loss regimen, then by all means go for it. Do not ever give up. Because if you do, you would never see those unsightly excess fats dropping off your body and you will not see the outcome of what you initially dreamed about. In the end, weight reduction motivation and inspiration starts in you. Find the styles that suit you best, and do not forget to reward your successes. Excess poundage can make one feel inferior or make life tough, and reducing weight is often one of the problems wherein self-esteem is concerned.Being subjected to harsh and unfair criticisms and some obsession on being toned and fit just adds to the pressure of dieting and losing weight. Having extra body fat is a serious concern when ones health is already at stake. Serious diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart ailments are commonly associated excess body fat. So think about the benefits you will reap regarding wellness and good health. Many people overlook motivation when weight loss is involved. Motivation is different from desire. Start now with that exercise regimen. Achieve everything youve decided with vigor and excitement. If you begin now, tomorrow will be a next step forward to a new you.
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What motivates you to lose that weight? Is it to finally don that skimpy and sexy swimsuit enough to be on the latest cover of Sports Illustrated? Or how about to simply wear that old blue jeans of yours you used to wear way back when you still have that enviable 25-inch waistline? Or maybe just to feel lighter inside and be more confident? Whatever the motivation, just remember that it can be done and refuse to quit. Weight loss motivation is definitely not as easy as it sounds, and you just have to stick with your plan. If you want to be healthier, focus on what you want and forget about pessimism.There is this process called anchoring to relate motivated feelings in releasing weight via diet and exercises. This method can be applied to many other circumstances wherein great motivation is required. This kind of motivation will be more attainable and realistic when you have anything tangible to look at to help you keep up with your goals. One example of this is, you could cut-out a photo of your favorite celebrity or (anybody that possesses the body you aspired) and simply paste your own photo in their faces instead. Hmmminstant makeover, huh? Quite fanciful, yeah. But you have to admit, it will produce greater effects if motivation is maximized to a heightened level.You can also find some fellow dieters (and befriend them along the way) for increased support and motivation to lose those unwanted excess pounds. Weight loss motivation could really be a big help in reaching your goal. Health reasons can be the best ways to come up with that weight loss motivation you want in order to attain your health to the optimum level. There are some methods which will keep that weight reduction going. There is really nothing wrong when you use the lure of money or fame or some other rewards to find your own weight loss motivation.Remember, you have to invest dearly for something you really hoped for. And if that investment involves money in your weight loss regimen, then by all means go for it. Do not ever give up. Because if you do, you would never see those unsightly excess fats dropping off your body and you will not see the outcome of what you initially dreamed about. In the end, weight reduction motivation and inspiration starts in you. Find the styles that suit you best, and do not forget to reward your successes. Excess poundage can make one feel inferior or make life tough, and reducing weight is often one of the problems wherein self-esteem is concerned.Being subjected to harsh and unfair criticisms and some obsession on being toned and fit just adds to the pressure of dieting and losing weight. Having extra body fat is a serious concern when ones health is already at stake. Serious diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart ailments are commonly associated excess body fat. So think about the benefits you will reap regarding wellness and good health. Many people overlook motivation when weight loss is involved. Motivation is different from desire. Start now with that exercise regimen. Achieve everything youve decided with vigor and excitement. If you begin now, tomorrow will be a next step forward to a new you.
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On Ordinariness - A Brief Foray in Cross Cultural Phenomenology
On Ordinariness - A Brief Foray in Cross Cultural Phenomenology
By virtue of natality and the ability to act, each new individual poses a threat to civilization. The child carries barbarism with him or her.Einer Overenget, Hannah ArendtLet us first agree that civilization is, in part, about making distinctions; and how those distinctions are drawn - what is foreground, what is background, and what remains unnamed - this is what provides each culture its unique view of the world. Language, and of course writing,1 is a vital accomplice in this activity that cuts the world up into so many meaningful pieces, creating distinctive perspectives, customs and beliefs, patterns of perception and manipulations of the natural environment, creating order where formerly there was just (dare we say) ordinary stuff. And the logic of a cultures language (structure, grammar, etc) will determine in large measure how these distinctions are drawn and what categories are applicable within different socio-cultural contexts or horizons. At the same time, however, the physical surroundings we find ourselves inhabiting, the specificity of local geography, climate, etc. (our facticity), will have a determinate impact on the content of those categories that are developed within each cultures native tongue.But what is this barbarism in Ãverengets reading of Hannah Arendt, above? And, is it true that civilization must fight continuously to maintain its delicate conceptual hold on reality, to keep the weeds from overtaking the paved highways, so to speak? Can it be that each new human life poses such a threat to civilization and the well-ordered world it has created? Is there really a question of these young barbarians doing additional malice to an environment already cut-up and divided into so many pieces by the predominant culture?Perhaps the real challenge to civilization is that the mere presence of newcomers suggests an incipient erasure or healing2 of those cultural divisions, signaling a prospective return to that state of affairs in which we all found ourselves initially thrown. As Rousseau suggests, the principal function of a civil society is the sublimation of the natural Man (read barbarian) in order to recreate him or her with a new nature. In The Social Contract (II, 7), Rousseau writes,[The Legislator must] so to speak change human nature, transform each individual, who by himself is a perfect and solitary whole, into part of a greater whole from which that individual as it were gets his life and his being; weaken mans constitution to strengthen it; substitute a partial and moral existence for the physical and independent existence which we all have received from nature. He must, in a word, take mans own forces away from him in order to give him forces which are foreign to him and which he cannot use without the help of others. The more the natural forces are dead and annihilated, the greater and more lasting the acquired onesSo heres the story: while our primeval ancestors were transformed through some act of existential surgery (or perhaps butchery) thereby becoming enculturated citizens, so that we now understand ourselves and our world in terms of distinctions provided by our societys institutions within our mother-tongue, the incidence of yet-un-enculturated individuals in our midst reminds us again of that paradise lost and threatens a possible fall back into some indeterminate, primitive mode of being.But, not only did civilization makeover each individual as a culturally articulated self; in this process it also remade the surrounding everyday environment into a comprehensive and apparently well-managed cosmos. Furthermore, there is a tendency in this culture-building activity not simply to maintain but also to expand the orderliness, to eradicate any possible uncertainty that might threaten to dissolve civilized boundaries and thereby betray the underlying condition of our humble beginnings. We now seek to account for this imposition of cultural artifice in place of that more modest, indistinct foundation of everyday existence that preceded it, and which might again arbitrarily impinge upon the complex organization of civilized life.We continue briefly with this myth of origins. As Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau all suggest in slightly different formulations, the state of nature can be rather unpredictable, and at times a dangerously ill-suited place to satisfy even humankinds most basic needs for food and shelter. So, it becomes a chief objective of civil society to establish a clearly delineated world in which it is safe for all members to pursue their lives together harmoniously, rationally and without fear. Through the benefits of inter-subjective agreement made possible by a shared tongue, society creates conceptual frameworks for human community and interaction, outlining the shape of its world, and establishing structure, order and a cosmos within which people can act comfortably but appropriately according to specific cultural norms. But this new world, as Rousseau suggests, is anything but natural; rather, it is purely cultural, an artful (if not surgical) construction of new forces allowing citizens to work together safely within a well-defined universe. Lost beneath the categorical neatness of such cultural artifice, however, lifes fundamental ordinariness recedes from view but still remains beneath the surface, haunting and challenging civilizations very ability to establish, maintain and control its well-ordered cosmos.As colorful as these philosophical reflections might seem, we will shift our focus momentarily to explore such characterizations in view of a more readily documentable transition from pre-urban, pre-literate human settlements, or kinship-based groupings, into our more stratified urban societies. In his very succinct ysis, Marvin Bram characterizes the 35,000-year period of human pre-history, before the birth of modern civilized states, as the kinship era after its form of social organization. And, as he defines it:Kinship means that what urban peoples call political, social, economic, and cultural arrangements are made not by specialists or professionals, usually strangers to most persons, but by the elders of clans, well known to all clanspersons.The post-kinship era, on the other hand, is characterized by the growth of cities as well as the development of writing, with precisely those forms of impersonal political, social, economic and cultural arrangements and institutional developments that we currently find operating in most modern states today; and according to the research, this transition occurred approximately fifty-five hundred years ago in the Middle East and Central Asian Steppe. Embracing kindred observations by Alexis de Tocqueville in his commentary on nineteenth-century America, Bram writes,[In a post-kinship era] the nuclear family by itself cannot resist the impingements of modern political and economic institutions: the father, mother, and their children must be surrounded by some intermediate, protective body of persons in order to be safe from unacceptable levels of control. In fact, those modern political and economic institutions could not have been created in the first place unless the original protective body of persons, the clan, was broken into its constituent and susceptible parts, its nuclear families. The first civilization, in the Middle East, and all subsequent civilizations elsewhere, were constructed on the break-up of their pre-urban clans. 3This sounds not unlike Rousseaus presumption about the replacement of mans natural forces with new foreign forces, without which one cannot survive in a civilized culture. Suffice it to say, we need only recognize that with the birth of civilized societies (documented now by the written word) there was a momentous transformation in how human beings began to relate both to one another and to the world around them, and that whatever was lost in this transition still haunts humanity even today.How, then, shall we proceed to explore our presumption that an underlying ordinariness threatens to encroach upon and otherwise disrupt our safe haven of civilized culture? In Transculture and Society, post-Soviet émigré Mikhail Epstein offers this preliminary definition within a compelling discussion to be referenced throughout the remainder of this essay. He says, The ordinary can be defined as something indefinable that exits in the gap, in the pause, in between cultural categories. 4 The difficulty is that most civilized (e.g., literate, urban, post-kinship) societies seek to account for every extension of space and every moment in time, every potential variable, so that no gaps exist in the fabric of its socio-economic-political-cultural life; no semiotic vagueness remains that could lead its citizens into confusion or indecisiveness. Let us call such cultures tightly woven. Much effort may be expended by these tightly woven cultures on this objective alone, to reclaim, delete or eliminate any potentially marginal, indeterminate extracultural influences (build-out and polish every centimeter of the natural world, close the borders, assimilate the culturally aberrant, and bring everyone and everything into the big tent) in an effort to insure the sanctity and security of the civilized artifice.My initial wager is that this vague (albeit sometimes arresting) sense of lifes ordinariness emerges from and embodies a limit-experience in our civilized cultural frameworks. It is disorienting because it pushes at the edge of our common expectations - temporally, spatially and psychically. It may, however, show itself in the most mundane of circumstances where one simply loses control in an otherwise apparently controllable world, or perhaps where something occurs as a purely unanticipated event in an otherwise well-organized life; for example, when you awake in the morning to prepare for work only to find there is no hot water in your apartment, or when the heat suddenly goes off late at night while the temperature outside is well-below freezing. In other words, it may be something that quite arbitrarily shakes us out of this carefully constructed artifice and brings us again face to face with our own irreducible, inescapable humanity.If ordinariness appears in these gaps of our cultural fabric, perhaps we can better recognize it by developing a cross-cultural perspective while relying upon some personal experiences over the past year in the Siberian territory of the vast Euro-Asian Steppe. It is strange, but there is a feeling of cultural displacement here that is quite unlike anything I have felt before, even in other parts of Europe. Of course, Russians are notorious for their love, or is it their endurance, of cultural prescriptions, as is well represented by their daily toleration of diverse bureaucracies (making certain that all the proper stamps are on the necessary documents, etc). Yet, there is an extra-cultural innocence here that hearkens back to a simpler world one that may be hard to pinpoint without referring back to a time almost 50 years ago when I was a child growing-up in America.The year was 1958 and I can still recall walking down to the end of the street from my family home in our small village only 30 miles outside of New York City; from there, I can remember following various meandering paths made by the frequent comings and goings of me, my friends, relatives and other wanderers as we explored a natural wasteland just at the edge of town that spilled over into our small community. It was an unused, but not pristine wooded area: an undeveloped territory, because no one owned it or tended to it. And there were numerous unmarked, but well-wrought shortcuts through these fields that led to other small communities, shops or good sledding areas that we so loved on wintry days. For years this place went officially unrecognized by our community (except to us little barbarians); but it was never accorded the privilege of remaining undeveloped. After several years it was annexed and became part of a local urban development plan. But while we children enjoyed ourselves there, this place was unremarkably and unstructuredly natural; it was what I would describe now as a place of artlessness and spontaneity, an occurrence of the ordinary within my world, without signs or cultural safeguards.And it is precisely such experiences that you still find so frequently in the great Siberian Steppe today, wherethe insufficiency of mapping, of cultural demarcations, makes life more dangerous and uncomfortable than it is in the West. You do not know where you are, on the edge of a forest or on the site of a future building: nature is polluted and culture is diffused. But this is what creates ordinariness.5On a recent summer day in Barnaul (Altai Region of Siberia) my wife Anna decided to take me for a stroll. Walking out of the driveway from our apartment block, she led me off the main road and across an open meadow (well, not quite a meadow, rather an untended field) at the far-end of which was a deep cropping of birch trees. As we wandered into this unused parcel of land, there was a dirt footpath haphazardly winding through the tall grass leading indirectly to the out-cropping of trees. We followed that path into the trees, at which point we entered a wooded area interspersed with some discarded evidences of civilization, where we could hear sounds of unrest - both natural (animals perhaps), and human (children playing in the trees). Emerging on the other side of this wood, we found ourselves at a clearing with several shops positioned before us, including a little cafe where we stopped for tea and tort.Obviously, this was a well-worn path through a natural, undeveloped and ill-defined parcel of land, connecting two different communities. It was not the planned way of getting from here to there, articulated neither by roads, curbs nor street signs; but it was a way that many local feet had trodden, perhaps hurriedly at times on colder winter days; and it perfectly reflected how this feeling of ordinariness can penetrate everyday life here.My first impression of this and similar incidents was that Siberia is simply less developed than I was accustomed to in America; and that is certainly true. But this preliminary assessment did not quite capture what I was experiencing here; and furthermore, it begged the question of why (as I would later discover) there were a preponderance of such gaps within the cultural infrastructure, spatially, temporally and psychically. It seemed to me that there was more going on here, but because it was so unfamiliar to me conceptually it was not until I accidentally happened upon Epsteins own yses and his comparison with what he found in America that I was able to grasp this indeterminate feeling somewhat more clearly.[In Russia] when you go through a meadow you always find several narrow paths that were not designed by the developers of this territory but spontaneously created by people who need to make a shortcut from one village to another. While walking these paths you feel the blessed meaning of the ordinary that does not belong to any category, which spontaneously emerges and remains arbitrary6This seemed to describe more adequately what I was experiencing; there was a palpable unpredictability and carefreeness not only on such meandering paths but elsewhere in daily life, betraying a freedom from the structuring machinations of civilization, a source of spontaneity lodged somewhere within the far recesses of the Russian experience. As I came to realize, the quality of my own feelings in these situations was reflected as well in the way in which such occasions were met with, accepted and even cherished by the local population; not just by children, but by people of all ages, income levels, educational and professional backgrounds. No one is exempt, for example, from wandering these back paths and recognizing the quiet whimsical feeling of ordinariness that they evoke. And, as people here point out, there is an abundance of space and much time in Russia, enough space and time to walk even without a specific destination in view. And, in the Russian language there is a term to denote such aimless walking around, 3C;OBL (gulyat), which clearly connotes that such activity has no definitive purpose or objective - just walking.This same attitude can be evidenced, as well, in how they deal with other rather fluid moments or circumstances in life here: for example, spending time at a modest 40G0 (dacha or country cottage) resting, fishing or cultivating a small plot of land; spending time in the vast Siberian forests (perhaps mushroom-hunting); or even time at a local 10=O (banya, more than just a steam bath) just relaxing with friends or family. In each instance one gets the unspoken message that now we will enjoy a cultural time-out, a break from the recognized orderliness and noise of a routinely civilized existence. Even that term 3C;OBL (just walking around) has a more colloquial meaning -- to have a day off from work, to make merry, or to live it up. Again, this betrays an affinity in the Russian experience between physical meandering and the psychic spaciousness of a more relaxed, less-structured existence. And if you ask anyone about this fluidity, about the apparent abundance of gaps in the ordering of life here, they will tell you that it makes life 8=B5@5A=55 (more interesting). Indeed, they will tell you how difficult it is to make plans in Russia because life may suddenly (spontaneously, arbitrarily) intervene and disrupt your plans. Perhaps what we have here is a more loosely woven cultural fabric, dictated in part by the specific gravity of the Russian soul.Suffice it to say that such experiences cannot be forced into simple categorical dichotomies like Nature v Culture, or disorder v order; such categorizations would certainly lead to misunderstanding the lived-experience here. Rather these incidences are natural in the sense of remaining artless or capricious, if you will; disclosed in the subtle dissolution of hard conceptual distinctions, in that gap where the normal chatter of civilization is broken by a preeminent silence.Let me recount another brief example - a trip to Lake Balkhash in the former Soviet Republic of Kazakhstan from the small town of Tekeli. This was an adventure in uncle Volodyas car (one that just barely ran), with one of his friends following closely behind. The two-hour drive down old patched roads to a turn-off at an unmarked dirt intersection led our small entourage into a crisscrossing set of paths through massive sand dunes, slowly leading us further into an untamed-looking desert area. There were no signs, no concrete byways, no parking areas, and no vendors selling towels, souvenirs or frosty cones; there was just unmarked dune after dune, with an occasional broken down vehicle along the path that evidently could not finish its journey.At the end of this drive, with many false starts and wrong turns - like on the back of a two-humped camel - we arrived at the edge of an enormous lake; again no signs, no demarcation, no designated parking areas. Several more spins around the last dune left our two cars vying for position close to the water, but parallel to each other so that we could make camp by throwing a tarp over the two cars and creating a shelter in between them. Again, for me this was just such an irreducible experience of lifes ordinariness breaking-through a rather large gap in the fabricAnd as Epstein suggests, such occurrences are all but absent in the American experience today,[where] even islands of spontaneity such as natural parks and preserves are carefully demarcated; their very naturalness is the object of cultivation so that even nature is reduced to the sign of nature (wildlife refuge). [I]n American national parks or wilderness areas the boundary between culture and nature is drawn very strictly with exactitude of several centimeters. There are special trails that delineate the route of penetration of culture into the domain of nature. But neither cultural nor natural areas in themselves create the feeling of ordinariness. 7Having lived the majority of my life in America, including twenty-years in Colorado, I can verify his assessment; our approach to naturalness (the spontaneous or arbitrary) in the USA is to enculturate it - map it out, clean it up and deodorize it - so that it becomes part of the plan; an easily accessible piece of Nature that everyone can enjoy while still comfortably ensconced within a seamlessly civilized world.Now, what makes the Russian vantage point so compelling here is the archeological and anthropological evidence suggesting that the Altai Region of Siberia (Euro-Asian Steppe) represents perhaps one of the most primitive and independent origins of human habitation some half-million years ago; the location of some of the earliest kinship groupings known to modern research. So, as we think about the birth of civilization (and myths of origin) we might imagine that the prehistoric incidence of simple band egalitarian societies8 in the Ural-Altai Mountains of Russia could represent the factical location of those very transformations of our pre-urban ancestors into post-kinship civilized persons - with the attendant sublimation of a more primal experience of human dwelling that underlies and haunts our civilized artifices. And it might even be argued that throughout Russias long and arduous history one can see an unrelenting affection for this obscured aspect of our common humanity, as demonstrated by the continued inherence and influence on the Russian psyche of the simple and perhaps un-civilizable, but well-mythologized, peasant soul. 9Moreover, the very severity and vastness of this great Siberian terrain militates against a comprehensive ordering of the natural, encouraging such spontaneity and providing ample opportunity for the chance emergence of ordinariness within the world-as-lived.In Russia there are huge semi-developed territories where culture and nature are so confused and diffused in each other that one feels this inordinate place is the true place of the ordinary. 10One final, but not insignificant example is the typical Russian experience of waiting in endless queues, be they at the bank, the train station, the phone company or the local housing registration office. And again these queues seem to emerge spontaneously because as you enter a room people are not necessarily lined-up, one logically behind another; rather they may just be sitting haphazardly around or meandering about the room. So you must inquire as to who is the last person in the queue, even though no queue visibly exists; yet everyone seems to know where his or her place is in this queue. Milling around, waiting in these long (but not quite identifiable) queues, you can feel life so slow and empty that reality reveals its authentic substance and duration. 11As Epstein concludes, what makes the ordinary so precious is the spontaneity of human actions, the growth of the natural out of the cultural. 12 And this is perhaps what the above reading of Hannah Arendt may be suggesting; that each yet-unsocialized person bears within him or herself an excess of existence that does not fit into any existing cultural model and cannot be easily assimilated into the civilized milieu - a surplus of just being,13 which his very presence can bring crashing down upon us at any moment, thereby disrupting our otherwise secure cultural artifice.So how are we to make sense of this experience of ordinariness if there is really no easy way to grasp it in terms of our common, shared cultural categories? Is it like knowing we are in the presence of the Sacred, which according to most religious traditions also cannot be described adequately in everyday language? Perhaps there is something embedded deep within human nature, and in the nature of the symbolic systems we create, that always presents us with the possibility of recovering this experience within (or out of) the cultural, anywhere at anytime.But, what could this be? Well, perhaps it is not so mysterious after all. If the artifice of civilization creates our basic sense of reality, with conceptual prejudices to protect us from oblique experiences of extracultural apparitions, then surely there are certain limit situations where this feeling might burst through unabated. Obviously, these would most likely be culturally confusing circumstances where our normal conceptual frameworks come into question or simply do not function properly, conditions that breed cultural ambiguity.But whether the specific cause of such ambiguity be rooted in more personally unsettling moments of loneliness, anguish, suffering, madness and boredom, or perhaps born of more structured (shared) experiences of disruption, like foreign travel, emigration, cross-cultural exchange, or more dramatically perhaps, threats of terrorism, a consistent element in all these limit situations is the sudden or even subtle experience of marginality or strangeness: an incipient feeling of difference, otherness or Alterity, either in the sense of being-beside oneself, coping with the Alterity of a strange world or a stranger in our midst, or even an emergent awareness of the otherness of our own cultural landscape.Let us briefly gloss two views of the stranger in sociological theory, to suggest both the interiorized as well as the exterior face of such otherness.The stranger, like the poor and sundry inner enemies, is an element of the group itself. His position as a full-fledged member involves both being outside it and confronting it 14The cultural pattern of the approached group is to the stranger not a shelter but a field of adventure, not a matter of course but a questionable topic of investigation15And, while we are all strangers to ourselves because we are artful products of a prior cultural reconstruction, we are also strangers to our culture because we come to a given society from our childhood [read barbarism], from our loneliness, from those extracultural and countercultural niches that are common to the majority of people all over the world. 16For the stranger then, either within or outside of us, the normal categories of the group become marginalized and problematic. And it is in this respect that otherness (Alterity) and strangeness become likely protagonists in the experience of the ordinary, because they are fundamentally culturally-marginal elements haunting each individual and making us aware of our own mundane humanity, our finitude, our temporality, our own facticity. In this respect, the outsider in our midst or the stranger within positions us face to face with a vision of what we are not, but what we might have beenour own potentiality for being other than we are or never having been at all, in other words, the possibility of our own non-being.Whenever we are confronted by such marginality or have the feeling of being adrift without the safety and security of our cultural world (psychically, semiotically or physically), it is precisely in these gaps that we may be struck by the ordinariness of life. And this experience uniquely possesses the capacity to expose both the relativity and arbitrariness of our own existence, because it is in the face of this marginality - where we rub up against the limits of normal cultural controls - that we are most apt to recognize the accidental nature of our own culturally defined world, and so become dumb-struck by lifes simple extension and duration.Perhaps wherever individuals come face to face with their own facticity, the raw embodiment and temporality of simply being in the world, demonstrating a bare courage and patience to be,17 perhaps this is what it means to experience lifes ordinariness, offering us but a glimpse of that barbarism that always lies beneath the surface of each enculturated citizen, as a potential event and a haunting reminder of both our temporal origins and our pending demise!And perhaps this is why the barbarian in our midst or within poses such a threat to civilization, because a citizenry so exposed would be very difficult to control indeed!Notes on the Text1 See Walter Ong, The Presence of the Word, (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1981) and Jack Goody, The Domestication of the Savage Mind (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1978)2 Marvin Bram, On Distinctions, Geneva Peace Symposium (www.genevapeace.org), December 15, 20063 Marvin Bram, The Violence Directed to the Childrens World, Geneva Peace Symposium (www.genevapeace.org), January 18, 2005. See also Marvin Bram, The Recovery of the West, An Essay In Symbolic History, (Xlibris Corporation, May 2002)4 Ellen E. Berry and Mikhail N. Epstein, Transcultural Experiments, Russian and American Models of Creative Communication, (New York: St. Martins Press, 1999), p. 1105 Ibid, p. 1116 Ibid, p. 1117 Ibid, pp. 110-1118 Morton H. Fried, The Evolution of Political Society, An Essay In Political Anthropology(New York: Random House, 1967), pp. 51 et al.9 Orlando Figes, Natashas Dance, A Cultural History of Russia (New York: Henry Holt, 2002), pp. 220-28710 Ellen E. Berry and Mikhail N. Epstein, Op. Cit., p. 11011 Ibid, p. 11112 Ibid, p. 11113 Ibid, p. 11214 The Sociology of Georg Simmel, trans., ed., KH Wolff (New York: Free Press, 1950) pp. 402-40415 Alfred Schutz, Collected Papers, II, Ed, A Brodersen (The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, 1964) p. 10416 Ellen E. Berry and Mikhail N. Epstein, Op. Cit., p. 10417 Ibid, p.111
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By virtue of natality and the ability to act, each new individual poses a threat to civilization. The child carries barbarism with him or her.Einer Overenget, Hannah ArendtLet us first agree that civilization is, in part, about making distinctions; and how those distinctions are drawn - what is foreground, what is background, and what remains unnamed - this is what provides each culture its unique view of the world. Language, and of course writing,1 is a vital accomplice in this activity that cuts the world up into so many meaningful pieces, creating distinctive perspectives, customs and beliefs, patterns of perception and manipulations of the natural environment, creating order where formerly there was just (dare we say) ordinary stuff. And the logic of a cultures language (structure, grammar, etc) will determine in large measure how these distinctions are drawn and what categories are applicable within different socio-cultural contexts or horizons. At the same time, however, the physical surroundings we find ourselves inhabiting, the specificity of local geography, climate, etc. (our facticity), will have a determinate impact on the content of those categories that are developed within each cultures native tongue.But what is this barbarism in Ãverengets reading of Hannah Arendt, above? And, is it true that civilization must fight continuously to maintain its delicate conceptual hold on reality, to keep the weeds from overtaking the paved highways, so to speak? Can it be that each new human life poses such a threat to civilization and the well-ordered world it has created? Is there really a question of these young barbarians doing additional malice to an environment already cut-up and divided into so many pieces by the predominant culture?Perhaps the real challenge to civilization is that the mere presence of newcomers suggests an incipient erasure or healing2 of those cultural divisions, signaling a prospective return to that state of affairs in which we all found ourselves initially thrown. As Rousseau suggests, the principal function of a civil society is the sublimation of the natural Man (read barbarian) in order to recreate him or her with a new nature. In The Social Contract (II, 7), Rousseau writes,[The Legislator must] so to speak change human nature, transform each individual, who by himself is a perfect and solitary whole, into part of a greater whole from which that individual as it were gets his life and his being; weaken mans constitution to strengthen it; substitute a partial and moral existence for the physical and independent existence which we all have received from nature. He must, in a word, take mans own forces away from him in order to give him forces which are foreign to him and which he cannot use without the help of others. The more the natural forces are dead and annihilated, the greater and more lasting the acquired onesSo heres the story: while our primeval ancestors were transformed through some act of existential surgery (or perhaps butchery) thereby becoming enculturated citizens, so that we now understand ourselves and our world in terms of distinctions provided by our societys institutions within our mother-tongue, the incidence of yet-un-enculturated individuals in our midst reminds us again of that paradise lost and threatens a possible fall back into some indeterminate, primitive mode of being.But, not only did civilization makeover each individual as a culturally articulated self; in this process it also remade the surrounding everyday environment into a comprehensive and apparently well-managed cosmos. Furthermore, there is a tendency in this culture-building activity not simply to maintain but also to expand the orderliness, to eradicate any possible uncertainty that might threaten to dissolve civilized boundaries and thereby betray the underlying condition of our humble beginnings. We now seek to account for this imposition of cultural artifice in place of that more modest, indistinct foundation of everyday existence that preceded it, and which might again arbitrarily impinge upon the complex organization of civilized life.We continue briefly with this myth of origins. As Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau all suggest in slightly different formulations, the state of nature can be rather unpredictable, and at times a dangerously ill-suited place to satisfy even humankinds most basic needs for food and shelter. So, it becomes a chief objective of civil society to establish a clearly delineated world in which it is safe for all members to pursue their lives together harmoniously, rationally and without fear. Through the benefits of inter-subjective agreement made possible by a shared tongue, society creates conceptual frameworks for human community and interaction, outlining the shape of its world, and establishing structure, order and a cosmos within which people can act comfortably but appropriately according to specific cultural norms. But this new world, as Rousseau suggests, is anything but natural; rather, it is purely cultural, an artful (if not surgical) construction of new forces allowing citizens to work together safely within a well-defined universe. Lost beneath the categorical neatness of such cultural artifice, however, lifes fundamental ordinariness recedes from view but still remains beneath the surface, haunting and challenging civilizations very ability to establish, maintain and control its well-ordered cosmos.As colorful as these philosophical reflections might seem, we will shift our focus momentarily to explore such characterizations in view of a more readily documentable transition from pre-urban, pre-literate human settlements, or kinship-based groupings, into our more stratified urban societies. In his very succinct ysis, Marvin Bram characterizes the 35,000-year period of human pre-history, before the birth of modern civilized states, as the kinship era after its form of social organization. And, as he defines it:Kinship means that what urban peoples call political, social, economic, and cultural arrangements are made not by specialists or professionals, usually strangers to most persons, but by the elders of clans, well known to all clanspersons.The post-kinship era, on the other hand, is characterized by the growth of cities as well as the development of writing, with precisely those forms of impersonal political, social, economic and cultural arrangements and institutional developments that we currently find operating in most modern states today; and according to the research, this transition occurred approximately fifty-five hundred years ago in the Middle East and Central Asian Steppe. Embracing kindred observations by Alexis de Tocqueville in his commentary on nineteenth-century America, Bram writes,[In a post-kinship era] the nuclear family by itself cannot resist the impingements of modern political and economic institutions: the father, mother, and their children must be surrounded by some intermediate, protective body of persons in order to be safe from unacceptable levels of control. In fact, those modern political and economic institutions could not have been created in the first place unless the original protective body of persons, the clan, was broken into its constituent and susceptible parts, its nuclear families. The first civilization, in the Middle East, and all subsequent civilizations elsewhere, were constructed on the break-up of their pre-urban clans. 3This sounds not unlike Rousseaus presumption about the replacement of mans natural forces with new foreign forces, without which one cannot survive in a civilized culture. Suffice it to say, we need only recognize that with the birth of civilized societies (documented now by the written word) there was a momentous transformation in how human beings began to relate both to one another and to the world around them, and that whatever was lost in this transition still haunts humanity even today.How, then, shall we proceed to explore our presumption that an underlying ordinariness threatens to encroach upon and otherwise disrupt our safe haven of civilized culture? In Transculture and Society, post-Soviet émigré Mikhail Epstein offers this preliminary definition within a compelling discussion to be referenced throughout the remainder of this essay. He says, The ordinary can be defined as something indefinable that exits in the gap, in the pause, in between cultural categories. 4 The difficulty is that most civilized (e.g., literate, urban, post-kinship) societies seek to account for every extension of space and every moment in time, every potential variable, so that no gaps exist in the fabric of its socio-economic-political-cultural life; no semiotic vagueness remains that could lead its citizens into confusion or indecisiveness. Let us call such cultures tightly woven. Much effort may be expended by these tightly woven cultures on this objective alone, to reclaim, delete or eliminate any potentially marginal, indeterminate extracultural influences (build-out and polish every centimeter of the natural world, close the borders, assimilate the culturally aberrant, and bring everyone and everything into the big tent) in an effort to insure the sanctity and security of the civilized artifice.My initial wager is that this vague (albeit sometimes arresting) sense of lifes ordinariness emerges from and embodies a limit-experience in our civilized cultural frameworks. It is disorienting because it pushes at the edge of our common expectations - temporally, spatially and psychically. It may, however, show itself in the most mundane of circumstances where one simply loses control in an otherwise apparently controllable world, or perhaps where something occurs as a purely unanticipated event in an otherwise well-organized life; for example, when you awake in the morning to prepare for work only to find there is no hot water in your apartment, or when the heat suddenly goes off late at night while the temperature outside is well-below freezing. In other words, it may be something that quite arbitrarily shakes us out of this carefully constructed artifice and brings us again face to face with our own irreducible, inescapable humanity.If ordinariness appears in these gaps of our cultural fabric, perhaps we can better recognize it by developing a cross-cultural perspective while relying upon some personal experiences over the past year in the Siberian territory of the vast Euro-Asian Steppe. It is strange, but there is a feeling of cultural displacement here that is quite unlike anything I have felt before, even in other parts of Europe. Of course, Russians are notorious for their love, or is it their endurance, of cultural prescriptions, as is well represented by their daily toleration of diverse bureaucracies (making certain that all the proper stamps are on the necessary documents, etc). Yet, there is an extra-cultural innocence here that hearkens back to a simpler world one that may be hard to pinpoint without referring back to a time almost 50 years ago when I was a child growing-up in America.The year was 1958 and I can still recall walking down to the end of the street from my family home in our small village only 30 miles outside of New York City; from there, I can remember following various meandering paths made by the frequent comings and goings of me, my friends, relatives and other wanderers as we explored a natural wasteland just at the edge of town that spilled over into our small community. It was an unused, but not pristine wooded area: an undeveloped territory, because no one owned it or tended to it. And there were numerous unmarked, but well-wrought shortcuts through these fields that led to other small communities, shops or good sledding areas that we so loved on wintry days. For years this place went officially unrecognized by our community (except to us little barbarians); but it was never accorded the privilege of remaining undeveloped. After several years it was annexed and became part of a local urban development plan. But while we children enjoyed ourselves there, this place was unremarkably and unstructuredly natural; it was what I would describe now as a place of artlessness and spontaneity, an occurrence of the ordinary within my world, without signs or cultural safeguards.And it is precisely such experiences that you still find so frequently in the great Siberian Steppe today, wherethe insufficiency of mapping, of cultural demarcations, makes life more dangerous and uncomfortable than it is in the West. You do not know where you are, on the edge of a forest or on the site of a future building: nature is polluted and culture is diffused. But this is what creates ordinariness.5On a recent summer day in Barnaul (Altai Region of Siberia) my wife Anna decided to take me for a stroll. Walking out of the driveway from our apartment block, she led me off the main road and across an open meadow (well, not quite a meadow, rather an untended field) at the far-end of which was a deep cropping of birch trees. As we wandered into this unused parcel of land, there was a dirt footpath haphazardly winding through the tall grass leading indirectly to the out-cropping of trees. We followed that path into the trees, at which point we entered a wooded area interspersed with some discarded evidences of civilization, where we could hear sounds of unrest - both natural (animals perhaps), and human (children playing in the trees). Emerging on the other side of this wood, we found ourselves at a clearing with several shops positioned before us, including a little cafe where we stopped for tea and tort.Obviously, this was a well-worn path through a natural, undeveloped and ill-defined parcel of land, connecting two different communities. It was not the planned way of getting from here to there, articulated neither by roads, curbs nor street signs; but it was a way that many local feet had trodden, perhaps hurriedly at times on colder winter days; and it perfectly reflected how this feeling of ordinariness can penetrate everyday life here.My first impression of this and similar incidents was that Siberia is simply less developed than I was accustomed to in America; and that is certainly true. But this preliminary assessment did not quite capture what I was experiencing here; and furthermore, it begged the question of why (as I would later discover) there were a preponderance of such gaps within the cultural infrastructure, spatially, temporally and psychically. It seemed to me that there was more going on here, but because it was so unfamiliar to me conceptually it was not until I accidentally happened upon Epsteins own yses and his comparison with what he found in America that I was able to grasp this indeterminate feeling somewhat more clearly.[In Russia] when you go through a meadow you always find several narrow paths that were not designed by the developers of this territory but spontaneously created by people who need to make a shortcut from one village to another. While walking these paths you feel the blessed meaning of the ordinary that does not belong to any category, which spontaneously emerges and remains arbitrary6This seemed to describe more adequately what I was experiencing; there was a palpable unpredictability and carefreeness not only on such meandering paths but elsewhere in daily life, betraying a freedom from the structuring machinations of civilization, a source of spontaneity lodged somewhere within the far recesses of the Russian experience. As I came to realize, the quality of my own feelings in these situations was reflected as well in the way in which such occasions were met with, accepted and even cherished by the local population; not just by children, but by people of all ages, income levels, educational and professional backgrounds. No one is exempt, for example, from wandering these back paths and recognizing the quiet whimsical feeling of ordinariness that they evoke. And, as people here point out, there is an abundance of space and much time in Russia, enough space and time to walk even without a specific destination in view. And, in the Russian language there is a term to denote such aimless walking around, 3C;OBL (gulyat), which clearly connotes that such activity has no definitive purpose or objective - just walking.This same attitude can be evidenced, as well, in how they deal with other rather fluid moments or circumstances in life here: for example, spending time at a modest 40G0 (dacha or country cottage) resting, fishing or cultivating a small plot of land; spending time in the vast Siberian forests (perhaps mushroom-hunting); or even time at a local 10=O (banya, more than just a steam bath) just relaxing with friends or family. In each instance one gets the unspoken message that now we will enjoy a cultural time-out, a break from the recognized orderliness and noise of a routinely civilized existence. Even that term 3C;OBL (just walking around) has a more colloquial meaning -- to have a day off from work, to make merry, or to live it up. Again, this betrays an affinity in the Russian experience between physical meandering and the psychic spaciousness of a more relaxed, less-structured existence. And if you ask anyone about this fluidity, about the apparent abundance of gaps in the ordering of life here, they will tell you that it makes life 8=B5@5A=55 (more interesting). Indeed, they will tell you how difficult it is to make plans in Russia because life may suddenly (spontaneously, arbitrarily) intervene and disrupt your plans. Perhaps what we have here is a more loosely woven cultural fabric, dictated in part by the specific gravity of the Russian soul.Suffice it to say that such experiences cannot be forced into simple categorical dichotomies like Nature v Culture, or disorder v order; such categorizations would certainly lead to misunderstanding the lived-experience here. Rather these incidences are natural in the sense of remaining artless or capricious, if you will; disclosed in the subtle dissolution of hard conceptual distinctions, in that gap where the normal chatter of civilization is broken by a preeminent silence.Let me recount another brief example - a trip to Lake Balkhash in the former Soviet Republic of Kazakhstan from the small town of Tekeli. This was an adventure in uncle Volodyas car (one that just barely ran), with one of his friends following closely behind. The two-hour drive down old patched roads to a turn-off at an unmarked dirt intersection led our small entourage into a crisscrossing set of paths through massive sand dunes, slowly leading us further into an untamed-looking desert area. There were no signs, no concrete byways, no parking areas, and no vendors selling towels, souvenirs or frosty cones; there was just unmarked dune after dune, with an occasional broken down vehicle along the path that evidently could not finish its journey.At the end of this drive, with many false starts and wrong turns - like on the back of a two-humped camel - we arrived at the edge of an enormous lake; again no signs, no demarcation, no designated parking areas. Several more spins around the last dune left our two cars vying for position close to the water, but parallel to each other so that we could make camp by throwing a tarp over the two cars and creating a shelter in between them. Again, for me this was just such an irreducible experience of lifes ordinariness breaking-through a rather large gap in the fabricAnd as Epstein suggests, such occurrences are all but absent in the American experience today,[where] even islands of spontaneity such as natural parks and preserves are carefully demarcated; their very naturalness is the object of cultivation so that even nature is reduced to the sign of nature (wildlife refuge). [I]n American national parks or wilderness areas the boundary between culture and nature is drawn very strictly with exactitude of several centimeters. There are special trails that delineate the route of penetration of culture into the domain of nature. But neither cultural nor natural areas in themselves create the feeling of ordinariness. 7Having lived the majority of my life in America, including twenty-years in Colorado, I can verify his assessment; our approach to naturalness (the spontaneous or arbitrary) in the USA is to enculturate it - map it out, clean it up and deodorize it - so that it becomes part of the plan; an easily accessible piece of Nature that everyone can enjoy while still comfortably ensconced within a seamlessly civilized world.Now, what makes the Russian vantage point so compelling here is the archeological and anthropological evidence suggesting that the Altai Region of Siberia (Euro-Asian Steppe) represents perhaps one of the most primitive and independent origins of human habitation some half-million years ago; the location of some of the earliest kinship groupings known to modern research. So, as we think about the birth of civilization (and myths of origin) we might imagine that the prehistoric incidence of simple band egalitarian societies8 in the Ural-Altai Mountains of Russia could represent the factical location of those very transformations of our pre-urban ancestors into post-kinship civilized persons - with the attendant sublimation of a more primal experience of human dwelling that underlies and haunts our civilized artifices. And it might even be argued that throughout Russias long and arduous history one can see an unrelenting affection for this obscured aspect of our common humanity, as demonstrated by the continued inherence and influence on the Russian psyche of the simple and perhaps un-civilizable, but well-mythologized, peasant soul. 9Moreover, the very severity and vastness of this great Siberian terrain militates against a comprehensive ordering of the natural, encouraging such spontaneity and providing ample opportunity for the chance emergence of ordinariness within the world-as-lived.In Russia there are huge semi-developed territories where culture and nature are so confused and diffused in each other that one feels this inordinate place is the true place of the ordinary. 10One final, but not insignificant example is the typical Russian experience of waiting in endless queues, be they at the bank, the train station, the phone company or the local housing registration office. And again these queues seem to emerge spontaneously because as you enter a room people are not necessarily lined-up, one logically behind another; rather they may just be sitting haphazardly around or meandering about the room. So you must inquire as to who is the last person in the queue, even though no queue visibly exists; yet everyone seems to know where his or her place is in this queue. Milling around, waiting in these long (but not quite identifiable) queues, you can feel life so slow and empty that reality reveals its authentic substance and duration. 11As Epstein concludes, what makes the ordinary so precious is the spontaneity of human actions, the growth of the natural out of the cultural. 12 And this is perhaps what the above reading of Hannah Arendt may be suggesting; that each yet-unsocialized person bears within him or herself an excess of existence that does not fit into any existing cultural model and cannot be easily assimilated into the civilized milieu - a surplus of just being,13 which his very presence can bring crashing down upon us at any moment, thereby disrupting our otherwise secure cultural artifice.So how are we to make sense of this experience of ordinariness if there is really no easy way to grasp it in terms of our common, shared cultural categories? Is it like knowing we are in the presence of the Sacred, which according to most religious traditions also cannot be described adequately in everyday language? Perhaps there is something embedded deep within human nature, and in the nature of the symbolic systems we create, that always presents us with the possibility of recovering this experience within (or out of) the cultural, anywhere at anytime.But, what could this be? Well, perhaps it is not so mysterious after all. If the artifice of civilization creates our basic sense of reality, with conceptual prejudices to protect us from oblique experiences of extracultural apparitions, then surely there are certain limit situations where this feeling might burst through unabated. Obviously, these would most likely be culturally confusing circumstances where our normal conceptual frameworks come into question or simply do not function properly, conditions that breed cultural ambiguity.But whether the specific cause of such ambiguity be rooted in more personally unsettling moments of loneliness, anguish, suffering, madness and boredom, or perhaps born of more structured (shared) experiences of disruption, like foreign travel, emigration, cross-cultural exchange, or more dramatically perhaps, threats of terrorism, a consistent element in all these limit situations is the sudden or even subtle experience of marginality or strangeness: an incipient feeling of difference, otherness or Alterity, either in the sense of being-beside oneself, coping with the Alterity of a strange world or a stranger in our midst, or even an emergent awareness of the otherness of our own cultural landscape.Let us briefly gloss two views of the stranger in sociological theory, to suggest both the interiorized as well as the exterior face of such otherness.The stranger, like the poor and sundry inner enemies, is an element of the group itself. His position as a full-fledged member involves both being outside it and confronting it 14The cultural pattern of the approached group is to the stranger not a shelter but a field of adventure, not a matter of course but a questionable topic of investigation15And, while we are all strangers to ourselves because we are artful products of a prior cultural reconstruction, we are also strangers to our culture because we come to a given society from our childhood [read barbarism], from our loneliness, from those extracultural and countercultural niches that are common to the majority of people all over the world. 16For the stranger then, either within or outside of us, the normal categories of the group become marginalized and problematic. And it is in this respect that otherness (Alterity) and strangeness become likely protagonists in the experience of the ordinary, because they are fundamentally culturally-marginal elements haunting each individual and making us aware of our own mundane humanity, our finitude, our temporality, our own facticity. In this respect, the outsider in our midst or the stranger within positions us face to face with a vision of what we are not, but what we might have beenour own potentiality for being other than we are or never having been at all, in other words, the possibility of our own non-being.Whenever we are confronted by such marginality or have the feeling of being adrift without the safety and security of our cultural world (psychically, semiotically or physically), it is precisely in these gaps that we may be struck by the ordinariness of life. And this experience uniquely possesses the capacity to expose both the relativity and arbitrariness of our own existence, because it is in the face of this marginality - where we rub up against the limits of normal cultural controls - that we are most apt to recognize the accidental nature of our own culturally defined world, and so become dumb-struck by lifes simple extension and duration.Perhaps wherever individuals come face to face with their own facticity, the raw embodiment and temporality of simply being in the world, demonstrating a bare courage and patience to be,17 perhaps this is what it means to experience lifes ordinariness, offering us but a glimpse of that barbarism that always lies beneath the surface of each enculturated citizen, as a potential event and a haunting reminder of both our temporal origins and our pending demise!And perhaps this is why the barbarian in our midst or within poses such a threat to civilization, because a citizenry so exposed would be very difficult to control indeed!Notes on the Text1 See Walter Ong, The Presence of the Word, (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1981) and Jack Goody, The Domestication of the Savage Mind (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1978)2 Marvin Bram, On Distinctions, Geneva Peace Symposium (www.genevapeace.org), December 15, 20063 Marvin Bram, The Violence Directed to the Childrens World, Geneva Peace Symposium (www.genevapeace.org), January 18, 2005. See also Marvin Bram, The Recovery of the West, An Essay In Symbolic History, (Xlibris Corporation, May 2002)4 Ellen E. Berry and Mikhail N. Epstein, Transcultural Experiments, Russian and American Models of Creative Communication, (New York: St. Martins Press, 1999), p. 1105 Ibid, p. 1116 Ibid, p. 1117 Ibid, pp. 110-1118 Morton H. Fried, The Evolution of Political Society, An Essay In Political Anthropology(New York: Random House, 1967), pp. 51 et al.9 Orlando Figes, Natashas Dance, A Cultural History of Russia (New York: Henry Holt, 2002), pp. 220-28710 Ellen E. Berry and Mikhail N. Epstein, Op. Cit., p. 11011 Ibid, p. 11112 Ibid, p. 11113 Ibid, p. 11214 The Sociology of Georg Simmel, trans., ed., KH Wolff (New York: Free Press, 1950) pp. 402-40415 Alfred Schutz, Collected Papers, II, Ed, A Brodersen (The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, 1964) p. 10416 Ellen E. Berry and Mikhail N. Epstein, Op. Cit., p. 10417 Ibid, p.111
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Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Girls Swimming Shorts - Hit the Beach With Style!
Girls Swimming Shorts - Hit the Beach With Style!
There are many girls out there who love to hit the beach and have loads of fun near the sea. But most of them face a lot of difficulties to find the best swim wear for them. Some of them feel uncomfortable to wear bikinis and two piece swimsuits. Well, if you are one of them then we have a perfect solution to your problem - Girls swimming shorts.These outfits are swimming trunks, exclusively for girls. These are available in different sizes, colors and designs. They are best for those girls who love to involve themselves in different activities on the beach like, playing beach volley ball, surfing or splashing in the sea water under the hot sun.Material: It is always a better idea to go for the beach attire that are made of polyester or nylon because these fabrics dry out quickly and they are very light in weight. Some fabrics are not that skin friendly and produce rasher on the skin, therefore check the material before you buy them. If you have sensitive skin then you can get cotton trunks too.Fit: These garments should always fit you the best so that you dont find any difficulty to walk, run, and jump while you are around the beach. For buying the best fitting girls shorts it is important to know your perfect size.Color and Designs: Girls swimming shorts and board shorts are available in different colors with interesting designs on them. If you like colorful trunks then you can experiment with wild and bright colors like lime green and animal prints. If you like girly prints then floral patterns, Hello Kitty and pink polka dotted ones will look very cute and trendy. It you want to stick to bold colors then you can also buy the jet black or solid red colored ones.Now, you can buy your favorite girls swimming shorts from any online store. Dont waitorder now!
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There are many girls out there who love to hit the beach and have loads of fun near the sea. But most of them face a lot of difficulties to find the best swim wear for them. Some of them feel uncomfortable to wear bikinis and two piece swimsuits. Well, if you are one of them then we have a perfect solution to your problem - Girls swimming shorts.These outfits are swimming trunks, exclusively for girls. These are available in different sizes, colors and designs. They are best for those girls who love to involve themselves in different activities on the beach like, playing beach volley ball, surfing or splashing in the sea water under the hot sun.Material: It is always a better idea to go for the beach attire that are made of polyester or nylon because these fabrics dry out quickly and they are very light in weight. Some fabrics are not that skin friendly and produce rasher on the skin, therefore check the material before you buy them. If you have sensitive skin then you can get cotton trunks too.Fit: These garments should always fit you the best so that you dont find any difficulty to walk, run, and jump while you are around the beach. For buying the best fitting girls shorts it is important to know your perfect size.Color and Designs: Girls swimming shorts and board shorts are available in different colors with interesting designs on them. If you like colorful trunks then you can experiment with wild and bright colors like lime green and animal prints. If you like girly prints then floral patterns, Hello Kitty and pink polka dotted ones will look very cute and trendy. It you want to stick to bold colors then you can also buy the jet black or solid red colored ones.Now, you can buy your favorite girls swimming shorts from any online store. Dont waitorder now!
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Tuesday, September 7, 2010
40a bra lingerie What to Wear to a Lingerie Party
40a bra lingerie What to Wear to a Lingerie Party
A huge trend among teenagers and young s right now is themed parties. There is an endless list of different themes people apply to their parties, ranging from neon, 80âs, and jungle apparel themed parties to âanything but clothesâ and lingerie parties.
Lingerie is a particularly popular theme because for s, itâs easy (boxers or a robe are the most common attire) and for women, they can dress as sexy as they want. Generally, lingerie parties take place at a house party, but sometimes clubs or bars have âlingerie nightsâ where women are encouraged to wear sexy lingerie and can win prizes.
Women have many options when it comes to dressing up for lingerie parties. Whether you dress conservatively or liberally, cute and sexy outfits can be made from a variety of different types of lingerie.
-For women who donât want to show off their legs, jeans or nice pants are completely acceptable for lingerie parties when paired with a sexy top. A corset, bustier, baby doll, or even a bra can all be worn with a simple pair of jeans and heels to create a sexy look.
-Likewise, stockings and spandex shorts that cover the back can be worn with a flirty lingerie top. This leaves your legs silhouetted instead of exposed.
-Chemises (short, lingerie dresses that double as sleeping gowns) are another option if you want to cover up your stomach. They can be tight or loose, sheer, lace, embroidered, or solid, and can be knee length or shorter. Chemises can also be worn with pantyhose, stockings, or bare.
-Camisole tops and baby doll tops are all conservative alternatives to a regular bra top, and often can be found in a variety of lacey, skimpy styles. They also provide chest support (while generally chemises do not) and can create ample cleavage depending on the type.
-Bra top sets are the most popular options for lingerie parties because most women already own a pair of matching panties and bra. Generally, women opt for booty shorts, hipsters, or boyshort style panties as opposed to thongs or g-strings. You can match the top and bottoms, or have contrasting (such as black and white) pieces. Bra top sets can be paired with stockings, pantyhose, heels, fishnets, and other accessories to create a sexy lingerie outfit.
-Dance wear, like the kind exotic dancers wear for the stage, are also becoming popular at lingerie parties. Dance wear usually consists of ultra mini skirts, midriff baring halter or tube tops, rompers, or bikini style lycra outfits. Dance wear is usually solid with more patterns and color as opposed to lingerie. Dance wear can also be paired with leggings, leg warmers, knee high socks, and a variety of different shoes. Sexy, ultra short dresses are also popular, and usually feature cut out sides or backs and low V neck fronts, giving them a more lingerie feel.
An outfit for a lingerie party can be acquired quickly for a last minute invitation, or can be bought online or in a store. Places like Victoriaâs Secret and Frederickâs of Hollywood are nation wide retail shops that sell lingerie. Online sites like Yandy.com offer fast, next day shipping on their lingerie if you have a few days before the event.
Though most anything goes at lingerie parties, the idea is to dress up, rather than just wear your underwear. Bustiers and stockings are more what lingerie parties are about, rather than plain bras and panties you wear normally. Remember that whatever youâre wearing, you wonât have a good time if you arenât comfortable in it. Pick something that fits you appropriately, and covers up what you want to be covered.
Source : http://www.articlesbase.com/shopping-articles/what-to-wear-to-a-lingerie-party-905682.html
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A huge trend among teenagers and young s right now is themed parties. There is an endless list of different themes people apply to their parties, ranging from neon, 80âs, and jungle apparel themed parties to âanything but clothesâ and lingerie parties.
Lingerie is a particularly popular theme because for s, itâs easy (boxers or a robe are the most common attire) and for women, they can dress as sexy as they want. Generally, lingerie parties take place at a house party, but sometimes clubs or bars have âlingerie nightsâ where women are encouraged to wear sexy lingerie and can win prizes.
Women have many options when it comes to dressing up for lingerie parties. Whether you dress conservatively or liberally, cute and sexy outfits can be made from a variety of different types of lingerie.
-For women who donât want to show off their legs, jeans or nice pants are completely acceptable for lingerie parties when paired with a sexy top. A corset, bustier, baby doll, or even a bra can all be worn with a simple pair of jeans and heels to create a sexy look.
-Likewise, stockings and spandex shorts that cover the back can be worn with a flirty lingerie top. This leaves your legs silhouetted instead of exposed.
-Chemises (short, lingerie dresses that double as sleeping gowns) are another option if you want to cover up your stomach. They can be tight or loose, sheer, lace, embroidered, or solid, and can be knee length or shorter. Chemises can also be worn with pantyhose, stockings, or bare.
-Camisole tops and baby doll tops are all conservative alternatives to a regular bra top, and often can be found in a variety of lacey, skimpy styles. They also provide chest support (while generally chemises do not) and can create ample cleavage depending on the type.
-Bra top sets are the most popular options for lingerie parties because most women already own a pair of matching panties and bra. Generally, women opt for booty shorts, hipsters, or boyshort style panties as opposed to thongs or g-strings. You can match the top and bottoms, or have contrasting (such as black and white) pieces. Bra top sets can be paired with stockings, pantyhose, heels, fishnets, and other accessories to create a sexy lingerie outfit.
-Dance wear, like the kind exotic dancers wear for the stage, are also becoming popular at lingerie parties. Dance wear usually consists of ultra mini skirts, midriff baring halter or tube tops, rompers, or bikini style lycra outfits. Dance wear is usually solid with more patterns and color as opposed to lingerie. Dance wear can also be paired with leggings, leg warmers, knee high socks, and a variety of different shoes. Sexy, ultra short dresses are also popular, and usually feature cut out sides or backs and low V neck fronts, giving them a more lingerie feel.
An outfit for a lingerie party can be acquired quickly for a last minute invitation, or can be bought online or in a store. Places like Victoriaâs Secret and Frederickâs of Hollywood are nation wide retail shops that sell lingerie. Online sites like Yandy.com offer fast, next day shipping on their lingerie if you have a few days before the event.
Though most anything goes at lingerie parties, the idea is to dress up, rather than just wear your underwear. Bustiers and stockings are more what lingerie parties are about, rather than plain bras and panties you wear normally. Remember that whatever youâre wearing, you wonât have a good time if you arenât comfortable in it. Pick something that fits you appropriately, and covers up what you want to be covered.
Source : http://www.articlesbase.com/shopping-articles/what-to-wear-to-a-lingerie-party-905682.html
TOP GALLERY : 38c bra men\'s g strings, plus size swimming suits secret,
bra 32 aa bikini swimsuits How To Choose A Swimsuit That Flatters Your Body
bra 32 aa bikini swimsuits How To Choose A Swimsuit That Flatters Your Body
Look in the mirror in just your underwear and assess yourself frankly. Which of these describe you best?Shoulders, hips and waist about the same size. Not much of a waist -- boyish figure Narrow shoulders wide hips -- pear shaped Wide shoulders with medium or large breasts, wide hips, small waist -- hourglass Wide shoulders, narrow hips -- top heavy Large breasts, narrow hips -- and top heavy Large breasts, ample hips and a tummy -- curvy You can only wear clothes sized XL or larger -- plus sized Once you know which category you are in, pick the swimwear that flatters that body type and youll look your best during swimsuit season.Boyish figureIf you are concerned about looking like a boy in your swimsuit, go all out feminine with frills and pretty prints. Ruffles add volume. Worn along your bust and at your hips, they give the illusion of curves. Pretty things up with string bikinis and girly prints. If youve got a cleavage, show it off with a plunging neckline. Youd look less like a boy if you show enough cleavage. Avoid bandeau tops and boy shorts.Pear shaped bodySo youve got hips Too large hips for your liking. Actually, curvy hips and thighs are in. You can show them off, or if you are still self conscious, you can minimize them. String bikini bottoms, tie sides or details at the sides of your bikini bottoms would make the most of your shapely bottom. If you want to draw attention away from your bottom, then dark bikini thongs would do the trick. Or you could wear a one piece swimsuit with a plunging front to draw attention upwards to your face and cleavage and away from your hips. Avoid boyshorts or very high cut bottoms as these would not flatter you. If you are wearing a bikini, pick a light top and a dark bottom to balance your figure.Hourglass figureAn hourglass figure? You dont really need help with swimwear with a figure like yours. Still, you can mess up your look if you wear ill-fitting swimwear or a bikini top or swimwear top that doesnt provide enough support for your breasts if yours are heavy. As long as you get enough support and the fit is right, swimsuit season is your season. Wear a bright bikini or a black maillot or a really teeny printed bikini. These are classics that you can get away with.Top heavy swimsuitsIf youre , show off your cleavage in a one piece swimsuit with a plunging neckline. The ideal bikini for you would be one with a halter top. More than anything, you need support. Heres more about how to pick swimwear [http://www.cheap-designer-clothing.net/swimwear.php] that flatter your body shape best.You can widen your hips with boy shorts or a colorful bottom.Curvy figures and plus sizesIf your tummy is a problem, wear a one-piece swimsuit that has a very high lycra content. Theyd hold in your tummy. If your tummy is not an issue, then go for a bikini. Just make sure the bikini top supports you well with wide enough straps or underwire support and go for the lower-rise bottoms.
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Look in the mirror in just your underwear and assess yourself frankly. Which of these describe you best?Shoulders, hips and waist about the same size. Not much of a waist -- boyish figure Narrow shoulders wide hips -- pear shaped Wide shoulders with medium or large breasts, wide hips, small waist -- hourglass Wide shoulders, narrow hips -- top heavy Large breasts, narrow hips -- and top heavy Large breasts, ample hips and a tummy -- curvy You can only wear clothes sized XL or larger -- plus sized Once you know which category you are in, pick the swimwear that flatters that body type and youll look your best during swimsuit season.Boyish figureIf you are concerned about looking like a boy in your swimsuit, go all out feminine with frills and pretty prints. Ruffles add volume. Worn along your bust and at your hips, they give the illusion of curves. Pretty things up with string bikinis and girly prints. If youve got a cleavage, show it off with a plunging neckline. Youd look less like a boy if you show enough cleavage. Avoid bandeau tops and boy shorts.Pear shaped bodySo youve got hips Too large hips for your liking. Actually, curvy hips and thighs are in. You can show them off, or if you are still self conscious, you can minimize them. String bikini bottoms, tie sides or details at the sides of your bikini bottoms would make the most of your shapely bottom. If you want to draw attention away from your bottom, then dark bikini thongs would do the trick. Or you could wear a one piece swimsuit with a plunging front to draw attention upwards to your face and cleavage and away from your hips. Avoid boyshorts or very high cut bottoms as these would not flatter you. If you are wearing a bikini, pick a light top and a dark bottom to balance your figure.Hourglass figureAn hourglass figure? You dont really need help with swimwear with a figure like yours. Still, you can mess up your look if you wear ill-fitting swimwear or a bikini top or swimwear top that doesnt provide enough support for your breasts if yours are heavy. As long as you get enough support and the fit is right, swimsuit season is your season. Wear a bright bikini or a black maillot or a really teeny printed bikini. These are classics that you can get away with.Top heavy swimsuitsIf youre , show off your cleavage in a one piece swimsuit with a plunging neckline. The ideal bikini for you would be one with a halter top. More than anything, you need support. Heres more about how to pick swimwear [http://www.cheap-designer-clothing.net/swimwear.php] that flatter your body shape best.You can widen your hips with boy shorts or a colorful bottom.Curvy figures and plus sizesIf your tummy is a problem, wear a one-piece swimsuit that has a very high lycra content. Theyd hold in your tummy. If your tummy is not an issue, then go for a bikini. Just make sure the bikini top supports you well with wide enough straps or underwire support and go for the lower-rise bottoms.
TOP GALLERY : moisture wicking pajamas fashion full figure, plus size bra tankinis for women,
Monday, September 6, 2010
breastfeeding clothing sexy girls in lingerie y Sheer Lingerie - Pick Your Color
breastfeeding clothing sexy girls in lingerie y Sheer Lingerie - Pick Your Color
When it comes to clothes shopping, a womans primary concern is finding clothing that proudly displays her most positive features while concealing the not-so-great parts. Finding the perfect style is the ultimate quest for most women - and its a never ending one at that. Finding your style means finding something that works with your body shape, whether its hourglass, pear or something in between. The color of a piece of clothing is also key - matching clothing color with hair and eye color can really make an outfit or ruin it. Some women will shop for hours on end trying to assemble their wardrobe - but it is a task that is worth the effort.All these concepts also apply to sexy lingerie. When a woman is lingerie shopping, whether for herself or a close friend, she wants the absolute perfect choice. Underwear that clashes with the bodys natural shape is more or less worthless. That means that lingerie shopping can be a truly difficult task that requires some thought be put into it.You should pay close attention to colors when it comes to choosing sexy lingerie, which is available in a wide variety of colors, styles and fabrics. All of these aspects must be taken into account if you want to find the right exotic lingerie for you. Your choice of color should be based your skin tone and the color of your eyes. Another consideration is the atmosphere you want to create with the lingerie - white says innocence, while red says that youre a little naughty.When buying sheer lingerie, you have to pay even more attention to your color choice. If you are very fair skinned then your best is to go for pastel colors. That said, theres nothing wrong with using bolder colors, like red or black, if you want to set a sexier mood. If you have darker skin, then you should aim for deeper colors that will mesh well with your skin tone. Green or blue is a good place to start, but a darker skinned girl can also look quite alluring in sheer white lingerie.Another important consideration is the color of your hair and the eyes. Your eyes can be one of your sexiest body parts, so its important to make them stand out. You want a lingerie color that doesnt clash with your eye color. If you have blue eyes, try something in blue or purple. For hazel or green eyes go best with green lingerie. For a brown eyed girl, black or metallic lingerie is a great choice. You should also think about your hair color, with the main idea being that your hair should stand out from the intimate apparel you selected.One of the best qualities of sheer lingerie is that it opens up possibilities for experimenting. There arent really any hard and fast rules for choosing lingerie. Be bold and adventurous and just have fun with your lingerie selection. Try some bold new colors that youve never worn before - you may find your winning combination.
TOP GALLERY : discount underwear fantasie of england, junior plus size women\'s girdles,
When it comes to clothes shopping, a womans primary concern is finding clothing that proudly displays her most positive features while concealing the not-so-great parts. Finding the perfect style is the ultimate quest for most women - and its a never ending one at that. Finding your style means finding something that works with your body shape, whether its hourglass, pear or something in between. The color of a piece of clothing is also key - matching clothing color with hair and eye color can really make an outfit or ruin it. Some women will shop for hours on end trying to assemble their wardrobe - but it is a task that is worth the effort.All these concepts also apply to sexy lingerie. When a woman is lingerie shopping, whether for herself or a close friend, she wants the absolute perfect choice. Underwear that clashes with the bodys natural shape is more or less worthless. That means that lingerie shopping can be a truly difficult task that requires some thought be put into it.You should pay close attention to colors when it comes to choosing sexy lingerie, which is available in a wide variety of colors, styles and fabrics. All of these aspects must be taken into account if you want to find the right exotic lingerie for you. Your choice of color should be based your skin tone and the color of your eyes. Another consideration is the atmosphere you want to create with the lingerie - white says innocence, while red says that youre a little naughty.When buying sheer lingerie, you have to pay even more attention to your color choice. If you are very fair skinned then your best is to go for pastel colors. That said, theres nothing wrong with using bolder colors, like red or black, if you want to set a sexier mood. If you have darker skin, then you should aim for deeper colors that will mesh well with your skin tone. Green or blue is a good place to start, but a darker skinned girl can also look quite alluring in sheer white lingerie.Another important consideration is the color of your hair and the eyes. Your eyes can be one of your sexiest body parts, so its important to make them stand out. You want a lingerie color that doesnt clash with your eye color. If you have blue eyes, try something in blue or purple. For hazel or green eyes go best with green lingerie. For a brown eyed girl, black or metallic lingerie is a great choice. You should also think about your hair color, with the main idea being that your hair should stand out from the intimate apparel you selected.One of the best qualities of sheer lingerie is that it opens up possibilities for experimenting. There arent really any hard and fast rules for choosing lingerie. Be bold and adventurous and just have fun with your lingerie selection. Try some bold new colors that youve never worn before - you may find your winning combination.
TOP GALLERY : discount underwear fantasie of england, junior plus size women\'s girdles,
children photography fashion portfolios Applying For Fashion Design School Can Change Your Life
children photography fashion portfolios Applying For Fashion Design School Can Change Your Life
At some point every little has dreamed of going to fashion school. Its a fast paced, artistic and highly profitable environment. Fashion design school isnt always easy though, it requires an intense application process and tough classes. Even though it isnt the same as say, Engineering, it still emphasizes on artistic skill, math for drawing, and promoting your ideas.The application process is the same as joining any other college, but you will need a portfolio to show off your talent and skills. It may help to have solid copies of your designs on hand too. Fashion involves knowing how to sketch your ideas, math for measurements and drawings, as well as the ability to construct pieces from almost anything.The challenges of fashion art school are considerable. You will be in an environment with many others that are fighting for the same attention. You will have to compete and outshine the rest in order to ensure that you stand out from the crowd - which is the most important concept for fashion school.In all honesty applying for fashion design school in fashionable cities is highly recommended. Going to school in New York City is the best option, and then various schools in California or Chicago. These big cities are the epicenters of fashion - and will give you great experience and edge over other students. If you can afford it, fashion schools in countries like Italy and France are excellent opportunities to hone your skill at designing.Classes you may take while attending fashion design school include: business classes, art, photography, mathematics and English, history of fashion, and even graphic design courses. It truly depends on what type of clothing you want to create and what your overall goals are for a career in this field. However, business is likely one of the most important courses you can take. Since being a designer is a business, you must know how to be an ethical owner of a company, and how to deal with customers. Business classes will also help you learn to communicate with clients and sell your product to them more effectively.While it seems easy initially, its far from that. You will still have to take basic classes as well as intense art classes to ensure that you understand the fundamentals of fabrics, colors, and more. Fashion design isnt just about making pretty clothes all day. It takes a great deal of skill and work to achieve the results that you want and what is demanded by the client and the world around you. Also, this type of school can become pretty expensive. Luckily for most, scholarships, grants, and loans, are all a possibility. These monetary benefits can help you pay for your tuition so that you can stay in school while working towards an awesome career in the fashion field.
TOP GALLERY : man thong underwear panty and bra, costume sheer bras,
At some point every little has dreamed of going to fashion school. Its a fast paced, artistic and highly profitable environment. Fashion design school isnt always easy though, it requires an intense application process and tough classes. Even though it isnt the same as say, Engineering, it still emphasizes on artistic skill, math for drawing, and promoting your ideas.The application process is the same as joining any other college, but you will need a portfolio to show off your talent and skills. It may help to have solid copies of your designs on hand too. Fashion involves knowing how to sketch your ideas, math for measurements and drawings, as well as the ability to construct pieces from almost anything.The challenges of fashion art school are considerable. You will be in an environment with many others that are fighting for the same attention. You will have to compete and outshine the rest in order to ensure that you stand out from the crowd - which is the most important concept for fashion school.In all honesty applying for fashion design school in fashionable cities is highly recommended. Going to school in New York City is the best option, and then various schools in California or Chicago. These big cities are the epicenters of fashion - and will give you great experience and edge over other students. If you can afford it, fashion schools in countries like Italy and France are excellent opportunities to hone your skill at designing.Classes you may take while attending fashion design school include: business classes, art, photography, mathematics and English, history of fashion, and even graphic design courses. It truly depends on what type of clothing you want to create and what your overall goals are for a career in this field. However, business is likely one of the most important courses you can take. Since being a designer is a business, you must know how to be an ethical owner of a company, and how to deal with customers. Business classes will also help you learn to communicate with clients and sell your product to them more effectively.While it seems easy initially, its far from that. You will still have to take basic classes as well as intense art classes to ensure that you understand the fundamentals of fabrics, colors, and more. Fashion design isnt just about making pretty clothes all day. It takes a great deal of skill and work to achieve the results that you want and what is demanded by the client and the world around you. Also, this type of school can become pretty expensive. Luckily for most, scholarships, grants, and loans, are all a possibility. These monetary benefits can help you pay for your tuition so that you can stay in school while working towards an awesome career in the fashion field.
TOP GALLERY : man thong underwear panty and bra, costume sheer bras,
purple bikini lingerie bowl wallpaper support bra Anna Massey long maternity dresses
purple bikini lingerie bowl wallpaper support bra Anna Massey long maternity dresses

Director Ronan O Leary Cast Anne Brochet James Spader Anna Massey World distributors Goldcrest Films International Sculptor Sarah rescues some driftwood an attractive man suffering from amnesia and a broken leg from the waves which are trying to claim him back Attractive is the operative word

When I had been in The Reluctant Debutante in

que presenta a todos los sospechosos de los crÃmenes Es una clara referencia si la memoria no me falla a una escena de Frenesà de Hitchcock hasta sale la misma actriz Anna Massey Y en cuanto a los actores Bueno la putada con el bueno de Elijah Wood es que me cuesta separarlo del personaje de Frodo Además tiene la misma cara de alucinado que en El Señor de los
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Pictures of Anna Massey :
Director Ronan O Leary Cast Anne Brochet James Spader Anna Massey World distributors Goldcrest Films International Sculptor Sarah rescues some driftwood an attractive man suffering from amnesia and a broken leg from the waves which are trying to claim him back Attractive is the operative word
When I had been in The Reluctant Debutante in
que presenta a todos los sospechosos de los crÃmenes Es una clara referencia si la memoria no me falla a una escena de Frenesà de Hitchcock hasta sale la misma actriz Anna Massey Y en cuanto a los actores Bueno la putada con el bueno de Elijah Wood es que me cuesta separarlo del personaje de Frodo Además tiene la misma cara de alucinado que en El Señor de los
TOP GALLERY : bustiers top modeling agency, intimate apparel thongs underwear,
swimwear shopping vix swimsuits fashion swimwear Gong Li 40g bras
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aquainted with when the Initial D movie premieres in UK cinemas at the end of the month and Chow Yun Fat who s also going to appear in Pirates of the Caribbean 3 which should be fun Taking another route is American born actress Devon Aoki imdb has this ah cute way of labelling both Miss Aoki and Miss Quigley as Eurasian a category that apparently includes


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Pictures of Gong Li :
aquainted with when the Initial D movie premieres in UK cinemas at the end of the month and Chow Yun Fat who s also going to appear in Pirates of the Caribbean 3 which should be fun Taking another route is American born actress Devon Aoki imdb has this ah cute way of labelling both Miss Aoki and Miss Quigley as Eurasian a category that apparently includes
TOP GALLERY : maternity plus size clothes maid costumes, maternity pajamas 36dd bikini,
Saturday, September 4, 2010
kids model miami modeling I Want to Become a Video Vixen! How Can I?
kids model miami modeling I Want to Become a Video Vixen! How Can I?
Video Vixens are now treated like celebrities in our society and are more identifiable to the media then some of our politicians. They receive instant gratification to an elite club that once never existed. Women are turned on by the appeal and attention that it instantly brings. Immediately these girls are catapulted into the limelight and get invitations to the hottest parties, modeling contracts, book deals to write about their escapades, dates with wealthy celebrities, and extreme media coverage.It seems like these days more aspiring models are literally using their bodies to break into the modeling industry. While I dont think this concept is new, I do think with the Internet and influx of reality shows that more women are becoming bolder than ever to get attention. They have taken Girls Gone Wild to a different level.Your Assets If you are not born with enhanced features no problem. All one has to do now is go and get some extreme plastic surgery and enlarge their assets. The bigger your assets the more fame is sure to come your way. Plastic surgeons once had a conscience but now it is all about the money. If you have access to cash, you can get just about any surgery your heart imagines. If you cant find a surgeon to do it in the United States, well theres always another country where you can probably get the procedure at a discount.Mission Accomplished Once you have your enhancements instantly youll be considered as feature models in the music videos. Once you start doing music videos and getting more exposure doors just seem to fly open. Some women then go on to acting, calendars, hosting parties, reality shows, etc. Women do get their five minutes of fame and some video vixens are successfully able to sustain it.LisaRaye, Melyssa Ford, Karrine Steffans, Coco, and Amber Rose are all former Video Vixens who are quite successful today. They were more than just a beautiful face and body. They seized the moment and used this as a stepping stone to get to the next level.LisaRaye had a short stint at acting and was the First Lady of Turks and Caicos until her recent public divorce. Melyssa Ford is doing quite well for herself. She is doing lots of acting now and is working on producing a couple of films. In a recent interview she said that it is still hard to remove the stigma of video vixen even after many years of not doing music videos. She takes it with a grain of salt and keeps moving forward. Karrine Steffans is a three-time New York Times best-selling author. She continues to write about all of her escapades and is creating her own brand. Her most recent book entitled The Vixen Manual: How to Find, Seduce and Keep the Man you Want is flying off of shelves. Coco married former rapper Ice-T and Amber Rose is the on/off again boyfriend of rapper Kanye West who just signed with Ford Models need I say more.Tips Make sure you live in an area such as Miami, New York or California where the videos are being shot at. Video Vixens definitely cant be shy and should be outgoing and their bodies must be in excellent shape.
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Video Vixens are now treated like celebrities in our society and are more identifiable to the media then some of our politicians. They receive instant gratification to an elite club that once never existed. Women are turned on by the appeal and attention that it instantly brings. Immediately these girls are catapulted into the limelight and get invitations to the hottest parties, modeling contracts, book deals to write about their escapades, dates with wealthy celebrities, and extreme media coverage.It seems like these days more aspiring models are literally using their bodies to break into the modeling industry. While I dont think this concept is new, I do think with the Internet and influx of reality shows that more women are becoming bolder than ever to get attention. They have taken Girls Gone Wild to a different level.Your Assets If you are not born with enhanced features no problem. All one has to do now is go and get some extreme plastic surgery and enlarge their assets. The bigger your assets the more fame is sure to come your way. Plastic surgeons once had a conscience but now it is all about the money. If you have access to cash, you can get just about any surgery your heart imagines. If you cant find a surgeon to do it in the United States, well theres always another country where you can probably get the procedure at a discount.Mission Accomplished Once you have your enhancements instantly youll be considered as feature models in the music videos. Once you start doing music videos and getting more exposure doors just seem to fly open. Some women then go on to acting, calendars, hosting parties, reality shows, etc. Women do get their five minutes of fame and some video vixens are successfully able to sustain it.LisaRaye, Melyssa Ford, Karrine Steffans, Coco, and Amber Rose are all former Video Vixens who are quite successful today. They were more than just a beautiful face and body. They seized the moment and used this as a stepping stone to get to the next level.LisaRaye had a short stint at acting and was the First Lady of Turks and Caicos until her recent public divorce. Melyssa Ford is doing quite well for herself. She is doing lots of acting now and is working on producing a couple of films. In a recent interview she said that it is still hard to remove the stigma of video vixen even after many years of not doing music videos. She takes it with a grain of salt and keeps moving forward. Karrine Steffans is a three-time New York Times best-selling author. She continues to write about all of her escapades and is creating her own brand. Her most recent book entitled The Vixen Manual: How to Find, Seduce and Keep the Man you Want is flying off of shelves. Coco married former rapper Ice-T and Amber Rose is the on/off again boyfriend of rapper Kanye West who just signed with Ford Models need I say more.Tips Make sure you live in an area such as Miami, New York or California where the videos are being shot at. Video Vixens definitely cant be shy and should be outgoing and their bodies must be in excellent shape.
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mens underwear briefs plus size modeling agency You Can Be a Cruise Ship Owner Even If You Are Not Rich
mens underwear briefs plus size modeling agency You Can Be a Cruise Ship Owner Even If You Are Not Rich
Unlike fractional ownership of aircraft and houseboats, fractional owners of a cruise ship can all use the ship simultaneously. There is plenty of room for you and the other owners to live on the ship any time you want, or all the time. You can use it as a full-time residence, and so can the other co-owners.The first obvious benefit of shared ownership is acquisition cost. There are many cruise ships on the market in all price ranges, sizes, ages, and conditions. There are many smaller and older cruise ships available for less than one million dollars. At the lower end, some smaller cruise ships in fair condition can be acquired for about $250,000. At the highest end, the biggest new mega cruise ships now cost about $500 million to build.Do the math. If one hundred buyers pool resources in exchange for a percentage of ship ownership, the acquisition cost will be divided by that same number. One percent ownership of a $250,000 cruise ship would cost a mere $2500 for ship acquisition. At the other end of the scale, one percent ownership of a brand new mega cruise ship would cost five million dollars.There are some other figures that must be tabulated into the total cost of ownership. Acquisition cost is first and foremost. The next figure is the cost to put the ship in service. On an older ship this cost may be higher than the acquisition cost. On the other hand, the cost to put a ship into service can be much lower if you were to get a good deal on a ship that already meets the international standards for ship safety, especially SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea). Maintaining compliance with Chapter II SOLAS 74 amendments is cost prohibitive for some older ships and they are typically scrapped instead of being refurbished at great expense. There is a very important SOLAS implementation date coming up on January 10, 2010. On that date all commercial international ships will be required to be in compliance with the new fire safety codes. The most important new codes deal with the use of combustible materials in the ship. It will be expensive to replace all combustible materials in ships with non-combustible or flame resistant SOLAS compliant materials that meet the new safety standards. This will result in many ships being sold for scrap metal.The looming SOLAS 2010 implementation date offers both perils and opportunities. The biggest peril is the possibility that the expense to bring a ship into full compliance with international standards will be greater than the value of the ship. However, there is a silver lining in this cloud. This pending SOLAS implementation date has already started to show up as a primary factor in the asking and selling prices of ships on the market today.SOLAS 2010 also offers a tremendous opportunity for those who may prefer to have a very large houseboat instead of a commercial ship. Ships that are not in compliance with SOLAS 2010 are now selling for a song (inexpensively). A cruise ship can easily be converted into a megayacht with the stroke of a pen. Privately owned yachts, not in commercial service, and not carrying passengers or cargo for hire are exempt from many of the SOLAS requirements. Operating costs are also lower for a private yacht. It cost less to register, flag, and insure a private yacht. Megayachts can be flagged and classified for unlimited service. That means that a megayacht can go practically anywhere you want it to go. There is one major drawback to registering a cruise ship as a private yacht. You cannot use the yacht commercially. This cuts off a potential revenue source.There are many decent cruise ships for sale at prices of less than one million dollars that would make good private megayachts. For example, take the VERGINA SKY is a ship that I have personally inspected and so I can talk first hand about it. The asking price was $750,000. Here are the specifics of the ship in a nutshell:Current Name: Vergina SkyShip Details: Built: 1971 in Japan - totally rebuilt 1992 in GreeceDimensions: LOA 97.8m x LBP 82m x beam 14.6m x draft 4.49m Dwt: 500 on 4,49 GT/NT: 4,668 / 1,717Description: Pielstick 2 x 8400bhp, twin screw, bow thruster, 3 x 500kw generators, 16 knots, 2 saloons, restaurant, 3 bars, casino, duty free shop, disco, swimming pool, 120 cabins for 318 guests. Lying GreeceMy Comments after inspecting the shipThis is a well built little Pocket Cruiser. At just over 320 in length overall, it is a small cruise ship. Many experienced cruise passengers prefer smaller more intimate cruise ships for a variety of reasons. This ship can go places where the big cruise ships cannot reach, such as shallow draft ports and even many rivers. It has an omni-directional bow thruster and can turn on a dime (relatively speaking of course). I have carefully examined this ship from the engine log to the ultrasound hull report. This is a sound and safe little cruise ship. It is also a very fuel efficient and economical ship. My first time on this ship was in the middle of the summer in Greece when it was very hot outside. The ship is fully air conditioned and it was cool and comfortable inside the ship. I checked the engine room to see how many generators were running. I am happy to report that all the electric and air-conditioning requirements can be met by running just one of the three Daihatsu generators. These generators are very economical to operate in terms of fuel consumption and maintenance.I was able to negotiate with the owner, John Kosmas and get some concessions. I got the price down to $500,000. And at that price, he agreed to bring the ship into compliance with SOLAS 2005 and also to include new paint topside. The ship was fairly well furnished even including bed linen, but the ship had been laid up for years. Its most recent service was in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. Cruise ships that trade exclusively in the Mediterranean and Black Seas tend to have smaller cabins and fewer amenities than the typical cruise ships that frequent the Caribbean. The bottom line is that this ship was an economy model, not a luxury model. When I was inspecting the engine room, I asked for the engine log. When I opened it I noticed all the entries were in Greek. I was able to discern some dates and other data that told me when the ship was last in service, but I could not read the Greek entries so I handed the engine log back to the ship owner, and told him Its all Greek to me. Being Greek, Mr. Kosmas failed to find the humor in that.Lets look at the numbers on this ship. 100% of the acquisition cost would have been $500,000. 1% thus = $5000. One hundred buyers could own one percent each. There are 120 cabins so each co-owner could have a private cabin with 20 cabins left over. However, these cabins are a bit on the small side. Every cabin does have a bath and shower, but the size is just too small to be comfortable for most people, especially if the owners intend to live onboard full time. On a ship this size I would recommend that there be no more than 60 joint owners so each can have two cabins and will have the option of converting those two cabins into a two room suite. To keep the numbers simple lets say that this ship has 50 buyers who each buy 2% of the ship. Buy in cost per owner would then be $10,000. If there were only ten buyers, then the acquisition cost per buyer would be $50,000. $50,000 will not buy much of a house on land, but on this ship it would buy 10% of a ship like the Vergina Sky and twelve cabins that could be converted into a fairly large home.At the economy end of the scale, a co owner could buy 1% of an economical cruise ship for about $5000. However it is not necessary for all co owners to have equal shares in the ship. Ownership can easily be divided up into 1% increments. If one buyer wanted 5%, then his cost of acquisition would be $25,000. He would be entitled to 5% of the ships cabins, and would have five votes on operations and management of the ship, such as itinerary planning.Before becoming a joint owner, it would be imperative to find other people who have similar goals. I would suggest composing a preliminary DCCR (DECLARATION OF COVENANTS, CONDITIONS AND RESTRICTIONS). You can do this before you even shop for a ship. Write your version of how you envision the shared ownership of a cruise ship as it should be. Then see if you can find some people who agree with your goals and your DCCR, subject to some revisions and concessions to accommodate other joint owners.Step One: Determine if you and your family have the desire and financial capability to become joint cruise ship (or megayacht) owners.Step Two: Find others who agree with your concept for shared ownership of a ship.Step Three: Shop for a ship. This is the fun part.Step Four: Buy a ship.Step Five: Put the ship into service.Even if you are not rich, you can afford to jointly own a cruise ship. But then comes the next logical question: Why would you or anyone want to live on a cruise ship? Who would this be suitable for?If you are retired or otherwise have a stable income from a dependable source you probably can afford to be a cruise ship co-owner and live full-time onboard a cruise ship. If you work in a field where you can work from home online, then you too can probably afford to become a co-owner of a cruise ship. Most modern ships have satellite Internet service available 24-7.Operating a cruise ship is expensive. The expenses include the cost of fuel, labor, maintenance, repairs, spares, food, port charges, insurance, technical management, shore management, registration, and the other costs of operating the ship. At first glance these costs may seem expensive, but in reality the cost of living at sea is actually a bargain considering what you get based upon what you pay. The best value does not always translate to the cheapest price. If the ship is well managed, the management will seek the highest quality goods, services, and labor at the very best global value. If the owners are dissatisfied with either technical or shore management, they replace them.If there are many other co-owners of the ship to split the operating expenses of the ship, it can be affordable for those with a moderate level of income, such as a retirement check. I do have specific operating cost figures but I wont bore you with that data. The bottom line is that it would not be prohibitively expensive for a middle-class average person to be able to afford to own a fraction of a cruise ship and be able to afford to live on the cruise ship full-time if they elect to do so.For comparison purposes it is noteworthy that you have expenses in land based housing too. Those expenses include property taxes, homeowners insurance, maintenance and repairs, yard care, and utilities. Additionally you have transportation costs and of course food costs. Most people also spend money on entertainment too. When these expenses are added up the maintenance fees for living aboard a ship are comparable.There are actually some savings resulting from living aboard a ship. The ships executive chef buys food and kitchen supplies in bulk for the ship and can get better prices than the average shopper. Other savings result from the large freezers and the mobility of the ship giving the food service management the ability to stock up on supplies in countries where prices are low. Some crew and owners may choose to fish for leisure. This can supply some fresh food at even lower costs to the owners. Labor savings are realized when the crew is hired based upon the best global labor rates. The laws of supply and demand drive prices down in some places in the world. Proper ship management can capitalize on these disparities. All the savings would be passed on to the cabin owners resulting in an economical cost of living similar to what you could expect to spend with a conventional home. Ship management should have accounting transparency will all books (financial records) open and available for any owner to inspect. Also ship management should submit all financial records quarterly to an outside auditor for the peace of mind of the owners. Anybody in the chain who spends any of the ships operational funds should also be periodically audited. For example, a good way to audit the executive chef would be for one or more of the live-aboard co-owners of the ship to go to the food market district of each port of call and they should try to haggle and get a better price for the same food than the price the executive chef was able to acquire. If the executive chef cannot find better deals than the ships co-owners, then the executive chef should be given his walking papers. The executive chef position is a vital position on a cruise ship. This is a position of trust because he will bill the food he buys to the ship. He must never be tempted to accept bribes from vendors or suppliers. Therefore, he should know that he will be routinely audited and any substandard performance will result in termination of his employment.The biggest value of all onboard cruise ship is in labor costs. The better cruise ships tend to be labor intensive, providing passengers with unrelenting attention and extravagant pampering. The hotel staff on all cruise ships provides the basic services including food preparation and serving, laundry, cabin stewarding, entertainment, casino operation, beauty shop operations, This is one area where I would prefer to not scrimp because of the very good value in these services due to the low cost of international labor. I would prefer to go beyond the level that most cruise ships go in the area of spas. Land based luxury and specialty resort spas are very expensive, but the exact same level of service, professionalism, skill, and treatments can be provided on a cruise ship at extremely low cost. Labor is the key and the primary reason for most of the expense of spas. Labor is a tremendous value on a cruise ship because the cruise ship managers can choose workers from the global marketplace where it is easy to get the best value for the money.SpasSpa treatment is customized for each client. Spas commonly offer services such as:Soothing massage therapies, skin and body treatments drawing from European and Eastern principles, expert hair and nail services, and a full menu of therapeutic treatments utilizing a deep-cleansing facial at the start of the program, as well as a series of detoxification and contouring wraps, lypo-reduction wrap, as well as marine mud and herb wraps. Massage Therapies including: Swedish Massage, Shiatsu Massage, Deep Tissue Treatment, Maternity Massage, Therapeutic Foot Massage (Reflexology), French Hydrotherapy Massage.The healing therapies include a variety of massages, reflexology, facials, firming and many other body treatments. Plus a wide variety of services and wellness programs specially designed to meet the individuals needs and desires. A full service salon offers all manner of hair treatments (including a certified colorist), as well as a variety of manicures, pedicures, and facelifts for your hands. Extensive skin care includes: Age Management Therapies including, Glycolic Facial, Anti-Aging Facial Peel, Microdermabrasion; Facials including: Aromaplasty Facial, Teen Facial, Gentlemans Facial, Nutrisource Facial, Regulating Acne Facial, Vitamin C Skin Renewal Facial; Body Treatments including: Decleor Sauna Mask, French Hydrotherapy Massage, Andromeda Salt Glow, Mummy Mud Mask, Seaweed Body Wrap, Safe Sun Treatment, Herbal Wrap; as well as various hair and nail treatments.Additionally, spas also can facilitate weight reduction programs, and even administer physical therapy. In short, you can be treated like a king, on the budget of a pauper.Labor Costs - International competition provides the most value to the ship owners.On paper it seems to make good sense to man the ship with a Philippine crew. I love the Philippines. I have been there several times. English is still widely spoken and usually spoken quite well. The people are usually friendly and happy to see foreign tourists. A large percentage of ships worldwide are manned by crews from the Philippines. The Philippine government has a pretty good structure and system to facilitate the export of Philippine labor. In spite of how attractive it seems on paper, I would recommend NOT hiring a crew from the Philippines. Philippine workers tend to be envious of others, and especially of everybody elses wages. They tend to think they are getting the raw end of the deal. It is rare to find a Filipino who is happy with his employment. While I am sure there are many good employees from the Philippines, there are more who are dissatisfied than satisfied with their employment. There seems to be a cultural anomaly in the Philippines where people feel that employers are bad s. I would hesitate to recommend a crew from the Philippines in spite of the apparent advantages on paper.My recommendation (for what it is worth)I do know something about what I am writing about here. I am the former President of Adventure Spa Cruise. My advice is not just uninformed ranting. Back to the point now, the second best manning nation for a ship is India. I highly recommend India for the medical staff and the entire hotel staff, including the spa, and every other position except the deck and engineering. The labor costs in India are very attractive. I would also recommend using an Indian based manning agency. It is best if the ships owners do not have to deal with every employee issue or concern. The manning agency takes the pressure off the ships management, and their service is very reasonable. Indian employees tend to make better employees than do Filipinos. Indians also speak English, albeit not quite as well as Filipinos. I know Americans tend to get all worked up when someone uses a broad brush to paint an entire ethnicity. I love the people from the Philippines, but as employees they tend to be more problematic than do Indian employees. I realize that this statement is politically incorrect, and these days that might get me thrown in jail. I usually do not worry so much about being politically correct. I call it the way I see I and I let the cards fall where they may, and hope I can stay out of jail for speaking my mind.All deck and engineering positions should be filled with an all Ukrainian crew. The ship will realize the most value for the money with Ukrainian deck and engineering staff. The Ukraine has a long maritime history and tradition. Maritime training and standards in the Ukraine are among the best in the world. Ukrainian deck and engineering staff are as good as or better than any other, but the cost of their labor is a very good value. The labor for deck officer and engineering staff are governed by international agreements, including STCW (Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers).Putting a cruise ship into serviceAfter acquiring the ship, it will require some more investment to put it into service. At this point the joint owners will need to reach some agreements on many points. The cost of putting a cruise ship into service as a megayacht (very large private yacht) is much less than putting the ship into commercial service. However, if you can afford to buy a ship can easily meet SOLAS 2010 requirements, and can afford to flag and register it as a commercial ship then you can use the ship commercially to produce income and ROI (return on investment).There are many marketing options for a commercial cruise ship. If the owners use no more than half the cabins, then that will leave sufficient means to produce enough revenue to at least pay for operating costs, and possibly produce a profit above operating costs. I will just briefly touch on some of the options available for marketing cruise ship capacity.1. Conventional cruises. There is a trade-off here. You can produce revenue by providing conventional cruises. This will require that the ship have an itinerary that suits the commercial cruising market.2. Freight and cargo. Some cruise ships have enough cargo capacity to produce some revenue by booking freight.3. Assisted living. A cruise ship is well suited for assisted living, including crew and facilities. The going rate for assisted living in the average city in America is higher than the average cost of a cruise of the same duration.4. Timeshares. This is an option not available to conventional cruise ship operators but could be facilitated if your co-owners agree to this type of marketing to fill cabins not used by co-owners. I will not go into the figures here, but timeshares tend to be high profit sales. There is a good chance that if the joint owners use no more than half the ships cabins for their own personal use, the remaining cabins could easily produce more than the total amount all the joint owners combined have invested.Ships that would easily meet SOLAS 2010 tend to cost a bit more money to buy up front, and cost more to put into service. So I will give you couple of examples.The Orient Venus is one of my favorite high-end ships. The specs:M/V ORIENT VENUSBUILT: JULY 1990 AT I.H.I.TOKYOJAPANESE FLAGJG. NK OCEAN GOINGGRT: 21,884 TONSDWT: 4,863 TONS ON 6.50 MLOA x B x D : 174.0x24.0x8.7 MM/ENG: DIESEL UNITED-12PC2-6V x 2 SETS ,TWIN SCREW CPPSPEED: SERVICE ABT21.0 KNOTS / ABT 56.70MT /DFUEL TANKS CAPA: IFO 1,500.4 M3 /MDO 87.30M3GENERATOR: 1,600KWxAC450Vx60HZx 3 SETSENGINE ROOM M0 SYSTEMSCRUISING RANGE: ABT 7,000MILEPASSENGERS: MAX 606 PERSONSCREW: 120 PERSONSABA WOGDELIVERY: BY ARRANGEMENTINSPECTION : KOBE.JAPANOWNERS PRICE USD 22 MIL net hereMy personal assessment of the Orient VenusIt is a late model and beautiful ship. It has many highly desirable attributes for a residential ship. It is a high end luxury cruise ship with an extraordinarily high tonnage to passenger ratio. This is very important for a residential ship. More living room and more space per passenger is far more essential for a residential ship than for a conventional cruise ship. When passengers are only on a ship for a short time, they can tolerate cramped living quarters, but when they live year-round on a ship, the extra space is quite valuable. The owners have been trying to sell this ship for $22,000,000. That may seem like a high price, but when you divide it by the number of cabins (195) the asking price per cabin is $102,564. This price is in line with what you would expect to pay for a condominium. The last word I got from the owners is that they will sell the ship for $18,000,000 now ($92,307 per cabin). The cabins are all outside cabins and are large. The ship can accommodate 606 passengers and a crew of 120, for a total of 726 people.Several ship brokers have this ship listed. I usually do not talk to ship brokers. I prefer to talk directly with the ship owners. I am in contact with the owners of the Orient Venus. I could probably get this stunningly beautiful ship for less than $15,000,000 today, and get some concessions and extras thrown in to boot.Another example of a high end ship that would make do well as a commercial cruise ship, plus accommodate a hundred or so full-time live aboard co-owners is the Dream Princess, originally named Song of Norway.GRT: 22,945Max Draft: 6.7 M in sea waterLength: 194 M.Total No. of Cabins: 538Total No. Of Beds + Berth: 1280Outside Cabins: 346Inside Cabins: 192Cabins size range: SQ. M: 11 -18.Main Engines: 4 Wartsila Sulzer - 18,000 HP.Service Speed: 16 Knots.Public Rooms:Main Dinning room - King & I- about 500 pax.South Pacific Lounge about 400 pax.My Fair Lady Lounge about 500 pax.Bars- 5Self Service Restaurant on the swimming pool deckLarge Swimming poolDiscoCasinoDuty Free ShopsGym8 passenger decksextensive outdoor areasShip was redecorated / refurbished extensively during 2005.The asking price on this ship is $31 million USD. Divide the asking price by the number of cabins and the average cost per cabin would be $57,620. Of course some cabins are better than others so co-owners would have to agree of the shared usage before agreeing to the purchase.I have some bad news for the ship owners and some good news for you. This ship will not sell for the asking price.FuelShip fuel is cheaper than automobile fuel for a few reasons. There are no road taxes on ship fuel of course and also it is different fuel. Ships main engines usually run on IFO180 or IFO380. Generator engines tend to be more finicky and commonly require diesel (MDO), which is still cheaper than automotive diesel. IFO 180 and 380 costs much less than MDO, usually about half the price. Ships consume a lot of fuel. So fuel cost is a major concern. I have some suggestions. If I were a co-owner of a ship I would be willing to invest a little more in the ship to increase fuel efficiency, and thus lower operating costs. There are many things that can be done to increase fuel efficiency. I would start with hull resistance. There is a new silicone-based paint from International Paints that when applied to the hull reduces amount of resistance in the water sufficiently to result in a 3 to 5% decrease in fuel consumption. A similar coating for the propellers also has been proven to increase fuel efficiency. In addition to hull and prop coatings, there is an even more promising way to achieve dramatic fuel savings.There is a company called Kiteship that has developed and produces kites for racing sailboats. These sailing kites do not require a mast. The kites fly high above the vessel, attached by cable and controlled from the vessel. Dave Culp of Kiteship has done a technical feasibility study on fitting a very large kite onto a conventional cruise ship. This would dramatically reduce fuel consumption. It would convert a fuel guzzler to a green machine. This is tantamount to converting a powerboat into a sail boat. The design of a cruise ship limits the amount of sail that a conventional ship can safely accommodate. A cruise ship lacks the ballast of a sail boat. If used in addition to the main engine(s) the kite will increase fuel efficiency. If the kite is used to pull the ship with the main engines shut down the ships speed will be reduced substantially. However, in this case, not only would the ship save IFO (main engine fuel) but also save MDO (generator engine fuel). If the kite were pulling the ship unassisted by the ships engines, then the propellers could be used to propel the ships generators without firing up the diesel generator engines. Even if the ship were traveling very slowly in the water, the propellers would turn in reverse if freed from the main engines. This is a very simple and easy task for the ships engineer to accomplish. In other words, the ship can be pulled by the kite, and that motion will push the ships propellers providing power to produce electricity and power the air-conditioning without using any fuel. The trade-off is a loss of speed and also some tacking is required, further reducing actual speed. Whats the rush? Why not go for maximum fuel savings? The salient point is that a high flying large kite can pull a cruise ship. If I were a co-owner of a cruise ship I would hope to find like minded co-owners who would be receptive to using such state-of-the-art technologies to save fuel.There are hundreds of cruise ships on the market but I will just mention one more here. This cruise ship has RO/RO (Roll-On, Roll-Off) capability. This would be very convenient for live aboard owners who want to bring their toys with them. The garage deck will accommodate 6 to 8 trucks, or 60 to 80 cars. That converts to a lot of co-owner toys such as motorhomes, travel trailers, campers, cabin cruisers, ski boats, jet skis, sailboats, houseboats, bass boats, motorcycles, ATVs, cars, and trucks.Specifications:650 PASSENGER CRUISE SHIP FOR SALEVESSEL IS FULLY FITTED WITH SPRINKLERSSOLAS 2005/2010 FITTEDTWIN SCREW CRUISEVESSEL DIMENSIONS LOA 137.10 X BREADTH 21.00 X 5.8 METERS DRAFTBUILT 1981 / POLANDREBUILT 1991REBUILT - UPGRADED 1999REBUILT - RENOVATED - REFURBISHED 2002CLASS R.S. ICE CLASS L2GRT 12637PASSENGERS 650 IN 230 CABINS (BASIS 3 BERTH OCCUPANCY)ALL CABINS WITH PRIVATE FACILITIES (INCLUDING SUITES AND SEMI SUITES)9 DECKSHELICOPTER PADMAIN ENGINES SULZER 4 X 4,350 BHPSPEED ABOUT 17.5 / 15 KNOTS ON ABOUT 45 / 36 M/TONS + 9 TONS DIESEL OILBOWTHRUSTER 800 BHPSTABILIZERS120 TONS PER DAY WATER MAKERRECEPTIONLOUNGERESTAURANT (420 SEATS)NINE BARSCASINODUTY FREE SHOPCHILDRENS PLAY ROOM - TWO DISCOSTV/MOVIE CORNERDUTY FREE SHOPSHAIRDRESSING SHOPJACUZZIONE PASSENGER ELEVATORLAUNDRY SPA & HEALTH CLUBTWO SAUNASCLINICTWO SWIMMING POOLS ( & CHILDREN)Cost per cabin based on asking price, $71,739. This ship will sell for less than asking price. It is already SOLAS 2010 compliant. It would cost very little to put into commercial service.ConclusionBecoming a co-owner of a cruise ship is not a far fetched idea. It is practical and feasible if you are able to find like minded people who would be willing to share the expenses.
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Unlike fractional ownership of aircraft and houseboats, fractional owners of a cruise ship can all use the ship simultaneously. There is plenty of room for you and the other owners to live on the ship any time you want, or all the time. You can use it as a full-time residence, and so can the other co-owners.The first obvious benefit of shared ownership is acquisition cost. There are many cruise ships on the market in all price ranges, sizes, ages, and conditions. There are many smaller and older cruise ships available for less than one million dollars. At the lower end, some smaller cruise ships in fair condition can be acquired for about $250,000. At the highest end, the biggest new mega cruise ships now cost about $500 million to build.Do the math. If one hundred buyers pool resources in exchange for a percentage of ship ownership, the acquisition cost will be divided by that same number. One percent ownership of a $250,000 cruise ship would cost a mere $2500 for ship acquisition. At the other end of the scale, one percent ownership of a brand new mega cruise ship would cost five million dollars.There are some other figures that must be tabulated into the total cost of ownership. Acquisition cost is first and foremost. The next figure is the cost to put the ship in service. On an older ship this cost may be higher than the acquisition cost. On the other hand, the cost to put a ship into service can be much lower if you were to get a good deal on a ship that already meets the international standards for ship safety, especially SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea). Maintaining compliance with Chapter II SOLAS 74 amendments is cost prohibitive for some older ships and they are typically scrapped instead of being refurbished at great expense. There is a very important SOLAS implementation date coming up on January 10, 2010. On that date all commercial international ships will be required to be in compliance with the new fire safety codes. The most important new codes deal with the use of combustible materials in the ship. It will be expensive to replace all combustible materials in ships with non-combustible or flame resistant SOLAS compliant materials that meet the new safety standards. This will result in many ships being sold for scrap metal.The looming SOLAS 2010 implementation date offers both perils and opportunities. The biggest peril is the possibility that the expense to bring a ship into full compliance with international standards will be greater than the value of the ship. However, there is a silver lining in this cloud. This pending SOLAS implementation date has already started to show up as a primary factor in the asking and selling prices of ships on the market today.SOLAS 2010 also offers a tremendous opportunity for those who may prefer to have a very large houseboat instead of a commercial ship. Ships that are not in compliance with SOLAS 2010 are now selling for a song (inexpensively). A cruise ship can easily be converted into a megayacht with the stroke of a pen. Privately owned yachts, not in commercial service, and not carrying passengers or cargo for hire are exempt from many of the SOLAS requirements. Operating costs are also lower for a private yacht. It cost less to register, flag, and insure a private yacht. Megayachts can be flagged and classified for unlimited service. That means that a megayacht can go practically anywhere you want it to go. There is one major drawback to registering a cruise ship as a private yacht. You cannot use the yacht commercially. This cuts off a potential revenue source.There are many decent cruise ships for sale at prices of less than one million dollars that would make good private megayachts. For example, take the VERGINA SKY is a ship that I have personally inspected and so I can talk first hand about it. The asking price was $750,000. Here are the specifics of the ship in a nutshell:Current Name: Vergina SkyShip Details: Built: 1971 in Japan - totally rebuilt 1992 in GreeceDimensions: LOA 97.8m x LBP 82m x beam 14.6m x draft 4.49m Dwt: 500 on 4,49 GT/NT: 4,668 / 1,717Description: Pielstick 2 x 8400bhp, twin screw, bow thruster, 3 x 500kw generators, 16 knots, 2 saloons, restaurant, 3 bars, casino, duty free shop, disco, swimming pool, 120 cabins for 318 guests. Lying GreeceMy Comments after inspecting the shipThis is a well built little Pocket Cruiser. At just over 320 in length overall, it is a small cruise ship. Many experienced cruise passengers prefer smaller more intimate cruise ships for a variety of reasons. This ship can go places where the big cruise ships cannot reach, such as shallow draft ports and even many rivers. It has an omni-directional bow thruster and can turn on a dime (relatively speaking of course). I have carefully examined this ship from the engine log to the ultrasound hull report. This is a sound and safe little cruise ship. It is also a very fuel efficient and economical ship. My first time on this ship was in the middle of the summer in Greece when it was very hot outside. The ship is fully air conditioned and it was cool and comfortable inside the ship. I checked the engine room to see how many generators were running. I am happy to report that all the electric and air-conditioning requirements can be met by running just one of the three Daihatsu generators. These generators are very economical to operate in terms of fuel consumption and maintenance.I was able to negotiate with the owner, John Kosmas and get some concessions. I got the price down to $500,000. And at that price, he agreed to bring the ship into compliance with SOLAS 2005 and also to include new paint topside. The ship was fairly well furnished even including bed linen, but the ship had been laid up for years. Its most recent service was in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. Cruise ships that trade exclusively in the Mediterranean and Black Seas tend to have smaller cabins and fewer amenities than the typical cruise ships that frequent the Caribbean. The bottom line is that this ship was an economy model, not a luxury model. When I was inspecting the engine room, I asked for the engine log. When I opened it I noticed all the entries were in Greek. I was able to discern some dates and other data that told me when the ship was last in service, but I could not read the Greek entries so I handed the engine log back to the ship owner, and told him Its all Greek to me. Being Greek, Mr. Kosmas failed to find the humor in that.Lets look at the numbers on this ship. 100% of the acquisition cost would have been $500,000. 1% thus = $5000. One hundred buyers could own one percent each. There are 120 cabins so each co-owner could have a private cabin with 20 cabins left over. However, these cabins are a bit on the small side. Every cabin does have a bath and shower, but the size is just too small to be comfortable for most people, especially if the owners intend to live onboard full time. On a ship this size I would recommend that there be no more than 60 joint owners so each can have two cabins and will have the option of converting those two cabins into a two room suite. To keep the numbers simple lets say that this ship has 50 buyers who each buy 2% of the ship. Buy in cost per owner would then be $10,000. If there were only ten buyers, then the acquisition cost per buyer would be $50,000. $50,000 will not buy much of a house on land, but on this ship it would buy 10% of a ship like the Vergina Sky and twelve cabins that could be converted into a fairly large home.At the economy end of the scale, a co owner could buy 1% of an economical cruise ship for about $5000. However it is not necessary for all co owners to have equal shares in the ship. Ownership can easily be divided up into 1% increments. If one buyer wanted 5%, then his cost of acquisition would be $25,000. He would be entitled to 5% of the ships cabins, and would have five votes on operations and management of the ship, such as itinerary planning.Before becoming a joint owner, it would be imperative to find other people who have similar goals. I would suggest composing a preliminary DCCR (DECLARATION OF COVENANTS, CONDITIONS AND RESTRICTIONS). You can do this before you even shop for a ship. Write your version of how you envision the shared ownership of a cruise ship as it should be. Then see if you can find some people who agree with your goals and your DCCR, subject to some revisions and concessions to accommodate other joint owners.Step One: Determine if you and your family have the desire and financial capability to become joint cruise ship (or megayacht) owners.Step Two: Find others who agree with your concept for shared ownership of a ship.Step Three: Shop for a ship. This is the fun part.Step Four: Buy a ship.Step Five: Put the ship into service.Even if you are not rich, you can afford to jointly own a cruise ship. But then comes the next logical question: Why would you or anyone want to live on a cruise ship? Who would this be suitable for?If you are retired or otherwise have a stable income from a dependable source you probably can afford to be a cruise ship co-owner and live full-time onboard a cruise ship. If you work in a field where you can work from home online, then you too can probably afford to become a co-owner of a cruise ship. Most modern ships have satellite Internet service available 24-7.Operating a cruise ship is expensive. The expenses include the cost of fuel, labor, maintenance, repairs, spares, food, port charges, insurance, technical management, shore management, registration, and the other costs of operating the ship. At first glance these costs may seem expensive, but in reality the cost of living at sea is actually a bargain considering what you get based upon what you pay. The best value does not always translate to the cheapest price. If the ship is well managed, the management will seek the highest quality goods, services, and labor at the very best global value. If the owners are dissatisfied with either technical or shore management, they replace them.If there are many other co-owners of the ship to split the operating expenses of the ship, it can be affordable for those with a moderate level of income, such as a retirement check. I do have specific operating cost figures but I wont bore you with that data. The bottom line is that it would not be prohibitively expensive for a middle-class average person to be able to afford to own a fraction of a cruise ship and be able to afford to live on the cruise ship full-time if they elect to do so.For comparison purposes it is noteworthy that you have expenses in land based housing too. Those expenses include property taxes, homeowners insurance, maintenance and repairs, yard care, and utilities. Additionally you have transportation costs and of course food costs. Most people also spend money on entertainment too. When these expenses are added up the maintenance fees for living aboard a ship are comparable.There are actually some savings resulting from living aboard a ship. The ships executive chef buys food and kitchen supplies in bulk for the ship and can get better prices than the average shopper. Other savings result from the large freezers and the mobility of the ship giving the food service management the ability to stock up on supplies in countries where prices are low. Some crew and owners may choose to fish for leisure. This can supply some fresh food at even lower costs to the owners. Labor savings are realized when the crew is hired based upon the best global labor rates. The laws of supply and demand drive prices down in some places in the world. Proper ship management can capitalize on these disparities. All the savings would be passed on to the cabin owners resulting in an economical cost of living similar to what you could expect to spend with a conventional home. Ship management should have accounting transparency will all books (financial records) open and available for any owner to inspect. Also ship management should submit all financial records quarterly to an outside auditor for the peace of mind of the owners. Anybody in the chain who spends any of the ships operational funds should also be periodically audited. For example, a good way to audit the executive chef would be for one or more of the live-aboard co-owners of the ship to go to the food market district of each port of call and they should try to haggle and get a better price for the same food than the price the executive chef was able to acquire. If the executive chef cannot find better deals than the ships co-owners, then the executive chef should be given his walking papers. The executive chef position is a vital position on a cruise ship. This is a position of trust because he will bill the food he buys to the ship. He must never be tempted to accept bribes from vendors or suppliers. Therefore, he should know that he will be routinely audited and any substandard performance will result in termination of his employment.The biggest value of all onboard cruise ship is in labor costs. The better cruise ships tend to be labor intensive, providing passengers with unrelenting attention and extravagant pampering. The hotel staff on all cruise ships provides the basic services including food preparation and serving, laundry, cabin stewarding, entertainment, casino operation, beauty shop operations, This is one area where I would prefer to not scrimp because of the very good value in these services due to the low cost of international labor. I would prefer to go beyond the level that most cruise ships go in the area of spas. Land based luxury and specialty resort spas are very expensive, but the exact same level of service, professionalism, skill, and treatments can be provided on a cruise ship at extremely low cost. Labor is the key and the primary reason for most of the expense of spas. Labor is a tremendous value on a cruise ship because the cruise ship managers can choose workers from the global marketplace where it is easy to get the best value for the money.SpasSpa treatment is customized for each client. Spas commonly offer services such as:Soothing massage therapies, skin and body treatments drawing from European and Eastern principles, expert hair and nail services, and a full menu of therapeutic treatments utilizing a deep-cleansing facial at the start of the program, as well as a series of detoxification and contouring wraps, lypo-reduction wrap, as well as marine mud and herb wraps. Massage Therapies including: Swedish Massage, Shiatsu Massage, Deep Tissue Treatment, Maternity Massage, Therapeutic Foot Massage (Reflexology), French Hydrotherapy Massage.The healing therapies include a variety of massages, reflexology, facials, firming and many other body treatments. Plus a wide variety of services and wellness programs specially designed to meet the individuals needs and desires. A full service salon offers all manner of hair treatments (including a certified colorist), as well as a variety of manicures, pedicures, and facelifts for your hands. Extensive skin care includes: Age Management Therapies including, Glycolic Facial, Anti-Aging Facial Peel, Microdermabrasion; Facials including: Aromaplasty Facial, Teen Facial, Gentlemans Facial, Nutrisource Facial, Regulating Acne Facial, Vitamin C Skin Renewal Facial; Body Treatments including: Decleor Sauna Mask, French Hydrotherapy Massage, Andromeda Salt Glow, Mummy Mud Mask, Seaweed Body Wrap, Safe Sun Treatment, Herbal Wrap; as well as various hair and nail treatments.Additionally, spas also can facilitate weight reduction programs, and even administer physical therapy. In short, you can be treated like a king, on the budget of a pauper.Labor Costs - International competition provides the most value to the ship owners.On paper it seems to make good sense to man the ship with a Philippine crew. I love the Philippines. I have been there several times. English is still widely spoken and usually spoken quite well. The people are usually friendly and happy to see foreign tourists. A large percentage of ships worldwide are manned by crews from the Philippines. The Philippine government has a pretty good structure and system to facilitate the export of Philippine labor. In spite of how attractive it seems on paper, I would recommend NOT hiring a crew from the Philippines. Philippine workers tend to be envious of others, and especially of everybody elses wages. They tend to think they are getting the raw end of the deal. It is rare to find a Filipino who is happy with his employment. While I am sure there are many good employees from the Philippines, there are more who are dissatisfied than satisfied with their employment. There seems to be a cultural anomaly in the Philippines where people feel that employers are bad s. I would hesitate to recommend a crew from the Philippines in spite of the apparent advantages on paper.My recommendation (for what it is worth)I do know something about what I am writing about here. I am the former President of Adventure Spa Cruise. My advice is not just uninformed ranting. Back to the point now, the second best manning nation for a ship is India. I highly recommend India for the medical staff and the entire hotel staff, including the spa, and every other position except the deck and engineering. The labor costs in India are very attractive. I would also recommend using an Indian based manning agency. It is best if the ships owners do not have to deal with every employee issue or concern. The manning agency takes the pressure off the ships management, and their service is very reasonable. Indian employees tend to make better employees than do Filipinos. Indians also speak English, albeit not quite as well as Filipinos. I know Americans tend to get all worked up when someone uses a broad brush to paint an entire ethnicity. I love the people from the Philippines, but as employees they tend to be more problematic than do Indian employees. I realize that this statement is politically incorrect, and these days that might get me thrown in jail. I usually do not worry so much about being politically correct. I call it the way I see I and I let the cards fall where they may, and hope I can stay out of jail for speaking my mind.All deck and engineering positions should be filled with an all Ukrainian crew. The ship will realize the most value for the money with Ukrainian deck and engineering staff. The Ukraine has a long maritime history and tradition. Maritime training and standards in the Ukraine are among the best in the world. Ukrainian deck and engineering staff are as good as or better than any other, but the cost of their labor is a very good value. The labor for deck officer and engineering staff are governed by international agreements, including STCW (Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers).Putting a cruise ship into serviceAfter acquiring the ship, it will require some more investment to put it into service. At this point the joint owners will need to reach some agreements on many points. The cost of putting a cruise ship into service as a megayacht (very large private yacht) is much less than putting the ship into commercial service. However, if you can afford to buy a ship can easily meet SOLAS 2010 requirements, and can afford to flag and register it as a commercial ship then you can use the ship commercially to produce income and ROI (return on investment).There are many marketing options for a commercial cruise ship. If the owners use no more than half the cabins, then that will leave sufficient means to produce enough revenue to at least pay for operating costs, and possibly produce a profit above operating costs. I will just briefly touch on some of the options available for marketing cruise ship capacity.1. Conventional cruises. There is a trade-off here. You can produce revenue by providing conventional cruises. This will require that the ship have an itinerary that suits the commercial cruising market.2. Freight and cargo. Some cruise ships have enough cargo capacity to produce some revenue by booking freight.3. Assisted living. A cruise ship is well suited for assisted living, including crew and facilities. The going rate for assisted living in the average city in America is higher than the average cost of a cruise of the same duration.4. Timeshares. This is an option not available to conventional cruise ship operators but could be facilitated if your co-owners agree to this type of marketing to fill cabins not used by co-owners. I will not go into the figures here, but timeshares tend to be high profit sales. There is a good chance that if the joint owners use no more than half the ships cabins for their own personal use, the remaining cabins could easily produce more than the total amount all the joint owners combined have invested.Ships that would easily meet SOLAS 2010 tend to cost a bit more money to buy up front, and cost more to put into service. So I will give you couple of examples.The Orient Venus is one of my favorite high-end ships. The specs:M/V ORIENT VENUSBUILT: JULY 1990 AT I.H.I.TOKYOJAPANESE FLAGJG. NK OCEAN GOINGGRT: 21,884 TONSDWT: 4,863 TONS ON 6.50 MLOA x B x D : 174.0x24.0x8.7 MM/ENG: DIESEL UNITED-12PC2-6V x 2 SETS ,TWIN SCREW CPPSPEED: SERVICE ABT21.0 KNOTS / ABT 56.70MT /DFUEL TANKS CAPA: IFO 1,500.4 M3 /MDO 87.30M3GENERATOR: 1,600KWxAC450Vx60HZx 3 SETSENGINE ROOM M0 SYSTEMSCRUISING RANGE: ABT 7,000MILEPASSENGERS: MAX 606 PERSONSCREW: 120 PERSONSABA WOGDELIVERY: BY ARRANGEMENTINSPECTION : KOBE.JAPANOWNERS PRICE USD 22 MIL net hereMy personal assessment of the Orient VenusIt is a late model and beautiful ship. It has many highly desirable attributes for a residential ship. It is a high end luxury cruise ship with an extraordinarily high tonnage to passenger ratio. This is very important for a residential ship. More living room and more space per passenger is far more essential for a residential ship than for a conventional cruise ship. When passengers are only on a ship for a short time, they can tolerate cramped living quarters, but when they live year-round on a ship, the extra space is quite valuable. The owners have been trying to sell this ship for $22,000,000. That may seem like a high price, but when you divide it by the number of cabins (195) the asking price per cabin is $102,564. This price is in line with what you would expect to pay for a condominium. The last word I got from the owners is that they will sell the ship for $18,000,000 now ($92,307 per cabin). The cabins are all outside cabins and are large. The ship can accommodate 606 passengers and a crew of 120, for a total of 726 people.Several ship brokers have this ship listed. I usually do not talk to ship brokers. I prefer to talk directly with the ship owners. I am in contact with the owners of the Orient Venus. I could probably get this stunningly beautiful ship for less than $15,000,000 today, and get some concessions and extras thrown in to boot.Another example of a high end ship that would make do well as a commercial cruise ship, plus accommodate a hundred or so full-time live aboard co-owners is the Dream Princess, originally named Song of Norway.GRT: 22,945Max Draft: 6.7 M in sea waterLength: 194 M.Total No. of Cabins: 538Total No. Of Beds + Berth: 1280Outside Cabins: 346Inside Cabins: 192Cabins size range: SQ. M: 11 -18.Main Engines: 4 Wartsila Sulzer - 18,000 HP.Service Speed: 16 Knots.Public Rooms:Main Dinning room - King & I- about 500 pax.South Pacific Lounge about 400 pax.My Fair Lady Lounge about 500 pax.Bars- 5Self Service Restaurant on the swimming pool deckLarge Swimming poolDiscoCasinoDuty Free ShopsGym8 passenger decksextensive outdoor areasShip was redecorated / refurbished extensively during 2005.The asking price on this ship is $31 million USD. Divide the asking price by the number of cabins and the average cost per cabin would be $57,620. Of course some cabins are better than others so co-owners would have to agree of the shared usage before agreeing to the purchase.I have some bad news for the ship owners and some good news for you. This ship will not sell for the asking price.FuelShip fuel is cheaper than automobile fuel for a few reasons. There are no road taxes on ship fuel of course and also it is different fuel. Ships main engines usually run on IFO180 or IFO380. Generator engines tend to be more finicky and commonly require diesel (MDO), which is still cheaper than automotive diesel. IFO 180 and 380 costs much less than MDO, usually about half the price. Ships consume a lot of fuel. So fuel cost is a major concern. I have some suggestions. If I were a co-owner of a ship I would be willing to invest a little more in the ship to increase fuel efficiency, and thus lower operating costs. There are many things that can be done to increase fuel efficiency. I would start with hull resistance. There is a new silicone-based paint from International Paints that when applied to the hull reduces amount of resistance in the water sufficiently to result in a 3 to 5% decrease in fuel consumption. A similar coating for the propellers also has been proven to increase fuel efficiency. In addition to hull and prop coatings, there is an even more promising way to achieve dramatic fuel savings.There is a company called Kiteship that has developed and produces kites for racing sailboats. These sailing kites do not require a mast. The kites fly high above the vessel, attached by cable and controlled from the vessel. Dave Culp of Kiteship has done a technical feasibility study on fitting a very large kite onto a conventional cruise ship. This would dramatically reduce fuel consumption. It would convert a fuel guzzler to a green machine. This is tantamount to converting a powerboat into a sail boat. The design of a cruise ship limits the amount of sail that a conventional ship can safely accommodate. A cruise ship lacks the ballast of a sail boat. If used in addition to the main engine(s) the kite will increase fuel efficiency. If the kite is used to pull the ship with the main engines shut down the ships speed will be reduced substantially. However, in this case, not only would the ship save IFO (main engine fuel) but also save MDO (generator engine fuel). If the kite were pulling the ship unassisted by the ships engines, then the propellers could be used to propel the ships generators without firing up the diesel generator engines. Even if the ship were traveling very slowly in the water, the propellers would turn in reverse if freed from the main engines. This is a very simple and easy task for the ships engineer to accomplish. In other words, the ship can be pulled by the kite, and that motion will push the ships propellers providing power to produce electricity and power the air-conditioning without using any fuel. The trade-off is a loss of speed and also some tacking is required, further reducing actual speed. Whats the rush? Why not go for maximum fuel savings? The salient point is that a high flying large kite can pull a cruise ship. If I were a co-owner of a cruise ship I would hope to find like minded co-owners who would be receptive to using such state-of-the-art technologies to save fuel.There are hundreds of cruise ships on the market but I will just mention one more here. This cruise ship has RO/RO (Roll-On, Roll-Off) capability. This would be very convenient for live aboard owners who want to bring their toys with them. The garage deck will accommodate 6 to 8 trucks, or 60 to 80 cars. That converts to a lot of co-owner toys such as motorhomes, travel trailers, campers, cabin cruisers, ski boats, jet skis, sailboats, houseboats, bass boats, motorcycles, ATVs, cars, and trucks.Specifications:650 PASSENGER CRUISE SHIP FOR SALEVESSEL IS FULLY FITTED WITH SPRINKLERSSOLAS 2005/2010 FITTEDTWIN SCREW CRUISEVESSEL DIMENSIONS LOA 137.10 X BREADTH 21.00 X 5.8 METERS DRAFTBUILT 1981 / POLANDREBUILT 1991REBUILT - UPGRADED 1999REBUILT - RENOVATED - REFURBISHED 2002CLASS R.S. ICE CLASS L2GRT 12637PASSENGERS 650 IN 230 CABINS (BASIS 3 BERTH OCCUPANCY)ALL CABINS WITH PRIVATE FACILITIES (INCLUDING SUITES AND SEMI SUITES)9 DECKSHELICOPTER PADMAIN ENGINES SULZER 4 X 4,350 BHPSPEED ABOUT 17.5 / 15 KNOTS ON ABOUT 45 / 36 M/TONS + 9 TONS DIESEL OILBOWTHRUSTER 800 BHPSTABILIZERS120 TONS PER DAY WATER MAKERRECEPTIONLOUNGERESTAURANT (420 SEATS)NINE BARSCASINODUTY FREE SHOPCHILDRENS PLAY ROOM - TWO DISCOSTV/MOVIE CORNERDUTY FREE SHOPSHAIRDRESSING SHOPJACUZZIONE PASSENGER ELEVATORLAUNDRY SPA & HEALTH CLUBTWO SAUNASCLINICTWO SWIMMING POOLS ( & CHILDREN)Cost per cabin based on asking price, $71,739. This ship will sell for less than asking price. It is already SOLAS 2010 compliant. It would cost very little to put into commercial service.ConclusionBecoming a co-owner of a cruise ship is not a far fetched idea. It is practical and feasible if you are able to find like minded people who would be willing to share the expenses.
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Friday, September 3, 2010
baby boy clothes woman How To Win Back A Woman - Things You Must Do
baby boy clothes woman How To Win Back A Woman - Things You Must Do
One of the hardest experiences that you will have to ever go through is trying to win back a woman after you and her have broken up. Relationships end and unfortunately, we are not always the ones who made that decision. If you want to win back a woman and you dont know what to do, you can easily find yourself going around in circles trying out different things to try and win her back.
To win back a woman, there are certain things that you MUST do. Otherwise, you can kiss her goodbye and move on. Winning back your ex-girlfriend is not always the easiest thing to do, but neither is moving on from a woman that you feel like you truly love.
If you really want to learn how to win back a woman, then pay attention.
Here are a few things that you MUST do to win her back:
1. Be about the situation. You dont want to appear childish in your attempts to win her back, as this will make her less likely to decide to give things another go with you. If you want to win back a woman, then you have to keep it on an level and not get caught up in petty little arguments with her or trying to put blame on her about the breakup.
2. Dont harass your ex girlfriend, let her GO. This is about the WORST decision a can make to try and win back a woman, and unfortunately, its pretty common. If you harass your ex girlfriend in an attempt to win her back, not only do you look like the bad , you also are going to drive her away and into the arms of someone else. You want to be able to have a clear frame of mind and realize that this is NOT the way to win her back.
3. Declare to yourself that you will get her back. The mind frame that you have when you want to win back a woman is VERY important. If you assume that you have no chance at winning back her love and her trust, then you probably will not make the right choices and do the steps needed to win her back. You have to believe that you CAN win her back and then plan out how you are going to do this. Dont allow yourself to talk negative to yourself about winning her back.
Want to learn a SIMPLE METHOD to win back YOUR woman?
Go to: Win Your Girlfriend Back and learn simple and easy ways to make her want YOU back
Copyright © 2009 Chris Tyler All Rights Reserved.
Source : http://www.articlesbase.com/breakup-articles/how-to-win-back-a-woman-things-you-must-do-1802007.html
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One of the hardest experiences that you will have to ever go through is trying to win back a woman after you and her have broken up. Relationships end and unfortunately, we are not always the ones who made that decision. If you want to win back a woman and you dont know what to do, you can easily find yourself going around in circles trying out different things to try and win her back.
To win back a woman, there are certain things that you MUST do. Otherwise, you can kiss her goodbye and move on. Winning back your ex-girlfriend is not always the easiest thing to do, but neither is moving on from a woman that you feel like you truly love.
If you really want to learn how to win back a woman, then pay attention.
Here are a few things that you MUST do to win her back:
1. Be about the situation. You dont want to appear childish in your attempts to win her back, as this will make her less likely to decide to give things another go with you. If you want to win back a woman, then you have to keep it on an level and not get caught up in petty little arguments with her or trying to put blame on her about the breakup.
2. Dont harass your ex girlfriend, let her GO. This is about the WORST decision a can make to try and win back a woman, and unfortunately, its pretty common. If you harass your ex girlfriend in an attempt to win her back, not only do you look like the bad , you also are going to drive her away and into the arms of someone else. You want to be able to have a clear frame of mind and realize that this is NOT the way to win her back.
3. Declare to yourself that you will get her back. The mind frame that you have when you want to win back a woman is VERY important. If you assume that you have no chance at winning back her love and her trust, then you probably will not make the right choices and do the steps needed to win her back. You have to believe that you CAN win her back and then plan out how you are going to do this. Dont allow yourself to talk negative to yourself about winning her back.
Want to learn a SIMPLE METHOD to win back YOUR woman?
Go to: Win Your Girlfriend Back and learn simple and easy ways to make her want YOU back
Copyright © 2009 Chris Tyler All Rights Reserved.
Source : http://www.articlesbase.com/breakup-articles/how-to-win-back-a-woman-things-you-must-do-1802007.html
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Ashley Tisdale is Very Vivienne

Ashley Tisdale is Very Vivienne

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Ashley Tisdale is Very Vivienne
Ashley Tisdale is Very Vivienne
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Thursday, September 2, 2010
women\'s swimsuits demi bra Chantelle Chantilly Bras - Look Lovely From Every Angle
women\'s swimsuits demi bra Chantelle Chantilly Bras - Look Lovely From Every Angle
Just outside Paris lies the city of Chantilly, famed as the origin of the lace that bears its name. In reality, much of it was originally produced in Bayeux, France and Geraardsbergen, now in Belgium. That fame was well earned, not least because of the intricate design of this special material. Still, never mind the history lesson.Chantelle has incorporated that distinctive design in a new line of bras. Come and see the Chantelle Chantilly bras collection. The floral pattern creates a lovely look in lingerie, so you get a piece that creates the best possible you.You can see that clearly in the Chantelle Chantilly Demi Cup Bra. A demi is a low-cut design that enhances cleavage. This sexy, sophisticated model shows just how that works out in your case. A close look reveals that unique floral pattern created in sheer lace. A close look at you wearing it reveals something that can be described in one word: gorgeous.That look is enhanced by ultra thin straps that are still comfortable and provide ample support. Yet, they practically disappear to provide lovely lines near the shoulders. Edged with lace trim, they preserve the Chantilly theme well. The pattern continues onto the band to ensure you look lovely from every angle. Then, turn it around to see the central bow at the gore in front, adding a lovely finishing touch.The Chantelle Chantilly Half Cup Bra is similar to a demi. In either black or fuchsia you get a bra that creates a sexy look - one more mysterious, the other lighthearted. Either way, you look your sexy best. And, thanks to a blend of 43% Polyester, 30% Polyamide, 23% Polyurethane, and 4% Elastane you feel your most comfortable wearing it. Fine French lingerie never before enjoyed such a perfect combination.Zoom in further to see how this sheer lace design offers a chic look that is unparalleled. Vertical banding along the cups and an underwire give you incredible support to go along with that divine style.Everyone loves variety, so Chantelle created a variation with the Chantelle Chantilly Padded Half Cup Bra model. You get the utmost in comfort and a design that never skimps on style. This model offers padding to add fullness and shape you, while retaining that divine half cup style.Available in sophisticated black, it looks equally sexy in white. Look angelic and devilish at the same time, thanks to solid-material cups that give you full coverage. Adjustable satin straps feature elegant trim and the Chantilly lace band continues the design of a piece of lingerie that is perfect for any special occasion.
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Just outside Paris lies the city of Chantilly, famed as the origin of the lace that bears its name. In reality, much of it was originally produced in Bayeux, France and Geraardsbergen, now in Belgium. That fame was well earned, not least because of the intricate design of this special material. Still, never mind the history lesson.Chantelle has incorporated that distinctive design in a new line of bras. Come and see the Chantelle Chantilly bras collection. The floral pattern creates a lovely look in lingerie, so you get a piece that creates the best possible you.You can see that clearly in the Chantelle Chantilly Demi Cup Bra. A demi is a low-cut design that enhances cleavage. This sexy, sophisticated model shows just how that works out in your case. A close look reveals that unique floral pattern created in sheer lace. A close look at you wearing it reveals something that can be described in one word: gorgeous.That look is enhanced by ultra thin straps that are still comfortable and provide ample support. Yet, they practically disappear to provide lovely lines near the shoulders. Edged with lace trim, they preserve the Chantilly theme well. The pattern continues onto the band to ensure you look lovely from every angle. Then, turn it around to see the central bow at the gore in front, adding a lovely finishing touch.The Chantelle Chantilly Half Cup Bra is similar to a demi. In either black or fuchsia you get a bra that creates a sexy look - one more mysterious, the other lighthearted. Either way, you look your sexy best. And, thanks to a blend of 43% Polyester, 30% Polyamide, 23% Polyurethane, and 4% Elastane you feel your most comfortable wearing it. Fine French lingerie never before enjoyed such a perfect combination.Zoom in further to see how this sheer lace design offers a chic look that is unparalleled. Vertical banding along the cups and an underwire give you incredible support to go along with that divine style.Everyone loves variety, so Chantelle created a variation with the Chantelle Chantilly Padded Half Cup Bra model. You get the utmost in comfort and a design that never skimps on style. This model offers padding to add fullness and shape you, while retaining that divine half cup style.Available in sophisticated black, it looks equally sexy in white. Look angelic and devilish at the same time, thanks to solid-material cups that give you full coverage. Adjustable satin straps feature elegant trim and the Chantilly lace band continues the design of a piece of lingerie that is perfect for any special occasion.
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