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"Why? Well, mainly because we've been burned too often. Certain journalists, particularly in the general news media, have taken our forecasts--they're really only educated guesses--and turned them into declarations of fact. Later those so-called facts come back to haunt us.
"Cars of the future? Third world markets? Very interesting to speculate about, but we'll pass, thank you," he added. "Besides, if you want to know the truth, our people are a lot more concerned about what the prime rate will be next year."
So what's the answer? How do you make reasonable, useful forecasts on the marketplace of the future?
Facts are what you need. Hard, tedious facts. Lots of digging and reading in the right places, and then some cautious extrapolation, with the solid lines prudently fracturing into dotted lines.
In the sections that follow, we're attempting to report facts--along with a few opinions from qualified sources--that will help you to plan for the future. You won't find all the facts you need, but perhaps you'll at least become inspired to dig, ask questions, think, and start constructing concrete plans. Trends to watch in the US marketplace
As you casually observe the people, trees, houses, cars, and other phenomena on the street come and og as usual, a neighbor gets a new car, another moves away, and season blends into season.
Deep down, though, the magma flows, and the plates shift. Important changes are taking place; you may not see or feel them, but they will have profound effects on the American marketplace of tomorrow. We're getting older and...
Back in October, 1982, the US Dept of Commerce's Bureau of the Census issued an interesting and important document called "Projections of the Population of the United States: 1982 to 2050 (Advance Report)." The projections are based on the July 1, 1981, population estimates and race definitions.
Among the Bureau's forecasts that would have a bearing on your company's marketing and manufacturing plans are the following:
Life expectancy for US males is assumed to rise from 70.7 years in 1981 to 73.3 in 2005 and 75.1 in 2050. Life expectancy for females will likely rise from 78.3 years in 1981 to 81.3 in 2005 and 83.6 in 2050.
Fertility rates are expected to remain fairly steady, increasing slightly from 1.83 births per women in 1980 to 1.96 in 2000, and then decreasing to 1.90 births per woman in 2050.
Net immigration is expected to be a constant 450,000 a year.
The annual rate of population growth will slow from 0.9 percent in 1981 to 0.6 percent in 2000, and will reach virtually zero population growth (ZPG) by 2050.
The total US population will increase from 230 million in 1981 to 268 million in 2000. Population will reach an alltime high of 309 million in 2050 before beginning to decline.
While the rate of births is projected to be negative after 2035, net immigration results in a growing population until 2050, after which the population will start to decline.
The Bureau notes that these changing components of population will likely lead to marked changes in the age and race distribution of the population during the next 70 years:
The percentage of the population 65 and over will rise from 11.4 percent in 1981 to 13.1 percent in 2000, and then to 21.7 percent in 2050. At the same time, the percentage of the population aged 85 and over will rise from 1.0 percent in 1981 to 1.9 percent in 2000, and to 5.2 percent in 2050.
In the school-age population--those aged 5 to 13 years--the total will decrease from 30.7 million in 1981 to 29.6 million in 1985. This group will then gradually increase to 34.4 million by 1995.
Secondary schoolers--those aged 14 to 17--will decline from 14.9 million in 1981 to 12.9 million in 1990, then increase to 15.4 million in 2000. People aged 18 and 19 will decline from 8.5 million in 1981 to 6.5 million in 1995, before rising slowly to 7.5 million by 2000.
The population of young adults aged 25 to 34 is likely to increase from 39 million in 1981 to 44 million in 1990. This group will then decline to 36 million by 2000.
Overall, said the Bureau, the US population will grow substantially older. The median age will increase from 30.3 years in 1981 to 36.3 years in 2000, and then to 41.6 years by 2050.
Racially, the percentage of the population that is black is projected to increase from 11.9 percent in 1981 to 13.4 percent in 2000, and 16.8 percent by 2050. The middle class is shrinking
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), US Dept of Labor, the percentage of American households that are usually described as "well to do"--those having total annual incomes of $50,000 or more--is growing. So, too, is the percentage of "poor" families, those earning $15,000 or less (see graph). Between those two groups, the middle class--families earning $15,000 to $35,000 a year--is shrinking.
According to recent figures from the BLS, the percentage of all US families comprising the middle class shrank (in constant 1982 dollars) from 53 percent of the total in 1970 to 44 percent last year. Those earning less than $15,000 a year grew from 26 percent in 1970 to 29 percent in 1982. During the same period, those families earning $50,000 or more grew from 22 percent to 27 percent.
Notably, the richest one fifth of families received nearly 43 percent of the country's total money income last year, the largest share in 30 years. That comes to more than 9 times what the poorest fifth earned. A decade ago, the richest fifth took in 7-1/2 times more than the poorest.
Bureau projections indicate that most gains in employment will continue to occur in the extremes of the income spectrum. This means that there likely will be more rich, more poor, and fewer in the middle. We're moving south and west
Bureau of the Census figures show that the shift of population to the Sunbelt continues. The fastest-growing state is Nevada, followed closely by Arizona and Wyoming. At the same time, though, the largest increases in gross numbers of people have been occurring in Texas and California.
"Their tastes (those of the people in Texas and California) are likely to be indicators or forerunners of the larger market," said Dr Roger D Blackwell, professor of consumer research at The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH. Co-author of the book called "Consumer Behavior" (CBS Publishing, 1982), Dr Blackwell gave a talk called "Changing life-styles: implications for auto manufacturing" at the Autofact 4 conference in Philadelphia.
"If you live in the northeast quadrant of the US, ZPG has already arrived," he added. "The State of New York declined in population by about 640,000 people, and other states declined also. Many auto dealers have gone out of business, of course, but some survive and prosper.
"Those firms that have learned to prosper in ZPG should become the models for future prosperity in the industry," he stressed. "If you were to study the auto models they are selling, the market targest they rifle toward, and their methods of management, you would probably have many clues to the future of the American auto industry."
The shift to the Sunbelt will likely result in some obvious differences in demands for products such as housing, air conditioning, and recreational and leisure products. More subtle, but highly significant, will be the impact on manufacturing.
"The process of abandoning older plants in the Frostbelt and building new ones in the Sunbelt is accelerating the renewal of US industries," said Stephen Moss, director of Operations Management Practice at Arthur D Little Inc, Cambridge, MA. "The newer plants tend to be equipped with current and more automated equipment. In addition, because much of the work force in the Sunbelt is more mobile and less well trained than that in the Frostbelt, industry is driven to do more training. This is beneficial for the overall competitiveness of US industry."
The shift to the south and west has begun to meet opposing forces, however, and may be slowing. "Companies that have been seeking the lower wages and better economies of production in the Sunbelt have also been fleeing the environmental restrictions found in the north and east," observed Richard S Lindstrom, senior member of Arthur D Little's Product Technology Group.
"Some southern states have been more lax than most Frostbelt states in environmental matters," he said. "As the population grows in the Sunbelt, though, state regulations there are becoming more stringent. For example, Texas is enacting some of the country's most stringent laws concerning pollution of air and water.
"Then, too, a number of Sunbelt cities have begun to experience problems such as availability of water and cost of housing. In California's Silicon Valley, for instance, many companies have given up trying to hire people from the east and midwest. Housing in the San Jose area has grown so expensive that people from other areas don't want to move there." Consumer attitudes are changing
Changes in population age groups, family incomes, and the relative cost of energy are among the main factors that have been altering the buying habits of Americans. Another is a shift in attitude toward what Ohio State's Dr Roger Blackwell called Frontier Consumerism.
"This is the frontier of intelligent consumption," he said. "Examples abound everywhere today. For instance, generic brands are capturing large market shares in some product categories, and couponing is growing. Off-price merchandising is very important, even in automobiles.
"The search is not for cheap products; the search is for value."
This shift to more intelligent consumption will have an impact not only on manufacturers that make consumer products, but also on industrial manufacturers that sell to the makers of consumer products.
"For industrial manufacturers, the purpose of studying changing life-styles is to anticipate the markets and problems of their potential customers," Blackwell said. "Companies that only react to the problems of their manufacturing customers are almost always commodity marketers, and that is a price game. The largest firm wins, and the rest accept low profitability and eventually ruin.
"To escape the commodity pricing problem, industrial marketers must anticipate the problems before their competitors, and recognize the problems--perhaps even before their competitors do," he continues. "Understanding consumer life-styles is an important tool for industrial manufacturers that seek the high margins and rapid growth that comes from anticipating the marketing environment."
As an example of successful anticipation, Blackwell pointed to a steel company, Allegheny Ludlum. In the late 1960s, Allegheny was like many other basic steel manufacturers. While other steelmakers were trying to maintain their old ways of selling old, established products to old, established customers, however, Allegheny began studying the future markets of consumer-product companies that would be growing and prospering. Then the steel company changes its internal organization to what would be needed in the future.
"That led them into the development of specialty products and manufacturing inputs for health care, food processing, leisure products, and other industries that would be prospering," Blackwell said. "They even changed their name to Allegheny International."
It seems a safe bet that successful old-line manufacturers of established products -- whether machine tools, autos, bicycles, or whatever -- will be emulating Allegheny in adapting to change, and in studying demographics and future consumer demands. Labor-intensive manufacturing continues to move elsewhere
The manufacture of products with high labor content -- for example, autos and electronic products -- has been moving offsore, and many observers think the trend will continue. A recent event that highlights the trend is Ford Motor Company's announced decision to build a new, small-car assembly plant in Hermosillo, Mexico. Estimated to cost $500 million, the plant will employ Mexican labor to assemble what Ford calls a "fairly sporty" subcompact car for sale primarily in North America.
According to a report in Business Week (January 23, 1984), another Mexican plant -- this one owned by the Japanese company Mazda Motor Co (formerly Toyo Kogyo Co), in which Ford has 25 percent ownership -- will supply major components for the new car. Industry observers speculate that the car may be a sporty derivative of mazda's successful 626.
"I expect that the share of the US auto market served by US plants will continue to decline," said Arthur D Little's Stephen Moss. "There will also be a decline in domestic content -- that is, the percentage of parts made in the US. Our automakers will earn their value-added dollars through their engineering and marketing expertise.
"In short, fewer and fewer cars will be built from scratch here," he continued, "Most cars are high priced already, and people are keeping them longer. If more domestic content were mandated, costs would continue to increase, the auto marketers would sell even fewer cars, and suppliers seeking protection would become even less competitive. Domestic content laws are not desirable in the long run."
In electronics manufacturing, much assembly of US-brand products continues to be done overseas. At the same time, though, our electronics manufacturers are making significant strides in gearing their domestic plants for automated assembly, notably the assembly of printed circuit boards.
This trend will likely accelerate, and in the years ahead, the industry will devote even more R&D to the design of the products themselves for automated fabrication, assembly, burn-in, and test. The critical role of energy
For now, we Americans are complacent about energy. The Administration thinks that natural market forces solve everything, so the Dept of Energy has been reduced to a token. Believing that there's plenty of oil available, and that gasoline prices will remain stable for the foreseeable future, many of us have returned to driving larger, less fuel-efficient cars.
US industry still expresses a concern about energy consumption and costs, but the conservation fervor whipped up by the oil crisis has cooled considerably. The big concern today is capital, not energy.
During the late 1970s, some US manufacturing companies achieved notable successes in reducing energy consumption. For instance, the Gillette Co of Boston, MA, now burns 40 percent less energy per each new razor blade produced than in 1972. And, under the aegis of Charles Feledy, corporate energy director, the United Technologies Corp of Hartford, CT, reduced the amount of energy consumed per unit of production by an amazing 55 percent. The OPEC problem
The scramble in this and other oil-consuming nations soon put the brakes on demand. With the price per barrel of crude dropping precipitously, the OPEC member nations fell into disarray. Now they present us with another, possibly more serious problem: they're becoming debtor nations, placing a further strain on the already taut credit market.
In 1983, Nigeria--OPEC's neediest member--borrowed $2 billion from the banks to reschedule its debt. Algeria borrowed $700 million last year, and will probably borrow a like amounts this year. Mexico, Brazil, and other member nations continue to borrow and refinance their debts.
According to a story in Business Week (December 26, 1983), Salomon Bros estimates that OPEC's current-account deficits totaled $33 billion for 1983, compared with $7 billion in 1982. Their debt will likely grow to $35 billion in 1984.
"Belt tightening by some of the countries will not change the prospect of big deficits throughout the decade," said the report. "That means the world's banks can expect a massive outfolow of funds."
Meanwhile many of our companies have reduced staffing and expenditures for energy conservation. UT's Feledy is out of a job, and the trend throughout industry is to reduce energy conservation from a corporate-level concern to a lower staff job, or even to plant- or division-level jobs.
Apparently we've done about as much as we're going to do. We've turned down the thermostat and installed a few electricity-saving systems. We even tolerate the federal government's continuing demand for gradual improvement of fuel-economy ratings in new autos.
Like the creeping vanguard glacier of an impending Ice Age, however, the problem is still there. It hasn't gone away; it has only pause for a few years in its relentless advance. We've grown accustomed to high-energy costs, but the prospect of much higher costs still looms, closer now, beginning to cast a shadow. Exploration more costly
If US industry isn't concerned about energy, it should be. There's only so much fossil fuel left in the ground, and it won't last forever. In the Middle East, where some 76 percent of the world's known oil reserves like, the wells will beging sucking air by 2010 to 2020. Already the 2 million barrels a day we've been pumping out of Alaska's North Slope have dropped off.
True, exploration continues in many areas, including Alaska, Indonesia, the coasts of China and Vietnam, and others. But, thus far this activity has been mostly speculation, and it grows more expensive every year.
Exploratory drilling in the North Sea and on the North Slope, for instance, have climbed to over $1000 a meter. This means that finding the capital just to look for oil has already become a problem. Add to that the increased costs for storage, pipelines, shipping, terminals, refineries, and so on, and you see the magnitude.
Even during our current complacency, energy watchers continue to sound the warning bell. Experts in the oil industry still anticipate that the cost per barrel could multiply several times by 2000. The American Gas Association predicts that by 1995, the cost of natural gas will have increased by 5 to 6 times. And analysts warn that the price per kilowatt hour of electricity will triple by 1990.
During the 1990s, they predict, the price will triple again, reaching 30^/kWH to 45^/kWH. That's 10 times the 1982 rate.
Of course, research in alterntive sources hasn't stopped altogether. Gasohol is a live possibility, but currently it doesn't seem economical. At NASA's Langley Research Center, experiments continue in the production and use of supercooled hydrogen as a jet-engine fuel. And at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM, researchers are working on a way to use molten salt for power generation. The salt transfers heat from the sun to a water supply; here steam is generated to drive a turbo-electric generator. We ship it out
Despite the warnings, most of us continue to regard fossil fuels as though they'll never run out. We mine and ship our coal as fast as the Europeans will buy it. Even with our conservation measures, we Americans--6 percent of the world's population--use one third of the earth's energy.
We'll have to face up to the rising costs of energy, and to the disappearance of fossil fuels. US manufacturers will also have to face the fact that energy is becoming an increasingly important cost factor in each unit produced. Here's why.
As companies automate their shops and plants, the cost of the labor in each unit produced rapidly decreases. At the same time, though, as the energy input is shifted from human labor to electrical power, the energy content in each unit produced increases. More and more electricity is used to run the machining centers, conveyors, computers, and so on, and this usage shows up in the production costs.
Trouble is, we Americans have not paid nearly as much attention to energy productivity as have some of our global competitors. As shown in the graph, France, Japan, West Germany, Italy--these and other industrialized nations have done far more to improve their energy productivity. Even the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union, often regarded as inefficient managers, have done better than we.
In the years ahead, our energy productivity will play an increasingly important role in determining our competitiveness. With the energy content rising in most manufactured goods, we'll need to devote much more effort to planning and designing energy out, just as we've been doing with the labor content.
"This nation's return to 'normalcy' cannot be taken as a signal that our energy crisis is over," concluded a report (Benchmarks 7, March 1982) from the American Productivity Center, Houston, TX. "Significant improvement in energy productivity remains central to greater energy independence as well as to overall productivity growth." The outlook for US industries
Each year, the Bureau of Industrial Economics of the US Dept of Commerce publishes a thick report called the US Industrial Outlook. The 1983 edition contained not only the current outlook for 250 industries, but also forecasts for each surveyed industry out to 1987.
Following are selected forecasts for metal-products industries. Machine tools and accessories
Production of metalcutting and metalforming machine tools in the US rose rapidly from $1.27 billion in 1972 to $5.13 billion 1983. At the same time, the percentage of imports as a share of US sales rose steadily from 10.2 percent in 1972 to 33.9 percent in 1983.
"Foreign producers offer low prices, quick delivery, low-cost financing, and excellent service," wrote Thomas J Gallogly, Office of Producer Goods, Bureau of Industrial Economics. "The long-term prospects of the US machine-tool industry are thus directly related to its ability to meet the challenge of foreign competition.
"Traditionally, the machine-tool industry has been among the last to adopt the technology it develops and produces for others," he continues. "The technology exists today to quickly restore competitiveness to the US machine-tool industry. a long-term commitment by builders to utilize the productivity-improving tools and accessories they produce would make the difference in the years to come."
Gallogly sees the ongoing concentration of producers in the industry continuing beyond this year. Market forces will persuade marginal producers to consider merger or acquisition in order to survive. The net effect will be a strengthening of the industry, which could strengthen itself even more by acknowledging long-term trends and taking action to accelerate the concentration process.
Shipments of machine tools are expected to increase at a 5.3 percent compound annual rate through 1987. Robotics
The potential for the industrial robot is immense, both in terms of technological advancement and market development. As the economy continues to improve, the demand for robots should increase markedly.
According to a recent survey and forecast by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, the US market for robots could reach 10,000 units annually by 1985, with purchases totaling about $350 million. By 1990, the US robotics market could top $2 billion.
"Foreign competition, already strong, will become more intense," wrote Gallogly. "To date, Japanese robot manufacturers have focused their attention on internal demand. When their attention focuses on the US market, however, the structure of this market will probably change dramatically.
"In all probability," he continued, "the Japanese will have a significant price advantage, which will translate into a rapidly growing share of a rapidly growing market. US robotics companies will have difficulty competing with Japanese firms, and the result will be a shakeout in the industry." Flexible manufacturing systems
The approximately 35 FMSs installed and operating in the US have demonstrated their ability to produce significant improvements in cost savings and quality. "Given an economic environment more conductive to capital investment," wrote Gallogly, "FMS will flourish. The prospects for increased use over the next five years appears good." Foundry equipment
The need for foundries to remain competitive, both within their own industry and with other metalworking producers, requires the accelerated purchase of equipment that incorporates advanced technology.
"Many foundries cannot long delay the purchase of such equipment as their improved business volume begins to require modernization and expansion," wrote Robert A ricciuti of the Bureau's Office of Basic Industries. As a result, demand for foundry equipment should continue upward during the mid 1980s, he concluded. Welding apparatus
According to Paul Sacharov, Office of Basic Industries, advanced American welding technology has created an unprecedented worldwide acceptance for welding as a better way for joining metal. He thinks the gasic popular welding techniques--electric arc, gas, and resistance--will continue to be favored.
"However, more and more emphasis will be placed on robotics--automated and computerized systems--to apply welding techniques to mass-production industries where productivity manufacturers look to improve efficiency," he wrote. "Demand for welding equipment is expected to grow at an average annual rate of about 6 percent in real terms from 1983 to 1987." Material-handling equipment
According to John A Lien, Office of Producer Goods, the value of shipments by the elevator and moving-stairway industry, measured in 1972 dollars, is projected to increase at a compound annual rate of 2.7 between 1982 and 1987. Producers of conveyors and conveying equipment are expected to increase shipments at 3.3 percent a year during the same period.
Lien thinks shipments of industrial trucks will increase at an inflation-adjusted rate of 4.4 percent during the period. "The expected rate of growth is higher than for other segments of the material-handling industry," he wrote, "because of the extremely low level of shipments in 1972. Competition in the world market for industrial trucks will continue to increase, with the strongest challenge coming from Japan."
As Lien observed, the material-handling equipment industry serves so many manufacturing and service sectors that its health goes up and down with the general economy. "The overall growth rate...is estimated at 3.5 percent for the 1982-87 period," he wrote. "Imports will probably increase slightly from 6.3 percent of apparent domestic consumption achieved in 1982." Electrical equipment
According to Richard A Whitley, Office of Producer Goods, transformer-industry shipments are not expected to register any substantial gains during the next several years. Power circuit-breaker switching additions are expected to decline at an annual rate of 2.5 percent for the period of 1982 to 1990.
Shipments of motors and generators will grow at about 3 percent a year in the 1983-87 period, during which the use of energy-efficient motors will increase.
In the field of industrial controls, "An estimated growth in real GNP of about 3 to 3.5 percent during the 1983-87 period should kindle modest demand for equipment," Whitley wrote. "Shipments by the industry, in 1972 dollars, are expected to grow at a compound annual rate of about 4 percent." Computing equipment
According to John McPhee and Tim Miles of the Bureau's Science & Electronics Div, the US computer industry grew at an inflation-adjusted compound annual rate of about 20 percent from 1958 through 1981. Many influences that were minor in the past could act in the future to moderate real annual growth to an average level of 18 percent a year.
"Although below the historical average," they wrote, "the 18-percent rate will require healthy demand from several major markets. Business and industry have traditionally provided the principal demand for computers. This will continue through 1987, as the automation of offices and factories proceeds.
"The largely untapped home-information market may begin to expand during this period," they continue, "but it will not become a major factor unless breakthroughs in inexpensive, easy-to-use computers occur. In addition, computer firms will ultimately compete for this market with products and services from a variety of other industries, including telephone and telegraph equipment and services, broadcasting, and consumer electronics." Office equipment
McPhee and Miles believe that the trend toward increased office automation should stimulate demand for a broad range of office typewriters. Also, "the convergence of the previously distinct word-processing and data-processing functions will continue," they wrote, "not only in word processors but also in equipment such as desk-top computers. US manufacturers can expect substantial competition from the Japanese in all typewriter sectors in the future."
The two analysts believe that, on balance, the value of product shipments for office automation will increase 6 percent annually through 1987, somewhat below the historic growth rate. Motor-vehicle parts and stampings
Within the US automotive industry, vehicle manufacturers may become less vertically integrated and source more of the parts requirements to independent suppliers, according to Robert V Coleman, Office of Producer Goods.
Both limited availability of capital and the need to reduce manufacturing costs underlie this trend. In addition, greater reliance on suppliers would take advantage of their technological capabilities.
"Any movement toward greater dependence on suppliers would probably be accompanied by a trend toward longer-term contracts and greater participation by suppliers in the vehicle-manufacturers' product-development programs," Coleman wrote.
He stated that, on the assumption that US vehicle manufacturers will source a greater share of their parts requirements to independent suppliers, the domestic OEM parts market is expected to grow at a higher rate than motor-vehicle sales during the next decade. "The OEM parts market is projected to grow, in real terms, 2 to 2.5 percent annually in the 1980s," Coleman wrote. "The domestic replacement-parts market...should have an average annual growth rate between 3 and 4 percent during this period." Aircraft and aerospace
US aircraft and aerospace producers and subcontractors look forward to the last half of the 1980s with "cautious optimism," according to Randy Myers and Gene Kingsbury, Office of Producer Goods. They think that civil aerospace demand will continue sluggish during the next year, but manufacturers anticipate that a rebound will follow.
"Increases in military aerospace procurements will boost industry shipments, but may prove insufficient to offset civil declines," wrote the analysts. They forecast the compound annual rate of real value of shipments in the 1982-87 period as follows:
Percent Aircraft 2.8 Aircraft engines 2.7 Aircraft equipment 3.4
(wheel struts, flaps etc)
Guided missiles and 5.6
space vehicles
Space propulsion units 4.6 Space vehicle equipment 3.3
(fuel tanks, control surfaces etc)
Myers and Kingsbury see the compound annual growth rate for the entire industry at 3.7 percent for 1982 through 1987. Household appliances
The outlook for the US household-appliance industry through the mid 1980s is for continued growth as the economy continues to recover, according to John M Harris, Office of Consumer Goods and Service Industries. "During the next five years," he wrote, "shipments of household appliances are expected to increase at a real compound annual growth rate of 5.0 percent."
Harris bases his prediction partly on the assumption that real disposable income is expected to increase at more than 2 percent compounded annually. Also, the number of households headed by people aged 25 to 44--the principal appliance buyers--is expected to increase 20 percent during the next five years.
"The biggest boost for the industry will be increased confidence, leading more consumers to replace appliances to seek a higher standard of living," Harris wrote.
For information on the new 1984 US Industrial Outlook, priced at $11 a copy, write to: John J Bistay, Director of Publications, Bureau of Industrial Economics, US Dept of Commerce, Washington, DC 20230. The emerging business of factory automation
As discrete-part manufacturing becomes more automated, not only in the US but worldwide, something called the "factory automation" or "industrial automation" business is emerging. Companies are being formed with the purpose of selling not only discrete products and systems, but also the automation of shops, departments, and even complete factories.
The phenomenon isn't new, of course. Consulting companies such as Ingersoll Engineers based in Rockford, IL, have been providing automation design and engineering services for years in this field. (For an example of how Ingersoll can transform an entire metal-products plant, see the January, 1984 issue of Tooling & Production, pg 39.)
Arthur D Little Inc, Cambridge, MA, identifies the market for the business as teh computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) market. According to their system of classification, component technologies include computer-aided design (CAD), group-technology programming and software, automated material-handling, robotics, computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) hardware and software, and general-purpose computers and industrial software.
Within the CAM technology, Arthur D Little includes DNC and CNC machine tools and machining centers, flexible manufacturing cells and systems, and computer-aided inspection and test.
Based on a study recently completed by the company, the CIM market in the US is expected to grow from $25 billion in 1982 to $98 billion annually by 1992. "The highest rates of growth will occur in CAD and robotics," said Clifford D Young, the company's practice leader for CAM. "These technologies will expand at over 25 percent annually."
Frank T Curtin, general manager of General Electric Co's Industrial Automation Systems Dept, Charlottesville, VA, sees the automation business ready to mushroom. "Factory automation is more than a buzzword," he said. "It's now seen as something with a life of its own. In the latter half of the 1980s, the automation business will really take off."
Companies of many different sizes, types, and backgrounds are entering the automation field. The entrants of today, likely the forerunners of a large pack to follow, include everything from robot vendors, to agglomerations of acquired companies, to newly formed divisions of large corporations.
An example of the first type of company is GCA Corp's Industrial Systems Group, Naperville, IL. When GCA entered the industrial automation field just a few years ago, it did so mainly as a vendor of its own line of gantry-mounted robots, derived from equipment that GCA's PAR Systems Div had developed for the nuclear power industry. Soon the company added 21 models of pedestal-mounted electric robots imported from Dainichi Kiko of Japan.
Today GCA's Industrial Systems Group offers complete factory automation services, including plant and system design, CIMROC robot control software, and CIMCELL software for control of manufacturing cells. Recently the company introduced CIMNET, a complete factory networking system for control and data transmission.
"We've already engineered several major installations that will be publicized soon," said Arne Carlsson, newly appointed group vice president of marketing and sales. Carlsson had previously been with the DoALL Co, machine-tool builder and distributor in Des Plaines, IL.
"Our gantry robot design--along with the CIMROC, CIMCELL, and CIMNET software--enables us to close the loop for many operations in the plant," he added. "The loop may include not only many types of manufacturing cells and systems, but also cost accounting, work in process, inventory control, and all the other activities needed for high productivity, quality assurance, and profitable operation.
"We anticipate that other robot vendors will follow us in this direction. The key to success will be capabilities in programming and control engineering." Litton's in it, too
Another recent entry in the automation business is the newly formed Industrial Automation Systems Group of Litton Industries, with headquarters in Florence, KY, near Cincinnati. Headed by Gordon Palmer, formerly chief of Litton's Unit Handling Systems (UHS) Div, the group brings together Litton's seven metalworking and machine divisions (New Britain, Lucas, Landis Tool, Gardner Machine, Twin City Tool, Landis Lund, and Citco), plus the UHS Div and a company in Zeeland, MI, that builds automatic guided vehicle systems. The last named company formerly belonged to Bell & Howell.
The group also includes Taylor Mfg Co, a manufacturer of high-speed conveyor systems in Salisbury, NC, and Kimball Systems Div, a designer and builder of automatic identification and marking systems for load-tracking. Kimball is located in Paramus, NJ.
"We have a good collection of hardware producers, programmers, and system designers today," Palmer said, "and we continue to add a variety of skills. Our team will include specialists in the design and selection of machine tools, material-handling equipment, and controls, as well as in computer application and programming.
"Initially, we were surprised at the amount of up-front work needed to do overall plant and system planning. It requires a very broad variety of skills--broader than many industrial vendors have ever had."
According to Palmer, the Litton group is targeting three main industries for its automation activities: metal-products plants, electronics, and the food and beverage processing industries. "We've been active in all three fields for many years," said Palmer. "Now we're raising the level of coordinated services we can offer to companies that want to automate."
He also pointed out that computer-aided simulation is an essential tool for practitioners of factory automation. "It involves a terribly complex set of variables," he noted, "including throughput volumes, flow rates, permutations of product design, and others.
"Even after you arrive at a system design, you have to spend a lot of time playing what-if games to find the best solutions. It's no longer possible to do your design work on the back of an envelope." The integrator
At General Electric's Industrial Automation Systems Dept, General Manager Frank Curtin sees GE's role as that of integrator. "We intend to integrate hardware, sofware, and thoughtware," he said. "Thoughtware is all the planning, the strategic thinking, that must be done at the outset of an automation project.
"We think we're pretty good at it. After all, GE's expertise grows out of 100 years' experience on the shop floor, operation of 377 manufacturing companies around the world, and the production of many kinds of products in various volumes and mixes. We also have 30 years' experience in the use of computers in manufacturing."
Curtin sees his group primarily as a general contractor and designer. "We'll work closely with machine-tool companies and others to develop solutions," he said. "We won't compete with manufacturing systems people; in fact, we'll broaden their market, since we (GE) are now a major force in getting people to automate."
As for competition: at GE's level and type of activity, Curtin sees competition not only from Westinghouse, and to some degree from IBM Corp, but also from Hitachi, Toshiba, Siemens, and a few others of their caliber. "Competition will be worldwide," he said, "but we're prepared to play--and win."
The race has just begun, and thus far we've seen only the first few runners of the mark. France turning east
Usually when we talk of international trade, we mean trade between the western nations, and between the west and third-world or "developing" nations. The idea of doing business with the eastern bloc seems about as inviting as that of taking a winter vacation in Siberia, and our Administration's anti-Soviet posture does little to warm the prospect.
Other western nations see the world a little differently, however. France, for example, remains a staunch ally of the US but maintains its own independent attitude toward the Soviet Union. According to one report, France is preparing to increase its trade with the Soviets to include the export of nuclear technology.
The major reason for the step-up is the fact that France's trade deficit with the USSR hit $500 million in 1983. This is expected to soar in the near future, because France will soon begin buying Siberian natural gas. French purchases of this gas could top $1 billion by 1986.
To help reduce the trade imbalance further, state-owned Renault has agreed to help Moscow build a new passenger car. The deal is expected to net about $120 million in orders for Renault and for French suppliers of equipment and engineering.
As France and other western European nations become more dependent on Soviet fossil fuels, look for an increasing flow technology from west to east. Germany, too
Following the OPEC-induced oil shocks, West Germany rose to the challenge by debt-financing of massive social programs. As a result, the nation's debt has risen 500 percent--much more than the UShs debt--during the past decade.
At the same time, unemployment remains a serious problem in Germany, and the nation has failed to develop new technologies and products that would alleviate her problems. Consequently the Germans have turned in the only direction logical to them: to the east.
Trade ties betwene Bonn and East Germany, though not widely publicized, are strong and growing stronger. In conjunction with the Soviet pipeline project--called by some the "Deal of the Century"--West German manufacturers are scheduled to sell hundreds of millions of dollars worth of pipe, steel, turbines, and other products to the USSR.
"The message in the Siberian pipeline deal is clear," wrote David Nussbaum, a former editor of Business Week, in his book, The world after oil: the shifting axis of power and wealth (Simon and Schuster, New York, 1983). "The Soviet Union offered West Germany a lucrative market for its heavy industrial products. Moscow did not import computers, semiconductors, or robots from Germany; it took steel pipe and turbines.
"Germany, for its part, could not sell those products anywhere else in the world, so it provided extremely cheap financing for the Soviets to allow the deal to go through," Nussbaum continued. "The Dela of the Century may be the first of many to follow as Germany falls behind in the race for the technological heights of the 1980s and slides away from the west." China waking up?
For the short term, it appears that mainland China could become a more lucrative market for US-made farm and industrial machinery, and also for certain kinds of US-spawned technology.
According to one recent report from the World Bank, that organization will lend as much as $2 billion a year to China by 1990. Most of the funding is expected to go into industrial, energy, and transportation projects.
Early in January of this year, the Chinese government and Deere & Co, Moline, IL, agreed on the sale of $25 million in Deere farm equipment, plus the sale of manufacturing technology for the six tractor models. Deere will build the equipment in Waterloo, IA, and in one of its plants in West Germany.
Also, Mack Trucks Inc, Allentown, PA, is reportedly close to signing a deal with China for $7.1 million in logging and oilfield equipment. Shipments from Mack's US plants to China could reach as much as $44.5 million a year in 1985. The deal includes assistance with assembly facilities in China.
American companies could also become involved in several major railway, hyropower, oil-field, and coal-mining projects in China. All this activity reportedly stems from China's current plan to reach the west's 1975 level of technology by the end of the century. Short term, therefore, Beijing could prove a welcome customer to many American metal-products manufacturers.
Long term, however, the prospects are not overly promising. China has a habit of switching its economic policies radically and almost overnight, as though by whim. Mao's Cultural Revolution left the country starved for educated engineers, scientists and managers, and even today few students are allowed to study in the west.
without cultivated technical and managerial minds, China has little hope of catching up--not with the west, not even with South Korea or Taiwan. What China must import, she cannot export, so as long as her plans hold firm, and as long as relations remain warm with the US, some American producers will benefit. The new Japan
The Japan of today is far different from the Japan of five years ago, and certainly different from the myth about her that many of us hold. By 1990, we may scarcely recognize her, for the island nation is opening to imports of foreign goods and to investments by foreigners.
The great change was signaled on Dec 1, 1981, when Prime Minister Zenko Suzuki replaced Rokusuke Tanaka, exclusionist head of the Ministry of International Trade & Industry (MITI), with Shintaro Abe. He's an internationalist who's inclined toward freer trade, and who's expected to work closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Why the shift toward internationalization? Because, for the past decade, Japan has been buffeted by high energy costs, stagnation in the domestic economy, and stiffer restrictions on imports of her products by governments of the European Economic Community and the US.
At home, MITI lost much of its power to control Japanese industry on Dec 1, 1980. On that date, the ministry was stripped of its authority to decide who could go into what business and when. MITI continues to steer government funds into selected R&D and high-tech areas, but private enterprise is turning more and more to private equity financing.
In electronic components, Japan is pushing to dominate the world market for semiconductors. By late next year, say industry observers, Japan's producers will be able to build 75 percent of the sophisticated equipment needed to turn out VLSI chips.
Computers is another market that the Japanese have targeted. Here the national goal is to win 30 percent of the world market--including 18 percent of the US market--by 1990.
According to a report in Business Week (Dec 14, 1981), their strategy for computer marketing will be much like the one that worked so well for autos and consumer electronics: "Start at the low end of the product spectrum, establish a reputation for excellence, and then get customers to trade up."
In robotics, Japan's export push has already begun, as evidenced by the stepped-up advertising by Hitachi, Fanuc, Seiko, and others. The domestic market is nearing saturation; major robot builders are achieving economies of scale; and foreign manufacturers are ready and willing to automate.
At the same time, Japanese robot builders, aided by MITI, are developing more "intelligent" robots with vision and tactile sensing. Reportedly, Nippon Electric Co (NEC) has developed an assembly robot that can position a part to within [plus-or-minus] 0.000 04" (4/100,000"). Developments such as these may well ensure Japan's place as premier supplier of robots in the decades ahead. Where the people will be
Suppose we do succeed. Suppose we automate our plants, hold the lead in new technologies, and develop new products that many people want. Who, besides ourselves, will buy our products?
Only people buy products, so part of the answer lies in determining where the people will be. In this regard the United Nations has been of help.
Part of that organization, the Fund for Population Affairs, makes annual reports on population censuses and forecasted trends in population. As shown in the table, by the end of this millenium, Europe is expected to grow by only 6 percent, and North America--including Mexico--some 20.5 percent.
Much larger growth in population is forecast for the "less-developed" or "underdeveloped" regions: South Asia, 48 percent; Latin America and the Caribbean, 55.5 percent; and Africa, 81.5 percent.
And what will all those people buy? Not many personal computers, or videotape recorders, or $12,000 Buicks. More likely they'll be prospects for food, and farm machinery, and utensils, and perhaps a few Jeeps and low-cost TV sets.
That assumes, of course, that they can afford the basics. The growth of even a modest consumer economy requires a stable government, a sound economic policy, level if not lower energy costs, and a national debt that allows a worker to keep a decent percentage of his wages.
It seems clear that technical and economic assistance to the poorer nations of the world is not charity after all, but merely enlightened self-interest. Indeed, a failure to provide assistance could lead to disastrous consequences.
Among those who have voiced a warning is the German philosopher Karl Jaspers, author of the book, The future of mankind (R Piper & Co, Munich, 1958). "Today, the global picture of unequal growth shows the western nations approaching a standstill, while the pace of Asian, African, and Latin American growth quickens from year to year," he wrote.
"The Chinese have increased from 315 million in 1911 to 470 million in 1941, and some 650 million today (1958); the Indians increased by 50 million from 1931 to 1941. The impression of all these Indian and East Asian masses--hungry, restless, rising like a tide that may engulf the globe once they are in possession of technology and arms--is overwhelming.
"These masses may not yet be a menace," Jaspers warned, "but the menace they will be in a few decades must be considered now."
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|The Unspoken Dialogue: Understanding Body Language and Controlling Interviews and Negotiations. (Reviews).


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by Molly Delaney
Sexual images and phrases are used to sell everything from handbags, to hot pockets, to Internet domains. Although we are confronted with sexual images daily, our culture is somewhat shy when actually talking about sex. For young people this can be very confusing. As they start to develop romantic feelings, they begin to experiment. Unfortunately, what the media perpetuates directly contrasts with the abstinence only lessons taught in school and by the quickly growing purity movement. Young people are often told to "abstain" from sex until marriage, or until some other indefinite period of time. While there is nothing wrong with waiting to have sex, the word "abstain" has a negative connotation. In addition to sex, young people are also told to abstain from drugs. This correlation makes sex seem bad, shameful, and deviant. In addition to the negativity regarding sex is the glorification of virginity. That is not to say that virginity is not important, because it definitely has value on religious, cultural and social levels. However, the extent to which virginity defines a person's worth is troublesome, especially when the standards of virginity are very vague and set by people in position of power as opposed to the individual.
Awkward. S01Ep03- The Way We Weren't
I wanted to start with this video because it addresses the question of what counts as sex, how moral value is directly tied to sexuality, and how sex is used as social currency. Unfortunately, it is impossible to embed videos from MTV so I had to settle for this GIF (if the GIF doesn't move, click on it to open in another window). To view the episode, you can click on the link that the bottom of this post. Valenti addresses the the definition of virginity and sex in her article "The Cult of Virginity." There is no diagnostic standard for virginity. The cultural consensus is that virginity is not having sex. So what is sex? For Lissa, sex is heterosexual intercourse. It doesn't mention it in the clip, but Lissa is the President of the Abstinence Club at school. Lissa seeks Sadie's advice on how best to regain Jake's attention without breaking her vows. Sadie reassures her that there is a "loophole" and God has a "blindspot" (puns intended by the writers, I'm sure). By giving Jake her "be-hindmen," a quirky way of saying anal sex, Lissa can stay on good terms with her identity as an morally upright person because according to Sadie anal sex is not actually sex.
Lissa tells Jake that although she can't give Jake everything, she wants to "reward Jake for being patient." The fact that she thinks her body and sexual availability to Jake is the best way to reconnect shows self-objectification. Lissa definitely connects her morality and self-worth to her body. The idea that a woman's body is what defines her ethics is problematic. It "suggests that women can't be moral actors" and our "ethics are the ethics of passivity" (Valenti 184). In this example, I definitely think the show is poking fun at the ways in which what does and does not count as sex is subjective and actually kind of ridiculous. I say this mostly because of the language used and Jake's reactions. As viewers we are supposed to think Lissa's justifications are ridiculous but her reasoning is used by many women in our society who want to express their sexuality without losing the respect of their peers.
You can view the full episode at: Awkward. S01 Ep03
The clip I discussed is between 12:40 and 15:55.
Purity Balls
We already talked about this movement in class but I wanted to show another clip and keep discussing it because I think this movement is very interesting. It is very possible to see good intention in this movement, but there are many negative aspects. Many will agree that girls should be treated with respect in a relationship and relationships between fathers and daughters are important. The biggest critique of this movement is its symbolic gestures that relate to patriarchy and male ownership. Historically, women were seen as property of their fathers until they were married where they became property of their husbands. While women are no longer legally considered property of men, some traditions still exist. There is a correlation between the father giving away the bride to the father in this video giving his daughter a ring that she will wear until she is married (1:55). The ring from her father signifies that she promises her virginity to her father until she is married where her body is promised to her husband.
The movement also promotes the notion that men and women are fundamentally different and serve different purposes – "thankfully," according to the father (5:15). Both the mother and father believe that women are created to be accepted by men. If women were created for men, that means their value is determined by men. This family and movement is based on religious beliefs, which is totally acceptable. The problem with this movement is that it is federally funded. There is supposed to be a separation between church and state. Maybe if the government also funded alternative sex education, the funding for abstinence only education wouldn't be so problematic. Abstinence should be encouraged, but safe sex practices should not be ignored in the process. At the end of the video the young girl says that if she does kiss a boy or break her pledge she can just ask the Lord and her parents for forgiveness (6:11). Although her parents said they would accept her, asking for forgiveness is not going to undo the risks she puts herself at (like disease and pregnancy) by being ignorant of safe sex practices.
"Purity is Important After All…"
This video makes an interesting comparison between the purity of water and sexual purity. While this comparison seems plausible, there are a few flaws. The description beneath the video is that "promiscuity is just plain gross." Their comparison suggests that the more sexual partners you have, the less value you have. Not only will anyone want to have sex with you, they won't even accept money to have sex with you! It is obvious slut-shaming and doesn't differentiate between promiscuous sex and sex in monogamous relationships. The video has both men and women drinking from the bottle so it criticizes sexual promiscuity of both men and women. The idea that a person loses value after having sex echoes the idea that once a person has sex (usually women) they were and sometimes are still referred to as "damaged goods" (Valenti 183). It is somewhat hypocritical to say that virginity and purity are invaluable and priceless while simultaneously comparing a person's body to a commodity.
40 Year Old Virgin
This movie looks at virginity as it applies to a middle aged man, which disrupts the usual connection between virgin and woman. Because of this new perspective, virginity is critiqued differently. As a man, especially an older man, Steve Carell's character, Andy, feels the need to prove himself to his coworkers by bragging about past (false) sexual encounters. Andy describes a past girlfriend who wanted to have sex all the time which makes him seem desirable and sexually experienced. When he mistakenly compares a woman's breast to a bag of sand, his coworkers know he's lying. At first they ask if he's gay. Because of his male identity as well as his age, they believe the only possible reason for him not to know what a woman's breast feels like or why he's never been with a woman is because he is not attracted to them. Their confusion implies their belief that the only reason a man of his age wouldn't know what a breast feels like is not because he could not have sex with a woman but because he didn't want to because of his sexual preference. When they find out he is a virgin, they are completely shocked. Romany Malco's character, Jay, says "how does that even happen?" because men are expected to be sexually experienced, especially by the age of 40. Sexual experience is often encouraged and often expected for younger men more so than younger women, such as in films like American Pie. When those expectations aren't met, the men feel a sense of embarrassment and inadequacy. This embarrassment is amplified by Andy's age. He scolds himself as he rides his bike home and walks around the house screaming. He dreads the ridicule he knows he will face at work from his coworkers. In this example, virginity is not admirable, it's embarrassing.
Easy A Send Off
Easy A is a great movie that points out the double standard surrounding male and female sexuality. Olive pretends to have sex with guys at her school so they can gain respect, but in return everyone at the school hates her, even though she didn't actually do anything. She lies at first to impress her friend Rhiannon but the rest of the school eventually hears about it and twists the story even more. At first, Olive likes the attention but the admiration from her peers eventually leads to hatred and some of the students even go so far as to make signs calling her a slut. This video is the end of her webcam posts explaining her side of the story. She recognizes that many of the people watching are still expecting her to fall in to the promiscuous image that has been assigned to her, and that she has somewhat embraced because no one will hear her side of the story. Her live webcam was supposed to set the record straight about what really happened with all of those guys. Despite her articulate and rather witty reclamation of her identity, at the end of her post the men watching are still waiting to see her take her clothes off. On one hand, this ending shows how it is going to take a while for society to change how they view promiscuous (sexually active or not) women. However, Olive's send off is that her sexual relationship with Todd is "nobody's goddamn business" (1:08). Olive challenges the idea that sexuality should be dictated by others and that it is not an indicator of someone's identity or personal worth.
Analysis as a Whole
Virginity in our society is an extremely complex and complicated ideology. It is a social constructed idea whose definition has changed over time. Valenti refers to Hanne Blank's book Virgin: the Untouched History which suggests that a "long-standing historical interest in virginity is about establishing paternity…and about using women's sexuality as a commodity" (183). The first sexual manual published in North America was in 1776 but had been circulating around England as far back as 1507. Aristotle's Complete Master-Piece lists sexual customs that are similar to that of present-day traditionalists. The book states that "virginity, in a strict sense, does signify the prime, the chief, the best of anything" (Aristotle, 28). He goes on to distinguish the loss of virginity with the heterosexual sex and compares the vagina to a flower. "Deflowered" is still a term used today to describe women who lose their virginity. It seems as though the sexual ethics of a good portion of America hasn't changed as much as we like to believe over the past two hundred years. Virginity was and still is something to aspire to. It is something to take pride in. The definition specifically relates virginity to "the fair sex," or woman, which is still a connection made today. It also specifies when virginity is ideal and how it loses its value with age. It is mainly women's virginity that is constantly redefined and scrutinized. Men have similar expectations to some extent but not nearly as much as women. If anything, men are told the opposite. Men are encouraged to gain social status by having sex. As seen in 40 Year Old Virgin as well as other movies about a man's quest to lose his virginity, sex is all about conquest. In these examples, sex is important because of the status achieved as a result of having sex.
Something I noticed in my research that both Jessica Valenti and Kimberly Springer have pointed out is the huge lack of diversity in representations of virginity. Virginity is most valuable when it is upheld by a "desirable" virgin. According to Valenti, the desirable virgin is "sexy but not sexual. She's young, white, and skinny. She's a cheerleader, a baby sitter; she's accessible and eager to please (remember those ethics of passivity!)" (185). Valenti's observation of the desirable virgin is embodied completely in Lissa on the show Awkward. This ideal virgin leaves out women of color, low-income, women who are overweight, and women with disabilities. Women of color face a whole other set of standards when it comes to virginity that are shaped by racial stereotypes. Kimberley Springer tackles this in "Queering Black Female Heterosexuality." The virgin/whore complex is narrowed down to the division between "black lady" and "hoe." In the virgin/whore complex it is not always an issue of good versus bad. Virgins can be also criticized as being prudes or teases. The difference between the typical, "desirable" white virgin and the "black lady" stereotype is that virgins still maintain a level of sexual attraction where as the "black lady" is viewed in a nonsexual way (Springer 208). Women who do not fit the standards of the desirable virgin do not receive the same idolization as those who do. Instead of being praised as moral characters, they are viewed as nonsexual agents.
Virginity is undoubtedly important to many people for various personal, religious and cultural beliefs and it should not be discounted or disrespected. The problem with our societies fixation on virginity is that it is used as a stand in for moral character. Valenti points out how the conflation of sexuality and morality by society removes women's agency and lowers her personal worth. "Idolizing virginity as a stand-in for women's morality means that nothing else matters," states Valenti, "not what we accomplish, not what we think, not what we care about and work for" (183). The idea that purity equals morality is just as much about abstaining from sex as it us upholding a passive model of womanhood (Valenti, 183). Valenti and Springer point out the flawed perceptions of virginity and Springer challenges women to reject the sexual identities forced upon them. She calls for "new visions and ways of talking about sexuality" (Springer 210). Discussion of virginity and sexuality must be opened up in order for women to be sexual actors as opposed to objects.
Laci Green – Let's Lose Virginity
This video is just a bonus for pleasure purposes because I wanted to share what she says about virginity. Her analysis definitely echoes that of Valenti and Springer and she gets her point across in a quirky way. I especially like her idea of calling your first sexual experience your "sexual debut" instead of "losing your virginity." "Sexual debut" sounds positive and connotes agency. "Losing your virginity" makes it seem like now you're not as whole of a person as you once were. If you like this video, check out Laci Green's YouTube channel for more sex talks!
allthings- awkward. Gif. Tumblr. 8 August 2011. Web. 7 October 2013.
Aristotle. Aristotle's Complete Master-Piece. New England, 1820. Print.
Fumonchoo666. "Easy A ending" YouTube. 5 October 2011. Web. 7 October 2013.
Green, Laci. "Let's Lose 'Virginity'" YouTube. 19 June 2013. 7 October 2013.
LaneCh. "Purity Is Important After All" YouTube. 15 October 2007. Web. 7 October 2013.
movieclips. "The 40 Year Old Virgin (1/8) Movie Clip – Are you a Virgin?" YouTube. 16 June 2011. Web. 7 October 2013.
Snorre Wik. "Purity Ball for Abstinance in South Dakota." YouTube. 17 December 2007. Web. 7 October 2013.
Springer, Kimberly. "Queering Black Female Sexuality." Yes Means Yes!: Visions of Female Sexual Power & a World Without Rape. By Jaclyn Friedman and Jessica Valenti. Berkeley, CA: Seal, 2008. 77-92. Print.
"The Way We Weren't." Awkward. MTV. 2 August 2011. Television.
Valenti, Jessica. "The Cult of Virginity." In Women's Voices, Feminist Visions: Classic and Contemporary Readings. Susan Shaw and Janet Lee, eds. 2011. 5th Edition. Boston: McGraw Hill. 181-185. Print.

subset: commoncrawl


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|Thursday, 20 September 2018.
|A consular post headed by an honorary consular officer established in Volos
|+ larger fontnormal font- Smaller font
The establishment of a Consulate of the Republic of Serbia, headed by Honorary Consul Simeon Ocomokos, was officially marked in Volos at the Volos Palace Hotel, on 15 September 2018.
The opening ceremony was attended by the following Serbian Government officials: Mr. Mladen Sarcevic, Minister of Education, Science and Technological Development; Mrs. Ana Langovic-Milicevic, State Secretary at the said Ministry; Ms. Vera Vukicevic, Deputy Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs; Mr. Marko Popadic, Special Advisor at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development; Serbian Embassy representatives in Athens: Ambassador Dusan Spasojevic and Mr. Milan Vukosavljevic, Minister Counsellor; Consul-General in Thessaloniki Sinisa Pavic; a number of high-ranking guests from Volos and the region; representatives of the city; cultural institutions; the Church; the Armed Forces; the Police; as well as parents with children attending Serbian Supplementary Schools in Volos and Larissa, led by Ms. Ljubica Pokrajac-Psaros, their teacher.
The Consulate is seated at the following address:
Volos Palace Hotel
Xenofontos Street 38 333 Volos


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Of course they would. Culturally speaking, Christmas has grown far beyond its Christian roots. We Christians might wish it were otherwise, but the cultural holiday we call Christmas does not belong to us alone. Not any more. In fact, I would say it is not particularly Christian at all. In defense of this assertion, I call to the dock Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and John "And-so-this-is-Christmas" Lennon.
American Christmas, at once glorious and schlocky, is a cultural phenomenon that is not driven by Christians, not defined by Christians, not guided or controlled by Christians. It is defined and driven to a large extent by marketers, who happen to have their finger on a deep longing in the human spirit. Perhaps we should say that cultural Christmas is ultimately defined by this longing. It is a longing that preceded even the "first Christmas," going all the way back, I suppose, to the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden.
As further evidence, if any is needed, I submit to you a stack of popular Christmas songs a mile high, many of which I'm quite fond of myself. According to these, Christmas is all about gift-giving, snowflakes, going back to the old homestead, sleigh rides, etc. Even though most Americans live in places where snow is infrequent, images of muffler-wrapped carolers in the snow seem never out of place, because they touch something in us deeper than weather. Most of all these songs display a generalized nostalgia for the way we think things used to be. A desire to turn back. A longing for reunion.
Here we are as in olden days / happy golden days of yore.Again, the evidence: a zillion greeting cards with Currier & Ives-like imagery of small towns, horse drawn buggies, gaslit streets, snowbound cottages in the country, etc. We want to fade into a charming nineteenth century lithograph of an idealized pre-industrial America. These images were already nostalgia-laden in Currier & Ives' time!
In the end it is innocence we long for, and innocence we almost seem to capture, if only for a moment, in the cloud of images and wishes that together coalesce around our Christmas celebrations. This is a deep and steady longing in all of us, I'm convinced.
And that's why Christmas now is more than a Christian holiday, like it or not. Its non-religious aspect has proven to have remarkable staying power. Cultural heft, you might say. That's why it seems foolish, in my opinion, for Christians to protest, "but Jesus is the reason for the season!" The reason for both the Christian Christmas and the cultural Christmas are ultimately the same: the understanding that we have lost our way.
We have lost our way. Everyone knows that. Christmas, however it is celebrated, reveals a recognition of this, and it is the starting place for understanding the why and the wherefore of Jesus. Why he came, why he lived the way he lived and did the things he did, and why he died the way he died.
"Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.[Update: See also Peter Berger's defense of commercialized Christmas.]


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Company culture is the 'personality' of a company, that defines the environment in which employees work and informs its mission, values, ethics, and goals. Whether your culture is casual, formal, team-focused, or customer-centric, it is important to articulate and instill that culture for your employees. A strong company culture helps managers retain and attract employees who support the workplace culture and can improve your employee's motivation, morale, and productivity. Consider implementing a few of the following strategies to improve your company culture today.
Eliminate Hierarchies
Every business needs some kind of leadership organization or chain of command in order to function. However, some of the formality surrounding these structures can be removed to promote a more 'open company culture.' When managers have offices that seem impenetrable while their subordinates work together, it can be difficult for anyone to feel comfortable voicing or handling concerns and new ideas. Instead, consider moving everyone to an open floor plan or asking managers to only close their doors when discussing sensitive information.
Deal with Problems Right Away
When an employee escalates a problem to a manager, it is important to handle that concern directly, openly, and as quickly as possible. Providing support to employees who take a risk by bringing up an issue demonstrates loyalty and encourages employees to learn and grow as professionals. Try to work with everyone involved to fix the situation, rather than reacting by punishing a single individual. This shows that while the company will take employees' problems seriously, it also cares about helping them improve and learn in a supportive way.
Show Trust, Give Empowerment
As a manger, you may not be able to keep track of everything your employees are doing or always see their progress on a project to be micromanaged. Thankfully, you do not always have to. Demonstrate trust in your employees by allowing them to make decisions and act on their own, and empower them to do so by giving them the tools they need to be successful. In this way, you can help control the outcome of a project, but not in a way that it makes your employees feel like you are being overly-controlling. This can help your employees recognize that they are important to the company and feel more fulfilled in their work.
Be Flexible
Employees have lives outside of the office too, so do what you can to support that life. Your company may be able to offer employees work from home days, more flexible (or paid) time off, or compressed workweeks. Companies that operate on stricter schedules may be able to offer casual dress days or the ability to leave work early for family commitments. Flexibility like this shows employees that you care about their personal well-being, improving morale and encouraging productivity.
Promoting Connectedness
Giving your team opportunities to connect with each other outside of work is an excellent way to promote bonding and help employees establish social connections that make going to work feel more enjoyable. Team building activities are an excellent way to establish these connections. Consider hosting a scavenger hunt, escape room outing, or even a simple trivia night outside of the office to give your team a chance to connect and relax outside of work.
Team building activities have numerous benefits aside from encouraging connection and camaraderie among teammates. Many of them require groups to solve a problem or meet a particular goal during the event, and teammates will need to use cooperation, communication, time management, and conflict resolution skills, among others, to succeed. Exercising these skills can help employees work more productively back in the office, helping projects run more efficiently and improving morale.
Consolidate Cultures
In many companies, managers and other higher-level employees receive additional perks in recognition of their hard work. While it's always nice to recognize your employees' contributions be sure that you are not accidentally creating two cultures. For example, if your company prioritizes flexibility, all employees should have the same work from home privileges. A cohesive, universal culture improves communication across all levels of employees and helps everyone feel valued, no matter their role.
Booking a Team Building Event
Speak to Bond's Escape Room for more information about how team building activities can benefit your company and to schedule an escape-room team-building (company-culture energizing) event. The venue operates more than a dozen themed rooms that feature theatre-grade props and special effects to immerse your team in the story. You will have one hour to solve puzzles, discover clues, and work together to escape, all while testing communication skills and building camaraderie. Private groups can book the VIP Room before or after the event to discuss their goals for the adventure, or talk about what they have learned afterwards, helping cement the purpose of the visit and encourage employees to bring the escape room experience back to the office!


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Zinedine Zidane has played down the potential absence of Robert Lewandowski when Real Madrid visit Bayern Munich on Wednesday night (12 April) after pointing out that the Bundesliga giants have a squad to cope without their top scorer. The France boss has his own injury concerns as the absences of Raphael Varane and Pepe has left him with only two centre-backs available ahead of a crucial month which will included the double leg with Carlo Ancelotti's side and El Clasico against Barcelona on 23 April.
Lewandowski has scored 38 goals in the current campaign and many Real Madrid fans still remember that four goals from the Poland international while playing for Borussia Dortmund knocked out them from the semi-finals of the Champions League in the 2012-2013 campaign.
The 28-year-old was expected to arrive in top form for the coming encounter with Real Madrid after netting a brace during Bayern Munich's 4-1 win over his former side at the weekend. However, the striker was forced off in the second half of that game due to an injury in his shoulder and is a major doubt for the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals.
Zidane doesn't expect his absence to change Real Madrid's plans anyway after saying that Los Blancos shouldn't fear any rivals if they are at their best.
"We're preparing for the game as if Lewandowski was going to play, although if he doesn't, Bayern have fine players in every position. If he doesn't feature, the player that comes in to replace him will also perform very well," Zidane said in the press conference ahead of the game.
"I don't fear Bayern, I'm more bothered about what we do. We need to go out every three days and show that we're doing a good job of things. Our plan is to play our game, go all out and try and get the win. Our duty is always to give our all."
Real Madrid arrive to the game in great form after they took a giant step towards the La Liga title following Barcelona's 2-0 defeat to Malaga. Furthermore, Zidane has Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema ready to form his attack at the Allianz Arena, but the France boss will need to make at least one change in his usual back-line due to the injuries of Pepe and Varane.
The Real Madrid boss revealed that the two centre-backs will be at least three more weeks on the sidelines – meaning they will also miss the second leg of the Champions League quarter finals and the visit of Barcelona on 23 April.
However, injury-prone Fabio Coentrao and Dani Carvajal have been passed fit to face Bayern even though the latter failed to train with the rest of his teammates on Monday due to a knock.
"The fact that Fabio has been named in the squad means that he's available to play tomorrow," Zidane confirmed. "Varane and Pepe will be out for at least three weeks, but we can't help that. Carvajal is fine, but we'll see how he feels in today's session. It's a muscular problem and it's one we'll be monitoring".
Nacho is expected to cope with the absences of Pepe and Varane on Wednesday night but Zidane suggests that Casemiro may need to play there at some point in the coming weeks if either Nacho or Sergio Ramos suffer a problem.
"I hope that we don't need to put him in at centre-back. I trust in the two out-and-out central defenders that are currently available," Zidane said as Ramos will miss the second leg of the Champions League quarter finals if he is shown a yellow card on Wednesday.
"The messages from Ramos are important right throughout the season, he's a born leader and he shows that in every game. We're all in football to be involved in these kinds of fixtures. I'm in no doubt that if Lewandowski takes to the pitch tomorrow he'll be 100% at it. Sergio has to be smart and positive. We don't anticipate that he'll pick up a booking".


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Ulta make up. How to do make up for hazel eyes. Makeup mineral
Ulta Make Up
- The composition or constitution of something
- constitute: form or compose; "This money is my only income"; "The stone wall was the backdrop for the performance"; "These constitute my entire belonging"; "The children made up the chorus"; "This sum represents my entire income for a year"; "These few men comprise his entire army"
- constitution: the way in which someone or something is composed
- Cosmetics such as lipstick or powder applied to the face, used to enhance or alter the appearance
- The combination of qualities that form a person's temperament
- makeup: an event that is substituted for a previously cancelled event; "he missed the test and had to take a makeup"; "the two teams played a makeup one week later"
- Ulta is a chain of beauty superstores in the United States carrying cosmetics, skincare, fragrance, and haircare. Each store is outfitted with a full-service salon as well.
I know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but thank you ULTA for making it possible for the ordinary to look extraordinary.
163/365, 7 April 2009
Decided to brave up a bit and document what I carry in my often-overloaded bag.
See also:
make up forever mist fix
girl applying make up
no 7 makeup
natural make up application
theater makeup tips
buy discontinued make up
cool make up games for girls
discontinued benefit cosmetics
revlon makeup brushes


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So what? CPU Errata exist since the first products hit the market...
So what? CPU Errata exist since the first products hit the market... and even before that.
All CPUs (and not only those) have had CPU Errata. Any piece of hardware has multiple revisions and a list of Errata which includes serious bugs too. Then what?
All of a sudden it seems that only Intel is affected by that while AMD saves the world or something? Clearly AMD has been spinning this crap all over the 'net as a major issue with Intel hardware .. which is a big lie indeed. AMD kept lying telling that their products aren't affected and bug free. AMD doesn't make public most of its Errata. That is a fact. AMD is the one hiding and spreading fake info against its competitors.


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Christmas is just around the corner but there's still time to get your Tulip bulbs into the ground. Planting bulbs is a great way to add beauty and colour to the spring border at little expense. And if you do receive a bag of bulbs for Christmas, how lovely to get out into the garden to plant them. Then soon enough you will be watching them break the ground in early spring.
Tulip 'Queen of Night' is a particularly dark claret colour, gorgeous planted with contrasting whites, pinks and blues. Tulips can be planted into containers in view from your kitchen or front door. Planted in swathes directly into the ground is a great look too.
A top tip for planting bulbs is to plant them onto a little nest of potting or horticultural grit. Grit really helps with drainage especially is you have a clay based soil.
It's not too late to ask for a bag of bulbs for Christmas. A gift that will keep on giving each and every spring.
Happy gardening!
To find out about my design work please visit Judi Samuels Garden Design


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About Bunin/Berberova
Driven to exile following the revolution, former Russian aristocrats now find themselves isolated as new immigrants in Paris. Their new lives are spent battling sickness, searching for afforable apartments and waiting in pawn shops, Ivan Bunin's In Paris tells the brief and bittersweet encounter of an ex-general of the old imperial army and Olga Alexandrovna, a young woman now working as a waitress in a Russian restaurant. Upon a chance meeting, they momentarily find a sense of home in each other's arms. In Nina Berberova's raw and searing The Waiter And The Slut, Tania, the daughter of a St. Petersburg big-shot, now finds herself in Paris, where her husband dies in a mental hospital and she is reduced to surviving on meals paid for by male admirers. As she turns older, her admirers grow more grotesque, and she soon finds herself trapped in a devastating affair with a waiter—a man she soon grows to hate.
Run Time
1hr 50min
Start Date


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9am Communion Service
Our 9am Holy Communion service is held in the school chapel at St Paul's Catholic College, Burgess Hill. This is a smaller, quieter worship service. We always have time for worship and preaching, but there is more space for prayer and silence as well. The service lasts for about an hour.
Find out more:
St. Paul's Catholic College,
Burgess Hill, RH15 8GA
After the service there is the chance to grab a coffee or tea from our café area (open from 10am). This is a great chance to get to know people.
This term we will be following the Church of England lectionary for our bible readings.
There is ample parking at the front of the College so you never need to worry about finding a space.
10.30am Morning Service
Our lively morning worship service starts with coffee at 10am and includes a full youth and kids programme including a bouncy castle before the service!
Find out more:
St. Paul's Catholic College,
Burgess Hill, RH15 8GA
We have several groups for children on Sundays at The Point. Every group is designed to help children discover God and develop faith in Him in a fun, relevant and age-appropriate way. Find out more on the kids page.
Youth at The Point is all about spending time together in a relaxed environment, exploring our faith and learning what it looks like to follow Jesus. We take time to hang out together, explore the Bible & relevant issues, and have some fun whilst doing it! We'd love for you to join us!
Before the service there is the chance to grab a coffee or tea from our café area (open from 10am). There's also a great selection of cakes on offer! This is a great chance to get to know people.
As The Point turns 15 we will be re-visiting the subject of our true identity – our spiritual DNA. We will be exploring some of the key biblical identities that Scripture teaches us about who we are as followers of Jesus.
There is ample parking at the front of the College so you never need to worry about finding a space. Our lovely Welcome Team will show you where to go.
The Point at Six
Space to worship with a short talk. The heart behind this service is for more; more freedom, more intimacy, more encounter.
Find out more:
The Emmanuel Centre,
Ditchling, BN6 8UQ
Rather than teas and coffees before the service, we go to the pub just up the road. This is where we connect with each other and continue being community.
The flood of 'how to' and 'self-help' books, magazine columns and blogs – on everything from work to relationships to money to children – says something about our collective sense of a lack of wisdom for everyday situations. Life can be confusing, and we want help to navigate it well.
The book of Proverbs reminds us that God has not left us alone to steer through life as best we can. Here, if we respond to the invitation given, is wisdom to guide us through the delights and demands of everyday living. Proverbs makes it clear that wisdom doesn't begin in human autonomy, but in relationship with God, where wisdom is then worked out in different spheres of life – in our homes and our work places, our neighbourhoods and communities – wherever God has called us.
The Bible reminds us that if any of us lacks wisdom, we can ask God, 'who gives generously to all without finding fault', and it will be given to us (James 1:5). The great news is that God offers wisdom for us, for the whole of life.
Please join us in praying for this term as we seek God's wisdom in our everyday lives.
There is minimal parking at the Centre. Instead we ask that you park in the village car park up the road. Our friendly welcome team will show you where to go if you're unsure.


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Dhananjay Mahapatra | TNN
New Delhi: The Centre's grand plan to relocate some of the Asiatic lions from their only home at the Gir forest in Gujarat to the forests of Madhya Pradesh has run into serious opposition from stategovernment. The plan, to save the lions from a disaster that could wipe them out in one go, involved relocating five of them from Gir to a 300 sq km forest at Kunopalpur in Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh.
As many as 30 villages falling within the identified area were relocated in 2003, but the plan mooted by the Wildlife Institute of India and accepted by the Centre is still hanging fire.
A petition filed by Bio-diversity Conservation Trust of India through counsel Ritwick Datta alleged that the main reason for the stalling of the plan was due to the U-turn by the Modi government.
When amicus curiae Raj Panjwani brought this matter to the notice of a Bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justice R V Raveendran, it sought the views of both the state governments as well as the National Board for Wildlife within four weeks.
Appearing for the Gujarat government, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi said the state's opposition to the plan is based on solid environmental grounds. He said even wildlife experts feel that lions could not be relocated to experimental surroundings already habited by tigers.
"The experts feel that tigers and lions can never co-exist in the wild," he said, rejecting the argument of the petitioner that the state government had changed its stand due to Assembly elections.
Madhya Pradesh's counsel Vibha Makhija said that she would ascertain the views of the state government and file a response even as the Bench said, "The plan appears to safeguard the Asiatic lions from perishing altogether as they live in groups within Gir forest."
The study for the relocation of some of the Asiatic lions took into account the disaster at Seringeti forest in Africa where a disease, canine distemper, wiped out 80 per cent of the lion population.
Source: http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Daily/skins/TOI/navigator.asp?Daily=TOIA&login=default&AW=1196481886640
English language news articles from year 2007 plus find out everything about Asiatic Lion and Gir Forest. Latest News, Useful Articles, Links, Photos, Video Clips and Gujarati News of Gir Wildlife Sanctuary (Geer / Gir Forest - Home of Critically Endangered Species Asiatic Lion; Gir Lion; Panthera Leo Persica ; Indian Lion (Local Name 'SAVAJ' / 'SINH' / 'VANRAJ') located in South-Western Gujarat, State of INDIA), Big Cats, Wildlife, Conservation and Environment.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
State denies new home to lions.
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March 29, 2014 at 7:57 pm #5151
Darin Prentice
wow, i never thaught about this up in the mountains in my valley, but it makes sence. been doing some funneling and course obstruction but ill be looking more into this and try to find a combat engineer to join us. thanks all…..
Prepare, Preserve, Protect...


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Sunday, June 12, 2016
Mining shares have exploded. Gold and silver are moving up again towards important resistance. The ECB is buying corporate bonds. Janet is going to RAISE interest rates possibly if the economic recovery with an unemployment rate of 4.8% is strong enough. Japan is forecasting a coming collapse. Goldman Sachs is forecasting a collapse. Everyone that's anyone (Soros, Druckenmiller, Dalio, Greenspan etc) is saying BUY GOLD. Of course most of these boyz will own paper IOUs only and when they find out they need physical the shitstorm of a millenium will ensue.
Many of you have lived your whole life in the illusion of fiat promises and never invested in a stock that went up 100 fold. Or if you did, you sold it after the first 20% gain and patted yourself on the back. IF the paper casino stays open (and it might) you will see an explosion in the miners that will make Apple look like a blip. Maybe I'll be in it and maybe I won't when it goes parabolic, but I'll be watching the fireworks knowing that the show was predicted here and all of us had our chance to play. gl
41 comments:
I think the upside in miners is more limited, because if gold explodes, governments will increase royalties and extraction taxesReplyDeleteReplies
- AnonymousJune 12, 2016 at 6:12 PM
When social engineering is the order of the day and if history is a guide, you make X illegal and/or raise taxes on it and/or blame it on the speculators.Delete
It's all good until it isn't and then you look for someone to blame it on.
It's all good.
miners are Paper.....Paper is shit.....if you play paper and i do then you are at the risk of many aspects of paper....including Nationalization...and taxes...an royalties.....miners are NOT a panacea for what is coming......BUT if you wanna gamble.....then you gotta pick your play and they are my paper play......also if gold bullion is confiscated then miners might provide some protection ...MIGHTDelete
BTW .....this trade is sooo destroyed and sooooo hated that we are only in the first inning of it and I'll make up my own mind how i take profit but staying tooo long could get you slaughtered as it did in 4 years agoDelete
- AnonymousJune 12, 2016 at 5:57 PM
"Who appointed the Batman?"ReplyDelete
"We did, all of us who stood by and let scum take control of our city."
"But this is a democracy Harvey."
"When their enemies were at the gates, the Romans would suspend Democracy and appoint one man to protect the city and it wasn't considered an honor it was considered a public service."
"Harvey, the last man that they appointed to protect the Republic was named Caesar and he never gave up his power."
"Ok fine, you either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain."
- AnonymousJune 12, 2016 at 9:32 PM
Kli your trolls seem to have vanished. I for one am glad to see them gone. Jeff T.ReplyDelete
After 73 consecutive months of year-over-year growth, online jobs postings have been in decline since February. May was by far the worst month since January 2009, down 285k from April and down 552k from a year ago.ReplyDelete
Online job postings are not a direct revenue driver for LinkedIn. We do however believe it is a reflection of overall hiring activity and should be considered a check on demand vibrancy. Temp employees have been an issue for months and payrolls for May were surprisingly weak.
Of course he will, Snot's can't help himself.... heheheheReplyDeleteReplies
maybe he can come back on and give us sum moar great investment ideas.....I know jay appreciated it...btw where's Jay? hehehehehehehe.....oh wait, he musta took dat advice.....SHORT GOLD BUY CRAPPLE........BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADelete
- AnonymousJune 14, 2016 at 8:43 AM
The Gambler probably lost his ass and swears to himself he will never "invest" in the "markets" again.Delete
Bud's job was probably replaced by a cheaper H1B Indian IT doofus or his position was completely off shored back to Bangalore and he is finally coming to terms with the jobless "recovery".
Its all good, there's plenty of propaganda to cheer yourself up to let you know how good it all is.
It's all good.
NO WAY, Skip's was a nimble lynx, he said so himself.... There's no way he could have possibly had his job outsourced, he was protected by the system he so merrily cheer-leaded for... heheheheheDelete
You gotta have a job before it can be outsourced. Skippy better keep his job so he can fund my SS payments every month. It is all good as long as Skippy keeps contributing to FICA. heheheheDelete
- AnonymousJune 14, 2016 at 10:32 AM
you are evil Inlet hehehe, I am paying into that ponzi too!Delete
same here ....skippy wurk really hard....baby boomers will absorb a lotta that profit of yours.....hehehehehheDelete
NY State's largest pension fund earned .19% last year. Skippy a chance to show your superior investment ability - Advise NY State on investing their pension funds. Hehehehe - Putz - it's a joke - you are a loser at investing.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJune 14, 2016 at 12:18 PM
Hey Skippy, My Dad can beat up your Dad..Kliguy, Inlet and Tom.ReplyDeleteReplies
Maybe back in the day, Pop's is 6-6 and was a rather imposing individual in his prime but given his age and health I think you're a little off the mark.....
My police buds aren't buyin' that lil shootin' in Orlando.....they think sumthin' smells....huh....i wunder what it could be?ReplyDelete
Really? Say it ain't so....ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJune 15, 2016 at 2:41 AM
Just like the titanic, we lie to ourselves everyday, and more importantly are conditioned to believe the lies we are told daily, but some of us can't, which makes life for the ones that see thru the lie all the more difficult when we live in a world where it seems most buy into that lie. I would like to say we are living in some strange times but that may be relative to this point in time.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJune 15, 2016 at 2:58 AM
Kli and Tom,ReplyDelete
How many stars do you think are in our galaxy?
Plato believed that every soul has a companion star that it returns to after death....
if you lived a moral life.
Well OH, I don't know about stars in the galaxy for each individual but the size of the universe makes a nice analogy for money printing, just replace "since the big bang..," with "since the Fed began printing." As the narrator concludes "this is where science ends and speculation begins."Delete
Back at ya OH....my fav Beck....speaks volumes of my lifeDelete
OH - How large is infinity? How many galaxies are there? Let me know - then we can answer your question. HeheheheDelete
You girls gots gold i hopes.......ReplyDelete
that wuz soooo scary today skippy.....I sold all my PMs before Granny Yeller came out with the big bad booooooo.....bWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAReplyDelete
Only old fart's would collect such a barbarous relic..... heheheheReplyDelete
oh my......watta openin'......how'z that feel butt???? great call on DGLDReplyDelete
Watta Putz...
Do you think he's still holding DGLD? Bahwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
THEY are taking the generals out and shooting them butt...what duz dat mean??? I'm soooo CONfused...can you come back and tell us dummies jist wat to dooo.....hehehehehehe...should we "buy the dip here butt?"..........should we "load up on DGLD".....tell us o young oneReplyDelete
Must be nice to be in the Corzine Club.....ReplyDelete