Pins are a hot collectible that offer an added advantage over other collections - they are small and do not take up much room. Pins are available in many motifs and themes. Some of the most collectible themes are Disney characters, sports teams, and Hard Rock Cafe. The first rule of pin collecting is to specialize. If you like the San Diego Padres baseball team, for instance, you can start pin collecting with souvenir pins that celebrate this team. And just because these themes are popular doesn't mean you have to collect them. Be original and collect what you like.

Many pins are centered around modern entertainments, but many pin collecting enthusiasts collect campaign pins from election campaigns. Buttons are a similar item and are collected by many of the same people who do pin collecting. Pins created to advertise businesses and services are also very collectible.

To display pins you have several options. When you wear a jacket with lapels, you can wear a few of your favorite small pins. The same goes for wearing a cowboy hat or a vest. Many pin collectors wear a few on the front of a cowboy hat. Tote bags, purses, and fanny packs are another place where some pins can be displayed.

Of course, as you get into pin collecting, you will soon find that you have too many to wear the entire collection at one time. A bulletin board, perhaps covered with a plain piece of fabric, like dark blue velvet, makes a nice backdrop for a pin collection. The pins can either be pinned into the cork of the bulletin board through the velvet or attached to the velvet first.

Another way to display and store pins is in a notebook. This method works well if you wish to take some of your pins to an event where you can do some trading with other pin collectors. To make the notebook, purchase sheets of hard felt or craft foam. Either punch holes in the side so they fit into a looseleaf binder, or slip the pages into page protectors after attaching the pins to the pages. The type of looseleaf binder that zips closed is the best to use for pin collecting.

Sometimes pins get scratched, especially if they are stored in a notebook arrangement such that they hit each other. The scratches can be smoothed over with a tiny bit of liquid car wax. Future scratching can be avoided by using page protectors in notebook collections.

Pin collecting is a very popular hobby. You can find groups of likeminded people with which to trade pins, making pin collecting a hobby that helps people make friends.

Summary:
Attending an excellent public school is one of any parents highest priorities. For those living in or considering a move to Boston, the award-winning Boston Schools are an excellent choice. Boston Schools and their governing board have the following plan in place to continue the excellence that is the most appealing feature for parents and the community.

A national commendation to the district of Boston Schools was recently awarded by the National School Public Relations A...


Keywords:
Boston Schools, Patricia Hawke


Article Body:
Attending an excellent public school is one of any parents highest priorities. For those living in or considering a move to Boston, the award-winning Boston Schools are an excellent choice. Boston Schools and their governing board have the following plan in place to continue the excellence that is the most appealing feature for parents and the community.

A national commendation to the district of Boston Schools was recently awarded by the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA). The award considers a variety of print and on-line publications in its annual awards competition. Publications of two Boston Schools have earned Awards of Excellence: the Boston Public Schools Career and College Guide, and The Boston Educator.

“Effective communication is critical to engaging students, families, staff, and the community in the success of Boston Schools,” said Superintendent Michael G. Contompasis. “I am pleased that our improved communications efforts have been recognized, and I congratulate the Boston Schools staff and external partners who worked to create these award-winning products.”

On September 19, 2006, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, School Committee Chair Elizabeth Reilinger, and Interim Superintendent Michael Contompasis traveled to New York City to accept the Broad Prize for Urban Education from Eli Broad and the Broad Foundation as the most improved urban school district in the country. The Broad Prize includes $500,000 in scholarship money for the students of Boston Schools. This was Boston's fifth year as a finalist. Boston has earned a total of $1 million in scholarship money, having earned $500,000 total for being selected as a finalist in the previous four years.

"… the School Committee, Superintendent Contompasis and his staff have been working hard to accelerate the improvement in all of the city's schools," Mayor Menino said. "This award today could not have been accomplished without the hard work of the staff in Boston Schools and of the students and their families who make Boston Schools an exciting place to be and a great place to learn."

There are 146 schools in the district of Boston Schools. The enrollment in Boston Schools is 57,000 students.

Boston Schools have a unique history; it is the first district in the United States to open a school; the Boston Latin School was founded in 1635, and Mather, the oldest public elementary school opened it doors in 1639. The public school system in Boston Schools is the oldest public school system, started in 1647, and opened the nation’s first public high school in 1821.

Truly, a public school system that serves, that has a rich history, and continues to be recognized nationally, is one that all Boston Schools parents (or parents considering a move to a new city) should consider enrolling their children in.

Summary:

How do you know when you’re in love? This article takes a look at the processes we humans go through (and put other potential mates through!) in order to find ‘the one’. The funny and inspirational (mis)guide.

Keywords:

love, being in love, love quote, I love you, true love, love relationship, love test, where is the l

Article Body:

How do you know if you’ve ever been in love? Most people would argue that although being in love with someone is non-tangible, there is absolutely no doubt in their mind of it existing. In fact, if you are questioning whether or not you are in love, then you are most certainly not.

While I do not doubt for a second the existence of being in love (albeit being one of those sad individuals yet to experience it), I am somewhat perplexed over our perception of what constitutes humanities most sought after experience.

For me, falling in love with someone is a decision made based on the successful matching of ones own predetermined criteria or preferences.

I fondly refer to the preliminary stage of partner selection as the ‘terminator glasses’ phase, since it filters through a potential mate’s attributes and matches them off against our own unique preferences.

On the New Years Eve just passed I went to meet friends at a bar where we would be celebrating the evening. There, waiting at the door with my friend, I saw HIM for the first time. I did a quick terminator scan:

Height: Around 6 foot. MATCH.

Build: Not too skinny, not too fat, not too buff. MATCH.

Hair: Short dark brown. Not over the top alla David Beckham. MATCH.

Complexion: Dark olive. MATCH.

Lips: Plump. MATCH.

Smile: Oh my God. MATCH.

Eyes: Big, brown, expressive, with long thick lashes. MATCH!

Stance: Gentle, not cocky. MATCH.

Nationality: Clearly foreign, probably Brazilian. MATCH.

With the terminator glasses still firmly planted on my face, the confirmed Brazilian was permitted to move onto the second part of phase one: interaction. This is often the most fatal part of any potential relationship, since every sentence uttered, every look given, and every movement is put through the filter of the terminator glasses. Any miss-match could lead to premature relationship death. Very little is forgiven during this part, especially if one’s program is set at ‘long term mate’. In saying this, it is also my favorite part of the process as it is the most fun. I see it as a game we both know we’re playing, but refuse to acknowledge as existing. One can withdraw from the game at anytime without repercussion (that is, of course, when both parties are working under the same set of rules. If this is not the case a few unwanted phone numbers are collected, followed by a few awkward conversations. And depending on how weak one is - unwanted dates followed by unwanted kisses, possibly ending in unwanted sex!).

Stage two, ‘the rose coloured glasses’ phase, is extremely dangerous and not usually approached with caution by either candidate. Depending on the impact of stage one, bombs warning ‘relationship doom’ could be dropped right in front of ones eyes, yet getting let go un-noticed. Everything appears and is, invariably, utterly workable. Despite my cynicism, this stage is defiantly more exciting than the terminator phase, albeit being laced with the fear of it all ending. The premature ‘I love you’ could escape ones mouth, falling like a ball onto a roulette table. The stakes are high, but it could also very well pay off and pass you onto stage three. Or not…

Declaring the title of stage three is difficult. And the truth is, I don’t know what to call it because I’m usually making my way to the green exit sign above the fire escape before you can say ‘marry me’.

My experience with stage three is that I usually realize Mr Perfect is human. I resist accepting him just the way he is, and try to point out where he is lacking (he is usually not so open to my constructive criticism. I wonder why?). This of course does not lead him to change his ways, but firmly ground himself in them (and resent me in the process). Love and commitment gets swapped with fear and dependence. Some stay to battle it out to the very end, most head straight for the green exit light.

People claim at this point that they have ‘fallen out of love’. My argument is that they were never in love in the first place. One of my favourite movies, ‘Moulin Rouge’, melodically states, “The greatest thing you will ever learn, is just to love, and be loved in return”. I believe this is what we think being in love is all about. Yet being loved in return implies that there is a condition to your giving love. So romantic love is conditional love. If romantic love only goes one-way, it is termed unrequited love or even ‘desperate’.

What if I said that true love can only be unconditional? And inside of that, true love can only mean 100% acceptance of the subject, just the way they are and just the way they’re not. What if love, real love, is just loving?

Believe it or not there are actually certain rules of etiquette which apply to the act of giving wedding favors at your wedding reception. Although many of these rules are not as rigid as other types of etiquette it is important to realize there are some generally accepted principles which are associated with the distribution of wedding favors. These rules of etiquette include questions such as whether or not favors are necessary, whether or not favors should be given to children, how favors should be distributed and how much should be spent on wedding favors. This article will take a look at some of these rules of etiquette and will hopefully help the reader to understand a little more about the etiquette involved in giving wedding favors.

The question of whether or not wedding favors are necessary is certainly one question many couples have as they are planning their wedding day. The answer to this question is that wedding favors are not absolutely required but they are certainly expected. This means you do not have to give wedding favors but many of your guests will be expecting to receive one. Therefore not distributing favors is not recommended. This is because wedding favors are a way of thanking your guests for coming to your wedding and offering them a memento of the occasion. While you can certainly visit with each guest individually to express your thanks for their attendance this may not be possible if you are having a very large wedding. You may make an effort to visit with each guest but may simply run out of time. However, if you provide wedding favors your guests will know their attendance at the wedding was appreciated.

If you are including children in your wedding ceremony and reception you should definitely give some thought to giving wedding favors to the children. Traditionally, children at a wedding would receive the same favor as the adults. However, some couples may opt to give the children a favor which is more age appropriate. This can be difficult to do because in most cases favors are merely left on the table. If you only have one or two children in attendance you can simply place favors at each place setting and during the reception take some time to visit with the children and offer them the more age appropriate favor in addition to the one found at their place setting. However, if you plan on having a large number of children in attendance this technique can create a significant additional expense because each of the children will be receiving two favors. In this case you can place the favors with the place cards. This will help to ensure the children are all receiving the appropriate wedding favor.

Another concern couples often have regarding wedding favor etiquette is how the favors should be distributed. The easiest and most common way to distribute wedding favors is to place the favors at each place setting before the reception begins. In most catering halls the staff will be happy to put the favors out while they are setting the tables. However, if they are unable to do so, you can ask a friend or family member to visit the catering hall before the reception to take care of this detail. For guests who do not attend your wedding but send a gift in advance you might want to consider mailing a favor to them along with a thank you note to express your gratitude for their kindness.

Many couples are concerned with the cost of wedding favors. In fact one of the primary reasons many couples consider not giving wedding favors is they think it will be too costly. It is important to note that wedding favors do not have to be extravagant or expensive. A favor of a simple flower can be quite inexpensive and still shows your appreciation for your guests. Deciding how much to spend on wedding favors is mostly a matter of your personal budget. You should set a budget for wedding favors first and then begin shopping for favors which you think will be appropriate. This will allow you to seek out great deals and offer your guests the most appropriate wedding favor you can afford to give.

Caterpillar Incorporated, also known as CAT is a

United States based corporation that is based in

Peoria, Illinois. The company commonly known as CAT

is known around the world as the largest manufacturer

of construction and mining equipment, diesel and

natural gas engines, and industrial gas turbines.

Well known and famous for their products that feature

the Caterpillar track and distinctive yellow paint,

CAT produces a wide range of heavy equipment for

all types of jobs, including the very popular

Caterpillar D9 bulldozer.

History

The story of CAT dates back to the late 19th century,

when Daniel Best and Benjamin Holt were experimenting

with different ways to fulfill the promise that

steam tractors held for farm work. Prior to 1925,

the Holt family had pioneered track tractors and

gasoline powered engines. After the companies of

Best and Holt were merged, the company went through

several changes then at the end of World War 2,

they began to grow at a very fast pace, launching

the first venture outside of the country in 1950,

which marked the beginning of CAT development into

a big corporation.

CAT equipment ranges from track type tractors to

hydraulic excavators, backhoes, motor graders, off

road trucks, wheel loaders, tractors, diesel and

gas engines, and gas turbines. CAT equipment is

used in construction, excavation, building roads,

mining, energy, forestry, transportation, and

material handling companies.

Sales

Over half of CAT's sales are to customers in overseas

areas. CAT products are sold in almost 200 different

countries. The company has a worldwide network

of over 200 dealers - 63 in the United States and

over 150 in other countries. CAT equipment and

components are manufactured in 42 plants in the

United States and 58 plants in Australia, Belgium,

Brazil, Canada, England, France, Germany, India,

Japan, Mexico, and several other countries.

Labor

CAT almost went down in the early 1980s due to

the massive union strikes and a down turn in product

demand. At the time, several news reports indicated

that products were piling up so high in facilities

that temporary workers hired to work the lines

could barely get to their stations to perform their

jobs.

In the 1990s, CAT suffered yet another long strike

in which the company hired what it deemed to be

permanent replacements for union workers that

were on strike. During both strikes, jack rocks

were placed in the home entrances of many of

CATs top executives and employees, puncturing

the tires of their vehicles and making things

worse for the company.

Not long after the strike of the 1990s ended

and the economy started to get back up again, CAT

adopted the "6 Sigma" quality management program,

to help reduce costs and inventory and identify

and correct the defects in processes and products.