We’ve all had to start conversations that we dread having—everything from asking for a raise to asking for a divorce to asking for help with the laundry. These strategies will help the conversation go more smoothly—at least, that’s the hope. sunglasses replica, 1. Don’t stall. sunglasses replica Let’s say you need to call an acquaintance that you haven’t seen in a few years to ask for a favor. Don’t chat and chat, then casually mention the favor at the end. You’re not going to fool him about why you called. It’s better to say something like, “It’s so great to talk to you. I really want to catch up and hear everything that’s been going on for the last few years, but first, I have to tell you the reason I called.” Otherwise, the person on the other end tends to feel wary and distracted. 2. Don’t start off angry. If you have to make some sort of charge—of dishonesty, bad service, or a screw-up—work yourself into a mild state of mind. Anger inspires anger; accusations inspire defensiveness. Explain the situation in a straightforward way. Joke around. Show that you’re a reasonable person. Designer Glasses, 3. This is obvious, Designer Glasses but pick your moment. The Big Girl chooses to pester me with her pleas to get her ear pierced just before school, just before bed, or when I’m rifling in the refrigerator with a wolfish look. She couldn’t pick worse times. Look for a moment of calm, lack of interruption, and physical comfort. Also, if the conversation will be particularly painful to the other person, choose circumstances that are the most comfortable for him or her, not for you. Sometimes, when you’re dreading saying something, you just want to blurt it out and get it over with—but by waiting, you might get a better result. (See number eight on this, too.) 4. Think about why the subject is difficult for you. Do you hate to talk about money? Do you shrink from doing anything that smacks of self-promotion? Do you dislike confrontation? Are you afraid of someone? Are you concerned about damaging a relationship? One of the most helpful of my Twelve Commandments is “Identify the problem.” If you examine why you’re dreading a particular conversation, you might be able to tackle it in a different way, or reframe the issue in a way that’s less upsetting. age of conan power leveling, 5. Are you certain you need to discuss the difficult subject at all? age of conan power leveling Often, you do. Sometimes, you don’t. Will it really serve a purpose to have the conversation? 6. Don’t ruminate about worst-case scenarios. It’s tempting to imagine every possible way a conversation could go—each worse than the last. But this usually isn’t helpful. I have a strong tendency to do this, and never once in my experience has the conversation unfolded with any resemblance to what I imagined. It sometimes goes just as poorly as I’d feared, but never in a way that I’d predicted. So unless you’re doing constructive strategizing, don’t allow yourself to indulge in negative fantasies. replica sunglasses, 7. In direct conflict with the above tip—it can nevertheless be useful to ask yourself, replica sunglasses “What’s the very worst that could happen?” Someone could tell you “No,” or laugh in your face, or cry, or yell, or talk about you behind your back. Are these outcomes really so dreadful? Often, bluntly considering the worst-case scenario is actually reassuring. But do this in a focused, realistic, limited way. Don’t spend hours playing out horrible scenes in your mind. 8. Can it wait? If you’re reacting to something that has just happened, can you postpone the confrontation for a day or two? You might well feel calmer after some time has passed, and even if you still need to have the conversation, you might be able to broach it more productively. aoc power leveling, 9. Use notes. aoc power leveling When you’re emotionally overwrought, it can be hard to remember exactly what was said. If your boss made criticisms of your work, what exactly did he or she say? If you’re at the doctor’s office, what exactly did the doctor say? In some cases, like going to the doctor, you may even want to bring another person with you to help process information. You might also want to bring notes to have a list of the points to cover. You might be so eager to end the conversation that you’d rush out of the room too soon, or you might forget everything you wanted to say or ask in the heat of the conversation. Health Top Tips Nutrition Love Lifestyle Happiness Weight Loss Final Fantasy XI GIL, 10. Write a note instead of having a conversation. Fantasy XI GIL When writing, you can pick your words exactly, and by communicating that way, you allow the other person to react privately, with time for reflection. Or you can write a note alerting the person to the fact that a painful conversation is necessary. 11. It sounds simplistic, Final but if you know you’re going to broach a difficult subject on a particular day, get plenty of sleep and exercise in the period before. Feeling energetic, well rested, and calm in body will put you in better spirits. aion kinah, Obviously, aion kinah the tips aren’t universally applicable. You wouldn’t take notes when confronting your teenager and you wouldn’t bring your spouse to your performance review. But by thinking constructively about how to broach a difficult subject, you might make it less painful and more productive, for everyone.

"Results of this national study indicate that the vast majority of parents are choosing not to spank or paddle their kids," says Matthew Davis, M.D., M.A.P.P., associate professor of pediatrics and communicable diseases in the CHEAR Unit at the U-M Medical School. cheap aion kinah, "While physical discipline is an option for some parents, cheap aion kinah the majority of parents are opting for verbal ways to get their points across." maple story mesos, "Especially in light of recent research that points out how spanking can have negative affects on children, maple story mesos it's important to know that spanking and paddling are not the national norm among parents today," Davis adds. Results of this poll show that 22 percent of parents report that they are very likely to spank their children, while 10 percent paddle their children. Parents of preschool children are more likely to spank than parents of older children. world of warcraft power leveling, Researchers also found differences in choices of discipline by region. world of warcraft power leveling Parents who live in the West (31 percent) and South (20 percent) are more likely to spank their children compared to parents in the Midwest (16 percent) and Northeast (6 percent). "These regional differences are a reminder that parents' choices of discipline are rooted in strong cultural traditions," Davis says. "Even as national trends have shifted away from physical to verbal discipline, there are likely community cues and informal networks of parents and grandparents that influence how parents discipline their kids." Davis adds, "These intergenerational factors can affect how discipline strategies change over time." World of Warcraft power leveling, To understand parents' discipline strategies, World of Warcraft power leveling the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health presented 1,532 parents from across the U.S. with a series of situations that they might face with their own children. Parents were asked to select from a list of discipline choices, and could indicate as many choices as they wished. Parents were asked to report how likely they were to use a given discipline strategy. last chaos gold, "We found lower rates of spanking than reported by some other researchers in the past," last chaos gold says Davis, who is also associate professor of internal medicine and associate professor of public policy at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. "That is likely because we asked parents to answer questions about what they might do, rather than what they have actually done. Because spanking is more common at younger ages, it is likely that other studies that have asked parents about ever spanking their children would find higher rates." aoc power leveling, Davis went on to say, aoc power leveling "I think one of the most important results from this poll is that we learned that most parents consider more than one strategy when figuring out what discipline to use for their kids. Now, the research community needs to help parents understand what discipline strategies can be the most effective for children and parents, and in which situations."

BOSTON (MarketWatch) -- The counter-revolution is underway. The G-20 calls for members to slash their budget deficits. The U.S. Senate ices further aid for the unemployed. The head of the Business Roundtable slams President Obama for undermining American capitalism. Wall Street succeeds in watering down reform. Depending on your politics, you'll love this or hate it. But there's just one problem. wow power leveling, We're still living in a fantasyland. wow power leveling Most people have no idea what's really going on in the economy. They're living on spin, myths and downright lies. And if we don't know the facts, how can we make intelligent decisions? Here are the three biggest economic myths -- the things everything thinks they know about the economy that just ain't so. Myth 1: Unemployment is below 10% But they're not. It's that simple. cheap aion kinah, If they were, cheap aion kinah the interest rate on government bonds would be skyrocketing. That's what happens with risky debt: Lenders demand higher and higher interest payments to compensate them for the dangers. They aren't seeing inflation either. On the contrary, they're saying it will average just 2.3% a year over the next three decades. That's the gap between the interest rates on inflation-protected Treasury bonds and the rates on the regular bonds. By any modern standard the forecast is low. Instead of worrying about inflation, some are starting to worry about something even more dangerous: deflation, or falling prices. flyff penya, If that takes hold, flyff penya cutting spending and raising taxes would be a bad move. It's certainly possible the lenders buying these bonds are being foolish. And it's worth noting that the Treasury market is also subject to political distortions, because foreign are among the heavy buyers of bonds. So it's worth treating its apparent verdicts with some caution. Nonetheless, the burden of proof, as usual, is on those who argue the market is wrong. Health Top Tips Nutrition Love Lifestyle Happiness Weight Loss maple story mesos, Myth 3: maple story mesos The U.S. is sliding into "socialism" Numbers published by the Federal Reserve a few weeks ago show that corporate profit margins have just hit record levels. Indeed. Andrew Smithers, the well-regarded financial consultant and author of "Wall Street Revalued," calculates from the Fed's latest Flow of Funds report that corporate profit margins rocketed to 36% in the first quarter. Since records began in 1947 they have never been this high. The highest they got under Ronald Reagan was 30%. aoc gold, The picture is also similar when you exclude financials. aoc gold Meanwhile, federal spending, about 25% of the economy this year, is expected to fall to about 23% by 2013. In 1983, under Ronald Reagan, it hit 23.5%. In the early 1990s it was around 22%. Some socialism. maple story mesos, These days, maple story mesos three-fifths of the entire budget goes on just three things: Insurance for our old age (through Social Security and Medicare), defense, and debt interest. Conservatives don't want to cut the $700 billion-plus we spend on defense. We can't cut debt interest payments. And while Social Security and Medicare certainly need reform, the main "problems" are simply rising life expectancy and health care demands. If we didn't provide for the insurance through our taxes we'd have to do it individually. What about the rest of the budget? It's jumped from around 7% of GDP a few years ago to about 10% now. Out of control? It's been in the 6% to 9% range for decades. It's forecast to fall to about 8% again in a few years. So much for a revolution. But here comes the counter-revolution just the same.

I get a lot of questions from people who read my articles or visit my site asking me if I can give them some specific steps to follow to get started making changes in their lives. flyff penya, Unfortunately, flyff penya I don’t really have a step-by-step program for self improvement, so as much as I’d love to help, I can’t really tell them much other than to just get started. But I’m also happy to give that very simple piece of advice, because getting started is the hardest part of… well, anything. And it’s the most intimidating. There’s a fear of the unknown that likes to creep its way in and it often leads to another overwhelming fear: failure. And that will often stop us right in our tracks. I’ve seen it absolutely paralyze some people. last chaos gold, And that’last chaos gold a shame because it’s really a pretty irrational fear, if you think about it. Failure should actually be something we embrace, because failure, believe it or not, is the best teacher. Think about it. When have you learned and progressed the most during your life? I’m going to go right ahead and guess that it was after making a mistake and realizing that that was the wrong way to do it. rappelz rupees, If you’re like most people, rappelz rupees then that’s how it’s done. And then if you’re smart about it, then you’ve taken what you’ve learned and made the necessary course corrections, and continued on, never to make that same mistake again. Congratulations. I really only view failure as failure if someone insists on doing things the wrong way over and over again without really caring or paying much attention to what’s going on. But most people don’t do that. Most people learn from their mistakes. So you might as well go ahead and make them. But that means getting over your fears and finally getting started. maple story power leveling, All you really need is a little bit of confidence. maple story power leveling But true confidence doesn’t just come out of nowhere for no reason. Confidence comes with experience. Most people build their confidence by achieving small gains along the way. Once they see that they can do it, then they become confident enough to move onto the next step in their development. Then they complete that one, build a little more confidence, and start working towards the next step. And so on. I like to call it the upward spiral. Atlantica gold, Stop and think about the things you’ve already done, Atlantica gold like learning to ride a bicycle, or drive a car, or any job you’ve ever had. At first, you didn’t know how to do them, and you were probably pretty nervous, but little by little, you got it, and eventually it became almost second nature – almost like you could do it in your sleep – and any nerves you may have had about it disappeared. So if you really want to get things done, and really change your life for the better, then at some point you’re going to have to risk falling off your bicycle, so to speak. To add a little color, I’ve included this quote from Teddy Roosevelt: “Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure… than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.” world of warcraft gold, Well said, Mr. President. world of warcraft gold Here’s another example: When I first started learning kung fu way back when, I was extremely nervous. My only goal that first day was to not fall on my face and make a fool of myself. Luckily, I didn’t, and I survived, and I kept going to class. The more I went, the more comfortable I got with it. And eventually I came to realize that it was silly of me to have been so concerned. Of course, it certainly helped that it was a good environment to learn in. You see, success is not an all or nothing proposition. Your only choices are not to be a colossal failure or a colossal success. It doesn’t work that way. OK, I’m repeating myself here, but real success is made up of smaller successes and achievements that build confidence and slowly get rid of that fear of the unknown. Which kind of means that you need to let yourself ride the wave, rather than looking only at the end goal. You’re never done growing, so you might as well let yourself enjoy the journey, rather than looking at everything as a fight for you to win or lose. Have you ever heard the expression, “Slow and steady wins the race”? Well, when it comes to personal growth, it’s absolutely true.

You want to be healthier and have more energy. You want to take good care of yourself. The problem is, life is hectic. However nice it’d be to have time for long strolls in the countryside, afternoon naps and relaxing baths … you’ve got a few little matters like work, family, friends, chores and hobbies to fit into your day. Perhaps you’ve made a few attempts at trying to live a healthier lifestyle, and they’ve never worked out. You start a new diet every Monday. You try to quit caffeine, sugar and all at once. You take up exercising – and your muscles are protesting after a day. Sometimes, though, it’s the little changes which make a big difference. You don’t need to follow a huge time-consuming plan for the perfect body – you just need the energy and enthusiasm to tackle life every day. wow cd keys, Here are five simple steps, wow cd keys all of which combined will take just twenty minutes each day. (If you have a few extra minutes to spare, I’ve also suggested some bonus activities.) Bonus: Do the same thing with one regular soda – switch to a diet version, or flavored water. It might take your taste buds a week or two to adapt, but stick with it! Bonus: Keep a bottle of water on your desk so that it’s within easy reach. You’ll find yourself sipping more and staying hydrated during the day – reducing the urge to snack. (Many of us mistake mild thirst for hunger.) maple story power leveling, Health Top Tips Nutrition Love Lifestyle Happiness Weight Loss maple story power leveling Brush your teeth (properly) – 4 minutes 2moons dil, Hopefully, 2moons dil you already brush your teeth twice a day. If you’re being totally honest, though, there are probably times when you don’t manage that – or when “brushing” is just a quick swipe round your mouth with the tooth brush. Bonus: Don’t forget to floss daily too. archlord money, Meditate – 5 minutes archlord money In recent years, meditation has become much more mainstream. Proven health benefits – like decreased stress – are pretty attractive to most of us! But because we’re busy, we often don’t take the time to sit and quieten our minds. wedding dresses, If you’wedding dresses uncertain about what meditation involves, and want an easy introduction, try 6 Tips for People Who Don’t Have Time to Meditate. Meditation really isn’t a “woo-woo” new agey activity. It’s just a way to get some space and perspective in your life through a few minutes of precious calm. Bonus: Many people – not just those who follow a particular religion – find it helpful to read a little from a spiritual or inspirational text each day. maple story mesos, Take a brisk walk – 10 maple story mesos Let’s face it, most of us should do more exercise. The trouble is, just the thought of the gym can be stressful. Perhaps you don’t have time after work, or you don’t want to follow a vigorous routine. One of the best things you can do for your health is to walk. Walking won’t put as much stress on your joints as other cardio activities, you can do it in your normal clothes, and you can easily go faster or slower depending on your fitness level. Just ten minutes is enough to see physical and mental benefits. Bonus: Find ways to incorporate walking into your daily routine, so that it doesn’t take up extra time. (Get off the bus a stop earlier, or walk to the local store instead of driving, for instance.)

They say you can never go home again. 　　Well, you can. Only you might find yourself staying at a Trave Lodge, driving a rented Ford Contour and staking out your childhood home like some noir private eye just trying to catch a glimpse of the Johnny-come-latelys that are now living in YOUR HOUSE. World of Warcraft power leveling, 　　It's a familiar story. World of Warcraft power leveling Kids grow up, parents sell the family home and move to some sunnier climate, some condo somewhere, some smaller abode. We grown up kids box up all the junk from our childhoods—dusty ballet shoes, high school text books, rolled up posters of Adam Ant—and wonder where home went. 　　I'm not a sentimental person, I told myself. I don't need to see old 3922 26th Street before we sell the place. I even skipped the part where I return home to salvage my mementos from the garage. I let my parents box up the stuff which arrived from San Francisco like the little package you get when released from jail. You know, here's your watch, the outfit you wore in here, some cash. Here's the person you once were. 　　After a year, San Francisco called me home again. I missed it. High rents had driven all my friends out of the city to the suburbs so I made myself a reservation at a motel and drove there in a rented car. world of warcraft power leveling, 　　The next day, world of warcraft power leveling I cruised over to my old neighborhood. There was the little corner store my mom used to send me to for milk, the familiar fire station, the Laundromat. 　　I walked up and touched the doorknob like it was the cheek of a lover just home from war. I noticed the darker paint where our old mezuzah used to be. I sat on our scratchy brick stoop, dangling my legs off the edge, feeling as rootless as I've ever felt. 2moons dil, 　　You can't go home in a lot of ways, 2moons dil I discovered that night, when I met up with an ex-boyfriend. 　　What am I, the LensCrafters of social engagements? RuneScape Gold, 　　As it happens, RuneScape Gold his new girlfriend wasn't too keen on my homecoming. We had a quick drink and he dropped me back off at my motel where I scrounged up my change to buy some Whoppers from the vending machine for dinner. I settled in for the evening to watch "Three to Tango" on HBO. 　　My brother and I met up at our old house, like homing pigeons. We walked down the street for some coffee and I 19)filled him in on my trip. He convinced me to stay my last night at his new place in San Bruno, just outside the city. I'll gladly pay $98 a night just for the privilege of not inconveniencing anyone, but he actually seemed to want me. archlord gold, 　　"I love having guests," archlord gold he insisted. So I went. 　　It's surprising how late in life you still get that "I can't believe I'm a grown-up feeling," like when your big brother, the guy who used to force you to watch "Gomer Pyle" reruns, owns his own place. It was small and sparse and he had just moved in but it was his. The refrigerator had nothing but mustard, a few cheese slices and fourteen cans of Diet 7-Up. 　　Insomniacs rarely fall asleep on people's couches, I assure you. I don't know why I slept so well after agonizing all weekend over the question of home, if I had one anymore, where it was. I only know that curled up under an old sleeping bag, the sound of some second-rate guy movie playing in the background, my brother in a chair next to me, I felt safe and comfortable and maybe that's part of what home is. last chaos gold But it's not the whole story. last chaos gold As much as I'd like to buy the cliches about home being where the heart is, or as Robert Frost put it, "The place where when you have to go there, they have to take you in," a part of me thinks the truth is somewhere between the loftiness of all those platitudes and the concreteness of that wooden door on 26th street. 　　I'll probably be casing that joint from time to time for the rest of my life. I'll sit outside, like a child watching someone take away a favorite toy, and silently scream, "MINE!"

If you’ve been trying to improve your life with the help of ‘self improvement information’ and have gotten little to no results, you’re not alone… In fact, most people who try self improvement resources fail to get the promised results. I’m going to give you one important step and a few simple rules to follow, in order to finally use self help resources to greatly improve your life. Eve isk, But first – why does this happen…Eve isk You read a book that promises to improve your life in some way (or transform it altogether). In the best case you get excited for a few days, but then everything goes back to normal… Nothing’s changed and you either give up on ‘self improvement’, or move on to the next thing – another book, another recording or another seminar. ffxi gil, Let’s face it, ffxi gil sometimes you don’t even read the whole book, or listen to that recorded seminar or that “self hypnosis audio” that you got. I’m talking about either lack of motivation and self discipline or lack of clarity and focus (or a combination of those). Think about it… wow power leveling, Who needs “productivity tips” more than a ‘chronic procrastinator’? wow power leveling Bottom line – self improvement hasn’t worked for you because you just weren’t ready for it. But that’s about to change… wow power leveling, First, wow power leveling you must take this crucial step… Create the Habit of Self Improvement Decide on a time (and maybe a place) for daily ‘self improvement sessions’. Start with something you can commit to, even just 15 minutes a day. luna gold, In those sessions you can write and read you goals, luna gold, listen to hypnosis audios or even do some Yoga exercises. It doesn’t really matter… At least at first what matters most is not what you do in your sessions, but that you actually do them on a daily basis, so they become part of your life – a strong habit. Do it for at least 30 days and you’re on the right track. Then you can raise the bar a little – either increase the length of your sessions, ad another daily session, or decide on new things that you’d do in your sessions. wow cd keys, NOTE: wow cd keys If you already spend a lot of time reading or listening to self help material, don’t waste your “self sessions” doing the same thing. Instead – focus on taking action on the information you learn from all those resources. The Rules for Getting the Most Out of Self Improvement Programs My personal experience shows that good self improvement resources can really help you change your life for the better… if you follow these ‘rules’… Self Improvement: Programs to Make Your Life Better

Make up, Dress up, Warm up, Brighten'up When 43-year-old Wang Longzhu stepped out of a beauty parlour in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu Province in East China, she felt all the people around were staring at her with admiration. She said, "Years ago, it would be unusual for a middle-aged woman like me to make up because Chinese women who have married and raised children usually do not care much about their appearance. "When I came home and looked in the mirror, I found myself younger and I felt relaxed and confident," she added. Wang, an official of a pharmaceutical factory in Nanjing, believes a good appearance may leave people with a better impression in social contacts. She goes to the Nanjing Dongfang beauty parlour centre to have face massotherapy once a week. Founded three months ago, the centre has helped more than 100 middie-aged and older people to improve their appearance. Zhang Yahui, director of the centre, said, "Everyone gets old. But we can keep our youthful appearance longer through daily care." Middle-aged and older people in China are now breaking with the conventional idea and paying more attention to keeping fit and caring about their appearance. According to a shop assistant of the Taiping Department Store, who looks after a counter selling clothes specially for rniddle-aged and older people, more and more of her senior customers like to buy fashionable and bright-coloured clothes. The dark and grey uniforms which used to be popular among old people are now unsellable. He Minsheng, director of a city committee looking after affairs concerning the aged, said that when people are getting old, they often begin to feel useless and lose interest in life. The purpose of the committee is to help them overcome these iroubles. He said the city has set up more than 400 recreational and sports organizations to promote various activities for older people. Early in the morning, old people can be found performing disco, qigong(a system of deep breathing exercises) and other exercises in gardens and parks. However, not all middle-aged and older people in China openly express their views about their wish to remain in good physical condition. A reporter from a local weekly aimed at senior citizens complained that about 1, 000 people signed for a recent healthcare exercise training course, but few of them are willing to be interviewed. The reporter said, "Maybe these people are still afraid of being laughed at. II. Read Read the following passages. Underline the important viewpoints while reading. 1. "New Fashions in Clothing Are Created Solely for the Commercial Exploitation of Women Whenever you see an old film, even one made as little as ten years ago, you cannot help being struck by the appearance of the women taking part. Their hair- styles and make-up look dated: their skirts look either too long or too short: their general appearance is, in fact, slightly ludicrous. The men taking part in the film, on the other hand, are clearly recognizable. There is nothing about their appearance to suggest that they belong to an entirely different age. This illusion is created by changing fashions. Over the years, the great majority of men have successfully resisted all attempts to make them change their style of dress. The same cannot be said for women. Each year a few so-ca lled "top designers" in Paris or London lay down the law and women the whole world over rush to obey. The decrees of the designers are unpredictable and dictatorial. This year, they decide in their arbitrary fashion, skirts will be short and waists will be high; zips are in and buttons are out . Next year the law is reversed and far from taking exception, no one is even mildly surprised. If women are mercilessly exploited year after year, they have only themselves to blame. Because they shudder at the thought of being seen in public in clothes that are out of fashion, they are annually blackmailed by the designers and the big stores. Clothes which have been worn only a few times have to be discarded because of the dictates of fashion. When you come to think of it, only a woman is capable of standing in front of a wardrobe packed full of clothes and announcing sadly that she has nothing to wear. Changing fashions are nothing more than the deliberate creation of waste. Many women squander vast sums of money each year to replace clothes that have hardly been worn. Women who cannot afford to discard clothing in this way, waste hours of their time altering the dresses they have. Hem-lines are taken up or let down; waist-lines are taken in or let out; neck-lines are lowered or raised, and so on. No one can claim that the fashion industry contributes anything really important to society. Fashion designers are rarely concerned with vital things like warmth, comfort and durability. They are only interested in outward appearance and they take advantage of the fact that women will put up with any amount of discomfort, providing they look right. There can hardIy be a man who hasn,t at some time in his life smiled at the sight of a woman shivering in a flimsy dress on a wintry day, or delicately picking her way through deep snow in dainty shoes. When comparing men and women in the matter of fashion, the conclusions to be drawn are obvious. Do the constantly changing fashions of women's clothes, one wonders, reflect basic qualities of fickleness and instability? Men are too sensible to let themselves be bullied by fashion clesigners. Do their unchanging styles of dress reflect basic qualities of stability and reliability? That is for you to decide. 　 2. For Fashion-mad Youth Money Is No Object Young women in Beijing are showing a new look in fashions this year. They are wearing elegant long trouser-like skirts and loose pantalets with a connected top, both made of colourful satin, silk and polyester As a popular saying among young people in the capital nowadays goes - "Fashion for women and labels for men." Fashion had been lang neglected in Beijing. During the "cultural revolution" (1966-1976), the city was filled with people clad in blue, grey, black and green. Army uniforms were the norm. Green caps, suits and coats were in vogue. But no longer. The drab look is no more. Wherever there are shops, there are some that sell the latest fashions in garments a,nd shoes. Street pedlars and private clothing store owners have been trying to collect new designs from all over the country and to put them on display in ihe markets as soon as possible. Prominent Beijing garment companies such as Blue Sky, Leimeng and Zaocun have been replaced in popularity by Smart Garments Lrd, Wacoal Co. I.td. and De-Carty, all of which are joint ventures. Although their clothes are much more expensive than those in ordinary shops, they are selling very well. In the bus:tling night market of Xidan, one of the busiest shopping centres in Beijing, a young woman was heard commenting on a dress marked at 319 yuan. "It would cost three months of my salary, but it's really beautiful," she said. "It's very difficult for people like me who are living on fixed salaries to find som.ething satisfactory. What we like is extremely expensive, and what we can afford we dislike." A young woman shop assistant said she was attracted to a beautiful skirt one day, but gave up buying it because one of her colleagues had one just like it. "I want to be different," she said. Nike, Adidas and other world-famous sportswear and shoes have become fashionable among young men who are eager to be with the incrowd. A pair of shoes can set them back 160 yuan, more than a month's salary. "Young peop(e nowadays spend money like they had a hole in their pocket," said an elderly shop assistant. "They buy whatever they like regardless of the price. "I'm not against dressing well, but you have to survive." On the fourth floor of the Wangfujing Department Store, a young man chose a 398-yuan dress for his girlfriend. "Since I run a beauty salon, I have no problem affording a coat like this," the man said casually. "Nowadays people like to start new things to distinguish themselves," a sociologist commented. "It is a psychological breakthrough. People try to preserve their own value and their personality." 3. Hong Devoted to Fashion Career Fashion designer Hong Xia is a woman. with a mission in life:she hopes to turn Guangzhou into a fashion centre rivalling Paris, Milan, Tokyo, New York and Hong Kong. Hong, now a designer at Guangzhou University, staged a solo fashion show in 1986, held fashion lectures and night-schools and published articles on fashion. She then went on to teach at Guangzhou University in 1988 and is now writing a book describing the Guangzhou fashion world. Her career in fashion started when she was enrolled in the Central Academy of Arts and Designs in Beijing in 1981. Before that, she had been a mechanical worker for eight years after graduating from middle school in 1973 in Guangzhou. "Fashion design had just started its rise in popularity at the time I was studying in Beijing," she said. "It was fascinating because it was new." She was attracted to the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone two years later when she graduated and went to an area where large-scale construction was underway and the pace of everyday life was quickening. One year later, after gaining experience in all aspects of clothes eduction, she received her first designing assignment: for a batch of summer clothes. "I don't know how to describe my feelings for my first independent designs," she said. "t1 lot of questions came to mind which I never thought of at school: What should I design? What materials should I use? What colours should I choose? What styles will be popular? All this forced me to begin a market survey." It came as a bit of a surprise when she saw her summer fashions welumed by customers. For the first time, she blended the needs of the narket with her own designs. In Shenzhen, Hong benefited from watching Hong Kong TV and reading the latest fashion magazines from all over the world to keep pace uith international trends. Her big chance came when she joined the nahonal "Adult Spring-Autumn Fashion Designs Competition" sponsored by China Fashions Magazine and Central Television in 1985. Hong was one of the five major winners thanks to her unconventional women's fashion designs. But the private fashion market in Guangzhou is to date only a duplication and sales centre of new overseas fashions, according to Hong Xia. "It is active in buying and selling the latest styles form Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan but weak in designing its own styles, ?she said. The potential for the sale of fashion goods throughout China has stimulated the development of the city's fashion market. Hundreds of stores selling world-brand clothes have sprung up. Customers to these stores, she said, are mainly people from art circles,management personnel and young women working in hotels and offices. Prices range from 100 to 4, 000 yuan. People involved in the fashion business in Shanghai, Beijing, Dalian and Qingdao are also frequent customers. "Although at present you seldom see styles designed by the city, s own designers, Guangzhou is gradually becoming a Hong Kong-style fashion market with Ihe appearance of these fashion stores," she said. An obvious disadvantage for Guangzhou to develop into a fashion centre is the lack of its own fashion designers, and people in the city do not have the dress sense to appreciate fashion designs. Realizing this, Hong decided to teach. "I thought I should do my best to let more people know something about fashion designing by holding fashion shows, lectures and nightschools," Hong said. "That was a turning point in my career," she said. "It paved my way towards success." Hong Xia now has 25 students in her class in Guangzhou University for a two-year course. She teaches them not only the fashion theories but tells them about her own experiences as a designer and as a privare businessperson. Hong has already seen the achievements of her teaching. In a national Youth Fashion Designs Competition nine of her students were chosen as excellent winners and one of her students received the first award. As a fashion designer and a business woman,'Hong Xia has sold her works to fashion businesses in the United States, Japan, Australia and Hong Kong. "Now I am looking forward to setting up a private fashion company to design fashions for foreign people staying in Guangzhou," she said."I'm working hard on it." 4.Jewellery Shining Once Again in China Strolling through nearly every city, you can find jewellery shops and women wearing necklaces, earrings, rings and bracelets. "Things have changed dramatically," said a middle-aged woman who had just bought a diamond ring at a jewellery exhibition held by a small arts and crafts store in Beijing's Chaoyang District. "I'm the kind of woman who loves dressing up more than anything else, " she said. "But to my great regret, during the 'cultural revolution,' when I was a young woman, I couldn't make myself beautiful. by wearing fashionable clothes and beautiful jewellery. Now I am happy to have a chance to wear jewellery again now that it is becoming popular in China." People, both young and old, women and men, have begun showing new interest in jewellery, especially since 1982, when the government reopened its domesitc gold market after it was shut down for 21 years. But different people think of jewellery in different ways. Recompense Fu Cong, 60, a retired man in Hohhot, capital of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, spent 700 yuan he had saved up for a couple of years to buy his wife a gold wedding ring for her 58th birthday. "I consider it a recompense," he said. "When we were married 30 years ago, I had neither the money nor the idea to buy her a wedding ring since in the 1950s, a gift like this would have been considered wasteful and bourgeois." Overjoyed at wearing the precious gift her husband gave her, his wife said that she has taken the ring as a good sustenance and hopes that their marriage will last forever. "Wearing rings, earrings, necklaces and other ornamental jewels was very popular when I was a child," she said. "My ears were pierced a few days after I was born as were most little girls' at that time, and I began wearing a pair of earrings when I was a child." She said that she never had a necklace or a ring because wearing jewellery was no longer done when she grew up, and people were criticized for wearing jewels. Wang Weilan, another woman in Hohhot, has another view toward jewellery. A few months ago, she spent several thousand yuan on a gold ring and a pair of earrings. "I would rather rely on gold and jewels than on paper currency for protection against price increases," she said. "Although I've put some of my money in a bank, I'm still afraid of devaluation." Wealth For many elderly people, jewellery is no longer an ornament to enhance beauty but a symbol of wealth or a memento. So they pay less attention to the external design and care much more about intrinsic value. But most who wear jewellery thess days do so for beauty's sake. "Even a few years ago, I considered jewellery a luxury. Ipreferred durable consumer goods, like colour televisions, refrigerators and highgrade furniture. Now that I have these things I think of jewellery as a necessity, " said He Ming, a 24-year-old Beijing woman. Cheap, imitation gold and ivory rings and necklaces were very popular a couple of years ago and had a special appeal to young women with low incomes. They liked gilt necklaces and earrings, because they look like the real thing but were much cheaper. But with expanding jewellery markets, the introduction of foreign products and rising living standards, many people, especially young women, have become more selective and are no longer satisfied with traditional designs of rings, earrings, necklaces and bracelets. And they're paying great attention to value as well.