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Terri Levine is known as the business-mentoring expert with heart and is a top business and marketing strategies. She is changing the way business owners around the world connect with their target audiences, then sell and serve their customers and their employees. Terri is know for consulting with business owners to stop selling, marketing and operating businesses using traditional methods and moves them into true, authentic, heart-to-heart people centered communication models where sales and marketing are done with authentic and transparency.
Dr. Levine has more than 30 years of business, sales and marketing experience, encompassing work with over 5,000 business owners. She is also a best-selling author of over 30 titles, and very popular keynote speaker.
Terri's latest book Turbocharge: How To Transform Your Business As A Heartrepreneur hit the Amazon bestseller list 24 hours after release. Terri has a mission of changing the way business is done in the 21st century and creating a movement of hundreds of thousands of Heartrepreneurs doing business heart-to-heart.
At Heart-repreneur® we are committed to transforming the way business is done. We help small service businesses to do business heart-to-heart with transparency, authenticity and integrity and show them how to get more qualified prospects very quickly using our proprietary 3 step process that is simple and proven to work.
Terri Levine has been a guest on 1 episode.
In this episode, I sit down with Terri Levine, founder of Heartrepreneur, and talk about how she owned 6 businesses all sold for many millions of dollars - the first one after a few years in the early 80s for over a million and one start up I did over 88 million in less than 6 months. We go deeper in how she markets and the whole idea of putting heart into your business.


I wanted to share my most recent three-day weekend getaway with you … it was our third trip to sin city Las Vegas this year. I'm not a big fan of 8 hour drives for a long-weekend getaway however my wife loves them. She has every right to … I do the driving and the car has Wi-Fi so she's happy Googling the entire trip.
Our trip was planned several months back to see two of our favorite comedians performing together at the Mirage … David Spade and headliner Ray Romano.
Our trip started out early Friday morning. Since there was a big "I Heart" event at T-Mobile Stadium with U2, Sting and several others … we thought we would pick up a lot of traffic on Interstate 15 for those coming from LA so we left early.
Our trip starts out at 5AM at our favorite Starbucks. Once again, we took the same direction as our previous trip … 101, to 152 on to Interstate 5. Of course one of our favorite breakfast stops is the coffee shop at the Harris Ranch Resort. We continued along Interstate 5 then over to 99 briefly to get to highway 58 which will take us through Bakersfield on to Barstow before hoping on to Interstate 15. We did get some construction traffic, we probably lost an hour on highway 58.
Finally, we made it to the Strip around 3:30. We decided to stay at Treasure Island this time. As usual, the check in lines we're very long, however they move fast. While checking in, I inquired about upgrades, they we're pretty full … after, a conversation with the manager, they we're able to get us in one of their Suites. It was probably around 900 square feet that included two full bathrooms, my only complaint … they really need to update some of the furniture, it's very outdated.
Tonight, dinner would be at one of our all-time favorites places to eat in Vegas … Joe's Seafood Prime Steak and Stone Crab located in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace. As usual, everything was perfect. We started out sharing one of their huge and delicious Chopped Tomato, Onion and Blue Cheese Salads. As a side, we chose their Four Cheese Mac & Cheese … our first trying from Joe's, I must say, it doesn't compare to Morton's'. For our main meals, my wife enjoyed the Filet Migon & Crab, while I dove into a thick juicy, 16 oz. Rib Eye. I rarely, eat red meat, however when I do it needs to be good … tonight it was good!
After dinner, we walked over to the MGM … tonight we had tickets to see Daryl Hall & John Oates sing their classic hits. It was the final city of there 2016 tour. Even with the "I Heart" event in town, the MGM Garden Arena was filled to capacity with nearly 17,000 fans.
We were a little late to see the opening act however caught the next act. Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue. Trombone Shorty, also known as Troy Andrews is a very talented 30-year-old from New Orleans. He is best known as a trombone and trumpet player but also plays drums, organ, and tuba. He has worked with some of the biggest names in rock, pop, and hip hop and of course jazz. He's an American musician, producer, actor and philanthropist who gives back to the city of New Orleans.
I thought it was really cool, that names like Hall & Oates have them opening for them. These guys played their heart out. I'm looking forward in seeing them again next year when they come to the Bay Area, opening for the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
It's Saturday morning, we didn't have a lot planned since we had a couple of more concerts tonight. We really wanted to do the Area 51 tour, however it wasn't available today. No worries, it's Las Vegas, it's easy to walk around and people watch and of course, why not go on the world tallest Ferris wheel … the tallest at least for now. The news is that there's already plans in New York to build one taller.
Construction began September of 2011 for the "High Roller" Ferris Wheel and was supposed to be completed in 2013. It wasn't finished until February 2014 and opened on March 31, 2014 at a cost of $185 million dollars. You get a lot of great views in the 30-minute ride for a mere $15 bucks.
Today, we had a late lunch at Mon Ami Gabi located at the Paris Hotel. We had the perfect seat outside to take in the Water show across the street at the Bellagio. Only problem, we really over did it at lunch, the food was incredible, so we passed on dinner. We had reservations at the revolving restaurant located at the Stratosphere Hotel, but we just couldn't eat any more.
Tonight, our first show was at 8PM at "The Colosseum" at Caesars Palace to see Celine Dion. Her show was basically a fill for us since David Spade and Ray Romano wasn't until 10PM next door at the Mirage.
Going in to see her, we had no expectations, coming out, this entertainer is very down to earth and an incredible singer. She shared a lot of her life with the audience, the good and the sad, she really knows how to connect with her fans.
Next up David Spade and Ray Romano at the Terry Fator Showroom at the Mirage.
Ray Romano has been at the Mirage for a few years now. In the past he's teamed up with a couple of our favorites, Brad Garrett and Kevin James. I'm glad he's now brought David Spade who's a favorite of mine from Saturday Night Live. Both do great stand-up comedy. After each did their own thing, Romano, brought Spade out again. They exchanged jokes and took questions from the audience.
They offer a good balance act … Romano with his "Everybody Loves Raymond" family humor along with the sarcasm of David Spade … it was nice hearing some of the old piece's form "Saturday Night Live" … if you happen to see them together, all I can say is be prepared to laugh uncontrollably for 90 minutes.
Well, that's your weekend getaway tip for Las Vegas … if anyone has made the drive, going through Reno and taking 395 let me know. I can use a change of scenery.


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I hope PDCR provides performance and capacity reporting. May I know if I can configure or replicate the Dev and QA env with this? TLE ????? QCD????
PDCR is a Teradata Professional Services offering for performance and capacity reporting. If you are interested, you will need to contact your Teradata Account team for more details.


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Tele-sales ban puts bank execs in the sun
Picture used for illustrative purposes only. (FILE)
Joseph George
Published Wednesday, April 27, 2011
If you thought it is a nuisance to field unwanted calls from desperate telemarketers who try selling credit/bank cards, loans, insurance, etc, then be wary of shopping now. Banks have come up with an innovative 'direct marketing' service!
Executives have taken to the roads in an attempt to beat UAE Central Bank's decision last month banning banks and finance companies from calling customers to market their services.
Meanwhile, several people told 'Emirates24|7' that the average number of calls they now recieve have reduced drastically. But a few of them who were approached by direct-marketing staff of banks while shopping with families have expressed their frustration. "These guys are invading into our privacy," said one.
An ADCB executive, said: "I choose an area every day and identify corporate offices with good staff strength. It's best to meet them when they come out for a smoke or coffee."
Bank executives say they have been forced to toil in the summer heat in front of offices and busy street corners to lure potential customers.
Especially because their targets remain the same.
"Banks have not reduced our targets. We still have to sign up at least six customers during the first three months of probation and sell cards from the fourth month. If not there will be a drop in incentives. We are left with no other option but to find other innovative means to attract customers," said the executive.
"Life has obviously become more difficult. The cost of roping in a customer has increased now. The central bank restriction is only for the initial contact. Once we meet an interested customer, the follow-ups are done over phone," he said.
ADCB has also installed specific booths in shopping malls such as Lulu in an effort to market its co-branded credit card.
However, the new rule has hit lenders hard. A Barclays Bank executive said there has been almost 20 per cent drop in the number of new customers since the rule came into effect in March.
Meanwhile, some banks said they are continuing to operate tele-marketing centres despite the Central Bank order. "The centres are continuing to operate. At times some busy people, who are aware of the new rule have threatened to complain for having called them. But somehow things are continuing as they are although at a reduced pace," said another official.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
First NZ Gay Marriage Fails in Less than a Year
Filed under: General — Ministry of Men's Affairs @ 9:08 am Thu 17th July 2014
MoMA has nothing against homosexual people and strongly supports their right to get on with their lives without discrimination or abuse. The history of horrible violence against gays (ongoing still in a number of countries) shows human irrationality and cruelty at its worst.
However, the pathetic performance of NZ's first same-sex marriage couple highlights the degree to which the institution of marriage will be further trivialized and damaged by its redefinition for gays to use.
Homosexual marriages will be significantly shorter on average than heterosexual marriages, even after feminism eroded marriage to become an easily discarded self-indulgence. Gays generally do not have the same reasons to remain married that heterosexual couples have, i.e. the need to provide a nurturing, secure family for offspring to grow up in. So there is little reason for a gay couple to overcome inevitable relationship conflicts and unhappiness. The shorter marriages become on average, the more irrelevant marriage will become and the more callously it will be treated. Amending marriage laws to allow gays to feel they aren't missing out on anything heterosexuals might have, was in itself a trivialization of what was left of the institution of marriage.
The trivializing attitude of these poster girls to their marriage commitment can be seen in this poem written by one of them:
Drink it down, laugh it off,
Avoid the drama, take chances,
And never have regrets
Because at one point everything you did
Was exactly what you wanted.
That attitude is not much different from what we see in many feminist-thinking women. "Oh that's what I wanted yesterday but today I want something different so you dear can be discarded (except for your ongoing money) and I will decide how much if at all you can still be involved in bringing up MY children". But that attitude will be more easily maintained in most gay marriages where there will not be the same complications.
The early failure of the first gay marriage should also sound a warning bell against insufficient caution in allowing a gay couple to adopt children. MoMA does not suggest that gay couples should be prevented from adopting children. There will be situations in which a gay couple will be the best choice from those available. For example, it may be better for a child to be adopted by a gay couple connected to the child's family than by unrelated strangers, even with the realistic risk that the gay partnership will not be as stable. However, MoMA's concern is that the likes of the Labiar Party are likely to legislate in such a way as to disallow consideration of the sexuality of those seeking to adopt (i.e. banning adoption authorities from discriminating on the basis of a couples' gender composition). MoMA believes that the likelihood of earlier separation by same-sex couples should be taken into account in adoption decisions. When heterosexual and homosexual couples compete to adopt the same child and there is no other advantage evident for either couple (e.g. they are both related to the child's family, the child gets on equally well with them, they provide comparable financial security) then the decision should be able to be based on predicted future stability of the two couples' partnerships.
20 Responses to "First NZ Gay Marriage Fails in Less than a Year"
Dominic da Silva says:
Thu 17th July 2014 at 11:36 am
Epic fail, nice one. um who gets the kids ? do they both get legal aid ? will the first one to make up lies get the protection order ? will the court be able to make a unbiased decision ? that would be interesting to see the outcome ?
Thu 17th July 2014 at 1:39 pm
I feel for this couple however their success or failure in their partnership is really none of our business. What is our business is the offspring of either partner and how, if they exist, the children can get on and grow up in a reasonable way. In a case that I have heard of there was an attempt made to have the biological father removed from the upbringing of the children when a couple of females decided to form a partnership. I understand that the attempt failed in the family court.
I'm not sure how this is relevant to men out there, live and let live I say.
It won't be long before the first gay male couple gets divorced – will that be any different?
Downunder says:
@Daniel – It depends on your view of marriage; whether you consider marriage to be sexually based or based on reproduction.
Marriage was a defined contract – men and women knew where they stood but now it is a legally managed contract with undefined boundaries, in which men generally come off second best, women get what they want, and children often lose out.
Or a culturally endorsed agreement between two people.
Are you saying it was a defined contract but now it isn't? As far as I know even cultures without a formal legal system have always had some form of marriage, in our age the state has decided to step in and regulate to suit itself and the state's definition of marriage isn't static though the principle hasn't changed that much.
I still can't see how this is relevant to me, women will use the law to get what they want and keep pushing the boundaries to get more power regardless of whether same sex marriage is allowed or not. Objecting to gay marriage on 'moral' grounds is even more irrelevant.
MurrayBacon says:
Thu 17th July 2014 at 10:13 pm
Everyone seems in a serious mood, so to lighten up a little bit?
YouTube The unstoppable future of love, respect and tolerance: Conchita Wurst at TEDxAmRing
Claims to equality are fine, in issues between adults. However, children's right to a stable, loving, developing and happy childhood may not be served by simple marriage equality?
I suggest that the only way to protect children, is by licensing adults before they care for children, for all gender agendas.
Ministry of Men's Affairs says:
Fri 18th July 2014 at 2:41 pm
Shifts in attitudes towards marriage and changes to the laws around marriage are of great importance to men. Changes to marriage over recent decades have contributed hugely to many of the problems men experience and discuss here. Those changes have markedly increased the exploitation of men and probably contributed to increased suicide rates. Our argument, which anyone is welcome to refute, is that opening up marriage to gays was another step towards reducing the gravity and meaning our society attaches to marriage.
However, Daniel (#3 and #5), you seem to be opposing arguments that nobody here has made. Nobody has mounted any anti-gay moral arguments, and nobody has suggested that the female gender of this failed marriage is of significance. It just so happens that the views poetically expressed by one of those women are consistent with the views of many feminist-thinking women. This also is of great relevance to men.
We would be surprised if one of the gay male marriages hasn't already failed but that wouldn't hit the news so we wouldn't know about it. This female marital separation was in the news only because the couple were celebrated publicly as the first gay couple who used the newly redefined law to tie their knot of life-long commitment. Such knots have become very loosely tied over the last 50 years, but the homosexual marital knots are clearly even looser.
Although no moral objection to gay marriage per se has been argued, there are moral positions underlying our concern for the welfare of children, and our concerns about a trivialization of the role, importance and rules of marriage.
JohnPotter says:
MOMA, do you have any evidence for your statement below?
Homosexual marriages will be significantly shorter on average than heterosexual marriages
It's true that the duration of many gay male relationships can be measured in mere minutes, but these guys are not likely to be the ones choosing to get married.
I personally know several male couples who have maintained loving relationships for decades, and it seems to me that their prospects would be at least as good as for heterosexual couples. Gays might even be able to avoid some of the societal pressures which work to undermine traditional male-female marriages.
This is a potentially important issue if the adoption of children is being considered, and I would like to think that the men's movement avoids promoting factoids on the basis of their truthiness.
If you have any data on this, please share it with us.
The man in Absentia says:
Fri 18th July 2014 at 10:21 pm
We will distort the debate and our position if we argue about issues such as this.
You can be Homophobic if you like, but it's a sideshow, it taints our desires for equality.
Surely in a political sense we need all the help we can get. Gay men vote. Gay women vote. What version of bias would you like to impose on them. Don't vote because your gay?
I am a little bit homophobic. But I see that when my Gay brothers boyfriend hugs my child, my child's emotional responses tells no lies.
She does not judge by heterosexuality, or Gayness, but character.
Maybe their relationships don't last as long.
Maybe there is more violence.
Maybe child development is less than perfect.
Maybe the social stigmas we as society impose on them is the actual problem, not there Gayness.
The argument trends to the irrational and we should avoid it.
There is far more important things to focus our efforts on.
Man in Absentia (#9): Accusing someone of being 'homophobic' just because you disagree with them or think the issue is not as important as other issues, is manipulative. We are most certainly not homophobic. And our arguments were not irrational at all; please explain how you think they were.
Yes, there will be many issues of greater importance, but this one is not unimportant.
The Stability of Same-Sex Cohabitation, Different-Sex Cohabitation, and Marriage by Charles Q Strohm for the California Center for Population Research, University of California. Abstract as follows:
This study contributes to the emerging demographic literature on same-sex couples by comparing the level and correlates of union stability among four types of couples: male same-sex cohabitation, female same-sex cohabitation, different-sex cohabitation, and different-sex marriage. I analyze data from two British birth cohort studies, the National Child Development Study (N = 11,469) and the 1970 British Cohort Study (N = 11,924). These data contain retrospective histories of same-sex and different-sex unions throughout young adulthood (age 16-34) from 1974-2004. Event history analyses show that same-sex cohabitations have higher rates of dissolution than do different-sex cohabiting and marital unions. Among same-sex couples, male couples had slightly higher dissolution rates than did female couples. In addition, same-sex couples from the 1958 and 1970 birth cohorts had similar levels of union stability. The demographic correlates of union stability are generally similar for same-sex and different-sex unions.
I've seen the research that shows very negative resultants in regards to children being brought up in same sex relationships. I don't disagree that there are issues. I just think that it is a battle we should avoid.
I apologise if my comment or implications in using the word homophobic, if it offended.
I believe that the battle for a more just society is reliant on examining causes, not effects.
If their performance is bad, why?
How can we make the effects better for the children?
We must also accept that they will undertake actions to sate their desires to be parents whether we want them to or not.
This is a site for men? are gay men not men?
My brother is openly gay, and yes I love him to bits, I have empathy for his position/plight in society.
JohnPotter (#8): We agree, and we have also known homosexual couples in long-lasting partnerships albeit placing less importance on sexual exclusivity than hetero partnerships tend to.
It's a complicated issue to research given that homosexual marriage has not been around for long even in the countries that pioneered it, and the much lower rates of marriage among homosexuals than heterosexuals. The Dutch AIDS related study is often quoted by religious and conservative zealots but its findings are not representative of gay marriages. However, both anecdotal knowledge and demographic research about the promiscuity of homosexuals would suggest that their marriages won't be as stable. Our poster-girls have lasted less than a year, and that's anecdotally significant especially because only a small proportion of gay couples marry or enter civil unions so those that do presumably are the most committed among the population of gay relationships.
Other Dutch research suggests that divorce rates among the total group of heterosexual marriages is actually higher (0.099) than that among the total group of homosexual marriages (0.073). However, only 8% of homosexuals chose to marry while around 80% of heterosexuals did. Although it hasn't been researched (and may be impossible to do so reliably), the most-committed 8% proportion of hetero partnerships will probably have much lower divorce rates. Also, the rate for heterosexual couples covers marriages over a much longer time span than the ten years during which homosexual marriages there had been possible at the time those statistics were gathered. So the rate for homosexual divorce within 10 years was almost as high as that for heterosexual divorce within, say, 50 years. The rate of heterosexual divorce within 10 years of marriage is likely to be much lower than the rate already seen in homosexual marriages, which presumably represent the most committed group on average among homosexual partnerships.
It will be some years before reliable statistics accumulate allowing direct comparisons between heterosexual and homosexual marriages. But from the research we know of already, it's a safe bet that the homosexual marriages won't last as long on average. That is not intended to be a criticism of homosexuals (it's up to them how they do their relationships) but it does have implications for how marriage comes to be treated and viewed, and for the welfare of children.
Sat 19th July 2014 at 12:07 am
Man In Absentia (#12): Thank you for retracting and apologizing regarding your allegation of homophobia. For all you know we might be homosexual.
I just think that it is a battle we should avoid.
You are welcome to avoid controversial issues but we won't. A battle only happens when two or more parties fight. Expressing opinions and seeking truth aren't necessarily participating in battle. We would love to be refuted if this can be done through rational argument that actually addresses our points. In that case we will acknowledge our error and change our opinion.
OMG! you're f%^^&*([email protected]#! says:
Sat 19th July 2014 at 7:07 am
To state that gay marriages fail at a greater rate than heterosexual marriages is a bit emotive and misleading.
Especially young-marriages (16,17,18,19yo's) may fail more readily than 'waiting a few years'.
First marriages may fail more readily than second marriages.
Forced marriages may fail more readily than free-choice marriages.
Mangere marriages may fail more readily than Remuera marriages.
DV-filled marriages ;
Cross-religion;
Cross-culture;
Marriages with one party an alcoholic;
Marriages with one party a workaholic;
Civil unions may fail more readily than 'traditional' marriages.
Simply living together may fail more readily any of the above.
I think you get the idea. [and I'm not stating any of the above to be 'fact'; I am merely being suggestive]
It is a valid question to ask sociological questions as to why any of these holds true – if only to help one or both partners to the marriage. However if the overall question is only asked in regard to one scenario – e.g. that of homosexuality – then then the person or organisation asking the question leaves itself open to the 'charge' of homophobia. To focus on only one area – e.g. homosexuality – for the purpose of one specific debate, research, statistic etc is also not in itself necessarily homophobic – unless it becomes a recurring and predominant theme, as some pseudo political groups may have done in the past.
Thanks for the info MOMA.
My first thought when I read your statement was that there couldn't be much data on gay marriage, at least long term. Studies that compare same-sex cohabitation with mixed-sex marriage are comparing apples and oranges in my opinion.
From the limited information available on the outcomes of committed (civil union, marriage, etc) homosexual relationships, I agree that the risk of relationship failure does seem to be somewhat higher than for heteros.
It also looks like most gay parenting is done by lesbians.
In answer to The man in Absentia (#12) – yes, this site is supportive of gay men.
Which argument you chose to have depends very much on the state of a society.
In a developing or insecure population the focus of any laws or convention will be on reproduction, but in a developed or secure society, or perceived to be secure, the focus shifts to attachment or pleasure.
For example with the decimation of the Maori population (some, not all) Maori mothers would ensure that their daughters were pregnant as soon as they were fertile. There was a determined effort to regenerate numbers.
In the latter days of the Roman Empire a law was enacted requiring slave owners who allowed slaves to marry to sell them as a couple and not separate them, recognising the attachment.
At the same time the aristocracy became very much concerned with pleasure and stopped producing children – a decree was issued to breed – but that didn't fix the situation. The Romans had developed basic contraception and could make choices about the numbers of children they had.
We have reached that point in a social context where in our perceived secure society our focus shifts from reproduction to pleasure and attachment – we also produce less children, not just us in New Zealand – this is now a recognised phenomenon occurring in many parts of the Western World
Our law is now firmly focused on recognising the individual rather than recognising the family unit as it did 40 years ago, marriage has been redefined, away from reproduction towards pleasure and attachment as is the case with gay marriage.
The argument is not a homophobic one – you don't need a law to cohabitate.
A law is passed to have an effect.
If we need marriage laws, then what exactly are they for?
Should they recognise biological relationships or individual rights?
Sat 19th July 2014 at 5:10 pm
I realise that the familycaught$ flourishes under the concept of working blind and in defiance of evidence – the without-evidence principle reigns supreme in weighing facts. Decisions are made based on other irrelevant cases, misunderstood factoids and public pressures, whether well founded or not. Whether in fact this will increase or decrease the hazard to the children will never be evaluated. By prioritising wealth extraction and transfer to legal workers, in fact hazards to children will usually be greatly increased.
Where there is competence for the issues at hand, decisionmakers of integrity work in accordance with evidence based principles, for example in education, medicine and engineering. Such professionals make decisions on the basis of the facts relating to the case at hand.
So I acknowledge that fundamental evidence about parents and parenting is only of academic interest, when decisions will actually be made in familycaught$, without competence rearing its ugly head.
How different are the adult children of parents who have same-sex relationships? Findings from the New Family Structures Study
Mark Regnerus
Social Science Research 41 (2012) 752-770
Department of Sociology and Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station A1700, Austin, TX 78712-0118, United States
a b s t r a c t
The New Family Structures Study (NFSS) is a social-science data-collection project that
fielded a survey to a large, random sample of American young adults (ages 18-39) who
were raised in different types of family arrangements. In this debut article of the NFSS, I
compare how the young-adult children of a parent who has had a same-sex romantic relationship
fare on 40 different social, emotional, and relational outcome variables when compared
with six other family-of-origin types. The results reveal numerous, consistent
differences, especially between the children of women who have had a lesbian relationship
and those with still-married (heterosexual) biological parents. The results are typically
robust in multivariate contexts as well, suggesting far greater diversity in lesbian-parent
household experiences than convenience-sample studies of lesbian families have revealed.
The NFSS proves to be an illuminating, versatile dataset that can assist family scholars in
understanding the long reach of family structure and transitions.
The well-being of children has long been in the center of public policy debates about marriage and family matters in the
United States. That trend continues as state legislatures, voters, and the judiciary considers the legal boundaries of marriage.
Social science data remains one of the few sources of information useful in legal debates surrounding marriage and adoption
rights, and has been valued both by same-sex marriage supporters and opponents. Underneath the politics about marriage
and child development are concerns about family structures' possible effects on children: the number of parents present and
active in children's lives, their genetic relationship to the children, parents' marital status, their gender distinctions or similarities,
and the number of transitions in household composition. In this introduction to the New Family Structures Study
(NFSS), I compare how young adults from a variety of different family backgrounds fare on 40 different social, emotional,
and relational outcomes. In particular, I focus on how respondents who said their mother had a same-sex relationship with
another woman-or their father did so with another man-compare with still-intact, two-parent heterosexual married families
using nationally-representative data collected from a large probability sample of American young adults.
Social scientists of family transitions have until recently commonly noted the elevated stability and social benefits of the
two-parent (heterosexual) married household, when contrasted to single mothers, cohabiting couples, adoptive parents, and
ex-spouses sharing custody (Brown, 2004; Manning et al., 2004; McLanahan and Sandefur, 1994). In 2002, Child Trends-a
well-regarded nonpartisan research organization-detailed the importance for children's development of growing up in ''the
presence of two biological parents" (their emphasis; Moore et al., 2002, p. 2). Unmarried motherhood, divorce, cohabitation,
and step-parenting were widely perceived to fall short in significant developmental domains (like education, behavior problems,
and emotional well-being), due in no small part to the comparative fragility and instability of such relationships.
In their 2001 American Sociological Review article reviewing findings on sexual orientation and parenting, however, sociologists
Judith Stacey and Tim Biblarz began noting that while there are some differences in outcomes between children in
same-sex and heterosexual unions, there were not as many as family sociologists might expect, and differences need not
necessarily be perceived as deficits. Since that time the conventional wisdom emerging from comparative studies of
same-sex parenting is that there are very few differences of note in the child outcomes of gay and lesbian parents (Tasker,
2005; Wainright and Patterson, 2006; Rosenfeld, 2010). Moreover, a variety of possible advantages of having a lesbian couple
as parents have emerged in recent studies (Crowl et al., 2008; Biblarz and Stacey, 2010; Gartrell and Bos, 2010; MacCallum
and Golombok, 2004). The scholarly discourse concerning gay and lesbian parenting, then, has increasingly posed a challenge
to previous assumptions about the supposed benefits of being raised in biologically-intact, two-parent heterosexual
households.
1.1. Sampling concerns in previous surveys
Concern has arisen, however, about the methodological quality of many studies focusing on same-sex parents. In particular,
most are based on non-random, non-representative data often employing small samples that do not allow for generalization
to the larger population of gay and lesbian families (Nock, 2001; Perrin and Committee on Psychosocial Aspects
of Child and Family Health, 2002; Redding, 2008). For instance, many published studies on the children of same-sex parents
collect data from ''snowball" or convenience samples (e.g., Bos et al., 2007; Brewaeys et al., 1997; Fulcher et al., 2008; Sirota,
2009; Vanfraussen et al., 2003). One notable example of this is the National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study, analyses of
which were prominently featured in the media in 2011 (e.g., Huffington Post, 2011). The NLLFS employs a convenience sample,
recruited entirely by self-selection from announcements posted ''at lesbian events, in women's bookstores, and in lesbian
newspapers" in Boston, Washington, and San Francisco. While I do not wish to downplay the significance of such a
longitudinal study-it is itself quite a feat-this sampling approach is a problem when the goal (or in this case, the practical
result and conventional use of its findings) is to generalize to a population. All such samples are biased, often in unknown
ways. As a formal sampling method, ''snowball sampling is known to have some serious problems," one expert asserts (Snijders,
1992, p. 59). Indeed, such samples are likely biased toward ''inclusion of those who have many interrelationships with,
or are coupled to, a large number of other individuals" (Berg, 1988, p. 531). But apart from the knowledge of individuals'
inclusion probability, unbiased estimation is not possible.
Further, as Nock (2001) entreated, consider the convenience sample recruited from within organizations devoted to
seeking rights for gays and lesbians, like the NLLFS sampling strategy. Suppose, for example, that the respondents have
higher levels of education than comparable lesbians who do not frequent such events or bookstores, or who live elsewhere.
If such a sample is used for research purposes, then anything that is correlated with educational attainment-like
better health, more deliberative parenting, and greater access to social capital and educational opportunities for children-
will be biased. Any claims about a population based on a group that does not represent it will be distorted, since its sample
of lesbian parents is less diverse (given what is known about it) than a representative sample would reveal (Baumle
et al., 2009).
To compound the problem, results from nonprobability samples-from which meaningful statistics cannot be generated-
are regularly compared with population-level samples of heterosexual parents, which no doubt are comprised of a blend of
higher and lower quality parents. For example, Gartrell et al. (2011a,b) inquired about the sexual orientation and behavior of
adolescents by comparing data from the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) with those in the snowball sample of
youth in the NLLFS. Comparing a population-based sample (the NSFG) to a select sample of youth from same-sex parents
does not provide the statistical confidence demanded of good social science. Until now, this has been a primary way in which
scholars have collected and evaluated data on same-sex parents. This is not to suggest that snowball samples are inherently
problematic as data-collection techniques, only that they are not adequate for making useful comparisons with samples that
are entirely different with regard to selection characteristics. Snowball and various other types of convenience sampling are
simply not widely generalizable or comparable to the population of interest as a whole. While researchers themselves commonly
note this important limitation, it is often entirely lost in the translation and transmission of findings by the media to
1.2. Are there notable differences?
The ''no differences" paradigm suggests that children from same-sex families display no notable disadvantages when
compared to children from other family forms. This suggestion has increasingly come to include even comparisons with
intact biological, two-parent families, the form most associated with stability and developmental benefits for children
(McLanahan and Sandefur, 1994; Moore et al., 2002).
Answering questions about notable between-group differences has nevertheless typically depended on with whom comparisons
are being made, what outcomes the researchers explored, and whether the outcomes evaluated are considered substantial
or superficial, or portents of future risk. Some outcomes-like sexual behavior, gender roles, and democratic
parenting, for example-have come to be valued differently in American society over time.
For the sake of brevity-and to give ample space here to describing the NFSS-I will avoid spending too much time
describing previous studies, many of whose methodological challenges are addressed by the NFSS. Several review articles,
and at least one book, have sought to provide a more thorough assessment of the literature (Anderssen et al., 2002; Biblarz
and Stacey, 2010; Goldberg, 2010; Patterson, 2000; Stacey and Biblarz, 2001a). Suffice it to say that versions of the phrase
''no differences" have been employed in a wide variety of studies, reports, depositions, books, and articles since 2000 (e.g.,
Crowl et al., 2008; Movement Advancement Project, 2011; Rosenfeld, 2010; Tasker, 2005; Stacey and Biblarz, 2001a,b;
Veldorale-Brogan and Cooley, 2011; Wainright et al., 2004).
Much early research on gay parents typically compared the child development outcomes of divorced lesbian mothers
with those of divorced heterosexual mothers (Patterson, 1997). This was also the strategy employed by psychologist Fiona
Tasker (2005), who compared lesbian mothers with single, divorced heterosexual mothers and found ''no systematic differences
between the quality of family relationships" therein. Wainright et al. (2004), using 44 cases in the nationally-representative
Add Health data, reported that teenagers living with female same-sex parents displayed comparable selfesteem,
psychological adjustment, academic achievement, delinquency, substance use, and family relationship quality to
44 demographically ''matched" cases of adolescents with opposite-sex parents, suggesting that here too the comparisons
were not likely made with respondents from stable, biologically-intact, married families.
However, small sample sizes can contribute to ''no differences" conclusions. It is not surprising that statistically-significant
differences would not emerge in studies employing as few as 18 or 33 or 44 cases of respondents with same-sex parents,
respectively (Fulcher et al., 2008; Golombok et al., 2003; Wainright and Patterson, 2006). Even analyzing matched samples,
as a variety of studies have done, fails to mitigate the challenge of locating statistically-significant differences when the sample
size is small. This is a concern in all of social science, but one that is doubly important when there may be motivation to
confirm the null hypothesis (that is, that there are in fact no statistically-significant differences between groups). Therefore,
one important issue in such studies is the simple matter of if there is enough statistical power to detect meaningful differences
should they exist. Rosenfeld (2010) is the first scholar to employ a large, random sample of the population in order to
compare outcomes among children of same-sex parents with those of heterosexual married parents. He concluded-after
controlling for parents' education and income and electing to limit the sample to households exhibiting at least 5 years of
co-residential stability-that there were no statistically-significant differences between the two groups in a pair of measures
assessing children's progress through primary school.
Sex-related outcomes have more consistently revealed distinctions, although the tone of concern about them has diminished
over time. For example, while the daughters of lesbian mothers are now widely understood to be more apt to explore
same-sex sexual identity and behavior, concern about this finding has faded as scholars and the general public have become
more accepting of GLB identities (Goldberg, 2010). Tasker and Golombok (1997) noted that girls raised by lesbian mothers
reported a higher number of sexual partners in young adulthood than daughters of heterosexual mothers. Boys with lesbian
mothers, on the other hand, appear to display the opposite trend-fewer partners than the sons of heterosexual mothers.
More recently, however, the tone about ''no differences" has shifted some toward the assertion of differences, and that
same-sex parents appear to be more competent than heterosexual parents (Biblarz and Stacey, 2010; Crowl et al., 2008).
Even their romantic relationships may be better: a comparative study of Vermont gay civil unions and heterosexual marriages
revealed that same-sex couples report higher relationship quality, compatibility, and intimacy, and less conflict than
did married heterosexual couples (Balsam et al., 2008). Biblarz and Stacey's (2010) review article on gender and parenting
asserts that,
based strictly on the published science, one could argue that two women parent better on average than a woman and a
man, or at least than a woman and man with a traditional division of labor. Lesbian coparents seem to outperform comparable
married heterosexual, biological parents on several measures, even while being denied the substantial privileges
of marriage (p. 17).
Even here, however, the authors note that lesbian parents face a ''somewhat greater risk of splitting up," due, they suggest,
to their ''asymmetrical biological and legal statuses and their high standards of equality" (2010, p. 17).
Another meta-analysis asserts that non-heterosexual parents, on average, enjoy significantly better relationships with
their children than do heterosexual parents, together with no differences in the domains of cognitive development, psychological
adjustment, gender identity, and sexual partner preference (Crowl et al., 2008).
However, the meta-analysis reinforces the profound importance of who is doing the reporting-nearly always volunteers
for small studies on a group whose claims about documentable parenting successes are very relevant in recent legislative
and judicial debates over rights and legal statuses. Tasker (2010, p. 36) suggests caution:
Parental self-report, of course, may be biased. It is plausible to argue that, in a prejudiced social climate, lesbian and gay
parents may have more at stake in presenting a positive picture. . ..Future studies need to consider using additional
sophisticated measures to rule out potential biases. . .
Suffice it to say that the pace at which the overall academic discourse surrounding gay and lesbian parents' comparative
competence has shifted-from slightly-less adept to virtually identical to more adept-is notable, and rapid. By comparison,
studies of adoption-a common method by which many same-sex couples (but more heterosexual ones) become parents-
have repeatedly and consistently revealed important and wide-ranging differences, on average, between adopted children
and biological ones. In fact, these differences have been so pervasive and consistent that adoption experts now emphasize
that ''acknowledgement of difference" is critical for both parents and clinicians when working with adopted children and and at least one book, have sought to provide a more thorough assessment of the literature (Anderssen et al., 2002; Biblarz
that ''acknowledgement of difference" is critical for both parents and clinicians when working with adopted children and teens (Miller et al., 2000). This ought to give social scientists studying gay parenting outcomes pause, especially in light of
concerns noted above about small sample sizes and the absence of a comparable recent, documented improvement in outcomes
from youth in adopted families and stepfamilies.
Far more, too, is known about the children of lesbian mothers than about those of gay fathers (Biblarz and Stacey, 2010;
Patterson, 2006; Veldorale-Brogan and Cooley, 2011). Biblarz and Stacey (2010, p. 17) note that while gay-male families remain
understudied, ''their daunting routes to parenthood seem likely to select more for strengths than limitations." Others
are not so optimistic. One veteran of a study of the daughters of gay fathers warns scholars to avoid overlooking the family
dynamics of ''emergent" gay parents, who likely outnumber planned ones: ''Children born into heterosexually organized
marriages where fathers come out as gay or bisexual also face having to deal with maternal bitterness, marital conflict, possible
divorce, custody issues, and father's absence" (Sirota, 2009, p. 291).
Regardless of sampling strategy, scholars also know much less about the lives of young-adult children of gay and lesbian
parents, or how their experiences and accomplishments as adults compare with others who experienced different sorts of
household arrangements during their youth. Most contemporary studies of gay parenting processes have focused on the
present-what is going on inside the household when children are still under parental care (Tasker, 2005; Bos and Sandfort,
2010; Brewaeys et al., 1997). Moreover, such research tends to emphasize parent-reported outcomes like parental divisions of
labor, parent-child closeness, daily interaction patterns, gender roles, and disciplinary habits. While such information is
important to learn, it means we know far more about the current experience of parents in households with children than
we do about young adults who have already moved through their childhood and now speak for themselves. Studies on family
structure, however, serve scholars and family practitioners best when they span into adulthood. Do the children of gay and
lesbian parents look comparable to those of their heterosexual counterparts? The NFSS is poised to address this question
about the lives of young adults between the ages of 18 and 39, but not about children or adolescents. While the NFSS is
not the answer to all of this domain's methodological challenges, it is a notable contribution in important ways.
1.3. The New Family Structures Study
Besides being brand-new data, several other aspects about the NFSS are novel and noteworthy. First, it is a study of young
adults rather than children or adolescents, with particular attention paid to reaching ample numbers of respondents who
were raised by parents that had a same-sex relationship. Second, it is a much larger study than nearly all of its peers. The
NFSS interviewed just under 3000 respondents, including 175 who reported their mother having had a same-sex romantic
relationship and 73 who said the same about their father. Third, it is a weighted probability sample, from which meaningful
statistical inferences and interpretations can be drawn. While the 2000 (and presumably, the 2010) US Census Integrated
Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) offers the largest nationally-representative sample-based information about youth in
same-sex households, the Census collects much less outcome information of interest. The NFSS, however, asked numerous
questions about respondents' social behaviors, health behaviors, and relationships. This manuscript provides the first
glimpse into those outcomes by offering statistical comparisons of them among eight different family structures/experiences
of origin. Accordingly, there is much that the NFSS offers, and not just about the particular research questions of this study.
There are several things the NFSS is not. The NFSS is not a longitudinal study, and therefore cannot attempt to broach
questions of causation. It is a cross-sectional study, and collected data from respondents at only one point in time, when they
were between the ages of 18 and 39. It does not evaluate the offspring of gay marriages, since the vast majority of its respondents
came of age prior to the legalization of gay marriage in several states. This study cannot answer political questions
about same-sex relationships and their legal legitimacy. Nevertheless, social science is a resource that offers insight to political
and legal decision-makers, and there have been enough competing claims about ''what the data says" about the children
of same-sex parents-including legal depositions of social scientists in important cases-that a study with the methodological
strengths of this one deserves scholarly attention and scrutiny.
As scholars of same-sex parenting aptly note, same-sex couples have and will continue to raise children. American courts
are finding arguments against gay marriage decreasingly persuasive (Rosenfeld, 2007). This study is intended to neither
undermine nor affirm any legal rights concerning such. The tenor of the last 10 years of academic discourse about gay
and lesbian parents suggests that there is little to nothing about them that might be negatively associated with child development,
and a variety of things that might be uniquely positive. The results of analyzing a rare large probability sample reported
herein, however, document numerous, consistent differences among young adults who reported maternal lesbian
behavior (and to a lesser extent, paternal gay behavior) prior to age 18. While previous studies suggest that children in
planned GLB families seem to fare comparatively well, their actual representativeness among all GLB families in the US
may be more modest than research based on convenience samples has presumed.
Although the findings reported herein may be explicable in part by a variety of forces uniquely problematic for child
development in lesbian and gay families-including a lack of social support for parents, stress exposure resulting from persistent
stigma, and modest or absent legal security for their parental and romantic relationship statuses-the empirical claim
that no notable differences exist must go. While it is certainly accurate to affirm that sexual orientation or parental sexual
behavior need have nothing to do with the ability to be a good, effective parent, the data evaluated herein using populationbased
estimates drawn from a large, nationally-representative sample of young Americans suggest that it may affect the reality
of family experiences among a significant number.
Do children need a married mother and father to turn out well as adults? No, if we observe the many anecdotal accounts
with which all Americans are familiar. Moreover, there are many cases in the NFSS where respondents have proven resilient
and prevailed as adults in spite of numerous transitions, be they death, divorce, additional or diverse romantic partners, or
remarriage. But the NFSS also clearly reveals that children appear most apt to succeed well as adults-on multiple counts and
across a variety of domains-when they spend their entire childhood with their married mother and father, and especially
when the parents remain married to the present day. Insofar as the share of intact, biological mother/father families continues
to shrink in the United States, as it has, this portends growing challenges within families, but also heightened dependence
on public health organizations, federal and state public assistance, psychotherapeutic resources, substance use
programs, and the criminal justice system.
Later Reply to Criticisms:
Parental same-sex relationships, family instability, and subsequent life outcomes for adult children: Answering critics of the new family structures study with additional analyses
Social Science Research 41 (2012) 1367-1377
Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station A1700, Austin, TX 78712-0118, United States
The July 2012 publication of my study on the outcomes of young adults who report parental
same-sex relationship behavior raised a variety of questions about the New Family
Structures Study and my analyses and interpretations of it. This follow-up article seeks
to address a variety of the more common criticisms that have been raised, to offer new
commentary and analyses, and to pose questions for future analysts of the NFSS and other
datasets that are poised to consider how household dynamics are associated with youth
and young-adult outcomes. The new analyses I present here still reveal numerous differences
between adult children who report maternal same-sex behavior (and residence with
her partner) and those with still-married (heterosexual) biological parents. Far fewer differences
appear between the former and several other groups, most notably never-married
single mothers.
This follow-up study has sought to address six common criticisms that have arisen following the July 2012 publication in
this journal of the original study entitled, ''How different are the adult children of parents who have same-sex relationships?"
One in particular, about comparing stable heterosexual couples to stable same-sex couples, is particularly challenging
to accomplish with all but the very largest datasets (which, in turn, tend to have fewer interesting outcome measures). It
also raises important conceptual and analytic questions about how to navigate persistent instability in the NFSS's MLR and
FGR cases. This is complicated by contemporary evidence in the US and Scandinavia suggesting that lesbian relationships in
particular-including legally married couples-continue to exhibit instability in excess of heterosexual relationships and
even gay male relationships.
Perhaps in social reality there really are two ''gold standards" of family stability and context for children's flourishing-a
heterosexual stably-coupled household and the same among gay/lesbian households-but no population-based sample analyses
is yet able to consistently confirm wide evidence of the latter. Moreover, a stronger burden of proof than has been employed
to date ought to characterize studies which conclude ''no differences", especially in light of longstanding reliance
on nonrandom samples of unknown bias and the high risk of making Type II errors in small-sample studies (Marks,
2012; Nock, 2001). In other words, the science here remains young. Until much larger random samples can be drawn and
evaluated, the probability-based evidence that exists-including additional NFSS analyses herein-suggests that the biologically-
intact two-parent household remains an optimal setting for the long-term flourishing of children.
Of course the flourishing of children involves many other factors besides parental relationship structure and decisionmaking,
as analyses of the NFSS and numerous other datasets confirm. Indeed, most young-adult respondents in the NFSS
report ample success and largely avoid problematic physical and emotional difficulties, regardless of their parents' experiences,
decisions, and actions.
In summary, the most important issue is that decisions should be made on the basis of the facts of the particular case at hand.
Statistical studies of actual outcomes, across large numbers of people, are useful in informing decisions about policies, but should not control decisions being made about individual cases, for example in familycaught$.
Worst of all, religious people's lack of sexual enjoyment and fulfilment and jealousy in the face of other peoples more obvious intense enjoyment, is also a poor basis for policy decisions.
jefhrm says:
Check out what is happening in the USA re DV/false accusations http://www.Petition2Congress, exactly the same situations and scenerios as in NZ,;Most comments posted within the last 15-20 days; We are not alone in our concerns of a court system ,biased towards,callous{lying Victims]
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Mix and Chic: Guest post- Restless disturbed nights are over, now I have memory foam!
Guest post- Restless disturbed nights are over, now I have memory foam!
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text:
SFX The world's number one sci-fi, fantasy and horror magazine
Disney Plus bundles
Best Sci Fi Movies
New Marvel TV Shows
Supernatural and The Vampire Diaries renewed
By sfx
The CW Network renews the fan favourite shows; commissions Arrow?
American channel the CW Network has commissioned new seasons of The Vampire Diaries and the long-running Supernatural for the 2012-13 period.
The Vampire Diaries will enter its fourth season, despite ratings for the show dropping since the first season. The premiere for season three was watched by 3.10 million in the US, down on season two and well down on the first, but the show retains a huge online fanbase and still has a very sexy cast (opens in new tab) .
Meanwhile Supernatural lives on to begin an eighth season, which should please Winchester fans everywhere. An eighth season was widely tipped after it was announced (opens in new tab) Jeremy Carver would be taking over from current show-runner Sera Gamble last month.
According to The Daily Blam (opens in new tab) , the CW has also commissioned new superhero show Arrow , though until it's officially confirmed by the CW, this is still one to file under "rumour". The show sees Stephen Amell ( The Vampire Diaries ) take on the role of rogue billionaire Oliver Queen and his hero alter ego, Green Arrow. But has nothing to do with the Green Arrow of Smallville fame. Confused?
SFX also notes that there's been no renewal announcement for The Secret Circle as yet. Which is a real shame. Real shame.
Neil Ramsden
SFX Magazine is the world's number one sci-fi, fantasy, and horror magazine published by Future PLC. Established in 1995, SFX Magazine prides itself on writing for its fans, welcoming geeks, collectors, and aficionados into its readership for over 25 years. Covering films, TV shows, books, comics, games, merch, and more, SFX Magazine is published every month. If you love it, chances are we do too and you'll find it in SFX.


text:
Bearing the Cross: Devotions on Albrecht Durer's Small Passion
by Brinkley, Carolyn
Item #: 155191 / 2012 / Hardback / 168 Pages
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Albrecht Dürer, 1471–1528, is said to be the greatest German artist of the Northern Renaissance. His works include woodcuts, engravings, sketches, and paintings of both oils and watercolors. Born into a Nuremburg family of goldsmiths, he learned the art of engraving at an early age.
Dürer's genius in printmaking forever changed the world of art. Up until this time woodcuts had been merely combinations of black and white. His innovative technique of cross hatching brought new shades of grays making a pallet of contrasts between light and dark. This greatly enhanced the woodcuts of his Small Passion giving visual depth, dimension, and drama to the biblical narratives.The Small Passion contains the largest number of scenes, but is known as "small" due to the 3x5 inch size of the intricate woodcuts.
Bearing the Cross combines the great artwork of Albrecht Dürer's Small Passion, gems of hymnody, and Holy Scripture into faith enriching devotional vignettes. The reader is escorted from Genesis to Revelation in a personal, intimate journey with Christ.
Foreword by Matthew Harrison.
What Others Are Saying Reviews below were posted on Amazon.com
"Albrecht Durer was a man who took one of the oldest forms of printing, the woodcut, and made it into an unparalleled expression of faith. He cared about the details, not only of his woodworking skill but of Scripture and Christian imagery.
Carolyn Brinkley does a masterful job, reveling in the art while revealing and contemplating Scripture. This is a book about Jesus and how even in the details Jesus came to live, die and rise again for me and for you.
Durer's Small Passion, first published in 1511, was a pocket devotional containing Christian poetry and 37 of his famously crafted woodcuts. This new volume takes a fresh look at the woodcuts, which allow us to view holy events as if they were happening right in front of our eyes, and combines them with Scripture and gems of hymnody.
Bearing the Cross: Devotions on Albrecht Durers Small Passion (ebook Edition)
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Albrecht Durer was a man who took one of the oldest forms of printing, the woodcut, and made it into an unparalleled expression of faith. He cared about the details, not only of his woodworking skill but of Scripture and Christian imagery. Carolyn Brinkley does a masterful job, reveling in the art while revealing and contemplating Scripture. This is a book about Jesus and how even in the details Jesus came to live, die and rise again for me and for you. Durer's Small Passion, first published in 1511, was a pocket devotional containing Christian poetry and 37 of his famously crafted woodcuts. This new volume takes a fresh look at the woodcuts, which allow us to view holy events as if they were happening right in front of our eyes, and combines them with Scripture and gems of hymnody. Excellent with a hot beverage and a bit of quiet time.
Christian Freedom: Faith Working through Love
For the Life of the Church: A Practical Edition of Pastor Walther's Prayers and Addresses
Lutheran Service Book: Pew Edition
Luther: Echoes of the Hammer


text:
Q: When do you use brace expansion? I understood what brace expansion is.
But I don't know where I use that.
When do you use it?
Please give me some convenient examples.
Thanks.

A: The range expression form of brace expansion is used in place of seq in a for loop:
for i in {1..100}
do
    something    # 100 times
done

A: For example, make a backup of all your files in a directory:
for i in * ; do
    cp "$i"{,.bak}
done

A: In bash, you use brace expansion if you want to create a range, eg
for r in {0..100}
for r in {0..10..2} #with step of 2
for z  in {a..z}
Instead of using external commands such as seq 0 100.
Also , brace expansion can be used to list file types, eg
for file in *.{txt,jpg}.
This list all files that has txt and jpg extensions.

A: You use it whenever you want to match against multiple choices. E.g.,
ls src/{Debug,Release}/*.o  # List all .o files in the Debug and Release directories.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Christianity in Wales probably dates from the 2nd century, the faith becoming established particularly during the 5th and 6th centuries. By the end of the 12th century the four ancient dioceses had become part of the Province of Canterbury. The Province of Wales was created in 1920 after the disestablishment of the four Welsh dioceses of the Church of England, and the partial disendownment of the Church in Wales by the Welsh Church Acts of 1914 and 1919. Two new dioceses were created in 1921 and 1923, so there are now six dioceses and two assistant bishops. One of the diocesan bishops is elected archbishop of Wales and he remains bishop of his diocese. The Church in Wales ordains women to the diaconate and the priesthood. Since 1920, the Church in Wales has evolved its own bi-lingual identity, bringing together Welsh and English-speaking traditions. The church is governed synodically and led episcopally: its legislative and synodal authority is the governing body.
Wales is a country of 8,000 sq. miles with a population in excess of 2,900,000, more than half of whom live within 60 km of Cardiff, the capital city. Although there is no established Christian denomination in Wales, the Church in Wales has an even spread throughout the country. The church is active in liturgical revision, social concern and action at all levels, communication with the media, ministry and discipleship and education (170 church schools). The church plays a full part in the National Coalition for the Evangelization of Wales which brings together all the older denominations with the newer "network" churches.
The Church in Wales is part of the Porvoo Communion which brings together all the European Anglican provinces with the Nordic and Baltic Evangelical Lutheran churches. It is a signatory to the Covenant for Union in Wales (1975) which commits the Church in Wales nationally and locally to principles and practical objectives in the search for unity with the Presbyterian Church of Wales, the Methodist Church, the United Reformed Church and a number of individually covenanted Baptist congregations. In 2005, the churches of Wales celebrated the 30th anniversary of the signing of the covenant and the 15th anniversary of Cytun (Together), the Council of Churches for Wales.


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Of all the Sport Leicht models, the Pagoda SL could be the prettiest due to the simplicity of its compact design.
The Pagoda SL is regarded as a highpoint in Mercedes design of the 1960s. With a nickname inspired by the shape of the concaved hardtop, it's an understated beauty that's a bit too broad to be called petite but athletic enough to be considered sporty.
Pricey when new, these cars now cost a bomb as many good, keen owners invest in quality restorations. The work done to revive this early 230SL is of the highest calibre so it feels very tight and refined on any road, and the four-speed manual offers welcome involvement when stirring the rasping straight-six.
The underpinnings are based on those of a humble saloon with a truncated wheelbase. That explains the wide tracks and great stance; the aluminium bonnet, bootlid and doors help explain the modest weight.
The 230SL wasn't a range entry point as it was the only model available for the first four years of Pagoda production, up until 1967. The subsequent 250SL and 280SL differed little beyond the engine bay.
The 280 might be considered the headline act but we think an early manual 230SL in right-hand drive has a lot of appeal. Its delicate looks and classy demeanour ensure its desirability will only grow.
Driven one? Own one? Share your Pagoda SL experience: keepers@kiwigarage.co.nz
The Pagoda charms onlookers with its elegant looks and delights occupants with an equally impressive cabin.
MERCEDES-BENZ 300E-24V
Transformed by Sportline tweaks and smart options, our old-school favourite makes a statement of intent.
MERCEDES-BENZ 300E-24V (2)
Sportline tweaks transform an otherwise conservative saloon built to satisfy a local race ace.
MERCEDES-BENZ 280SE
Rare manual transmission and factory sunroof might just make this classic 280SE unique in New Zealand.


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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NEW - SPEEDSCREED ® ROLLER
FORM TO FINISH
Paving Forms
Barrier/Parapet
Flatwork Forms
Plastic Forms
Concrete Finishers
Florida Cities Speed Concrete Work with Poly Forms
Several Florida Cities are among the many U.S. municipalities that are using reusable polyethylene forms instead of lumber for sidewalks, curbs and other concrete projects. They have found that the forms save time and effort because they are strong, yet lighter to handle, easier to stake accurately, and suitable for straight or radius applications.
At Casselberry, Streets, Fleet and Stormwater Maintenance Superintendent Glen Weatherholtz has found that Poly Meta Forms® outlast wood, improve productivity and are easier to use. These polyethylene forms are made by Metal Forms Corp. of Milwaukee, Wis.
Located north of Orlando, Casselberry has a year-round population of about 25,000, unlike many Florida cities that experience a dramatic seasonal change. Weatherholtz heads up a department that has broad responsibility for fleets and stormwater, as well as streets. When he took over the department more than five years ago, he brought a penchant for productivity and accountability.
"I don't ask my men to work harder, just smarter," Weatherholtz said. "My supervisors give me written weekly schedules of what their men are doing, and we put it in the computer. I push for accountability."The same focus on results is evident in this choice of the reusable forms for all types of sidewalkrelated work in the city.
The polyethylene forms are moisture-resistant and will not rot, splinter or rust.
"If you use wood to make your forms, you're lucky to get three uses before you have to replace them," he said. "Lumber is getting expensive, and it warps and splits." He ordered his first forms about three years ago and still uses the original forms and metal stake pockets. He says they are still in good shape and show no noticeable wear. "If I had a concrete business, I couldn't buy enough of these forms."
The choice has paid off in productivity. Weatherholtz said a concrete truck driver on one big job commented, "I deliver concrete to contractors' jobs and government projects all over, and I've never seen people work concrete like your guys do." On that job, a four-man crew poured 100 yards (10 loads of concrete) every other day for two weeks, setting the forms, pouring, and stripping as they went along. Considering the time out for trips to the lumberyard plus the time it took to set the wood forms, he thinks overall productivity has improved 300 percent to 400 percent using the new forms.
He also credits the combination of good grading and good forms. "The crew doesn't have to work as hard to line up the forms when the grading is good, and they don't have to pound in wooden stakes and nails. On sidewalks, they cut a template and one man marks the width. Two more follow stringing out the forms, and once the forms are in place, they set the stakes and they're ready to pour."
Weatherholtz likes the polyethylene forms better than wood or metal in the Florida heat. His crew doesn't need to use as much energy to handle them, and they stay cooler. "These don't hold the heat, and they are lighter to handle."
Although the forms do not require backfilling, Weatherholtz explains that his crew generally backfill to the top of the form on sidewalks jobs. "It makes cleanup easier, and we don't have to clean that stake pockets if concrete spills over the edge. After we strip the forms, it's faster to put the sod in place too. I look for production, I look for efficiency and these forms give me that."
In Zephyrhills, north of Tampa, the same polyethylene forms are being used for a variety of sidewalk and curb applications. Among the most interesting are landscaped curbed dividers at City Hall and sidewalk intersections with radiused corners.
Zephyrhills has a summer population of about 10,000 but swells to almost triple that in winter. Originally, the city only had sidewalks on the main streets, but miles of sidewalks have been added in the last several years. Street Supervisor Gregg Bricker said they are normally four inches thick but are poured six inches thick wherever a driveway crosses and eight inches thick at the edges of roads, to withstand the weight of garbage trucks and other traffic. His department previously formed with wood but has been using the Poly Meta Forms® for more than two years.
"We were constantly buying 2-by-4s, and we could only use them two or three times," Bricker said. "I did a cost evaluation and found that the initial cost for wood was lower, but added expense of cutting stakes, scraping and cleaning boards and everything else cost more in the long run. We also weren't getting the production we wanted because it took too long to put the forms in place. For curves, we would cut them to bend. We were looking for a better way."
Bricker says the city agreed with his evaluation, and after he started using the new forms, productivity doubled almost immediately. "We went from pouring 10 yards a week using wood up to 20 yards, and now we are up to 30 yards."
The ease of forming curves with the flexible forms is a big advantage for many of the jobs Bricker's crew encounters.
"When you come to a telephone pole or fire hydrant, you can make a nice sweep around it. I've had many people complement our transitions and corners," Bricker said. Curbs are another area where he thinks the forms have a big advantage over wood. Several landscaped dividers and islands in the city hall parking lot illustrate the smooth curves that would be difficult to form quickly using wood.
"Staking is much faster," Bricker said, "and the stake pockets are easy to adjust. With 2-by-4s, if a stake cracks or breaks, you have to pull it out and put another one in. Wood stakes won't go into hard ground very well, but the metal stakes go into practically anything. Cleanup is easier, too, he said. "We use a releasing agent and keep our old trowels to strip it off. With 2-by-4s, you sometimes catch a splinter, and they are harder to clean."
Although the sidewalk and curb work is only a part of Bricker's responsibility, he said he doesn't bid out the sidewalk work. "You can't get the quality we do," he said.
"We take more time and care to build our sidewalks. Using these forms, the quality is good, the work is easier, and we get more production."
Miramar, near Miami, has a population of more than 100,000. Street Maintenance Supervisor Ron Garcia has used the polyethylene forms for more than three years for sidewalks as well as occasional other projects. He explains, "We do some slab work, for example if a utility wants to put up a 30-by-40 foot shed, but we use them mostly for sidewalks." Last year, he said the city poured more than 7,000 feet of sidewalk.
Previously they used wood, Garcia said. "After a couple of times, the wood started falling apart. You can only put so many nails in it, and you have to use wooden stakes that can split."
"The forms are easy to set up. They slide together and we don't have to nail stakes in. With wood, you pound stakes in and, if it isn't level or a stake breaks, you have to pound the nails out and start over. It's time consuming, and you need nails and a saw to cut the wood. The metal stakes go right through everything, and they're easier to drive."
He also likes the removable metal stake pockets that can be placed wherever they are needed. "With them off, it is easier to stack and transport the forms that have the pockets welded in place, and we can just clean them up in a bucket."
Many other Florida municipalities also use the Poly Meta Forms®, including Cape Coral, Daytona Beach, Del Ray, Deltona, Kissimee, Miami, St. Petersburg and Tallahassee.
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Paid extra for expedited shipping on1 little item that arrived many days late.
In my case this was time sensitive order and lost income as a result.
Until After I received the item, I received absolutely no response to any of 5 or 6 attempts through phone and their support that states they respond right away in their signage.
I was however satisfied with the pricing. Comparable, and better than others.
And the item seems to be working just fine.
I tried this site in hopes for expedited shipping as advertised. Turned out to be a bad bet.
I would suggest there be a review of quality in the customer service / communications department.
I might buy again if I'm not in a hurry. And sure as $#*! not going to pay extra for fake shipping.
Tip for consumers: Not for the time sensitive or if you expect live customer service.
Running a Site Business off a phone while on vacation is what it seemed like Customer service wise.


Here's where you can see why I cut the patches with the template – those cut corners make matching the diamonds a breeze. I'm not going to try to chain piece this – it's too easy to get confused. Adding the patches one at a time might seem like taking the long way, but "unsewing" takes time, too.


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Human-ities · Science
Using a foreign language changes moral decisions
May 4, 2014 Sebastian Alvarez
A new study from psychologists at the University of Chicago and Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona finds that people using a foreign language take a relatively utilitarian approach to moral dilemmas, making decisions based on assessments of what's best for the common good. That pattern holds even when the utilitarian choice would produce an emotionally difficult outcome, such as sacrificing one life so others could live.
"This discovery has important consequences for our globalized world, as many individuals make moral judgments in both native and foreign languages," says Boaz Keysar, Professor of Psychology at UChicago. "The real world implications could include an immigrant serving as a jury member in a trial, who may approach decision-making differently than a native-English speaker." Leading author Albert Costa, UPF psychologist adds that "deliberations at places like the United Nations, the European Union, large international corporations or investment firms can be better explained or made more predictable by this discovery."
Read full article at Science Daily.
changes Decisions foreign language moral decisions Moral dilemmas psychology
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2 thoughts on "Using a foreign language changes moral decisions"
adamf2011 says:
I read the article — thanks for pointing it out, it's quite interesting. Ideally there would be some follow-up studies that would use a wider variety of languages and cultures, both in terms of who the native speakers are and which foreign languages they speak. (For instance, the native speakers were all from fairly well developed/industrialized countries; 4 of the 5 countries were western).
The other thing I'd be interested in knowing is both level of proficiency in the foreign language, and how it's typically used. Were these people who have native-level fluency in the foreign language that the questions were posed in? Or merely a "can communicate about fairly basic issues in a non-nuanced way" level of proficiency? Do these people use the foreign languages primarily for business or communicating with people that they are not particularly close to, and don't strongly identify with emotionally? Or do they have close friendships or even family relationships that are mediated through the foreign language?
Sebastian Alvarez says:
Excellent point. All relevant questions you should direct to the writer.