The question of whether traditional upholsterers should use tacks or staples when re-upholstering antique furniture is frequently and, often, fiercely debated. So what are the two sides of this argument?

Those who are solidly in the Tack Camp argue that all re-upholstery should be authentic and true to the history of the piece of furniture. They argue that staples are a modern invention and should not be used on old pieces of furniture, as to do so results in an unhappy blend of different eras. Some even maintain that using staples will ruin the furniture. To them staples are seen at best as unthinkable, at worst as almost sacrilegious.

Those upholsterers who are in the Staple Camp maintain that one of the foremost reasons for using staples is to protect the wooden frames of the furniture, as staples cause much less damage to the frames. Without a doubt tacks create a much larger hole in the wood than do staples. Staples make two little holes. The pro staplers also maintain that putting in a staple is one hit to the furniture and the staple is home, where a tack require several hammer hits to knock it home. For fragile pieces of furniture the less hitting the better. It is also claimed that because the staple gun is placed in position before the staple is fired, there is no damage to the show wood.

I think that both sides of this argument have merit and that the ideal situation is a happy blending of both tacks and staples. In my work I do use both; though not always on the same piece of furniture.

Staples are in fact not all that modern. The first patent for a stapler was granted on August 7, 1866 for a device called the Novelty Paper Fastner. This device allowed a single staple to be loaded and it was used mainly to bind papers or books, but was also used on carpet, furniture and boxes. However, the earliest record of staples is from France in the 18th century. They were developed for the use of King Louis XIV of France and each staple bore his name!

Staples were not originally created specifically for use in upholstery, but the upholstery trade has a tradition of ‘borrowing’ materials from other trades. For example Calico, which is a bleached cloth used frequently in upholstery. Originally this was a fabric brought to the UK from Calicut, India by the East India Trading Company for use in the clothing trade. Very quickly upholsterers saw the benefit of this cloth to their trade and so Calico became a fundamental part of upholstery.

In practical terms often a long-nosed staple gun will successfully place a staple in a very tight area where a tack and hammer just won’t work. Recently I was asked to re-upholster a Victorian chair whose tacking rail was in such poor condition that the only answer was to use staples or else have the tacking rail rebuilt.

One drawback of staples is that they tend to be a nuisance to remove when stripping off a piece of furniture. They often snap leaving a small piece of staple left in the furniture. This though can be hammered flat which will cause no ill effect. Usually the staples can be removed by hand with a staple remover and a pair of pliers. This is beneficial to the frame since there is no banging as there is when using a ripping chisel and mallet to remove old tacks. If you are careful about the placement of the staples then is possible to remove them without causing any damage to the show wood.

Tacks still have a very worthwhile place in the upholstery trade. I think that it is right to try to use tacks on very old and / significant pieces of furniture.

From a commercial point of view though staples greatly speed up an upholsterer’s job and at the end of the day we are running a business. If it came down to making a choice, I would rather use staples than reduce the quality of my stuffing or webbing.

One final point to consider is that when re-upholstering any piece of furniture we should not try to hide the fact that the work has been done in the 21st century. After all this is another phase of the furniture’s life and in time it will also become part of its history.

Men aren’t always easy to figure out. As women, most of us are guilty of wanting to stay in close contact with the man we are dating. This means that we enjoy hearing from him via the phone, text and even email. It can be disheartening and disappointing when a man says he’ll be in touch and then he isn’t. If your boyfriend doesn’t call when he says he will, there are a few things you can do that will encourage him to become more communicative.

The worst possible thing you can do when your boyfriend doesn’t call when he says he will, is to point it out over and over. If a woman repeatedly points out to a man that he failed to do what he said he will, he’ll begin to feel like a failure. Men don’t want to be viewed that way by the women they love. If you’ve mentioned it once, and he still isn’t finding the time to call you when he says he will, you need to take on a new approach.

This can be a bit difficult for some women, but the best thing you can do if your boyfriend doesn’t call when he says he will is to not call him. This means not calling him at all the day he said he’d call. If you still haven’t heard from him, don’t call him the next day either. You are going to be tempted to pick up the phone and dial to ensure he’s okay, but he is. He’s just forgotten to call or he’s gotten wrapped up in work or something else and you’ve been pushed to the back of his mind.

Once the man in your life realizes that it’s been some time since he heard from you, he’ll call. The way you greet him when he does call is incredibly important as well. If you start asking him questions about where he’s been and why calling you isn’t at the forefront of his mind, he’s going to think twice before calling you next time. Instead, be friendly and when he tells you he’s been busy say that you’ve got a lot going on as well. You want him to feel that you weren’t sitting by the phone waiting for his call, even if you were. Never let him know that.

If you don’t call, and he’s seriously interested in you, he will call. All you need is a little willpower to not call him yourself and some patience. If your boyfriend doesn’t call when he says he will, don’t be the one to make first contact. You’ll be glad you didn’t, when he calls wondering why you haven’t tracked him down yourself.

We all have one thing or the other, that is more valuable to our neighbor. But due to ignorance, we get blinded by our ego and refuse to see what’s right in front of us. We tend to place little or no value on the things and people that matter to us.

A man who believes in having affairs with whomever he chooses to, lacks value and has little or no idea about keeping a home. No matter the love and respect showered on him by his wife, the dark and selfish sides of him always re-surfaces from its shell. He finds it hard to keep his relationship/marriage in check.

A woman who believes in luxury, would experience difficulties sticking to a man who has nothing. She is blinded by material things and knows not genuine love, when a sincere guy approaches her. Her main focus would be on his pocket, car and businesses he’s involved in. She is filled with lots of pride and would stop at nothing at getting a good job with a huge salary. She looks down on every eligible bachelor who has little going for himself. She only goes for guys in her caliber.

Children on the other hand, are a blessing from God, they help build a home. For without the presence of kids in a home, a couple would surely get tired of how quiet and normal their lives are. Children born out of love, help serve as a reminder of why the couple chose each other. They are seen as a “symbol of the purest love”.

Most people have a wonderful home filled with lots of love and appreciate what they have. While others who have a beautiful home, don’t know the worth or value of a home. They still have no idea why they got married, have kids and a wife/husband. Their thoughts are vague and filled with lots of unpleasant desires.

According to a popular saying, “Everything happens for a reason”. Take a deep breath and look around you, examine the lifestyle of those around. I’m quite sure you’ll be shocked at how they cling tightly to what they have and speak highly of it wherever they go. There are also others who don’t mind doing just about anything to have a family, be in love and be loved in return.

You are neither in the hospital, suffering, don’t have a place to lay your head, jobless, praying for a life partner, seeking the face of God for a child. But rather, things are all working in your favor. Wouldn’t it be nice to be kind and gentle to your loved ones? Do you consider a situation whereby, you are lost for words when they are not by your side anymore?

We keep saying, “Life is short”. But how many does it really sink into their heads? Remember, when you place little or no value to the things in your life, someone out there would surely take over someday. By then it would be too late to “cry over spilled milk”. So why wait till you loose what brings you happiness because of pride and foolish beliefs?

Blocking in volleyball is at once the simplest skill to execute and the hardest one to do well. Timing the block correctly is part of that. This article will look at that timing aspect. This article will provide some advice on how to improve your timing to make you a more effective blocker.

Timing off the hitter’s jump

The single biggest determining factor in timing a volleyball block is matching your jump with the jump of the hitter. This doesn’t mean you need to jump at the exact same time as the hitter, but you won’t be too far off from that. Keeping this in mind may help with another facet of blocking which is making sure that your last bit of focus is properly on the hitter, not on the ball (subject for a separate article). It will also keep you from jumping when the hitter doesn’t actually jump (bad set, etc.).

Distance off the net

While the biggest timing factor is the hitter’s jump, you need to adjust your block jump based on how far off the net the hitter will be attacking the ball. The further back, the more you must wait to account for the longer time it will take for the ball to reach you. A back row attack, for example, requires a bit of a delay in your jump compared to a ball set tight to the net.

Speed of the hitter’s arm swing

The final little adjustment to timing comes by accounting for how hard the hitter attacks the ball. This is just like adjusting for the hitter’s distance off the net. An attacker with a fast arm swing will get the ball to you quicker than a player with a slow one. As a result, you have to delay a bit for the latter and jump a bit earlier for the former. If you can catch the hitter setting up an off-speed shot, that could also factor into your block timing (or your decision to go up at all).

Commit vs. Read

The jump, distance, and arm swing timing factors are going to be the same whether you are commit blocking (going up with a hitter without waiting to see if they are getting set) or reading blocking (waiting for the set). If you are commit blocking you still have to time your block based on the hitter’s jump, how near the net they are, and the speed of their swing.

Timing isn’t the only factor in good blocking, as getting up right on time won’t do you much good if you’re in the wrong spot. If you can combineproper timing together with proper positioning and blocking mechanics, though, you can put up a very nice block.

The dating call back rules for women tend to be a bit cloudy for most of us. It’s really hard to know when we should be calling back the man in our lives. We’re told by some to call him back immediately and even initiate most of the calls, while other advice warns against that. So what exactly is the right thing to do? When should you be calling back your guy to make yourself irresistible to him?

The most important of the call back rules for women is to always wait to call back your guy. You don’t need to wait hours or days but don’t pick up the phone and call him back the moment you realize you’ve missed his call. Men make judgements about us based on how we handle the issue of telephone calls. They may seem pretty uninterested by that aspect of the relationship, but in reality most men are playing close attention. Women can very easily make themselves appear desperate just by the way they handle phone calls. If you are always waiting by the phone for him or if you call him back as soon as you realize you’ve missed his call, he’s going to see you as someone who is emotionally dependent on him. You’ll also show him that he’s caught you and we all know too well that men love the thrill of the chase when it comes to the woman in their lives.

So how long should you wait to call him back after he’s called or left a voicemail? The answer is dependent on two factors. If he’s called and you see his number on your phone but he’s left no voicemail, don’t call him back. This is one of the call back rules women usually ignore, but shouldn’t. If he didn’t leave a message, you have no reason to return his call, so don’t. If he does leave a voicemail, wait at least 30 minutes to call him back. Let him believe that you aren’t so preoccupied with him and the relationship that you have nothing better to do. If you make him wait a bit to hear from you, he’ll actually find you more appealing.

Employee incentive gifts are an effective way to motivate your sales force and get people focused on achieving their goals. Aside from being a cost-effective means of recognizing success, incentive gifts also serve to enhance the bond between employers and staff members. When should you use employee incentive gifts? Here are some of the most common uses:

Boost morale.

If employees seem unmotivated or sluggish, an incentive gift could be the perfect way to jump-start their low morale. Picking a gift with a high-perceived value, like a tech gadget or bottle of wine, is a cost-effective way to renew excitement in the workplace. Employee morale will increase over the prospect of winning a valuable prize.

Improve customer service.

An easy way to improve your customer service is by offering incentives for employees to go the extra mile. Tell your employees that for every positive review they receive from a customer, they’ll earn an incentive gift.

Improve productivity.

Employee incentive gifts have been traditionally used to boost productivity and raise motivation among a sales force. By promising employees valuable gifts for their effort, they’ll know they’re being compensated for hard work they do. Most companies agree on some standards for success, reveal them to employees, and then reward workers who can achieve these goals. This time-tested management method has been producing stellar results for many years.

Foster teamwork.

Employee incentive gifts are a great way to foster a sense of unity among your staff members. Teamwork can be strengthened even more by having groups of employees engage in friendly competition to win valuable gifts. If employees are working together towards a prize, they’ll find ways to effectively communicate and work together on their own. As any manager knows, better teamwork always leads to better results.

Employee incentive gifts are powerful promotional tools that can achieve a range of desired outcomes, depending upon how your company chooses to implement them. If you’re looking for superior morale, productivity, and results, employee incentive gifts are an effective tool that will pay for themselves many times over.

I sometimes hear from women who have been cheating with someone who is married. Some of the time, they truly believed that in due time, the man’s marriage was going to come to a natural and mutual end so that the two of them could be together. They wanted to believe that the marriage had grown stale so that both people would mutually agree to end the marriage. Once this happens, then that would free up the husband to pursue a new relationship.

As we all know, this isn’t usually the way that it happens. Usually, the wife finds out about the affair and the marriage does not just end by both people mutually agreeing to it in a healthy way. The wife is usually hurt and angry and, believe it or not, the husband usually panics and immediately chases after his wife, suddenly afraid that he’s going to lose his family.

Understandably, this can leave the other woman confused. This isn’t how things were presented to her. And where is she in all of this? You can see how she would feel left out in the cold and unsure about how to proceed. She might say: “I feel stupid admitting that I honestly thought I was going to live happily ever after with the man that I was dating. I knew that he was married, but he presented it to me like he was working on untangling himself from that. Still, he was always careful that his wife would not find out. But she did. And I was shocked when he immediately told me that he could not see me anymore and begged me not to make this harder than it already was. I’m very shocked by this. And I feel set aside and hurt. Now this guy and his wife are scrambling to save their family, but what about me? I feel like I need to do something. I feel like I am left out in the cold of all of this. I am tempted to try to contact his wife and plead my case. I want her to know that the husband represented to me that their marriage was over. I want for her to have all of the information so that she doesn’t think that her husband is loyal to her. And I want to see the other man and plead my case also. After all that we have been through, it is annoying that he is just going to walk away. What should I do right now?”

Honestly, I am not sure that you are going to like my answer but it is heartfelt and is what I honestly feel and believe. I will admit that I have been the wife in this situation, but I’ve had friends in your situation and I hear from many on the other side of the equation. I can tell you that statistically, the husband and wife generally end up together. It may take a while. And there can definitely be some uncertainty, but statistics show us that it is much more likely for the husband to go back to his wife than to have a lasting relationship with the other person. You can check this for yourself, but that is what the statistics show. That is why I do not recommend that you reach out to either of them. It is only going to hurt, annoy, and frustrate everyone involved and the chances are high that it is not going to affect the outcome in the long run. You’ll only be causing pain to yourself, the husband, and the wife.

I know that a big driving force for you right now is that you feel set aside and ignored. One reason for this is that it feels as if your course of action is set by someone else. Since the husband and wife have the marriage, they get to decide how things proceed, which can seem very unfair. So how do you get a sense of control back? By bowing out gracefully from this trio and focusing on yourself, your own well being, and your own happiness. Take control back of your own life. Ask yourself why you’d be vulnerable to settling for a man who couldn’t be solely yours. Fix your self esteem and then vow to only give your heart to men that are free to return your love and be yours alone. All women deserve nothing less. I know that this might not be what you wanted to hear, but I believe that it is the healthiest option. It gives you control of your life, it really is the right thing to do for all involved, and it doesn’t force you to go against the odds. Trying to hurt others usually ends up only hurting you. There’s more than enough hurt to go around right now, so you can never go wrong with focusing on your own healing instead.