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Prior to adoption of the Western solar calendar system, China exclusively followed a lunar calendar in determining the times of planting, harvesting, and festival occasions. Though today people in China use the western calendar for most practical matters of daily life, the old system still serves as the basis for determining numerous seasonal holidays. This coexistence of two calendar systems has long been accepted by the people of China.
A lunar month is determined by the period required for the moon to complete its full cycle of 29 and a half days, a standard that makes the lunar year a full 11 days shorter than its solar counterpart. This difference is made up every 19 years by the addition of seven lunar months. The 12 lunar months are further divided into 24 solar divisions distinguished by the four seasons and times of heat and cold, all bearing close relationship to the yearly cycle of agricultural work.
The Chinese calendar – like the Hebrew – is a combined solar/lunar calendar in that it strives to have its years coincide with the tropical year and its months coincide with the synodic months. It is not surprising that a few similarities exist between the Chinese and the Hebrew calendar: An ordinary year has 12 months, a leap year has 13 months. An ordinary year has 353, 354, or 355 days, a leap year has 383, 384, or 385 days. When determining what a Chinese year looks like, one must make a number of astronomical calculations:
First, determine the dates for the new moons. Here, a new moon is the completely black moon (that is, when the moon is in conjunction with the sun), not the first visible crescent used in the Islamic and Hebrew calendars. The date of a new moon is the first day of a new month.

What moves the great looking fashion apparels of the world from fashion designer showrooms to retail floors, and finally, consumer hands?

The answer is fashion marketing.

With the teachings of the fashion industry’s professionals, well-organized field trips, numerous projects, and labor-intensive internships, students of a fashion marketing course are sure to gain a comprehensive understanding of the fashion cycles, as well as the ins and outs of the clothing industry.

Students of a fashion marketing course are usually trained in a wide assortment of disciplines, such as fashion merchandising and coordination, business management, marketing techniques and advertising strategies, visual merchandising, and retail management.

Do you have a good fashion sense? Do you know what’s in style or not? Do you have the desire and drive to take the qualities you have a notch higher – as in use them in a rewarding and profitable career in fashion? A degree in Fashion Marketing will give you a chance to become any of the following: a fashion buyer, a fashion coordinator, a retail merchandiser, a visual merchandiser, a retail store manager, or a boutique owner.

Fashion marketing is a mixture of design, advertising, business administration, and a good understanding of the fashion world, as well as a sense of pop culture and what would be stylish in the days, months, or years to come. Fashion marketers connect designers and the people, all the while keeping themselves behind the scenes.

As you can see, numerous job prospects await those who will venture into the fashion world. You just have to make certain that you will be able to choose the right kind of fashion marketing school, as well as a program that would give you the right kind of training for a successful career in fashion.

Polimoda International Institute of Design and Marketing

With the continuous attraction of many to the fashion industry, there is an increasing demand for fashion design and marketing schools that offer a one of a kind professional education. One of these schools is the Polimoda International Institute of Design and Marketing.

Located in the heart of Florence, Italy, Polimoda is recognized by many professionals as one of the best fashion design and marketing schools in Europe. With its closely-knit ties and continuous collaboration with the fashion world, Polimoda maintains its ability to provide its students with specialized training that is up to date with what is happening in the contemporary international fashion.

A member of the International Foundation of Fashion Technology Institutes, this Italian school of fashion offers comprehensive undergraduate classes, as well as graduate design master classes in the sales, production, merchandising, and marketing sectors of the fashion world, whether in Italian or English.

Established in 1986 through the proposal and financial support of the Florence and Prato city halls, a number of business organizations, and the Fashion Institute of Technology of the State University of New York, Polimoda is well-renowned for the professional courses in fashion marketing and merchandising that it offers to its students. The institution is also known for training students who wish to gain skills in fashion textiles and accessory and footwear markets.

Polimoda’s program for fashion marketing includes instruction and training in areas like: Contemporary Fashion and Fashion Business, Strategic-Operative and International Marketing, Psychology of Communication and Selling, Human Resources and Economic Management, Organizational Communication and Interpersonal Techniques, Retail Marketing, Merchandising and Visual Merchandising, Cool Hunting and Trends, Complete Planning of a Fashion Product, Software Programming, Information Technology, and Specialized English.

Not anyone can be admitted to Polimoda, however. Slots are limited and you can get in to this prestigious institution by means of a good exam result. Applicants, whether Italian or of another nationality, should complete and pass an application form complete with supporting materials. If you are interested, you may apply online or through mail.

Follow your dreams. Search for Polimoda in the World Wide Web now.

Chinese Astrology is said by some scholars to be the oldest horoscope system in the world. However if you trace Western Astrology back to its Middle East roots, both types are likely to have been born in their current recognizable form around 3000 years BC, however they stem from entirely different beginnings as well as traditions and parts of the world.

The 12 animals are further flavored by the pervading element of that particular year (elements also revolve as a separate cycle). It is said that Buddha is responsible for the 12 animals as they were the only ones who came to bid him farewell into the next life.

Chinese Astrology is concerned with nature and its traits, the signs progress year by year, whereas Western Astrology cycles monthly. The consideration of Yin and Yang is a very great influence upon this subject, Yin being passive, female and receptive while Yang is aggressive, male and exploratory. The various permutations of these 2 essential forces in nature, places, organizations, events and humanity and the quest to achieve balance so that both operate together in harmony rather than opposing or canceling each other out are an essentially Oriental viewpoint and quest, they form the basis of many Far Eastern traditions and other influences in Chinese Society such as Feng Shui.

The 12 Animal Signs are : Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit (or Cat), Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat (or Sheep), Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. The animal ruling year in which you were born has a profound influence on your life.

As the Chinese say, This is the animal that hides in your heart.
There are 5 elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water, each adding a nuance of almost tactile character to the animal sign.Chinese0Astrology is based on the Chinese0calendar year of your birth or the year of an event. There are also many more nuances involving the month and day.

High school is a time of growing up. It is a time of socialization. It is a time of declaring who you are. All these and more are reflected on high school fashion today. There are various looks that high school students have. Here are some of them:

1) The Rocker – this high school fashion is very popular among fans of rock bands. This may include shirts that make statements or shirts featuring their favorite band. This high school fashion also often includes a lot of trinkets including studded bracelets, a tribal necklace. Of course, taking on this high school fashion needs the appropriate attitude to go with it. You need to be truly passionate about the music. It helps if you have an ipod with huge headphones to go with the look. Other optional accessories include a musical instrument used in rock such as a pair of drumsticks or a guitar case.

2) The Jock – Just wearing the varsity team jacket will transform any outfit into “jock mode”. Some people who wear this fashion often try to hide their poor fashion sense behind the huge letters and colors of the high school. The jock look is easily accomplished by trying out for a school team and actually earning the right to wear a jacket. The school varsity chess team does not count, though.

3) The Goth – Goth fashion can be defined using one word: black. This high school fashion is often used by people who wish to make statements of angst. Weird looking accessories are a must, as is black eyeliner and black lipstick. Although students who make use of this fashion claim to do so to show their individuality, it is more commonly caused by wanting to belong to a group of people who want to show that they do not belong.

4) The computer geek – in the past, geeks and nerds were distinguished because of their not-so-cool-clothing. The thing is, they are too busy with other projects to be too much concerned with what they are wearing. Today, though, having geeky clothing is not necessarily such a bad thing. This is because of the fact that geeks today are thriving because of computers. Even role playing gamers have risen from the status of suspected Satan worshippers to world class cyber athletes. Isn’t that a big improvement? In order to achieve the look of this high school fashion, you need to really be preoccupied with solving the problems of the universe to actually care about what you are wearing. A shirt with a witty saying or technological jargon would help complete this look for you.

5) The Fashionista – this is the hardest look to maintain since it requires that you always be updated on the latest high school fashions. You need to research thoroughly on the subject of what’s hot and what’s not. You need to constantly scout out malls in order to be the first one to have the best outfit ever. You need to have the instincts of Carson from “Queer eye” in finding the perfect outfit. Your duty does not end here. As a fashionista, you will have to establish the highest standard of high school fashion.

Of course, these are just some of the high school fashions in circulation today. In order to learn more, just look around at your local high school.

According to Chinese legend, the twelve animals quarreled one day as to who was to head the cycle of years. The gods were asked to decide and they held a contest: whoever was to reach the opposite bank of the river would be first, and the rest of the animals would receive their years according to their finish.
All the twelve animals gathered at the river bank and jumped in. Unknown to the ox, the rat had jumped upon his back. As the ox was about to jump ashore, the rat jumped off the ox’s back, and won the race. The pig, who was very lazy, ended up last. That is why the rat is the first year of the animal cycle, the ox second, and the pig last.
The Chinese animal signs are a 12-year cycle used for dating the years. They represent a cyclical concept of time, rather than the Western linear concept of time. In the Chinese calendar, the beginning of the year falls somewhere between late January and early February. The Chinese have adopted the Western calendar since 1911, but the lunar calendar is still used for festive occasions such as the Chinese New Year. Many Chinese calendars will print both the solar dates and the Chinese lunar dates.
A cultural sidelight of the animal signs in Chinese folklore is that horoscopes have developed around the animal signs, much like monthly horoscopes in the West have been developed for the different moon signs, Pisces, Aries, etc. For example, a Chinese horoscope may predict that a person born in the Year of the Horse would be, cheerful, popular, and loves to compliment others. These horoscopes are amusing, but not regarded seriously by the Chinese people.

Talent and education combined are the most secured foundation you can lay on in your pursue of career in the fashion industry.

Your talent is there, no doubt about that. But a free moving talent has lesser significance against that which was properly oriented to the fundamentals of channeling that talent into workable art.

The majority of fashion designers find great worth in attending fashion designing schools. Such schools would not only supplement them with the proper and structured knowledge but will also help them expand their basic skills through applied art. The curriculums offered in fashion designing schools are specifically designed to stimulate the interests of the students. Additionally, the curriculums offered in fashion designing schools would stabilize the groundwork for improving the innate talents young fashion designers have.

Normally, training programs in fashion designing schools are created ideally to put challenge on the students by integrating both theoretical and technical means of learning to produce creative and artistic designs. Sensible approaches are also introduced to the artists to change and innovate fashion trends that are apt for various present requirements.

Fashion designing schools exist primarily because both the greats and to-be greats acknowledge the worth of sending themselves into formal trainings so as to equip them with the knowledge and learning they need. It is not enough for you to know how to produce your fashion creations, you must also take responsibility in grooming yourself.

Fashion designing is not just about fame or being recognized by Hollywood. It is not also only about making money out of your skills. It also deals with the expression of art’s beauty in your creative outputs- in the items you make and in the justifications you give to the art.

As for those who are trying to find their veins in the fashion industry, entering into fashion designing schools is the best way to orient themselves with the basic instructions on pattern and clothes making, body measurements and sewing.

While it is true that a couple of people in the industry undergone no formal training, we still can’t ignore the basic truth that those who schooled themselves with the art fare much better than those who bargain on talent and skills alone.

Attending in a fashion designing school would not only pave your way towards creativity and artistry, it would also lay a path for you to achieve great in the fashion industry. For one, the instructors in many well-renowned fashion schools have the access to influences that could intensely increase the likelihood for you to make a name in the field. An education in a fashion school can practically increase your credibility and reputation when seeking employment. This then will inevitably open wider options for you to take higher roads towards success and fame.

Since the beginning of industry, some people have already initiated to create a formal environment to hone artists. But these back then were often dismissed and laughed at. Recently though, many were encouraged to enter such schools for the refinement of their talents and skills. Thus, we can see the products in the field now.

If you want to venture on the professional world of fashion designing, these schools are one of the best alleys you can take. These are not your absolute answers to career but they are sure to help you find your own niche and special interests.

Children’s art paintings are fun to look at. They bring me good feelings. I have had a lot of jobs the last couple of years buying children’s art to hang in various places. I have enjoyed every single job.

I bought two children’s art posters for the children’s hospital to hang in one of their waiting area. They were both from Maurice Sendak’s book Where the Wild Things Are. I loved that book when I was a kid and this art brought back some good memories.

I found a Jim Daly children’s art print to frame and put in the physical therapy lounge at a local rehabilitation center. They wanted to put together a friendly feeling place that would help keep kids entertained. I put the painting where parents can read.

I was asked to hang children’s art along a long hallway in a home I was decorating. I thought that this was an odd request because there weren’t any kids living there and the home had a very stark and cold feel to it. It was definitely the minimalist style this homeowner had that left me puzzled.

The children’s art paintings that I ended up choosing for the hallway were all from the same artist. The artist specialized in mini paintings and they were all so simple and beautiful. They actually fit with the owner’s style. I had each painting put into a simple frame with no matting and hung them all along the long hallway.

I actually liked this artist so much that I purchased twice as many children’s art paintings than I needed to complete the hallway job. I plan to give these paintings as gifts to people that I know with either a child or a whimsical spirit. I even liked the artist’s name, Lollipop Art.

I was asked to add some decorations to a family’s daughter’s room. The family was extremely active and bicycling seemed to be the primary family exercise. I thought it would be fun to find some children’s art painting that depicting cycling in a fun way. I found an acrylic signed by the artist of a woman on a bike with a child and a yellow balloon.

I had a client call me asking about buying a children’s art painting by artist Stephanie Bauer. The painting was called Dragonfly. I did find the painting and also found that it was not for sale. Fortunately, there is a fine art print made from this painting. My client was more than happy to purchase the print and have it framed in an extremely nice frame. It hangs in her daughter’s room now. She loves it because it is pink!

I was hired to find a painting for the waiting room at a local dance studio. I found that all of the classes were for children, so I looked for a children’s art painting to hang there. I found one called Little Girl Ballerinas. It was very colorful and whimsical. The owner of the studio loved it.

I was hired to redecorate three girls’ bedroom. The family had three daughters that all wanted children’s art paintings on their walls. Each had a distinct personality and interests that didn’t overlap with the other two. The first girl received an acrylic painting called Sports Girls. This sister is the one that is very athletic.

The next sister is very interested in entomology. She is very shy and quiet. I found a children’s art painting for her that she really liked. I could buy the actual watercolor from Pily Torres, so I bought a reproduction that looked great after it was framed.

The third sister was completely immersed into dancing. I found a gorgeous children’s art painting of a folk art ballerina that had several different pinks in it. It looked great without a frame and she was really happy with it.

The most recent job I had wanted something really unique. They wanted a children’s art painting, but they were more interested in an extremely large mural. I found one that the family really liked that depicted a fantasy scene. It looks like there is a castle in the background and a unicorn in the foreground is leaping. I liked what it added to the room, it was the perfect choice.

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