Best Christmas Gift Ideas for Your Fiance

Contact Lenses

On Christmas, you may want to select some gifts that very special for your fiancé. But whether or not you have a good size budget, it's still not easy to find the perfect gift. What you have to do is realize that what he would love. The following gift ideas you can consider to choose for the fiancé on this Christmas.

Contact Lenses

Latest electronics

You know, all the electronic gadgets will please most men. First you should think about what they have and what they want to have. For example, if he is a photograph enthusiast, buy him professional photographic equipment which would absolutely make him excited. Or if he already has a camera, select some equipment to advance his package, extra lenses, software, and accessories are all available. There's also many other gadgets you can choose: the new released laptop or mobile phone. He may please all kinds of electronics.

Sport items

If he is into sport, something that are really great to get for him. Get him a golf club or fishing club membership maybe he always dreams. Or you can buy his favorite sports team seasonal tickets. If you can spare some of your time to enjoy the sports with him, that would be the perfect gift ideas.

Garments

As a fiancée, you may should familiar with the dressing style of him. In the Christmas season, a piece of new garment that suits his taste may surprise him. Here's suggestion is Ralph Lauren Polo. Because of this style spans a wide gap whether for business or casual. We all love to look great. For men, he also wants to show his personality in garments. Polo Ralph Lauren is a best choice for that suits his different dressing needs which actually can give your fiancé confidence about himself. In Christmas season, Ralph Lauren Polo men's hoodies and sweaters are just what exactly you may seek.

You can research the internet to find the best place to buy Ralph Lauren Polo; I have bought skirts from internet, which not only get a large amount of discounts, but also in high quality. I would rather be a smart shopper instead of someone only pursue the luxury designer labels.

Best Christmas Gift Ideas for Your Fiance

How to Make Rubber Stamps: Comparing Methods of Manufacture

Contact Lenses

Vulcanized Rubber Stamps

Contact Lenses

The traditional red rubber stamp that everybody is familiar with will have been manufactured in a vulcanizing press. The first rubber stamp vulcanizing press was patented in 1890 by Charles Schultze in New Orleans USA. Vulcanizing is today one of the most cost effective methods of making rubber stamps for mass produced stamps. Each batch of stamps is produced using a mould. This method of manufacture is more suited to stamp making where the same moulds are used over and over again. Making custom made stamps with a vulcanizing press requiring 'once only' moulds will drive the cost of manufacture up significantly.

Making the mould - before a mould can be made you must have a master plate manufactured from metal or polymer, the master plate has the necessary relief (the artwork is raised) to make an impression in the mould. Having a master plate made each time a mould is required is what drives up the cost of manufacture for vulcanized stamps. Pressing the master plate into a Matrix board creates the mould that will accept the rubber. Heat and pressure is applied to the master plate and matrix board inside a Vulcanizing press. The Matrix follows the shape of the relief provided by the master plate, this then hardens on cooling.

Making Rubber Stamps - Creating stamps is a simple process once the mould is made. Raw rubber stamp gum is placed on top of the mould and then placed inside the stamp press. Hydraulic pressure is placed upon the rubber and the mould from within the stamp press causing the rubber to melt into the areas of the mould that contain the images and text, curing and hardening takes about 10 minutes. Once cured the sheet of rubber is pulled away from the mould and cut up into individual stamps to be affixed to mounts.

Cost of a vulcanizing system is approximately ,000 AUD

Advantages - Low cost of production for mass produced stamps, good ink transfer.

Disadvantages - Cost of producing master plates and moulds for custom made stamps.

Laser Engraved Rubber Stamps

The traditional raw rubber used for vulcanizing stamp dies is quite unacceptable for the production of laser stamp dies, the laser process requires a very even thickness and blemish free surface to produce an acceptable printed image from a stamp die. The rubber must also be subjected to a specific curing process before it can be exposed to the elevated temperature of a laser beam.

The depth of the engraving is determined by the laser speed, its wattage and the density of the rubber. For example, a 50 or 100W engraver will engrave the rubber deeper and faster than a 25W machine, which may require a second pass to achieve a similar result. Usually supplied in an A4 size sheet form, a good quality laser rubber is required for engraving stamp dies and must also have suitable compression strength and ink transfer properties.

To assist the engraving process, it is necessary to remove the excess dust which is constantly created by the laser cutting action with an efficient exhaust filtration system. As very few, if any, CO2 laser engraving machines were initially purpose built for engraving and cutting rubber, installing and maintaining an effective dust extraction system pays long term dividends. Mirrors, lenses and any exposed bearing surfaces should be cleaned thoroughly as part of a regular maintenance program. Any neglect in this area will be detrimental to overall trouble free laser operation, as the build up of dust and residue will affect running efficiency and the quality of the finished stamp die. Lasers are controlled directly from a computer, the software drivers supplied with lasers work with many graphic programs such as CorelDraw.

Approximate cost of a 25 watt Laser suitable for stamp making is ,000

Advantages - Production is computer controlled, custom made stamps can be made easily

Disadvantages - High capital investment, maintenance costs and running will be much higher than vulcanizing or polymer methods of manufacture.

Liquid Polymer Rubber Stamps

Converting rubber stamp polymer from a liquid into a solid to make stamps is quite fascinating. Polymer stamps are manufactured between two sheets of glass using precision controlled UV light which passes through a negative containing the stamp artwork solidifying the polymer. Negative production has been simplified with the introduction of water based negative technology, photographic chemicals for producing negatives are now a thing of the past.

The first step in making polymer rubber stamps is to print your images, clipart or text onto Vellum, an almost transparent paper like film.
To produce quality stamp artwork you must use a laser printer, inks from bubble jet printers are translucent allowing UV light to pass where it should not. Water based negatives are easily washed out after being exposed for a few minutes in a UV exposure stamp machine.

Polymer contained in a sachet is now replacing the older cumbersome method of using foam tape to create a dam and pouring of rubber stamp polymers, the sachets have also addressed the age old problem of removing air bubbles from the poured polymer.

The negative of your artwork and polymer sachet is sandwiched between two sheets of glass spaced 2-3mm apart which is then exposed in the machine for a few minutes. Once you have completed the exposure it is a simple process of cutting open the sachet and washing away the excess unexposed polymer before returning the stamp die back to the machine for a 10 minute curing. Once the stamps are cured they can be cut up individually. Polymer sachets are available in a range of sizes up to A4 size.

Processing time is about 30 minutes for a batch of polymer stamps.

Cost of polymer stamp making machines range from ,500 AUD for an Australian made unit designed specifically for stamp making up to high end imported units with computer controlled washout for ,000 AUD.

Advantages - Lower capital investment, polymers make almost clear stamps making them ideal for scrapbooking and card making. Stamp relief can be easily controlled during exposure.

Disadvantages - Early polymers did not accept inks as well as polymers available today, this along with being new technology caused initial resistance to polymer stamps.

Summary

Most large stamp manufacturers have a mix of the above equipment. The unmounted rubber stamp dies produced with any of these manufacturing methods can be cut up and affixed to simple hand stamps, dater stamps or self inking stamps. Craft stamps are usually affixed to wooden blocks or in the case of polymer stamps affixed to clear acrylic blocks with adhesives or InstaGrip mounting mat. Various manufactures produces stamp mounts. Astron Industries in Australia manufacturer the clear hand stamp 'Vuestamp' and also distribute the Ideal range of self inking mounts. Other brands of self inking mounts are Trodat, Colop and Shiny.

How to Make Rubber Stamps: Comparing Methods of Manufacture

2012 Will Be The Year Civilization Changes Forever

Contact Lenses

THE CULMINATION

Contact Lenses

[This article was first published Dec. 14, 2007. It was last updated Oct. 15, 2011. Updates are often, but not always, in brackets.]

The year 2012 marks the time that the world's old civilization will culminate. This is not to say that the world will be annihilated because the world will go on. In 2012, we will see a dramatic increase in the direct intervention of Jesus Christ as He begins to take control of governments of the world, beginning with the Government of the United States, the Parliament of Great Britain and the Government of the European Community. After Jesus unites His Western forces, He will rally them to destroy end-time Babylon and the Beast who rules over Babylon. Simultaneously, Jesus will use His Two Witnesses to unmask the Beast in front of the world audience. This act will provoke the Beast to murder the Two Witnesses of Jesus in front of a world audience.

In 2012, many Old Testament personages, including Jesus Christ, will continue their ministries in the bodies of the Two Witnesses of Jesus. The resurrected ministries of prophets will proceed to their culminations. I am speaking metaphorically.

We will see a continuation of the end-time ministries of John the Revelator, Daniel, and Elijah. Those men were to stand up again at the end of time. They will stand up in the bodies of the Two Witnesses of Jesus. Those prophets of old will be embodied in the Two Witnesses of God.

666- DEFEAT OF THE BEAST

The year 2012 marks the time that Jesus directly intervenes to control affairs in the United States and Britain in order to thwart an upcoming Marxist/corporate dictatorship that would have succeeded by 2016.

[Update: A judgment period of 9 years after 2012 will lead up to the destruction of the Beast and Babylon. (The number 9 has Gematriatic meaning of "judgment.") The last 7 years (2015-2021) in this judgment period are the years of the "Great Tribulation." The number 7 has Gematriatic meaning of "complete." Judgment Day would follow in the year 2021 AD. In 2022 AD, Western forces will execute complete judgment on end-time Babylon.]

When the Beast and those who believe in the bestial way of life, murder God's Two Witnesses, the bestial world will culminate. The Old World of bestial conduct will soon after be annihilated.

The great turnaround of 2012 is associated with the 2012 Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth. This could be understood in the way that prisms and camera lenses work. When the world is focused into a camera lens, it is reduced to nothing. But, out of the other side of the lens the world is projected upside down.

Actually, our present world is upside down. The world that comes after 2012 will be right side up because the Beast and the bestial way of life will be identified. As a result, the world would be determined to destroy of the Beast and Babylon. The world would finally get the picture in a metaphoric sense.

DIAMOND OF QUEEN ELIZABETH

Queen Elizabeth's diamond in 2012 is such a prism. That was why Freemasons honored her Diamond Jubilee. The Washington Monument was built, in part, as a prophecy of her 2012 Diamond Jubilee. The aluminum cap on the monument represents Queen Elizabeth's diamond.

Freemasons expressed their prophecies in a calendar. On their calendar, Masons drew a diamond that identified the year of Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee. Bear in mind that this calendar is 200 years old and probably thousands of years old.

THE GAP

There is a gap between our present world and the New World. This gap represents the 3 days that the Two Witnesses of Jesus would lie dead in the streets. The Two Witnesses of God will stand in the gap between the wrath of God and the world.

RESURRECTION OF TWO WITNESSES

After three days, God's Two Witnesses will be sparked back to life. They will stand up and shock the world. These two individuals will be the first people to enter into the new world that God is creating. They are the new Adam and Eve, and those who follow them are their spiritual children.

NEW ADAM & EVE

6,000 years prior to these end-time events, the first Adam and Eve had been created. The difference between the first Adam and Eve and the Adam and Eve of our time is that our Adam and Eve will reject the Beast. In the Garden of Eden, the first Adam and Eve submitted to the Beast, whose imposing reptilian body was genetically re-engineered by God to have the form of a lowly dirt-eating snake. The world suffered 6,000 years as a result of the choice of the first Adam and Eve to follow the Beast. Our Two Witnesses will be murdered because they will NOT submit to the Beast in the tree of Babylonian civilization.

You are probably thinking that God's Two Witnesses are men. This is correct in the sense that they complete the prophetic works of the two prophets, Daniel and John. Remember that God told both those men that they would return to do their work in the end-time? Metaphorically speaking, those two prophets have returned as God's Two Witnesses.

THE FEMALE LAMB OF PENTECOST

The Two Witnesses of God had been prophesied by animal sacrifices. On the Day of Pentecost, two unblemished lambs were sacrificed. Unlike those male animals that represented Jesus Christ, the lambs of Pentecost were either gender, male or female.

People have had a hard time with the sacrifice of a female animal because they assume that every sacrifice represented the male Jesus Christ. They had no way of knowing that Old Testament Israelites had been acting out the end-time sacrifice, by the Church, of one of God's Two Witnesses who would be the mother of God's new world. That lamb would be female. It will be the Church that sacrifices/murders the Two Lambs of God. That is why the female lamb was sacrificed on the Day of Pentecost. Pentecost was the day that the Christian Church was created on.

However, a male lamb could be sacrificed for this lady because she represents a male prophet. This understanding could have been why Leonardo da Vinci portrayed John the Revelator as a woman in his mysterious painting of the Last Supper. Leonardo understood that John's end-time counterpart would be an end-time Eve, one of God's Two Witnesses and a female lamb of God.

21-YEAR MINISTRIES

You might ask why you have never heard about God's Two Witnesses. The answer is that they have been ignored since 1991, when they began their 21-year ministry.

You remember that Elijah was taken to Heaven after he completed his ministry. The ministry of Jesus ended in the midst of a week. However, Jesus would return through His Two Witnesses in order to complete that week. Likewise, Elijah would return. Jesus would complete His week as a prophetic week, which became a span of 7 years rather than 7 days. Jesus would complete the remaining 1260 days of that week of years through His Two Witnesses.

God's Two Witnesses would also do a 21-year ministry, which would normally end in 2012 AD when they would be age 66 (Jesus was age 33). However, Jesus would use them to CONTINUE His work, and the work of Elijah, through His Two Witnesses.

Elijah had worked to overthrown evil Ahab and an evil son of Ahab. We could identify Ahab and his treacherous wife, Jezebel, with our present-day national leaders. The similarity is obvious.

AGES 33 & 66

God's Two Witnesses have a ministry that is similar to the ministries of Elijah and Jesus, because they are part of the work of end-time Elijah (God works through more than one person in order to do the end-time work of Elijah). Normally, God's Two Witnesses would be murdered at age 66, after 21 years of doing their Father's business. That would be because Jesus was murdered at age 33, after His 21-year ministry. Similarly, Elijah went to Heaven after his ministry. However, Jesus will have CONTINUED His ministry, and the ministry of Elijah, through His Two Witnesses. In a sense, Jesus and Elijah would continue where they left off.

Here is the concept: Jesus who went to Heaven at age 33. His end-time work would return through His Two Witnesses when they reached age 33. Jesus then raised them during the following 33 years, until His Two Witnesses would be age 66 in 2012 AD.

In 2012 AD, Jesus would repeat His ministry through them. In time, Jesus would be executed a second time when the Church executes His Two Witnesses.

The ministry of the prophet Elisha followed the ministry of the prophet Elijah. Jesus would do an end-time work of Elisha after He did an end-time work of Elijah.

The end-time ministry of Elisha would coincide with the 70th week of years that Daniel referred to. That week of years would be the Great Tribulation, 2015 to 2021 AD. Jesus would complete the Great Tribulation as an end-time Elisha.

The last 1260 days of the lives of God's Two Witnesses would be increasingly intense and their work would culminate with their executions by the Beast who ascends out of the Bottomless Pit of political obscurity.

THE SECOND EXECUTION OF JESUS

It is IMPOSSIBLE for Christians who reject the Two Witnesses of Jesus to receive eternal life, because they will have crucified Jesus a second time. Notice that this warning is in Hebrew 6:6, which has verse numbers of 66. These numbers refer to people who follow the Beast. Those Church members who follow the Beast, rather than the Two Witnesses of Jesus, have fallen away, and have crucified Jesus a second time. They may not crucify Jesus a second time and expect to receive eternal life.

(Hebrew 6:6)... them who have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.

Everyone in the world hated Jesus. He had no allies. His friends deserted Him. The religious establishment hated Him more others because He threatened their income and glory.

The ministry of God's Two Witnesses is described in Revelation 11 as a repetition of the ministry of Jesus Christ in some ways. We would rightly assume that the world establishment would also hate the Two Witnesses of Jesus- and for the same reasons that it hated Jesus.

You might ask why the religious establishment is not carefully listening for God's Two Witnesses. The truth is that it has no desire to meet God's Two Witnesses. YOUR religious leader absolutely does not want anything to do with Jesus and His Two Witnesses. Lukewarm religious leaders of the end time are using religion for their financial and egotistical benefits- just as Jesus said that they would be.

Jesus prophesied this very situation in parable. For example, Jesus said that religious leaders would be abusing the children of God. Abuse and exploitation is commonplace today. The homeless live in cardboard boxes outside the mansion gates of millionaire ministers. Poor believers struggle to support the comfortable lifestyles of Church leaders with tithes and offerings that would otherwise pay their bills and feed their children.

In His Book of Revelation, Jesus describes the Whore of Babylon who drinks the lifeblood of the saints out of a Communion cup. This is an apt description of modern-day Televangelists and other millionaire Church leaders. Instead of serving the children of God, ministers have the children of God serving them. This is the opposite of the example that was set by Jesus and His Apostles.

Jesus said in parable that ministers would be so busy with their religious businesses (bringing in money); they would reject Christ's invitation to His Wedding Feast. Many ministers are millionaires and/or wealthy nowadays. The last thing they want is to be Christ-like because they would need to give up their empires.

Too many ministers live lifestyles that are completely against the teachings of Jesus. It is all too obvious why most religious leaders of today do not want Jesus to actually return. It is all too obvious why lukewarm Laodicean ministers intentionally divert the attention of their lukewarm followers away from God's Two Witnesses, who, in stark contrast, are dressed in the sackcloth of poverty and humility.

TEMPLE AGAIN DESTROYED

At the time that Jesus came to earth as a human 2,000 years ago; the religious establishment believed that it was to be made into a great kingdom. People of God wanted to be greater than people of the Roman Empire were (talk about class envy). Jesus said that they would not be made into the rich and egotistical kingdom that they desired. So, the Church denounced Jesus as an imposter and murdered Him.

Today, the Church wants to be made into the Kingdom of God. Christians want to be raptured to positions of wealth and power so that they can lord over others. Like Jesus, God's Two Witnesses will tell them they will not be in God's Kingdom. Predictably, the Church will denounce them as imposters and murder them. We read in Scripture that God will retaliate against the lukewarm Church, just as He retaliated against the Temple in 70 AD by sending red Roman armies to destroy it. (In the time of Jesus, Babylon was the Roman Empire.)

Jesus wept because He foresaw that red Roman armies would destroy the Temple because it rejected Him. Likewise, God's Two Witnesses are distressed to foresee that Red armies will destroy the Church because it will have reject them and their life-saving warning about the worship of the Beast. Their profound message is that no Christian who follows the Beast, or is predatorial like beasts are, will receive eternal life. God would destroy those incorrigible members of the Church, just as He had destroyed those incorrigible members of the Temple. Predictably, death awaits predatorial religious leaders and their followers if they no not heed this end-time warning from God through His Two Witnesses.

YOUR ETERNAL LIFE OR ETERNAL DEATH?

The main importance of 2012 as far as you are concerned is that you could begin your 9-year journey to the Rapture.

God's Two Witnesses have information that could lead to your eternal life. It is the identity and basic character of the Beast. They know his identity because they identified his Mark. The Mark is not 666. God has used 666 as a diversion and a way to seal unwanted people out of understanding. God does not want incorrigible sinners to cheat during their 9-year judgment, 2012 to 2021.

If you humble yourself to learn the identity of the Beast, you could examine his personality, character and behavior. You could compare yourself to him. If you found a match, then you would realize that you would need to change in order to be ready for Judgment Day.

Do not despair because everybody has a match. Your Bible says that, the whole world follows the Beast. However, you may not continue to follow the Beast.

DO YOU WORSHIP THE BEAST?

Yes, you presently follow the Beast, just as Jesus said. However, you could make changes by repenting and altering your mindset and behavior. The first word out of the mouths of men who preached the gospel was REPENT. You must measure yourself against the Beast and make the necessary changes.

In order to assure your success, you need to receive the Spirit of God through baptism. On your own, you cannot change from your bestial state. It is impossible. Only the Holy Spirit can convert you into the Godly state.

After you make the necessary changes, you would no longer follow the Beast. You would be headed toward eternal life as either a resurrected person or a raptured person at the return of Jesus in 2022 AD.

In summation, the year 2012 is the most important year in your life if you desire to have eternal life. If you do not, then it is just another year. Oblivion awaits you at death.

UNSEALED BIBLE PROPHECY IS THE GOLDEN OIL

If you want to stop following the Beast, learn his identity so that you can begin the process of change that leads to eternal life.

In our featured book, there is research that will identify the Beast. It will take you back through 2,000 years of Bible translation history in order to re-discover the original Mark of the Beast. This is the oil of the Two Olive Trees, which true Church leaders are destined to use to enlighten the way to eternal life.

You will reconstruct the Mark of the Beast as you go back through English, Greek and Aramaic. Then you will see the original Mark and the original words that John used to describe the Mark. Those words are not the current words in the King James Bible. And, the Mark was not 666.

Why is it that none have done this before? Simply stated, most people are lazy. There have been very few people who intensely study the Bible as independent researchers. Rather than study, they made up theories about he Beast that are diversionary.

After you learn what the Mark of the Beast is, you will advance through Daniel and Revelation and understand verses of prophecy for the first time. If you do not first learn the identity of the original and real Mark of the Beast, this would be impossible.

COME OUT OF BABYLON NOW!

Daniel and John wrote complementary versions of world history. Their accounts show how the world is like a tree. That tree is Babylon. The whole world has been part of Babylonian culture. Dictatorship is the primary characteristic of Babylon.

God intervened twice in world civilization to set up an alternative to Babylonian culture. The first intervention was at the time of Moses. Through Moses, God set up the Israelite nation with a libertarian form of government. The second and most important intervention by God was the founding of the representative government of the United States. It was originally libertarian.

God is now taking total control of the world through the export of representative governance from the United States and other representative nations. Europe and the USA make up His base of operation.

DEFEAT OF BABYLON

The Battle of Armageddon is the final crushing defeat of Babylonian culture. God will use the military might of Western nations to annihilate the last vestiges of Babylon, including communist and terrorist nations. Some Muslim nations will be severely reduced in population because they have remained dictatorial in government and religion. They hold on to their Babylonian past.

Red China would ultimately be defeated. Marxists in the old Soviet Union will lead their people and their allies to a disastrous confrontation with Europe and the USA. Needless to say, God is on the side of representative government.

On a personal level, God is against individuals who are dictatorial in character. So a weeding process will occur whereby angels will seek out such individuals for death. Remember the parable of the tares. There will be no place for weeds to hide.

Our featured book could allow you to see things in the Bible that you would not see through any other book.

YOUR OPENED EYES

In your Bible, you will be able to identify Bush I, Clinton, Bush II, Saddam Hussein, Milosevic, Tony Blair, Margaret Thatcher, Gorbachev, Schwarzkopf and other world leaders. You will be able to see events that include the Persian wars and Armageddon. With prophecy calendars, you will be able to see the years that these events were scheduled to occur in.

You could also learn personal information about God's Two Witnesses, which includes the day that Gabriel first visited them in 1991. Gabriel describes the merciless beatings that Satan has given them in his attempt to prevent their upcoming ministry.

Forefather prophecy calendars are natural complements to our books about God's Two Witnesses. Our calendars give dates, while our books tell you what will happen and why it will happen.

GOD & YOU- INTIMATE FRIENDS

The why part is an examination of the very heart and mind of God Himself. You could have a very personal understanding of God, whom you are a replicate of. You could know how the brain of God works. You could know how the emotions of God work. If you need a father figure, why not take on the attributes of God the Father?

WHEN WILL ARMAGEDDON HAPPEN?

After you learn what and why of 6,000 years of world civilization, you will need to know when end-time events will occur. This is the value of our prophecy calendars. They give dates. You do not want to be in a city that has ICBM's aimed at it.

I hope this article has given you a panoramic view of end-time years that includes the year 2012. I hope that you see the spiritual significance of upcoming events that have been prophesied for thousands of years.

2012 Will Be The Year Civilization Changes Forever

Pros and Cons Of Photochromic Lenses

Contact Lenses

Transition Lenses

Contact Lenses

Transitions is actually a brand name of a Photocromic Lens. Although transitions are probably the most advanced photochromic lens on the market there are many others out there.

People call Photochromic lenses by all different kinds of names such as Transitions, Reactolite, Reactions and I've even heard them called Graduations. However, they are all Photo chromic lenses.

Photochromic lenses are clear lenses that react with UV and produce a tint effect based on the amount of UV present.

When wearing Photochromic lenses even a dull day some reaction will occur producing a very pale tint and then on a very bright day where more UV is present they will turn quite dark. When wearing them indoors they will become clear.

The idea behind photochromic lenses is that they will provide the correct amount of protection for the varying light conditions you experience. However, when driving, your car windscreen will block a certain amount of UV which is required to make the lens react so they will not work as well as they would outside of the car.

The Two Most Common Photocromic Lenses

Transitions Lenses

Transitions are available in Standard Plastic, Poly Carbonate, 1.6 and 1.67 Lenses. They are the fastest reacting lens on the market and will react into sunglasses within 30 seconds. However, they will take longer than that to go clear again when you go inside.

Reactolite Lenses

Reactolite is a brand name given to a Glass photochromic lens. They do not react as well as the transitions and are much heavier to wear. However, one good thing about glass reactolite is that they work much better behind a car windscreen than the transitions do. (If only we could have the best of both worlds.)

In most cases the Transitions lens is the preferred option due to the over all comfort and performance.

Photocromic lenses are ideal in the sense that they can save you having to purchase two pairs of glasses ie, Clear glasses and a pair of Sunglasses. However, many people who wear transitions also have a cheaper tinted pair just to use in the car.

Pros and Cons Of Photochromic Lenses

Contacts Without Prescription From Canada

Contact Lenses

So you wear contact lenses and want to renew your supply without getting a new prescription?

Contact Lenses

You are not alone. Many people ask that very question: where can you buy contacts without a current prescription?

The first thing to point out might be obvious. You can get just about anything you want on the internet and that includes contact lenses. A better question to ask might be how can you do this legally? Sites operating legitimately are not so easy to find and there is a good reason for this. In many parts of the world it is illegal to buy or sell lenses if an up to date eye prescription is not involved. We'll have a look at where Canada stands on this issue shortly.

Why are the laws so strict? Although you might think that you should be allowed to do what you like with your eyes, many governments think they know best. Like it or not, that's the way it is. Even if you don't like being told how to run your life, looking after your eyes is not a bad thing to do. In fact, it's very sensible. You only have one pair of eyes and they can easily be damaged by substandard or unsuitable lenses so it pays to take the trouble to get checked out properly and to get an up to date prescription for your contacts.

If you're determined to get contact lenses without a prescription, let's look at your options and in particular, why Canada always seems to feature in such discussions.

It turns out that as far as prescription contacts go, that is, lenses designed to correct vision, Canada is no different from much of the rest of the world. Lenses are considered to be medical devices and a current prescription is needed. Not only to buy lenses but also for Canadian outlets to sell to people outside Canada.

There is just one exception to this, and that is cosmetic lenses. Lenses which do not correct vision. This will usually mean colored lenses of one sort or another. These are not medical devices, currently, and they may be bought without the need of a prescription.

That said, although you can buy contacts from Canada without a prescription, it is always recommended that the advice of an optician is obtained first of all, to make sure that your eyes are suited to wearing contacts and ideally, to get a prescription and proper advice about what lenses to get.

Armed with that information, by all means go ahead and get your contacts from Canada.

Contacts Without Prescription From Canada

Cheap Colored Contact Lenses

Contact Lenses

Colored contact lenses are exactly like regular contacts, but they give the illusion of a new eye color. Colored contact lenses come at cheap rates, yet in wide ranges. They can be discarded after using for a week or two. Also, one can change color combinations in accordance with the outfit and occasions.

Contact Lenses

Cosmetic Fresh look contact lenses that change eye color are on sale for .95 a pair. For even greater savings, there are packages for festive occasions. Purchase three pairs or more and you will receive two free pairs, for a savings of .90. There are other handy price combinations as well. These contact lenses can be of the same color, or different. With each order, the dealers offer a sample colored contact lens for trial purposes.

Colors and color blends are designed to change even the darkest eye color. Opaque lenses can block the natural color of the eyes. They are designed to enhance or add color to light-colored eyes. For the lowest price, one can purchase Wild Eyes contact lenses around Halloween. These special-effect lenses usually go on sale at that time of the year. They are very comfortable to wear. These novelty lenses come in a variety of crazy designs such as white, black, red, vampire, and cat eyes for those special effects or a theatrical costume.

Make-up suggestions are also available with dealers. Depending on the skin tones and the color of the contact lenses, these make-up suggestions will enhance one's look. However, cheap lenses might not meet the quality requirements of the user.

Cheap Colored Contact Lenses

6 Steps to Better Decision Making

Contact Lenses

Decision making is a key role for any manager or leader. Surprisingly many people struggle when it comes to taking decisions. This might be due to:

Contact Lenses

o Fear of failure

o Lack of a structured approach

o Procrastinating

o Lack of clarity

Whatever the barriers, there are 6 steps that you can follow when taking any decision.

1. Problem Definition

Before you can start to take any decisions, you need to be absolutely clear the problem you are trying to reach a decision on. One simple technique is just to write out in a sentence what the problem is that you need to take a decision on.

2. Assess the implications

All decisions have implications. If it is a decision at work, it has implications for you, your peers, your team and your superiors. Depending on the decision (e.g. a promotion at work) it may even have implications for your family, especially if it involves relocation.

3. Explore different perspectives

Perspectives are simply different lenses through which you look at the problem. By exploring different perspectives you start to get a feel for those that you are most attracted to.

4. Get clear on your ideal outcome

When you are faced with a big decision, it is easy to get lost in the detail and circumstances. An alternative is to get clear on your ideal outcome and use this ideal outcome to inform your choices. Imagine you aspire to be a CFO of a Top 100 company. By having clarity on your outcome, you can make choices on promotions and experience linked to this ideal outcome.

5. Weigh up pros and cons

Another way of looking at a decision is to consider the advantages and disadvantages of each of the options open to you. Simply listing the advantages and disadvantages of each option is a powerful way of moving forward on decisions.

6. Decide and act

Once you have gone through the previous 5 steps, commit to a choice or course of action and start to make it happen. To avoid procrastination, give yourself permission to be okay with any failings that might arise.

At the end of the day there is no magic formula for decision making. Following some simple steps and acting can however move you into the realm of effective decision maker.

6 Steps to Better Decision Making

Contact Lenses - Tips and Tricks for First Time Users

Contact Lenses

It's quite common for people to avoid getting contact glasses or lenses because they are unsure of how to put them in... or even that they will be able to deal with having something in their eyes every day. However, contacts are really quite easy to use, once you get the hang of it. The first couple of times, you may be hesitant, but this article will show you how to put your new contact lenses in and how to ensure that they don't bother you.

Contact Lenses

To make sure that your contact glasses don't have calcium build up that could irritate your eyes, you'll want to soak them in lens cleaning solution for at least 4-6 hours. This will loosen up anything that has built up during the time they have been in the package. After the soak time, rinse your contacts thoroughly with saline solution (NOT tap water) and check them for any scratches or tears. Then you're ready to put them in.

You should wash your hands with soap and water before handling your contact glasses. This just ensures that no dirt or grime will get trapped under the lens where it can irritate your eye. Also, dry your hands carefully, since a wet fingertip will tend to stick to the contact, making it harder to insert.

Once you have prepared everything and your hands and contact glasses are nice and clean, you are ready to get started. Take the first contact lens and place it on your fingertip. It should look like a little bowl sitting there, with the top edges horizontal. Soft contacts can get turned inside out by accident sometimes and if this happens, you'll notice that the edges flare out. Just turn it right side out and it will be fine.

The easiest way to put your contact glasses in is to place the contact lens on the index finger of the hand closest to your eye, left hand for left side, etc. Use the middle finger of that same hand to pull the lower eyelid down and the opposite hand to lift the upper lid. Basically, you want your eye open as much as possible, you should be able to see the entire colored part of your eye.

Now, place the contact gently in the eye, making sure that it doesn't stick to your finger and let go of your eyelids. Blink a few times and the contact will automatically center itself. You should be fairly comfortable at this point. But, to make sure that you don't have any problems, you'll want to make sure that you don't wear your new contacts for very long the first few times, since they can be drying to the eyes.

Following the recommended time schedule for wearing your contact glasses is definitely a good idea, but you might want to use some lubricating eye drops (ask your eye doctor for recommendations) to help ease any discomfort. It's normal to have slightly irritated eyes the first few times that you wear contacts. You might find that your eyes tear up and get a bit red, but that's normal. However, pain is not, so if you have any pain, just take them out.

Trying out contact lenses for the first time can be a bit nerve-wracking, but it will get easier. Within a week, you'll be a complete expert at putting your contacts in and taking them out!

Contact Lenses - Tips and Tricks for First Time Users

Forced Male Chastity - Fantasy or Reality?

Contact Lenses

A common fantasy you'll often stumble across is forced male chastity. Although the details vary, these variations are really variations of style, not substance.

Contact Lenses

Usually, the man has asked to experiment with the orgasm denial or something similar, his wife or girlfriend has reluctantly agreed at first, but has grown to like it so much he's now "forced" to stay locked up, can't do anything about it, and if he does, she's going to divorce him or something equally drastic.

The fact these stories are all essentially the same is enough to tell us they simply aren't true; and a moment's critical thought will tell us without a shadow of doubt that not only are they most unlikely to be true, they often simply cannot be true.

The most powerful argument against the concept of forced male chastity is there is no possible way to prevent a man from cutting the belt or device off.

The unbreakable, inescapable device simply does not and cannot exist.

Thus, any man kept in chastity is kept there by his consent. He keeps the belt or device on by his own conscious choice.

Now, it is possible some women threaten dire consequences, such as divorce, if their man takes refuses to wear a chastity belt or takes it off without permission.

But let's think about this critically, too.

What benefit would a woman get from this? Divorce is messy and expensive, and at the end of it she'd be stuck in a position her threats attempted to avoid: she wouldn't have a chaste male under her control (because she'd be single).

From the man's point of view, I can't imagine why he'd want to be with any woman who looked at forced male chastity through the lens of emotional and psychological abuse. Apart from anything else, a man so weak as to take that kind of treatment isn't the kind of man any women worthy of the name would actually want to have around, unless she has some serious self-esteem problems of her own and feels the need to elevate herself by trampling all over others.

So, given that the reality is either physically impossible or existentially undesirable for all concerned because of all the associated emotional and financial fallout, why is the idea of forced male chastity so common and, frankly, such a turn on for both of you?

Well...

Like most kinks, it's more exciting if it's done TO you than if it's done FOR you

Why else are bondage, domination, and sado-masochism so common? The psychological reasons are many and varied, and no-doubt complex.

And in truth we don't have to understand them to enjoy them - and one common way of enjoying them is the "power exchange". We pretend we're having things done to us against our will, but really in the wider context of the game, even if at the time we're resisting, we've accepted the rules and given our consent (this is why you have safewords - to tell the other player that the game needs to stop, even if only momentarily).

So why does all this matter?

Well, for a start, the truth does matter. And it matters in particular for men and women who are looking playing with forced male chastity only to be confronted by stories that are enough to scare anyone into celibacy.

But you can rest easy: it is just a game, and unless you're insane, reckless or mentally unbalanced you can stop the game and change the rules if you're not getting what you want from it. You can't be locked into a chastity belt and kept there against your will if you're a man, and if you're a woman, you can't force it on him without his consent.

And if you are so callous and cold you'd insist on forced male chastity regardless of his feelings and threaten to divorce him if he demurs, then you perhaps would benefit from examining the your wider relationship and perhaps even seeking professional help.

How to make it fun

That said, the game can still be a lot of fun, and the illusion of compulsion and lack of choice and determination very powerful and realistic. For example, in the rules of our game, John has given me full control of his orgasms, and we have both communicated openly and clearly and both understand what it means.

Now, at the moment we're expecting delivery of a new chastity belt and my intention is, after he's become accustomed and acclimatised to wearing it, to keep John in forced male chastity and orgasm denial for at least one whole year.

Does this mean he can't escape if he wants to?

No.

Does it mean if he really cannot stand it for whatever reason for that long, I'll blow my top, get angry and divorce him?

No, of course not.

Because the whole point of the entire lifestyle is to improve our marriage and relationship, to bring us closer, to give us a better sex life and more intimacy. To make this all-too-short life even more exquisite and exciting than it already is.

And you can't do that if one of you is miserable, unhappy and being kept that way with the gun of divorce pointed at his head. So, yes, forced male chastity is a fun game to play. But don't take it too seriously and assume it means you have to play it to somehow "win" at all costs.

Because while you might not count or care about the cost you will pay the price.

Forced Male Chastity - Fantasy or Reality?

Black Contact Lenses - Fashion Statement!

Fashion evolves and changes every week, and lately one of the newest trends is Black Contact Lenses. And one of the items that people can use to add to their fashion statement is to use various colored contact lenses to add drama to the look of their eyes and change them completely. In addition, they are even made for people who don't need corrective lenses to improve their vision but want to make a fashion statement.

With the black lenses, there are several options available. One option is the Black Sclera Contacts that cover the entire eye with a completely black lens. It completely covers the color of the iris as well as the White Sclera. The black contact lenses is particularly popular for Vampire costumes around Halloween, and provides that totally spooky look for other costume parties at different times of the year. These lenses have also been a popular look for those wanting to dress up as aliens or other types of monsters for a costume party. To achieve that truly scary look, these are perfect.

Another type of contact lens that is black is a Gothic Contact lens. This style of lens is totally black to cover both the pupil and the iris of the eye, and it blocks out any light colored iris such as blue, green, or grey. For black contact lenses, these are a very important part of the costume for the dark Gothic appearance. It even works quite well for those who are donning a Dracula, werewolf, witch, or vampire costume.

One type of contact lens has a large black pupil, and minimal color around the edge. These outer edge colors can be in a variety of colors such as red, orange, yellow, or even a small pattern. These can add a completely eerie look to the costume because the other guests see such a tiny amount of color that they must take a second look just to see if they really saw what they thought they saw. More and more people are wearing them to add that extra unexpected pop to the costume - and those that are into the Goth look on a regular basis may even war them every day.

These black contact lenses add an extra dimension to the costume to spook everyone at the party with the unexpected look in the eyes. They are even available in prescription lenses.

If you are looking for more great tips and products on Black Contact Lenses, visit http://affordablecontactlenses.net/.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Manisha_Kumar
http://EzineArticles.com/?Black-Contact-Lenses---Fashion-Statement!&id=6848136

Lighting a Fine Craft Trade Show Booth - Options for the Budget-Conscious Artist

Contact Lenses

Good lighting is a main ingredient of a successful trade-show booth. Just the right lighting system can help an artist create the atmosphere of a fine-craft gallery. This will lure gallery owners off the isles and into your booth – the first step toward making a sale.

Contact Lenses

Lighting is a relatively expensive investment. So how does the budget-conscious artist find the right solution?

When it comes to choosing a lighting system, artists new to the trade show circuit often become overwhelmed. Prices vary wildly, and each convention center may have its own lighting rules. Lighting technology is changing rapidly, making the choices harder still.

This article details what I learned while tackling the challenge of lighting my 10’X10’ booth at the American Craft Retailers Expo (ACRE), a large wholesale show for American and Canadian craft artists. As I am new to trade shows, this information is meant only as a pointer for artists in the process of choosing lighting, and perhaps also for more seasoned artists looking to update their systems.

In examining many different lighting options, my objective was to illuminate my glass jewelry beautifully but inexpensively. I wanted the lights to be lightweight and modular, to fit in boxes for shipping to the show. I was looking for contemporary styling, in silver or black. And I wanted to have at least one special lighting effect – not too flashy – to give my booth a unique element.

In his CD on booth design, art business consultant Bruce Baker suggests 1,000 watts will light up a 10’X10’ booth very effectively. I decided to stay at or under 500 watts, however, because the ACRE show includes 500 watts with the booth price, and the halogen lighting I ultimately decided upon illuminates my displays very well. Since I bought the lights at a “big-box” store with sites in virtually every city in the U.S., I can add more lights once I’m at the trade show if necessary.

The Battle of the Bulb

Contractors Choice Lighting (www.ccl-light.com) says a light fixture is simply a “bulb holder.” The bulb, therefore, should drive one’s choice of a fixture. This is somewhat true for trade-show lighting, although the fixtures may dictate the types of bulbs, depending on the choices available at the store where one shops for the lights. The CCL website offers a “Bulb Photometrics” page ([http://ccl-light.com/photometrics.html]), whose graphical representation is a refreshing departure from the complex descriptions of lighting options that have proliferated on the web.

Halogen is the bulb of choice for many trade show exhibitors. It offers a crisp, white light. Although people commonly refer to halogen as non-incandescent, it is in fact a kind of incandescent lamp. It generates light by using a thin filament wire made of tungsten, heated to white by passing an electric current through it. According to General Electric, the first halogen lamp was developed in 1959 – not too long ago for many of us!

Halogen bulbs differ significantly from the traditional type of incandescents we grew up with. The halogen bulb’s filament is surrounded by halogen gases (iodine or bromine, specifically). These gases let the filaments operate at higher temperatures. The end result is a higher light output per watt.

The gases also do something rather miraculous: Tungsten tends to evaporate off the filament over time, and the gases actually help re-deposit the tungsten onto the filament. This extends the bulb’s life way beyond that of the traditional incandescent bulb, whose evaporated tungsten clings to the walls of the bulb like a smoky apparition and eventually the uncoated filament snaps. Who hasn’t rattled a burnt-out light bulb and enjoyed the jazzy cymbal sound of the broken filament inside?

In addition to giving off more light than traditional incandescent bulbs, halogen bulbs emit a whiter light that provides better color rendition. “For highlighting and bringing out true colors, use halogen lamps,” suggests USA Light and Electric’s website (www.usalight.com). “Nothing looks better than the drama brought in with halogen lamps.”

Baker also suggests halogen lights – floodlights in particular – for a contemporary look, especially for jewelry and glass. It’s important to consider that other fine craft materials such as ceramics and wood might be better enhanced with halogen spotlights, or even with some of the more traditional incandescent lights that emit a warmer color.

Having decided upon halogen lighting, my next task would be to choose bulbs. The ACRE show takes place at the Las Vegas Convention Center, which has instituted a strict halogen lighting policy. Each light cannot exceed 75 watts, and all halogen bulbs must be factory sealed in glass (not in a removable lens or linear shape).

Thankfully, there is plenty of factory-sealed halogen lighting, in the form of PAR halogen bulbs. PAR is an acronym for “parabolic aluminized reflector.” PAR bulbs have a built-in reflecting surface made of pressed glass. The glass provides both an internal reflector and prisms in the lens for control of the light beam.

PAR bulbs are numbered, as in PAR 16, PAR 20, PAR 56. The PAR number refers to the bulb shape. Bulbs.com has a halogen section of the site where you can quickly compare the various PAR bulbs visually. Within a given category of PAR bulbs there are various wattages, wide and narrow spotlights and floodlights, different base sizes, and even different colors.

Fortunately I was able to skip the process of deciding on a PAR bulb by deciding first where to shop for my lights (more on that below).

Power Issues

When you go to shop for track lights, you’ll notice there’s a choice between 12-volt and 120-volt fixtures. 120 is the standard voltage that comes directly into most homes and offices – and convention centers.

For a lamp using 120 volts, no additional parts are necessary beyond a regular socket. 120-volt fixtures generally are lighter than 12-volt fixtures because they don’t need a transformer. They also cost less and can use halogen or regular incandescent bulbs.

I stopped short of investigating 12-volt fixtures, except to find out that they step down the amount of energy being used to a lower voltage, and thus are more energy efficient. They require a transformer to convert the 120-volt household current to 12 volts, and they may require hardwiring (although one artist I know found a 12-volt fixture with a built-in transformer which she was able to plug into a 120-volt outlet. A 12-volt fixture accommodates very efficient bulbs that offer a variety of wattages and beam spreads, including the 50-watt MR-16, which is popular in galleries.

I decided on 120-volt lighting for the trade show, because I wouldn’t have to worry about transformers and could just plug it in.

Choosing a Store and Track Lighting

I read the ACRE online forum for clues about where to buy lighting. What one artist said struck me as eminently sensible: He buys all his lighting at Home Depot, because if anything goes wrong at the show, he can find a store nearby for replacement parts.

This was something to consider: Tempting as the gorgeous designs might be, special-order lighting of any kind introduces the risk of having a malfunctioning light for the duration of a show.

Another artist on the ACRE online forum said he buys his lights from Lowes. It probably doesn’t matter which big-box store one chooses, as long as there’s one in every city.

Since I was new to trade shows and this was to be my first lighting kit, I resisted choosing from the many good suppliers on the web. I settled on the limited but attractive selection at Lowes. A side benefit of this was that my choices were comfortably narrowed.

Within the category of halogen lighting, you can get either track lights or stem-mounted lights (with arms extending outward). I went with track lights. This was partly because the stem lights I found on the web were relatively expensive and Lowe's didn’t offer them, and partly because with track lights I could have one cord instead of several hanging down.

The Lowes lighting salesperson was helpful in putting together a full package from the track lighting on display and in stock. I decided on four, two-foot tracks to keep the size of my shipping boxes down. Here’s a rundown of what I bought:

· 4 two-foot track sections, Portfolio brand, black finish, Item #225678. Each section holds 2 lights, for a total of 8. Total: .12

· 8 Flared Gimbal Track Lights, Portfolio brand, Item #120673, with a satin chrome finish for a contemporary look. They are easy to attach to the track by following the directions. Total: .76

· 8 halogen bulbs, Par 20, 50-watt, for bright, crisp light. I bought several floodlights and a couple of spotlights. The bulbs are very packable, at a little over 3” long and 2.5” in diameter. Total: .00

· 2 Miniature Straight Connectors by Portfolio, Item #120716, for joining two of the track sections end to end. The idea is to have only one cord to plug in from a row of four lights. Total: .92.

· 2 Cord and Plug Sets, Portfolio brand, Item #120827, to power track from a standard AC wall outlet. I connected these to the end of the two of the track sections by unscrewing the covering on one side of the track. Total: .06

· Various Multi-Purpose Ties (cable ties), by Catamount, for attaching tracks to booth pipes. Total: .00

· 2 heavy-duty extension cord/power strips – 14-gauge, 15-feet, with three outlets each, Woods brand, from Lowe’s, Item #170224, model 82965. Total: .00

Grand total: 3.86

The Gimbal lights I chose only accept a 50-watt, PAR 20 bulb, which made it easy to pick out the bulbs. So in this case, the fixture drove the choice of bulb, not the other way around.

According to the Bulb Photometrics page at Contractors Choice Lighting, a PAR 20, 50-watt halogen flood bulb will emit a beam of light with a 5’4” diameter when it reaches 10 feet away. It offers about 12 foot-candles worth of light at 10 feet away from the bulb (a foot-candle is the level of illumination on a surface one foot away from a standard candle.)

For the sake of comparison, a PAR 30 beam offers a diameter of more than 8’ at 10 feet away, and you still get about 14 foot-candles at that distance. What happens if you notch it up to a 75-watt bulb? You get a lot more foot-candles (38) at 10 feet away. This suggests that larger trade-show booths might want to take advantage of higher PAR and higher watt bulbs.

All together, the track lighting system I chose uses 400 watts of electricity. This left me another 100 watts to add specialty or accent lighting to my booth, while still remaining at the 500-watt limit.

Cords, Plugs and Hanging Lights

The Las Vegas Convention Center has very strict rules for cords, plugs, and hanging lights.

The two-pronged, 18-gauge cords that the manufacturer has attached to your lights are acceptable (leave the UL tags and labels intact). These lighting cords cannot be plugged into the convention center outlet, however. Instead, you must plug them into a three-pronged, heavy duty, 14-gauge extension cord – or a breaker strip with a 14-gauge cord. You can then plug that 14-gauge extension cord into the convention center outlet.

A 14-gauge extension cord is capable of handling 1,825 watts. It’s helpful to read the brief extension-cord sizing and safety information on the web pages of the Underwriters Laboratories (www.ul.com/consumers/cords.html) and the University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service ([http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/FY800]) before purchasing a cord.

Bruce Baker suggests the cord be 20 feet with six outlets, and that it include a cord reel. I couldn’t find this type of cord at Lowe’s, so I decided on two 15-foot, heavy-duty, 14-gauge extension cord/power strips, each offering three outlets. If you have a larger booth, you can find a 25-foot cord with three outlets at Lowe’s.

There are so many different approaches to hanging lights, and so many variables to consider, that it could be a topic for another article. In general, you can hang or clip lights onto a cross bar or onto the “hard walls” of your display if you have them. Depending on the rules of a particular trade show and the size your lighting system, you may be permitted to attach the lights to the booth’s existing pipe and drape.

Since my booth design does not include my own walls, my lights will attach either to the existing pipe or to a cross bar. Cable ties (commonly called “zip ties”) appear to be tool of choice for attaching tracks to the pipes or bars, and even for attaching additional cross bars to existing pipe and drape. One artist I know uses Velcro strips, followed by cable ties to secure the attachments. There are a few entire websites for cable ties. One of them is http://www.cabletiesplus.com .

I purchased Multi-Purpose Ties from Home Depot. They can bundle 4 inches in diameter, withstand temperatures up to 185 degrees Fahrenheit, and hold up to 50 lbs.

Accent Lighting: LEDs

There are many ideas for accent lighting – although a fair treatment of the topic is beyond the scope of this article. Light-emitting diode (LED) lighting is one technology that is experiencing breakthroughs and growing fast. It takes many LEDs to equal the light output of a 50-watt bulb, and LEDs are fairly expensive, so LEDs aren’t ready for prime time when it comes to lighting a whole booth.

There are several close-up applications for LEDs, however, that are worth looking into now. An example is the in-counter light bar sold by MK Digital Direct at http://www.mkdigitaldirect.com (at a whopping 5 per foot). The more affordable MK Sparkle Light Pocket () is a portable device that has extra long-life of over 100,000 continuous hours and promises to give jewelry “maximum sparkle and scintillation.”

The Nexus mini LED light system (www.ccl-light.com), meanwhile, offers a lot of illumination for its size – a puck shape not much bigger than a quarter. The company says it is for direct display lighting of crystal and glass, and it can even be submerged in water. The light is attached to a 12’ cable that ends in a plug, and has “mode switch” with seven different color choices. Unfortunately, white is not one of the color choices, and at it’s a bit expensive. Still, a few of these lights combined with room lighting could draw viewers into your booth and toward your most dramatic displays.

LEDS also include tube lights, flexible lights, linear lights, and bulbs. Superbright LEDs (www.superbrightleds.com/edison.html ) has a collection of 120-volt screw-in LED bulbs for accent and other low-lighting applications, as well as a host of other fascinating products such as “plant up-light fixtures.”

At this writing, the search was still on for accent lighting to give my booth an extra special glow. Stay tuned for a future article on the results.

Online Resources

The following list is not an endorsement, but rather a starting point for research on lighting systems, cable ties, and accent lighting.

http://www.ccl-light.com - inexpensive and many choices, has “Bulb Photometrics” page to help determine how much light and what kind you want from a bulb

http://www.direct-lighting.com - stem-mounted and track lights

http://www.usalight.com - large selection of lighting and bulbs

http://www.bulbs.com - quick visual comparison of PAR bulbs (in halogen section)

http://www.cabletiesplus.com - Cable (zip) ties for securing track lights to pipe

http://www.mkdigitaldirect.com - LED lights for jewelry cases

http://www.american-image.com/products/lights/lights.html - a nice selection and visual layout of stem-mounted and other lighting (but not cheap)

http://www.brightmandesign.com/products/wash-super.html - good technical information and images of lights set-ups for trade shows; several stem-mounted clip-on designs

http://www.superbrightleds.com - LED accent lighting, including screw-in bulbs and light bars

Lighting a Fine Craft Trade Show Booth - Options for the Budget-Conscious Artist

Contact Lenses - The 3 Types of Multifocal Lens Available

Contact Lenses

Normal contact lenses are fantastic for people who only need one prescription. However, for those who suffer from compound eyesight issues, more than one type of lens may be required. Traditionally, these people have had to use bifocal or varifocal glasses, but now there is a range of multifocal contacts available which give these people even more options.

Contact Lenses

1. Concentric Lenses

This design has the two different prescriptions placed so that one surrounds the other one. Usually, the near-distance prescription is placed at the center, while the far one is placed around the outside. This is the most common type, and is generally preferred because it provides excellent vision at a cost not much above a normal lens.

2. Simultaneous Contact Lenses

With this type of lens, both the near and far prescriptions are placed on top of each other. Although this may sound like they will counteract one another, it actually makes use of a fascinating property of the brain, in that it can select which image it chooses to focus on at a given time. The benefit of this lens over a concentric design is that is allows the wearer to see perfectly in a wider area.

3. Altering Contacts

Finally, this type of contact acts much like a bifocal glasses lens, in that the prescription is different at the top and bottom. Because of this, it is essential that the lens is placed the right way round on the eye. This type is becoming less popular as the other two types become more common.

Multifocal contact lenses offer a even bigger choice to those with poor eyesight. They are becoming increasingly popular, and as such prices continue to fall, making these lenses an excellent choice for your long term eye care.

Contact Lenses - The 3 Types of Multifocal Lens Available