Sun Microelectronics will also roll out i2′s demand fulfillment system, which links Website orders directly into Sun’s back end. When a customer places an online order for a few thousand Sparc microprocessors or JavaEngines, i2 software checks the request against the status of the supply chain and analyzes manufacturers’ schedules to tell customers when — or if — Sun can meet the order. And once customers place an order, they can check the Webpage to see where it is in the supply or fulfillment chain.

By entrusting its supply chain and fulfillment needs to i2, Sun expects to lower operations costs by reducing planning staff headcount; squeeze the most efficient production out of its manufacturing contractors; and shorten product cycles.

So far, Sun remains tight-lipped about results. Already, the microelectronics division has reduced the cost of maintaining an IT infrastructure and personnel by ditching its in-house collaboration application. i2, meanwhile, claims its online systems will reduce a company’s overall materials procurement and inventory holding costs by 25 to 30 percent.

Other i2 customers should give Sun confidence: Compaq credits i2′s software for increasing on-time deliveries to 95 percent in less than 8 months; Iomega boasts that its demand forecasts hit 92 to 95 percent accuracy thanks to i2 Rhythm forecasting tools; and Texas Instruments expects the i2′s software to pay for its $24 million cost within one year of finishing an ongoing implementation that began in 1997.

i2 customers spend from a few hundred thousand to several million dollars on each module. And the microelectronics division’s suite of i2 products is only part of a much bigger contract between Sun and i2, to include Rhythm supply-chain management software for Sun’s computer division. Neither company will disclose the terms of the deal, but analysts estimate the total value to be more than $10 million.

These back-end innovations, which typically take three to five months per module to install, can include full-time i2 consultants. For quicker, smaller-scale installations, customers can choose a hosted application model, as Sun Microelectronics has. Rather than installing the software on the customer’s network, i2 hosts and manages the system on its own servers in exchange for a monthly fee. Depending on the size of the company and complexity of the system, those fees can range from $5,000 to hundreds of thousands a month — pricey, but still roughly one-quarter the cost of an upfront installation.

1. Understand that it’s really difficult to be a stepmother
Indeed, it’s much harder than you can ever anticipate at the time you decide to marry a guy who just happens to have kids who come along as a package deal!

2. Keep in mind that no matter what you do and how hard you try, you’ll never “get it right”
Stepmothers labor under expectations that even a saint couldn’t live up to.

3. Don’t expect that children and adults will just blend right in and feel comfortable and acknowledged in a new stepfamily
It rarely happens that way. Stepfamilies are complex on every front: historically, emotionally, logistically, structurally, financially and practically.

4. Never assume that your stepchildren are looking for another mother
Children rarely voice a wish for another parent. Their primary concern is how their real parents are treating them — and how their real parents are treating each other. Remember that no one ever replaces a parent. Not even a dead or absent parent. Not even a parent who is in jail for grand larceny.

5. Don’t try to become an instant mother or parent of any kind
Nobody can walk into a family that has a history of its own that did not include her and become an instant parent (just add kids and stir). The role of mother — any kind of mother — cannot be automatically conferred upon marrying a man with children.

6. Father needs to be in charge of his own kids
He also needs to know that turning the children over to the “woman of the house” is the surest way to keep her in a “wicked stepmother” role.

7. Don’t push for closeness
Forget your well-intentioned plans to get close or form one big happy family. It takes time. If you do work out an emotionally close relationship with your stepchildren, that’s terrific, but consider it an extra, not a given, and not something to be pursued or expected. Eldest daughters are very protective of their mothers and also may enjoy a special position of caretaker with their divorced dads, so if you step into a family that includes a teenage daughter, reduce your expectations for closeness to zero.

8. Find activities that you and your stepchildren can do together
You do need some time alone. Pick activities that don’t put primary parenting responsibilities in your lap, or have you making and enforcing rules.

9. Educate yourself
You can join or form a support group or connect to stepfamily associations. You can go to the stepfamily section of your local bookstore and read, read, read! There is advice in these books on how to foster stepfamily relationships, create rituals to define your new family, and handle logistical arrangements, financial feuds and commuting between households, as well as information on many other challenges of stepfamily life. Any way you can make your stepfamily work — as long as it’s not at the expense of yourself or another family member — is just fine.

10. Remember that you’re not alone
More than a million remarried families form each year, and many people do make their stepfamilies work. More than one-third of our nation’s children will live as part of a remarried (or recoupled) family. Stepfamilies are becoming our nation’s fastest-growing family form.

11. Make friends with other stepmothers
Form friendships with those whose situations are even more difficult than your own. You need friends who understand and will commiserate with your struggles.

12. Join the Stepfamily Association of America (SSA)You need and deserve acceptance, information, education and support. Keep in mind that there are many happy, well-functioning stepfamilies.

13. Don’t blame yourself because things aren’t going as you expected in your new stepfamily
They never do. If you feel on the edge of a nervous breakdown, don’t take it personally.

14. Don’t think you can “fix” things through your good intentions and individual efforts
If relationships stay intense, find a therapist who specializes in stepfamilies and get a consultation sooner rather than later.

1996 revenue: $50 million
he Biz: Hanna Andersson sends out about 7 million catalogs a year and operates a call center for phone orders in Tokyo that produces nearly 20% of the annual revenue.

Experience: “I didn’t know anything about clothing. Or mail order. Or retail. My husband and I were our first customers.”

Beginnings: I wanted a business that had something to do with Sweden.”My husband and I considered importing Swedish water and Swedish prefabricated houses, but then my son, Christian, was born and I dressed him in Swedish clothes. People would stop me on the streets and ask, ‘Where did you get those clothes?’ So in the summer of 1983, I called around to children’s clothing manufacturers in Sweden. I found only one who wanted to work for us. Our first catalog went out in 1984.”

Why Catalogs and Not a Retail Store: “My husband had an advertising background and was familiar with mail order. Plus, it’s a business we could do from anywhere and that was very appealing.”

Stiffest Competition: “Gap Kids. They started marketing for kids after we did … but last year they grossed $1 billion in the kids’ division alone.”

Making a Pick: “First, we look for clothes that let children be children. Comfort clothes that are engineered for maximum kid mileage, in bright lollipop colors. Second, it has to be easy for parents to care for.”

Best Sellers: “The Swedish sweat pants, zippers [one-piece toddler outfits] and long johns.”

Toughest Year: “1995. Paper prices went up 40% and postage increased by 14%, and that was the year we had tried to grow. We had already bought all the inventory but when the catalog prices went up, we had no time to react.”

In the Trenches: “Every Tuesday from 10 to 12, I take any call that comes in. We advertise it in the catalog. I want to set an example for the employees and hear what the customers have to say. If it weren’t for the customer, we wouldn’t be around.”

Family Time: “I have three sons and, recently, a granddaughter. I have lots of time for my family. They’re more important than anything else.”

On Women in the Workplace: “There’s an underutilized work force of well-qualified women who want to work part time. We’ve created job opportunities that allow parents to balance work and family life.”

Naming the Business:”My first name, Gun, is, of course, not a very good name for a children’s clothing catalog. My Swedish grandmother, Hanna Andersson … is a bit easier for the American ear.”

One phenomenon that will drive this trend is the retirement of the baby boomer. The number of senior citizens in Canada is set to double in the next 30 years. Many business analysts believe that the thriving stock market is fuelled in part by the huge retirement-oriented investments being made by those boomers, currently in their prime earning years.

What will they do with that money when they retire? Among other things, it seems, they will use it to move to a smaller city.Victoria, B.C., has already earned a reputation as a retirement community. Expect a similar upswing in the likes of Halifax, Edmonton, and Kingston as new retirees choose to leave the big cities where they made their money, and retire to a place that promises a slower pace of life while still offering some big-city amenities.

Another factor in the population shift: Internet and telecommunications technologies, which combine to make physical location less and less of a factor in choosing where to work and play.

This has important consequences for smaller cities and rural communities. Moncton has enjoyed a boom as companies base their telecommunication-related businesses there, drawn by the city’s excellent high-tech infrastructure. In the U.S., some of the fastest growing areas of California and Utah are also some of the most remote, geographically speaking – but they all boast wired communities with outstanding infrastructure.

These places are being populated by “lone eagles” – folks who move to these remote areas in order to take advantage of their beautiful mountains, clear lakes, fresh air, wonderful rural amenities and fast Internet connections. Plugged into a plethora of high-tech devices, they can communicate with the rest of the business world via e-mail, fax machine, cell phone and a raft of other technologies.

These two trends – ageing boomers and new technologies – mean that we will see continued strong growth in smaller cities.

Sudbury, Ont. and Clarenville, Nfld. understand the trend. That’s why they are working so hard to establish the infrastructure that will turn them into “smart communities” – ones that offer high-tech connectivity to the world.

The fact is, cities will continue to thrive. It’s just that the megacities will have to share the spotlight with their smaller

A milestone was passed this July 12, at exactly 8:45 p.m. (EST).

According to the magazine American Demographics, that was the
moment the world’s population crossed the 5-billion mark. The majority of these new arrivals will live in mid-sized cities – that is, cities with a population of 400,000 to 4 million people.

While megacities such as New York, Tokyo, London and Bangkok get all the attention and press coverage, it is places like Saskatoon, Sask., Fresno, Calif. and Cairns, Queensland that are getting all the people.

YESTERDAY

The facts are many and astonishing when you deal with the earth’s population. Even the multiples of one fact will take you aback. Think about this: 145 babies are born every minute, which means 8,700 an hour, or 76 million a year. Those babies are part of a trend that has long been called the “population explosion.”

And with reason. It took more than 1,200 years for the world’s population to double the total it had reached in 100 BC. Yet it took just an additional 600 years for it to double again. The next doubling took only 150 years; the next, 100 years; and the most recent, 60 years.

TODAY

Most of today’s new arrivals will join a human population that is now firmly rooted in cities. In 1900, only 160 million people lived in cities, representing just 10 per cent of the total global population. But experts predict that by 2006, half of the projected global population will live in cities.

Fascinating, when you consider that the world’s cities cover a mere 2 per cent of the earth’s surface.

Some cities are huge, and their impact on world patterns is equally huge. By the end of the century, some 14 per cent of the earth’s total population will live in just 37 megacities (such as Manila, Tokyo and Los Angeles).

Where are all the other urbanites? In smaller centres, of course, the ones with populations of less than 5 million. Yet, though smaller than their mega-cousins, these cities are steadily growing in popularity.

Expect this trend to continue well into the new millennium.

TOMORROW

The United Nations expects population growth to continue until at least 2200, when it will stabilize at some 11.6 billion people, with the majority living in urban areas.

However, the desire to live in the largest cities will diminish, as people assess the associated crime levels, infrastructure problems and other challenges and perils. As this happens, small and mid-sized cities will come into their own.

There are two types of summer programming. Some schools offer one or both. Before you make a decision, let’s be sure you understand the purpose of each.

An enrichment program is designed to provide children with interesting topics that they may not have access to during the school year. These topics may include science programs like creating a butterfly garden, creative writing or art classes. Most enrichment programs use interactive teaching methods that engage the children in fun projects. The class sizes are typically smaller than regular classes. The day will be shorter, and each class may last one to three weeks. You may be able to enroll your child in more than one session.

Remedial programs are designed to help children who have struggled in certain areas of the curriculum during the school year. Classroom teachers teach these programs. The class size is small and organized by similar skill levels. Language and math skills are the typical content for remedial programs. Children usually attend a shorter-length day for five- to eight-week sessions. Some districts provide transportation to remedial programs.

For some children, either program will be beneficial. For others, either program will feel like punishment. Here’s what I suggest:

Discuss the type of program you are considering with your child’s teacher. Ask lots of questions about the content, types of activities, breaks, and fun that will be included.

Talk with your children about the summer school, but keep in mind, they may not have a clear picture about what to expect if they have never attended.

Ultimately, you know your child best.

If they need a relaxed summer to play, that is in their best interest.

If they have friends going to summer school, that may sway their decision and yours.

If your child would go to a day-care center while you work, a summer program may offer a welcome break.

Sometimes it’s easy to get attached to our pain. We may secretly think that if we stay angry long enough, those who’ve hurt us will eventually realize how terrible they’ve been. But the truth is, while you’re sitting there fuming about your ex, he’s probably having a terrific time — and the fact that you’re the only one suffering may be the best reason of all to step back from your anger.

You don’t have to forgive John. Nor should you forget what he did to you. What happened between you is an important part of your past. But ironically, your anger allows him to remain a central force in your life-just as if you were madly in love with him. What’s so special about this guy that you continue to let him have so much power over you?

Anger deserves attention — it’s a sign that you still hurt, that your dignity and integrity were violated in your marriage. But while it’s healthy to acknowledge painful emotions, it’s not healthy to become obsessed by them.

Moving on doesn’t mean forgetting, forgiving, or whitewashing Jerry’s behavior. It means letting your negative feelings fade into the background. As your anger subsides, you’ll feel more powerful, productive, and whole, and you’ll have more energy to pursue your dreams and move into the future with optimism and hope. Jerry, for reasons of his own, was not able to honor and protect you. But you can honor and protect yourself by refusing to let debilitating emotions loom so large in your everyday life.

I have been impressed by the actions of New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, by New York Governor, George Pataki, by President George W. Bush, and by the members of their various staffs and administrations in sorting out and prioritizing the steps necessary to cope with such disasters. The first two have refused media baiting to overstep the bounds of their respective offices and have instead concentrated upon the immediate and necessary tasks of search and (regrettably scarce) rescue along with mobilization of all the agencies at their disposal to assist in these and other efforts. Moreover, President Bush and Congress have jointly pledged assistance from the country, even as they contended with the attack on the Pentagon. All have shown what unified efforts of government across local, state, and national boundaries can and will achieve.

On the national level, I have been impressed with the restraint shown by President Bush and his administration in their refusal to quickly affix “blame” for the attacks. The work now going on with the FBI, with intelligence agencies, and with diplomats throughout the world is hardly glamorous but is vitally necessary if the US as a nation is to seize and hold the moral high ground rather than stoop to the dastardly level of its attackers. That reprisal will come, no one can doubt but it cannot be a random strike for revenge and one blow will not and cannot achieve any sound purpose. President Bush and his administration seem to have grasped this fact. My hope is that this signals an intention to develop a comprehensive and wide-ranging plan of action to combat this threat of terrorism on all fronts.

Where words fail me and indeed where I choke up is at the deeds of the fire, rescue, and police officers who, as one so aptly put it, “are running into a building when everyone else is running out.” My dad was a member and eventually chief of a small town, volunteer fire department as well as a volunteer EMT who fought fires, dealt with accidental injuries, illness, and, yes, death, not to mention the effects of a major flood. The destruction he witnessed was smaller in scale, save perhaps for the flood, but I am sure he could readily identify with those selfless men and women who were “running into (the World Trade Center) when everyone else was running out.” I remember too that he performed these jobs on a voluntary basis atop his regular job as an industrial carpenter and I belatedly say, “Dad, I salute you.”

That was long overdue.

If, as evidence suggests, a group of passengers aboard the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania took steps to thwart those hijackers and so sacrificed their own lives, then they too have shown the best that can arise in mankind under the worst of circumstances. We may never know or hear all of the stories of courage and sacrifice that arose during the events as they unfolded, but we have all heard and read a fair sampling. I can only humbly salute those whose names may never be known.

Even New Yorkers, whom I have disparaged in times past, have, with gestures great and small, shown their humanity. In fact, if there has been any ray of sunshine in the aftermath of the attacks it has been to show the indomitability of human spirit in the face of adversity. That extends as well to countless blood donors and contributors of flowers and messages of support that have reached across the boundaries of races, creeds, religions, and national origins. It reaches to elementary school children from poor neighborhoods who decided for themselves that while pennies might be all they could offer, pennies they would contribute in the hope of making a difference. It is a lesson that older folks would do well to remember.

Communication

What may seem like simple advice is that it’s vital to communicate. Many times new Moms let things build up and then suddenly go over the edge about something quite silly. If only we carve out the time to address issues as they arise, the relationship benefits and we are happier individuals.

On  Communication and Having Fun, says that “Communication is the process of exchanging information, feelings, or attitudes through symbols, sounds, signs, or behavior. So not all communication is verbal: your eyebrows or hands communicate as much (sometimes more) than your vocal cords.”

When the babies are crying around the clock, and you’re both exhausted from working and parenting, it’s impossible to set aside time to address the important issues, let alone talk about your day and just enjoy one another’s company. In times like this, don’t rely on spoken communication alone! My husband and I leave each other little love notes, or email each other throughout the day to catch up on daily venting. Sometimes, especially when things are a little rocky, it’s nice to write to each other. That way, you can’t interrupt each other, and it’s easier to stay on the topic.

Romance

In Mama’s Romance Guide, Mama tells us how to keep the fires burning, even after kids. Her suggestions are great, because you can keep the romance in your marriage even with the kids around, even though it’s nice to hire a babysitter occasionally.

Try going camping, and cuddling in a blanket by the campfire after the kids are tucked in. Go to the drive-in with the children, and have a picnic on the grass with some crackers and cheese and a bottle of sparkling water after they fall asleep in the back seat.

Again, leave little love notes on his pillow, or in his suit pocket. Swap babysitting with a friend and go out even for an hour to the cafe for a cup of coffee and some biscotti. The little things mean so much when minutes alone become precious.

Perfection?

Mental Health Net offers a section devoted to marriage and love, which discusses the myths and stages of marriage. Many couples who are parenting will find something of interest to read here, and it is provoking to realize that marriage is not always perfect. There are times when things are wonderful, and then there are times that are downright awful, but no relationship is ever perfect.

Having children will force you to test the strength and boundaries of your marriage. Given a lot of love (which is why you got married in the first place, right?), good communication, and a lot of hard work, becoming parents can give you the best marriage you could hope for. It won’t be perfect, but it will be something to be proud of and a relationship that your children can look to for inspiration.

When you bring a new baby into the picture, everything changes. Adding children to a couple’s lifestyle gives more love and more fun. It expands horizons in marriage in the most amazing ways. It can also add stress and turmoil if you don’t take the time to keep your marriage strong.

So many things change in a relationship when two people become parents. There are vistas of unexplored territory laid before your feet. Not only do you have to be your own tour guide, you have to shepherd your children through it as well, and do a lot of learning on the way.

Moms

For the new, and even experienced mother, there are many challenges to face. These can include a move from full-time professional to full-time Mom, or the struggle to balance family and work. There is the change from weekend trips and fun with friends to moving toward family-focused recreation. There is the challenge of finding new friendships with people who will understand what mothering means to you and who can support your struggles and decisions. It can feel very lonely when your single or childless friends seem to leave you with diapers and dinner prep while they’re out at the bars. Suddenly, there is no time for late mornings in bed snuggling with your partner. Spontaneous trips to the grocery store are nightmares of coats, hats, and carseats. And where did those long discussions about the future go?

Dads

For the fledgling father, there are plenty of new worries and frustrations as well. If you’re making a move to stay at home, your husband now bears the brunt of bringing home the bacon, and that can be a big stressor. On top of the financial responsibilities, he is suddenly faced with sleep deprivation, his own loss of freedom, and a new Mom who is hormonal and slightly crazed. For the modern man, who is more involved with his children, it can be a big shock to be changing diapers, doing the grocery shopping, and walking a colicky babe into the wee hours of the morning.

Changing priorities

Although there are sacrifices to be made and lifestyle changes to adjust to, the move to parenthood can help a couple take a serious look at their priorities and needs as partners — both as individual adults and as a parenting team. This can create an opportunity for significant growth.

Each couple will go through a metamorphosis that will be unique to them. For my husband and me, the most difficult thing for us to deal with was the change in my abilities and identity. I had always relied on David to do the “guy” stuff, like changing fuses and managing the finances. He was always there to support my career and my interests, and I looked to him for all my emotional needs. But suddenly, I was a Mom to two small children, and the majority of the responsibility for their well-being was firmly set upon my shoulders. I was moving in new directions emotionally and mentally, growing as an individual and striking out as a new person. My husband felt a little left behind. Who was I? Where was I going? Did I even need him anymore?