GENERAL INTEREST

Vinyl LP records are hot again

They are gaining popularity in dorm rooms, at sleepovers and in living rooms. Flashy new vinyl records with a wonderful sound have come back, to the delight of music executives.

Many in the iPod generation are buying new turntables specifically for LPs. The new fans like the warm sound, but they also appreciate the elaborate album covers and liner notes that come with albums. They especially like sharing their music with friends as opposed to listening alone though earbuds.

Young people often rediscover LPs when they look through their parents' collections and listen to one or two, only to discover music they may not have heard before.

Baby boomers are coming back to vinyl records as well. They're not only rediscovering the sound but capturing a nostalgia for their youth.

U.S. reaches 'magic number' fertility rate

While the world's industrialized nations fret about low birth rates, the U.S. reached the "magic number" in 2007. The U.S. fertility rate reached 2.1 children per woman, the number required for a population to replace itself.

Nearly 4.3 million births were recorded, mostly due to a larger population. The larger Hispanic population accounted for a quarter of all births, but non-Hispanic women and other racial and ethnic groups were having more babies too.

A review of birth numbers going back to 1909 found the total number of U.S. births was highest since 1961, which was near the end of the baby boom.

Demographers with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say it's too soon to know if the baby boomlet is the start of a trend, but it certainly is a noticeable "blip" in birth rates.

Bulldogs are among the 10 most popular again

After standing in the background for more than 60 years, the snubnosed bulldog is again one of the most popular pets in the U.S.

The American Kennel Club 2007 ranking shows the bulldog in the number 10 spot, rising from 26th in 2006. The miniature schnauzer lost out.

The judges say a champion bulldog has to weigh about 50 pounds and be dignified, loose jointed and have a shuffling gait. Bulldog owners say they are docile and adaptive, a nice family pet that does well around children.

The AKC has done the ranking for 115 years. It was 1935 when the bulldog was last in the top 10, which include the Labrador retriever (No. 1 for 17 straight years), Yorkshire terrier, German shepherd, golden retriever, beagle, boxer, dachshund, poodle, shih tzu, and bulldog.

The Kennel Club only reports on a small percentage of purebreds and mixed breeds that inhabit American households.

Note: Bulldogs are Beautiful Day is April 30.

In style

Right length for men's pants Whether instructing a department store tailor or hemming men's pants yourself, be sure the back of the pant leg hangs to about a half-inch above the floor. The front of the shoe should always be visible according to TLC's "What Not to Wear" show. Pants should drape slightly across the top front of the shoes.

Don't Quit

(Author unknown. Some verses attributed to W.J.A. Rowe)

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won if he’d stuck it out.
Don’t give up, though the pace seems slow -
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering heart;
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor’s cup.
And he learned too late, as the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are -
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit -
It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit.

Pluses and minuses of LEDs

Light emitting diodes (LEDs) made the news last Christmas, inexpensively lighting big public displays. Royal Phillips Electronics is the biggest maker followed by General Electric.

Both have invested millions to develop the earth-friendly bulbs and hope to move them into private homes.

A 60-watt incandescent bulb costs 67 cents. That bulb and its replacements would burn $360 in electricity over 60,000 hours. One LED costs $35 and would burn $12 in electricity over 60,000 hours. The LEDs, however, require a special fixture and control system.

© 2015 TLC Magazine Online, Inc.