Basketball player McElwain an example for humanity

The autistic basketball player Jason McElwain is a current student at Greece High School.located in Rochester, New York. He recently became a basketball star when his coach Jim Johnson allowed him to play in the teams last game of the year.

McElwain took his chance and scored 20 points during four minutes, he missed two shots on the first minute, but it seems it made him stronger as Jason hit six straight 3-pointers and another baske, in the remaining 3 minutes.

Coach Johnson has been the manager of the varsity basketball team at Greece Athena High School. Johnson said he has coached a lot of wonderful kids during his career, but he had never seen such an amazing performance.

More than a star, McElwain showed all youngsters there is no impediment to reach any dream or goal. He literally felt at the top of the world doing what he wanted and enjoying every single second of the game.

In todays world, there are too many disabled people that practice a specific sport and they even have different tournaments or contests at which they can compete and develop themselves as amazing athletes. These athletes now have a lot of opportunities and the most important thing is the satisfaction they feel while reaching a dream and the happiness of being part of the sport world.

Preparing Your Finances For A Bird Flu Pandemic

If you have been paying attention to the news lately you may of heard of the threat of bird flu and a world pandemic. What would this mean and how would it affect your financial holdings. The World Bank, which has estimated that a bird flu pandemic lasting a year could, cost the global economy up to $800 billion dollars. The economic toll on the world economy will be catastrophic. That is a forecast no investor wants to hear. Even a mild pandemic could wreck havoc with your investments.

During a flu pandemic millions of people would be unable to work due to illness and taking care of sick family members. Schools and businesses would be closed, transportation reduced or halted. Ill truck drivers, rail and warehouse workers would bring interstate commerce to a grinding halt. How many air traffic controllers could be out sick before flights were cancelled? International travel would all but be eliminated. Businesses hardest hit would include retail, trade, education, travel and tourism, public entertainment and anywhere large groups of people would gather such as sporting events and concerts. Import and exports markets would be devastated.

With millions out of work and unable to pay their bills including rent and mortgage payments, financial institutions facing mounting defaults would have no choice but to suspend debt owed until the pandemic was over. Other financial institutions would face similar threats of collapse until business returned to normal. But, how long would that take? Thousands of businesses may never be able to recover resulting in the loss of millions of jobs. Large and small businesses alike may loose key employees who would be difficult to replace. Moving forward businesses would face labor shortages due to the millions who died, making a return to full productivity difficult.

The global economy could take years to recover. Individual business recovery could be painfully slow. Government spending to aid recovery would go through the roof, yet they would be receiving less in tax revenue from businesses that closed and individuals out of work. The stock value of the largest businesses could collapse devaluing millions of investors portfolios. Investors may dump their stock holdings in favor of cash and hard assets like gold and silver. Housing prices could plunge as millions of homeowners go into default. Financial panic could wreck the markets in short order.

Many essential items could be in short supply due to loss of production capacity. Gas and oil deliveries could take months to return to normal production. Consumer spending would be down further delaying economic recovery.

Global instability would be the rule rather than the exception. 3rd world countries devastated by the pandemic could face new internal struggles for power as whole armies could be wiped out by the flu. International trade relations we once had may no longer be there.

A world pandemic would set the dominos in motion. One event would trigger another; one financial collapse would bring on the next one. The results would be nothing short of catastrophic.

As an investor your first course of action is to stay informed. A bird flu pandemic may not happen for years, but health experts say it will happen, it is just a matter of time. But then there is always natural disasters and terrorism to worry about. The more you know about a possible bird flu pandemic the better position you will be in to adjust your portfolio accordingly when the time comes if not sooner.

Diverting a portion of your assets into stocking up on essential food and supplies may be a prudent move, since a pandemic may keep you housebound for months at a time. No well-diversified portfolio will help you out when the grocery stores are closed and you are waiting in line for a government hand out.

Stay informed, plan accordingly, and be prepared.

Getting The Word Out About Your Open House

When selling your home, you have to get the word out to buyers in the area. The Internet is a great method for doing that, but traditional methods are really the way to go.

Getting The Word Out About Your Open House

Part of the selling process for a home is conducting open houses. Many sellers cringe at the idea, but having an open house viewing is vital. Soone. or later, you have to let buyers actually walk though the house. Consider it a necessary evil, but it is the single best way to find a buyer. Indeed, the process is so important that many sellers now employee home staging professionals to whip their houses into shape before the showing.

Part and parcel to an open house are those signs you see all over the neighborhood each weekend. Are they tacky? Yes. Do you really need to put them up all over the neighborhood? Yes. Do they work? Yes! These signs are simply critical when it comes to getting buyers to your home.

Once you have committed to conducting an open house for potential buyers, you need to get the word out. While there are lots of interesting strategies to do this, tradition carries the day in this area. So, where do you get signage and where do you post them.

You can purchase signs at most hardware stores including Home Depot, Lowes or your favorite place to buy supplies for weekend projects. Do not buy one. You want to canvas your area with multiple signs, so plan how many you need before going to the store.

The number and placement of signs is entirely dependent on your neighborhood. Obviously, you want to place them on the corners on both ends of your street. Make sure to ask neighbors if this okay to avoid any nasty comments.

In addition to your street, you want to place signs on the corners of any major intersections around your neighborhood. If you just place signs on your street, you are limiting your exposure. You want to sell the home, which means you need to get the signs out where lots of people will see them. This means major intersections as far as five or six blocks away.

Marketing homes for sale has been revolutionized over the last few years. Planting signs around your neighborhood, however, is still the best way to get word out in your neighborhood.

Martial Arts Philosophy and Proper Training

Martial arts are systems of offensive and defensive combat movements which includes proper punching, kicking, blocking, and other combative skills. Many people often associate martial arts to violence and brutality. Even though this form of art was developed for self defense, this craft is just about throwing punches or performing high kicks. Martial arts are seen as expressions of valor, chivalry, and self-sacrifice. It is a philosophy which stresses that people should live in peace and harmony. Martial arts philosophy emphasizes on the essence of self-control, respect for others, and positive perspective to strive for the best in life. Martial arts are part of an Eastern tradition that gives emphasis on the fortification of the mind, body, and spirit. Its teachings emphasize that a true martial artist must become physically, mentally, and emotionally strong enough to avoid fighting. The many forms of martial arts include Karate, Kung-Fu, Muay Thai, Tae Kwon Do, Judo, Yaw-Yan, and Jiu Jitsu.

Copyright In The Classroom

Fact #1- The “Fair Use” part of the US Copyright Law says that in most cases you can allow your students to use copyrighted material such as songs, photos, and other media as long as the finished product is not going to be reproduced and distributed.

Fact #2- In real life (outside the classroom) doing the same thing is illegal and a violation of copyright law punishable by fines and/or jail time.

Because of the latter I always recommend that teachers give their students the tools and information to complete projects using free, public domain alternatives. Say for example you assign your students to create a Power Point presentation on a specific topic. In the assignment you mandate that the presentation must include at least one graphic on each slide relevant to this topic. Rather than allowing the students to go out on the web and steal images from other sites, demonstrate how to find legal content during your initial presentation. Such photos and other content are easy to find, just do a Google search for public domain photos, or royalty free photos, for example. One of my personal favorites is the Stock XChange but there are many others.

Another good alternative that some schools possess is a site license subscription to a clip art service. For a flat fee schools and local area education agencies can purchase annual subscriptions to various sites which allow their students and faculty with free, legal access to thousands of copyrighted photos that can be used in most kinds of presentations without restriction. The site Clipart.com offers this type of service.

Remember, while some sites openly allow you to use their images in any publication you choose, others will restrict what you can use it for and how it can be reproduced. Always check the usage policy or copyright policy on the site before using any images or other content in a presentation. By insisting that your students follow these rules you are helping to instill a definite sense of right and wrong in regard to this very “grey” issue.

Public Speaking: 10 Tips to Improve Public Speaking Skills

Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Colleen_Kettenhofen

Rhythm & Blues: New Mainstream Popularity

Rythm & Blues is obviously ruling the musical scene again, after it had experienced several peaks of its popularity in the past, however, unfortunately, not everyone is aware of this.

R&B was initially used to identify upbeat popular music, performed by African-American artists, which later on developed into rock and roll and posed as predecessor of rockabilly style. It comprises elements of jazz, gospel music and blues as well as hip-hop and beat since 1986. It claims to replace the term race music, which was deemed offensive. Its considered to be introduced by Jerry Wexler in 1846 in the United States. Hard bop appears to be product of the influence of R&B.

1950s are considered as the genuine classical epoch of the R&B trend. Its regional subgenres Louisiana and New Orleans, comprising mixes of R&B, jazz and rock-n-roll, achieved great mainstream success in early 1960s with artists like the Rolling Stones and the Manfred Mann in entire Europe. It was, however, replaced in middle 1960s by soul.
In 1980s R&B re-established its popularity, ruling the musical world alongside disco and even long further after discos demise. Its not until 1980s that the acronym R&B was introduced and used to denote the Rhythm & Blues term. Notably, it has caught on, containing elements of soul and pop music. Original arrangements and strong vocal, however, bared it from turning into a regular pop cultures product.

Irrespective a large number of its subgenres, Presently, R&B continues to be popular worldwide with artists like Black Eyed Peas, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, Ciara, Omarion and Bow Wow, leading world music charts. Tracing the periodical ups, one can notice its numerous rises with the break of 25 to 30 years. Thus, R&Bs another golden age in 2030 shouldnt even be brought into question. Hopefully, this period will bring us some new music twinkling stars.

Plenty Of Garlic Gadgets Available For Garlic Lovers

No kitchen is complete without a few accessories all developed for the sole purpose of extracting the delicious flavor of garlic. No matter if a person is of an Italian descent, an Italian food lover, a professional chef, or a regular person who likes the taste of garlic, the proper garlic tools are necessities. Garlic is a strong smelling and tasting, and specific garlic gadgets make the cloves easier to peel, crush, chop, press, roast, and grate.

Garlic is an ingredient present in many recipes. Since it can have a strong flavor, it is sometimes used in small amounts. However, there are many people who love the taste of garlic and cant seem to get enough of it. For these people, garlic can be added to recipes in bulk. Since garlic must be removed from its skin before it is used, several tools can assist in making this sometimes difficult job much easier.

Most garlic tools can be purchased for a relatively small amount of money, some as little as a few dollars. However, there are quite a few tools which all do different things to a clove of garlic, and a person may or may not need all of them. The need for the tools depends on how much garlic a person tends to use in their daily or weekly cooking.

Garlic Peeler
No matter if a single garlic clove or a whole head of garlic is being used for a recipe, everyone can benefit from a garlic peeler. Anyone who has ever tried to peel individual garlic cloves using their fingernails knows how tedious it can be. A garlic peeler can greatly speed up the peeling process and it is very easy to use. By placing a clove or garlic in a garlic peeler, the skin of the garlic sticks to the peeler and the inside of the garlic clove is left for cooking. Using this tool will speed up the garlic peeling process and at the same time it will alleviate the everlasting garlic smell that can remain on fingers.

Garlic Roasters
True garlic lovers should not live without a garlic roaster. While a piece of aluminum foil can serve as a makeshift garlic roaster, an official roaster, made out of a terra cotta plate, a rounded lid, and ventilation holes, is the best way to roast a head of garlic. Placing an entire head of garlic (with the top cut off) in a roaster and drizzling it with olive oil, salt and pepper, and baking for about one hour will yield a delicious, soft head of garlic. Individual garlic cloves can be squeezed out of the head and spread directly on a cracker or a piece of bread for a delicious treat.

Garlic Slicers
Its very difficult to cut garlic into very thin pieces using a knife, and it takes a lot of practice and experience to slice garlic in an efficient manner. So, if a large number of garlic slices is needed for a recipe, a garlic slicer can come in very handy. Garlic slicers ensure that pieces of garlic are uniform in shape and thickness, and they are as easy to use as cheese graters!

Garlic Keepers
Most people come home from the grocery store with a bag full of garlic heads and throw them in the refrigerator. This, however, is not a recommended place to store garlic. In fact, garlic should not be stored on a kitchen counter either since direct sunlight is not good for it. Garlic keepers can be cute accessories to add to any kitchen, as they come in many styles. Storing heads of garlic in a garlic keeper allows the garlic to remain in a cool, dry place away from sunlight.

Garlic Press
Simply chopping a clove of garlic into a million pieces with a knife and a chopping board does not produce the same effect as a piece of garlic that has been put through a garlic press. A garlic press is a tool that squeezes the garlic and presses it into tiny pieces. Some recipes call specifically for pressed garlic, and there is really no way to obtain pressed garlic without using this specific tool.

There are numerous other garlic tools and gadgets available, and most are very inexpensive. The best way to determine what is needed in a specific kitchen is to evaluate the daily, weekly and/or monthly garlic consumption in a household, and judge what tools would make preparing the garlic easier for the cook.

Playing Fantasy Football And Choosing Top Picks

Fantasy football is a huge industry. Every fall, millions of people around the world participate in the games. Some do it for money, some for just fun, and others for the ever-important bragging rights. Playing fantasy football and choosing top picks are the obsession of so many as the NFL season approaches, that taking a look at strategies for making the right picks is appropriate. Here are some strategies you should consider employing when it comes time for you so start playing fantasy football and choosing top picks this season.

First of all, when your fantasy draft rolls around, think depth. Rare is the fantasy season in which all of your players go untouched by the injury bug. Couple that with bye weeks and you will see how important depth is. So how do you draft depth? You have to think about what you are going to look for as the draft progresses. Watch for third year wide outs that may come into their own once they understand their teams offense. They make great backups because it can take a few weeks for the breakout to happen. Also, look for hot rookies who may surge late to sure up your second and third string.

Secondly, you cant really over manage your team. Every week that you are playing fantasy football you need to be paying attention to the details of your team. Because you drafted for a deep team, you are going to have decisions to make about your starting lineup every single week of the season. Look at matchups and how your players have done against opponents in the past. Trends can help you a lot if you see them. So use the internet to get information, stats, and to know when an injury can sway things your way or away from you.

Third, throughout your season of playing fantasy football, you should keep a close eye on free agents, the waiver wire, and try to make at least a couple of trades. Even if you had a really good draft, the way the season develops will help you with what changes you need to make to get over the top. Use your deep draft to sure up your starters and tighten your lineup as crunch time approaches.

Finally, make sure you are highly familiar with your leagues scoring system. Different fantasy football leagues emphasize different stats. Make sure you know, as you make trades and sign players, whether you need yards, touchdowns, or some other stat to catch those players ahead of you. It is easy to make assumptions, but sometimes a mediocre player can be great for your team if he can get you that one stat you need.

Playing fantasy football and choosing top picks is a science to many. However, these tips mostly fall under the category of common sense. If you follow them then you will have a fantastic chance of making the playoffs. Once you are in the playoffs, anything can happen; anything, including you winning it all and taking home money or bragging rights.

You Can Be A Faith Healer

You can learn-almost immediately-to minister healing by faith. Yes, you can learn to minister healing by faith almost immediately.

I believe that any believer can be a faith healer if they will just do what God says…if they will just act upon His word.

Some of my earliest experiences ministering healing by faith came in a denominational church where I was pastor. I gave an invitation in one of our services for those needing healing to come forward. Between twenty and thirty people came forward for healing. Keep in mind please that these dear folk were weak in what the Bible said about healing. But they were ill and came forward anyway.

My message that night was upon being healed by laying on of hands and/or anointing with oil. I proceeded to lay hands upon and anoint with oil all those who came requesting it. As the laying on of hands and the anointing progressed, things began to happen. Healings began to occur.

One young lady said that when I laid hands on her for her healing, she felt heat come from my hands and enter her body. At that exact point in time she said she could feel all the pain and discomfort (caused from her sickness and malady) leave her.

Another person who was standing next to one to whom I was ministering healing said they could feel the healing coming from that person into them also. They too were healed then and there. The power of God was strong in the place that night.

One of these people had migraines that were debilitating to them. Yet they had been unable to get relief anywhere. That night perfect calm came over that person as the pain swiftly went away.

All we were doing was acting on what God said in His word. They simply acted by coming for laying on of hands and anointing with oil and prayer. I simply acted by laying hands on them, anointing them and praying over them. This is the unbeatable combination for healing. Just obey what God says for us to do for our healing.

Of course these are wonderful memories for me. These occurred when I was just starting out in the healing ministry. But even more wonderful and beautiful is this:

God hasnt changed His ways, His word or His healing delivery methods. These healing delivery methods still work when we work them. They are as valid today and as powerful as they were the first time I used any of them back in the early 80s.

You can be healed with them now…here…today. You can also (almost immediately) learn how to minister healing to others. Just get your Bible down and learn some of the eight ways God has chosen to heal His children.

Then do what He says do in these Scriptures. When you act out what He said, the healing problem is passed on to Him. He must and will heal. You can learn to minister faith healing.

It Was Good Enough For Shakespeare!

One of the core conflicts for creative artists of all kinds is the tug-of-war between art and commerce. Frankly, an artist needs to make money, and it is preferable to make it from his craft.

A writer who must work a full-time job to support himself will struggle to find the time to work, and often eventually gives it up altogether. On the other hand, being able to write on any project at all can polish valuable skills, and teach one the rules of the publishing industry.

On the other hand, Ive met writers who were clearly working on projects, or toiling away at a career, that was burning out their souls. I remember meeting one such writer. His business card read freelance hack and literary mechanic. Sadly, but not entirely unexpectedly, he was dead of alcoholism within a year.

How to avoid such burnout? Well, in my own career, in addition writing the books I cared about the most, Ive written Batman comic books, a Star Trek novel, and a Star Wars tie-in. In my television career, in addition to writing for Outer Limits and The Twilight Zone, I also wrote four episodes of Baywatch(!)

And never for a moment did I feel that I was selling myself out. Lets get something straight: Shakespeare wrote for money. One can keep a careful eye on the bank account, and still reach the heights of craft. But again, how?

In my own case, the answer is fairly simple. Envision the thought process like this: I draw two circles. In the first, is everything I would like to write (and there are always dozens of projects in the mental hopper!). In the second is everything someone else is willing to pay me for. Where the two circles overlap, I write. In other words, are there projects Id love to write, but cant get paid for? You bet, and I generally dont write them unless they are quite short. And there are projects that producers or publishers might want me to do, but dont touch my heart at all. Having learned through experience that there are limits to my creative flexibility, I turn those down.

But from time to time, an opportunity arises that is in the no-mans-land between the circles. There is money, but the project isnt exactly something you have ever considered writing. What then?

Then, you ask yourself if the project is something that you could be proud of. If you would read it, or respect someone who did. For instance, when my agent called and said that the producers of Baywatch wanted to talk to me, I had the office send over six hours of video on the show. I sat on the living room couch and watched them with my daughter, who was about six at the time. After a few episodes, I asked her what she thought. She liked it. I asked why. She said: Because its about nice people working hard to make the beach safe for us. I thought about it, and then replied, you know? There are worse things than that in this world, by a long shot. And decided to try writing for it.

Every show, every project has its limitations. You must use certain characters, must get them into certain kinds of situations, and must avoid certain topics. That can be restrictive, but you can also decide to take it as a challenge. After all, you could give Fred Astaire a stage of any kind, and props of any kind, and he would find a way to create dance. Should you be committed to a lesser level of skill and vision? No.

You must find ways to amuse yourself while writing, to stretch your skills by trying something youve never done before, by empathizing with a younger audience if necessarynever ever writing down to your audience. That is the death of art. But if you can be truly flexible, youll find that more doors are open to you, more opportunities arise, that brass ring comes around more often. A writer ready to leap at any opportunity to show his skill, and who finds it easy to fall in love with about a project will often out-perform a brittle genius who must have everything exactly his way in order to write.

And if that approach is good enough for the Bard, its good enough for me.

Scuba Dive the Florida Keys

One of the best areas to scuba dive within North America is in the Florida Keys, a long string of islands just south of Miami. For any scuba diver traveling to southern Florida, even a quick day trip to the Florida Keys is worthwhile. Theres great scuba diving all along the Keys from the first community of Key Largo, through to the middle at Marathon and all the way to the end where Key West is located. One can get to Key Largo in about 45 minutes from Miami and the protected Pennekamp marine park in the surrounding waters offers much more marine life to see than the waters off Miami or Fort Lauderdale. Key Largo in particular is a scuba divers town with numerous dive operators and some retailers who carry diving equipment and gear.

One of the great things about scuba diving in the Florida Keys is the variety of dive sites for every level of diver. Many of the nicest coral reefs loaded with fish are located in beginner level dive sites like Molasses Reef and French Reef. With depths of 30 to 50 feet, these are perfect dive sites for newly certified scuba divers as well as those who wish to do night dives. Theres even some good wreck diving in shallow dive sites like the Benwood wreck where the resident marine life will not disappoint any diver. For more advanced divers, there are some spectacular deep dives featuring large wrecks like the Duane, a former coast guard ship sitting upright. The most recent ship that was sunk for scuba diving is the Spiegel Grove which again is for advanced divers.

Many scuba divers from North America and other parts of the world come to the Florida Keys for their open water certification dives as well as more advanced training. Accommodations are plentiful right in the communities along the Keys and range from simple motels all the way up to high end resorts. Many have special packages just for scuba divers where theres an arrangement with one of the local dive operators. Theres also relatively inexpensive accommodations in Florida City which is the closest community back in the Florida mainland about 20 minutes from Key Largo. After the day of diving, there are lots of restaurants serving fresh seafood for even the hungriest of divers.

Another attractive feature of Florida Keys diving is the cost. Especially for the quality of the dive sights, the cost of diving here is lower than in many of the Caribbean destinations like the Bahamas and Cayman Islands. For those who are not ready to try scuba diving, there are some decent sites to snorkel in the Keys including one of the best in the U.S. at Looe Key. The marine life that can be seen here has convinced quite a few snorkellers to finally pursue scuba diving certifications. The Florida Keys has enough other activities to do besides scuba diving to keep non-divers busy. Theres interesting shopping, water sports, beaches (near the western part) and even two places to interact with dolphins. Of course, theres also the funky scene at Key West.

The one aspect about scuba diving in the Florida Keys that some divers may not like is that the dives are not guided by divemasters from the various scuba operators. Divers who are used to following a local divemaster like the diving in destinations like Cozumel, will just have to team up in buddy groups here in the Keys. Despite this drawback, the Florida Keys still offers great tropical scuba diving without leaving the USA.

Using A Client Extranet For Efficient Online Collaboration

Efficient collaboration with clients is essential for any service firm. Traditionally, collaboration has focused on face-to-face meetings, supported by email to share work in progress.

Over the past several years, a new tool has grown in popularity: the client service extranet. While face-to-face meetings remain the most effective (and essential) collaboration tool, extranets have replaced email as the favored forum for sharing and organizing the vast number of documents that are part of all client/agency relationships.

Increasingly, service firms are using extranets as a platform to share work with clients securely and efficiently. They allow clients to log into a secure workspace and access the materials that pertain to them.

An extranet allows clients to:

Access draft documents for approval or comment
Preview artwork or multimedia presentations for approval or comment
Provide important background information from the client before the project begins
Archive past projects for easy comparison
Access time and billing information
Access a log of all project communication
Reduce the number of or eliminate the need for face-to-face meetings which can make servicing remote clients easier and less expensive

Since most clients are busy people, using an extranet can save both time and frustration for the client and improve the agencys level of service and as a result, the clients overall satisfaction.

How Do You Set Up An Extranet?

You can set up and in-house extranet or purchase a hosted extranet from an application service provider for a monthly fee.

Building an in-house extranet

If you select an in-house implementation, you will need to have an existing intranet infrastructure available. Then you can purchase the necessary equipment and software and either hire or train personnel to maintain the system. The initial cost can be significant and may be beyond the reach of smaller firms.

Building an in-house extranet offer the following advantages and disadvantages compared to using a hosted (ASP) solution:

Advantages

Complete control of user interface design
Ability to customize functionality for each client
Integration into internal systems
Direct access to all user activity

Disadvantages

High up-front development cost
Requires staff expertise in the development of extranets
Commitment of internal staff for 6 months to a year for planning, execution, review and implementation
On-going commitment of internal staff for internal and client support, hosting, maintenance and upgrades
Extensive internal and client training

Using a hosted solution

If you decide to purchase the extranet from an application service provider, you will pay a monthly fee for as long as you use the service. The hosting company provides the infrastructure, security, setup and maintenance of the system. It isnt even necessary for you to have an internal network. Many will also provide training for your staff as well.

Using an Application Service provider (ASP) offers the following advantages and disadvantages compared to using an in-house extranet:

Advantages

Proven track-record of web-based application
Low cost of entry and predictable cost over time
Rapid implementation as quickly as one day
No internal staff commitment to internal and client support, hosting and maintenance
Upgrades available at no cost
Savings on internal server use
Easier to learn, easier to use

Disadvantages

Less freedom in user interface design
Fixed functionality

Whether you choose to build and maintain your own extranet, or choose to use a hosted solution, your firm will streamline client services by providing faster access to critical documents, and by reducing the turn around time for review and approval. Which one you choose will depend on your companys needs and existing resources.

How the Bratz Have Changed the Doll Industry

Young girls have played with dolls for hundreds, maybe even thousands of years. Children have always had the desire to pretend, it is part of the growth of their minds and how they learn to interact with the world. That is very likely the reason that dolls have had such a prominent part in society for such a long time. But dolls have not always been the same. In the past few years, the entire nature of dolls has begun to change, as can be seen with the Bratz. These Bratz dolls have (perhaps not single-handedly but certainly as a large part of an ongoing process) changed the fundamental role that a doll plays in a girl’s life.

For many years, long before the Bratz were created, dolls existed largely as a way for a girl to pretend to be a mother. A doll was something that had to be cared for. This was their largest and often only role in the girl’s life, a role that continues today in the form of baby dolls and such. These types off dolls are still very popular, particularly among the very young girls, but they have been joined by another breed of doll: the fashion doll.

Fashion dolls are not a new phenomenon by any means. In fact, they have been around for decades. The best-known truly successful entry in the early days of the fashion doll genre was Barbie. Barbie was a new kind of doll, an adult, with much more sophistication than could really be found with baby dolls. Suddenly, a doll was not necessarily something that had to be cared for. Rather than pretending the doll was a child to mother, girls everywhere found Barbie as a new outlet for imagination. She was a teacher, a doctor, an astronaut, a wife, whatever role a girl could dream up, Barbie could fill.

For decades, Barbie reigned as queen over the world of fashion dolls. Her place of supremacy was largely unchallenged, as no one could touch her wholesome image and her sheer flexibility of role. But society began to change, and Barbie was losing her grip. As girls became more and more concerned with fashion and edgy culture at earlier ages, Barbie’s appeal was reduced to younger girls, leaving a large gap open of preteen and early teen girls who were still young enough to like dolls, but considered themselves to be too old for Barbie. It is that gap that the Bratz dolls stepped into.

The Bratz fit the need perfectly. They are edgier, more stylish, and all around more grown up in focus than Barbie. They do not have Barbie’s wholesome charm, but they make up for it by hitting a number of cultural chords within the girls of today. Unlike Barbie, who gives girls a limitless range of imagination, the Bratz dolls are more focused on being one thing: the representation of what every young, fashion-conscious girl wants to become. That is the great key to the success of these dolls. Barbie has tried to keep up, updating her image to appear more trendy and hip, but as yet, she continues to lose ground.

Copyright Jared Winston, 2006. All Rights Reserved.

Mental & Emotional Biases In Trading

Copyright 2006 Billy Williams

Traders are typically very competitive and have been successful in another field before they come to trading stocks and options. It is very typical for successful attorneys to open a trading account with the intention of carrying that success into trading stocks or options.

However, what often makes a person successful in another field does not translate into success as a trader. Often, the success they experienced before in whatever area they come from will cause them to fail unless they adopt a new paradigm or a new set of mental and emotional skills to trading.

Lawyers that are the most successful in their respective legal specialties are almost always extremely hardworking and have tremendous amounts of mental and emotional endurance to fight for their clients. They are also very resourceful as they are capable of going the extra mile to protect the interests of their clients. They hate to lose because it can hurt their confidence and affect their reputation with present and future clients.

Now, if someone with a legal background brings these traits into trading they could find themselves getting crushed by the market. For example, a good attorney may hate to lose because it brings the pain of letting a client down or simply because he is so competitive. Bringing that hate to lose mindset to trading can keep the same attorney from taking a loss in the market.

Once experiencing a loss in the market, the same attorney may resort to trying to make something happen in the market because that is what he has done his whole legal career. His proactive traits in the markets however can result in even more losses because that trait in the extreme can hurt a traders equity because you have to be more patient and wait for the market to setup for you to trade.

These mental and emotional biases that an individual can bring to their trading can prevent successful trading. However by studying your mental/emotional state when executing trades and tracking them in a journal you can make the correction on these behaviours. Its important to spend some time keeping trading records that detail your thoughts for entering your trades.

By keeping a journal of your mental and emotional states of mind then you you will be able to quickly determine if your own internal biases are effecting your trading or if this is simply a normal downturn in your trading system. Having such insight can make all the difference in trading successfully.

Punching Bags

Heavy bags and standing bags

Free standing bags are heavy bags that have large rounded bases and rest on the floor rather than suspended from the ceiling or hung from wall mounts. Free standing bags make a great choice for anyone who will be both punching and kicking the bag, this is because the foam on free standing bags begins close to the base and provides more useable striking surface for kicks. Another good feature of free standing bags is that, even when filled, that can be easily rolled away for storage or just rolled to the corner of the room. Standing bags can be filled with either water or sand. In most cases water is preferred; this is because water provides some energy feedback and adds a more realistic feel when hitting the bag. Sand will make the bag weigh more, but will have generate a thick, unyielding feel. Standing bags are usually designed to weigh between 250 and 300 lbs. when filled. Hanging bags are heavy bags that are suspended from wall mounts or from the ceiling through the use of chains and hooks. Heavy bags are known to be extremely durable and provide you with an intensive, fluid workout that develops stamina, strength and overall cardiovascular fitness. Hanging bags also provide some sway, which is good for developing coordination and improving reaction time.

Choosing the correct weight

The more weight a bag has, the less sway it will produce. Too much will make the bag hard to hit, and too little sway will make the bag feel like a rock, and fail to absorb impacts which will cause damage to bones and tendons over time. A 5’8″ male with a weight of about 170 lbs. should look for a bag weighing between 60 and 70lbs. More skilled or heavier hitters might want to look for something closer to 100lbs while those looking for a bag with more sway might want to consider something near the 40lb. mark.

Choosing the right hanging bag

The market is almost overflowing with heavy bag manufactures; however there are a few who stand out. Heavy bags from TKO are generally considered to be very high quality and are known for there durability. Their bags are sought after by gyms and boxing schools alike. Everlast, while at the high end of the price range, makes very high quality equipment and should be considered when looking for a heavy bag.

Leather bags are extremely long lasting and will have a more comfortable feel when struck. Vinyl bags can mimic the feel and look of leather while remaining more affordable. Water-core hanging bags are adjustable in weight; this adjustability is attained by under-filling the water core.

Hanging a heavy bag

Unlike free-standing bags, hanging bags need additional hardware before they can be used. There are a variety of wall mounts and hooks that you can buy to mount your heavy bag virtually anywhere you need to. Common places to hang the bag are garages, workout rooms and basements. If you are interested in keeping the bag outside, you may want to look into a weatherproof, or indoor/outdoor heavy bag.

Importance of Losing Weight: More than Just Looking Fat

One in every three Americans are now considered to be overweight and obese. This can be seen as an alarming rate when one thinks about it, since being overweight and obese is not just about the issue of appearance in our society but a serious health issue that can seriously affect a person’s health. Although both these conditions have similar concepts, being overweight is different from obesity. Overweight people are the ones who weigh too much, while obesity means that a person has too much body fat that is already considered to be a health risk. Both weight conditions refer to weight that comes from bone, muscle, fat, and the amount of body water that a person carries.

The Online Pharmacy: Answers to Five Common Questions

Research has demonstrated that the majority of people with Internet connections use online resources to get information and advice about health concerns, illnesses, and paths to wellness. Although online sources aren’t a substitute for visiting a health care professional, patients who do online research often arrive at their doctor’s appointments armed with knowledge about their conditions and possible treatments. More than ever before, patients are taking an active role in their own health care.

History Of The Slot Machine

Charles Fay invented the slot machine in his workshop in San Francisco in 1887 and he named it the Liberty Bell. The Liberty Bell contained 3 reels with 20 symbols per reel and operated pretty much in the same way as today’s slot machines except it was completely mechanical, while todays slot machines are mostly computers with very few moving parts. Fay rented the slot machines to gambling establishments and refused to sell the manufacturing and distribution rights to his slot machines. He had a very lucrative business and charged a 50% commission of all money played. Within a relatively short period of time, Fay’s invention was so successful that he began to work overtime in his workshop to meet the demand for his slot machines.

10 Tips for Easy Fundraising with Memorial Bricks

So, youre looking for a fundraising project for a school, sports team or construction project and youre thinking about engraved bricks. Brick fundraising is pretty simple, but what are the pitfalls?

We talked to Larry Cannon (www.bricksculpture.com), whos been engraving bricks for fundraisers since 1988. He offers the following advice before you embark on the campaign..

1.First look at your donor database. How likely are they to contribute to your new cause? Take nothing for granted. Dont assume that people will donate without a good strategy.

2.Think about who youre targeting. You should expect about 20% of your database to contribute. Buthow interested are they in your project? How committed are they? How are they doing financially?

4.Think about the best time to mail donation requests. Timing is everything in fundraising.

5.Think of the best way to word it. Should you play on their sympathies or emphasize that their name on a brick is a memorial will last beyond their life?

6.The project chair will make or break the project. Dont let just anyone do itget volunteers with the time and energy to put into the project.

7.How much money do you want to raise? Come into the project with an established goal.

8.Decide how much money people will donate to purchase a brick. Subtract the costs from the brick manufacturer and the difference is direct profit..

9.What about donor level appreciation? Do you want to honor different levels of donor contribution? If so.how? Some options are brick placement, size of bricks, number of words on the brick, emblems or logos on the bricks.

10.Can you get services donated? Does someone in the group know a brick mason wholl donate their time to lay the brick, build the wall or whatever? If not, the cost for hiring one must come from the raised donations.