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101 Ways to Improve Your MMA Game
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on January 6th, 2010
101. When you wake up in the morning, throw 40 light punches and elbows in front of the mirror with an emphasis on technique. 100. Take a 30 minute run before the day starts to rev up your metabolism. 99. Find a partner who is better than you in one area of the game, but worse than you in another area of the game. Exchange techniques and thoughts daily. 98. Keep a daily journal of everything that you have learned and refresh yourself often 97. Take a video of you sparring so that you can see yourself and spot the errors. 96. Strengthen your core by doing 200 sit ups a day as part of your workout routine. 95. Take Muay Thai classes at least 2x a week and BJJ classes 2x a week 94. Learn how to do 3 types of takedowns effectively and learn how to defend against 3 types of takedowns 93. Spar with someone better than you as a weekly habit 92. Sit down and ask your instructors how they succeeded 91. Go out to dinner with your teammates and talk about MMA. Exchange ideas, training tips, techniques and everything else. 90. Go to YouTube or MMATKO and watch past fight footage - Do it every Sunday. 89. DON’T ask advice or tips from someone much worse than you 88. Evaluate the sources of your learning and be very careful who you learn from 87. Speed up your reflexes. tand against a wall and have a friend lightly toss a tennis ball at your head while you try to dodge it with your feet planted in the same spot. 86. Drill, drill, drill. After class, find a partner and do drills to improve muscle memory. 85. Stretch out dynamically every morning. Dynamic stretching is much more important than static stretching. 84. Do some strength training to improve your strength. 83. Do some high intensity cardio training like doing 5 rounds of running up 100 flights of stairs as fast as you can 82. Drink your supplements daily - fish oil, glucosamine chondroitin, multi vitamins, BCAAs, recovery drinks (after a workout) and protein shakes. 81. Sleep 8 hours a day. The body needs to rest in order to recover so that you can perform to the best of your abilities during training. 80. Eat 5-6 small meals a day to keep your metabolism revving hard and your energy level high. 79. Stick with the training system at your school, especially if it is proven. 78. Attend as many seminars as you can to grow and learn. Learning one new technique is worth a seminar, especially if it sticks and becomes your own. 77. Do basic BJJ drills every day in order to keep your hips fast and flexible - hip escapes, rolls, break falls, burpees, etc 76. Take 1 day off a week and unwind. 75. Get a massage as often as you can so that you can keep your body lactic acid-free and limber. 74. Do some boxing drills such as simultaneous jab counters, parry counters, and other cool drills with a partner to improve your speed and timing. 73. If you don’t know any drills that will improve your speed and timing, then ask your instructors for a full detailed list of drills in every discipline - Muay Thai, BJJ, Boxing, and Wrestling. 72. Throw 50 kicks with each leg into a heavy bag every day after practice. It builds up your power and your bone density. 71. Buy tons of training DVDs from the world’s best experts in all disciplines. 70. Mix up your cardio workouts - high intensity versus low intensity, anaerobic versus aerobic 69. Shock your body by doing different sports that your muscles are not used to 68. Remember that MMA (BJJ, Muay Thai, Boxing, and Wrestling) is a lifestyle if you really want to receive all the benefits of the discipline. 67. Don’t smoke. Quit if you do. 66. Drink alcohol in moderation. Or don’t drink at all. 65. Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. A fully hydrated body is needed to optimize performance. 64. Master the basics of Muay Thai, BJJ, Boxing, and Wrestling. 63. Learn the transition game or how to weave seamlessly between the 4 disciplines. 62. Train combinations that utilize all 4 disciplines (ie. low leg kick, right cross, double leg takedown, side control, mount, armbar) 61. Take private lessons with a qualified instructor. You can have your bad habits eliminated. 60. Buy the best books in each discipline and read like a mad man. 59. Skip rope for 30 minutes straight on a regular basis. It builds your calf muscles and shoulders for more explosive striking. 58. Do circuit training with stations of TRX, weights, heavy bag work, sprints, tire jumping, and rope climbing to improve your cardiovascular performance. 57. Find a group of training partners at your level and motivate each other to prevent slacking or skipping class. 56. Watch the UFC, Art of War FC, Dream, Sengoku, and all the other top MMA shows on TV a regular basis. It will keep you fired up, but also you will learn a lot. 55. Visit Sherdog, MMA Weekly, MMA Junkie, MixedMartialArts, and Middle Easy daily to get your information dose of MMA. 54. Take training vacations. Fly to Thailand to train a month in Muay Thai. Fly to Brazil to train a month of BJJ. Go to the source of each discipline and absorb everything. 53. Put up a blog and chronicle your journey towards greatness. Nothing helps more than being public with your successes and failures. 52. Make a wish list of the top academies that you would like to visit to train. 51. Visit them! 50. Subscribe to magazines like Fight!, Fighters Only, Gracie Magazine, Grappling, and FightSport to stay on the cutting edge of news, tips, and techniques. 49. Practice your 3 favorite submissions every day by drilling them 50 times each with your partner 48. Practice your 3 favorite striking combinations and drill them with someone holding the Thai pads for you for 5 minutes per round. 47. Shock your body by breaking out of your routine and doing something completely different like rock climbing, yoga, or gymnastics. 46. Treat your balance as yet another skill to master. To achieve great balance, sharpen it by spending 15 minutes every other day to do balance drills like squats on a wooden board with a ball underneath it or by trying to stand on a Swiss ball while punching combos in the air. 45. Deprive yourself. Take a week off every now and then to let your body and mind recharge. Nothing is better for you than getting the hunger back for training. 44. Practice yoga 1-2x a week to improve your breathing, concentration, and flexibility. 43. Do isolation drills on the ground by starting off in an inferior position with your partner and try your best to reverse the position. 42. Practice ground and pound with a heavy bag on the ground. Max out for 5 minutes for 3 rounds and be sure to change up positions from side control to mount to knee on belly, etc. 41. Invest in the best equipment that money can buy. When it comes to safety protective gear like gloves, headgear, mouthpieces, cups, etc, spend the most that you can. It will keep you safe (or safer) and help to minimize the risk of injury. 40. If you accidentally get hurt, practice RICE. Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. To minimize injury, use these steps right to prevent swelling and to speed up recovery time. 39. Switch stances to shock your mind and body. If you like to stand in a right handed stance (orthodox), then switch it up and try to learn to stand in a left-handed stance (southpaw). If you can learn to switch it up, it will help your game. 38. Keep working through plateaus. If you find yourself frustrated because you have been at the same level for a while, do not quit. Consistency is the key to success. The turtle does win the race. 37. Visualize greatness. Even if you do not necessarily compete, visualize the moments when you feel the best at training or sparring. Think back to how you feel on those highs. 36. Train your mind to be able to get back to those highs. The mind drives the body. If your mental state is in peak performance state, your body will respond. 35. Feel the need for speed. Speed matters a lot in the sport of MMA. If you want to develop faster strikes, practice with a speed ball. Don’t focus on power. Just focus on pure speed. Do it at least every day for 5 minutes and you will see results. 34. The need for speed also applies to the ground game. Drill the intricate details of the arm bar 50 times after a class. Your muscles will start to memorize the move and you will be able to do it fast in your sleep. 33. Teach someone who is less skilled than you. When you teach someone, you actually end up learning a lot because it forces you to review all the details of every technique. It also end up being a forum of questions and answers that open your mind. 32. Dedicate a whole week to the ground game only. Instead of alternating or doing both striking and ground, focus on 1 area on a given random week. 31. Dedicate a whole week to the standup game only. Instead of alternating or doing both striking and ground, focus on 1 area on a given random week. 30. Learn to use your hips. Your hips are the key to power for striking and they are also the key to your ground game. 29. Compete. It does not matter whether you just do MMA for fun or if you are a professional fighter. When you compete, you learn to use all aspects of your game in a live setting. Adrenaline, pressure, and fatigue are all great elements to deal with. 28. Compete often. Fighting (or self-defense) is 99% mental. Even if you have all the tools in the world, but you have a weak mental game, you will fail. The best way to strengthen your mind is to compete. 27. Tap often. There are no heroes in the gym. Training is about learning. Leave your ego at the door when you are training. It is far better to tap 1000x than to have your arm broken 1x. 26. Lower the volume often. If you are sparring Muay Thai, learn to spar lightly so that you don’t injure your partner. Controlled sparring is a time to work on new combinations and footwork. 25. Spar hard once in a while. If you are a serious MMA athlete, you will need to spar hard to understand the intricacies of speed, power, pain, and more. Even if you are not serious, you should try to spar hard at least 1x a month. 24. Do not spar hard often. If you spar hard often, you will inevitably get injured (or injure your partner). Injuries are the things that slow your progress down because it puts you out of the game for a long time. 23. Variety is the key. It is easy to get stuck in a rut. If you repeat the same thing over and over, it will get boring. To keep things interesting, do not have a routine (if you are not competing). If you are doing MMA for fun, then the idea is to keep it fun. 22. Buy some excellent running shoes. 21. Use the Gi when doing BJJ. Even though many MMA athletes train solely without the gi, top MMA athletes use the Gi like GSP, Anderson Silva, BJ Penn, Kenny Florian, and others. 20. Invest in 2 great Gis for BJJ 19. Stay on top of informative fight blogs such as mymuaythai. com and evolve-mma. blogspot. com 18. Buy cool training apparel. MMA is a lifestyle, an attitude, and a way to express yourself. So whether it is that cool Affliction shirt you have been eying or that awesome pair of fight shorts you’ve always wanted, buy them. It might not help you fight better, but it will keep you inspired to train. 17. Go to a live UFC event. There is nothing more electrifying than a big fight. The adrenaline, the excitement, the energy. It will give you a high for days and you will train like a madman afterwards. 16. Drink Red Bull and eat a banana 30 minutes before you train - don’t do it too often - only when you feel a little sluggish or mentally tired. It takes 30 minutes for caffeine and taurine to take full effect. 15. Invest in your role models. If your favorite fighter is Anderson Silva, buy his DVDs and learn all his little tricks. If you love BJ Penn’s game, buy his books. It is important to have role models to learn from. It helps to accelerate your learning. 14. Make SAFETY your #1 priority. When you train, you should always make sure that safety (your safety and your partner’s safety) is the #1 priority. If you get injured, it takes you out of the game of training. If you injure a few partners, no one will want to train with you. 13. Train with different sizes. Train with people smaller than you. Train with skinny tall people. Train with big linebacker types. Train with all sizes and learn to adjust your game. The experience itself is worth its weight in gold. 12. Find the best teachers possible. If you are learning Muay Thai, make sure your instructor has deep experience in Muay Thai. If you are learning BJJ, make sure your instructor has deep experience in BJJ. 11. Keep your gym bag stocked with all the necessities at all times. Extra clothes, muscle ointment, band aids, athletic tape, painkillers, a cup, a mouthpiece, handwraps, gloves, running shoes, protein shake packets, etc. You never know when you will need them. 10. On your days off, be sure to cheat. Eat anything you want. Do anything you want. But don’t do anything that has to do with MMA. Keep your love for MMA fresh. You’ll train harder. 9. Set goals. If you set mini goals, it will help you to stay on the path to unleashing your potential. If you are a blue belt in BJJ, focus on the next stripe before you focus on the purple belt. If you are a beginner in Muay Thai, focus on mastering the Thai clinch. MMA is a mountain and you need to set little goals to climb it. 8. Accept roadblocks. There will always be training plateaus or injuries or a bad training partner to prevent you from wanting to train. It is a natural part of life. Go with the flow. Don’t fight it. 7. Don’t accept roadblocks for too long. If you are injured, rest. If you are frustrated, go do something to get your mind off it. Don’t stay out of the game too long or else you will completely lose momentum. 6. Learn to workout with kettlebells. Kettlebells are a great way to build your entire body. Take some kettlebell classes and see the results. 5. Take a Strength and Conditioning class 2-3x a week to help boost your fitness. 4. Train with people you love. If you train with friends, it makes it more fun. You don’t have to worry about getting hurt and you will both be focused on your favorite sport in the world. 3. Jump tires. Find an old tire of a car. Lay it flat on the ground. Start bouncing on it. After a few minutes, you will feel your calves burn and your heart pound away. Tire jumping is a great way to warm up and to develop your calf muscles for explosive movement. 2. Remember that it is a journey! There is no destination. MMA is about constantly evolving yourself and always improving. Always go back to why you are doing it in the first place. Because it is FUN. And because you LOVE it. 1. Keep EVOLVING!!!
Cooking Academy 2: World Cuisine - Your Culinary Skills Under Test!
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on January 4th, 2010
Fugazo Games have released the second part of their hit Cooking Academy, and the sequel preserves all the great features of the original game. Delicious food to cook, lots of information on various world cuisines and addictive simulation game play - all this makes Cooking Academy 2: World Cuisine a perfect choice for action gamers. Consider yourself a skillful cook? Welcome to Fugazoville! As only here the annual World Culinary Workshop is held, and only here you can improve your culinary skills even more. Especially if we take into account that the most renowned chefs from all over the world (namely, China, Japan, Italy, France, Thailand and others) have given their consent to train you and other contestants and reveal the secrets of their national cuisines. A great chance to learn for a young aspiring student, not to mention the opportunity to win $1,000,000 and start your own restaurant, don’t you think? So, meet your first instructor and start cooking! The game play is mostly taken from the first Cooking Academy, though it’s better balanced now and some new exciting tasks are added. The game is divided into stages organized by countries, and in each national cuisines you’ll have a bunch of exotic dishes to practice, and then you can take exams in order to proceed to the next country and its peculiarities. You choose which dishes to try first, and you can replay any recipe at any moment in order to get a better score. First that you get for every dish is its history, tradition of serving and other interesting facts about what you are going to cook. Then you can proceed to the cooking itself, step by step. And here the diversity of tasks is amazing, and surely enough not to make you bored. Though you only use your mouse, the tasks will require both speed and accuracy, as you need to fulfill a certain number of actions within a tough time limit and in a given sequence. You will dice and slice all possible types of food using your mouse for directing the knife, then you’ll add ingredients in a correct order (the visual clues may be a bit confusing sometimes, so the tasks can become really challenging), stir and grate, fold fortune cookies and break eggs under an absolutely correct angle and with absolutely precise strength, set temperature and watch you buns, for example, turn golden brown and not a shade darker. Most of the tasks will require your complete attention and perfect timing, so sometimes you’ll really need to replay certain steps in order to get enough stars to proceed (stars are used for evaluating your hard work - and the judges are strict, I should say). The graphics are great - nothing more to say, you have to see it by your own eyes. And the music, changing from stage to stage to match the national environment, creates a nice background. So, if you are ready to test your culinary skills and maybe even find something to use in your everyday kitchen life - it’s time to attend Cooking Academy 2: World Cuisine!
Anniversary Favors Guide: 7 Top Tips For Choosing A Great Memento For Your Wedding Anniversary Party
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on January 1st, 2010
Whether you’re planning a 25th, 50th or other milestone wedding anniversary celebration, you’ll want to send your guests home with party favors that they’ll love. You’re probably looking for ideas for just the right memento to give to friends and family. These tips will guide you in choosing just the right anniversary favor for your happy occasion. 1. Inexpensive doesn’t have to mean cheap. Don’t run to the dollar store. You can find little gems online for a couple of dollars or less, if you hunt for them. It’s worth taking a little time to search different websites if you end up saving money and finding something wonderful. Be willing to invest in browsing. 2. Practical beats pretty. Don’t give into the impulse to give your guests a dust-collector, no matter how beautiful it looks. Instead, present them with anniversary favors they can use. A functional token will continuously remind them of your special day. That’s because they will be using it, instead of storing it in a box in the garage. 3. Traditional shouldn’t equal boring. If you’re planning a very elegant event and feel compelled to include classic favors, they don’t have to be ordinary. For example, you can use conventional little gold frames as place cards by adding printed prints with your guests’ names. Or update an engraved wine glass giveaway by filling it with gold wrapped candies. 4. Edible appeals to everyone. If you want a no-fail idea for anniversary favors, do something sweet. Who could resist a made to order chocolate bar covered with a personalized wrapper? Or how about an adorable little tin filled with gourmet chocolates? You can find custom made fortune cookies with your message inside. There are brownies that are decorated with your text in icing. You’ll find a wide assortment of goodies available to satisfy any taste. 5. Remember when? You can stir up nostalgia by choosing anniversary favors that encourage reminiscing. People love to talk about the good old days, so these kind of mementos will encourage conversations at your party. You could give a CD with love songs from the year or decade of your marriage. Or how about bookmarks, notebooks or magnets covered with facts, prices, songs, sports and movie trivia from they year you were married? 6. A picture’s worth a thousand words. Photo anniversary favors are the ultimate show-stopper. Whether you choose a wedding picture or a current one (or both), the image can be imprinted on a vast variety of items. Magnets, keychains, candy bar wrappers, bookmarks, pocket mirrors, mini notebooks, coffee mugs and coasters are just a few possibilities. The photograph of the celebrating couple can be such a nice reminder of the happy occasion. 7. A way to say thank you. Of course, the reason you give your guests tokens in the first place, is to way of expressing appreciation for sharing the celebration. But if you’d like to put your thoughts into actual words, you can choose personalized anniversary favors with enough room to hold a longer message. Items such as bookmarks or the back of a candy bar wrapper, for instance, contain enough space to add a personal thank you, quote or even a short poem. It doesn’t take much effort to find memorable anniversary party favors. Take some time to browse online and you’ll uncover abundant options. Keep these tips in mind, and you’ll be sure to find just the perfect keepsake to give to your guests.
Wedding Favors - Great Ideas for Your Guests
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on December 30th, 2009
Today wedding favors are a very popular way to thank your guests for attending your wedding and helping make your day extra special. Of course when you do a search for wedding favors 1000’s of sites and options come up. So how do you narrow your search and decide what you want. The wedding favor you decide on should reflect the style and/or theme of your wedding, as well as reflect your own personality. Here is quick guide to the different types of wedding favors you may find. Seasonal Favors A new trend is having your wedding favors match the season of your wedding date. Not only does it provide you with a possible theme for your wedding day but it also is a constant reminder for your guests to remember not only your wedding but when it was. Getting married in the summer, how about beach themed wedding favors? Wine themes, leaf bookmarks, as your favors will symbolize a fall/autumn wedding. Snowman or snowflake wedding favors are great representation of a winter wonderland wedding. Calla lilies, and butterfly wedding favors are perfect for a springtime wedding. Personalized Favors Wedding favors with your own personal touch is a terrific way to reflect your personality as a couple and leave your guests with a wedding favor they will always cherish. Most personalization includes your names and wedding date or your monogram and wedding date. It can also include a design you chose to represent your personality or theme. You may want to have the actual favor personalized or just the packaging. Things such as stickers and tags can be personalized which add the perfect finishing touches to your wedding favors. Theme Wedding Favors Do you and fiancé have a specific theme that reflects your personality or maybe a theme that you just decided to have at your wedding. Today there is a vast selection of different wedding favors to represent many themes. Some of the popular themes include Las Vegas with wedding favors such as poker chip keychains, or personalized playing cards. Cinderella or Fairytale wedding themes are perfect for every princess bride. Your wedding favors may be a glass slipper candle, or Cinderella themed curio box. Asian wedding themes are also becoming popular and why not give out silver fortune cookies. And of course there is always the fall safe Love Themed wedding with “Love” glass coasters, or love candles that will share the feelings you and fiancé have with your guests. Practical Favors Practical favors are perfect for guests to remember your event every time they use these fun and functional favors. Bottle stoppers, cake servers, candles, bookmarks, and keychains are great choices for wedding favors in the practical favor category. Do-It-Yourself Wedding Favors Are you the creative bride that likes to make your own stuff? Then DIY wedding favors are a perfect choice for your wedding favors. Fill favor bags, mint tins, or jars with jordon almonds, jelly beans or whatever type of candy you and your fiancé love. Some of these favors can even be personalized so your guests are sure to remember your event and the personal touch you added to it.
Graphics and Logos - Branding Your Business
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on December 21st, 2009
Logos are really all about the graphics. Well designed and grounded graphics jump out at the world and say “Look at me. Here I am and this is what I’m all about!” In reality, all elements of logo design should support and enhance the graphical image presented. Do you recall ever seeing a business identity that was a hundred percent text, with no enhancing graphics? Probably not many. While you may see logos devoid of specific and separate images, graphical techniques like 3D enhancement, box enclosures, or tapering of font size, are always employed. Designing good graphics for your logo is not simply a matter of putting together some interesting images with eye-catching shapes, curves, 3D presentations or other graphical “bells and whistles. ” The graphics designed into your identity should reflect the nature of your business. It should ideally depict your company’s core business and corporate values. A logo for a bank should look fundamentally different than a one for an alternative energy technology company. The bank’s identity should reflect stability, security, and safety. The alternative energy technology company’s image should connote innovation, creativity, and the future. Specific graphical images used in logos could be tools representative of the company’s business, shapes and figures that reflect what the company does. The globe is an image that frequently appears with a variety of different looks and configurations in companies engaged in global business. AT&T’s Blue World with White Stripes is an example. Construction companies sometimes include images of tools they make use of in their business. Advertising and design firms like to go for eye-catching shapes that appear creative and innovative. Importance of LogosSome people see logos as something nice to have but not really essential to their business. First, they should look at some examples of what a good logo can do for a business. You see that Blue World and you think AT&T communicating around the globe. You see that funny little cartoon guy with the big nose and the orange hat, hammer in hand, and you think Home Depot. If you’re still not convinced, think of all the applications a corporate identity can have. Letterhead, memos, websites, promotional clothing and accessory items, are all examples. And the list could go on and on. Logo design is an important business function that should be taken seriously. But who should do it?Professional Design or Do it YourselfYes you can do it yourself and you don’t even need special design software. Any decent Desktop Publishing program will do. But do you really have the creative talent it takes to do this right? Professional designers follow the KISS principle –Keep It Simple Stupid. They know how to sit down with you and learn what it is that you do and how your customers see you and your products and services. They know how to capture things and represent then cleanly and simply. Most DIY logo designers get enthralled with the capabilities of the software and end up with confusing, complicated, and “noisy” logos. Check the Internet for professional logo design help and you’ll find it’s not as expensive as you think. And the investment will pay off. Good luck with your design!
Avian H5n1 Flu Protect Your Health From Illness In 2008
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on December 17th, 2009
Bird or H5N1 flu represents a spreading mortal danger globally. Millions and millions of people traverse the globe each and every day, crossing borders both legally and illegally. If does not matter if the spread is sea, air, train or donkey in the end. In the end a virus at one small village in a remote geographical door can be spread to hundreds if not thousands of potential victims of the malady. The fortuitous nature all depends in the end on chance - on the cunning nature of the influenza virus to mutate - in this to mutate so that it can spread from avian or even pigs to human beings. On top of that a most lethal virus strain may mutate so that it passes a number of hosts before doing its final toll and damage to humans - crippling international trade and economies. Imagine how we could function in our economy without goods from China, not only those goods but smaller components and pieces of work on item simply marked “Made in the United States” The H5N1 “bird flu’ strain that worries most of those who study the statically spread of diseases (epidemiologists) at present, caused a nasty shock in Hong Kong. Approximately ten ago this peril struck killing six people and forcing the Hong Kong authorities to in essence slaughter its entire flock of chicken , ducks and all other forms of poultry. Remarkably and amazingly the virus lay “dormant” in the field, only to resurface to do its damage in 2003. Since, that point, according to the experts at the United Nations, avian flu has spread to over 65 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Untold millions of birds have been taken down and culled, some according to the books, others unreported . What worries the experts as well is the birds not taken down - that are in isolated remote areas off the beaten track, infected wild birds, and poultry whose demise would cause financial hardship to the farmers or storekeepers and although reported as officially destroyed in the culling process are not. It appears that most of the cases reported in the spread of H5N1 flu have been mainly in the area of Vietnam, China (including Hong Kong), and Indonesia. However in a worrisome trend Burma and Pakistan have reported their first spread of human infections. Nearby to Pakistan both Bangladesh and India are not reporting major outbreaks of this scourge. Experts warn that the only way the spread of the disease can be put under control is to get at the actual root source of the disease. If the disease is controlled at its initial base it cannot be prevalent and then spread from an initial base. Controlling the growth and cultivation of H5N1 avian virus is the most effective way of seeking control of this most lethal agent. Overall from year to year the “flu” has a mortality of between quarters of a million to half a million people worldwide each year. Major flu outbreaks are referred to as “pandemics”. A pandemic is a large scale outbreak of a disease over a large area. In the case of the 1918 post World War 1 “Spanish Flu”, a pandemic might have been said to attack the population of the city of Baltimore. 3100 people alone perished in Baltimore. With modern methods of transportation the area of the pandemic would include the whole world. By the time the 1918 “Spanish flu” had run its course it is estimated that between 50 and 100 million people were killed - many of them in isolated areas of country. If a pandemic of flu occurs the effects would be catastrophic for the globe - and not only for countries directly affected. Normal commerce and business functions would grind almost to a halt. By this stage of a spread of the flu virus most of the spread is from person to person. People would stay at home and not go work, where they might be infected by other people at work or along the normal course of the day. Even countries not directly infected would be affected. Not only would communications not be at high levels of service but international trade would shut down as countries lock their borders to keep out the spread of the H5N1 avian flu. We live in a highly interdependent world where most products and services come from a number of sources and steps around the globe. Just one vital choke point of a step in a process of manufacturing or delivery of a products or services would be limited, restricted or even curtailed. Luckily we live in a modern world today, not only with modern transportation and communication but the ability to plan ahead and coordinate efforts for both the treatment and most importantly the prevention of the spread of the H5N1 avian flu virus.
Wedding Favors - Must-Have Supplies on Your Wedding!
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on December 17th, 2009
If you opt to plan your own wedding, you should understand that there are so many things you need to keep in mind in order to make it happen. Anticipate certain things that lead to insanity. If so, you’re forgetting many aspects that will literally drive you crazy. Those who don’t plan are in for a disaster. Picking the right wedding favor is very important. Coming up with a good one, brides think this may be easier than reality as to shopping for an excellent choice is can prove to be difficult.
Wedding favors, though cute, are simply meant as a sign of appreciation. This tradition started long ago when people used decorations with treats included. The practice is not mandatory, though, but it has been part of the wedding tradition that is continuously believed to bring good luck to the marriage. A great site to help with this process is Wedding Favors
As the bride, you do have other major details that need more attention than picking party favors. This task might give you a headache, unless you are armed with great ideas on how to shop for them wisely. As there are unlimited possibilities, you will probably have a hard time choosing the best favors for your wedding. So, to cut the agony short, you will need to choose favors accordingly. Meaning, you need to consider the type of the wedding you have, the theme and of course your own personal taste.
Your wedding favors speak in behalf of you. You might choose to put a nice note on each favor, or you may consider engraving both of your names, initials or monograms. You can personalize these as much as you like. Through personalization, a unique touch is being added onto your wedding supplies.
One of the most popular wedding souvenirs nowadays are edible wedding favors, such as chocolates, fortune cookies, candies and mints, jams and even coffee, teas and wines.
Homemade wedding favors are also an option. Aside from the fact that they are less expensive than pre-made souvenirs displayed in a retail store, obviously, they were really made personalized by your own creativity and skills.
Online or in-store, there are multiple options for wedding favors. Without making it personalized there are multiple other options you can choose. You can have embroidered table napkins, engraved flutes, embroidered table napkins, personalized centerpieces, engraved groomsmen and bridesmaids gifts.
Niche Marketing - Finding Your Home Biz Niche
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on December 6th, 2009
So, you’ve decided you want to get into this niche marketing thing. You’re all pumped up at the thought of concentrating on just ONE product and promoting the heck out of it. But you’re confronted with one very nagging question. How do you find your home business niche? Is it just going to fall out of the sky and hit you on the head? Will it come to you in a dream dressed up in confetti? Will it be revealed to you in a fortune cookie that you got from the local Chinese take out? Unfortunately, finding your home business niche is only going to come from a lot of thinking and researching. Nothing worth your time is going to be easy and finding your home business niche is no exception. And while there is no hard and fast rule for finding your niche, these tips should make the job a lot easier.
The best way to find your home business niche is to sit down with a pen and paper, or at your computer if you’ve graduated from the stone age, and make a list of your interests. That’s right. Your interests.
What do you like to do? What hobbies do you have? What do you actually do for a living? What skills do you have? If you could pick anything in the world to do, what would it be? What do you have a lot of knowledge of? The questions you could ask yourself are virtually limitless. It’s what you do with the answers that’s important.
Many of the things you list as interests or hobbies may not make for very good niches. For example, let’s say you like to make little houses out of popsicle sticks. Well, it’s quite unlikely that you’re going to find a market for that hobby, something we’ll get into next. But there has got to be something that you do or enjoy that other people enjoy as well. In other words, common areas of interest. Once you find that one area, the next thing you have to do is find out if there is any market for it. This is the hard part unless you know where to look.
Fortunately, this is actually pretty easy once you do know where to look. There are a number of tools on the Internet that you can use to determine how many searches people do each month under a specific topic, say, like Astrology. Why look up the number of searches? Because most people who do their shopping online use search engines. So if your research turns up 500,000 searches in a month for acne
cures and you’re interested in the subject and think you have a great home cure, you’ve most likely got yourself a market that can make you a pretty penny provided you create a quality product and market it
correctly.
But what if, with all your knowledge of acne cures, you really don’t know how to go about finding your way through the maze of starting your business and getting it off the ground?
That’s where finding a mentor comes in, which is the topic of the next installment in this series.
If Your Old Tribe Grows Stale, It’s Time to Start a New One
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on December 2nd, 2009
“The human mind is designed for exercising memory and imagination,” wrote Baruch Spinoza in his Ethics in 1662. The book would be published only fifteen years later, but Spinoza didn’t care, since he was recording his thoughts mainly for himself. In the history of ideas, or for that matter, of entrepreneurship, few men have shown such extraordinary courage as Spinoza. His daring dismissal of safe common memories in favour of an uncertain future estranged him from his family and made a pariah out of him, socially and financially. Born into a wealthy family of Jewish merchants and destined to a life of economic comfort, Spinoza’s free spirit began to outgrow the narrow traditions of his community already when he was a school kid in Amsterdam. In July 1656, the rabbi of the synagogue, after having consulted the elders, gave Spinoza an ultimatum. He was to stop asking questions during lectures. He was to stop talking to other youth about tolerance and individual freedom. In a word, he was to stop being different and, instead, he was to become like everybody else in the community. Although the rabbi uttered his threat in a soft voice, he painted clearly what consequences non-compliance would bring. Expulsion from the synagogue would be tantamount to lifelong ostracism. If Spinoza refused to conform to social conventions, all doors would be closed to him. “We expect your answer on the last Sabbath this month,” concluded the rabbi, already anticipating his victory. At that time, Spinoza was 23 years old and the rabbi felt sure that no one would be foolish enough to throw away a bright professional future in an established community for the sake of some intellectual nonsense about truth. On July 27th, Spinoza returned to the synagogue. The rabbi and the elders were awaiting him. “What have you decided?” he was asked. “Are you with us or are you on your own?” “A man must be guided by reason, if he is to remain fully a man,” answered Spinoza. “Without the urge to understand and the freedom to search for answers, neither truth nor happiness are possible. ” After leaving Amsterdam, Spinoza moved thirty kilometres south and created a new community from scratch: a group of free-thinking intellectuals who would spread around the world his ideas about tolerance and change the course of History. What would have happened if Spinoza had remained in his traditional community instead of starting a new tribe? As he wrote himself in his Ethics: “The essence of human thinking is to identify true ideas. ” May you always have the courage and determination to follow them through. JOHN VESPASIAN writes about rational living. He has lived in New York, Madrid, Paris, and Munich. His stories reflect the values of entrepreneurship, tolerance, and self-reliance. See John Vespasian’s blog on rational living. http://johnvespasian. blogspot. com/
5 Easy Steps to Writing Your Appealing Letter
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on December 2nd, 2009
My 5-step formula consists of
1. Find Your Goal and Purpose for Writing
2. Write Down Your Goal
3. Visualization
4. Write Like You Talk (KISS rule)
5. Make It Perfect
Let me explain it to you step by step!
1. Find Your Goal and Purpose for Writing
Every success begins with a simple goal which includes hypnotic writing. You should come up with your main goal for writing. SUCCESS=GOAL+DEADLINE. Once you set your writing goal in your mind, you’ll know the path to success. You must hold that point when you want to really achieve something valuable. Please see the example below.
Bad: I just write.
Good: I want to write this letter to persuade Joe to give me a book for free!
Better: I certainly CAN write a hypnotic letter to persuade Joe to give me a book for free before 01 July 2001.
2. Write Your Goal Down
Have you ever read the story of John in Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen’s original Chicken Soup for the Soul? On one rainy day, when it was too wet outside to play, he decided to write a list of goals. John continued writing until he had 127 goals. These goals included exploring the Nile River, climbing high mountain peaks around the world and learning 3 foreign languages. Do you know the result?
Of the 127 goals that he listed over 60 years ago, John has achieved 108.
Why?
Because he Wrote It Down!
You must write it down on your desk, your wallet, your bath room and even on the wall in your men’s room. Every time you see that bold goal, you’ll notice you must take action now. With many repetitions, the words themselves will send a mighty command to your subconscious mind to make your dream into reality. Try it today!
3. Visualization
In the Bible it is written “Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. ” (Psalm 37:4) Also it says to us “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. ” (Proverbs 23:7)
You mind think uses images instead of words. Therefore, Imagination X Vividness = Reality.
Learn to meditate. Then do it. No miracle will ever happen if you neglect this step. You can practice writing and persuasion skills in your mind. Practice makes perfect!
4. Write Like You Talk (KISS rule)
You can’t write one sentence, right?
But you CAN talk non-stop about anything for a whole day, right?
Put your talk in writing. That’s your masterpiece.
Simple, right?
It works! Keep It Simple Stupid. Write like you talk. Wite to your best friend. Write to your dream lover! You aren’t afraid where to start, go and stop. What you say to your listeners is hypnotic and magic in print.
5. Make It Perfect
You can’t achieve your goal with just one word or an attractive headline, right?
You can persuade anybody with your whole message. The sentence, structure and word combination make you a winner. You must think about the organization of your material. Every word. Every sentence. Every punctuation mark. Remember everything has a common function for your result. You are not training a MVP of the year. You must own a Dream Team.