Students Of Success

Karate-do, in all its various forms, finds its origins in one place - the Ryukyu islands off the coast of Japan. What we know as one of the most widely practiced systems of self defense and discipline in the world is the result of centuries of development. While Karate-do was introduced as a code of ethics to a peacetime America only a few decades ago, it began through the need of Ryukyu natives for better methods of fighting.

There are a few theories about the origins of the fighting arts that later became collectively known as Karate-do. However, it is certain that many notable Chinese kung fu practitioners settled in Okinawa, the capital of the Ryukyu kingdom.

The origins of the Chinese arts themselves are also shrouded in the mists of time. A widely accepted theory is that Bodhidharma, the founder of Ch’an (Zen) Buddhism created what would later evolve into Shaolin kung-fu. The original exercises were used to strengthen his monks’ bodies, minds, and spirits, to help them better fulfill their duties. This level of personal cultivation carried across to many Chinese martial arts. By way of transmission to other countries, this carried across to other martial arts, Karate-do being one of them.

Details are rather sketchy at best as to the actual origins of Karate-do, however. It is most widely accepted that the 1507 weapons ban passed by King Sho Shin led to the rapid development of native unarmed fighting arts. These arts were primarily influenced by various forms of Chinese kung fu, which Okinawans began learning in the 14th century.

Okinawans learned forms of Shaolin kung fu from Shaolin masters who fled China as a result of the oppressive Qing dynasty. Okinawans also learned various forms of kung fu from Chinese merchants, Chinese officials on diplomatic missions, and young members of wealthy Okinawan families who went to China to learn “Quan Fa” / kung fu to further their education and martial arts studies. The general name given to the fighting arts learned and further refined by the Okinawan martial artists was tode-jutsu (alternately spelled tou-di), the Okinawan name given to Chinese martial arts.

In February 1609, invasion of Okinawa by the Satsuma clan (of Kyushu, Japan) triggered another period of rapid development of native Okinawan fighting arts. Satsuma control lasted until 1879, when the King of Ryukyu finally abdicated and the country became part of Japan.

During this period, kobudo (often translated “old fighting method”; commonly used to represent Okinawan weapon fighting) evolved. Farm implements were used as weapons, as traditional weapons were not allowed. However, some of the native Ryukyu warrior class traveled up to the Satsuma clan in the later part of the 19th century and learned their samurai fighting art Jigen-ryu kenjutsu. It was not long after this that Sokon Matsumura, “Toudi” Sakugawa, and Tsuken Koura, among the many who had made the trip, introduced their contributions to kobudo.

Matsumura is commonly considered the great grandfather of the karate movement in and around Shuri. He learned native Okinawan fighting from Sakugawa (who in turn learned from Kusankun and other masters). He later studied in Fujian and Satsuma. He learned Shaolin Boxing (Shorin-ryu) under the tutelage of master Iwah. As a result of the efforts of Matsumura, the fighting arts that surfaced around the noble / castle district of Shuri came to be known as Shuri-te (Shuri hand).

The Chinese master Ason taught Zhao Ling Liu (Shorei-ryu) to Sakiyama, Gushi, Nagahama, and Tomoyori of Naha, leading to the development of Naha-te. Xie Zhongxiang (nicknamed Ryuru Ko) of Fuzhou founded Whooping Crane kung fu (hakutsuru) and taught it to a number of notable karate masters in the Fuzhou province. Wai Xinxian, it is said, was a Qing dynasty officer, and taught Xingyi kung fu as well as Monk Fist Boxing. It is also said he assisted Master Iwah’s instruction in Fuzhou province.

Owen Johnston lives and teaches Wado ryu Karate in Lake City, South Carolina. For more information on classes in the Florence / Pee Dee area, please visit Johnston Wado ryu Karate - Online Community.

If you have been plagued with credit problems in the past, I would like to welcome you to your future! The first step in the process to rebuild credit is to get a new credit card. While many people will debate the best type of credit card such as secured or unsecured, I would argue that the type does not matter! What matters most is getting something and using it effectively!

The old school idea on credit was to get a card, make a large purchase and pay for it over time with no late payments. Today, that rule has changed! While making payments on time is VERY important, making the large purchase is the wrong thing to do! The way credit scores are made up, large revolving accounts (like credit cards) with high balances actually hurt your score. They figure that if your card is nearly maxed out, so is your budget and one emergency such as a flat tire could make you late on other payments.

The trick to maximizing your credit score is to use your credit card as a tool. No matter what your credit limit is, keep the charges to 20% or less of the limit. In other words, if your credit limit is $500, charge no more than $100 to the account. The most effective program is this….

When you get your bill each month, pay off the complete balance. Then each month simply make a small charge, like a tank of gas, gym membership or something else you normally would do anyway. Don’t use the card for dinners or special sales… only small charges ($30-40). Then again, as your bill arrives each month, pay off the balance. Each time your bill is sent out, the balance is reported to the credit bureaus. So you will always show a $30-40 balance, recent activity, and no late payments. You won’t even pay interest on your charges since they are paid off each month! But the activity and low balances will kick your credit score into overdrive in a short period of time!

If you use credit as a tool and not as a gift card, you will be able to get the best deals on everything you need. It just takes balance and determination.

Best of luck!

Ed Nailor is works in the financial and credit fields. For new credit cards designed to rebuild credit, visit http://www.BestNewCreditCards.com/poor-credit-cards.htm (the most current credit card offers online.) For more credit tips, visit http://www.BestNewCreditCards.com/free-articles.htm

Why Do You need Life Insurance Cover?

Who needs it?

Life Insurance cover provides either a lump sum or an income on the untimely death of an individual. Therefore, anyone who’s death would create a financial loss to another has a need for life insurance cover. This could/should include the following: -

Parties to a Mortgage or indeed a loan (mortgage life insurance cover)

Anyone with dependents (whilst a parent may not work, surely there would be a financial loss if anything were to happen whilst there are young children to be cared for)

Key Individuals. Where a business would suffer financial loss on the death of an essential employee.

In essence any situation where monetary loss would be incurred could possibly have a need for life insurance cover.

630,000 people in the UK will die this year* *source:National Statistics, Winter 2002

Types of Cover

Term Life Insurance

Term life insurance is as it suggests taken out for a specified number of years at outset. With this type of policy you are merely paying for the cover provided based on your age, health and the term. Therefore, it is important to obtain the most competitive term life insurance quote for the cover provided. It is possible to take out term life insurance that will pay level lump sums, decreasing lump sums (mortgage life insurance cover) or regular payments (income).

Whole of Life

As the name suggests, potentially, this type of policy will provide cover through an individuals life time. However, when obtaining a whole of life insurance quote, as well as level of premium there are other aspects to be considered, such as investment performance, effect of charges, financial strength of the company.

Which one?

There are good arguments for both type of policy. We would suggest that the following could make up the main considerations: -

Cost - Whole of Life insurance, as a rule of thumb is usually the more expensive type of product.

Period that cover is required - If cover is required for a specific period i.e. a Mortgage then Term cover could be more appropriate

Future Plans - If, for instance a family is planned, then whole of life can offer the flexibility to increase cover for this or other like events.

Note

Critical Illness(CI) now provides an equally important benefit and we would strongly recommend that you view the CI Factsheet.

Conclusion

This factsheet is meant merely as a rough guide to the needs and options surrounding Life Assurance. It is by no means a comprehensive outline to anyones particular requirements. It would be, therefore, wise to use this as a guide and seek more comprehensive advice, via a professional Independent Financial Adviser. All advisers are Regulated and Authorised by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) and are now required to explain their status to you (either independent and fee charging, independent but paid by commission only, or tied)

“Do what you love and love what you do.”

That is a pretty simple philosophy but one that not many people follow. If they did they would not only be happier but more successful too.

I recently wrote an article that was dedicated to my Dad who passed away after 70 years in his own business.

I wrote that one of the reasons for his longevity and success was his passion for what he was doing. Obviously to continue working well into your 80s you have to love what you are doing!

I am not the only one who thinks that passion for what you do in business is essential.

If you have been watching “The Donald” in his hit TV show “The Apprentice”, he states, in more than one episode, that you have to have a passion for what you are doing.

If you go back through history, you can see that passion has played a part in the achievements of all great people.

Whether they were conquerors like Genghis Khan or Alexander the Great. Great leaders like George Washington or Abraham Lincoln. Great artists like Michelangelo. Or great business tycoons like Carnegie, Ford, Morgan and Trump. They all had a passion for what they did. A devotion that went beyond the job itself.

A passion for what you are doing will help you get through the rough times. It allows you to overcome obstacles and separates the quitters from the succeed ers.

Don’t believe that passion is critical to success?

Then ask yourself this question.

Why do people invest so much time, effort and expense into a hobby?

Because they love what they are doing!

If you love what you are doing; time, effort and expense are not the motivating factors. Achievement and satisfaction are.

If you “do what you love and love what you do” you can’t help but be successful.

Why?

Because if you enjoy what you are doing, it will spark that inner drive that all successful people have. The desire to succeed at all costs and not give up when facing a difficult road ahead.

What I am saying here is very important to someone who wants to own a small home based business.

In a small home based business, you will have many obstacles to overcome, some of which are:

• Lack of funds.
  
• Working long hours.
  
• Working alone.
  
• Learning the business through trial and error.
  
• Getting discouraged when things aren’t going as planned.

It takes time, effort and knowledge to make a small business successful. The passion you have for your business will be the difference between giving up on your dream and achieving your goal of a profitable and satisfying business.

How many times have you heard actors, professional athletes and other successful people say that not only do they do what they love but get paid for it?

Wow! Isn’t that the ultimate achievement?

Get paid to do what you love to do!

This is all possible with your own business.

Let’s face it. If you work for someone else, you may like your job and you may be good at it; but no matter how passionate you are, your boss still reaps the rewards of your passion and dedication.

It is still his or her business, not yours.

So take some advice from someone who, now and for most of my business life, got paid for doing what I loved to do.

Find something you love. A hobby perhaps. Turn it into a home based business. Devote the same time, effort and expense into it.

Become passionate about it. And you will succeed!

I guarantee it!

Then when all is said and done, you too can boast…(like the song says): “I did it My Way”

About the Author —- Jim Capobianco, the author of “10 Steps to Your Own Home-Based Business”, has been self-employed for over 25 years, both on and off line. At his web site, Cap-Tech.com and in his newsletter, The Cap-Tech Times, he shares his experience and expertise when it comes to owning your own business. Come pay a visit at: http://www.cap-tech.com

In the year 2005 we noticed how a lot of games appeared on the market, games which sold well, and the big companies were bought by bigger ones, thus games with long history disappeared, but in the same time we noticed that some of the best games ever were released.

The top of the Best Games of 2005, started to form on many sites at the end of the year, and at the beginning of year 2006. Fans gathered, and they voted the best games from all around the world.

The best game of this year came out to be Civilization 4, though it began spreading quite hardly on the market, and although it had some bugs, it continued to be considered the best game by most of the gaming sites having no 1 in top of the Best Games of The Year. Continuing with other games and moving to the FPS genre, where Call of Duty 2 became the best, having a huge impact in the gamers’ community, appearing on many dedicated servers. We can also consider Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas to be by far the best action – adventure game of 2005, with an excellent story line, world and graphics.

In the Role Playing Games’ domain, the best game is considered by most magazines to be Dungeon Siege 2 and the best MMORPG, surprisingly, not World of Warcraft as you would have expected, but Guild Wars, a game you should play if you never did. It didn`t have the same advertising advantages of World of Warcraft, but in some points of view it is better than it. Age of Empires 3, a game with an excellent continuity, leads the Real Time Strategy section. This time action does not take place in the age of ancient empires, but in the age of the colonial empires of America. Graphics and sound are excellent, and so is the game play, we notice how Microsoft learned from previous versions.

Best racing game is Need for Speed: Most Wanted, because of its superb graphics, which attracted more and more fans, making it one of the most popular racing games. Best Simulator is considered to be Silent Hunter 3, which beats, by far other simulators on the market. An advice for those who didn`t play these games, is to buy and play them. Any game deserves a little attention, but when we come to those that are in the top of the best games, we recommend that you should not miss the chance and play them.

Link advertisment provided by Site-Trade and Business Content Directory. More information about best games you can find by following this link.

You’ve been thinking about it for quite some time now. You know you need to get your butt to the gym and start working out. You know you’ve gotten yourself out of shape and an hour or so in the gym three or four days a week sure wouldn’t hurt.

Ok, so you’ve finally done it. You went down to the local fitness club and spent 2 weeks pay on a one year membership. You even went to the local K-Mart and got yourself some new exercise outfits. Now you’re ready to go and get in shape. But before you do, there are a few things you should keep in mind to make your time in the gym productive, enjoyable and most of all, injury free.

WARM UP FIRST: this is very important to not only get your blood flowing but to minimize the risk of injury. some good warm up methods include walking on the treadmill for 10-15 minutes starting out at a slower pace then working up to a more brisk pace halfway through. Perform 10 minutes or so of stretching exercises such as toe touches, hurdlers stretches, twisting at the waist and reaching your arms out fully in every direction. before you do any exercises that involve using weights (biceps curls for example) do one set with half (50%) of the weight you’ll be using to prepare the muscles, tendons and ligaments performing the exercise to better handle the heavier weight.

START OUT EASY: when you first get to the gym and you are ready to hit the weights, select an amount of weight at first that seems almost too light but still provides some resistance for each exercise. Remember that proper form, posture and technique are far more important than how much weight you are using. Also, you must give your connective tissue (tendons and ligaments) time to strengthen in order to help prevent injury from the heavier weights you’ll be using later. You can always increase the weight as you go when you can do so without compromising proper form, posture and technique.

When you first get on the treadmill, stationary bike, stair climber or elliptical machine, remember that your heart probably isn’t going to be in the kind of shape to go all out and for this reason you should take it at a slower pace for a while. Each week, pick up the pace and the length of time spent on these machines a little at a time. This will give your heart time to build up to faster paces and longer periods. Remember, your heart is a muscle and like any other muscle, it needs time to adjust to the stresses placed on it during exercise.

KEEP AN EXERCISE LOG: one of the best ways to monitor your workouts as well as your progress is to write out your exercise program, stick to it and write in the weights you use for each exercise, and when you’re ready to increase the weight on any exercise, write it in.

On the treadmill or any other cardiovascular machine, write in your speeds and length of time spent. when your ready to make increases, write them in. in this way you not only are able to stay on a structured program ( which is far more productive that having no system ) but you can also keep track of the progress you are making and see how much progress you have made since you began. When you see that you’re making good progress as you go, you will become more motivated to stick with it.

COOL DOWN: after you’ve completed your workout, take 10 minutes at a slow pace on the treadmill. This will let your body cool down a little slower and a slower cool down is easier on your heart than if you cooled down quickly. During this time, you can reflect on the workout you just performed and feel the sense of well being that exercise gives you.

Now that you know a few things that will help to make your gym experience a more productive, more enjoyable and more injury free one, you are ready to go and start working on getting the body of your dreams, the right way.

Jim O’Neill gives you tons of valuable information on the subjects of weight loss, fitness, and nutrition to make it easy for you to live a healthy lifestyle. Sign up now for his free 7 part mini e-course at: http://www.mrgymfitness.com/minicourse.php

Omelet(te)s

They’re easy to cook, right?

We’ll see.

The first thing to remember is that you need the right size of frying pan. This is more important than you may think. Too large, and the omelet will dry out; too small, and it will not cook through.

As a basic guide, you need a 15 centimeter pan for a two-egg omelet and a 25 centimeter pan for a four to six egg omelet. That is, 6 in. and 10 in. respectively. Which, handily enough, is pretty much the size of pans you should have in your kitchen anyway.

The second most important thing is not to beat the eggs.

I’ll repeat that for all of those chefs out there who think they can cook omelets: do NOT beat the eggs.

Instead, abandon the habits of a lifetime and stir the yolks into the whites using a knife blade. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Warm your empty pan through on a moderate heat, add a good knob of butter, turn up the heat and swirl it round to coat the bottom and sides of the pan.

When the butter is foaming pour some into the egg mixture, stir it in and then immediately pour the eggs into the pan.

Shake the pan to spread the mixture evenly. Now, using a fork or thin spatula, draw the cooked egg away from the edge of the pan and let the uncooked liquid run into the space created.

When the omelet is almost cooked, but the surface is still soft and liquid, flip one edge of the omelet towards the center of the pan so that it folds over. Then slide the unfolded edge onto a warmed plate, rolling the folded edge over the top of it as you do so.

An omelet cooked in this way requires no filling, except perhaps some fresh, chopped, herbs added to the egg mixture about 15 minutes before cooking.

What’s that? Oh yes, all right; if you must you can use olive oil instead of butter.

About the Author

During the 1990s Michael Sheridan was head chef of the Pierre Victoire restaurant in London’s West End, specializing in French cuisine. An Australian, he is a published author on cooking matters, and runs a free membership club for busy home cooks at http://thecoolcook.com

Cairns Rainforest Retreat is ideally located for your unique rainforest hideaway experience.

Nestled in the beautiful Julatten valley, just 100 km from the vibrant tropical city of Cairns in Tropical North Queensland, it is part of the Cairns highlands and Port Douglas hinterland.

Julatten is also world renowned for the variety and beauty of its tropical
birds.

Here you can experience the precious Wet Tropics area of Australia - one of the most diverse, intricate, richest and ecologically interesting areas in the world.

As well as being an attraction in itself, Cairns Rainforest Retreat is an ideal base to explore one of the most physically beautiful and historically interesting places in Australia.

Some of the most beautiful places to visit in Australia are no doubt located in Queensland. Named as the land of the Queen, and rightly so, it boasts beautiful weather, beaches, rainforests, mountains, you name it.

The far north region of Queensland is probably the most beautiful, boasting the Great Barrier Reef and the lovely mountains in their wake. The mountains above the Cairns and Port Douglas region contain a World Heritage National Park named the Daintree. This rainforest area is very beautiful and that is where our cottage is located.

We have spared no costs in the construction of our cottage;it is truly a work of art. You can sit in the spa and watch the animals in the rainforest, or just enjoy the fireplace. It is perfect for
honeymooners and we also have a wedding package available.

To see pictures of the cottage, please visit our website at Cairns/Port Douglas Luxury Rainforest Accommodation

Matthew Sirpis
Cairns Rainforest Retreat

Anyone can be a farmer. Growing plants can be done almost
anywhere. You don’t have to have large fields and hundreds of
acres. You have to have imagination. People who grow dope do it
in cellars and in caves. Select plants to raise that that you
see being sold in quanity by local nurseries or garden centers.
In our area Arborvitae are in hot demand. These plants can be
started from cuttings or you can buy rooted cuttings. Thousands
can be grown in a 20′x20′ area in small containers. Arborvitae
are not the only plants that you can choose. Dwarf conifers and
bonsai are other avenues to consider. The first thing to
consider is what plants you like. They make a nice starting
point. I like arborvitae. Plus they are easy to grow. There are
many types that are available. These can be grown from cuttings
or you can purchase rooted cutting or small liners. I suggest
that you raise Emerald Greens. They are compact and very
popular. A 2-3″ rooted cutting in 3 years should be 2′ if
growing conditions are optimal. These might sell for as much as
$5-10 depending on your market and quality. If you were to raise
1000 of them that might be $5-10,000. You can market them just
as I do on the internet. Being small you can ship them via UPS
practically anywhere.

An example of a plant that is not suitable for small plot urban
farming is an Oak tree. It is very fast in growing (good), but
has a big tap root, and is best marketed when over 6-8′ tall.
You will use up your space with a hard to confine, large tree
that is not suitable for close compact container production.
Shipping will also be more costly as starter plants tend to be
larger hence larger shipping fees per tree. Besides I have sold
many people 50 -100 arbs at a time but no one, 100 oaks at a
time. My largest order for arbs to one homeowner was 265. Try to
target plants that will sell multiples to a customer rather than
just one at a time. If you target single plants to individual
customers you need high value plants for your sales cost per
unit will be higher. You will hear the same story from your
customers about 1 plant as you will about 10 plants. I can tell
you without a doubt that each customer will tell you about his
property and his neighbors dog. I would rather hear the story
once for each 10 plants that I sell. That is why I like plants
that sell in multiples to a single customer. Additionally an
unusual or exotic plant is seldom purched in quanity and the
buyer has little knowledge of the plant. They will have many
more questions about this plant. This translates to a higher
amount of time spent on a smaller volume of product sold.

Arborvitae are commonly used evergreen shrubs or trees useful
in urban areas where low maintenance and durability is needed.
Many cultivars with forms such as being globed in shape,
columnar, or narrow pyramidal, tend to be near buildings, doors,
and walkways. Other forms which are larger are used for screens
and buffers that are planted in rows. These plants will be easy
to raise on your small urban lot.

The form of arborvitae is small, medium, or large depending on
the cultivar. Some reach 50′, others only 3′. Most prefer full
sun to partial sun. Planting in dense shade conditions should be
avoided. A moist , well drained, loamy soil in full sunlight are
ideal conditions for growing healthy arborvitae. These plants
will tolerate rocky, clay, urban conditions of heat drought and
pollution. The most important pest we have is bagworms which
must be controlled to prevent complete defoliation. Some
cultivars have multiple leaders which also prove to be a
detraction for the plant. Pruning out multiple leaders in some
cultivars is a simple remeady.

As you raise these plants if you find that you are selling more
than you can raise on your property, an add in the newspaper
such as, “Wanted: land to grow trees on” will help you find
vacant parcels to use in growing more stock. This land may be
free to use as many owners want in urban areas land to be used
as it is then maintained. We have had many offers of free land
to use in raising nursery stock. (You should check with your
local BTK Code Enforcement Officer to make sure that this use is
acceptable.)

Another suggestion is that you work for another local urban
grower. They may have facilities set up that they would allow
you to use after hours. When they see that you are a willing go
getter, they might even ask you to grow special plants that they
don’t want to grow because the volumes are light or they are to
intensive in labor. At any rate it is the best way to learn the
trede and its secrets. Most nurserymen will tell all their trade
secrets because its the best way to help the industry and build
a network of reliable and knowledgeable associates.

Isn’t it a shame when you have to worry about covering
split ends (or trichoptlosis)-the bane of every self-
respecting woman’s life! They happen when the protective
cuticle has been stripped away from the ends of hair
fibers. Split ends are more likely to develop in dry or
brittle hair, and typical causes of damage include
excessive dying or vigorous brushing.

Once the hair cuticle is removed, it is impossible to
replace. Typically, the hair splits into two or three
strands, and can be as long or two to three centimeters in
length. The best treatment is to cut off the split end of
the damaged fiber.

But you don’t necessarily have to go to the salon every
week to keep your split ends in check. Back in the sixties
and seventies, women used to burn off their split ends!
Sure that’s a little excessive. And there are easier ways
to get rid of those dead ends before they split further…
do-it-yourself hair trims.

These do-it-yourself trimming tips are for women who are
happy with their hair; for those who don’t need a restyle,
but simply want to freshen things up with a ‘homegrown’
sort of look. If you are in any doubt, leave it for the
professionals!

To Remove Split Ends:

* Take small sections of hair and carefully twist them in a
gentle downward motion. Any split ends will automatically stick out.

* Carefully snip into the twist with sharp scissors. Don’t
cut right through; just cut into the thickness to remove
the damaged cuticles and give a natural layered effect.

* Be careful to cut roughly the same amount from each
twist.
Remember, sometimes the simplest, and least expensive,
ideas are the best. So get trimming! You’ll not only save a
bundle but also time that will ease your life.

Discover all you ever wanted to know about hair. Latest
hair styles, new hair loss treatments, best methods of hair
removal. Click for daily updated blog of hair news and
articles. http://www.hair-unexpurgated.com/