Another Blog Creation of Jules

The best kick I know, nobody else knows it. This is a funny thing, but it’s true, at least, I never see anybody else use it. Not in the MMA, not in tournaments, not even in good, old regular dojo freestyle.

This kick is as instantaneous as thought, but if I don’t pull it and land it softly, I’m going to break a bunch of my opponent’s ribs. To be truthful, this kick is probably the most powerful kick in all the martial arts. When I use it it always scores, and I mean big time.

I have labeled this kick the replacement spin side kick–I commonly call it the Pop Kick. I turn my back to my opponent when I use it, can’t even see him. Yet, the kick hits his ribs every single time.

When you make this kick, you first have to be able to fight out of a horse stance. This is easily done, but there is a weakness to it. Obviously, you have turned your side, and your body is half closed.

Because of this I make the position temporary when I fight out of a horse stance. I usually let myself be outstrategied into a bad position, and thus the opponent never expects what is about to come. This makes the surprise of my opponent even greater.

Now, you’ve got to learn how to switch feet effectively. To practice for this switch I assume a horse stance and learn how to let the energy pop from my tan tien, I envision snapping the fingers–very important–the switching of the legs is just like the snapping of fingers.

Take a stance before a wall, relax, breath easily, and, when switching the feet, making the foot coming around the back land gently upon the wall. One foot lands on the wall, and the other foot lands on the floor, and they must be totally synchronous when doing so. The trick is to see the kick in your mind, relax, and just let the thought pop.

Do you see the magic here? It works because I am practicing kicking at the speed of thought, and the kick becomes virtually instantaneous, like the movement of a magicians fingers when he pulls that ace out of the deck. I start from one stance, the other fellow thinking that he’s got me because he’s shutting my body to the side, and wacko cracko, I pop a side kick from the wrong side. The instant coordination, the sudden drop of the weight, the pure strength of the side kick, the unexpectedness of it all, they all combine to make a mofo kick that can’t be stopped.

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People are either attracted to or repelled by dumps. I know a kid who will drop anything he is doing at the moment whenever I mention I am taking a load to the county waste facility. He loves nothing more than to peer over the edge of the drive up disposal ramp and look down into the deep dumpsters and see what people don’t want anymore. He might not have the stomach for this if it were the actual landfill we had to visit but I have a feeling that his inquisitive nature would still win out. He says things like “that’s a perfectly good sofa” or “that lamp would look good in my room”. He is inadvertently healthy with his “reuse, recycle” mindset. When I tease him about wanting to run a junkyard like Fred Sanford from his favorite old sitcom, he just grins and gives a half nod. But I know today’s trip to the dump may well be taking him in the right direction when considering a future career.

A walk through a metal and plastic bone yard like Fred Sanford’s lot,(aka junkyard) is an antiseptic experience when compared with a visit to a landfill site. Archaeologists, those people who like to dig, haven’t skipped a beat when it comes to exploring the mountains of refuse we are building in this country. Like forensic sleuths, they don face masks and take samplings at various depths to draw conclusions about our history over the past century. Shreds of clothing, newspaper and food packaging tell a lot about how people live their lives. But there are other thought arresting environmental conclusions these archaeologists share with us.

Archaeologists and ecologists want us to know that garbage doesn’t just magically disappear, disintegrating within a matter of weeks and leaving us with clean conscience and clear horizon. Oxygen is required for things to rot and the deeper and more compact the pile of debris, the slower the rate of decomposition. Compound that with manmade materials such as plastic that resist decomposition for decades or centuries even when fully exposed to the elements and we have a landfill crisis on our hands. A decomposition schedule of common household refuse should give the public pause: Everyday items such as a tin can disintegrates finally after 80 to 100 years, Styrofoam products are still a complete unknown and waste like plastic bags and adult diapers have estimates that can range well in excess of 200 years under certain conditions. This is bleak news unless there are some radical changes.

Why, you may ask, would I specifically bring up the topic of adult diapers? The fact is that a shocking 10% of all landfill bulk consists of diapers; baby diapers equal 3% of this figure, adult diapers 7%. With the large demographic of Baby Boomers shifting into senior life, along with a projected increased life expectancy, there is potential for a tremendous increase of demand for incontinence products. A baby usually wears diapers for only a little over two years and a baby’s bottom is small. Users of adult diapers do not have a predictable time frame for how long they will wear these disposable products; products which are easily three to four times larger than their juvenile version. Plus it can take literally hundreds of years for these particular disposed products to disintegrate in a typical oxygen starved landfill. These bleak facts should generate thoughtful discussion and action as to alternative methods and materials.

Like Sanford’s world, there is still a little color in garbage. At the dumping station, household, office and construction debris are assigned to color categories of White goods or Brown goods depending on their recyclability. Appliances like dishwashers and refrigerators fill the White category which is recyclable; toasters, vacuums and old computer components are placed in the Brown category and cannot be recycled. The Brown goods dumpster is the one this boy most appreciates, peering over the rail and uneager to leave. Deep thought leading to innovation must be given to this subject of nonrecyclables, both the hardware objects in the dumpster and other brown colored goods that are not as pleasant to view.

Ingenuity needs time to incubate and I have a hunch that this boy is interested in garbage for some very good reasons, reasons that will be good for the entire planet. Watching him, I suddenly realize that taking my son to the dump is my moral obligation and I am grateful for his fascination.

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More and more people these days want easy ways to lose weight – and FAST. We want bodies that are sexy, slim, well-defined, and muscular but are we willing to give the effort, time, or hard work needed to achieve it? No.

This overwhelming demand for easy ways to lose weight fast is exactly what’s fueling the scams that many diet and weight loss companies are perpetuating.

Ever heard these:

“Simply peel and stick to burn fat and lose weight!” (ad selling diet patches)

“Lose weight in just 4 minutes a day!” (ad selling a “revolutionary” – and way overpriced – exercise machine)

“Forget about long, difficult exercises! We have a range of treatments and surgeries to make you lose weight…”

“Take this pill, go to bed… wake up skinny! It’s magic!”

Sound familiar?

Out of desperation, many people actually buy into these fantasies of a quick, easy, and miraculous physical transformation.

Sure they are just doing their jobs – but don’t you think you deserve to make a well-informed and educated purchasing decision?

Don’t fall for these tricks again. Here are just 3 things (there are many others!) that shrewd marketers don’t tell you amidst all the sales hype.

1. “Losing weight” is not necessarily a good thing.

Most (if not all) body wraps, slimming teas, and toning creams work mainly by eliminating water from your body.

Losing water changes nothing about how much body fat you have. Remember that your body is 75% water. It’s sick that their strategy for making you lose weight is by dehydrating you.

Technically they aren’t lying to you when they say their methods are easy ways to lose weight fast. But you have to be clever enough to figure out that weight loss is not the goal to aim for.

Losing weight by dehydrating yourself is obviously ineffective, and the weight loss effect hardly lasts. Buying these miracle cures is just like patching up a hole on your shirt – it may patch up the hole, but it doesn’t make you look good nor solve the problem.

2. When You Starve Yourself, You Lose Muscle Mass and Keep the fat!

Suppressing your appetite is how some quick fix solutions work. Suppressing your appetite means you’ll be on a low calorie diet, but this method is flawed because ultimately an extremely low-calorie diet makes your body hoard fat.

Effectively, our body’s response to starvation are to slow down our metabolisms and use lean muscle mass as fuel instead of burning off our body fat – 2 of the last things you want to happen when you’re looking for ways to look lean and sculpted without much effort or time.

Is that what you really want?

3. The effects of many quick fix solutions are only for the short-term.

Perhaps the most disturbing truth is that the benefits you get from buying all these “miraculous” products (if they work at all) are at best, temporary. That’s why you need to keep spending on them to “keep getting” the promised effects.

Considering this reason alone, you may want to ask yourself if it’s really worth it.

Conclusion

A more worthy goal to aim for (instead of weight loss) is fat loss. Measure your body fat percentage and aim to decrease it using healthy methods that will give you lasting benefits.

An truly effective fat loss program includes the right combination of personalized nutrition, exercise and mental training.

As with all things worth having, having a fantastic body comes with a price, and youmust decide if you’re willing to pay whatever it takes.

Don’t be fooled and believe that there are magic potions/creams/pills out there that can magically transform your body without much effort on your part. If there are such magical solutions, we would all be consuming them!

Recommendation

The best way to ensure you don’t fall for such shenanigans is to educate yourself about how to eat well and exercise properly to achieve your own fat loss goals.

Tom Venuto’s Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle program is the best one I’ve found about fat-burning and muscle building.

Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle is touted as the “Fat Loss Bible” because no other book covers the confusing subject of fat loss as comprehensively.

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The modernist style of interior decor came from Scandinavia and Germany back in the 1930s. But it’s still a popular style in the present day for a lot of people as it concerns interior decor. Modern interior design ideas feature certain distinctive aspects that make it immediately recognizable. These include giving emphasis to shapes and lines, by means of black and white, severe lighting, and lots of chrome details. The end effect presents a chic look in the middle of orderly rooms. It’s often a style choice for modern interiors and loft apartments.

Seamless lines are formed with smooth, gleaming surfaces, hence it’s essential to preserve this quality right through the whole area. Flooring is usually light colored tile or wood, with a minimal quantity of accent rugs on top. Careful positioning of these rugs is effective for visually dividing larger rooms into smaller areas. This is ideal for varying purposes like dining or entertaining guests.

You should choose furniture that’s clean yet bold, and all in the same color. Each item should seem as if it was selected by design, not as an afterthought. The larger pieces should be neutral in tone, however you can throw in colorful accents with pillows and lesser ornamental pieces. Besides, using unbroken neutral colors will make your eyes wandering endlessly throughout the area looking for an interruption in the pattern. At least two vivid tones are required to offer contrast to the neutrals and provide depth to the room. Opt for materials in geometric motifs and steer clear of complex patterns. Animal prints, however, are an exception to this rule.

All the accent pieces in the area should feature chrome, including lamps, electrical plates and door knobs. Be cautious with the use of chrome because it is intended as an accent only. However materials including glass, metal and stone can be used more liberally. These objects offer a secondary quality to the space that adds to instead of overpowers the smoothness of the feature items.

Sizeable windows that let in abundant natural light are a standard aspect of the modernist look. However there is also abundant supplementary lighting used by way of gallery lighting that pulls the eye to the focal points in a room. Not enough light will produce a look that is daunting rather than sharp.

Apply your common sense when designing a room in a contemporary look. It’s completely possible that you’ll wind up designing a room that’s just remote and barren rather than sleek and chic. For instance, too much open area makes the intent of the room unclear. Uncovered beams and pipes are often featured in modernist design, but these must be kept to a minimum if you don’t want your home to give the impression of a warehouse. If they’re sticking out into the living areas, you’ve overdone it. And allowing clutter to accumulate will ruin a pleasingly fashioned arrangement and take away from the simple statement you’re attempting to make.

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Discount auto insurance is relative to the price you are willing to spend for a specific amount of coverage. You need to understand that buying the lowest policy you might be doing more harm than good to yourself.

People should look more at the coverage’s that are available and what is charged for those coverage’s. The easiest way to do this is to talk with an agent. They will be able to give you different price break downs at different levels of coverage.

There are two types of insurance agents. Captive insurance agents who only provide insurance for there specific company. A State Farm agent is an example of a captive agent. The other is an independent agent who can provide policies for multiple insurance companies.

Once you decide to speak with an agent always ask what auto insurance discounts are available to you. If you weren’t aware most agents work on a commission basis, so they might not always add on all the discounts that are available if you don’t ask. Once they add the discounts for you be sure to ask if there are any additional discount you could get.

One other way to get cheaper car insurance is to increase your collision deductible. The standard most people have is a $500 deductible but if you increase it to $750 or $1000 you will probably save $100 if not more. Your comprehensive deductible isn’t worth changing since it makes up such a small percentage of your policy premium.

You should always comparison shop between companies to receive the best rate for coverage from multiple companies. Each company has there own rating scale which could make the prices from one company significantly different from another.

If you have watched television recently you probably noticed all of the insurance companies telling you how much you can save if you switch to them. This makes it hard to figure out which company has the best rates. They all have good rates for there particular niche. It’s your job to find out which niche you fall into this way you can save the most money.

It has become very simple to go online to compare insurance prices. You need to be careful though because some of the insurance corporations are having your state minimum coverage limits set as the defaults in there quote forms online. Make sure that before you purchase the policy you can speak with representative from the company providing the rates to discuss your options. Then you can use some of the tips from this article.

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There are homeowners who have been wanting to finish a basement in their home. This is because generally, most basements are dark, damp and cramped with old, unused items. We hardly even go down to the basement, but we know it is there. When we talk abut basements, we usually imagine a dark, murky place that is damp, flooding and invaded by moldy substances. So what can we do about that musky old basement and turn it into a place that is more livable and attractive rather than leave it without any purpose? Read on through this article to learn more about the fundamentals of finishing a basement.

Fixing Existing Problems – If you want to finish a basement the basic rule of thumb is to deal with water problems first. Even if you notice only a very tiny amount of dampness or flooding in your basement, it would be a better idea to fix the problem completely prior to working on any remodeling project. Permanent solutions can take time, but the results will be rewarding for several years to come.

Untreated concrete in the basement are vulnerable to wicking. This is the process wherein the concrete sucks in water and dampness. The water and dampness negatively affects the integrity of the cement. When you seal your cement, dampness and water are no longer able to get into the cement and ruin it. You can use caulk or hydraulic cement to seal cracks and holes that are causing leakages in the basement. You may also install a drywall.

Planning the Project – Now that you have identified the problems and what should be done to solve these problems in your basement, its time to plan. Consider what you want to utilize the basement for. Do you want a recreational area? A workshop? How about an additional bathroom, bedroom or living area? There are so many other creative possibilities such as a bar and childrens playroom.

Lighting Accents – Your next step is to decide on your lighting. The majority of the time basements have inadequate lighting. Depending on what you want to do with your existing basement, the basement may call for some improvements in lighting. For instance, if you were a photographer, then you dont have to focus so much on lighting. Other than that, you may have to incorporate new fixtures and wires, for instance, if you were to make your basement into a home office. When incorporating new wires, you should always speak with a qualified electrician.

Basement Insulation – Its time to think about getting proper insulation for your basement. If your basement is not already insulated, know that insulation is essential. Insulation helps keep weather temperatures out. It also can cut down your heating and cooling bills.

Flooring – Consider your flooring. You would not want to just settle for the porous cement flooring already sitting in your basement. A carpet may be something you want to incorporate, as it can keep dampness out and is easy to clean and maintain.

Basement Walls – Finally, work on your walls. You may have to conceal your insulation board with something to safeguard it as well as make it look fantastic. You may use sheetrock, but you could go the extra mile by incorporating some type of paneling. These are just the basics if you want to finish a basement. More tips can be found online.

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The Bike Frame

Getting A Correct Bike Frame

There are a lot of things to factor in for a successful bike ride, whether it’s something you do every day or only once. The bike has many different parts to it, but your bike frame is the most important part. Although the geometry of the bike frame may get changed by the frame manufacturers when they want a different look, there are still some measurements that can’t be changed or messed with. If you’re new to cycling, you’re not really going to care all that much about fancy frames. However, if you’re an old pro at cycling and have been doing it for years, you may have an interest in the different styles of frames. Just recently I was contacted by a reader asking why bicycle articles never go into detail about frames. So, I thought I’d spend a little time discussing frames.

The Difference in Frames

There are more differences to bike frames than just the color. Although most of us make a selection based on color, there are many other variations that can be found in bicycle frames. For instance, the Orbea Orca frame and the Trek Madone frame have many differences between them. Some of the differences we tend to forget about are the overall frame geometry, tube lengths, frame angles, etc. The reason these items are seldom listed or discussed is because when it comes right down to it, when you get your bike frame, you’re going to have to be the one looking at it for a long time so you better like the color and design.

Basic Geometry of the Bike Frame

The basic geometry of the bike frame consists of the size of the chain stays, the distance between the bottom bracket axle and the back wheel axle, and the distance between the front wheel and the bottom bracket. These areas are the same for all bikes and are the basics of how they’re made and cannot be changed or the handling of the bike will be affected.

Another Important Dimension

The seat tube length is designed to fit the rider and can be adjusted by using a long seat pin to adjust the height of the saddle. The angle of the seat will be dependent on the frame size or, at least this is the case with factory made frames. The smaller the bike frame, the steeper the seat tube will angle. This may need to be adjusted for taller or shorter riders, however. The more relaxed the angle is, the more comfortable of a rider there is going to be.

Read full articles about bicycle geometry and bicycles available at this web.

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True, women are at the forefront of the decorating battlefield. A woman’s touch does make a living space homely and comforting. This however doesn’t rule out the magic of a man’s decorating touch. A bachelor’s pad can be as comforting and homely, as well as attractive with the application of some decorating essentials. Without losing the masculine appearance of man’s place, it can also be called his home sweet home.

Start by browsing through magazines to get ideas on how to decorate your space. If you’re really allergic to anything floral and frilly, don’t bother going through those hyper-trendy publications. Go with magazines that you would actually buy and enjoy reading yourself. Even male interest magazines occasionally feature tips and guides on how to decorate an interior. Ideas, though, can come from anywhere. Even the backdrops and scenes they use for print ads can become the inspiration for your new space.

You should then consider what you’ve got to work with. Does the room have anything architecturally interesting like a sloped wall or inclined ceilings? Is there some visual drama like with a set of huge windows or a massive bookshelf? Look for the elements that are big and interesting so that you know what items you can accent and emphasize when you begin decorating.

Floor to ceiling would be the best path for a guy to take when decorating any room. Prioritize comfort in your decor, so choose a material that you’ll enjoy feeling against your feet. Plain, solid colored rugs are best because they go with just about anything. White or cream rugs are particularly elegant, especially when paired with a dark or industrial themed room. If you’re not the diligent type when it comes to cleaning, though, dark rugs might be a wiser idea to make dirt less obvious.

Once you’ve got the floor set up, paint should be the next item on your list. It’s the quickest way to change the mood in any room, especially if you’re trying to convert an overly girls room into a simpler, more serious one. Solid colors are the best idea because they easily work with other visual elements, and the right shade of certain colors can create the right energy and ambiance in a room. Dark greens and light browns, for example, simulate the earthy feel of the outdoors, while deep reds and light blues capture a more formal feel. Keep away from bus patterns and intricate wallpapers that can make a room look busy and dated.

Although the designs of area rugs and other fabrics do not have as much details or mix of colors, these pieces can still stand out with the right choice of color or design. Choose a solid color or one with a conspicuous pattern. A striped pattern looks great in a neutral-colored room. A dark-colored area rug is an attractive work of contrast in a white or plain room.

Lastly, complete the bachelor’s pad decorations with wall arts. Paintings and photographs top the list, but other pieces like an area rug as a wall hanging also make a nice impression.

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Magic is in a world of its own, and that world has held the fascination of hordes of people down through the ages as magicians of all degrees of ability performed tricks that seemed beyond the realm of physics and made them stare in disbelief at what their eyes had just witnessed. One of the easiest ways to get started in magic, if you have such a desire, is to start small and work up; and the best trick to start with because of its simplicity, is an amazing card trick.

Starting with just a simple pack of cards, you can drop the jaws of anyone watching if you know how to perform the trick without a hitch, and the observers will immediately want to know how you learned to do that, how was it done, and can they see it again because they just don’t believe what they just saw. Even the most mundane of magic tricks can hold the interest of a group of people because you are doing something that defies logic and they are seeing you do the trick, but they can’t put rhyme or reason to it because it does not compute in their way of thinking.

There is only one way to become proficient at performing magic tricks, even the simplest starter group of tricks including an amazing card trick; and that is to practice until you think you will turn blue. There is no substitute for intense practice when it comes to magic and performing, and this is the only way you can insure that you will not make a mistake while you are in the spotlight performing a trick. The more you practice, the more you will uncover any possible thing that could go wrong during the enactment of the trick, and you will be prepared for anything and be able to head it off while “onstage” and under the scrutiny of the crowd.

To gain mastery over any trick you would like to do to impress people, especially the more difficult amazing card trick; you must arm yourself with as much information on how the tricks are done and what you must look out for when you are performing the tricks. There have been tons of books written about the subject of magic and just how certain tricks are set up and performed for maximum impact, and they can be found in libraries, shops that cater to magic and magicians, and especially in this day and age, on the Internet. The Net is rife with sites that can tell you just about anything you want to know about magic and how to pull off an amazing card trick or two, and there exist sites as well that explain these tricks in detail.

Speaking of magic shops; these are probably the best source of paraphernalia for the magic enthusiast that exist on the face of the earth. Anything you can think of that is related to magic is contained in these shops ranging from the most basic of equipment like a deck of cards to pull off your amazing card trick; to the most sophisticated materials you have ever seen to carry out the most difficult tricks that the imagination can come up with. Many of these shops have an Online presence too, so if browsing the Net is your thing, you can access most of these magic shops online.

What better way to get the attention of those you are trying to impress than to start off with an amazing card trick that you have practiced until you can do it with your eyes closed. These types of tricks range from a very simple pulling a card out of the pack after someone in the audience has chosen it and you reproduce the very card they pulled out without your looking ; to very elaborate ruses where you can make a chosen card disappear or reappear from behind someone’s ear or into your previously empty hand as you wave it with a flourish in the air under the noses of the crowd. What fun to watch peoples’ eyes widen as they realize you have just done the impossible according to any rule of physics that they know about, and you have made it seem real.

Watching the crowd get suckered in and held in spellbinding disbelief is the goal of every magic performer no matter how proficient he is. Whether you are in the center of the house at a party with friends, or in the center of a stage in an auditorium; the impact you can have on the crowd of onlookers can be overwhelming if you are good at what you are doing and they just can’t believe what they are seeing and want to see more. Magic has a way with people that no other venue can conjure up, and taking that ball and running with it when you can is a most rewarding feeling; not only for you, because you know that your hours of study and practice are paying off, but also for the crowd watching because they feel they are “getting their money’s worth” literally and figuratively.

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