Silver Back Muzik

In 1937, 26-year-old Chicago Cubs radio announcer Ronald Reagan had the acting bug rekindled in him. The former Dixon, Illinois native performed on stage in high school and college but during the Great Depression he had drifted into the sports world. In those days the Cubs trained in California and Reagan went with them to get away from the Iowa cold and pursue his movie star dream. Through a friend he got a screen test at Warner Bros.; the studio executives had mixed reactions. He was no Robert Taylor, but he did have more of an All-American look than some of the stars that worked at the Warner's factory, such as James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart. The glasses and crew cut had to go. When questioned about his acting experience Reagan told several lies to pad his resume. The casting director asked him to stick around an extra day for more tests. "No dice", Ron said feigning indifference when he was really desperate. "I'm on the train with the Cubs." He left the studio thinking he had blown any chance to be signed by them. He was amazed later that same day when Warners made an offer to put him under contract at $200.00 a week, and hastily agreed before they changed their mind.

In typical Hollywood fashion the former radio announcer was cast as a radio announcer. It seemed like every film his big line was "Get me the City desk! I have a story that will break this town wide open!" Ronald, a former lifeguard and kept detailed records of all the lives he saved, preferred playing heroes to the drunken socialite he portrayed along side Bette Davis in Dark Victory (1939) even if meant he'd be in mostly b-movies. He learned quickly that Hollywood could be a cutthroat place. He dated some of his leading ladies who fell out of love him after their movie was over. He worked with insecure stars like Errol Flynn, who demanded that the one-inch shorter Reagan not stand next to him on camera. And there were tough Directors like the Hungarian born Michael Curtiz, with whom he made Santa Fe Trail (1940). In one scene the young actor watched in amazement as Curtiz kept telling an extra playing a minister to keep moving backwards until he fell of a scaffold, severely injuring his leg. "Get me another minister!" shouted the angry director.

In order to better his career he suggested to his bosses that they buy the story of the legendary Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne and Reagan could play the role of the tragic halfback George Gipp. Warner Bros. liked the first idea more than the second: he was told he was too small. Reagan produced a photograph of himself playing college football; he was actually bigger than Gipp. He got the part but Knute Rockne All American (1940) was not all fun and games. One day Reagan showed up to shoot the scene where Gipp ran the ball eighty yards for a touchdown. He was told he was not needed. They would film something else instead. He proceeded to eat a huge and unhealthy breakfast. Then he was informed they were going to film the run after all. After the third eighty-yard take Reagan dashed far past the goal line where he privately lost his meal.

Reagan was a political animal right away, driving his Hollywood co- workers to distraction with his praise of the policies of Franklin Roosevelt. It was mostly just talk; he rejected any suggestion that he might someday go into politics. One time he was yammering on about the necessity of government aid when a friend suggested he run for President. "You don't like my acting either!" He wailed.

Ronald Reagan's Star rose with King's Row (1942) where he gave a dramatic performance in which his legs were amputated and he screamed out," Where's the rest of me?" King's Row gave his agent Lew Wasserman the leverage to negotiate a solid movie star salary for him. But his acting opportunities slowed because of military service during World War II. Though his terrible vision kept him from seeing combat (he was told that if he was sent overseas he would accidentally shoot an American General and probably miss him) the short propaganda films he appeared in (for which he received military, not movie star pay) did little to help his career. He worked in propaganda films like the Irving Berlin musical This Is The Army (1943) where he received only his military pay. He overheard young women, who worked at his army base, swooning over newer, younger stars and when the war ended Reagan felt insecure and past his prime.

He met Jane Wyman on the set of Brother Rat (1938). She was attracted to him right away but wondered if his niceness was just an act. She convinced herself he was the real deal when she saw he was just as kind to waiters as he was to big shots at the studio. But after the war her career moved ahead of his with her Academy Award winning performance as a deaf mute in Johnny Belinda (1948). There was gossip about her having had a love affair with her co-star Lew Ayres. And his constant harping on politics drove Jane Wyman crazy; sometimes she would yawn away in public when he got on his soapbox. Still with all that Reagan was shocked when they divorced, that was something that happened to other people. During that time the stressed out Midwesterner came down with a severe case of pneumonia that nearly killed him.

Ronald Reagan became frustrated with both his acting career and his personal life. In The Hagen Girl (1947) he reluctantly became the first man to kiss twenty-year-old Shirley Temple on screen. He argued that he was that he should end up with Shirley's schoolteacher, but the Director was Reagan's age, had a teenage girlfriend and wanted to make a point. Movie patrons shouted, "Oh no!" when he and Shirley got into a clinch. He became President of the Screen Actors Guild and as his politics drifted more to the right threats came from Communists in Hollywood. Perhaps they would throw acid in his face or his bomb his house. He began carrying a gun for protection. Movie bosses saw Reagan more as a labor negotiator than a viable Movie Star. He broke his leg at a charity baseball game, which cost him two movie roles and a sizable amount of money. He publicly stated he could do a better job choosing his roles than Jack Warner, who fired him after fourteen years without a handshake. He enjoyed making Bedtime For Bonzo (1951) at Universal but he knew his amazing chimp co-star was stealing the show when the Director Fred De Cordova started giving personal instructions to Bonzo instead of his trainer. Reagan's money problems became so severe in the early 1950s that he tried to eek out extra cash by selling his autographs through the mail.

After Ron became the President of the Screen Actors Guild in 1949, he met Nancy Davis a not very ambitious actress who needed her name cleared from being linked to a Communist group. They hit it off immediately, but he took it slow and dated several actresses in Hollywood. When he woke up one morning with a girl whose name he couldn't remember he decided it was time to marry again. He and Nancy co-starred in the disappointing, big budget Hellcats Of The Navy (1957) but the new Mrs. Reagan was far more interested in her family than acting and unlike his first wife never threatened his ego.

Ronald Reagan became a rich man by moving into television. Thanks to the advice of his longtime agent and manager Lew Wasserman he became the host of General Electric Theater (1953-1962). But success in TV did not translate into high demand at the box office. The movie offers became fewer. In 1964 he made a film called The Killers where he played a villain for the first time. Audiences were shocked when the nice guy they thought they knew smacked co-star Angie Dickinson in the face. Reagan found the role unpalatable. He had a falling out with Wasserman who felt he was a whining has-been. Faced with a future of similar type roles made it easier for him to go into politics full time.

Ronald Reagan denied that he was a great communicator. He felt that the content of his words was more important than his style. But he never forgot his movie roots. "Win one for the Gipper"! "May the force be you!" "Go ahead! Make my day!" They all became political sound bytes for him. And sometimes he could use film references as a source for witticisms. Early in his first term as Governor of California the now very conservative Reagan described an encounter with a hippie. "He looked like Tarzan, acted like Jane and smelled like Cheetah!" But Reagan had to take it as well as dish it out. Once as President he leaned on a prominent Democrat. "We have to cut taxes, damn it! Do you know when I was in the movies I was in the 90% tax bracket." "Ninety percent? My God, Mr. President, I didn't think you were that good of an actor!" The President roared with laughter.

Currently, uploading videos can be done really easy since you will be able to find a wide range of sources online. But, the most popular ones include YouTube, Google Video as well as Metacafe. However, are these video websites the best ones for you and your business? Finding the most appropriate video websites can be hard because there are so many of them available. You will see that the giants are not really the best sources available for great videos and that there are other resources that you can look into.

On the Internet, YouTube hs the largest stockroom of videos from music to reviews to trailers to movies and many others. However, looking for the video that you may be interested in and something that is helpful sometimes feels like looking for a needle in a pile of hay. Searching for any topic can be pretty hard since there are lots of other videos that have been added to YouTube that have inflated their collection and outnumbering the ones that are genuinely useful for businesses and companies. Hence, be prepared since you will be spending lots of hours viewing those meaningless videos available just to find what you are looking for.

Today, the best video websites are not anymore the large ones but they are smaller since they would like to preserve the quality of service that they want to offer to viewers. Usually, these websites are niche-oriented. They have used both remote hosted video and own hosted video to make their websites an area for specific sources instead of making them a repository for a lot things in which others end up becoming meaningless and useless. These kinds of sites these days are called the niche oriented video websites. And they are expected to top in quality and service of offering useful videos to the end users."'

Video websites are getting diverse these days since the pioneers of niche video websites have now emerged and they have created a phenomenal accessibility on any topic you can imagine. There are now comedy video websites, dog video sites, religious video sites and different others that are quite specific on their presentations. Hence, if you are looking for instructional videos about how to prepare something in the kitchen then searching for a how-to video on the search engine can be the best way for you now so that you can get straight to the point and avoid wasting your precious time.

Most of these great video websites are free and a lot of these are video blogs. Moreover, they come with the different features that you can find in YouTube such as share, embed, upload, favorite lists, and others. The niche video websites can definitely offer you many things and every website that is working on a specific niche is maintained by people who care. Thus, if you want to increase your traffic, try spending time in searching for the best videos that you can use or create them yourself whether for your website or blog and you can surely increase your audience.

I don't know if there was ever a point in my life where I didn't love browsing through a good magazine. Back in the day, publications like BOP and Tiger Beat were my signature favorites; obsessing over pictures of Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Leonardo Dicaprio occupied a good deal of my time. Though I still thoroughly enjoy a great snapshot of these former teen heartthrobs from time to time, I've set my sights on the sort of reading materials that better correlate with my current age bracket. In my mid-twenties, I've replaced Tiger Beat with the glossy pages of fashion magazines, and the large poster sized images of JTT, with layouts of trendsetting items. It's so incredible to me that these magazines have inspired such a large audience to follow their advice on a month-to-month basis that I've decided to take a closer look at their publishing history.

Vogue
Believe it or not, Vogue magazine made its first debut all the way back in 1892. After switching ownership, the US based publication went international in the 1920's developing major success in countries like Spain, Great Britain, France and Italy. Vogue has featured prominent pop culture icons in the modelling such as Twiggy and Lauren Hutton. Today's editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour is an emblem of the fashion industry even having a fictionalized movie based on her lifestyle and work in "The Devil Wears Prada." If you've done the math correctly, this year marks Vogue's 120th anniversary.

Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan or as it is more commonly known "Cosmo," was founded in 1886 in the United States. It began as a family oriented magazine until around 1889 when it underwent new management transforming it into something more similar to a literary journal offering book reviews and fictional pieces by famous authors like Edith Wharton, Rudyard Kipling and Ambrose Bierce. Who knew? It wasn't until 1967 that then appointed editor-in-chief Helen Gurley moved the magazines focus away from literature and towards a new target audience of women. Gurley aimed to focus on sexual issues, a still relatively taboo area of American culture. Then it was very controversial, today however it is one of the nation's leading magazines in fashion health, beauty and relationships.

Elle
Though not nearly as old as Vogue or Cosmopolitan, Elle was founded in France in 1945. It wasn't until the 1980's that the magazine made its transatlantic journey to the United States. It was only a matter of time until Elle became one of the largest and most widespread magazine company's of all time with 42 international editions. Their readership is calculated to be at 4.8 million and their websites averaging 26 million page views per month.

InStyle
With a circulation of 1.7 million, you'd be surprised to know InStyle has only been around since 1991. Though it is relatively young, the magazine has made some pretty impressive and bold moves in order to standout amongst its competitors. Instyle has been among the first few to have musical artists and actors grace their cover pages in lieu of models. They also offer a celebrity home section to their magazines in addition to other areas that include fashion, beauty, health, entertaining, home and charities.

Just came back from my daughters' friends' birthday party. Nothing has ever scared me so much in life. It was not just a birthday party; it was like a perfectly planned orchestra.

So from the moment we entered the party hall dressed up in vivid hues of pink and blue with Disney characters dotting all the corners, there was not a moment to breathe.

It had the works - A magician, a tattoo artist, balloon craft, a emcee, coaxing willing and unwilling children into playing games which resulted in some children winning and others trying to put up a brave face.

Birthday parties have become a mini industry now. There are organizations that plan the entire event as they call it for the busy parents from decoration to games to food and make sure every moment in the party is structured and organized. And they obviously cost a whole lot of money as they design themes and backdrops that entice the innocent children and the trusting parents who end up paying an obscene amount of money for an hour of fun.

That got me thinking. What would my daughter be remembering 10 years from now? Would she remember the elaborately planned Cinderella birthday party?

I remember my favourite memory from childhood was something far simpler. I grew up in a middle class home in Kolkata. Powercuts were a frequent part of our childhood. And I still vividly remember those evenings. All of a sudden the lights would fade out. Lights would blink back in a few rich neighbourhood houses; the remaining houses would remain shrouded in darkness or glow in the faint flickering light of candles.

And there in our balcony with the summer breeze blowing and the candle flickering, my parents would tell me and my sister stories - ghost stories, war stories, stories about great people and stories about ancient history.

Some days we would just sing songs; all of us would join in and sing old and new songs alike.

It was like a magical world in the dark with the sound of the stories and the music. And when the lights came back, we returned back to the real world almost reluctantly.

I never had a Cinderella birthday party but I don't miss not having one. But I will forever remember those unhurried, unstructured moments in the balcony where our parents gave us their undivided time and attention.

Cut back to today's world. Hurried weekdays with both parents rushing off to work, the children running to school and daycare centres. Classes in the evening and during the weekends.

Are we organizing too much of our kids' lives? Fighting for the best schools, best summer camps during holidays, dancing lessons, swimming lessons, tennis classes, piano classes and not to forget the organized birthday parties?

Would they learn more and definitely enjoy more if we just let them be for a few hours? Let them dream and imagine and create their own games at leisure?

Competition can wait. The Birthday party event managers can wait. The piano class can wait. I would rather create some magic with my child as we sit and read stories or we run around in the park. I can't engineer blackouts but I would rather give her my time.

As for her birthday party, we'll just call a few friends over and tell some stories and sing some songs and probably have fun eating some home cooked food.

Let's face it, the physical medium of CDs/DVD/Blu-ray, even books, is dead. For decades production distribution and sale of the physical medium allowed studio giants to sleep easy at nights. In the old days a second generation copy of a VHS movie was pretty lousy and so was a knocked off copy of an audio cassette. People happily paid the premium for the genuine article and got what they paid for. However, fast forward to today, and you find two things happening.

The high street retail business of books and movies has dried up. The online sale of books and movies has generally replaced this business model due to the lower distribution cost, which can be passed on to the consumer as savings. In fact, where I live even the movie rental business has all but disappeared, and has been replaced by video on demand dished up by my local triple play service provider.

The problem now is not the grand scale availability of pirated material, but the removal of consumer choice, which is driving this market. Here's the problem. I'm a fan of foreign indie films for example. However, my local triple play provider only keeps Hollywood blockbuster films for its video-on-demand (VOD) service, which does not interest me.

Forget the video store, it is the same situation as my service provider. Yes, I can order the film from Amazon or other online stores at a premium price and wait up to two to three weeks for delivery. However, in the meantime someone has posted a copy of the film on an online download site free of charge. And, from the description, it is an almost identical quality copy of the Blu-ray original.

This is a global problem. I believe that instead of taking the owners of illegal distribution sites to task, the studios would be in a much better position if they legitimised the downloading service. This way, they could control the content and artists would get paid. I am not talking about running the movie in some controlled format, streaming at lower resolution across the web either.

I want to have the choice to download the entire movie onto a USB memory stick and watch it on my 46" TV. Stream it to my PC or to deliver it by VOD via my service provider. Furthermore, I should be able to choose distribution providers for whatever content interests me and have the ability to shop around as I used to when there was a music store on every corner. In this era of "right now, right here" I don't want to wait by the letterbox for my movie or CD to turn up in the post!

So here is how I see the whole eco-system working.

Studios should produce the content, not lawsuits

File sharing sites like the Rapidshare and Megaupload should become licenced distribution partners of the studios, however, would eventually evolve more into an IMDb site but with downloads. The service providers which supply broadband connections should have a content caching agreement with the distribution partners. Nobody wants to wait for a movie to be pulled half way across the world.

The consumer, namely me, should have the choice of watching on demand movies and TV episodes with local commercials inserted into the content by my service provider for free like the way TV works except on my schedule. There should also be premium latest release content streamed by my service provider from whoever my distribution partner is, or I should be able to download it at a different cost for something I want to keep.

To me, this seems like a no brainer. I'm not wedged into content delivered by my local service provider. I have a choice as to whether I want to take the commercial free option or pay a premium or take the commercials and view for free. I have an option to pay a bit more and download a movie and store it on my terabyte USB drive and because these services are so interactive and straightforward, why would anybody want to pirate content any more? However, in order to make it work properly, the three major players - content providers, distribution partners and local ISPs, have to play nice together.

I can see the stumbling block to the solution still being the content owners, who still believe in the notion of a physical medium as the corner stone of their business. The reality today is that the physical disk medium is becoming obsolete, the industry as a whole needs to discover new methods of content distribution where the incentive to illegally file share has been removed.

Most people think that being in a relationship is always fun and easy - but the truth is, relationships require hard work and the best relationship tips. Staying in a good marriage may not be enough; you need to keep it exciting and romantic.

When you have been married for several years, you may find things to be a bit boring but if both of you are willing to work harder, you can improve your marriage and make it more passionate.

Enjoy cooking together

You can send your children to the grandparents (or relatives) and set a romantic dinner for two in your home. Cook a special dish and prepare it together. Have some music and just enjoy each other's company without any distractions. This is your great chance to laugh, talk, and just be with each other.

Go out on a date

One of the best relationship tips to keep your marriage exciting is to date your sweetheart. Being married does not mean that having romantic dinners should stop. Dating can help relive those wonderful moments you had when you were just starting the relationship. A romantic date can be a treasured moment when you can relax and leave all your worries and daily chores behind. The two of you can also go out with friends once a week for a cup of coffee or a great movie.

Try new things together

Couples in a long-term relationship usually find themselves in a routine life. While habitual activities cannot be prevented, you must be open to experiencing new things. You don't need to change jobs or change your address - just think of simple things or activities that you can both enjoy such as trying a new sport or a great restaurant that you haven't checked out. For a change, give your partner a surprise.

Call your partner even during office hours

You must have experienced those times when you were still new in the relationship wherein you want to call your sweetheart every minute of the day. Now that you're married or several years, take time to call her no matter how busy your schedule is. She will surely appreciate the gesture.

Kiss/hug your sweetheart more frequently

Showing your affection towards your partner is one of the best things you can do to keep your relationship going strong. Everybody enjoys some affection and without it, the relationship will be at risk. Therefore, to keep the love alive, make sure to show your affection to your partner, even in small ways. For instance, touch or brush her arm when you walk by her or kiss her cheek when she's busy with the laundry. While she's cooking, wrap your arms around her waist and just hug her for a while. Even these brief romantic moments can do wonders for your relationship.

Say something sweet every single day

If you don't want your marriage to turn sour, it is important to make an effort to tell her how much you love her regularly - or just tell her that you find her attractive still. There are a lot of ways to do this. You can leave her a note on the table, or any other conspicuous place in your home, telling her how much you love her. Send her a text message and tell her that you miss her.

You can easily find the best relationship tips out there and all you have to do is to be more flexible and take time in doing them in order to keep your relationship alive.

In this digital era, the mobile phones are becoming an important part of our lives and therefore nobody can deny the benefits of cell phones. Currently, the cell phone industry has become the million dollar business and it is continuously expanding. People are becoming technology dependent and they select to purchase the cell phones. If you are at work or went out for some shopping, it is important for you to stay connected with your family. Now, let us explore the benefits of using a cell phone in detail.

1. Stay Connected:
Besides many benefits of cell phones, the basic advantage is that we can always stay connected to our friends and family from anywhere and at any time. The days are gone when people used to stand in queues for long just to make an ISD or STD calls. Now, you can simply call to your loved ones from any corner of the world.

2. Short Messaging Service (SMS):
Initially when the SMS service was introduced, the management was not sure about the success of this service. Because if somebody has the facility to make a call then why would he take the pain to type the message? But surprisingly, nowadays SMSs are the most widely used service across the globe. There can be various situations when a person cannot make a call, so he can simply type the text message and it will be delivered.

3. Use of Cell Phones in case of Emergencies:
Suppose you are getting late for an important meeting due to the traffic jams or you have met with an accident; in such emergency scenarios, mobile phones are of great importance. You can easily ask for help via the cell phones.

4. Mini PC:
Nowadays, the mobile phones are playing almost an equivalent role as mini computers. The modern ones are provided with the Internet and Windows facility as well.

5. Simple and Easy Navigation:
Latest phones provide an option for navigation and the GPRS system. The user can never get lost if he has the cell phone that provides a facility for an easy navigation. It gives you the details of your destination.

6. Improve your Business:
Mobile phones provide a great help even at your business. With the mobile phone, you can stay connected to your employees and know about what is currently being done by your staff even if you are not there in the company.

7. Good Entertainment:
You don't need a TV or PC to get entertained if you have a mobile phone in your hand. You can click pictures, listen to music and play games in your mobile phones.

8. Data Transfer:
Currently, the cell phones are provided with the technologies like Infrared and Bluetooth which allow the users to transfer data within seconds.

9. Help in Legal Matters:
Nowadays, a large number of criminals are being held due to their phones. The police can track the criminal simply by tracking the location from where his cell phone is using the GPS (Global Positioning System). Additionally, the call records of the cell phones also provide information to the defense forces about the criminals.

10. Esteem and Fashion Statement:
The use of mobile phones has become a sign of prestige, esteem and fashion statement among the people. If you are using the latest handset then surely you can impress others, especially the youth.

In the end, I hope that the write-up would have increased your knowledge about the benefits of cell phones. Here, I would highly suggest you to stay updated with the current technology so that you can take a better advantage of the advancements in the field of IT.

Dancing lessons are fun. The whole purpose of them is to help you have fun and feel great about yourself. There are many styles of dance and many types of lessons that you are able to take for your enjoyment.

Private lessons are where you will get the most out of dancing. You will have the most focus and be able to retain the most knowledge of dance technique and style. You will get the most attention that you can get so you are able to perfect your moves and remember them to the best of your ability.

Group class instructions are a way for you to learn new steps and practice with a partner while you get in shape in a fun friendly atmosphere. It is also a great way to bond with your partner. You will get one on one time with your partner and learn to sync your movements together and grow as a dance couple or maybe even grow closer in general.

Practice sessions are maintenance sessions to keep your style and your moves fresh. You will be able to practice your skills with other students while you have fun and stay fit. Practice sessions usually last for about an hour and it's kind of a freestyle where you can show off your skills or practice new moves that you've learned. It really is a work out.

Wedding lessons are also available. To maximize your wedding experience and truly look like the bell of the ball you will want to be able to dance like one. Having lessons for your special moment is really going to help you with shining the way you should shine at your wedding. You will learn whatever type of dance you would like for your special dance on your special day. Professionals can even help you select the songs for your wedding.

They will help you with general and social dancing, choreography of dance routine custom to fit dress and shoes, private lessons with choreography, rehearsal of the first dance in a social setting, dance custom to fit all wedding locations, they can even have a professional at your wedding to help with the band music or review the first dance. Professionals will help get others involved in social dancing as well. They will focus a whole hour on you during their sessions. They want to make sure you look and feel great about your big day.

Children nowadays prefer to learn their school subjects in a more interactive way. Now it would be hard to teach your children mathematics or language through the conventional ways. The use of a computer or tablet in the learning process is very useful since children can use it to learn their school subjects in a fun way. A computer offers visual as well as audio features so that children can understand the subjects easily. One of the best learning tablets on the market is the LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer Learning Tablet, an interactive device specially designed for 4-9 year olds.

Key Features
This product covers numerous subjects such as science, mathematics, language, art, culture, music and more. The skill levels can be adjusted; it depends on your child's pace of learning. The tablet comes with 2GB of memory that enables you to install various applications such as ultra eBooks, Animation and Photo studios, and a Story Studio. The built-in camera and video recorder also make learning experience more interesting.

Design
The LeapPad has an attractive and child-friendly design. It is slim yet it can withstand dirty fingers or roughhousing. The rounded edges allows for comfortable and easy handling. Additionally, the 5-inch color touch screen display allows for interactive learning and gameplay.

Built-in Camera
One of the key features of the LeapPad is the rear-facing built-in camera. With the camera, children can take photographs of interesting things with ease. Children will also be able to edit and share their photographs easily with the help of the voice-guided instructions. No matter how many shots your child takes, LeapPad always has enough space to store them with its 2GB built-in memory.

Ultra eBook
The LeapPad features Ultra eBook that guides children to read correctly. Each book in Ultra eBook actually consists of three books. They come with different reading levels that can be adjusted based on your child's reading skills. This eBook also offers innovative activities that will improve your child's vocabulary.

A Learning Device That Entertains
This small tablet consists of more than 100 electronic books, videos, learning games and applications. These features will keep your child entertained while learning new things. The skill levels can be adjusted so that your child will learn at his own pace.

A Tool to Track Your Child's Progress
The Learning Path is an online tool that you can use to track your child's progress. With this tool, you can receive regular email updates to know your loved one's achievements.

Over the years, bass drumming has gone through many stages. Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich amazed the masses with their hand speed, but little attention was paid to their kick foot. Jazz drummers like Ed Shaughnessy began using double bass drum set ups in the 40's and 50's and rock drummers like Ginger Baker, Keith Moon and Carmine Appice made the double bass drum setup popular.

The creation of the "slave pedal" allowed drummers to have 2 beaters hitting one bass drum, allowing for smaller setups without sacrificing the double bass ability. The use of the double bass is predominant in heavy metal, death metal and punk music. There are 3 predominant playing styles for the bass drum pedal.

The first is the "heel-toe" technique. The technique allows a drummer to play two strokes in a single motion. It consists of two parts. First, the foot is suspended above the footboard of the pedal and the first of the two notes is played with the ball of the foot. Then, the foot snaps forward, the heel comes up and the toes complete the second stroke. This technique allows for rudiments to be played with the feet, as well as increased speed.

The second is the slide technique, in which the pedal is struck around the middle area with the ball of the foot. As the drum produces a sound, the toe is slid up the pedal. After the first stroke, the pedal will naturally bounce back, hit the toe as it slides upwards, and rebound for a second strike.

Of course, many drummers like simply using the flat foot technique, which simply applies the majority of the foot to the pedal, and only the heel is elevated slightly off the pedal. This method utilizes more muscle groups than either of the other 2 methods. It also relies more on repetition and less on "technique".

The great thing about double bass drumming and the various techniques is that there is no right answer and no wrong answer. It is all about personal preference. If you tallied up the most amazing drummers in the world, you would be able to find each technique in use. What works for one drummer doesn't always work for another drummer - this led to all of these inventions and techniques being created.

No matter which technique you decide to use, the important thing is to practice, practice, practice!

If you have decided to pursue an effective natural vision improvement program as an alternative to glasses, contacts or laser surgery, chances are that the very thought or idea of reducing or eliminating your dependency on them sounds very appealing to you. However, it's difficult to begin because your mind is bombarded with roadblocks as to why you can't achieve your vision improvement goals. In light of those concerns, here are some helpful tips that can remove obstacles that hinder you from the successful pursuit of your vision improvement program.

Time: The most common obstacle bar far is that life is so busy that it is difficult to incorporate eye exercises for better vision into your hectic daily schedule. Here is a way you can resolve this problem. Identify blocks of time during the course of your day when you do have time available and try to incorporate the techniques by fitting them in at these key particular times. Re-evaluate your priorities according to importance and make a natural eye care program one of these priorities.

You can fit in a routine that will help you in terms of improving your vision naturally, immediately upon waking in the morning. This is a time when your eyes are fresh and this time is generally ideal to perform the techniques. Fitting it in at this time decreases the likelihood of procrastination. The techniques are not time-consuming due to the fact that they only require 10-15 minutes to perform and the exercises are customized to suit your individual needs. If your watch has an alarm, you can set it to go off at a certain time of the day each day; that way you won't forget to perform the techniques. This also ensures consistency; one of the key factors in getting maximum results from the program in terms of improving your eyesight. As far as time is concerned, different people have different circumstances and situations. From this point of view, it is good to choose the appropriate schedule that works best for you.

It's a sacrifice that is too big to make: You make big sacrifices everyday in terms of setting aside time for your education and your career. Now, 10-15 minutes is most certainly, a comparatively smaller sacrifice considering the fact that all of these important activities could not be performed without healthy eyesight.

It takes too much effort to perform the program: The truth is that the program does require some effort on your part in order to see results. In order to achieve anything in life you have to put some effort into it in order to achieve it. However, on a positive note, when you compare eye exercises to improve vision to other regular physical exercise programs such as Bodybuilding for example, eye exercises are a walk in the park. In Bodybuilding you are lifting heavy weights in order to build muscle mass and strength and often, this requires a great deal of strenuous effort as workouts can be quite grueling. On the other hand, with eye exercises you are performing very simple and easy exercise routines that involve eye movements in different directions without the heavy lifting Bodybuilding requires. You can even perform the techniques while listening to your favourite music on your iPod as a source of motivation. This makes the techniques even more fun and enjoyable.

It's quite understandable that most of us have concerns and objections about pursuing an eye exercise program. Such factors relate to the following: insufficient time, concerns about the effort and sacrifice needed to pursue the program. Furthermore, as the saying goes: "where there's a will there's a way." The same principle applies to pursuing your vision improvement program. In other words, once you set your mind to something and realize just how vital a priority your eye health is, roadblocks, obstacles and excuses soon become irrelevant as you keep your eyes consistently on the target of achieving better natural vision; after all, if you believe in yourself, you can do it!

Android is a new and innovative OS, which is packed with lots of wonderful apps to use. For educational purposes, the android has lots of selections of apps.

The first application that we want to introduce is the RealCalc Scientific Calculator. This amazing app lets users calculate lots of equations and scientific calculations in modes such as bin/octal/dec and more. This app can also be used as a unit converter, allowing users to convert different units with one app. Looking for trigonometric functions? This app also supports even in rads and grads. Overall, this app is a must have for students or those who need a professional scientific calculator for everyday use.

Have you ever heard of Wolfram Alpha, a Wikipedia version for science? This app can be downloaded from Google Play Market, it lets users find the answer for many questions from physics, math's and even music. All the answers are trustworthy and will only display useful information. This is a recommendation for any teachers or students.

Looking for a Mind map app for the android system? The Thinking Space app is the rightful choice that lets users specify an effective thinking solution with a mind map. All the traditional features are kept with this app, such as note taking.

As we have gone through Wolfram Alpha, a Wikipedia version for science, we would like to recommend the WikiDroid, an app that lets users download articles from Wikipedia directly to android devices. This app is needed for those who have to look up Wikipedia occasionally or for those who want a professional app to look up information in Wikipedia.

If you need an English teacher to guide you with grammar, you may want Grammar, an android app that has useful information about English grammar such as general rules, words, misspelling, etc...

If you are a chemistry specialist or a student, who is learning chemistry, or you just simply love chemistry, give Chemistry, an android app a try. This app will point out lots of information about elements, compounds with simple user interface that allows you to learn how to use this program in such a short time.

Besides these wonderful programs for education, you may also want to download eBook reader apps, such as Kindle. There are also lots of apps about subjects such as math's, literature, history and more. To download these apps, just log in with your Google Account on Google Play Market and download. Some apps may require you to pay a small fee, but they are worth the money.

The educational apps for androids keep increasing every day. Be sure to check the Education Category in order to know more about what apps have just been released and what are currently popular on demand. Before purchasing or downloading any app, be sure to check the user reviews as well as comments to know which app is the best to download. There are also some websites about android apps, which will have lots of useful reviews about apps to buy and apps to download for Android devices.

Prior to moving to the Tampa Bay area of Florida, I lived in Cincinnati, Ohio for 17 years. During this period, I went to high school, graduated from college, and we started our business which we subsequently moved to Florida. Quite often I am asked to describe what life is like in the "Queen City," representing the city's nickname ("Queen City to the West" to be precise). I have lived in quite a few locations throughout the country, not to mention visiting many more, but Cincinnati was a unique experience that is difficult to describe; instead, you have an intuitive feeling that is difficult to articulate. Such is Cincinnati. There is just something "different" about it. It is certainly not like Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo, Akron, or any other city in Ohio. It is unique. For example, most cities have their airport near the downtown area; Cincinnati's is across the river in Kentucky, not Ohio. The airport designation "CVG" doesn't mean "Cincinnati Vicinity G???", but "Covington" instead (Kentucky) thereby representing an interesting political chapter in Cincinnati's history.

The city rests on the northern shores of the Ohio River in the Southwest corner of Ohio, adjoining Kentucky and Indiana making up the "Tri-State" area. It was settled in the late 1700's, and it was a frontier town that made good. So good, it quickly became the crossroads of America, where settlers traveled through on their way to the western frontier. The city prospered so much in the early days, the federal government seriously considered moving the capitol there after the British burned Washington during the War of 1812, thereby eliminating the potential of attack by the sea. This, of course, never transpired but Cincinnati continued to grow nevertheless. By 1870 it represented the mean center of U.S. population. Today, the Queen City is strategically located within a 700 mile radius of two-thirds of the industrial wealth of Canada and the United States, making it an ideal locale for conducting business.

The city has a strong German heritage based on immigrants settling there and setting up shop. Breweries grew, shipping and manufacturing proliferated, and for a long time was called "Porkopolis" because of the pork processing plants there. Even to this day, Cincinnati's strong work ethic, food, and general attitudes can be attributed to its German roots.

Seven hills surround the city making up a valley that traps pollutants and humidity, and explains why it has evolved into a "Sinus Gulch" where the inhabitants suffer from an annoying nasal "Sniff" heard throughout the day. During the summer, the weather can be stifling; in the winter, the valley can retain the cold. Spring and Autumn are perhaps the two most scenic and enjoyable seasons.

Cincinnati has a unique sight, sound, smell, and even taste to it. From an architecture perspective, the city has everything from massive mansions made of brick and hidden away in country settings, to simple turn-of-the century wooden structures with steep roofs and front porches that dominate the neighborhoods. Television is rather unique, or at least was a few years ago. Considerable television innovations originated from the Queen City and, for a long time, local talent dominated the channels with homespun humor and a blend of bluegrass and midwest music. Natives fondly remember people like Bob Braun, Paul Dixon, Bob Shreve, Glenn Ryle, and "The Cool Ghoul." However, celebrities such as Steven Spielberg, Jerry Springer, Doris Day, Roy Rogers, and the Clooney family all started here as well. Alas, the locals eventually gave way to national programming and the Cincinnati character faded from television screens. Fortunately, local radio stations still feature homegrown personalities.

Over the years Cincinnati has had many breweries due to its German heritage. One by one, they were all pushed aside by national brewers. Names like Burger, Hudepohl, Schoenling, and Wiedemannn slowly faded away. In terms of food, Cincinnatians enjoy their restaurants. Since there are no real glamor places to relax locally, particularly in winter, there isn't much to do but tuck away the groceries. In addition to having some of the finest restaurants in the country, the fare is based on its "Porkopolis" past, featuring a variety of sausages, ribs, and a breakfast meat called "Goetta" which is similar to Philadelphia Scrapple, but made with pinhead oats instead. Cincinnati chili is also unique. Do not expect a bowl of hot spicy meat. Instead, it is served on a bed of spaghetti, with a layer of onions, a layer of kidney beans, and topped with a bed of grated American cheese.

Even driving around town is strangely different in Cincinnati. Instead of a cut-throat rush hour in the morning, Cincinnatians seem to just quietly go about their business in the morning and possess an intuitive understanding of every twist, turn, and back alley to be navigated in the city. It is also common to see motorists stop to give aid to other motorists in trouble.

What this all adds up to is a strong sense of neighborhood in Cincinnati which took me a long time to figure out. At first it seems elitist in nature. The citizens genuinely love their hometown, particularly their sports teams (e.g, the Reds and Bengals), local celebrities, and hometown boys and girls that make good on the national stage. It's no small wonder many people grow up and never leave Cincinnati, nor understand why people want to leave. It's very introverted in this regard. Should you move to the area, as we did many years ago, you must adapt to the culture for it will certainly not adapt to you.

Not surprising, Cincinnati is conservative in both its thinking and politics. They simply do not like to change. This has hurt them on more than one occasion, particularly the downtown area which has lost considerable business over the years to Northern Kentucky. When I return to my old neighborhood there, it is like time has stood still; nothing of substance has changed. I know where everything is and all of the names of the families. Although I've been gone for over a quarter of a century now, it is like I never left. Although it may take an act of God to implement a change to Cincinnati, such as a new building, road or restaurant, the citizens remarkably embrace it. On the one hand, Cincinnatians give the appearance of being "stick in the muds", but on the other they are some rather creative innovators and inventors. In addition to television and radio, Cincinnati is home to massive jet engines, consumer products, machine tools, banks and insurance companies, and some rather impressive computer technology. Their strong and determined work ethic, coupled with a competitive imagination, and strategic location in the country to conduct business, makes Cincinnati a stable work environment.

As an aside, it is relatively easy to recognize a person from the Queen City. They will say "Please?" instead of "I beg your pardon?" or "Huh?" I haven't heard this specific idiom used anywhere else in this context. Also, true native Cincinnatians tend to say "CincinnatAH" as opposed to "CincinnatEE." It's a dead giveaway as to their roots. "Sniff".

Keep the Faith!

The large variety of e-readers, tablets and smart phones that can download and store e-books is having a major impact on the demand for e-books. E-books or digital books have already outpaced the sale of hardback and paperback books combined on Amazon. For a number of reasons, this trend is expected to keep growing and should be a great benefit for most of us.

Over 1 million books, magazines and newspapers are already available on Amazon alone in digital form and Apple and Barnes & Noble certainly don't intend to miss out on this massive market. These e-books can be accessed by e-readers, computers, tablets and smart phones.

The newly released Kindle reader from Amazon offers a 6 inch display screen, Wi-Fi, 2 gigabytes of storage and can hold 1,400 e-books in its memory. All these features are available for only $79 which now opens this market to many more customers than the more expensive previous models.

If you want more functionality from a reader that is readily available too. Amazon releases its new tablet, the Kindle Fire, on November 15. It offers a 7 inch full-color touch screen, dual core processor, web browsing, movies, music, free cloud storage, millions of available books and 8 GB of internal storage. One of the most impressive features of this tablet is that it is only $199 and the huge demand for this tablet has even stunned Amazon.

Barnes & Noble is also about to release its Nook tablet at a price of $250 and of course Apple has the iPad2 which starts at $499. Panasonic is also about to release its tablets. The 10 inch Toughpad will reportedly be priced at $1,299. So no matter how demanding you are, you should be able to find a reading device that can fit both your needs and your budget.

Although all of these reading devices are very impressive and may be on your Christmas wish list, if you just want access to these e-book resources you are in luck. Amazon offers free Kindle Reader apps for your computer (PC & Mac) and even smart phones that allow you to access this growing mass of knowledge and entertainment available in e-books. Even most best selling novels are now available as e-books for discounted prices.

Amazon Cloud storage for your e-books is also now available on the Chrome, Firefox and Safari browsers.

This e-book technology is a wonderful convenience for our personal entertainment and reference needs but imagine the huge improvements it could soon mean to our school and university systems. Students could have all their textbooks stored on an easy to carry reader or tablet instead of wrestling with a heavy backpack everyday. Any time a text needed to be updated, the changes could simply be made over the Internet instead of the expense of buying a new edition of a hardback textbook.

I'm sure that there will be a lot of resistance from the textbook publishers but there are just too many advantages for this new technology not to succeed. Just look at how laptop computers have become indispensable in schools over the last few years.

Another surprising development with the massive growth in the e-book market is a challenge for Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Apple to meet the increasing demand for new content. Over the past three years e-book sales have increased by 1,247% and sales are expected to triple from the current level over the next three years.

This has presented a great opportunity for aspiring authors, writers and experts to get their work exposed to millions of readers seeking information and entertainment. Some have already become wealthy from writing how-to tutorials, novels and short stories that sell on Amazon from $0.99 to $9.99. One 26 year old woman, Amanda Hocking, has become a millionaire pumping out romantic fantasy adventures that her young audience devours in huge numbers.

Whether you are looking for some expert instruction, a good story or an audience for your writing, the quickly expanding e-book tidal wave can be your solution.

I think a very good method to raise self-esteem is working out /exercising. Nothing makes you feel better about yourself than a good workout. Also doing other things for yourself helps, like buying new clothes, getting a haircut and other stuff like that. Also going out with friends or going out on dates makes you feel great.

Working out has been a very good influence in these couple of weeks. Thus far I am rehearsing my ability to step out of my comfort zone and do new things. Courage really helps in creating self esteem and basically enlarges the psychological boarders of the freedom to choose.

For those thinking about working out in the means of running or cycling there is a really great app on the market called "Run Keeper." It offers a lot of functionality and different stats. By GPS it tracks your distance and time, besides that it shows the calories you have burned. You can add certain goals to it that you want to work on and there actually is also the possibility to join a community by making a street team. The amount of offered service is very high. The free version is more than enough for me anyway and it can give a lot of pride and feelings of accomplishment when looking at the results and posting runs onto Facebook or twitter.

Here are a few things to think about to make you feel better!

Positive environment, people, sunlight, music.

Positive thoughts, optimistic, sunny, bubbly

Acting in a confident way, walking taller, dressing smarter, smiling

Acting can lead to the feeling can lead to the thinking

Achieving something, accomplishing a goal however small

Environment is such an important factor, being aware of this is really half of the thing I do believe. Did you know that your physiology (the way you carry yourself) has a direct impact on your mood? When someone is feeling bad they automatically take a certain posture and breathing rate that's typical for that state. Yet when feeling bad and training yourself to remind yourself to keep a straight posture and keep breathing deeply can really improve how you feel. Partly because of this reason I think that practicing of yoga, meditation, mindfulness or actually also sports is so important. Things that have a positive impact on body and breathing awareness really help to stimulate on conscious competence and promote better feelings overall without much direct effort in the moment.

Listen to self-hypnosis tracks first thing in the morning (before I kick start the day) which is basically a guided daydreaming experience. That way I make sure I start my day with some positive fantasizing exercise. I really believe in the power of visualizing and day dreaming, and as a teenager, unaware of their positive effects, I would fantasize about my ideal future just before falling asleep, but these days, with the load of work and responsibility adulthood brings with it, it is quite difficult for it to happen on its own, so I found that, even if I don't get to do any day dreaming during the day, the small dose in the morning is enough to motivate me.

Self reflection. Always have a pen and notepad on me, and I jot down self-reflecting thoughts that come to my head, so I always make time for my inner philosopher.

Self-reflection at night time is also always the way to end your day on a high note. Even if you have felt horrible through out the day, just before it comes to an end, you turn things round and make something positive out of it, i. e. you learn from the day.

Also I find that weekly challenges that put your courage to test can be an excellent confidence booster.

According to science the amount of self esteem is linked to the amount of courage someone is willing to invest. Every unit of courage spent will pay back in self esteem.

Jack Canfield summed it up very nicely. It's like a stack of poker chips. When you would be playing at a table and your stack would be high, then you would be willing to take more risks and participate. The real deal is to raise your stacks of confidence to participate in life more.

Meditation is a very good way to develop confidence and self esteem. It's far from a quick-fix method, but the daily investment someone would be willing to make could sum up to a tenfold return over time.

Meditation promotes non judgement, calmness and patience. This creates space for new ideas and more room for self examination in a more eased way. With time someone can really understand himself through this process and instead of be acted upon by external events, just choose his response in a detached and emotionally more stable way. Why I also think this is so important is because the quality of thoughts determine the quality of our lives. The quality of our decisions ultimately make our future.

I hope this helps some people!

Michael Schumacher, a seven time World Champion is a German Formula One driver. He is one of the famous champions, well known for his racing. The number of races he has taken up so far is 304 with 91 tremendous wins. He started his Formula One racing successfully in the year 1991 with Benetton F1 team. He switched on to Ferrari team in the year 1996, up to 2005 he was driving for Ferrari team with consecutive winnings. In the year 2006, he retired from F1 but joined as Formula One advisor with Ferrari. Later in the year 2010, he signed up a three year contract with Mercedes GP team and returned back to racing again.

Schumacher career as a racer is a wonderful journey without any controversies. He is the only racer who has achieved too many records with a huge inspiration. He has gone through several injuries and accidents. He is extremely known for his quality and success. Apart from his success and stardom, he has also gone through lots of penalties when it comes to racing.

Michael Schumacher at the Indian Grand Prix

It was a great honour for Indian fan to have such a legend of F1 to race in the Indian Grand Prix. He finished in the 5th position by scoring 10 points in 2011 Indian GP. When asked about his thoughts of racing in India, Schumacher said "I have always been curious to get to know new cultures, so I am looking forward to travelling to India as I haven't been there." After finishing his race for the year 2011, "The Formula 1 debut of India last year was certainly a success," said Schumacher. He is also excited and awaiting for the Indian GP, 2012.

Amazing Facts about Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher has a lucky pendant, and it is noted that he does not drive without this pendant.
He is not interested in letting his son to take up f1 racing but he will advice him for some other sports like golf or tennis.
He likes to design cars and has done some designing for the Ferrari.
He does not have any friends in Formula One.
He does not talk with his brother Ralf Schumacher, who is also a racer.
He has a unique character or hobby of collecting watches.
Michael Schumacher Latest News

Schumacher couldn't make a victory in the three years with Mercedes team. "I thought that two years was sufficient time to take the title," Schumacher told, "It was a team that had just won the world championship, and was now a big name as Mercedes. I thought that, if we put two and two together, we would drive it forward towards that end. But it did not succeed."

Michael Schumacher is looking forward to return back to India for the upcoming Indian Grand Prix, 2012. He stated that "There were a surprising amount of fans during the weekend, and the track itself really is cool. We drivers were given a very enthusiastic reception, and it will be interesting to see if this enthusiasm has remained as strong."

He has made an official announcement regarding his retirement at the end of this season, 2012. He said "Bye bye to Formula One racing".

Schumacher's Hobbies

Riding horses
Skiing
Swimming
Tennis
Football
Soccer
Yachting
Jogging
Michael Schumacher Favorites

Food: Italian food
Music: Rock
Singer: Michael Jackson, Collins
Drink: Apple Juice with mineral water
Schumi loves pets and he has rabbits, horses, turtles, and dogs at his farm in Switzerland.
He enjoys smoking cigars and drinking wine.
He loves soccer and even he plays for a Swiss team.
Awards

ADAC Motorsports Personality of the Year, 1992
Golden Steering Wheel Award, 1993
AvD Sports Award, 1994
German Sports Personality of the Year, 1995
Silver Laurel Award, 1997
Golden Lion Award, 1997
World Sport Award, 2001
Champion of Champions, 2001
World Sports Personality of the Year, 2002
Champion of Sports, 2002
European Sports Personality of the Year, 2002
Honorary Ambassador for the Republic of San Marino, 2003
World Sports Personality of the Year, 2004
Sports Personality of the Century, 2004
Prince of Asturias Award for Sport, 2007
Knighthood in the Legion of Honour, 2010
GQ Sportsman of the Year, 2010
Social Contribution

Michael Schumacher Social Contribution mainly involved in charity and helping the poor and under privileged children with education and health facilities. Some of the organizations that he is associated with are:

UNICEF
Red Cross
UNESCO
All the above information about Michael Schumacher has clearly indicates that he one of the worldwide personality. As a most successful F1 driver, he has created a great impact in f1 and also stood as an inspiration for the upcoming racers.

Believe it or not, there are a few common misconceptions about beat making software that keeps some of the best artists, DJs, singers, battle rappers, producers, and Hip Hop groupies at bay when it comes to taking their beats to the next level. The truth of the matter is, you don't have to have a million dollar studio or a full band to make your own beats-just a simple, but high quality software program designed for your personal computer. For all the beat gurus out there who keep hearing that sound in your head and are just itching to get it out, keep reading, this article is for you.

Three common misconceptions about beat making software for your PC are:

1. Beat making software is too complicated, and I don't know much about computers.

2. Beat makers don't produce the quality beats that sound like the professionals playing in the studios and on the radio.

3. I don't have the money for a beat maker.

Let's address each misconception in detail. To begin, if you've made your way to this article, then you have enough computer literacy to get started on the beat making software without a hitch. A good software will do most of the dirty work for you when it comes to the technical aspects of the industry. All you need to do to get started is focus in on the few introductory training videos that will walk you through the components of the software and how to maximize every tool. Even then, if you feel stuck at any time, a good beat making software will have a customer support team ready to answer your questions as soon as you call. The software designers built the program with the customer in mind, keeping the learning curve to the minimum and making the instrumentation accessible to all levels of computer users.

Moving right along, specific kinds of beat makers are capable of making the same high quality sounds as what you hear on the radio or in professional studios. The key here is doing your research and understanding that many of the free downloads you're tempted to go for in the beginning might not be the best bet. To get the high quality sound, you'll want to verify that the beat making software you purchase uses.wav files that have 44.1 studio sound; steer clear of the compressed MP3 files as those won't guarantee the highest quality sound.

Lastly, you don't have to buy a studio or ever purchase all those expensive musical instruments to make that beat set that's rocking in your head. Beat making software is very affordable. The technological advances in computers have made beat making software accessible to your PC, and best yet, many of the top software programs can be purchased for less than $40. Don't let money stop you from taking the next step towards your dream. The world is just waiting to hear what you'll produce. Get out there and lay some new beats!

Running an event is hard enough without the constant threat of gatecrashers. Whether your organising a small party for 100 people, or a large music festival for 100,000, gatecrashers are never far behind and will go to extreme lengths to enter your event.

The key to preventing this is determining how you can identify visitors and patrons who are authorised to attend your event. The main criteria for any means of identification, and the things that you must consider carefully are:

1. Transferrability - how important is it that the means of identification cannot be transferred from one person to another. Why? Because it is common at festivals for one person to enter, obtain a wristband and then find a way to get that same wristband off their wrist, over a fence and on to a friend, who can then enter the event for free. Lost revenue alert!

2. Difficulty to replicate - how likely is it that your means of identification will be forged/replicated? You would be amazed at how common this is. Some festivals report that replica wristbands appear at their event within 3 hours of the genuine wristbands being released. The key here is that some styles are far easier to replicate than others, and we'll cover this below.

3. Cost - what is your budget? How long is a piece of string you ask? Identification products come in a wide range of price brackets, but the most expensive options are not always the most secure.

Key tools to prevent access to your event

So, keeping the above in mind, what are the 5 key tools available to prevent unauthorised access to your event?

Wristbands

Wristbands are used at almost every festival in the world, as well as parties, business events and others. They provide a cost effective means to identify patrons, but it should be noted that not all wristbands are created equal! So, what wristband options are available to you?

1. Tyvek wristbands - Tyvek is a synthetic material but is commonly referred to as 'paper wristbands' much to the annoyance of those companies that manufacture it! It is textured and generally available in 1 inch (25mm) and 3/4 inch (19mm) sizes, and in a wide variety of colours and patterns, depending on the supplier. Tyvek is popular because it is cheap, non transferrable (if you buy good quality) and waterproof, because it can be custom printed quickly and easily, allowing for fast turnaround times if you have left your order a little late. Use Tyvek when your event is a single day event and when you don't need your wristband to be 'sexy'.

2. Plastic and vinyl wristbands - Ideal for multi-day events, they will generally come with a single use clip that means it is non transferrable. Be mindful to ask your supplier whether they use UV inks, as this will prevent smearing of your logo and text on the wristband. These bands can also be printed in full colour to provide a digital quality print, perhaps ideal for your VIP's or a small party.

3. Woven wristbands - Now we get to higher security level wristbands. Woven wristbands are used at big festivals and events, though primarily those held over multiple days. Key tips are to make sure you only use properly woven wristbands, not wristbands that have simply been printed on - the design must be physically woven in to the wristband to prevent replicas appearing, and to only utilise secure slide locks/toggles. Woven bands are secured using a slide lock/toggle that cannot be reversed, but even within this category there are wide discrepancies in the quality of slide locks available.

4. Barcoded wristbands, and RFID wristbands - see sections further down.

Lanyards with ID Cards

Lanyards and ID cards provide the simplest form of identification, but remember that a lanyard is, of course, very easy to transfer from one person to another. It is best to therefore keep these limited to staff at events, or for conferences and business events. Custom print your lanyard to increase it's security and to prevent replicas.

ID Cards are more versatile that you may first think. Ask your supplier to propose a completely unique card with options for a totally different size, or with holograms, transparent sections, barcodes, metallic inks, signature panels, sequential numbering, variable data (including photos) and more - a simple ID card can be taken to another level, attached to a customised lanyard, and form part of a very unique identification solution.

Barcodes

Whatever wristband or ID card you choose, the additional of barcodes can increase your level of security immensely. Commonly, two methods are used here:

1. The dummy barcode - a barcode can be added to an identification product purely to scare away parties looking to replicate the product. It is not used at the event, or scanned at any time, but it is placed on the wristband to deter forgeries.

2. Genuine, unique barcodes - each wristband or ID card can incorporate a completely unique barcode that ties in with a scanning and access system at your event. Unique barcodes can be placed on almost all wristbands, and certainly on ID cards, but the main challenge here is sourcing a low cost barcode scanning system and equipment that can run this for you. But, with online apps and smartphones improving all the time, this is getting more affordable all the time.

RFID technology

Ah, the holy grail of event identification. RFID refers to Radio Frequency Identification and it has primarily been used in the past within the logistics industry to track stock. In recent months, festivals and conferences have started utilising the technology, but only until recently has it become genuinely affordable to do so. So far, only big events with even bigger budgets have taken this step, but lots of event organisers are beginning to ask the question - is RFID right for us?

In this article, we're talking about preventing gatecrashers, so let's focus on that. Yes, RFID wristbands are excellent tools for this. Each wristband is encoded to a visitor either prior to, or at the event, and from that moment on, the access control system at the event remembers that wristband A belongs to visitor A. Event systems can therefore record where patrons are at any given time (assuming they have scanned in), and it means that replica bands are taken off the table completely.

The problem still remains though of transferrance. Even with the RFID chip, the wristband may still be removed and passed to another patron over a fence, or via other means.

The above are 5 core identification products used at events. All have strengths and weaknesses, and their relative costs vary greatly. So what other tips and hints can be passed on to help keep your event as secure as possible?

Additional pointers

1. Keep your identification designs within a close knit group at your event. The more people that have access, especially to the files, the greater chance there is of a leak and of the design becoming public knowledge. This equals disaster!

2. Release your identification to patrons as late as logistically possible. At all costs, try to avoid sending out important ID prior to the event.

3. Change your designs from year to year - this will keep potential gatecrashers on their toes! Use different colours and change your artwork.

4. Ask your supplier about additional security features such as microtext, sequential numbering, metallic inks and threads etc

5. Use a supplier that does as much of the work as possible in-house. Be wary when a supplier sources the product from one place, prints at another place and does design work at yet another place. Too many groups involved!

6. Be creative - have fun with your designs and artwork. Remember, everything you produce is also a mini advertisement for your event and brand!

Stick to these tips and tools and your event will be secure!

Some of the best WordPress themes are premium themes, meaning you have to pay a small amount of money for the theme but it will generally be far more customisible and easy to monetize.

Monetizing a website is easy with WordPress themes. A premium theme might have the ability for users to buy items from your websites shops or to pay to list their own items for sale.

Classified advertising themes and business directory themes are examples of themes which can be monetized from users who post content on your website and pay to do so.

Ecommerce or online store themes are generally known in the web design industry as WordPress shop themes.

A WordPress shop theme allows the monetization to come from selling items or selling downloadable products like ebooks or music.

When choosing a theme think of its overall flexibility and ease of use, a website which runs itself would be be brilliant but most sites need a little maintenance to get of the ground. WordPress is great from setting up websites fast and easy, and by simply installing a theme you can create working website in minutes even if you have never used WordPress before.

A WordPress premium theme, once installed will usually provide new options for managing your website and it will make life easily when it comes to added new products or handling sales.

Another way a WordPress website can make you money if you buy a premium theme which allows you to include Google ads or advertising from other online ad networks.

You generally get money whenever someone clicks an ad on your site, so if you get a ton of traffic it can give your site extra income without doing a thing!

WordPress premium themes generally range in price from FREE to $300 with customized WordPress themes costing far more at around $5000.

If you are looking to design multiple websites for clients or for your own online businesses then buying the developers licence is a good idea. A developers licence is available from most of the premium themes and it is well worth the value as you have the rights to sell more websites using the theme.

Developers licences sometimes include photoshop files so the WordPress website can be easily edited. Developers will generally use a themes functions but change the css files to make a customised theme.

Get a theme to include all the functions your WordPress website will ever need to generate online business and make you online money!

Advertising is a highly specialized field and it is also very important in ensuring your company's success. Whether you work for a large corporation or own your own home-based business, you are bound to require the services of a good advertising company. If you are planning to hire the best ad agency, then you should certainly use the following tips:

1. The agency has plenty of experience dealing with a company like yours: This will ensure that the agency has a good understanding of what environment your business operates in. If you are in the music business then your agency should have detailed knowledge about this industry.

2. The agency is able to take care of all your advertising needs: There is more to promoting a product than just using advertising. Besides, there are many different media that can be used from time to time. A good advertising agency should be able to help you create print, radio and television ads. Each of these media requires different styles of advertisements. A good ad agency will have plenty of employees on board so that it is able to meet all your requirements.

3. The agency is able to offer you personalized attention: You'll need to be able to count on your advertising agency to offer you prompt service. A good way to ensure this is to select an agency that is more or less comparable with the size of your company. If yours is a small business then it is best that you hire an agency of the similar size. If you hire a very large company then you might not get the personalized attention you deserve; these companies normally reserve their best resources for large clients.

4. The company should have expertise in internet marketing: The field of marketing has changed tremendously over the past few years. If your ad agency cannot help you promote your business on the internet then you will not get the maximum benefit from it. Keep in mind that increasingly large numbers of people use the internet for getting information and entertainment.

Each client has different criteria when it comes to selecting the best ad agency. Make sure that you understand your needs properly so that you can make a proper selection. If you have the services of the best ad agency, then you can stay rest assured to aim higher in life with absolutely no issues to pop up.

HECKLER: They all sound the same.
NEIL YOUNG: It's all one song.
Year of the Horse (1997)

I am quite aware that most of the articles posted by me have a tendency to gravitate towards the same theme. If you've read one article, you've read them all. The reason for this is that once the common denominator in life has been discovered, everything is merely a riff on the same theme. All music is played with a combination of just twelve notes.

From one corner of the globe to the other, philosophers, mystics, and wise men, have arrived at the same understanding. They have come to recognise that every man is essentially two men - their authentic and their inauthentic self. "Every one of us human beings has two minds," explains the Mexican shaman don Juan in Carlos Castaneda's The Active Side Of Infinity, "One is totally ours, and it is like a faint voice that always brings us order, directness, purpose. The other mind is a foreign installation. It brings us conflict, self-assertion, doubts, hopelessness." It is two minds battling it out. Your dominant personality is not the real you. It is the you you think you need to be in order to survive this shared experience we call life.

In various ways the different cultures all teach that we must get to know the real self. Something is blocking the good in us. By means of some form of internal investigation, we must get rid of the old and allow the new - the real you - to thrive and live. They all include some form of spiritual awakening, a realisation. In Buddhism they might refer to the noble eightfold path, or the middle way, and man's journey to reach Nirvana - a profound peace of mind that is acquired with liberation. For the Hindu, this might be the concept of man becoming one with God, wherein the inherent divinity of man is recognised. The shaman of the Yaqui Indian tribe in Mexico talk about Infinity and total freedom. Infinity is the same as the Hebrew God, Jehovah. His name, for all intents and purposes, means I am what I am. It is rendered in the active state. Just a small example of the similarity between various cultures all teaching the same path if man is ever to experience the real life.

Jesus understood these truths. He tried to use terminologies an inquisitive Israelite could grasp: Prayer, instead of meditation; repentance, for the need to understand oneself; forgiveness, for the need to let the inauthentic go; death and resurrection for getting rid of the old self and allowing the new to live. It seems he had experienced his own spiritual awakening. No doubt Jesus had tried to explain his own revelation which later was reported as, "The heavens opened up and a dove descended." Intensely personal experiences conveyed by Jesus and subsequently turned into religious phenomena by a community that could not let go of the past. He said, "I was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel," because he felt no reason to be concerned with other cultures. They would all discover their own version of the same truth, if they hadn't done so already. Even the Greeks had their Socrates, who had taught, "The unexamined life is not worth living."

The western world thinks it has a more superior grasp of these matters because it claims to have tested them scientifically, but all it has succeeded in doing is filling up books with a divers range of psychological problems, labelled and categorised, which may or may not be able to be treated with drugs. Cognitive therapy becomes just one in a number of ways that mental unease can be addressed. Our capitalist society has turned it into a multi-million dollar industry. It has incorporated it into the field of medicine and bracketed it under therapy and psychoanalysis. So now people are encouraged to "see someone" if they confess that they might be suffering from depression. They have managed to turn a yearning for the spiritual into a disease of the mind.

Part of this is because we live in an age of litigation. No one wants to feel responsible for anyone else's well-being. They are not going to be held accountable should anything go wrong. You'll soon know who your real friends are if you try raising any touchy-feely subject matter. If they drop it like an unwanted baby, you'll know you're in the company of little more than an acquaintance.

After outlining what to look for in a therapist, Dorothy Rowe says, "There are such therapists around. I call them good friends."

Good friends let us be ourselves. Good friends are our equals, and when they help and comfort us we do not feel belittled. As children we were belittled quite enough. (The Successful Self)

M. Scott Peck would agree with this conclusion. In The Road Less Travelled, he states, "If we genuinely love our spouse, our parents, our children, our friends, if we extend ourselves to nurture their spiritual growth, should we be practising psychotherapy with them? My answer is: Certainly."

This is all in harmony with Jesus' reference to himself as a "physician". Today, however, nobody is in a position to imitate Jesus and his model as a physician because such a position has been hijacked by the professional sector. Today, Jesus would not be able to repeat what he was able to do in his own day. He certainly wouldn't be able to last two or three years doing it. To experience what Jesus might have gone through, try this experiment: Go into the town square, sit on a bench, and strike up a conversation with people. Gently probe into their lives. Get them to talk about themselves and their relationships, casually dropping in advice and suggestions. If you want to fast-track the process, make yourself a placard that announces, "Free Counselling," and simply be willing to sit and wait for the inquisitive to ask about it. How long do you think it would be before the authorities were alerted? Days? Weeks? Months?

You might be interrogated as to what qualifies you to offer counsel. Love? Compassion? These are not relevant qualifications. So, if you got the necessary qualifications could you then go out into the town square and offer counselling free of charge? You would come under fire for undermining those who charge for their services. Besides that, these days "free" tends to be synonymous with, "of poor quality". Jesus statement, "You received free, give free," is merely a testament to his bargain-basement pop-psychology. It is vulgar to get anything for free. The more one pays, the better quality one expects. We tend to overlook the fact that there are other ways to pay for something besides with money. How much in time and effort are you willing to pay to discover the real you?

Jesus supposedly was derided for being unschooled. He did not have the necessary qualifications. His method of lifting the blame from off the shoulders of people by telling them, "Your sins are forgiven" - in other words, "It's not your fault" - was not approved by the national board of directors. Even Christianity could not bear his lack of official qualifications and they get round this by saying he was qualified by God.

Ironically, nobody can be qualified by God today without first passing through their theological colleges, thereby effectively returning us to square one, so that if anyone was to offer spiritual counselling they too would be derided for being unschooled.

The majority of mankind is out of harmony with itself. It is not in tune with God - Infinity, Allah, Brahman, the Spirit, or any other derivation that comes to mind. Harmonising is done one instrument at a time, and it cannot be put into the hands of a third party. You can only accomplish on your own. The way we do it is by listening to don Juan's advice to Carlos Castaneda:

• Recapitulate: Like repentance, this is a life review. Don Juan strongly suggests making a list of every person you know and recall everything you can about them.


• Make an album of memorable events. This is not just a nostalgic jaunt down memory lane. Your album of memorable events is "an act of war". You need to prize out the painful element, the aspects that contributed to creating the inauthentic you.


• Already you can hear your own voice of dissent. You are telling yourself every reason why a recapitulation is unnecessary. This is only to be expected. Your inauthentic self knows that its days are numbered. It is the end of an era, the end of a system of things, and it will not give up without a fight. "Infinity always puts us in this terrible position of having to choose," says don Juan, "We want infinity, but at the same time, we want to run away from it. You want to tell me to go jump in a lake, but at the same time you are compelled to stay. It would be infinitely easier for you just to be compelled to stay."


• Look out for the usher. You will suddenly and vividly remember an event from your life. This will be the breakthrough and it will contribute to unlocking all the rest. I like to imagine that the experience Jesus had as a twelve-year-old was his usher.


• While all this is going on, build up a record of inner silence. As often as you can, sit in silent contemplation. Call it prayer, call it meditation, call it whatever you want. Every quiet moment counts as a contribution toward your record of inner silence.

As you can see, we have managed to return to the recurring theme, and I make no apology for it. For the sake of anyone who might happen upon this unassuming website, I'll keep on playing the same tune over and over.

Online news footage is a great way to dramatically improve the quality of your video. With online news, you gain instant attention, recognition, and a professional flair to just about any project. With all the newsworthy events going on each day, there is plenty of opportunity to add online footage to your video-whether for a product promotional video, an instructional video, or simply a year-in-review company video.

Here are a few tips for the best use of online news footage:

Maximize on motion. The most attention-grabbing portion of a news clip is the portion with the most action. This is the kind of footage you want to include in your video. In other words, capture the action of the news (not the news anchor talking about the action). The more action your video contains, the more engaging it will be.

Sound is not as important as the visual. Keep in mind that some online footage may come without sound. Often, news footage with sound creates a cluttered and confusing feel to the video. Unless you are showing a speech or something similar, provide your own sound, voiceover, or music.

Creatively use CGI. Online news footage is great for background imagery, but you can also add your own images, action, and text to the screen. Use computer-generated imagery, and add unique elements to the footage.

Create custom transitions. Another way to add ownership and uniqueness to the stock footage is to create transitions that provide your own signature to the video.

Cut, splice, move, and rearrange. Many online news clips are as long as thirty seconds. This length provides plenty of footage to move portions of the clip to different areas of your video. You can get more mileage out of a single episode of news footage by breaking it up with text, other scenes, or narrators.

Use labels. In order to keep your online news footage in line with the video you are creating, it is important to use onscreen text. For example, insert text that reads, "2010: Haiti Earthquake" to orient your viewers to the event that they are watching.

Shorter is better. The legendary "two-second rule" for showing stock clips is not a hard-and-fast rule, but it does suggest a good rule of thumb. Keep things moving.

There is plenty of online news footage available, and you won't run out. Keep the scenes fresh, and rotate clips every few seconds... even if it's not exactly two.

Videos are the highest form of media today. Videos can channel everything that people want to see. It can be used to portray movies, music videos, instructions, instructional, and even personal memories. The use of video in today's society is really reaching an all-time high. We all know that even in advertising and marketing, videos are being used. Truly, marketing has picked up the modern developments of today's time. Using videos for marketing and advertising is truly an amazing way to reach the masses and to succeed in a dog-eat-dog competitive industry.

Why are videos so effective in marketing? Well, the answer to that is real simple. We people react and sense via our five senses (not to mention common sense). Through all channels of media, video is the most effective as it taps to both our sight and hearing. Watching such advertisements embedded with some entertaining is truly an effective approach. In addition to the effective appeal of the video to the masses, when you introduce it to a publicly accessible place, the possibilities are infinite. When we say the internet is a public space for expression, it does not simply mean accessible to some people. The internet is a portal that is open to millions of people; do you now see why online video marketing is bound for success?

The internet is home to a massive population of "Netizens". If someone or something wants to be noticed, the internet is a friend. Though at times, it can backfire, the internet never fails to deliver what you want to deliver to a multitude of crowds. Online video marketing can reach people anywhere on the globe. Companies and businesses now consider online video marketing as one of the most efficient approaches to advertisements. Everyone would agree that almost everyone found one single viral video in the internet. The power of this portal is unimaginable. There are a lot of people who have been recognized through the use of internet. This fame is available to anything, even business promotions.

With several massive video sites running in the world-wide-web, it is easy to make people notice your video. One of the biggest sites today is a video streaming site. It is home to almost any video you can think of. Whatever you want to see, just type it in the search bar and you will definitely see it. Plus, you can start throwing in the factor of social media sites. With these options, your online video marketing approach is sure to reach your preferred crowd. As long as you know your way around marketing and the internet, no one can stop you!

Even though we all face dying, this is a topic we don't want to think about, let alone talk about. It seems too morbid! But do you want all those hard decisions thrust upon your family in such a difficult time? Do not leave the decision making to them, have your wishes down in writing.

Or perhaps you have recently lost a loved one and are having to deal with all the decision making and arrangements. At such a difficult time when you are in mourning and cannot think straight, it would be good to have a list to refer to and give some direction on what to do. Here is that list to make this difficult time easier for you or your loved ones.

1. Notify Authorities

If someone dies outside of the hospital or nursing home you need to notify the authorities. Call 911 or your local emergency number to report the death. They will likely then call the Coroner, but it is a good idea for you to do so also, especially when it involves a Death Insurance Policy. Notify their place of Employment. Also contact the Executor.

Eventually, other Authorities that need to be contacted are: Lawyer, Accountant, Insurance Companies, Health Insurance, Bank, Memberships to cancel, and Driver's license to cancel.

Be sure to get sufficient copies of the Death Certificate, as many companies (such as Banks and Insurance Companies) require a copy of the Death Certificate.

2. Contact Close Family and Friends

The police are required to notify the next of kin, but you will no doubt want to notify other members who would want to know and may have to start making travel arrangements. If you are making this list for yourself, note the names and numbers on the printable list attached of ones you would like to be notified in the event of your death.

If you are dealing with grief, you do not have to make all the calls. Perhaps call one family member from each side of the deceased's family and let them be responsible for notifying all of their family. Call a close friend and give them the list of ones you would like to be notified. There will be enough on your plate, so this narrows your phone calls to three.

Also, the phone will start ringing off the hook, and you will find yourself facing extreme exhaustion taking all of the calls and explaining the circumstances over and over. Have someone you can depend on to be there to take all the incoming calls.

3. Find The Will

This can be a challenge if you do not know where the will is, or the key to the Safety Deposit Box. It is a good idea to have a Fireproof Box. Inside the box should be important documents, instructions, the key to the Safety Deposit Box. In the advent of death, your family and loved ones know right where to go.

4. Gather Information

Gather information you will need for the completion of the Death Certificate with Vital Statistics, for the Funeral Director, and for Memorial Cards:

• Parent's names, including middle initials
• Social Security or Social Insurance Number
• Date of Birth, Place of Birth, and Date of Death
• Marriage Certificate
• House and Land Titles
• Place of Employment, name and address and occupation
• Education 1-12
• College 1-4 or 5+
• Name of Father
• Name of Mother (Maiden)
• Names of Children
• Special accomplishments of the deceased - athletic, political, religious, scientific

5. Burial Arrangements

The Funeral Director will guide you through much of this process, but knowing where this information is or having it ready will make this difficult time a little easier. Here are some of the things you need to consider:

• Cremation or Embalming
• The site for the Service, it could be a Church, Temple, Funeral Home or graveside
• If Embalming, you will need to consider the type of burial
• Clothing & Jewellery if having a traditional burial.
• Cemetery plot - purchase one or have a copy of the Deed.
• Urn or Type of Casket - wood, metal, or rough box
• Open or closed Casket
• Funeral or Memorial Service - service before or after the burial or cremation. Will there be a graveside ceremony?
• Decide if you want the body or Remains at the service

6. Obituary

Compose an obituary. Information to Include:

• Vital Statistics including where born, name of parents and the surviving family members
• Memberships & Associations
• Hobbies
• Details about the funeral, the Funeral home friends may call, date and times, Service & burial time.
• List of Newspapers to submit, Radio, and/or the Internet

7. Funeral Plans

• Choose the type of service - a Funeral or Memorial Service
• Choose the location of the Service & the luncheon - at a Church, Funeral Home or graveside
• Eulogies - Decide who will deliver the eulogy. You will need to consult with them and provide them with information about the deceased as well as other details.
• Appoint Pall Bearers - usually 4 to 6 men are needed
• Choose Music - Some soothing instrumental, or songs that have special meaning, or perhaps a family friend will be a vocalist or instrumentalist
• Choose Flower arrangements - for the Service, a casket spray
• Choose Pictures - photo album or slide show in memory of the deceased's life
• Props - There may be something that reflects the love and interest of the deceased
• Memorial Cards - Will you have them printed or make your own
• Guest Book - purchase a guest book for guests to sign as they arrive
• Transportation - for the family to the service and to the grave site
• Grave Marker - Choice of marker or stone, Engraving and Inscription on the Stone
• Accommodations for out of town relatives, delegate ones who can assist with travel, and airport pickup
• Legal Matters

8. Memorial Cards

Memorial Cards are small cards that the Funeral Home usually print as a testimony to the deceased. Or you will need to supply them with copies to be given to the attendees. Just a small touch but can mean so much in the memory of the deceased, and can give comfort to the ones who are grieving. They can be laminated and can include a thank note from the family, favourite photos, a prayer, scripture or religious song. With the convenience of the computer and software program, you can make your own. There are examples on the Internet.

9. Funeral Luncheon

Give thought to the location of the luncheon and who will cater it. Often many family and friends need to travel to attend the funeral, and so you will want to give some refreshments before they travel back. Possibly your Funeral Home provides that service for a fee, or a local Association, hire a Catering Company, or get friends to organize it.

10. Thank You Cards

You will need lots of cards to send out a thank you to friends and family and Associations. You may also want to submit a Thank You to your local newspaper.