Filed under Health by Koya Webb on July 7, 2010 at 7:43 am
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Feng Shui has existed for centuries. Since that time, various trends of Feng Shui got developed. Even though the basic concepts stay the same, each has a somewhat different approach to the topic:
Form School
* Centers predominantly with the curves of physical landscapes, their form, size and watercourse, as well as the connection between the actual physical formations as well as a dwelling.
* The four Directions regarding the compass are represented by the 4 celestial creatures; the Green Dragon (East), the Red Phoenix (South), the White Tiger (West) and also the Black Turtle (North).
Traditional Chinese Compass School
* Began in China over three thousand years in the past, having the very first textual reference pointed out in 256BCE (Before Christian Era)
* Founded upon a methodical, formulaic way of Feng Shui which is thousands of years old.
* Career sector with the Eight Trigrams is usually oriented to the magnetic North. .
The above methods are used by The Geomancer.
Black Hat Sect (BHS) Tantric Buddhist
An even more current school of thought, which is extensively practiced in the U.S.A. Created many years back by Thomas Lin Yun, it’s a hybrid of Tibetan Buddhism, Taoism as well as Feng Shui made easier for Western preferences. It has a large cult following.
With this particular school of Feng Shui, rather than making use of the traditional magnetic compass (Lo Pan) to ascertain directions, each home or room is evaluated by the placement of its doorway. BHS Feng Shui states that the primary door to every room faces the career sector. This could lead to nearby areas or homes having apparently contradictory directions.
* Made popular in the USA ever since 1986
* Based on the more spiritual way to Feng Shui
* Refers to the Eight Trigrams as being the ‘Ba Gua’
* Career sector regarding the Eight Trigrams is always oriented towards the principal door.
More details:
Intuitive Feng Shui
There is much talk about ‘intuitive feng shui’. Nevertheless, Feng Shui, which has its very own set of guidelines, can’t be considered more intuitive as compared to either geography or even physics. Personal users may be more perceptive as compared to others, but Feng Shui changes must be based on the rules and not just a ’sensation’.
How to choose a specialist that is ideal for me personally?
Go with your instincts!
If what the practitioner suggests makes sense to you and you feel good about the changes he/she suggests, you have found a match up!
However, if putting a statue of Buddha close to your own entry way, putting red Avery labels on your own walls, hanging red-tasseled bamboo flutes above your entrances and putting a ‘green cylindrical object on your roof, to draw in nurturing wood energy’ are a little bit far from your personal decorating style – dismiss your specialist. (Settlement does not have to be encased in red envelopes either!)
Besides, REAL Feng Shui remedies utilize only the 5 components – Water, Earth, Fire, Metal and Wood, and never such things as mirrors, flutes, incense or prayers!
Yogafit has a lot of very interesting information in all factors of yoga exercise poses, instruction, and everything else. She also has quite a few yoga conference meetups a number of times annually and is often known as the yoga guru and mogul around the world.
Filed under Food by Owen Jones on July 1, 2010 at 9:44 am
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Are you one of the many people who likes kitchen gadgets? Most people who cook are very fond of or even hooked on kitchen gadgets. Naturally, some kitchen gadgets are more useful than others and some are absolutely essential.Who could do without a cooker, a kettle or a coffee maker? Mixers and blenders are common items too and electric tin openers and knife sharpeners are to be found in many kitchens. How much cooking would you be able to do if the electricity was cut off?
People have always loved labour-saving devices, the only aspect that has changed is that the majority of the modern kitchen gadgets are electric these days. We had a water-driven potato peeler when I was a child. It was connected to the tap by a hose and the water drove a wheel which span an abrasive wheel which took the skin off a pound or two of potatoes.
We also had a hand apple corer and a garlic press, but that was about it. On the other hand, our kitchen has quite a few electric gadgets, including a juicer, a rice cooker and a bread-making machine.
My wife’s favourite kitchen gadget is the rice cooker, but then she is Thai and eats quite a bit of rice. In deed, the rice cooker is only switched off to wash and refill it. It leaves a beautiful sweet smell in the air which is not unlike fresh bead, if you use Jasmin rice, which is Thailand’s best.
When I lived in Britain, my kitchen was jam-packed with gadgets, but some of the things I used to use just once a month over there, I now see being used every day. For instance, I had a wok and a bamboo steamer which I used once in a blue moon, now all my food is cooked either in a wok, in a bamboo steamer or on a barbecue.
Likewise, I had a pestle and mortar which looked impressive on the top of the cupboard. It gave the impression that I was a real cook, but I never truly found a need for it. Now my wife uses a massive granite pestle and mortar to prepare every meal. It weighs approximately ten pounds and is large enough to mix a cake in; the broad end of the pestle will fill half an orange (I use that as a juicer, that is how I know).
My favourite kitchen gadget is the bread maker, but then I am European and am very partial to bread. Where I live though, in northern rural Thailand, the bread is very sweet by Western standards and took me a few years to get accustomed to. Now I can make my own and I really like it, although getting strong flour is not so straightforward.
I like to put the ingredients in the bread machine before I go to bed and set the timer so that the bread is ready when I wake up. You do not need an alarm clock with the smell of fresh bread emanating from the kitchen! Now all I miss is cheese, but I have not found a cheese-maker yet.
Owen Jones, the writer of this piece writes on quite a few subjects, but is at present involved with solid fuel cookers. If you would like to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our website at Electric Freestanding Cooker.
Filed under Health by Maria Rivera on June 23, 2010 at 7:50 am
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A horse supplement company’s objective ought to be to make a cost-effective, basic, smart formula for the full wellness and diet of the whole horse. Clients should be expecting peak functionality and maximum pleasure from their equines as well as fulfillment, secure feeling from the products they are using and the service delivered will be unparalleled, uncompromising professionalism, truthful and have integrity they are doing the most they can for the owner and their horses.
Nutrition, exercise, breeding and proper care are the essentials that comprise the horse athlete. The highest degrees of efficiency in working or show horses can only be realized when standard feed and supplement requirements are attained for the equine. A horse supplement should give a complete and nicely balanced package of nutritional vitamins, nutrients, probiotics and digestive aids in a single carrier that is certainly needed by equines in all varieties and levels of performance.
There are a large number of nutritional vitamin supplements out there nowadays. Then again, hardly any are designed, balanced and buffered to fulfill the preferences of all categories of horses, and many are expensive and very difficult to make use of everyday and the horse owner just determines the horse doesn’t need this health supplement when in actuality they do as a lot of the feed stuff is highly processed, old, rotten and lost a majority of its nutritional value.
A nutritional supplements objectives must be to work at the cellular level bathing the cells in best possible nutrition, and the cells will reply with resilience, wellness, and long life and the formula ought to have withstood the test of time and produced champions.
This technique builds stronger overall health and in turn the whole horse exhibits effectiveness, stamina, and a virtually marvelous prevention to parasites and illness. If the cells are balanced, the whole equine is healthy.
Horse vitamins experts have tons of ideas and professional opinions on ways to look after the horses by implementingadvanced horse supplements to their daily food plan.
Filed under Fitness by Ross Everett on June 16, 2010 at 9:10 am
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Renato Babalu Sobral defeated Bobby Southworth by TKO to become Strikeforce light heavyweight champion in the co-main event of the promotions ‘Destruction’ card on Friday night. Despite leaving with the belt around his waist, it wasn’t a highlight reel worthy finish.
A -350 wagering favorite despite his challenger status, Sobral was expected to use his world class Brazilian Jiu Jitsu skills and vast experience against superior competition to dominate the tough but limited Southworth. It didn’t happen that way, as Southworth easily got the better of things in the first round. Southworth’s style isnt exactly one that provides Wanderlei Silva type excitement–he looks to use his strength and conditioning to control his opponent en route to a decision victory. While the result makes him something of a MMA equivalent to boxing’s John Ruiz, it does afford him the best chance of victory.
The first round displayed Southworth’s style in microcosm, with much of the frame spent pushing Babalu up against the cage or on the ground inside his guard not really doing much. Sobral did get a clinch against the cage wall and rocked Southworth with a hard elbow strike that not only busted his nose but opened a huge cut over his right eye.
Upon seeing the gusher of blood Referee John McCarthy brought the ringside physician over to take a look. As Southworth’s corner futilely worked on the gaping wound during the break the doctor once again took a look and better realizing the severity and placement of the cut recommended to McCarthy that the fight be stopped. The veteran official complied, awarding Sobral the TKO victory and the championship belt.
The other half of the co-main event was decided in much more decisive fashion as Scott Smith knocked out well traveled veteran Terry Martin in a mere :24 seconds. Unfortunately, Martin didn’t adequately close the distance against a fighter dubbed ‘Hands of Steel’ and was caught with a perfectly placed punch that knocked him out cold.
In the semifinal event, Duane ‘Bang’ Ludwig defeated Yves Edwards by unanimous decision in a very closely contested bout. Edwards was originally slated to face lightweight champion Josh Thomson until a toe injury necessitated his withdrawal. Ludwig took the fight on two weeks notice, and after a takedown clinic by Edwards in the first began to control the fight with his superior standup skills. Edwards’ superiority on the ground in the first two frames wasn’t enough to sway the judges who obviously favored Ludwig’s more effective striking. All three judges scored the contest 29-28 Ludwig, and he may have earned himself a championship match as a result.
Earlier in the evening, Kim Couture made short work of overmatched Lina Kvokov as she TKOd her foe in 1:44 of the first round. Couture, the wife of UFC legend Randy Couture, gained even more notoriety for the courage she displayed in her professional debut last June. After having her jaw broken early in the first round, she refused to throw in the towel and went the distance despite a horrific injury. She had a much easier time here–despite the fact that both fighters entered with 0-1 records Couture was significantly more polished as she put Kvokov on the defensive from the outset with her sharp punching combinations. Kvokov kept displaying the rookie mistake of trying to turn away from Couture’s blows which prompted commentator Bas Rutten to question if she wanted to continue the fight. She recovered momentarily and survived the initial onslaught. The reprieve was only temporary, however, as Couture launched another barrage of punches prompting the referee to step in and wave off the non-competitive affair.
Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on World Cup betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.
Filed under Food by Ross Everett on June 16, 2010 at 8:59 am
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One of the few restaurants in the country to be immortalized in a Sinatra song, the Pump Room in Chicago is now a hot spot once again. The Pump Room was one of the first quality restaurants to open in Chicago after the end of Prohibition, and soon became a Windy City icon. In addition to Sinatra (who sang the praises of the place in the classic song Chicago), the place was a favorite hangout of a lot of famous people including Marilyn Monroe, Sammy Davis, Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, Ronald Reagan, Bette Davis and numerous others. The Pump Room, named after a spa in Bath, England, remained open long after the giants that once graced its premises had left. Unfortunately, time took its toll on the legendary establishment, and its culinary fare was soon surpassed by the fine dining scene exploding in Chicago and characterized by uber-chef Charlie Trotter.
Ernie Blyfield opened the Pump Room in the Ambassador East Hotel in late’38. He took the name from an 18th century London pub favored by celebrities and nobility, including Queen Anne. The original pub got its name from the hot drinks pumped into the cocktails of its stylish clientele.
The Chicago Pump Room was an immediate hit, and for a time its Booth #1 may have been the most sought after table at any dining establishment in the country. In addition to Sinatra, who frequently held court with Jilly Rizzo and a number of other associates in Booth 1, it was occupied at various times by Clark Gable, John Barrymore, Gertrude Lawrence, Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Liza Minnelli may have been the youngest Booth 1 regular, taken there many times during her childhood by her mother Judy Garland.
Blyfield died in’50, but the Pump Room remained a Chicago hot spot and hosted a new era of superstars including Mel Brooks, Beverly Sills, Paul Newman, Robert Redford. More recently, Michael J. Fox, Eddie Murphy and Mick Jagger have made appearances. A funny story involves former Genesis drummer Phil Collins, who was refused entry for not wearing a jacket. The incident was commemorated in the title of his next solo album No Jacket Required which has since sold over– million copies worldwide and launched Collins into solo superstardom. Following its release, the Pump Room sent Collins an apology”and an appropriate jacket so that the incident wouldnt be repeated.
Since being purchased by the Dallas Restaurant Group in the late’90s, things are hopping again, however. With the extremely talented chef Martial Noguier at the helm (who has worked in the kitchen of a number of Frances most renown chefs), and a $2 million dollar restoration of the facilities, the Pump Room is back among the rarefied heights of Chicagos best restaurants. Though the flaming food served on a sword that was the Pump Room trademark during its golden era is sadly absent (due to city fire codes), the menu is now up to snuff serving Noguiers sophisticated interpretation of classic American cuisine. In addition to the revamped cuisine, the Pump Room upgraded its wine offering and expanded the bar area.
The Pump Rooms stature has been maintained by current executive chef Nick Sutton. The star of the place, however, is still the almost palpable sense of history that the dining room offers. Considering that the giants of civilized culture”from Bogey all the way to the Chairman himself”have held court in that room, it is a pretty intoxicating aura. Fortunately, the Pump Room is once again worthy of such legends, and its renaissance is a victory for culinary civility in a world too often overwhelmed with Olive Gardens and Red Lobsters.
Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.
Filed under Fitness by Ross Everett on June 12, 2010 at 7:14 am
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Roller Derby was never really a big deal in the US, but has been around forever and was a staple of the early days of television. It was similar in its promotional format to its better known “sports entertainment” cousin, professional wrestling. It was frequently seen in the same bad timeslots on the same low powered UHF TV stations, and it was run by the same loose confederation of promoters and businessmen that characterized the regional territory era of pro wrestling. That’s where the similarity to wrestling ends–it’s storylines made pro wrestling angles look like high drama. While there is a definite history to the sport–great teams like the LA T-Birds and Bay Bombers, and legendary skaters like Ann Calvello it never really stuck in the public consciousness like the pre-Hulk Hogan era of pro wrestling.
When the original purveyors of the sport quit promoting in the early’80s most thought it was dead and gone until a ‘new school’ of roller derby surfaced on cable TV via the A&E reality series Roller Girls. It featured a local, all-girl roller derby league in Austin, Texas and followed the lives of the players on and off the track. A sport that had faded into the lowest level of obscurity had been rediscovered and embraced by an eclectic group of young women. They had kept the same essential format, thrown in a healthy dose of burlesque camp and Varga pin-up inspired glamour and changed the competitive format and renamed the competitions “bouts” a la MMA or boxing. The result was a compelling mixture of glamour, toughness and athleticism driven by a healthy dose of punk rock “do it yourself” mentality.
Today, the same sort of league featured on “Rollergirls” had become a full blown cultural phenomenon. There are now literally hundreds of local “roller girl” leagues in the US, many under the auspices of a national organization called the Womens Flat Track Derby Association. Las Vegas has the ‘Sin City Roller Girls’, Portland, Oregon the ‘Rose City Rollers” and Seattle the ‘Rat City Rollers’. There are now groups in not only the larger and traditionally “hipper” cities but also smaller flyover country environs such as Birmingham, Alabama and Omaha, Nebraska and all over Canada, Europe and Australia. Most of the local groups similarly play up the campy retro pin-up/hot rod iconography and everyone involved sure looks like they’re having a good time. Between teams there’s a vibe of good natured competitiveness and camaraderie.
This organic rebirth and growth of roller derby is a result of young women taking what essentially was TV time filler and made it into their own distaff ‘action sport’. The roller derby circa 2009 is a matriarchal success story. No one is in it for the money, as these local groups are typically run as non-profit organization. The women involved have recreated this sport, and run it, promote it and compete in it on their own terms.
The new generation rollergirls also pay homage to their sports’ pioneers much in the same way that skateboarders give props to Duane Peters and Tony Alva. Many of the individual group websites have sections devoted to the history of roller derby, and the late Ann Calvello–regarded as the Queen of the original Roller Derby–is revered as something of a patron saint. The Texas Rollergirl group featured in the A&E series has renamed their championship the Calvello Cup.
Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.