2012年9月24日 星期一

Gears of War Game Review


Developed by Epic Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios, Gears of War is a tactical, third-person shooter video game. It was released on November 7, 2008 exclusively for the Xbox 360 in North America. Europe got it's copy on November 17, 2006. There was also a limited edition that was released which included bonus content and a "Destroyed Beauty" entitled art book which detailed the game's back-story. North America also received a Microsoft Windows version on November 6, 2007 which also contained bonus features.

The main story line features soldiers of Delta Squad fight to save the humans of planet Sera from a ruthless cavernous enemy, Locust Horde. Players assume the character of Marcus Fenix. Marcus Fenix is a former prisoner and war-hardened soldier.

In the game you must utilize cover and strategic fire in order to advance through the various scenarios. You can also use a second player to help assist in your mission. There are also online modes where players play different modes using up to 8 other players.

The most important aspect of this game is the utilization of cover. After advancing to the more difficult levels, even a few seconds of exposure to enemy fire can result in your death. Players are able to aim precisely at enemy targets or use blind-fire while taking safe-haven behind cover. Blind fire helps avoid oncoming damage from exposing the heads from behind the cover. There are many rolling and cover maneuvers available to players with the touch of a single button and direction from the left thumb-stick.

The main focus in the Gears of War game is on Marcus Fenix and Delta Squad's encounters with the Locust Horde. Members of Delta Squad include: Marcus Fenix of course, Dominic "Dom" Santiago, Augustus "Cole Train" Cole, and Damon Baird. Marcus Fenix has just been escaped from Jacinto Maximum Security Prison by Dominic Santiago. When using the co-op mode, the second player will assume the identity of Santiago. When playing multi-player games, all four members of Delta Squad may be used. There are also more players available such as Private Anthony Carmine, Lieutenant Minh Young Kim, and Colonel Victor Hoffman.

The Plot:

Gears of War first takes place fourteen years after Emergence Day. Emergence day was a day in which the habitants of Sera where introduced the life of the Locust. A former COG, Marcus Fenix is allowed to reinstate into the military after his four year sentence in prison. He is taken to meet Delta Squad after Dominic Santiago escapes him from prison. The point is to locate a device called the "resonator" which will map the Locust Tunnels Development, which is also known as the Hollow.

Development:

Gears of War was developed after three main influential games. These include Resident Evil 4 and Kill Switch.

Awards:

Gears of War was a highly anticipated in the Xbox 360 games of 2006 and held the hype till it's release in 2008. When Gears of War premiered during the 2005 E3 show it won many awards including several "Best 360 Game" awards from IGN, 1UP and Gamespy.




Cherish Lytle is Owner of Research2You.

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2012年9月23日 星期日

Pakistan Property Crash and War


Pakistan has been in the throes of a massive property boom since 2002 when India was threatening to invade the country. Since that event, house prices have risen by the amount they were wroth every year. Basically, what was $100,000 went all the way to a cool one million dollars in the period of four to five years. The effects were intoxicating. Here is a country, with little or no productive output, no real manufacturing capability, fraud and corruption at every level of society, militarism is the only career choice, and on top of this, a war on terror raging on its doorsteps with every single province of Pakistan effected. And yet, property prices spiraled to the moon!

Something was seriously wrong here, nobody in their right minds would want to invest in a country where children are the target of kidnappers, schools are the targets of suicide bombers and mosques are being razed to the ground in all parts of the country by a schizophrenic military institution which wanted to kill Indians, kill all of the NWFP areas, build nuclear weapons, and on top of that, have a land price boom which would spell its doom... who the hell would want to invest there. They must of been on crack cocaine to even think about it.

Then, it all happened. In late 2007, the property prices stalled and reached their peak, then they began collapsing, and now, they are falling faster than a missile shaped stone! What was $1 Million dollars has been rectified at $250,000 and so forth throughout the land. The massive collapse in property prices leaves no stone unturned as undeveloped land languishes with no investment. Property speculators try to sell off plan schemes and then run with the money. The amount of fraud has just gone ballistic as people realise they have been had in that country. In the capital, prices are dropping the fastest, amazing amounts of people are lowering their asking prices every day just to shift property because there is simply too much lying about unwanted and empty. Plan after plan is being abandoned and those who moved from the villages to the city, wish they never did so.

A dearth of jobs left the property industry, before every street corner had an estate agent, and now, these guys are being reduced to begging on the streets for someone to buy their still overpriced flats which have rats as the current dwellers.

The same is happening in India, they too went through a property boom, but at least they have an IT industry and something to export and produce themselves. They may not have very good military production facilities but that is besides the point, most wars are economic, and the basis of economic war is the land price booms and fluctuations.

Anyway back to Pakistan. Pakistani's have land on the brain, 90% of the court cases in Pakistan are to do with land, and mostly between brothers and sisters fighting over inheritance as land gets divided up into little pockets over and over again. The countries population rises continually, and yet, the cities are torn into pieces as people ravage for whatever trade they can find. Most people generally long to leave the country and go to western heaven. They have little education and little prospects. This property market was one of the few booms which was powering Pakistan's fragile economy. The removal of this is like going off Heroine, the effects are devastating. This boom was powered by access to finance and foreigners, and the foreigners being better educated than the average Pakistani, learned their lessons and ran for their lives. They sold up ans shipped out and now the people who rode on the back of this are paying the price. The average Pakistani is suffering beyond belief as reality hit him that his house is not worth gazillions of pounds, that the smell of open sewers is real, and the difficulties faced by his children will not be shared by stupid immigrant Pakistani's who long to return to a shattered homeland riddled with military, political and economic corruption at every level of society.

It is sickening to watch as the options faced by Pakistani's are reduced to virtually nothing again. As they cower, watching their house lose 1 Lakh per day, nothing is in the imagination as lawlessness and national and personal debt rages through the land.

They face a future where they cannot run, they cannot stop the economic collapse hinged by property, and they cannot believe their eyes. Those who were poor agricultural landowners are laughing, at least before the floods took place anyway, they still eat. It is the city dwellers who have been beaten by the ugly stick of house price collapses.

The problem is that this will not stop, these house price collapses will accelerate faster and faster and will go down for a very long time. This was always unsustainable, right from the beginning, right from the word go, from the first foreign based Pakistani who smelled the boom, invested in it, got out in 2007, and then ran for his economic life back to where ever it was he originated from.

Islamabad - brace yourself - expect half of what it is tomorrow, and half of what that is the next time, and half of what the last half was... until the dust settles and people realise. Property is not what it is made out to be. Zameen isn't the be all and the end all of life. The only Zameen that matters is your 8 foot by 2 foot and six foot deep hole which you will permanently occupy.

Good riddance to the Pakistan property boom - nobody ever wanted it in the first place.

Jeff Imada (China / Philippines / USA / UK)




Professor Jeff Imada - is an economic master and an expert in the economic warfare arts. He has been watching these cycles turn constantly over the last 10 years and has seen the property price collapse coming from 1997 onwards, before it even became a reality. He has studied various forms of economic and industrial war including the powerful 7Tao system, Chinese economic power methods, and United States patterns of economic and industrial combat.

He teaches at multitudes of universities in the world and is an accomplished author in many works including the land cycle effecting 3rd world countries.





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5 Areas Requiring Careful Planning in Mafia Wars


There's no doubting that Mafia Wars is a whole lot of fun to play, but if you're looking to reach the very top levels of the game you'll need to look beyond the 'Fun Factor' and come up with some careful planning to help you maximise the smallest details of the game.

It's one of the things that is so enthralling about Mafia Wars - it's so easy to get in to as a noobie, but there's also an incredible depth to the game for those who stick with it.

However, this depth in the game can make it difficult to know where to start with your planning, so with that in mind we've come up with five things you should bear in mind as you establish yourself.

Family Size
One of your primary goals when you start the game should be to build up the size of your family as quickly as you can do. Right from the beginning, you need to be recruiting heavily. Get on to sites like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace and tell your friends about your mafia as soon as you can do.

Waiting around until you level-up is just going to waste your time, as you'll be trying to make things happen without having the resources to succeed.

Make sure your family grows at the same rate (if not faster!) as your character Level by using whatever tools are at your disposal.

Godfather Points
Godfather Points grow in importance as you work your way through the game. At the beginning, you may be tempted to fritter them away on a number of different items which can leave you struggling at a later stage.

Many players find themselves in a position where they're having to give away personal data or even pay cash in order to replenish their Godfather Points and there's just no need.

Instead, set up a new Hotmail or Gmail email address and spend a few minutes every day completing your lottery numbers and filling out surveys with random information.

A daily 10 minute commitment to tasks such as this should furnish you with all of the Godfather points you need to grow your business aggressively.

Properties
Properties are central to the game and the foundation on which your business is built. However, do you research into a potential purchase before you lay out any cash.

Many new players find themselves purchasing all sorts of properties and then not being able to maintain them as they start to wear down.

Go slowly with properties at the beginning. Look into how much they're truly going to cost you (in terms of purchase and maintenance) and only buy those places which are going to give you a good return on your investment.

Combat
Now, no one's going to suggest that you're going to be able to make to the top of Mafia Wars without getting yourselves involved in a few fights.

What I am going to suggest though, is that your focus should be elsewhere.

Fighting your opponents in Mafia Wars is pretty much pointless (especially in the early stages) and does nothing more than waste your resources.

You've only got a limited amount of time to act each day, so make the most of it by focussing on recruiting more friends to your army and Levelling Up your character. If you do find yourself with any time left over, then switch your focus to property and look into whether there's anything profitable for you to purchase.

Over the long term, this is a much more successful and profitable strategy than simply going out and picking random fights with strangers.

Following the simple details above will give you a good grounding in Mafia Wars and put you ahead of the vast majority of players at the lower levels. From there, it's simply a case of using your time effectively and analysing the returns your investments are giving you.




Simon is the author of mafiawarscheats.org [http://www.mafiawarscheats.org] - a website dedicated to helping online players get the most out of the game of Mafia Wars.





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Battery Wars - This 'Is' the New Wireless Frontier


I can picture it now. Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader face off for an epic light-saber battle to the death! The fate of the world hangs in the balance!

Then their light-saber batteries run out of juice so they're left holding onto a couple of limp licorice sticks, resulting in a leg-wrestling extravaganza. Yoda wouldn't stand a chance. Not quite what George Lucas had in mind for the ultimate Star Wars battle scene.

With all of the tremendous advances that are taking place in our world of internet and wireless existence, a person may never consider that the 'holy grail' is in the field of battery life. You might have thought that it would be the next generation of wireless devices that allow you to project holographic images of the Google screen so that you can do web searches in mid-air in the airport. Yep, it's true - it's in the works! The restricting problem is that little-considered power source we simply take for granted. The simple battery. It has been confounding for a century now.

Thomas Edison said, "I don't think that nature would be so unkind as to withhold the secret of a good storage battery if a real earnest hunt for it is made. I'm going to hunt." That was more than a hundred years ago and the foxes are still out. In fact the hunt is getting very intense.

In a recent article in 'Wired', John Hockenberry states that, "In the last 150 years battery performance has improved only about eightfold. The speed and capacity of silicon chips, of course, improves that much every six years."

In curious irony, as I write this article on my laptop, on an airplane, on my way to Charlotte, my battery has declared bankruptcy and I now have to resort to my back up power source - pen and paper. How Neanderthal! My hand is actually aching because my fingers are apparently out of shape for these calisthenic demands. I thought that my two-fingered typing was just as good as a Gold's membership for these types of events but I am woefully wrong. It's just another reason that better batteries are required - we can't write anymore, opposable thumbs or not, - it's just an evolutionary thing.

It seems that our insatiable demand for self-powered consumer electronics is driving the battery wars to new heights. Suffice it to say that the spoils of this war will far exceed the wampum that Edison received for that light bulb thing.

As devices miniaturize in size, yet enrich in features, the hapless battery is forced to produce more power in less space. If battery capability stagnates, as history has dictated so far, then portable device capability will follow suit. Yet our demand, and the ability of manufacturers to supply, indicates a burgeoning market for wireless devices to make our lunch, tie our shoes, entertain us, and generally make our lives dependent on such units.

The problem is that all that functionality is dependent on the development of more efficient, more powerful, and smaller power sources. Oh yeah, and safety seems to matter as well, as evidenced by the recent spate of spontaneously combusting laptops caused by the fire-starter known as the Li-ion battery. Thermal runaway is the name of the culprit, and it means that the chemicals in the battery break out of their metal casing, which causes the lithium to ignite when it makes contact with moisture in the air.

Without getting technical, voltage and current are created chemically to generate power through the movement of electrons from pole to pole in the battery. As we have progressed through lead acid for car starters, to alkaline and mercury for transistor radios, to nickel and cadmium for the first laptops and video cameras, to lithium rechargeables for current electronics, including MP3 players, camcorders, and Blackberries, the digital demands keep multiplying. In fact digital calculations themselves require steady voltage to maintain memory, and power fluctuations can be catastrophic for the device functionality.

Backlit screens, hard drive demands, and graphics needs are mounting the pressure on the development of power sources. At the same time, the thermal runaway risk must be managed which tends to create wasted resources within the battery, and batteries that destroy themselves before they ignite.

The war rages for alternatives. The venture capitalists are betting big in a number of areas. They are driven by the demand for laptops with dual processors and eight-hour run times. They are driven by our consumer demands that we have wireless devices on our hip that store and play music - 1000 songs at a time, guide us over highways, and send attachments via email. Actually, the device should be in your pocket and not on your hip unless you're a nerd according to insinuations by Kevin Sintumuang, associate editor for GQ.

Among the warring factions for battery supremacy are:

1) Lithium batteries with their own chip to manage power resources.

2) Fuel cells, which have always been challenged with practical design. Proponent Rick Cooper feels that notebooks will have both a fuel cell and a lithium battery engineered into the next generation.

3) Silver & zinc chemistry is also on the horizon. Backer, Ross Dueber, makes the point about current lithium alternatives; "It's the only rechargeable battery technology that uses flammable liquid."

4) Lithium polymer uses an advanced gel to create a power source as thin as paper. Prototypes have been designed to power a new breed of smart card.

5) Then there's Nanograss. It's not a Robin Williams football field, but it is a radical approach to power supply. It allows cells to carry their own power and to turn on and off chemically. It provides for a solution where there are fields of tiny batteries as opposed to a single power source. This one uses charges to effect the surface tension of fluids by basically making them appear and disappear (into the Nanograss, which is actually metal) depending on conductive requirements.

Regardless of who wins this war, the riches will be great. And regardless of who wins this war, it seems that re-design of electronic devices will be required to allow for the new optimum power delivery system. That means it won't be overnight.

Now let's take the battery war to another level beyond electronic devices with a 'what if' scenario. What if battery technology advanced to the level where a reliable, safe, and powerful field of such tiny units became the source of power for our furnaces, air conditioners, and cars? Not just cars that look like you're driving a phone booth, but real cars - and SUVs. Wouldn't that just change the environment, both figuratively and literally?

Let's just hope there is a winner in the battery war as opposed to continuing stagnation. Let's hope that the hunt that began in earnest with Edison is rewarded with success. Let's hope that new technologies, dependent on battery capability, can continue to develop so we can sate our desire for electronic nirvana. Otherwise we may be stuck in this backward time where battery capability restricts our Columbus-like voyage of discovery of the electronic universe.




Dennis Schooley is the Founder of Schooley Mitchell Telecom Consultants, a Professional Services Franchise Company. He writes for publication, as well as for http://schooleymitchell.blogging.com and http://franchises.blogging.com, in the subject areas of Franchising, and Technology for the Layman. http://www.schooleymitchell.com, 888-311-6477, dschooley@schooleymitchell.com.





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War on International Terrorism; The Forever War


Some believe that international terrorism could be the forever war in that there is always some nation state or group which works to disrupt a system of government or a cooperative organization. For instance in business there are rule breakers and rule makers. The status quo and the industry associations do not like the up-and-coming entrepreneurs who have built a better mousetrap, nor do they appreciate losing half their market share or a third of their stock capitalization due to dwindling sales.

In politics we also find guerrilla warfare, as new challengers Label the incumbents "unfit" to lead, however within all this primate politics we do see change and often change is good. Without change innovation dies and so too slowly does that government, that industry or the status quo. Of course I'm not trying to justify international terrorism or the killing of innocent life, there can be no excuse for that. And therefore I propose killing every single one of the international terrorists as soon as possible for not sooner.

I further propose to do this was such ruthlessness and cut off their heads and put them on sticks because apparently fear is all they understand. But by the same token we must remember to be careful what we label as international terrorism and what is merely change knocking at the door for better or for worse change is the only constant and it is needed for the forward progression of mankind. Now then, let's go out and kill all the current international terrorists which we have already labeled and let's be careful, ooh so careful what exactly what we label international terrorism in the future. Consider this in 2006. This has been a philosophical conversation with Lance Winslow.




"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is an online writer in retirement.





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2012年9月22日 星期六

Create a Star Wars Birthday Party


Little boys always love a Star War birthday party. Running around and fighting with their lightsabers is all they need to enjoy themselves but you can also devise games and decorate your party to make it really special.

With some tin foil and card you can create a whole galaxy for their imaginations to run wild in and you could create a party your little boy's friends will never forget.

Take a look at these ideas

Party Essentials

If you are throwing a party there are a few essentials you always need like plates, cups, goody bags, napkins, invitations and balloons. You can of course pick these up from most supermarkets but if you want to make your Star War party one to remember why not use themed essentials.

You can pick up all your Star War essentials plus streamers, ribbons, table clothes and cutlery all in the Star War theme

Dressing Up

There are loads of star war birthday party costumes your little boy or girl could dress up in from Darth Vader to, Princess Leia, Anakin and Yoda. Dressing up is one of the most fun parts of a Star War Party. You could ask everyone to dress as someone different because there are so many good characters.

Games

Good verses Evil

You could devise a competition for your Star War birthday party between good and evil comprising questions and activities.

Split your guests into two groups (those dressed as goodies and those dressed as baddies). You can have several rounds to this competition as follows:

Question Round

You ask questions and the first team to shout out the correct answer gets a point. You could ask star wars trivia or space questions like "what is the nearest planet to the sun?" to keep the game in theme with your party

Group Round

This is a little like a treasure hunt. First of all cut out ten pictures of Star Wars characters (goodies not baddies) and stick them onto circles of card. These can be different sizes but should be no smaller than the circumference of a mug. Place these around your garden or house in view but not in obvious places.

Explain to your guests that ten members of the Alliance (Star Wars Goodies) have gone missing. The goodies need to find them before they are captured by the baddies. The two groups must go out and find as many of the missing as they can and they get one point for each one they bring back.

Fight to the Death

This round is the same as musical bumps but you explain that it is a fight, good against evil and the last man standing gets 10 points for his or her team.

Your guests dance around and when the music stops they must sit down as quickly as they can. The last person to sit down is out of the game. The winner gets ten points and their team wins the competition.




Laura Anne Grey is a Party planner from the UK designing and creating childrens parties. You can find more birthday resources and articles as well as free printable birthday supplies at [http://www.barneys-printable-birthday-cards.com]





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Charlie Wilson's War


This was a fascinating film to see over the holidays, in a town that's filled with bible-thumping ultra-conservatives who didn't realize that they had been had until the closing moments of the film - but wait - this is Newnan Georgia - 50% of them probably didn't catch the twist. I did however hear some grumbling from a few who seemed to feel betrayed by what they expected, which was a movie about a good 'ole boy who makes it to congress, and then really sticks it to those terrorists. Gotcha!

Democrat Charlie Wilson is certainly an "interesting" character - and he's played to perfection by Tom Hanks. Part-time party boy, part-time alcoholic, full time sex fiend - and in between all that good clean American fun he connects with a rogue C.I.A. officer named Gust Avrakotos. Key and also central to the plot is Julia Roberts as Joanne Herring, a case study who would make for an interesting film all by herself. Born wealthy, she did an excellent job of staying that way via four rich ex-husbands. With that cache' of wealth, she was able to buy influence in Washington, most notably with Charlie Wilson.

Wilson, with the aid of Herring and Avrakotos, takes it on himself to take control of the Afghan rebellion that followed the invasion of that country by Russia in the '80's. With no congressional oversight, or even awareness by the President - Wilson builds a mammoth budget that gets funneled through Israel and Pakistan, and finally to the mujaheddin fighters - arming them with the weaponry needed to not only defend themselves against the Soviet air power, but to turn the tide of the war entirely, resulting in exactly what Wilson hoped for - the Soviet's own version of Viet Nam. Events after the defeat in Afghanistan raced through the soviet empire, and it is thought by many to have been the key to the collapse of the Soviet Union, and even the tearing down of the Berlin Wall.

Wilson surrounded himself with the most beautiful staff in the nation's capitol - referred to by most outsiders as "Charlie's Angels." He had more endearing nicknames for them all, including "Jailbait" for one of his younger staff members. One of the more famous quotes from the real Charles Wilson, and used in the movie regarding his rather vivacious staff - "You can teach them to type, but you can't teach them to grow tits." Though not shown in great detail in the movie, Wilson's love for his decadent lifestyle rivaled that of Hugh Hefner - and official visitors to his home in D.C. were rather shocked to find that the bedroom was the central focus of the townhouse, complete with a hot tub at the foot of the bed and a pair of handcuffs dangling from a towel rack.

The film does an excellent job of portraying what happens when a lot of power meets a lot of money and a lot of covert influence. Phillip Seymour Hoffman is brilliant as always, and his one liners probably steal the show several times throughout the film. This movie is cleverly disguised as good entertainment - but at its heart are the lessons in history it teaches. It's well that we remember that without any oversight, a single politician was able to impact a region in certainly a positive manner at the time - but the long term ramifications of Charlie Wilson's war are still being felt today - from our agreement to look the other way as Pakistan became a nuclear power, aided greatly by massive amounts of cash floated into the region to prop up the fighters in Afghanistan - to the deadly lesson learned that after turning our backs on Afghanistan as soon as we had used their fighters as cannon fodder to fight our proxy war against Russia, these same now well armed, well trained and battle hardened rebels went on to form both the Taliban and Al Qaeda - the rest of which, as we now know, is not such a pleasant history after all.




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SEO Wars - Getting the Upper Hand in Your Field


To the casual observer, the Internet is a fair playing field. People head to search engines, type in what they're looking for, and then they click the results that interest them. Website owners know that one of the most important parts of getting people to your website is Search Engine Optimization, or SEO. And while for the common consumer, it may seem like things just happen, every website owner knows that they are in a war. They're in a war for traffic, visitors, and clicks. So if you're competing against really smart people who know what they're doing, how can you make your SEO better than their SEO?

It comes down to three simple concepts: (a) Placement; (b) Compelling Interest; and (c) Call to action. Let's take these three things in turn.

1.) Placement. If you haven't learned to already, take advantage of all the parts of SEO. These include meta information, backlinks on articles, backlinks on forums, mentions on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, favicons, and so forth. If you're in too much of a hurry to learn all this complicated business, hire an SEO expert to do it for you. Their experience and advice will have you showing up high in search results on sites like Bing, Yahoo!, and Google.

2.) Compelling interest. This is an often overlooked aspect of winning the SEO wars. It's not enough to let people see you on Google. You have to answer their question: What's in it for me? So make sure you have a clear, compelling meta description of your site that they see in your search result. But more than that, take care when you name the pages of your site. Great website owners know that people want to be able to see what's inside the site without having to click around. If you set up your site correctly and use a good site map, search engines will place links to the component parts of your site below the main search result. For example, Google the company Microsoft. Below the main result, you see links like "Download Center," "Windows 7," "Check for Updates," and "ClipArt." If you set up your site correctly, visitors can click directly to what interests them without having to go to your main index page.

3.) Clear call to action. From your meta description to the first page of your site, ask your visitors to do something. For example, the website HubPages says, "HubPages is your online space to share your advice, reviews, useful tips, opinions and insights with hundreds of other authors. HubPages is completely free." Doesn't leave much to the imagination, now does it?

As you turn Internet searchers into visitors, always try to see things from their perspective. The harder you work to make your site stick above the rest, the more they will come.




Troy Childers is a experienced internet marketer and provider of top quality promotional content for the web. Along with being a fulltime father and online marketer. For more information please visit my websites Search Engine Optimization, or Top Google Listings. I enjoy staying busy and learning something new each and everyday.





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2012年9月21日 星期五

Why Scrapbooking Moms are the Secret Weapon in the War on Terror


There is a front line and a back end to every successful war effort. Rosie the Riveter was an icon during World War II and she was symbolic of the strong American woman who took command of the US economy and war manufacturing; without her there would have been no Allied victory.

We are once again embroiled in a bitter war and just like those times in the 1940s, the time of ending is uncertain. There is one thing that is different--women are involved in both the front lines and the back end and this can only be a good thing for America.

Regardless of which side of the political fence you stand upon in regards to the current war--you cannot disregard the sacrifices made by soldiers and the loved ones who bear the burden of their absence and, God forbid, their loss. But we must ask ourselves what is all of this sacrifice for?

There are many possible answers to this but here is what I think--the purpose of life is to constantly renew itself. This hypothesis is evidenced by the cycles of nature that occur around each of us every minute of every day we live. If this assumption is correct then it is our children and our children's children that are the vehicle of human renewal and are therefore the objects of our protection.

If it were gold we were protecting then the keepers of the gold would be the most valuable asset we would have--the ones who secured the bars with guns, who weighed each gram to the ounce, and who kept accurate figures that tallied the sum value of the entire gold reserve.

If it were gasoline we were protecting then the attendants who stand watch with squeegee in hand at the pumps would be our guardians of the cycle of the future of humanity.

But that's not the case because if children are the ultimate objects of value that we are protecting with the life's blood of our young men and women then it is the guardian of children who are our most valuable asset.

Now, if gasoline or gold bars were the object of ultimate importance, then which guardian would you choose: the one who just stood by with a weapon and ignored the gold or let the pump rust? Likewise, which guardian of our precious little resources of the future would you prefer: the one who passes out lunch money with no care of what nutritional value the child receives and who moves the child's head out of the way of the television set when they are begging for attention or the guardian who worships their child and treats them like a living project that can only compound in value over time with the attention paid to them today?

Obviously the doting mother is the preferred guardian for our little golden bib spoilers but what is it about the scrapbooking moms that separate them from the rest of the crowd? It is the action of taking their feelings, their memories, their love, their skills and their talents and creating something that truly turns common memories into works of art--keepsakes that can be handed down for generations.

This love for family, for community, for social order and the righteous zeal for living a good and happy life is what puts the bomp in the bomp shh bomp shh bomp. The scissor wielding, glue stick stamping divas are the colonels of the home front battles that take place every morning between thrown Cheerios and every evening between "one more drink of water" stalling techniques before bedtime.

We spend so much time protecting our children that we rarely give credit where it's due--to the guardians of those children--the ones who teach them to wipe their little bottoms and hold them when they are shrieking from 3 A.M. nightmares. Billie Holiday once sang, "God bless the child who can hold his own." I say we should also give praise and thanks to the monolithic mothers who stand guard over these children and, luck and heavy preparation provided, teach them to hold their own.




Joshua Minton is a father and husband as well as a writer. He is co-developer, along with his wife, of the Video Scrapbook Diva DVD system which teaches mothers and fathers how to take their family films, transfer them to the PC and turn them into fantastic movies that can be shared with family and loved ones.

Josh has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing from Bowling Green State University. He has won several awards for his poetry and fiction, including the BGSU Alumni Book Award and was included in the 1999 edition of Who's Who in College America.

Josh’s professional background is in the health insurance industry where he has spent the last two years serving as Executive Business Analyst for the Executive Director of the nation's largest health insurer. He currently serves as President of Family Bliss Enterprise, Inc. ([http://www.familyblissenterprises.com]) and is webmaster of http://www.joshuaminton.com where you can view samples of his essays, poetry, fiction and much more.

You can contact Josh at josh@joshuaminton.com





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How To Host The Ultimate Star Wars Party


Star Wars party supplies are an absolute must for the ultimate Star Wars fan. But it's not just the biggest fans who will appreciate a Star Wars themed party. With dozens of fun and quirky characters to choose from, there's a costume for everyone. And who can say no to a lightsaber duel or a blaster shootout?

Costumes are available for almost every character in the series, from Princess Leia and Hans Solo to Chewbacca and Yoda, or even the Darth Vader himself. But if you want to be a member of the elite, a stormtrooper costume is the way to go. These soldiers of the Galactic Empire protect the Empire with special training and undying loyalty. Plus, they are easily the most universally recognized characters from the Star Wars franchise.

A stormtrooper costume can be found for adults, children and babies. An adult stormtrooper costume can cost you anywhere from $40 to over $700, depending on the quality of the armor. For children and babies, a stormtrooper costume is much cheaper, ranging from just $15 to around $50. Some options may not include the signature stormtrooper costume weapon, a blaster. If not, blasters are usually priced between $15 and $50. You can even find blasters that light up and make blaster noises.

If you are feeling crafty and have the time, it's not too hard to make a DIY stormtrooper costume. With a supply of cardboard, some duct tape, a can of white paint, a black marker and a black leotard, you can make a recognizable stormtrooper costume. Just cut the cardboard into armor shapes and paint them white. While wearing the black leotard, tape on the armor and color the tape black. The helmet takes a little more finesse. But if you can make a helmet shape out of the cardboard, you can easily paint it white and use the black marker to draw on the face elements. Other DIY options include using a motorcycle helmet, foam sheets, and white tube socks.

Don't just stop with the stormtrooper costume. Party stores across the nation carry Star Wars party supplies. Your Star Wars party supplies shopping list should include plates, napkins, balloons and banners. Also pick up some party favors like lightsabers and a death star pinata. You can even let others join in your stormtrooper club with a stormtrooper wristband, available on Amazon.com for $8.99.

To make your Star Wars party extraordinary with an added DIY touch. You can make Star Wars party supplies that your guests won't find anywhere else. With the help of an action figure and a some jello, you can suspend Hans Solo in a tasty carbonite treat. Milk and a couple drops of blue food coloring can give you Bantha milk, a favorite beverage across the galaxy. Cotton candy on a stick can be a Cloud City treat. And for a space like atmosphere, hang up black sheets and twinkle lights.

It doesn't take much more than great Star Wars party supplies and a stormtrooper costume to throw the ultimate Star Wars party to impress both fans and newbies alike. Just remember that the force is with you.




Whenever you have a Star Wars theme party, costumes are important, both for you and for your guests. Consider a Stormtrooper Costume if you can't decide for yourself. Not only is it a great costume, but it doesn't matter how many other Stormtroopers show up for the party! You'll also want to grab some Star Wars Party Supplies for the occassion. Rebecca can offer you some top-notch products through her affilliation with the largest retailers of party supplies and costumes online, offering a 110% best price guarantee!





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Adolf Hitler and World War 2


Adolf Hitler was born on the 20th April 1889 in Braunau am Inn Austria, the fourth child of six. Hitler's father Alois Hitler was a local customs official, his mother Klara Polzl the third wife of Alois and also his cousin for which a papal dispensation was required for them to marry.

Hitler's childhood was a troubled one, his father often beating him and his mother, years later he is said to have told his secretary "I then resolved never again to cry when my father whipped me. A few days later I had the opportunity of putting my will to the test. My Mother, frightened took refuge in front of the door. As for me, I counted silently the blows of the stick which lashed my rear end". The Hitler family moved often during the early years of his existence, he was a good student up to his first year of high school where he had failed and had to repeat the grade, his teachers said "Hitler had no desire to work".

It is often said Hitler's lack of enthusiasm to school was down to rebellion against his father who desired for his son to follow him as a customs official, however the young Hitler had dreams of becoming a Painter, which is supported by a later description of himself as a misunderstood artist. Even after the death of Hitler's father in 1903 his school work failed to improve and at the age of 16 he dropped out without any qualifications.

In 1905 Hitler had moved to Vienna, living on an orphans pension and support from his mother, he had hopes of studying at The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, for which he was rejected citing "Unfitness for Painting", he was told his abilities were better suited for the field of Architecture, which he wrote in his memoirs of his fascination for the subject. After the school rectors recommendations Hitler himself was convinced that his future would be within this career path.

However Hitler's lack of enthusiasm at secondary school would hinder his chances as one could not attend the academies architectural school without first attending the building school at the technic which required a high school degree for which he had not gained, making his dream in his own words physically impossible. After the death of his mother in December 1907 he struggled financially, copying scenes form postcards and selling his paintings to merchants and tourists, he once again applied to the Academy of Fine Arts but yet again was rejected and soon run out of money. In 1909 Hitler lived in a shelter for the homeless and in 1910 he settled into a house for poor working men on Meldemannstrabe.

Hitler lived in the dormitory from 1910 till 1913, little is known about Hitler's stay at the home, it is rumoured though he spent his days reading newspapers in the reading room, painting pictures discussing politics and giving speeches to fellow residents.




World War 2 books and information relating to the history of World War 2.





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Maces, War Hammers, and the Joy of Bludgeoning


Since the very early days of humankind, we have always had a subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) urge to bludgeon our fellow humans into mushy pulp using hard objects. The cavemen knew this. The Byzantines acknowledged this. The Celts and Gauls were aware of it. Medieval knights relished it. Heck, even the sophisticates of the Rennaisance had the itch.

We don't really like to talk about this, of course, but when the artificial social restraints are stripped away, there really is no more manly way to defeat an opponent than by mashing him into fertilizer on the battlefield. That's why the mace and war hammer were considered weapons for the strongest and most capable of warriors.

Maces and war hammers evolved and gained popularity over time, particularly when chainmail, ringmail and scale armor were invented. These types of armor made it difficult to kill an opponent with slashing weapons. The mace, however, could pulverize body parts without having to penetrate the armor. And pulverize they did. Maces and war hammers became extremely popular weapons and were responsible for uncountable deaths, injuries and accidental self-bonkings on the head (the last which really didn't do too much damage (usually), but were likely a source of humiliation and jokes at the campfire after the battle).

Maces started life as clubs made from particularly big, heavy sticks. The big-stick arms race eventually led to big sticks with heavy balls of wood or rock affixed to the end. The next evolution was "heavy wood balls with knobby protrusions" (which, ironically was my nickname in high school). The knobby protrusions hurt a lot more than smooth wood, and caused more damage.

Eventually, with the advent of bronze and iron, metal maces came into fashion. These of course were much more lethal than the wood clubs, although not as popular as swords and spears. It wasn't until the aforementioned popularity of metallic armor that the maces and warhammers truly enjoyed a robust popularity. Maces and hammers were also quite a bit cheaper to make than swords, so lower class warriors and po' folk in general could afford them.

Flanged maces (maces with angular metal edges and points protruding from the head)were popularized circa 1200, when thick, nearly impenetrable plate armor was rendering both swords and maces less effective. The flanges were capable of focusing an enormous amount of power into a very small point. This allowed the mace to penetrate the armor a' la old fashioned can-openers.

Maces and war hammers were used by both footmen and horsemen. Knights liked the shorter hammers that could be swung like tiny polo mallets from horseback. Footmen liked the large, two-handed maces that could be swung with astounding force. Shorter war hammers, to jump around a bit, were very popular against knights wearing great helms (cylindrical helmets with flat tops). You see the flat tops of those helmets were like war hammer helipads, just waiting for a hammer to land and crush everything underneath. Many war hammers featured claws on one end that could pierce armor much like the protrusions of flanged maces.

And speaking of flanged maces, an alternate version of a flanged mace was the spiked mace, which was basically a standard ball-headed mace with iron spikes lodged into it. The spikes were less effective against heavy armor, but really, really hurt if they hit lightly armored or, heaven forbid, unarmored opponents.




Alex Calas is a member of the strongblade.com team http://www.strongblade.com He writes, designs and is generally a powerhouse of historical information. Strongblade.com is a site that sells historic replicas like swords, maces and warhammers http://www.strongblade.com/nav/weapons-blunt.html armor, jewelry, movie props and much more. All of us at Strongblade are monstrous history buffs and martial artists of one sort or another, so we enjoy providing historical, usually humorous, perspectives on what we sell.





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2012年9月20日 星期四

The History Behind Pogo Sticks


The History Behind Pogo Sticks

Pogo sticks have quite the history. You have this basic design. It is the Y-shaped pole with two foot pads for you to place your feet. You then have the spring and the simple mechanism that allows you to hop up and down. This is a design that was patented by a man named George B. Hansburg. It is said that he created the first pogo stick in 1919.

Something that you cannot deny when it comes to pogo sticks is the fact that it is not one of those fads that come and go. It is one of those toys that parents and even grandparents can identify with. No matter how many different looks it has or how many different types are made, the basic design still applies. It is a toy that remains virtually unchanged, so parents and grandparents know what their kids and grandkids are dealing with.

But in a way, the pogo stick is a bit of a legend and that legend extends back to World War I. A German Traveler was passing through Burma when he found lodging with a farmer who was poor. The farmer was so poor that he couldn't afford shoes for his daughter, Pogo, and his daughter was unable to go to temple to pray. The rocks and the mud were just too much for her feet to handle.

As the legend continues, it is said that the farmer had taken a longer pole and attached a shorter stick to the bottom of it. After practicing for just a matter of days, Pogo was able to jump the rocks and the mud so that she could go to temple to pray.

The German then returned to his home country and attached a spring to improve the bounce. This occurred in 1919 and was, indeed, the first pogo stick with a spring apparatus.

Unfortunately, Germany had shipped a load of pogo sticks to the United States and the wood had become warped from the humidity, so the batch was not able to be used. It is then that Hansburg came up with a better pogo stick and it is then that the pogo stick became something found in every child's toy chest.

It is true that the pogo stick has fluctuated in popularity throughout the years, but it is not a fad toy. This means that it is not like these toys that we see on the market today that are only popular like fad diets become popular. If that were the case, the pogo stick industry would be something that couldn't survive the way that it has.

However, there have been slight changes to the pogo stick throughout the years. For example, Hansburg designed a new type and he called it the Master Pogo. Since then, various companies come up with their own models that do very well in the market. Now it seems that pogo sticks are like bicycles - the cooler the design, the more exciting it is. Then again, there is still the wooden design if you want a little tough of tradition.




For more pogo stick information and the newest pogo stick products feel free to visit [http://www.pogosrus.com] where you can find Pogo sticks for kids of all ages.

Pogos R Us [http://www.pogosrus.com]





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Treasure Hunting For Civil War Artifacts


If you're a modern-day treasure hunter you may wonder how you can find some great Civil War artifacts, whether on your own or through another seller that has already found them for you. Believe it or not, there are still some great items you can find from the Civil War even after all these decades.

Obviously in order to hunt up some Civil War artifacts you're going to need some equipment. Metal detectors are not just for beach bums anymore, and they have become much more sophisticated and useful in the past few years. For instance, many today have their electronic components built into the headphones you wear, meaning that the stick part of the detector is much lighter than it once was. This eliminates a lot of the arm fatigue you would normally have when hunting down artifacts in a large field. There's nothing more irritating when treasure hunting than to have to stop and rest your arm simply because your equipment is poorly built and far too heavy!

You would also need to travel to where you can find some great Civil War artifacts in order to find these great items. Chances are you won't find anything in areas such as Michigan, California, or Maine. Instead you need to do your hunting where there were significant battles in order to find great Civil War memorabilia. These states include areas such as Virginia, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, and areas like this.

It's also important that you understand just what you're looking for by way of Civil War artifacts. Not every coin or piece of metal you find is going to be an actual artifact and there's no guarantee that it has any connection to the Civil War. It's also important that you obey local laws and respect property rights of those who may live in the areas where you're going to find Civil War antiques. Obviously you can't just start walking up and down the streets of Virginia, waving your metal detector, and lay claim to anything and everything you find! Public parks, beaches, and other such places are really the only places where you can openly go and search and then keep what you find.

You can hunt for artifacts on private property if you first get permission from the owner. Remember to always leave nothing behind except footprints. You do not want the next person that tries to hunt in the same area but is denied permission because you left holes in the ground or you left a soda can behind.

If you're serious about hunting down Civil War artifacts you need to do your homework. Many people assume that real treasure hunters spend all their time out in the field digging up relics, but in reality much of your time is probably going to be spent in the library or online. You need to understand what to look for, where to find them, and where to sell them once they're found if that's what you want to do with them. And because antiques can be greatly compromised in value when they are cared for improperly, it's important to be sure you clean and store them appropriately. Even the sturdiest of Civil War memorabilia needs to be taken care of delicately in order to preserve it for the next several centuries as well!

Happy treasure hunting.




David Cowley has created numerous articles on Treasure Hunting. He has also created a Web Site dedicated to Treasure Hunting. Visit Treasure Hunting





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Sun Tzu Art of War - Creating Uncertainty For Rivals


The ultimate skill in the deployment of troops is to ensure that it has no fixed or constant formation and disposition. Without ascertainable formations, even the most infiltrated and observant spy will not be able to probe and comprehend, and the wisest strategist will not be able to uncover your plans or plot against you. The victory gained as a result of adapting to the circumstances of the enemy will never be understood by the troops. Everyone may know the formation that I used to secure victory. However, no one will know the ways, methods and reasons behind how I went about creating that victory. Therefore, the victory gained from each battle comes about because strategies and tactics are never repeated. Rather, they should vary according to the circumstances, with infinite possibilities. Chapter Six, Sun Tzu Art of War.

From the above sentence we can extract one extremely valuable business lesson. Let us break the sections into parts and look at them individually to have a good understanding of the lesson.

BUSINESS APPLICATION

From the first two sentences, we can interpret it as a business owner should not provide any amount of certainty for your rivals. As mentioned in my article Sun Tzu Art of War - Preempting Rival's Strategies, the part about preempting strategies, I have already mentioned that you can use the past reaction or strategies your competitors has used as a guideline for formulating your preemptive strategy. But do note that what I say here can be used by your rival as well. So do you have a fixed way of handling situations or fixed time of having promotions and so on?

These ways of doing business can provide relatively ease for your rivals to formulate their preemptive strategy. So try your best to create as much uncertainty within your control, so that your enemy will incur a high costs and also slow down their process of formulation as further illustrated by the second sentence, if there is no certainty, it would render your competitors' spy useless and their wisest strategist not able to uncover your plans. Another important point to note is when you create uncertainty; take note that you do not annoy your customers.

Let's look at the last part of the paragraph.

"Everyone may know the formation that I used to secure victory. However, no one will know the ways, methods and reasons behind how I went about creating that victory. Therefore, the victory gained from each battle comes about because strategies and tactics are never repeated. Rather, they should vary according to the circumstances, with infinite possibilities."

Human beings have such tendency that once you found something that works for you, you tend to stick to it and use it again and again. But in business, you cannot do that. You have to keep on formulating new strategies and tactics, because your rivals will learn from past engagement with you and formulate their counter strategy to score a win over you. If you keep on using the same strategy on them, sooner or later, they are going to overtake and win you. So your strategy be it for marketing, Research & Development and other areas in your business, you have to be like what Sun Zi said, vary them according to circumstances and strategies with infinite possibilities.




Koo Ping Shung is a renowned author on the subject of "Sun Tzu Art of War" and other related Ancient Chinese Literary Works on Military Strategy and Chinese History.

Ping Shung's passion in particular is in the exposition of Practical Business Applications gleaned from his vast and in-depth understanding of the applicability of such Ancient Chinese Literary Works to modern day Businesses, Entrepreneurs & Businessmen, and People in the Corporate Hierarchy. To date, he has written on many topics including Strategy Formulation & Execution, and Corporate Leadership.

Read more on Ping Shung's sharings on the Famous Quotes of Sun Tzu by clicking on "Sun Tzu Quotes".





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2012年9月19日 星期三

War on Terror - Is it Really?


For years, I have wanted to publicly state my views and thoughts on the "war on terror". I mean, I was chomping at the bit. But I had a problem. For commentary to be successful, a journalist must not be biased, and I was. How could I write an unbiased and objective viewpoint when I had too much on the line; My son was on his second tour in Iraq, so it would have been practically impossible to write a fair posting. Well, he has returned safely, and I'm gonna to pull the gloves off.

This so-called "war on terror" is in fact a war, by any calculation. However, it is a war previously unknown to mankind. It is not your great-grandfather's in WWI, your grandfather's in WWII, or even your father's in Korea or Vietnam. Those engagements were basically simple: You knew the enemy, hopeful that they were where they were supposed to be, then tracked them down and shot them. All of them. Then you occupied their empty space, and started anew. It doesn't get much more basic than that. Identify, find, shoot and occupy. Hell, even G.I. Joe knew that.

This new war we are engaged in has no such easily defined strategy. We don't know the enemy, don't know where he is,and face stiff restrictions on who, when, where and if we should shoot them. Identifying, finding and removing them have become problematic. There are so many stumbling blocks strewn across the path to winning this war that I don't ever see it happening. And, to make matters worse, President Obama made a huge blunder. He "declared war on Al-Qaeda".

You must understand this. A declaration of war means strict compliance with the Geneva Convention standards of warfare. Well, now we have put ourselves under an umbrella of rules and regulations that must be followed. Picture Osama bin-Laden huddled in a cave with his followers, somewhere in the world, saying "Okay guys, here are the rules. No more cowardly acts. We must now fight fair". Now, imagine all those eyes going glowing white with incredulity, as if they are saying, "Well, what do we do now?.

This war on terror is no traditional war and doesn't fit well with traditional standards of conduct. Al-Qaeda has written their own set of rules, and we must write ours if we are to have any chance of victory. During the two Great Wars, we gathered intelligence from the local populace. They had everything to gain and nothing to lose. Now, a huge majority of the locals are at least mildly sympathetic to the terrorists, and are not as forthcoming in their information.

There is no defined front in this new war. The enemy isn't wearing a Vietnamese pith helmet or a German 'SS' patch on his soldier. He is wearing clothing considered casual, blending right in with normal citizenry of any and all countries. Yet, he does not have any rules, while our hands our so entirely tied we ain't getting loose.

Our intelligence gathering community is at great risk, as seen by the cowardly suicide bombing on a remote CIA outpost in Afghanistan. 7 dead United States officers. This country relies too much on our 'allies' help. The intel guys need to develop their own intelligence, and have the ability to act once it is in their own hands.

If there is credible information available, why must those intel guys go through all the bureaucratic b.s. to remove one threat? Taking him down, immediately, must be allowable, right there in the field. Then, allow our guys any means necessary to get more intelligence. Yes, I mean up to and including torture. You get what you need, in any way you can, to prevent more attacks against the United States and her citizens. How someone can justify killing innocent men, women and children is beyond my comprehension.

I'm not much for the Bible, but "an eye for an eye" sticks out for me. I do not mean wholesale slaughter of civilians in terrorists' safe haven countries. But we must be allowed to maximize the use of force necessary to combat bin-Laden and the string-pullers, and the pesky minions that do their dirty work. Find, capture and retrieve information as needed, playing by their rules. See how they react to payback, using the same formula they themselves use.

The misguided political agendas running this war must face reality and reset themselves to play a whole different game. The rules have changed dramatically, and so must we. Give our guys what they need to protect us. I don't care one whit if the President of France says he is outraged by our actions. See what happens if the Eiffel Tower gets blown up. I just bet that France takes another look at the role his country plays (doesn't play) in world affairs.

The war on terrorism is global, and every country, save a few, are at risk. If you want to win, take off the kid gloves, screw world opinion, and go get what intelligence you need, any way you can. Al-Qaeda has set the bar and the rules. We cannot continue to react to what they have done. We must be proactive to what they are going to do. Let the United Nations moan and groan and complain. The U.N. is a useless, toothless body anyway. We must use the Old West mantra of shot first and ask questions later. Only, don't shoot to kill if possible. Shoot to maim, to allow us to glean any information possible. To fight the savages and criminals, we must be likewise.. Our very survival depends on it.








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Let's Have a Trade War - No, Let's Not and Say We Did


Most people don't realize this but severe trade wars and protectionism actually leads to real wars over resources. One of the best ways to prevent war is to trade culture and products with other nations of the world. When we set up trade barriers, unnecessary tariffs, or try to put something over on our trading partners to serve our best interests without regard to their interests, we have not only broken a major rule in negotiation, but we set ourselves up for future failure.

It is widely known in negotiation that if you win big, and the other party loses, then not only will the other party be unable to fulfill their promised obligations, but they won't be very happy either. So whereas, you thought you won the negotiation or trade deal, you actually lost, and both parties lose in the end.

We need not let history repeat itself, and I'd like to remind you that; most of our ports had closed in the 1930s due to the Smoot-Hawley legislation, which killed jobs. Imagine living in Los Angeles with a 12-13% unemployment rate, and the ports stop completely. There goes another 450,000 jobs in Southern California, and this could easily shoot unemployment rates closer to 20%. That's not going to be pretty.

We must be careful of political leaders who put themselves and their political careers above what's best for our nation. Because when we allow them to do that, and to do something stupid like raising tariffs on rubber, or steel to appease the unions, so that politicians can get re-elected; all we've really done is start a trade war, which will have ripple effects around the world, and conflict, and wars can or will ensue.

But besides that, economically speaking, it's a lose-lose situation, it's the very opposite of what trade is supposed to be providing us all; a win-win situation. President Obama made a severe mistake by putting Chinese tire tariffs on those imported products to appease the unions. If he's willing to do this, to promote himself, or his healthcare plan (needed union support); then he is a failed leader, failing to live up to his promises, failing to lead with integrity; and all we have is politics as usual.

Therefore, President Obama is no longer needed as president of the United States of America. Either through his naivety or Machiavellian Chicago-style politics; he has destroyed the integrity of his office, and the confidence of free markets around the world. In my professional opinion; He should immediately resign, as he is unfit to lead.

Indeed, I am sorry that's just the way it is; this is totally unacceptable. It's time for Obama to go, and where he goes is irrelevant. That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it, my name is Lance Winslow and thank you for listening.




Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes everyone ought to understand more about diabetes; prevent diabetes [http://type1forum.com/]

Note: All of Lance Winslow's articles are written by him, not by Automated Software, any Computer Program, or Artificially Intelligent Software. None of his articles are outsourced, PLR Content or written by ghost writers. Lance Winslow believes those who use these strategies lack integrity and mislead the reader. Indeed, those who use such cheating tools, crutches, and tricks of the trade may even be breaking the law by misleading the consumer and misrepresenting themselves in online marketing, which he finds completely unacceptable.





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How to Mod a Lego Star Wars Minifig


Lego rocks! Its seriously cool and one of the many things that makes it cool is the huge range of Lego Star Wars minifigs that you can buy, either in stores or from auction sites like EBay. But what if you want your Star Wars minifigs to be a little bit special? Well, one way I tried recently was to give an Imperial Stormtrooper a fantastic pair of red glow-in-the-dark eyes. Just right for an evil meanie.

So, how did I do it? Well, it was all based on an idea that I found at Big Clives website - you can see it in my resource box below.

Its a device called a Joule Thief - no that's not someone who steals diamonds. A Joule Thief is like a torch without a case that will take either an AA or AAA battery in the holder and use whatever power is left in the battery to light a red LED. It can actually light any color of LED but Stormtroopers have got to have red eyes - right? The amazing thing about this circuit is that it will run right down to the bottom of the batteries charge if left running continuously, and will often provide a week of continuous low level light from a battery that would normally be considered dead.

So, first of all you'll need a LEGO Star Wars minifig to mod. I used an imperial stormtrooper since the helmet makes it easy to hide the electronics and the body is quite wide - just like me!

The other items you'll need are:

30 cm of 0.15 mm isolated copper wire.

A 1k ohm SMD resistor.

A general purpose switching SMD transistor.

A red SMD LED.

A small ferrite bead, 6 mm outer diameter.

A miniature push button.

A piece of thin copper foil for battery terminals (I butchered this piece from a PCB).

A piece of thick paper to mount behind the LED in the helmet.

and finally a small piece of flexible dark red plastic film to go in front of the LED.

First you have to decapitate your Star Wars minifigs to allow for insertion of electronics and battery.

After taking off the head, cut the helmet down a bit to make room for the electronics in the helmet, and use a small tool like a dremel to carve out enough room in the upper and lower body to make room for the battery.

Next, cut a small hole in the back to prepare for insertion of a miniature push button in the top center.

Next, assemble your Joule Thief. A full set of instructions is given at bigclives website above, but its fairly straightforward. Just wind the ferrite bead with 0.15 mm copper wire and connect up the resistor and transistor in the centre. Two wires should be left sticking out to the left to connect up the LED and another two wires left for connecting up the push button and battery.

You then need to embed the button in the back of your Lego Star Wars miifig at the top center of the body.

Finally, place the red film inside the helmet and re-assemble the minifigs. Voila - you now have a customised Star Wars minifigs that will be the envy of all of your friends.




If you would like to see a whole range of Star Wars Lego minifigs then why not head over to [http://buystarwarslego.info] and see what you can pick up - the only limit is your imagination. Big Clive - http://www.bigclive.com/joule.htm





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Mafia Wars Domination - Five Tips to Success on Mafia Wars


When you first begin to play Mafia Wars, it can be difficult to decide what to do first. Here are five tips to success to help you achieve Mafia Wars Domination. Making the right choices early in the game will benefit you greatly later on.

Stick to the basics of the Mafia Wars game

You may want to start buying all kinds of weapons, armor, and vehicles shortly after you begin playing the game. It is natural to think that you have to possess the most inventory items to compete but that is simply not so. You will obtain plenty of weapons, armor, and vehicles necessary for a given job as you start to play the game. You will also get items for free when you complete certain jobs so do not spend any more money than necessary on these items. That way you will have plenty of money left over for other key items.

Spend your Money on Land

You need to try to conserve as much cash as possible and buy up as much land as possible. You might be tempted to begin to build on the land but in the early stages you will not have a large enough Mafia to protect the buildings there. So focus on buying just the land initially as it will still provide you with a nice income stream and enable you to purchase more land, buildings, and inventory later on.

Avoid losing your Temper

You may find that you get attacked from other Mafia War members. Don't give in to emotion

and start fighting them back in the early stages. Conserve your cash and your health until you can build a stronger organization. You can always go back and attack later. Then they will be sorry

Conserve your Godfather Points

You begin with some Godfather points and earn more as the game goes on. There are many cool items you can obtain with Godfather points. However you should avoid spending any points until later in the game since they will be much more beneficial to you at that time.

Build a large organization

One of the best ways to move ahead in Mafia Wars is to build the largest Mafia organization possible. Initially you need to recruit as many people as you can on your friends list from Facebook. Also think about inviting other people who may not be tied to your Facebook page. This could include old co-workers, club members, school mates, relatives you don't talk to much, etc. If you really think about it, you can probably identify a lot people who would be willing to join your Mafia. Make sure to ask them to suggest people to be invited into your organization and that will help you add a lot more members FAST!

These are many ways you can rise to the top in Mafia Wars. If you want to get there as quickly as possible, make sure you apply these tips as you begin to build your domination in Mafia Wars




Want to become unstoppable at Mafia Wars? As an avid Mafia Wars player and fan, I've developed some helpful tips which I'm pleased to share with you. I wish you good success and enjoyment in playing this terrific game.





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2012年9月18日 星期二

God of War - Chains of Olympus Demo Impressions


This is a PlayStation Portable exclusive video game that centers around Kratos. The game is a prequel to God of War and God War 2 on the PlayStation 2. Gamers will be able to delve into Kratos' lifestyle prior to the unfortunate death of this wife and child. From the looks of it, God of War: Chains of Olympus looks as brutal as the PlayStation 2 games. Kratos will be armed with his usual chain blades and his ego. Even though God of War:

Chains of Olympus is a PSP game, it looks as if it was made on the PlayStation 2. The audio holds up nicely, and the visuals are right on par with the PlayStation 2 counterparts. There will no doubt be some memorable boss battles in the final iteration of God of War: Chains of Olympus, and the contact sensitive moments should be as flawless as ever. God of War fans will feel right at home with the controls. Kratos' maneuvers are fairly easily to execute and significantly satisfying. Pulverizing adversaries are as engrossing as the previous games.

One notable alteration to the controls is that evading is performed with the two shoulder buttons since there is no analog stick on the PSP. There was absolutely no blunders with the frame rate, and everything ran smoothly. God of War: Chains of Olympus appears to push the PSP to the limits visually. Some opponents that Kratos encountered in the demo was a Cyclops and another enormous monster. The majority of the demo was action packed, but there were some minor puzzle solving aspects. God of War: Chains of Olympus is not God of War 3, but it will be the next best thing. The game is slated for a 2008 release date.




http://wwwfunnyman.blogspot.com/





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What Are The Best Online War Games?


These days one of the favorite themes of gamers around the globe is war games. And now since everybody is only interested in playing online with friends or anyone the requirement of online gaming is very high. There have been many new online war games that we have heard or played in the recent years. Recently all the games regardless on what platform it was originally designed for all have online multiplayer options. The recent title of Wolfenstein that was made for PC, PlayStation 3 and X Box 360 also came out with the online multiplayer option. It's one of the best online war games available.

This game has a great single player campaign mode as well as multiplayer online mode. You can play with anyone who is connected to the server of Wolfenstein from around the world. This game is loosely based on world war two and the fight between an American soldier who fights against the Germans who are using ancient medallions to make current day super soldiers. The only hope for the world to stop this war is the American soldier who has to fight against all odds to free the world from the German psychic techniques. In this game we get a lot of weapons to fight with and explore the world. In the online war mode you get the weapons and powers much faster compared to the single player mode in which you have to stick to the storyline and you get the powers and weapons when you are long into the game. You also get special powers using the different medallions that are available in the game. You can activate these special abilities and fight the enemies much effectively then with guns. In all the online war experience in Wolfenstein is great and is very recommended among war games.

Another Great game is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. We have heard the name of Call of Duty whenever we look for the most played games. And without a doubt this one offers one of the best online war game experiences you will have. This game is also based on the Word war and it has stunning graphics and is available on multiple platforms. Here you have to play a part as many different soldiers as the story progresses. We have a lot of different weapons available in this version of call of duty. This game includes the following game modes for the online multiplayer option Demolition, Free-For-All, Sabotage, Team Death-match, Domination, Capture the Flag, and Search & Destroy. All these modes are designed to give the player an awesome online gaming experience. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was also named the game of the year for 2009.

There are also many other online games which are simple and light weight, like Flash games. One can find many such games online and play for free. So if you are looking for some free option, you can enjoy many of them just by searching on any search engine.




To browse and play great war games on line, please visit the best Online War games resource to find the best ones, exchange experiences and have fun. Peter Sibierski is a writer for laststopgames.com.





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Star Wars Galaxy Party Plan


A Star Wars party is a classic - it keeps getting bigger and better with age! From age 5 - 50 every little boy wants to have a Star Wars party at some time! So roll up your sleeves and Let the force be with you...

Invitations: You can make your own invitations on black card stock paper. Write with a white gel pen or use your computer to help you using this script - "A LONG TIME AGO IN A GALAXY FAR AWAY A BOY OF DESTINY WAS BORN" "THIS YOUNG JEDI WILL CELEBRATE HIS BIRTHDAY IN A GALAXY NEAR YOU..." A really cool site that has a free download of the the font used in the introduction of the Star Wars movies is galaxyfaraway.com. This site also has free Star Wars music and movie audio clips. Another great site is the official Star Wars website http://www.starwars.com which leads to my next invitation idea. Go to the "Kids" section and then type in the search box "Halloween Masks." What you will find is a variety of printable character masks. Choose one or several of the masks to use as your base for the invitation. Follow the printing instructions and assemble as required. Attach the party details with a request to wear the mask attached to the string or place the 2 items in a large envelop. Mark the envelope TOP SECRET and seal with a Star Wars sticker. You can choose to print the full coloured masks or opt to use black and white and have the kids colour them in for the party - a colouring contest of sorts. Either way - Very Cool!

Decorations: The party table can be adorned with licensed Star Wars tableware and decorations. Other tables like the food table and gift table can be dressed up with black tablecovers, lime green moon rocks(to follow) and those plastic glow in the dark stars that can be found at any dollar store. Put out your child's Star Wars toys and figures around the room for both decoration and play. Give your area an Outer Space feel. Cut out stars from heavy stock tin foil and hang from ceiling with fishing wire. Decorate your walls with funky looking planets made from coloured construction paper with silver & gold glitter to make them look out of this world! Hang posters and pictures of your childs favourite characters. Gather a bunch of ordinary rocks of all shapes and sizes, paint them lime green and place all around party area to resemble moon rocks. And Finally, you can't forget the asteroids. Asteroids can made with pieces of styrofoam cut to shape and painted or by hanging brown, tan or gold balloons from the ceiling with fishing wire. Be sure to draw lots of cracks and crevices on the balloons with a black sharpie before blowing up. In keeping with the licensed partyware, stick with colours like red, orange, black and metallics for the balloons, streamers and any additional decorations.

Crafts: Make your own Light Saber. This is a pretty easy craft if you do not mind some pre-party planning. All you need are pool noodles believe it or not. Cut a full length in half giving you 2 Sabers. Because they are so wide you will need to carve in a handle with an exacto knife. Make T shaped cuts 4 inches in and 1 inch deep all around one end and then very carefully remove the pieces. The handle does not have to be perfectly smooth because on party day it will be up to the kids to choose their colour, decorates the shaft with multi coloured markers and wrap their handles with coloured electrical or hockey tape to give their Light Saber a good grip. Make sure their names are written on their creation! If you have a crafty bunch, set up a table where they can build their very own planet. The supplies needed are Styrofoam balls, paint and brushes, glue and some decorations like glitter, beads and sequins. First have them paint their planets. During drying time have them name their planets by taking the first 4 letters of their first name and the last 4 letters of their last name and placing them together. What would yours be? My son's would be Sethbald! Have them write their planets name on small pieces of paper and then staple on to a toothpick. Now its time to embellish the planets with decorations of their choice. When all is dry and they are off to the next adventure, be sure to push the toothpick into the Styrofoam and attach a piece of fishing wire with a thumbtack so the guests can hang their very own planet in their very own room!

Games: Now that each child has their very own light saber, play "Keep Up The Meteor." Tell guests that the evil Darth Vador has set off a meteor shower to destroy planet earth and it is their duty to to prevent the meteors from hitting earth. The prep for this is simple; blow up a bunch of balloons, turn on the Star Wars soundtrack and have the kids form a circle. Start with one balloon, and then another and another until you have thrown in 1 balloon for each kid. If they can keep up just 1 balloon for the length of a song or a timer set to 3 minutes - they will save the Earth! A really fun thing to do is have an adult dress up as Vader with a mask, cape and light saber. Have the young Jedi Knights battle Darth Vador with their very own light sabers. It may get a little rowdy but the kids will love it! If you have an older group, Star Wars trivia is always a big hit but if the group is a bit younger try playing "Shapeshifting." Shapeshifters are dark side creatures that can change into different forms or characters. You will need - Star Wars music and 2 large bag filled with funny clothes, costumes and accessories. Gather the guests around in a circle, turn on the music and ask the kids to pass the bags around. The players holding the bags when the music stops must reach in, pull out an item and put it on. Game ends when all items are gone. Very silly and very funny! "Galaxy Hunt" - The villanous Darth Vador has stolen all the Galaxies treasure and hidden them within Star Clusters scattered around the Galaxy. It is up to each young Jedi to search and find 5 star clusters and report back to mission central. If even 1 Jedi is unable to complete his mission it is up to all young Jedi's to help out their fellow trainee. When all missions are complete the Star Clusters may be opened to reveal their treasure. The Prep for this game is to wrap different pieces of candy with tin foil making odd shaped balls. Hide around the "hunt area" only 5 clusters for every player. Make it a little difficult - you want the young Jedi's to have to work for their treasure! A good idea is to give each child a loot bag with their name on it to hold their treasures when they return to mission central.

Lootbags: If you have played the Galaxy Hunt its likely you already have a bag filled with candy. Complete the guest loot bags by throwing in some Glow Sticks, Pop Rocks, Silly Putty, Glow in the Dark Stars and some Star Wars favors. eBay is a great place to find large lots of Star Wars favors and trinkets at really reasonable prices. Finish off the loot bags with a Jedi Knight certificate letting the guests know the have passed their training and completed all their missions. A free printable certificate like the one shown on the left can be found at the website 123certficates.com in the "sci-fi" section. You can easily dress it up by printing it on blue paper and filling in the symbol with colour and silver glitter.




http://www.partydepot.ca - purchase party supplies in canada
http://www.partycanada.blogspot.com - more great party planning ideas!





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2012年9月17日 星期一

Star Wars Party Favors For Kids Help Celebrate the End of the Perfect Birthday Party


A birthday party is a special event that is cherished in many ways. A great time for kids can be created with competitions, cakes and party favors. Star Wars party favors are a wonderful way to say thanks to guests coming to a party. Kids birthday party favors are a thoughtful way to express appreciation and affection to guests.

Popular Toys, story books and gift items are often given away to children in party favor boxes. Party favors are traditional in some cultures with events like bridal showers, birthdays and weddings. It is a small gift given to guests at the end of a party, as a sign of appreciation for their presence.

Young kids love Star Wars for its special effects and amazing characters. The video games, trick cards and board games are popular among children. The Star Wars is a movie saga that has had significant impact on popular culture, fiction and television history. Choosing a Star Wars theme for your sons next birthday party, will surely be a winner.

All the guests will enjoy a Star Wars themed birthday party. The 3-D Feel the Force Party Favor box includes a disc launcher, a sticker sheet and a pair of 3-D glasses. The 3-D glasses help view effects of 3-D items in party packs. An assorted color glow stick and Zotz candies are contained. The assorted color glow stick is an official licensed products.

The Star Wars Clone Wars series has had immense success in both TV and theatrical premieres. The Clone Wars Party Favor Box contains items like Clone Wars sticker sheet, yo - yo and disc- launcher. The Clone Wars mask and glow stick is included.

If you have your own ideas though for what your little guests might like, you can always purchase an empty Party Favor box and fill it with items of your choice. You can choose from themed masks, stickers, blowouts, disc launchers, yo yos and tattoos. All the kids will love going through their party favor box when they get home and relive the memories of a great star wars themed party.

Kids party favors can be ordered online with on time guaranteed delivery. So even if you are super organized, or a last minute party planner, don't stress about how you are going to decorate and thank your childs guests at the party. A party favor box will say it all.




Kids birthday party favors are a perfect way to thank your son's young guests for attending his birthday party celebration. Star Wars Party Favors given at the end of a party, will ensure all the kids remember this great party.





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