9 Home Security Tips and Tricks That Will Help Prevent a Burglary

Posted on May 14, 2012 by admin
burglar with stick

burglar with stick

 

What does every burglar have in common? The need to get into your home and take whatever they can in the shortest possible time.

As time goes on, new methods and tools become available for the modern day burglar. 　Home security is becoming a modern trend these days, and more and more homes are being equipped with state of the art burglar alarms. However, burglar alarms will not deter a burglar from your home, but it will frighten him once he has made entry into your home. 　Unfortunately not all homes are burglar proof, but there are tricks and methods you can take to make your home less attractive to a burglar.

So what makes a home attractive to a burglar?

Piled up newspapers and mail

Unkempt lawn or landscape

The absence of a car in the driveway

Unlocked or open windows

Privacy Fences

Usually a burglar will always check the front door before making his grand entrance. 　First step is to knock on the door to see if anyone is home. Makes sense right? A burglar will knock on the door to see if anyone is home. If someone is home and answers the door, the burglar will just come up with a fabricated story. Now, the whole idea is to make sure that no one is there, because who wants to break into a home with someone in it? Not a burglar! A burglar will try to avoid as much confrontation as possible.

Your front door is usually the first line of entry for a burglar. If the door is unlocked, you just made the criminal’s job easier. However, if it’s locked a crow or pry bar is usually the tool of choice to open your door.

Here are 4 tips you can take to make your front door impenetrable:


1. Toughened Locking Mechanisms – You should replace all your exterior doors with hardened deadbolt locks. Make sure the throw bolt is at least 1 inch long.

2. Door Hinges – It’s recommended that you re-hang your doors with the door hinges on the inside of your home. Hinges on the outside of doors are defenseless. 　The pins of the hinges can be removed causing the door to open.

3. Strike Plates – This is that metal plate that wraps the lock set. This is the hole in the door frame where the lock sets. Replacing flimsy strike plates with heavy duty ones should do the trick. The strike plate should be set with four 3 inch screws.

4. Door Frame – Even if you have the strongest door in the market, that doesn’t mean anything. If you have a weak door frame, a crow or pry bar will easily tear apart the door frame for easy access into your home. You can secure the door frame to the walls by mounting a few 3 inch screws along the frame. You want to make sure the screws reach the wall stud so it fortifies your door frame.

So have you ever wondered what a burglar is doing inside your home?

Once a burglar has made entry into your home it doesn’t really take him much time to take your personal possessions. Would you believe me if I told you it usually takes a burglar less than 8-12 minutes to burglarize your home? Well, it’s true! Burglars usually have the same search pattern, which is why they are so quick. It’s pretty much universal for every burglar. It usually starts with the master bedroom, bathroom, family room, and kitchen.

Start the clock!
1-2 Minutes – The first room a burglar will go for is the master bedroom. 　Avoid keeping money and valuables under the bed, in the closets, bedside tables, or your dresser.

3-4 Minutes – In some cases a burglar will check your bathroom for prescription narcotics. This is quick cash for a burglar!

5-6 Minutes– Time is winding down so anything a burglar sees is up for grabs. 　The next stop in the house will usually be the family room, living room, or kitchen. 　iPods, laptops, or cameras are lying around and these are easy to sell items, so consider them gone! Also if a burglar is persistent, he will usually look for personal items such car or house keys, credit card info, etc.

7-8 Minutes – It’s about that time to make the exit. Burglars usually work in pairs so at about this time a call to the backup driver is made and the goods are loaded into the vehicle and poof, they’re gone!

So what can you do to avoid a burglar from choosing and invading your home? A wireless security system is your safest bet. A burglar will usually take less than two minutes to break into your home. If they can’t do it in that time frame, they’ll just move onto their next target. Following these tips and tricks will help you to deter a burglar from breaking into your home.

Peace of mind can be lost due to a home burglary. It’s very important to protect your home. 　However, you have to accept that all homes are exposed to a burglary. It’s up to you to take simple steps to protect your family and your belongings.

This guest post was written by Kevin Raposo, a blogger for SimpliSafe. Kevin covers issues related to home security, crime, safety, and consumer issues. Kevin is a dedicated writer and musician, spreading the word through music and blogging. SimpliSafe is a leader in the wireless home security field.

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What Burglars Seek: Preventing Robbery

Visualization – A Powerful Mind Tool

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Power of Positive Thinking: The Mindset

Posted on April 28, 2012 by admin

Positive thinking mindset is a process and it requires that you have a positive mental attitude. When you have a positive thinking mindset you automatically have positive thoughts and it helps if you continually recite positive affirmations. The process becomes like second nature.  When you have a positive thinking mindset you almost immediately find answers to the most complex problems and encounters. Positive thinking is a mindset or attitude that is aimed towards inevitably expecting things to work out for the better. A person with a positive thinking pattern in place expects, believes, and trusts that things will always work out and they almost always often do work out for the better.

This is not to be confused with someone who simply says: “Think positive and everything will work out.” Such a person does not have the proper positive thinking mindset in place.  Someone who has a positive thinking mindset naturally thinks positive and always foresees happiness, good health, success, and a positive outcome to just about every situation and event that takes place in their lives. They also trust that they will make the right decision and the right choices in their everyday occurrences. Since they expect it, their mind and subconscious mind find a way to make the right things happen. This is the power of having a positive thinking mindset.

Not everybody thinks that positive thinking works, and often these are the people who use the concept of positive thinking irregularly or when they need to get out of a bad situation. That’s not the way positive thinking works, so if you try this approach don’t expect results. There are also those people who believe in positive thinking, but don’t know how to properly apply it to any given situation. These are the people who will say “Think Positive” when you’re down or when things aren’t going well, but the person hearing this phrase has no idea what they mean and so tries to apply it and doesn’t get the result they expect.

Before you can progress into a positive thinking pattern, you first have to realize that positive thinking is not something you do aimlessly. Positive thinking is a practice, one that you work with on a daily basis and apply habitually. By making it a daily habit you create a positive thinking mindset that allows you to avoid potentially negative and challenging situations, and helps you resolve problems fast and effortlessly. With a positive thinking pattern in place you naturally enjoy a healthier, more fulfilling life.

With any type of mindset, you will attract what you think about regularly. So if you repeatedly think that life is problematic, you will invite situations into your life that will make things difficult. To have a positive thinking mindset you need to have positive thoughts, and they should be in your mind continuously. The best way to get started is to change the way you think; this will change your perspective of the world and your surroundings.  So start paying close attention to what you think. Everyday catch yourself thinking, ask yourself – what am I thinking about? Is this thought positive or negative? Does it help me improve my life or does it make my life more difficult?

If the thought is not beneficial to you and your life, if it doesn’t allow you to succeed, if it doesn’t make your life more pleasant, if you find that the thought is going to attract what you don’t want, then change it to something of a more positive nature. Create a thought that is positive and reaffirm it continuously on a regular basis. These are known as positive affirmations.  Results with positive affirmations can differ. While they will help develop a positive thinking pattern, it can take some time to see real results from reciting positive affirmations repeatedly. That’s because it depends on what you want to manifest in your life and where you are in the process.

One of the reasons why positive affirmations don’t always create the results you want is because they are not verbalized properly. To create a positive thinking mindset your positive affirmations should be said daily, should be in the present tense, and should be said in your voice.Visualize your success. See yourself succeeding at what you want to achieve. This will help boost the results of your affirmations. When you visualize, your subconscious associates the wanted image with the affirmation and helps you achieve the success you want sooner.

Learn how to attract more positive energy into your life – check out this article about daily affirmations

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Deep Meditation for Optimal Results

Posted on April 24, 2012 by admin

For anyone who has been meditating, it may be time to take it to another level.  While the many benefits of meditation are clear and undisputed, you can get even better results with deep meditation.  Meditation can be done virtually anywhere, and doesn’t need to take much time.  Deep meditation also has many benefits, but can be greater in the rewards.  Deep meditation requires a person to have a quiet area with no noise or distractions.  The process of deep meditation begins much like regular meditation in that the breathing in regulated.  A person slowly and deeply breathes in through the nose, and gently blows the air out of the lips which are in a rounded position.  Focusing on breathing is crucial to begin the process.

After the breathing has become regulated, the mind needs to slowly allow any thoughts, images, or ideas slip away.  The easiest way to accomplish this is to focus wholeheartedly on the breathing.  As the intrusions of the mind slip away, a deep mental state is reached.  This is close to that of a sleeping person, but not quite as deep.  The body and senses don’t register external sounds, smells, or movement.

As the deepened state is reached, a great calming feeling may come over the body.  This is in addition to great relaxation and an increase in metal clarity.  This is the point at which many people begin to feel a connection to the universe they have never felt before, or merely had brief glimpses of.

Many people who practice deep meditation find that the relaxation they feel literally courses through their body.  The body can begin to feel light, as if it is about to float.  This sensation can last a few minutes or during the entire meditation.  Not everyone experiences this sensation, but those who do truly enjoy it.

For those who are new to deep meditation there can be an overwhelming sense of connection to a higher power.  Many people feel a wisdom and guidance they have never felt before.  These feelings can be powerful and transcend daily life.  This connection to a higher power can create a feeling of joy and love that takes the person meditating out of their normal state of being.  These feelings can influence their daily life, how they interact with others, and greatly increase their love of humanity and the world at large.

While these feelings may seem a bit overwhelming at first, they can have a truly life changing effect on a person.  For those who used to be uptight and stressed out, or even easy to make angry or upset, they will find a new peace and calmness known to few other people.

This type of deep meditation is also an excellent way to improve health and well being.  Studies have shown that deep meditation creates a healthier mindset and body.  The increased blood flow to the brain improves mental function and clarity, fights off disease caused by stress and anxiety, and even changes how people perceive others.

Everyone has had times in their life when they were frustrated with a situation or another’s actions.  These types of feelings begin to change to calm interaction with others and understanding that things don’t always go as planned.  Changing one’s views on the world creates an internal calm that is reflected with everything a person does, says, and hears.  It creates a person who is on a constant even keel with the world and all of their surroundings.

If you have been meditating and are ready to go to the next level, it may be time to deepen your meditation for optimal benefit.  If you are familiar with or already practice meditation it will be much easier for you than for someone who is new to meditation to begin with.  It merely requires a quiet, peaceful environment with no distractions and the willingness to completely let your body go into total relaxation and calm.  When you have done this, you will notice a greater peace and clarity in your life than you have ever known.  The health benefits are also greater than with general meditation and can help you to live a long, healthy, happy life.

Do you meditate? Check out this article on how meditation can develop your psychic abilities such as psychokinesis

 

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What Burglars Seek: Preventing Robbery

Posted on April 23, 2012 by admin

Would-be home-invaders look for weakness. Just as a robber on the street eyes you in terms of potential weakness, so does a burglar, surveying your home. They look for concealed entry and exit points, homes not protected by a security system, homes without lighting. Just as you can prevent yourself from becoming a victim on the street by learning how to defend yourself, here’s some ways to defend your home from potential invasion.

Home security means keeping your home, your loved ones, and your property safe from robbery. The loss of expensive material items is only one element of home security. More important is preventing personal violation, injury, and danger. Start by making your home unattractive to robbers by keeping the landscaping trimmed and well groomed. No high bushes or thick trees that limit visibility from the road or neighbors. Be sure to keep your home properly lit, with adequate lighting on whether you’re home or not.

Studies reveal that intruders or would-be intruders will often enter through a front door, by forcing it open or simply kicking it in. Others choose ground floor windows or the back door of the home especially if it offers more privacy and less lighting than a front entrance. And many break-ins also occur through a basement or garage.

Once you’ve considered these entry points, consider some home security gadgets or a home security system that can cover them all. Be certain the system includes enough motion detecting sensors to monitor each vulnerable area of your residence, and that the base unit provides enough connection coverage with the sensors. Wireless systems should be checked frequently to be sure batteries are charged. And, be sure that the monitoring service that supports your home security system provides an adequate, rapid response time and will provide service call assistance to keep your system running smoothly.

Applying security signs and stickers helps make your property unattractive to burglars. They’d rather go after someone who isn’t prepared for them, after all. And again, be sure to keep your security system even more effective at prevention by making your yard landscaping neat, the trees and shrubs neatly trimmed. Eliminate hiding places for a would-be intruder who is either staking out your property or seeking the right places to wait for entrance, and escape notice coming or going from your property. Keep your lawn mowed and your property free of debris like flyers and neighborhood newspapers. The point: don’t encourage a potential invader to believe you’re an unmotivated home owner and an easy target.

Use motion activated lights that will not only alert you to the presence of anyone on your property, they signal a burglar to go elsewhere. No would-be robber will want to be illuminated in bright light.

And, whether you’re home or away, be sure that once you’ve installed a security system in your home or business, turn the system on. Keep it activated at all times, and be vigilant about it. And keep your doors and windows locked – don’t make it easy for a burglar to get inside.

As an extra precaution, you may want to keep a security item by your points of entry for your own protection. For example, a baseball bat, or a loud, siren producing alarm system that you can trigger by hand.

Don’t give burglars what they want – easy access – and you’ll prevent home robberies. Show them you’re not an easy target, and they’ll go elsewhere.

Madison Parker is a security expert whose interests range from personal to home security systems. Get more tips and advice on the blog Home Security Systems!
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Make the Subconscious Mind Work for You

Posted on April 15, 2012 by admin

The subconscious mind operates without our knowledge. Its purpose is to store memories and experiences so that we don’t constantly have to relearn our lives or routines. It also stores thoughts and emotions so that when we experience something more than once, we have the other experience to draw on and continuously learn. As we all know, this serves us very well and is the basis for learning, but what happens when we consistently choose thoughts and emotions which make our experiences bad, or negative?

The result of that, of course, is a subconscious mind which is made up of bad experiences and negative emotions. This is a huge problem, because our subconscious is our link between our conscious minds and the Universe. If it is full of negative thoughts and emotions, that is what we are communicating to the cosmos and that is what the cosmos is sending back. This is an example in which the subconscious mind works against us.

Although we are not directly in charge of this part of ourselves, we do have control, especially if we remember that our subconscious tends to store the thoughts, emotions, and experiences we give the most attention to. Anytime we create positive thoughts or experiences, we create the opportunity for those emotions to dominate. We simply have to give them more attention than we give our negativity. The more often we do this consciously, the easier it becomes. Overtime, the patterns of thought and memory in the subconscious change to reflect a better attitude.

This means, of course, since the subconscious communicates with the Cosmos, we will be sending whole new cues. Instead of attracting the things which makes us miserable by focusing on them all the time, we will start to magnetize more reasons to feel grateful, happy, and in control. We are absolutely in control of our own lives, all we have to do is realize it and to start actively choosing to feel good, no matter what.

Even if our current circumstances are difficult, we can decide how we are going to experience that difficulty. It is true that denial will do nothing for us, but the way we look at what is happening to us will mean a lot for the present moment, as well as for moments to come. The subconscious mind is always paying attention, recording, and storing the thoughts and emotions from you which are the strongest. In this way, you construct your present and future reality. If you experience hardship by being angry, resentful, or without hope, this is the state you create in your subconscious mind, and the signal it sends to the Cosmos.

What can the Cosmos do with such avid emotion and desperation? It can only use it to create similar feelings, and this will leave you too miserable to deal with the situation at hand. If, instead, you are able to generate any kind of positive thoughts or feelings and give them your dominant attention, the Universe can easily give you more positive things to experience, even in the thick of a crisis.

Your subconscious mind may not be directly accessible to you, but you are still very capable of harnessing it and making it work for you. You do it by choosing good thoughts and emotions, surrounding yourself with other positive people or things, or allowing yourself to experience something wonderful. Each happy thought or positive feeling has a ripple affect which creates even more just like it. The same goes for negative thoughts and feelings. We have to guard ourselves against our own self-destructive tendencies which come in the form of harmful thoughts, dramas, and emotions.

No matter where you are in life, it is never to late to start reprogramming your subconscious mind to work for you. Just start looking at the positive in each situation and directing your attention and appreciation to the moments in which you feel happy, grateful or satisfied. Use those moments as a way to tell the Universe what you want by giving them your full attention and letting them dominate over other things you might be feeling.

The more you do this, you will create new patterns and a new line of communication with the Cosmos, which will take your positive signals and craft them into more instances of love and goodness for you to enjoy.

Interested to unleash the hidden abilities of your mind? Try visualization exercises and techniques of astral projection

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Spartan North South Escape with James Foster Brake down

Posted on April 10, 2012 by admin

Once again I would like to thank submission101.com  for given me permission to use screen shots from there videos. If you haven’t visited their website yet, you should do so.

In this post I will brake down the Spartan North South Escape.

BJJ north south hold

1. To start off, have a partner put you in a north-south hold. Make sure he or she has a good hold. Well, being held there, drive your elbows to the ground and lift your hips. This will make it hard for your opponent to arm bar you.

Hold escape

North south Hold escape

2. Now, feed your opponent’s head to the other side with one hand. Bring the other hand around his head and grab the upper back or shoulder. It will feel a little weird at first, but you will get use to it.

Feeding the head

North south escape

3. From here, open up or widen your elbow. This will create more space between the arm pit and the knees.

 

4. Now turn your body around using your hips and drive the knee through the other side. From here you can put your opponent in guard.

Using the hips

NORTH SOUTH escape finish

 

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What Works and What Doesn’t: Visualization Techniques No Matter How Experienced You Are

Posted on April 6, 2012 by admin

 

Many people regardless of their visualization skill and experience ask the same question: how can I improve creative visualization to maximize my results? There are many techniques that can help you to improve your results, but if you aren’t setting yourself up for success, they won’t be as successful as they could be. For example, are you taking time each day for you, without interruptions? Some people feel like they have no time in the day (even a measly 10 minutes) to be quiet, focus on their visualization and devote themselves to their imagination. They may get interrupted by co-workers or children before they have been able to finish, and when that happens, your dream is put on hold. Although everyone’s life is a busy one, there are some prerequisites to successful visualization and by following this guide, you can be even more successful than ever before.

Visualizations work as long as you believe them to work. The beauty of visualizations is that you maintain control of your destiny rather than be at the mercy of the events of the outside world. So, when you combine the talents of your imagination, desires and belief by creating in your mind what you want to have in your life, you are in control. Many people suffer from low self-confidence and at some point, you may too. Due to being passed up at work for a promotion, a siblings saying something unflattering about you or just having a bad day, your self-esteem can suffer. This is when visualizations can come in handy. Try improving your confidence with a simple three minute visualization and watch it improve your happiness and confidence immediately.

Close your eyes and think of the negative things in your life. Now imagine they are being sucked into a balloon. Take that balloon and hold it tight in your right hand. Now think of all the positive things in your life, such as personal achievements, your talents, being a good friend to others, etc. Think of every personal praise you have been given, and focus on that until it becomes a shiny, beautiful golden liquid. Watch it as it lights up your environment for everyone to see, and in that split second, crush the balloon of negativity you have been holding. You can open your eyes now, and when you do, you’ll live your day feeling happier, lighter and more empowered than before.

How powerful are your visualizations? Do you see a clear picture when you imagine what you want your life to be? Do you see that dream vacation and take the time to play out all of the details in your mind, or are you rushing through it quickly, vaguely? Committing to visualizing the right way is important if you want to see results. So, whether your goal is to be awarded a job working for Google, attend the Oprah  Show or finally take that vacation to Fiji, you need to see as much detail in your mind about it as possible. A good movie shows realistic detail in each scene doesn’t it? If it didn’t, you wouldn’t believe the actors in the movie, right? The same goes with the movie in your mind, or in other words, visualization.

Another tactic to help with effective visualization is by taking the time to close your eyes and breathe. Before visualizing, you want to lower brain wave frequencies, which will automatically result in better visualization results. If you are a beginner, it can help to just concentrate on your breathing. Be mindful of deep breaths, and relax as you breath in and out, in and out. This helps to not only lower your brain wave frequencies but to relax you enough to be in a state of imagination and belief. As two key ingredients for successful visualization, you will be in the best state of mind for mind power results. There are many ways to go about having a successful creative visualization but remember to start with a reachable dream, embrace your imagination and create as many details as possible. When you do, your subconscious will pick up on images and replicate them in real life.

Believe in the power of visualization? Check out this article on the Law of Attraction

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3 Punching Bag Drills for the Beginner Boxer

Posted on April 4, 2012 by admin

The punching bag is the most used tool by boxers and for good reasons. It is the only good way for fighters to improve their punches and endurance in the ring. I have heard stories that even long distance runners have trouble doing a round on the heavy bag.

So, while I sitting here thinking what to right about decided a post on bag drills was needed. All these drills are for the heavy bag, so don’t worry about all the other ones for now.

Drill one

Start off with 30 seconds at first. Start by simply standing in front of the heavy bag. Then throw as many jabs and crosses as you can. It has to be really fast for this to work. It is important that fighter push their bodies to their limits.

As this gets done more and more, fighters should try to increase their speed. Then they should increase the timing doing this drill, while maintaining that speed. It is also important that fighters don’t slow down to make up for the longer time.

Drill two hooks

Once again start off doing this drill for only 30 seconds. Stand in front of the heavy bag. Then start the clock and throw as many hooks as you can. Make sure not to slow down.

Just like the first drill, fighters should try to increase the speed and time as they get better.

Drill three building skill

Unlike the first two drills, this one is used to build skill. Fighters should use combos and head movement. Boxers should also dance around the bag to work on foot work.

This drill should be done for three, 3 minute rounds. Fighters should take a one minute rest in between each round.

There are many other heavy bag drills for boxers. This is a good start for now. I will put more post about the other drills in the future.

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How to Get Back in the Game After a Major Injury

Posted on March 29, 2012 by admin

When you fight as a hobby or for a living, you put yourself at risk every day. Most of the time your experience helps keep you safe and relatively uninjured. But every once in a while it’s possible that you just weren’t able to protect yourself fast enough and you suffer from a major injury – an injury that takes you out of the ring for an extended period of time.

Suffering from a major injury can be a big challenge. Not only do you have weeks of rehab ahead of you, but many athletes also suffer from anxiety when they get back in the fight. They find that in the back of their mind they’re worried about getting injured again. This can be a big challenge for fighters, because anxiety can cause you to make more mistakes during a fight than you normally would make, actually increasing your chance of injury. Unless you figure out how to handle that anxiety, it’s going to be hard for you to enjoy the sport again.

Dealing with Post Injury Anxiety

There are many potential causes of anxiety with athletes. Fear of re-injury is just one. Some fighters fear issues with recovery, and others simply feel ashamed – worried that getting injured means they’re not as much of a fighter as they thought. All of these are the injury talking, as injuries can happen to even the best fighters at any time in their careers. If you suffer from post-injury anxiety, try the following strategies:

Get Hit Again

As long as you’re fully recovered, the best thing you can do is – in a safe environment – get hit again. Show your mind and your body that you’ve recovered. The worst thing that an athlete can do is try to avoid getting hit in the same place they got hit before. This type of avoidance causes more and more fear. You need to be a warrior and face your fear, performing the same activity that got you injured in the first place. Make sure it’s in a controlled setting though, where you can start gently and do it harder when you’re sure you’re feeling better.

Avoid Lifestyle Anxiety

You should also avoid anything that causes anxiety in your personal life. Personal anxiety can leak into your fighting anxiety and make it worse. That means that you need to find ways to calm down at work, you need to avoid watching horror flicks and things that cause that kind of excitement (yeah, horror movies cause anxiety in even the strongest men) and learn to relax and cope with your life.

Take it Slow

Also, don’t just jump back into the fight right away. Spar with someone you trust and make sure you’re ready. If you’re not totally healed or ready, and you get just a little bit harmlessly hurt in a fight, the anxiety can flare up bigger than it was before. Some basic sparring and getting back into the groove will reduce this.

Overall, the key is to make sure that you’re ready to get back into the fight, and that you’re not afraid to get hurt any more. Follow the above steps, take it slow, and be willing to admit to yourself that you have anxiety. Unless you accept that you have anxiety and learn ways to cope, you’re always going to have a problem getting back into the fight.

About the Author: Ryan Rivera had major anxiety most of his life. But he fought through it, and now writes about

anxiety cures and more at www.calmclinic.com.

 

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Top 5 Epic Movie Pool Room Fight Scenes

Posted on March 26, 2012 by admin

If there’s one thing we can expect from any classic fight movie, it’s a good bar-room brawl. These vary in quality based on the budget of movie, and the age of the fading action star involved. But over the years some of the most truly epic such scenes have been based around the pool table.

Maybe it’s the extra weaponry provided – cues and balls can take on a much more sinister purpose when placed in the hands of a martial arts expert – or whether the table itself becomes the arena of combat, where two (or more) men enter – but only the good guy leaves. So let’s take a look at five of the very best.

5. Hard To Kill – Steven Segal

In quite possibly his seminal action film, the 7th-dan black belt badass walks in on some bad guys playing pool , gun in hand and utters the immortal words “How’s the action boys – Mind if I play ?”, delivered in the usual cool Segal pre-fight style, until he breaks the silence with “Someone hand me a cue” which he promptly uses to open a can of whoop-ass on all those in the room.

Watch out for: One of the longest attack screams in movie history

4. Terminator 2 : Judgement Day – Arnold Schwarzenegger

In the classic opening scene from this awesome 90’s mega-hit our evil robot assassin turned protector arrives in 1995 in only his birthday suit. Using his built in modesty sub-routine, or more likely the producers desire for some early action, the governator enters the bikers bar “The Coral” to utter the immortal words “I need your clothes, you boots and your motorcycle”. When the locals are less than forthcoming the resulting melee involves one of the gang actually being nailed to the pool table with a knife – still maybe a slightly nicer fate than the poor guy who landed on the hot stove.

Watch out for: “You didn’t say please”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9blb_1PICV0

3. Rumble In The Bronx – Jackie Chan

In this classic bar-room style brawl, Chan takes on his opponent inside a circle of chanting, baiting onlookers. However the pool table soon takes center stage as both opponents jump up on to the table to face each other down. Predictably with Chan the action is fast paced and there’s lots of jumping around but the two guys manage to keep the fisticuffs on top of the pool table for a good minute until the action spreads elsewhere!

Watch out for: That punch that didn’t even get close to connecting

2. Kiss of the Dragon – Jet Li

Ok so the pool table doesn’t feature for the longest amount of time in this one, however we think it’s definitely worth a mention, watch the video and you’ll see why… Li manages to kick a pool ball out of a table pocket, jump up and bicycle kick it straight into a bad guy’s face! Awesome stuff. Well actually it would be slightly more awesome if rumours weren’t abound that there was a large amount of CGI involved in this, still looks great though!

Watch out for: The look of shock on the guy’s face as the ball comes towards him

1. Force : Five – Richard Norton

In this action-themed 80s-fest we follow the story of five martial arts experts sent to save a senator’s daughter and take down a corrupt religious organisation – usual stuff. So of course each of the five have to show off their goods first! When it is Ezekiel’s turn he does this through a pool hall bust-up after he wins a game of pool. “You’re sitting on my money fella” is how it starts, and ends with a pool triangle wielding Ezekiel taking the bad guys down!

Watch out for: The 80’s – everywhere.

This round-up of rubles is bought to you by Liberty Games, retailer of pub pool tables – although what you do with them is up to you!

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Boxing Tips: How to Throw an Upper Cut

Posted on March 23, 2012 by admin

As one of the two main power punches counted in boxing statistics, the upper cut is a powerful blow that can finish off an opponent quickly. Generally aimed at the opponent’s chin, the upper cut consists of an upward hooking punch that snaps the opponent’s head backward, often leading to a knock out finish.

Proximity

The upper cut is best performed with the attacker at close range to his opponent. This allows for a more powerful punch when compared to outside proximity, as much of the strength behind the blow is lost when the attacker has to extend his arm. Furthermore, delivering an upper cut from further proximity leaves the attacker open for retaliation.

Since it is best performed at close range, the upper cut is often used as a follow-up punch, generally used in combination with a jab. Throwing a jab allows the attacker to knock his opponent off guard while moving closer, at which point a powerful upper cut can be delivered to finish off the combo.

Form

In order to deliver the most effective upper cut, it’s important to perform the punch with perfect form. First, as previously stated, you should be in close proximity to your opponent. Your knees should be slightly bent to give you balance and leverage when delivering the upward blow. It’s also best to be standing at a slight angle relative to your opponent.

To setup the punch, tuck your elbow against your ribs. This will increase your arm’s leverage and put more strength into the punch. Then, as you are about to deliver the punch, straighten out your hips such that you pivot slightly on the heel of your rear foot. By putting your rotational momentum into the punch, you will deliver the most powerful upper cut possible while maintaining your stability.

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Award Winning Journalist Marie Colvin Remembered

Posted on March 17, 2012 by admin

Few days ago, the world mourned as renowned war correspondent Marie Colvin was laid to rest. Although she had passed on February 22nd, the reality of her departure did not hit home until she was laid to rest in New York. Now the media world, and those outside of it, are left with just memories of what can only be described as one of the most interesting correspondents out there.

Those who knew her personally described a vivacious, larger than life character. Marie Colvin was known to be dedicated to her work; but just as likely to throw a wild party or embark on some out of left field scheme. At Colvin’s funeral, friends recounted tales of running across rooftops to get into her house, wild parties that gave even the most straight laced journalists dancing fever, and even an incident involving not being able to locate a gas meter in her car.

From this account of her life comes a very important lesson that should be heeded by all who followed her over the years. Yes, work is important, and giving 110% at all times should be a given; but what Colvin realized was that this did not only hold true for her “9 to 5 job”. Even during her “wild” teen years, Colvin lived life to the fullest, always seeking out the next adventure, or the next way to get into trouble. She left nothing on the table when it came to her personal life. The great ones always live this way, no to be able to turn their noses down at us; but to show the world at large that it is possible to work hard AND play hard.

Those looking to honor her memory would do well to take that lesson to heart.

Now, harping on Ms. Colvin’s personal life should in no way detract from her accomplishments as a journalist. She was a war correspondent of equal talent and fearlessness. Her rise to prominence was almost startlingly fast, going from fresh faced Yale graduate in 1984 to interviewing dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 1986. Over the next fifteen years she became a prominent figure in areas such as Sri Lanka, East Timor, and other Middle Eastern hot spots. Even after an April 2001 attack destroyed her ability to see out of her left eye, Colvin remained on the front lines.

The most touching aspect of Colvin’s work was that she was never just after a story that would collect a fat paycheck. Her former editor Sean Ryan commented that “She was not somebody who cared too much for deadlines.” It wasn’t just about the job for her. It was about capturing the humanity of a conflict, about showing people that these events were more than just a sentence scrawling across a newsfeed. Colvin truly bought in to the idea that a journalist is meant to make a difference. Her career was dedicated to unearthing the stories that other journalists did not find relevant or “catchy” enough, because she knew that these were the stories that needed telling.

Marie Colvin’s nose for trouble and need to tell the hidden story unfortunately led to her demise this past month in Syria. While the loss is an enormous one for the world at large, the lessons that she left for us to learn have the potential to better the world: live life to the fullest, and remember that there is a human side to every situation.

 

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