Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Backyard Reunions: Easier Than You May Think
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How To Monetize Your Traffic So You Get The Most Out Of It
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Public Speaking: Self-Effacing Humor
Self-effacing humor, or making fun of yourself is quite a contrast. It is a very powerful form of humor that gets its strength from highlighting your weaknesses. It seems that people who have the ability to laugh at themselves in just the right amount during a public speaking engagement are perceived as secure, confident, strong, and likeable.
With this type of humor, a little goes a long way. If you overdo it during a public speaking engagement, you will look like a doomsayer who is always putting yourself down. If you can't bring yourself to use any self-effacing humor, you should learn. I must be candid here. Most people hate to deal with a stuffed shirt. Unfortunately, if you can't poke a little fun at yourself, that is the way you are perceived.
I think the reason self-effacing humor works so well is that weak people feel the need to inflate themselves and powerful people don't. If you have the confidence to tease yourself, you are indirectly sending the message to the audience that you are secure and powerful. Most audiences can see right through speakers who are trying to puff themselves up. It turns them off quickly.
The person who is not afraid to tease him or herself is the one who makes the greatest connection with the audience because everyone in the audience has embarrassed themselves or failed at something at one time or the other. If you use self-effacing humor, the audience knows that you, as the presenter, know how it feels to fail. That is a very powerful magnet.
Katharine Rolfe, President of The Lighten Up Club, takes self-effacing humor one step further. She says, 'I call it self-appreciating humor because it conveys a positive appreciation of ourselves as humans who are simply out there doing our best and bumbling along as we go.' Katharine's organization believes the key to a happy life is the ability to laugh at yourself, for then you are never without a source of amusement.
Unless you are a Don Rickles type presenter (known for his hockey puck teasing style of humor), you should never set yourself up as superior to the audience either socially, financially, or intellectually. You want the audience to accept you as one of them. Let them feel superior to you in some way. Your audience would rather hear about the time you fell on your face, rather than the time you won the race.
That is why self-effacing humor is great during speaking engagements. The audience likes the fact that you openly admit your weaknesses. They laugh, but they still respect you because you are self-confident enough to joke about yourself.
There are any number of things you can tease yourself about. Your physical appearance is good if you are especially tall, or short or fat or bald. Just make sure that the physical appearance is obvious to the audience. If you are disorganized, you could tease yourself about that. If you can't parallel park, you could tease yourself about that. Just about anything will work as long as you are the target.
What you want to avoid teasing about is any subject that has a direct tie to your credibility. For instance, if you were a nuclear control room technician, you would not want to joke about the time you pushed the wrong button. But, if you got fired from your job as a nuclear control room technician for almost pushing the wrong button, then this fact might be a good topic for humor. It could turn into a great topic if you now own a landscaping company or are in some other non-threatening position.
To use self-effacing humor, you don't necessarily have to joke about yourself. You can make fun of your family background, your profession, or anything else that directly relates to you. I tell a story in my presentations about the time my mom came from our very small hometown to visit me in the big city of Washington, D.C. The audience hears about how small Claysville is and that my mom's house is way out in the sticks. We didn't have city water, or city sewerage, or cable TV. I then go on to tell how we took a trip on the Spirit of Washington for a dinner cruise and went sightseeing all over the capital. Here's how the end of the story goes:
"When we got home that evening I was exhausted, so I told mom I was going to bed and that I would see her in the morning. She said, "OK. I'm just going to watch the news and then I'll go to bed." I got up at about 2:00 a.m. and there was mom sitting in front of the TV. Her head was nodding and drooping. I said, "Mom. What are you doing?" She said, "I'm just waiting for the news to be over." Well she would have waited a long time because she was watching . . .CNN 24 hour headline news."
In this story I was not directly teasing myself. I was teasing about my small town background and about the innocent and funny boner my mom pulled when she came to visit.
Former president Ronald Reagan was a master at using self-effacing humor. In his bid for the Presidency in 1980 his age appeared to be his biggest obstacle. He attacked the problem with self-effacing humor. He would joke about his age all the time which turned age into a non-issue. He told a group of reporters once, 'Thomas Jefferson once said, 'One should not worry about chronological age compared to the ability to perform the task.' . . . Ever since Thomas Jefferson told me that I stopped worrying about my age.'
Look for opportunities to tease yourself. This will be one of your most powerful tools to connect with the audience and a subtle way to show your strength.
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How To Teach Aggressive Soccer Play
It is rough to win these if you are fearful of contact. The most hard squad might typically "win" most of the 50/50 balls and might generally gain the match. It is decisive that your defenseive players be rugged and not fearsome of full contact. If a player is cowardly of bodily contact, you might spare several goals if you play him or her at Fullback or Sweeper. Any player who is cowardly of full contact is at a disadvantage. Ideally, you desire to Teach your players to not only be brave and unafraid of bodily contact, but also to move fast and be strong about moving to the ball and to gain open balls. This is usually not easy to Instruct. A few children are by nature cautious and most young youngsters have been instructed that boisterous or aggressive play is bad because someone can get wounded. We are often asked how coaches can Instruct players to be more hard. We think that getting into the game and tough play are two of the most crucial affairs you can Instruct. Merely expressed, the players who get rough and play aggressively might have more gratification and enjoyment from playing than those who do not.
Now, we are not talking about encouraging dirty, unsafe or unfair play, we are only talking about supporting players to hustle, be dauntless and do their best. Some of my favorite Fullbacks were small players who lacked skill, speed or much athletic ability, but they were hard and dauntless and would not back down from anybody. The following are A select few ideas for your circumstance and Practice Games that Teach hustling and tough play:
Instruct your players that it is safe to be dauntless, rugged and strong. One of the virtually all significant affairs you can do is to promote your players and congratulate them While they are brave and hard. Try to do so in a confirming way, such as: "Way to get rough Mary!" or, "gain the ball Matt, you can do it!" or, "Way to battle for the ball Tommy!" One idea that Soccer Coaches have had skillful luck with is to generate honors for tough, fearless play. For example, ask several of the moms to cut stars out of gold, silver or red iron on fabric and supply them to the players who play rugged. The players can iron the stars on their jersey sleeves. Or even, supply out small-scale iron on soccer ball patches Or anything you conceive your players will like. almost players enjoy to pull in these sorts of benefits.
Premium Drill Games That Teach getting into the game, Tackling and hard Play:
about all Drill Games involve contention and pressure. In these regards, Practice session games model real "match" circumstances and promote players to get rough and perform soccer actions under pressure at "game fastness". There are many Premium drill Games that Instruct hustling, aggressive play and how to "dispossess" the "onball attacker" of the ball First, attempt the "Shoulder Tackle and Strength On The Ball match." Shoulder tackling" and "strength on the ball are two super important matters to Teach. This match will get your players used to full contact and Teach them how to tough contend for the bal). Then, try out "Attack and Defend Ball Tag", "Across and Back Ball Tag", "Dribble Past defenders ", "Double Dare Attack and Defend", Dribble and Tag and Reverse", and "Sharks & Minnows". Two other games that can teach your players to be aggressive are "Defend The Goal & Clear match" and "Corner Kick Simulation" These 2 also teach Some other useful matters.
We powerfully advocate teaching Coaching Rules. It teaches your players how to position themselves to defend and win the ball on your opponent's throw ins, goal kicks and punts.
We also powerfully advocate you play the "Dribble Across A Square game" three times to begin every drill and call for each player his or her grade at the end of each game. This might let you supervise each player's progress. This is the single best game you can play. I assure you that your players may develop striking dribbling skills and outstanding field vision and field consciousness if you play this match a lot. It is not the almost fun match, and your players can sound off a little, however it is worth it. As your players see that the match is causing them to improve, they may not sound off about it. You may see spectacular improvement after four or 5 drills. Being able to dribble and shield the ball is critical. Your players will have a lot more self-confidence and will play with more enthusiasm if they realize they can dribble and protect the ball. One of the peachy items about the "Dribble Across A Square match" is that it is self teaching and playing the match teaches players how to control dribble, fastness dribble, shield the ball and twist.
In short it just makes sense to teach aggressive play and your squad will thank you for it.
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Positive Thinking
The ultimate power of positive thinking is a cherished dream for many people around the world. Positive thinking means that you are allowing only those good thoughts into your mind, and such thoughts may include words, images and perceptions, which are suitable for personal growth and prosperity. Positive thinking also allows you to think everything good about life and its results. If you have a positive thinking mind, youll always anticipate happy life, peace, laughter, good health and financial success. It also means that you can unleash your mind to find whatever you want for your life. Positive thinking is so powerful!
Positive thinking is always beneficial to us; when our attitude and behavior is positive, we allow only pleasant feelings and constructive images to work in our mind, and also visualize in our inner eye, what we really want from our life and how it should happen. Such an attitude brings only good things like an enhanced inner energy level, catchy manners, twinkling eyes and success. A person with positive thought will walk and talk in an upright manner without any hesitation. The ultimate body language shows a tremendous capacity to achieve all things, which are considered impossible in the normal course of life.
Positive thoughts and positive people can not be avoided in manner, as in real life, they are highly contagious and infectious. Positive thinking people are just like magnets, capable enough to attract other people to follow them and act like them. This is often so true when you stay with highly positive people for a month or two, and study their impeccable positive behavior. This is known to occur almost unknowingly in our subconscious mind, almost on a continuous mode.
To create a turnaround to guide our mind towards positive thinking, we need makeshift work to change the way we think and act. Your old habits may never die and it is often very tough to get rid of your past baggage. Changing your old habits is also painful as you need to come out of your negative past and change the previous rules. Visualization may help you develop positive thinking process, and always visualize only beneficial situations. Talk positive and develop positive manners. Another improvised method to develop positive thinking is the recitation of positive affirmations and self talk. This method can be used in conjunction with the visualization process, just to supplement the overall result.
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4 Crucial Things You Need To Do To Build your List
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Indoor Soccer to go High Tech
One of the newest trends in the World of Soccer is the high-tech indoor soccer stadiums. They are used for all year around play without regard to seasonality. Many of these stadiums are owned by companies, which lease or rent them out to the teams. The business model is quite profitable and some markets have more than one company with more than one facility each. These companies also sell items such as soccer balls, refreshments and video play back services. They also often have automatic kicking machines for practice like those used in tennis or for batting training in baseball.
Since these soccer arenas are indoors and climate controlled I propose that we take the coaching and training to a much higher level. I propose that we incorporate Holographic Technologies, which are getting closer to becoming reality, and use them to teach soccer techniques. Imagine the benefits to coaching if you took some of the greatest plays in World Cup Soccer and allowed the kids to replay them. Setting up the holographic 3D images to move in full motion video on the field.
First you would put an athlete next to each of the players and then run the projection as the athletes matched them stride for stride and step for step, aligning themselves to confront the opponent by moving with the hologram into position and taking the shot or defending the goal. The athletes and players would learn emensly by watching and playing along side the greats. And all this is nearly possible. By using special coatings on the artificial grass to help the projection reflection it could be done quite easily. Think on this new technology and what it means for youth soccer.
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Best of Halloween for Kids: Pumpkin Carving
If you're like most people, at some point in time or another, you've sat down with your children to carve pumpkins. But do you know why you carve Jack 'o Lanterns? Most people don't. Supposedly, it started with a man called Stingy Jack, who tricked the devil and in turn after his death wasn't allowed into hell. Instead, he was forced to wander the earth with only a coal to light his way. Stingy Jack put the coal in a carved out turnip, causing people to start referring to him as "Jack with the Lantern".
Soon, people began placing similar lanterns in their windows with carvings to scare Stingy Jack away. And so, the Jack 'o Lantern was born. The history channel has an excellent article on the full story here: http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/halloween/pumpkin.html
If you're looking to start this age old tradition with your children, or are interested in kicking your carvings up a notch, we've picked some great websites to help you get started.
For the novice pumpkin carver, head on over to PumpkinCarving101.com where you will find everything you ever wanted to know about carving your jack 'o lantern and then some. Learn about different tools that can be used, traditional pumpkin carving, carving with stencils, the lifespan of a carved pumpkin and how to grow your own pumpkins. Don't miss the articles on the proper burial of your pumpkin, how to juggle pumpkins, and how to take photographs of your pumpkins. This site might seem a little obsessive to some, but it's full of great information that's sure to help any pumpkin carver achieve their goals.http://www.pumpkincarving101.com
If you've been carving pumpkins for awhile, and are ready to do something new, try these great free pumpkin templates. You'll find many patriotic images (American Flag, the President, Statue of Liberty) as well as a mix-and-match section. If you don't see what you like, for a small fee you can subscribe to their even larger collection of templates.http://www.spookmaster.com/pumpkin-carving-patterns-freebies.htm
Another great site for both simple and complicated templates is Jack-O-Lantern.com. For the true computer geek they offer an assortment of emoticons, as well as a set of templates to create a "haunted forest". All templates are free, forever.http://www.jack-o-lantern.com
If you're looking for more fun and childish templates, be sure to stop by aHowlingGoodTime.com . This pumpkin farm has a very nice assortment of pumpkin faces. Choose from happy, sad, scary, howling, and more.http://www.ahowlinggoodtime.com/carving/patterns.shtml
Tips, tips, and more tips. That's what you'll find at Walt's Pumpkin Carving Pages. Learn how to get those templates from your computer (or book) onto the pumpkin, which carving tools do what, how to make your own patterns, as well as how to select the right pumpkin to carve.http://wls.wwco.com/garden/pumpkin.htm
To read more articles from the Best of Halloween for Kids series, click here. http://www.raisingourkids.com/hol/halloween/index.shtml
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Injuries & Defense
Before we look ahead to this weekend's NFL conference championship games, let's take a look backward. What was all the talk in the NFL over the last month? Should the Colts sit their starters to have them rested for the playoffs or not? There were many people that split on the answer, but I think we'd all agree what the correct answer is: Play 'em! Or at least, rest any injured players, but don't bench the majority of starters the last two weeks of the regular season, even if everything is sewed up.
That was the position the Colts found themselves in after that 13-0 start. They had clinched everything: The division title, the bye week, home field for the postseason, the No. 1 spot. However, anyone who watched Sunday's loss to the Steelers saw an Indy team that was rusty for most of the game. Very rusty.
The Colts were out of sync most of the way in their 21-18 loss to the Steelers. Overall, having a bye week gives a team enough time, two weeks, to rest and prepare. It takes time and practice to get a team in sync because there are so many players that need to work together in unison: Blocking patterns, running backs hitting the proper holes, lineman pulling, receivers running patterns, quarterbacks getting the football to them on timing routes, etc.
Think back to the final regular season game for the Denver Broncos. Denver was a 12-point dog at San Diego in a meaningless game for the Broncos. They had everything sewed up and needed only to stay healthy. Instead, Mike Shanahan had several starters play significant first half minutes. They also played inspired football, dominating the Chargers in an impressive performance. I think back to the regular season finale a year ago when the Patriots hosted the terrible 49ers at home in a meaningless game, yet Bill Belichick played the starters for three quarters. The reason was a little different, as the Patriots played a sluggish first half, tied 3-3, as a big favorite. Belichick didn't like the performance and sent the starters back out for the second half, injuries be damned! They followed the next few weeks with dominating performances on the way to winning another Super Bowl title.
With the four remaining teams, does anything stand out? Yes, defense! Carolina and Pittsburgh are ranked No. 3 and 4 in the NFL in total defense, with the Broncos and Seahawks at No. 15 and 16. More important is run defense, and notice that all the remaining teams are in the Top 5 in the NFL at stopping the run! It goes Denver (2nd), Pittsburgh (3rd), Carolina (4th) and Seattle (5th). One of those will win the Super Bowl, so again, stuffing the run is a huge key to building a championship defense.
That hasn't translated into a significant amount of unders for those teams, but keep in mind that 6 of the 8 playoff games thus far have gone under the total. Yes, it should come as no shock that defense wins championships in all sports, once again!
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ACQUIRE POWER THROUGH SELF DEVELOPMENT.
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How To Inspect Your Pool
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What You Need to Know About Paris Travel
Life never sleeps in the capital city of France- Paris. The City of Lovers or the City of Lights, the city of Paris is exceptional for it has not just one but a multitude of attractions that leave each and every visitor bizarre. The aura of the city is such that the visitors are left spell bound. The city is so rich in its exotic and prized possessions that it becomes difficult to explore the entire city within a few days.
The Multiple Assets
From art to glamour, from the mystifying Eiffel Tower to the stunning Seine River, the wondrous city of Paris has it all. When we talk about the citys art and architecture, Paris has some of the coveted monuments in the world. For instance the Napoleons eminent Arch of Triumph (a piece of architecture that ascends the streets); the Square of Peace (known for its huge statues and fountains) and the wonderful pillar from Egypt called the Obelisk of Luxor. The Eiffel Tower has its own tale. Counted amongst one of the wonders of the world, the tower is 986 feet tall and weighs 700 tons.
The Unity in Diversity
Paris is endowed with a plethora of small regions that contribute to the pleasing diversity of this place. To name a few in this regard-
The Le Marais Region in Paris speaks of the rich history and tradition of the city. Marais, the land where the King Henry II took his last breath, is the home for some of the most archaic French buildings. The Musee Carnavalet museum has many archaeological discoveries along with breathtaking historical paintings, sculptures etc. Other eminent museums include-The Musee Cognaq Jay, The Musee de la Serrure Briccard, Musee de la Chasse et de la Nature (famous for stone age weapons) and last but not the least The Musee Picasso that has the worlds largest number of Picasso paintings. The Jewish Quarter that nestled in the Marais region and that familiarizes you with the Jewish customs and traditions has always been an apple of every visitors eyes.
The La Quarter region of Paris is a paradigm of unity and diversity. This is because people from all castes and creed inhabit the place. There is round the clock activity with plenty of markets, restaurants, gardens, parlors etc. in this ancient region that has streets of the Roman era.
Not to be overlooked is the popular Montmartre region of Paris. The area is bedecked by the Sacre Coeur Church, that has almost scaled to the height of the Eiffel Tower. The place is also more often visited for its being the land of illustrious artists like Zola, Van Gogh, Turgeney and Degas. Apart form this, the Montmarte region has an exclusive cemetery where the great souls of Degas, Stendhal, La Golie etc. lie in peace. There is also the famous The Musee de Montmartre where people like Renior, Dufy and Suzanne Valada had resided.
But this isnt all. The Notre Dame Cathedral at the Notre Dame region is worth looking. The ancient cathedral that is an epitome of love also has an underground crypt and a small museum for the visitors.
A outstanding and enthralling place nestled in the city of Paris is the Louvre Museum. This museum has some of the worlds most prized sculptures, paintings, utensils and other antiques. If there is the globally treasured Mona Lisa of Leonardo Da Vinci, there are also the two giant winged bulls that long ago used to guard the palace of Sragon II and the Hammurabi Code. Other antiquities from Babylon, Mesopotamia, Sumeria etc. can also be seen. Amongst the several bedazzling galleries like Prints and Drawings Gallery, arts gallery etc. the sculpture gallery is also garlanded by the bewitching Michaelangelo Courtyard. On the whole, the Louvre Museum is a spectacular place to stop at.
The authentic magnum opus of art maestros like Renoir, Sisely, Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Degas and Pissaro can also be gazed at the Musee dOrsay museum that also has some exclusive primitive sculptures.
Also to be seen are the delightful gardens in Paris. For instance, The Rond-Point, The Grand Palais, the Petit Palais etc. being some of them.
However, one falls short of words and ink to appraise and express the brilliance and magnificence of the unusual and wonderful city Paris, the charm and charisma of which carries the potential to raise someone from the dead.
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Online Video Websites, Why You Should Leave Video Comments
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Indoor Soccer to go High Tech
One of the newest trends in the World of Soccer is the high-tech indoor soccer stadiums. They are used for all year around play without regard to seasonality. Many of these stadiums are owned by companies, which lease or rent them out to the teams. The business model is quite profitable and some markets have more than one company with more than one facility each. These companies also sell items such as soccer balls, refreshments and video play back services. They also often have automatic kicking machines for practice like those used in tennis or for batting training in baseball.
Since these soccer arenas are indoors and climate controlled I propose that we take the coaching and training to a much higher level. I propose that we incorporate Holographic Technologies, which are getting closer to becoming reality, and use them to teach soccer techniques. Imagine the benefits to coaching if you took some of the greatest plays in World Cup Soccer and allowed the kids to replay them. Setting up the holographic 3D images to move in full motion video on the field.
First you would put an athlete next to each of the players and then run the projection as the athletes matched them stride for stride and step for step, aligning themselves to confront the opponent by moving with the hologram into position and taking the shot or defending the goal. The athletes and players would learn emensly by watching and playing along side the greats. And all this is nearly possible. By using special coatings on the artificial grass to help the projection reflection it could be done quite easily. Think on this new technology and what it means for youth soccer.
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What You Need To Make Your Own Online Videos
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Types Of Swimming Pools
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Some Thoughts on the Super Bowl
I am a genetically mapped New York Giant football fan which pretty much makes me just like millions of other DNA doomed dummies who for some unexplainable reason innately pledge their allegiance to a set of colors, numbers and helmet symbols for eternity. Like Canadian geese, we partner with a team for life, through thick and thin, good times and bad, seasons ending in playoffs and seasons ending with top five choices. It is the football gene and if you have it, you understand. Alas, if only marriage could work the same.
The fact is it isnt like marriage. It is not that we are in love with our teams and our teams in love with us. If that were true, it would be like a relationship, requiring everyones needs to be met, resulting in fans dropping the souring attraction of one team for the empty promises of another. Nope, love is not involved. Its a pathetic, sad, lonely one way street that is determined at birth. You are what you are: a Steeler, a Charger, a Seahawk, a Bengal, a Buccaneer. Some of us taste sweet victories frequently, while others wallow in self pity perpetually. It is no different from some people being tall and some people being short. It is my hope that someday stem cell research will produce a treatment to help some of my suffering brothers; for example, change a Cardinal fan into a Cowboy fan, giving them some hope of enjoying a winning season before they die.
It is our game. We dont particularly delight in watching our teams flounder amidst a room full of fence sitters, people without the gene. Youre either with us or against us. And when it is late October and all we can think about is replacing coaches, players and team ownership, our shoulders slump as we prepare to endure the inescapable long November and December weekends in silent lonesome agony.
It is a terrible, terrible existence; worse than that experienced by other sport fans because there is so much time for so few games. This imbalance gives the true football fan plenty of time to trick ones mind to think with a few breaks here and a few calls there that a 1-7 start can miraculously turn into a 9-7 wild card berth, only to be soundly crushed eventually by the shear weight of the challenge.
But no matter how bad the season, we can all unite for that final game, the Super Bowl. We can all find a reason to like one team over another. Usually it is the result of some convoluted thinking that somehow our team is vindicated if the right team wins. For example, I was really pulling for the Seattle Seahawks in this last Super Bowl. Why? Because the NY Giants should have beaten the Seahawks. Everyone knows that. So if the Seahawks beat the Steelers, I could rest easier knowing we could have been there too. We could have been somebody.
Unfortunately, the Super Bowl has become tedious to watch for the genetically mapped fan. It seems as if the game is diced up and wedged into a five hour colossal commercial to the world of American self indulgence. The game is sixty minutes of play that normally takes two and a half to three hours to get through. The Super Bowl somehow shoehorns in two more hours from start to finish, thirty minutes right off the bat for scatting through what I think is the National Anthem, and then an additional ten minutes to flip the coin.
Every year it gets a bit more dramatic, a bit more long, a bit more embarrassing and a bit more intolerable. Just play the game! The players have worked so hard for this single game and the NFL pulls it out from under them with all the self serving promotion. For instance, this year they introduced a series of ten second clips throughout the game of despicable Super Bowl Trophy fondling, where key players from each team pose individually with the trophycaressing it, kissing it, and worse. You cant do that! Why its its its the epitome of putting on the whammy. They might just as well get the evil eye. Some of those guys are going to lose and when they do, they will have to live with the idea that they cursed the team with their ill-advised trophy antics. Theyd have to hold a gun to my head for me to do that. If the Giants ever get to Super Sunday again, to a player they better never ever touch that trophy, let alone even set eyes on it, before it is duly earned. The whole thing made me sick! I couldnt even eat another wing dripping in blue cheese sauce.
And what is going on with the half time extravaganza? Can we calm that thing down? Can we see more xs and os and less screaming clueless teenagers making a grown man cry. The game has become the opening act for a concert, rather than the other way around. There seems to be more concern about costume malfunctions than referee malfunctions, which there were plenty of. I suppose I could put the extra time to good use, like paint the house, but I dont want to. I want to stay involved in the moment of the battle. But these Vegas shows are killing my patience. And as bad as it is for the fan, it must be brutal keeping players focused in the locker rooms.
Having said all that, we know that most of the added time is due to the commercials. Ah, the commercials. It is all about the commercials. How can they extend the game to make a few more bucks on commercials? Why dont they give each coach ten time outs? Why dont they have two minute warnings every minute? Pretty soon, theyll have to start the game noon Saturday and have it end midnight Sunday. And the commercials arent even that entertaining anymore. Its killing me. The madness has to stop.
So here are some ideas to get the game that the real fans support so tirelessly back on track. First, eliminate the extra week prior to the game and shift the season so that the Super Bowl is played on Presidents Day weekend. Second, fix the refereeing by employing full time referee teams. Third, use the half time to honor the latest Hall of Fame inductees, or our troops, or Super Bowl MVPs of years pastmake it about the game or something noble, not about pop icons. If you want to have concerts, have them before the game starts. Finally, rein in the commercials.
What the NFL executives have allowed the Super Bowl to become is what is so unappealing about America to people who have no other lens. Everything is bigger than life. Everything is glitzy. Everything is so self important. Its a bad, media contrived face to the world. Please bring our simple, humble game back. Please let the players play the game they earned to play. Please stop the insanity.
Im beggin ya please!
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Sirius Satellite Radio overview
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San Francisco is not just Child's Play
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What Remodeling Your Bathroom Can Do For Your Home
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Back Pain and Diagnosis
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NFL Superbowl Odds: Public Perception Will Skew the Line
Las Vegas Sports Consultants (LVSC) is the source and creator of most, if not all, of the betting lines of sports games. Casinos and online sportsbooks rely on LVSC to set the odds, thus ensuring a universal line among all sportsbooks. During the early days of the sportsbooks, many different casinos had different lines, thus enabling the savvy gambler to middle, a practice that ensures a virtual low risk, but high return gamble. So, what is the main purpose of a line? Contrary to popular, public belief, most lines set by LVSC does not really predict the final outcome of a game; for if this were true, parlaying favorites on the moneyline would never be a losing proposition. What then is the line?
The line, which can refer to the side/spread (betting on a team) or total (betting on the final score of the game to go under or over), is a quite interesting thing. It is mostly based on the oddsmakers handicapping the general public. In general, the line is not the true power rating between the two sides of any game; it is theoretically set to divide the general population to take side A and side B equally.
However, in high-profile games, such as the SuperBowl or a National Championship game, the line is mostly skewed, so as to make one side REALLY attractive. How many of you thought the USC line of 7 was such an easy bet? In this matchup you have the defending National Champion playing in their own backyard, with two Heisman winners against a good Texas team who is yet to prove itself in the national spotlighthow could the Trojans not possibly cover that 7 spread, let alone lose the game? Well, we know what happened in that game. Well my friends, in the next couple of articles, I will try to explain how the line is formed, and offer my insights and tips into beating the sportsbooks.
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Dog
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Gain Confidence and Boost Self Esteem in 5 Simple Steps
We all want to become more confident and feel good about ourselves so we can live our very best life. Here are some ways to gain confidence and raise self-esteem:
1. Do something that requires a decision and a follow-through.
Have you been putting off writing that letter to aunt Martha? Is there a friend youve been meaning to call? Wash the car, tidy the garden or clean the house. Youll gain confidence by setting goals (even small ones) and following through on them.
2. Enjoy something you do well.
Do you have any hobbies or sports that you enjoy playing? Some things like going swimming, painting or writing can hold your attention and get you into a state of flow. While you are in the flow you forget about everything else.
Afterwards, youll feel competent and capable. Its a great way to boost your self-esteem. If you dont have any particular hobbies or pastimes that you enjoy make an effort to try something youve always wanted to try.
Picture yourself doing it, and then give it a try! It doesnt have to be something big - it can be as simple as joining a walking club.
Youll find that you are more centered and happier if you do something that puts you in that flow at least once a week.
3. Shift the focus.
Its been shown that low self-esteem develops hand-in-hand with individuals who put too much focus on themselves. You can gain confidence by doing something that focuses on someone else or even something else.
Youll find that when you are in a situation where you are meeting new people, you immediately become less nervous when you focus on the person you are meeting.
At the end of the day, youve interacted with others and will notice that you feel much lighter.
4. Relax, already!
Learning to become more relaxed is a great life enhancer. People who are more relaxed have fewer problems with their memories and are more likely to take the bumps in the road of life in stride.
The practice of meditation has gained popularity for this reason. You might want to look into Tai Chi, which involves physical relaxation techniques.
Whatever method you decide on, take relaxation seriously. The benefits are just too great to ignore. If youve never considered relaxation important, think of it this way: if you can attend to something that results in feeling good, how can you not gain confidence in your personal abilities?
5. Make a list of everything youve ever accomplished.
Think small. An accomplishment is an accomplishment! Some things you could put on your list: passed my drivers test and got my license, scored a goal when I played hockey, managed to save enough money to go on a trip and so on.
These are just a few ideas you can use to gain confidence and boost your self-esteem. Use these ideas as a base point and add these things permanently in your life.
Keep in mind, people are not born with good self-esteem, most of us have to work at it. It develops from your thinking and the things you do daily to make yourself feel good.
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Swim With the Current
Youve probably heard me say over and over that 80% of your return on your portfolio comes from the market and the sector. But what the heck does that really mean?
In June 1998, Investors Business Daily summarized two studies on the causes of stock- price movement in two books: The New Science of Investing, by Dr. Robert Hagen and The Latent Statistical Structure of Securities Price Changes, by Benjamin King.
Those studies found that 31% of a company's stock-price action was tied to the market as a whole. Industry group action explained 37%, while broad sector action accounted for 12% of the price movement.
Both studies concluded that only 20% of the price action in a stock was determined by company fundamentals!
Unfortunately, most people were taught backwards. Most think gains and losses are only determined by picking the stock with the right fundamentals! Fundamentals are things like P/E ratio, good management, growth rates, new products, market share, etc. I'd venture a guess and say that most people spend 80% of their time (and sometimes 100% of their time!) trying to find the stock with the best set of fundamentals.
Yikes!
So what happens when a company "with great fundamentals" happens to be in a sector thats on defense? Or what if the whole market is on defense? The company could see their stock price get slammed (yes, even with great fundamentals!).
Say you bought at a stock a few months ago at $40. Today it is $20. The company may still be growing like crazy, but the market or the sector dragged it down. If the story didnt change, then didn't the fundamentals just get even better? It has to be a better value at this price, right? If you invest by using only the fundamentals, you lose.
Again, most of the returns you're going to get will depend on whether the market (and the sector the stock belongs to) is on offense or defense.
Look, everyone knows that if you're swimming with the current, it's an easier ride. There are times when the market is on offense (and you're moving with the current). Hey, it IS possible to make money when the current is against you. But the odds are stacked against you! So, try to swim with the current...swimming against the current is NOT recommended!
Offense? Defense? Huh?
When were on offense, we run offensive plays from our playbook. Meaning, well look to put money into the market to build our wealth. Were not going to buy everything in sight; we want to focus ONLY on the sectors that are also on offense.
When were on defense, well run plays designed to protect our assets. Defense doesnt mean run out and sell everything! Whats the goal when the defense comes on the field in a football game?
To prevent the other team (the market) from scoring against you!
When the market is on defense, well only call plays from our defensive playbook. Running a defensive strategy helps prevent us from making really stupid mistakes in our account and taking big losses. Defense can mean taking steps like buying protective puts against your holdings. Or possibly shave back a large investment in a stock or mutual fund.
Avoiding big losses alone will improve the performance for most people in the market.
How do we know whether to be on offense or defense? We use a tool that is an excellent indicator of the level of risk in the market. Fifty years ago, a technical analyst named A.W. Cohen came up with this tool he dubbed the bullish percent index. Cohen was looking for a way to tell when to be cautious near market tops and also aggressively optimistic near market bottoms.
If you think about it, isnt that what we all want? Something thatll tell us when the risk in the market is high...and when the risk in the market (or a sector) is low! And its been around for fifty years, ignored by many in the market!
The bullish percent index is the percentage of all the stocks in a universe that are currently on buy signals. Now, that universe may be all the stocks in the semiconductor or the financial sector. Or even all the stocks listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Knowing when the risk is high in a particular area will go a long way toward improving your investment results!
When to take action
Weve discussed the bullish percent is all the stocks in your group that are currently on buy signals. We feel its the single best risk level indicator we have found. But how do you know when to take action?
If 90 out of 100 stocks in a given sector are currently on buy signals, the bullish percent index is said to be at 90% for that group. If only 30 of 100 are on buy signals, the bullish percent is 30%.
Now, if 90% of all stocks in a sector are already on buy signals, that means only 10% of the names in that group are NOT on buy signals.
Wed want to be cautious with that kind of high reading!
Hey, no one likes being the last guy to show up at a party, but thats what happens to a lot of individual investors. They get in near the top and get creamed when the sector or market takes a dive.
Now, what were measuring here is supply and demand. When there is demand, prices rise. When a sector reaches 90%, theres not much more that can move a group higher.
But thats NOT the time to sell.
See, stocks can hang around lofty levels for a LONG time. Its only when we see more and more companies in a sector (or market) start to give sell signals, we know that supply is overtaking demand. When that happens, lower prices are on the way.
Now, say last week we noticed that a sector had a bullish percent reading of 30% and this week its now at 38%. This is a group wed want to pay attention to! Not only are the readings going up, they are going up from low levels!
This is precisely the stuff we zoom in on when telling you where to put money to work!
Predictions
If we need to get out of something, wed sure like to know it NOW, not later!
Hindsight IS 20/20. But it wont help you avoid losses in your account. Weve given up predicting what the market will do because we use tools that tell us accurately what IS happening right now in the marketplace. The point and figure charts we use and the bullish percent index are tools that tell us whats happening today. These charts tell us what is in demand and what is in supply.
There are too many folks trying to complicate the investing process. Keep it simple. Just remember that anything with too much supply will see their prices fall. Anything in demand will see their prices rise. And we have a method of measuring exactly which stocks and mutual funds are in demand and which are in supply.
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