Ultimate Golf Fantasy-Part 3 - Sports

Golf fantasies come in many packages.These dreams, these golf desires sit right next to winning the lottery for most of us. They are so unrealistic that it often pains us to think of them. It is tough to win a PGA event when you cannot break 85 at your local municipal golf course.

Most of us know where we stand in the golf food chain. It is because of that "reality" that most people think more of a course that they would like to play or a group that they would like to play with.

As great a guy as Springfield Cardinals marketing wizard Kirk Elmquist is, his golfing ability will never allow him to play on the PGA tour. As handsome as he is, he will not get an invite to the AT&T celebrity pro-am. He would, however, like to play Pebble Beach with a select group of men. His partners for the day would be Abe Lincoln, George Washington, and the creator of Pebble, "Jesus". Kirk's thoughts went to spending a beautiful summer day with three individuals who so greatly changed the course of history. Time alone with three men he would love to meet. I have a good feeling I know who would win that match.

One of our areas best players told me his dream would be to play Augusta. Realtor, Antonio Serrano said he would love to go and play but he would want to earn it. A win at the US Mid-Amateur would give him a special exemption to play at the Masters. Playing Augusta is one thing, but actually teeing it up with the world's elite would indeed be an amazing experience.

Ozark Missouri High School freshman Will Hogan is a young man with ever-changing views of the ultimate golf fantasy. Early in his freshman year his dream was to simply make the Ozark Varsity Golf Team. He just wanted to simply make the team, and he did. Then his thoughts went to playing in the number one spot. He was able to play in the number one spot on several occasions. As the state tournament approached he wanted to win a championship. After day one his score was so good he thought he had a good chance to finish in the top 15, giving him All-State honors. He did all this as a skinny, punk freshman. His efforts were just two strokes shy of that top 15. As hard a worker as Will is, that dream is very attainable. As you might expect when I asked him about his future dreams, they included some lofty expectations, "My ultimate dream would be to play on the PGA Tour and have a very successful career." The funny thing is when I talked to his dad, Barry, about his ultimate fa ntasy it also included playing on the PGA Tour (not gonna happen). That would be fun though to watch this father/son combo on Tour. A side note to Will's story; he did win that State Championship last year as a junior and another fantasy is coming true next year as when he will attend the University of Missouri on a golf scholarship.

Golf fantasies are not always big. My son Justus is a wonderful 12 year old boy. When he started playing golf seven years ago his goal was not like the rest of us. You see, he wanted to hit it in the water. He could have cared less about getting it in the hole as compared to seeing that ball take off and dive into the pond. More than anything, he wanted to hit it and see that beautiful splash. He was very good at it, as are many adults... He will learn as he gets older that it it is not so cool to hit it in the water when you are keeping score.

On a daily basis I have grown men look at me and ask how they can get my job. They think it is pretty cool to go out to a golf tournaments and get paid to be there. In nearly 600 events since 1997 I have never missed a cut, I don't have to count my score and if I slice it out of bounds or hit a top shot, people can laugh out loud and I do not care. Let's see, great courses, friendly people who really want to be there and I am doing golf shows for a living. That sounds like a pretty good golf fantasy to me.

My wife consistently reminds me how good we have it. That is a fact of which I am fully aware. They call it being "blessed". That I am.

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The Next David Leadbetter - Sports

Last summer I had the good fortune of playing Pumpkin Ridge Golf Course just outside Portland OR. This beautiful layout is one of the premiere golf courses in the country. My day consisted of a 10am wake up call for a noon lunch and golf to follow. Throw in some free pizza and it was my dream day.

I was scheduled to play golf with two men I had never met. Both were good customers of a friend who has hired me on numerous occasions. I had offered to host them for a free round of golf at the famous Pumpkin Ridge. My friend was trying to deepen his relations with this account in hopes that it would lead to more business down the road. If I could be charming, funny and spectacular on the course it would sure help the cause.

My guy either trusts me or he is really desperate for more business. Anyway, that is not my point. My point is to describe my playing partner and his swing. You see, here's how it works; I tell you what he did wrong, share with you how to correct the problem, you learn and are pleased to have read this article. Lets see if it works that way.

Remember, I don't know these two men. All I know is they are very successful in business. The owner, who I will focus on, is extremely competent at what he does. He runs multiple companies and makes good amounts of dough.

My goal as we get into the round is to ask lots of questions, get to know them and hopefully make some new friends. I have found everyone has something interesting about him or her and my job is to find it. How? Questions. It's easy to do and it puts the focus on them. My other objective is to assess their game and see how good, or bad they may be. It takes as short a time as one swing with some people but normally within the first few holes I have a pretty good handle on the state of their game.

This particular day was no exception. I watched for eight holes as my new friend hit bad drive after bad drive. It was painful to watch him struggle when all he had to do was make a minor change in his approach and the game would be easier and ultimately more fun. Two hours of laughs allowed me to offer some advice as we strolled onto the 9th tee box. I told him, I wanted him to try something. I did not ask, I told. He was visibly frustrated, as many successful business people are when they cannot get the golf ball to go where they want it to go.

I said, "lets tee it a bit higher and lets swing a bit easier. I want you to think 85% and not 100 %, or in my new friends case 150%." You see, for eight holes and probably as long as he had played golf he had swung the driver like a man possessed! His tendencies to over swing made his head move too much which made his body move way too much. 1 + 1=2. In fact everything was moving but his bowels. That is never a good thing on the golf course, or in life...

Nothing good happens when you try and kill a golf ball. The staple of all long drives is good solid contact and your chances of solid contact after performing a maniac swing is very minimal. Our main man agreed to back off a bit and swing at 85-90%. What do you think happened next? You guessed it, a nasty slice right into the water that lined the right side of the fairway. Actually no, my outstanding 'cutting edge' advice led to a perfect drive traveling down the middle of the fairway. How far? Far...well at least it was far for him. It was an amazing drive that left a sheepish grin on his face. I was his new David Leadbetter! In fact I was all he had ever looked for in a male golfing companion! To my astonishment he spent the rest of the day swinging in a very controlled manner. He oppressed the urge to hit it like a caveman and it led to better drives and more fun.

Do you want to hit it longer? Here is some 'cutting edge' advice. Swing easier and you will make better contact, which will lead to longer drives!

Longer drives will lead to what we all want to say. "I believe you are away..."

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The Nissan Open - Sports

My plan was to wait until Sunday to tune in to the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am because by then even the TV people have tired of seeing George Lopez's act, there are less celebrities on the course, and so we actually get to see some tournament golf played by professionals.

I thought I could hack it, though, so I tuned in a little each day. There was Huey Lewis, Kevin Costner, Kenny G, Carson Daly, and Bill Murray, who is starting to undermine his persona by continuing to appear in this suck job of a professional, er, pro-am golf tournament. By Sunday I'd lost hope that they would actually show golf.

Murray isn't funny on the course anymore. It's sad. He doesn't do Carl Spackler, so what we got instead was silly headwear and when he made a good shot he unbuttoned his shirt to reveal a t-shirt. This is funny? This is worth seeing for five minutes when professionals on the leaderboard are making moves somewhere off camera? Even Murray, who I've always said is funny just because---look at him and you laugh---can't make this tournament remotely enjoyable to watch for anyone with any interest in professional tournament golf. (It might be an age thing: I wonder if Will Ferrell did the unbutton shirt thing it would be hysterical.) And Murray's the best chance for entertainment among the likes of Costner, Huey Lewis, Carson Daly... and George Lopez.

Nick Faldo and David Feherty still can't get enough of Lopez and Jim Nantz was right there with them, laughing along, ho ho, ha ha, that is one funny man, indeed, he's a riot... He's not funny. He's clean and safe for CBS, but he is most definitely not funny. Maybe he's funny on his show, but clowning around in these pro-ams he's no funnier than the uncle at the family barbecue who everyone has been programmed to think is funny, but he's really not. He's just an attention monger.

Nantz is impossible. There's a connection with his voice and the Masters that will always be there for me, but he's more of a company man with each passing year. Listening to Nantz point out this CEO or that CEO playing with this pro or that pro---he even tells us the home country club of the CEO---reinforces the exclusivity stereotype that continues to be golf's m.o. Rich, connected old boys like Rush Limbaugh chumming it up, smoking a stogie and chasing the ball around the course.

About the only positive thing I can say about last week's golf on TV is that the ocean shots were nice, as always. CBS was liberal in its cutaways and for the most part Faldo, Nantz and Co. were smart enough to shut up and let the pictures speak for themselves.

Anyway, as always, this hideous stretch of Hollywood golf has just about turned me off. Augusta can't come soon enough. The aforementioned exclusivity stereotype permeates the old nursery, of course, but at least there are no clowns taking up camera time when we could be watching golf. And the mostly commercial-free thing continues to make the Masters a more enjoyable sporting event to watch on TV than almost any other major game in sport, including the Super Bowl.

Last week: I took a bath on Mickelson. I'm done with him. I mean it this time. In the past I've written him off as far as betting on him to win. Now I'm not going to bet on him to lose either, as I did in the head-to-head. There's only one other golfer to whom I apply this self-imposed off-limits restriction, Chris DiMarco, and I have to tell you that since I swore him off my life's been better.

Tiger will not be playing Riviera Country Club for this week's Nissan Open outside La La Land. A shame, because we would have seen the first real field of the year: most of the world's top 20 will be there, save a handful of Europeans and Davis Love. In ten years Tiger's going to have his schedule down to four: the majors. I wouldn't blame him. He doesn't owe the Tour anything. In that debate, if there's any owing to be done it's the Tour to Tiger. The most recognizable athlete in the world is a golfer. Nuff said.

I'm tempted to take Jeff Quinney at 100-1 given his hot start, but he's yet to play in a big field on a real shot maker's course like Riviera. So...

At this week's Nissan Open take David Toms (40-1) in the outright, 1/6 unit: Toms is a quick starter and this year is no different: T8 (Mercedes), T13 (Sony, where he defended) and T8 (FBR). Smooth strokes from tee-to-green, especially on the green.

Take Jim Furyk (12-1), 1/6 unit: Did you see him answering questions about Clownfest with clenched teeth? His look summed up my frustration. At least I could turn off the TV or turn to something else. He had to play 7-hour rounds of golf with clowns and hacks. That may be the last time we see Furyk at Pebble until the U.S. Open.

Take John Rollins (66-1), 1/6 unit: The question is whether or not the week off is going to slow him down. A veteran unknown, he's one of the hottest golfers going now. I liked that he hung tough in Phoenix and, except for a tough break hitting the flag stick on the final hole that could have helped him to a playoff, he rebounded nicely from a poorly played playoff hole at the Bob Hope. He was firing at pins Sunday at the FBR---you have to like that from a guy coming off a playoff second. Is Rollins 2007's Bart Bryant? (Probably not now that I've suggested it.)

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T-Shirts - The Unique Fashion Statement - Society - Social Issues

Almost everyone loves the look and feel of a T-Shirts whether they use them more as an undergarment like in past or as a way to express their thoughts on politics, global warming, or just absolutely love the saying or photo.

Years ago, t-shirts were worn as undergarments and were rarely seen in the brilliant colors as seen today. Not only that, but they were normally just plain old t-shirts without any words or pictures. Today, that is not the case. Today, you will find that most T-Shirts are very unique pieces of artwork that are as comfortable now as they ever were, the only difference is they are now works of art in a matter of speaking.

Funny T-Shirts can be worn for the lighter side of marriage, dating, the internet, work, and of course politics. Not too many people get upset over the words on a T-Shirt and take the humor that they would not normally take if the words were spoken, especially when it comes to their favorite presidential nomination.

Many people turn to Christian T-Shirts to let others know their inner heart and their love for God. These T-shirts give you the chance to let others know how you feel with pictures or words that express your faith in God, angels, or in words that show God's everlasting love.

Searching for unique T-Shirts for gifts or for yourself has never been as easy as it is today with the invention of the internet. Today, you can surf the internet and find unique t-shirts for any occasion such as birthdays, holidays, or just for fun. No matter what your favorite topic might be, you will be able to find a t-shirt with photos of cats, dogs, fairies, dragons, beautiful scenery, words of wisdom, or just cute sayings that fit the mood.

T-shirts are a fashion statement that is not just another fad that will go away in a few weeks. T-shirts have been around for a very long and are here to stay only now they are not something you wish to hide under your shirt to keep you warm during the winter; they are works of art worth displaying to the world. Make your own fashion statement to the world or find a great looking, funny, Christian, or just a beautiful T-shirt for a family member or friend. You will be excited to show off your new tee and so will your friends.

To vote for your favorite T-Shirt and the chance to win prizes or to find one you cannot live without you can visit I Rate This today.

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Buying Wholesale The Right Way (And The Wrong Way) - Business

Buying Wholesale The Right Way

By now, if you've been on the Internet for just a little while (and I was a late-bloomer), starting in 1997, you know the land mines.

Not everything that is advertised is what it claims to be. That can be from products to services.

I didn't start out to be in wholesale, in fact, I didn't start out to have anything to do with the Internet at all. I was a cartoonist (still am), and founder of Londons Times Cartoons. That launch was in 1997 in a small Mississippi warehouse that I used as my studio as I could not afford much more and launch the cartoons without a full time job. I took odd jobs as I continued this creative venture.

A Google of Londons Times Cartoons has hundreds of articles, reviews, etc. and even the real story of how we got started We've been at it a long time and are top-rated (bragging rights here) on Alexa.com and Netcraft.com.

It was not until 1995 that I realized I also had a business as I was getting emails from webmasters, newsletter publishers, etc. asking to buy the rights to my images. That was my start.

Then I was approached by a manufacturer wanting to create my merchadise from tee shirts towall clocks. We struck a deal for both retail and wholesale. My attorney, a very precise man who dots every "I" and crosses every "T" made sure it was written out to where we both benefited equally.

Then the manufacturer revealed he really didn't understand the wholesale business. Being a back-to-college adult student at a very good university, and having worked in wholesale many years growing up, I volunteered to teach him. He had no interest.

Then started my hunt. Who could manufacture and wholesale my now top-rated cartoons onto products and do so meticulously, at affordable prices, and keep the word of a contract? It took another year and I found a company in Denver that was well-funded. I asked to see samples and they were expedited two day delivery. They were perfect. They were not silk-screened but directly digitally transferred which makes them look like part of the product, not an iron on decal. Perfect! Now to find out about customer service, guarantees, etc. All there. I signed up. A year has gone by and thingsworked out very well.

The secret to this business is not so much knowledge (though of course knowledge IS power) so read all you can, but persistence. There are some good wholesalers out there. I sell from my a little shop that I set up on the net. My products show the suggested retail price on them but then inside,after clicking on the product is another hyperlink that says pricing and shows the wholesale table.

I set up a real business plan and went to work. I consulted with my business professors and other wholesalers who I knew had been in the business a long time.

Rick Londonwear was born, the first line of "designer" cartoon clothing for men, women and children. We also make other cartoon products such as mousepads, coasters, cutting boards, tote bags, and all sorts of other funny items bearing our copyrighted cartoon image.

Things worked out perfectly, the service is great, I was able to keep the prices way below the competition, and my cartoon team ten years later still creates the best cartoons on the Internet (so say the critics) which appear on the merchandise.

I have a staff of twenty three, I sell to Ebay merchants, brick and mortar store owners, e-store owners, and traveling salespersons. Whomever wants to turn a very good profit on very hot items, they come to me. I love the business.

I make it very easy for the buyer. I accept all major credit cards, Paypal, checks and money orders. We drop-ship on any pre-paid order or directly to you. We don't gauge on shipping, what it costs is what we charge; same cost to Canada and ship worldwide. Generally 2-3 day USPS Priority. Everything works out. I don't know how but it does.

We made our mistakes. That is how we learned and became established. We still make a few, but they are few and far between and when we do, we make it right immediately.

That is the kind of company you want to deal with. I hate to brag but it is. Someone who has "seen it all" on the Internet and knows the land mines and will help you through them. It doesn't have to be us, we might not even offer the niche product that excites you. But whomever it is, make sure they have experience, are established, have references, and can make it happen for you. If you make money (they/we) do too!

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The World Has Turned Ebay So What's A E-shopkeeper To Do? How To Turn Cyberdust Into Cybergold. - Business

Admit it or not, the world has "gone Ebay". That is not a bad thing at all, really. People enjoy the convenience of shopping online and often are bargain-hunting.

So what does that mean to us, and "who are us"?

Well, we are the entrepreneurs who are feeding our families (and often stray animals in my case) and make our living selling our wares on the Internet.

I now own a number of e-commerce businesses, and they do very well, but I learned something along the way (from our customers) that now seems important to me, and I had to be flexible to make changes to accommodate them. Many of my own customers want to sell my products, but don't necessarily want to be an affiliate. Affiliation is either confusing to them, degrading, reminds them of MLM, or a thousand other reasons (and many of them valid) for not wanting to go that route.

They want to sell my products on Ebay. I can understand the psychological and emotional advantages of that. It is for a variety of reasons. It offers them more control. They want to buy wholesale from me and sell retail there (or close to it). They, like me, want to live "the American dream", and part of that dream, these days, it seems, can consist of a. not answering to a boss b. working at home in jogging suit or pajamas c. not working on commission but having control of purchases d. the ability not to have to handle inventory but drop ship. In other words they want their only investment to be their membership and listing fees on Ebay.

"Ok," I decided. I can live with that. I enjoy shopping on Ebay too, or one of the shopping channels like Shop.com or Mysimon.com or Shopzilla. They are all fun and unique and it's great to be able to compare prices and such. So finally, after 10 years in the "cartoon trade" or "image licensing" (and publishing), I decided to take my images wholesale. But I waited until I could find a manufacturer who could make the clothing, not just the funny t-shirts, but all kinds of clothes, high quality and low cost. It took four years of searching.

Now our firm has the ability to sell one or ten thousand of the same items wholesale, and drop ship them at no cost to our clients. It is our "brand" and we can offer unique images on the clothes that nobody else can, very similarly to Ralph Lauren exclusively offering the Polo emblem, except our emblem(s) happen to be single panel cartoons.

This has been done, of course on tees, sweatshirts, and caps, and yes, we do that too, but in addition, we decided to do our own line of "designer cartoon-wear"; which I don't think has ever been done before, at least not to my knowledge. We can produce items for men, women and children and have them out the door priority mail worldwide within 24 hours. Not bad. And offering a 30 day unconditional guarantee doesn't hurt either.

Adding these extra values makes people want to buy more often from you. We have clients from Peoria to Italy (all reselling on shopping channels, Ebay, and from their own E-commerce websites. It really feels good knowing I am able to sell a product line that nobody else has, and sell they enjoy it enough to resell it and make a good profit.

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How To Choose Sleepwear? - Society - Women's Issues

How relaxing it would be to sleep in the privacy of one's home and wearing what else but comfortable sleepwear. Every person has at least one favorite sleepwear that he uses almost everyday because it provides him the freedom to rest as well as to move around just before sleeping.

Sleepwear can refer to pajamas, nightdress, shorts and sleeveless shirts, tees or even boxer shorts for some men. Each person has grown fond with his sleepwear that he usually carries this fondness for that type of sleepwear even when he is already grown up.

It is easy to just choose any drab clothing as sleepwear when a person is still single. Take an old and torn t-shirt and it gets a person sleeping for the night. However, a person who has a sleeping partner should be more careful with his choice of sleepwear.

That sleeping buddy can be anyone from a friend during a sleepover, a classmate during a camping trip, a superior during an out of town meeting or even a new husband. A person should choose his sleepwear well depending on his sleeping partner and their intimacy.

Friends who sleep over in their houses usually favor pajamas as sleepwear because it can still be used comfortably for some of their other activities like watching television or midnight snacks. An employee who goes on an out of town trip and who is bound to share sleeping quarters either with his co-employees or his superior will also be more comfortable wearing a pair of pajamas.

These pieces of clothing are called sleepwear because they are primarily used for sleeping. Thus, sleepwear must conform to the conditions that will provide a person a good night's rest. Sleepwear should be comfortable, keep the wearer in a cool and relaxed mood and served its purposes of providing warmth to the person.

Sleepwear comes in different texture, color and style. There are sleeping wears made of cotton while there are those made of silk or satin. The cloth with which the sleepwear is made really depends on the taste or preferences of the wearer as well as the weather condition.

A person who lives in a country known to have winter all year round would be more comfortable wearing sleepwear that can keep him warm. However, a person who lives in the tropics will be better off in sleepwear that can keep him cool like cotton.

Women however have managed to transform sleepwear from a mere sleeping wear to a fashion statement. Sleepwear nowadays is no longer just clothing for sleeping but also something that reflects the mod of a woman or her fashion preferences.

It looks funny but there are women living in tropical countries without air conditioning in their rooms wearing silky sleepwear just for fashion purposes. They may be wearing glamorous sleepwear but who knows how they can sleep amid the heat and that heap of clothing?

Modern women prefer to wear sleepwear that keeps them fashionable and sexy. Thus sleepwear that is cut fashionably and looks sexy on anyone is the common choice among the new generation.

But whatever type of sleepwear a person chooses he should make sure it fits in to the purpose of wearing that clothing item which is really to provide him a comfortable and a relaxing sleep.

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How to Impress Your Date on the First Date - Relationships - Dating

Do you still recall the time your first date turned out a disaster? How about the second date or maybe the third one? You underwent several first dates with so many people but they don't call you after that first night out. Now, you can stop moping in your room worrying that you'll end up as a spinster or a bachelor. There are many ways on how to keep your date hooked up on you. Below are just some of the things to keep in mind to let that phone ring right after the first rendezvous.

1. Dress for Comfort. The first rule when going out on a date, especially for first timers, is being comfortable. Start off with your dress. Even if it is better to create a good impression on your date by slipping into your slick black dress and stilettos, you won't earn a good mark if you keep on checking out your behind for possible panty lines. Dress for comfort and not just for a good impression. If you really find it awkward to put on something girly from the usual tees and sneakers you wear everyday, forget about the pointy shoes and opt for a flat pair of sandals or shoes for a stylish effect sans the pain in the legs. Before anything else, consider the place where you will be going. It is safer to ask your date where he plans to take you. You wouldn't want to be wearing a chic dress just to watch her favorite basketball game in a stadium, right?

2. Watch Your Manners. There is nothing more disgusting than the sight of your date stuffing food in his mouth one after the other. One major turn off is also a quick case of make up and lipstick retouch in the table. It's not a crime to excuse yourself for a while to go the powder room and do your deed. It isn't that you need to act like a princess when dining out with your date; just be conscious enough to know the do's and don'ts. Laughing your heart out when your date tells something which you find really funny is alright, but not to the point of spewing your food all over the table, more so on your date. Be natural, but be refined.

3. Be Interactive. Bear in mind that the first date is always the initial step in getting to know each other so grab all the opportunity you have to know the other person. Don't just sit there staring at your date the whole evening pretending to listen while you stifle a yawn. Talk. There are no rules or standard topics to talk about on a first date. Topics like embarrassing experience during your grade school or how miserable you were when your cat died are alright as long as you see that your date is interested and doesn't feel awkward with the topic. Seeing that you can talk anything under the sun without being a show off gives an impression that you are a spontaneous person, a plus factor.

4. Have Some Sense of Humor. There was never a study that humor kills so why stop the jokes? Just remember to keep it clean. Keep the ambiance light as much as possible to avoid tension in the air. The only way to avert the anxieties is to let out a few laughs by telling a funny story. Nevertheless, if you are not a born comedian, laughing to some of his jokes and funny stories usually do the trick. Guys love it when you laugh at their jokes.

5. Be Yourself. The top secret to making people like you is to show them the real you. Your date may find your boyish antics weird but he may find it cute thinking that you're a cowboy who can ride with his jokes, activities and someone he can tag along with the guys later.

6. Relax. Butterflies in the stomach, mice running in your heart and the nauseous feeling are normal when going on a first date with someone. However, if you do not loosen up, the worse case that could happen is you won't be able to say any sane thing to your date. Relax and remind yourself that you are on a date to enjoy, not to be stressed.

7. Be Appreciative. Before the night ends, take time to thank your date for spending time with you. You don't have fret, a kiss on a first date is not a must. On the other hand, if you really enjoyed the evening, a peck on the cheek is just fine to show your appreciation followed up by a short text message or phone call later to thank him again for the wonderful night.

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How One Golf Fundamental Increases Power, Improves Balance and Contact - Sports

Funny how the even the smallest motion can affect your overall golf swing. One area I would focus on all of my former students was the trail knee. Many times you will observe golfers straighten their back legs while swinging. Now you will learn the benefits of keeping the bend in the trail knee. To be clearthe back knee must maintain its bend up to the top of the back swing.

Increase Torque=========Increase the swing's torque. When you straighten your leg then you allow the hip to turn too easily. The fault lies when the hips turn too far. You start to lose power and control. You will lose control because your timing has to be more precise to square the club face at impact. The lose of power is because the coil is far less than it should be. Your x-factor is reduced when the knee loses its bend. The x-factor is a methodology taught by Jim McLean and it is simply the difference between the hip turn vs the shoulder turn. The larger the difference the larger the coil. Teaching professionals preach that the shoulders should turn twice as far as the hips.

Balance=========Straightening your knee on the back swing you will lose your balance. A reverse weight shift may be in your near future because when weight shifts to the back foot the back knee helps support the swing. If the leg straightens then the support for the swing becomes weaker the front leg will support the swing. keeping the bend in the back leg and your balance will improve.

Solid contact=========How does keeping the bend in the back leg help you make solid contact? It allows you to keep your posture throughout your swing. Maintaining a good posture will allow you to swing the club on the proper plane and also make the bottom of your swing predictable. Knowing where the swing arc bottoms out tells us where to position the ball in our golf stance.

In 2007 Phil Mickelson changed his swing instructor. After a long time with Rick Smith, Phil employed Butch Harmon as his swing instructor. Three weeks after the coach change Phil won his first Players Championship and this became his 31st career PGA Tour win. The swing element they worked on was to improve the bend in the back knee. It Phil's case this permitted him to shorten his back swing and he gained control with his driver.

If arguably the worlds best golfers works on this swing element. Why not the rest of the golfers? Many golfers are not aware and those that are don't think it is that important.

An the practice tee take some time and check the bend in your knee at:1) Address,2) Halfway way point in the back swing, and3) Top of your swing

Did your leg straighten out? Oops... keep working on it. Or was the bend maintained at all three points? Keep it up. Now don't want to force the leg to maintain the flex so the knee remains completely fixed. The knee will move a tiny amount we just be sure the bend is exists in the back swing.

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Finding Clothes For Your Chihuahua - Family - Pets

I'm sure you have seen a cute little chihuahua dressed up one time or another. It can be alot of fun to dress up your chihuahua, but it can also be beneficial to their health. Chihuahuas are small, and often need protection from the elements, so consider getting your chihuahua some clothes.

They are more affected by the weather and elements than larger dogs. Their thin coat of hair doesn't offer much insulation or protection, even on the long-hair breed. If you live in an area which has cold winters, it can be dangerous for your them and even cause health problems. Consider buying a sweater, or raincoat for tiny loved one to help shield them from the cold, rain, and snow.

T-shirts are best for protecting your chihuahua in milder temperatures. Most T-shirts are light-weight and short-sleeved. Typically T-Shirts encompass the dog's entire torso, offering protection from the sun and other elements.

Sweaters can be light weight or very thick. Sweaters are great for providing warmth for your little one, while protecting him from dirt and water as well. Most sweaters have wide neck lines, so be sure to secure it before letting your dog outside.

Hoodies offer a lot of protection for your chihuahua. Hoodies can be light weight or heavy, so they are good for both warm and cool temperatures. Hoodies offer protection for your their torso, legs, and head.

Raincoats offer the most overall protection for your chihuahua. When paired with a rain hat, raincoats protect your dog from rain. wind, and snow. Raincoats can come in many different fun colors and styles to choose from.

When you dress your dog up, make it reflect their their personality. There are lots of graphic tee's available and these can be perfect for the males, often saying funny quotes. Girl clothing, such as things with rhinestones, and accessories are great for female chihuahuas. Just remember, something as simple as blue for males and pink for females can make a huge difference.

When you get your new clothes, take some time practicing putting them on your chihuahua and getting them off. This will get you and your pet used to it.

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You, Me and Pictures, Part 2: Making Thinking Visible's Collaborative Aspect - Business

Me.We.-Mohammed Ali

The educators of Reggio Emilia, Italy tell the story of pre - kindergarteners waiting for after school pick-up. Carlo, admiring the colorful tee shirt of his buddy Enzo asked his teacher if he could try it on. Her okay made Carlo wonder "Whose head will pop out from Enzo's tee shirt, mine or his?" The teacher suggested trying it to see so Carlo asked "If Enzo's head pops-up will you put mine back before my mom arrives?"

The experiment began: what a relief for Carlo and the watching children when his head came out of Enzo's shirt! Soon all the kids were swapping tee shirts.

Part of small children's charming power is living between fact and imagination. Yet Carlo's concern applies to adults - in competitive environments collaboration entails risk and pleasure.

A wave of design thinking is altering the empirical world of work, pulling us up to speed on collaborative intelligence as never before: monologue replaced by dialogue, uniformity by diversity, talking at by talking with.

In the politics of dense, layered organizations Making Thinking Visible catalyzes collaborative competencies aligned with childhood: openness, transparency and, for long moments, putting judgment on ice.

1. Making Thinking Visible is Collaborative and Transparent

In this article I identify the "putting people first" aspect MTV has no matter application: from design and presentation of case studies, prototyping, testing products and services, deepening reflective action to meeting facilitation.

MTV is a documentation model driven by the needs of the organization, community or site it serves. It is human centered research for existent, newly formed or multi-disciplined teams. Transparency is a strategy of MTV that lets us follow the footprint of another's thinking. It cultivates individual voice.

MTV underscores collaborative intelligence by giving people smart tools to "speak" in ways supplementing the spoken word. It furthers thinking by making it visible yet art, visual or even digital skills are not required. It catalyzes deliberate thinking so people leave a session with clarity. Time is energized.

In A Whole New Mind: Why Right Brainer's Will Rule the Future and Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything the authors identify, respectively, emergent creative and collaborative economies. The saying "the MFA is the new MBA" demonstrates the business community's growing understanding of these economies. In September 2008 California College of the Arts is launching the first Design MBA in the U.S. (emphasizing sustainability). Within a year we will see other art and design colleges offering MBA's.

Change is not linear. Neither is design thinking making it the prefect match to address change. Design thinking - mixing logos (logic, a tendency towards the cut and dry), ethos (character) and pathos (emotion) - is a living environment and the future of work.

2. Making Thinking Visible is Engaging

Heard of the trend of people standing in meetings to think clearly or prevent someone from going on forever? Not to mention getting us up from the screen. In painting class students stand for similar reasons. Animated people belong to engaged minds, hands, hearts and guts.

Ask the spoken word to do its stunning labor - not more - and let a host of design languages loose to accomplish the job in tandem with text. Analytical skills are necessary but no longer sufficient. The adventure has a different texture now: the mechanical mind is inadequate to the global task and playing by the old rules depletes people's thinking, energy and interest.

Choose a topic, service or product to investigate; utilizing multiple forms of representation is a breeding ground for trust by showcasing individual contributions to the whole. There's a tipping point where visual evidence invokes cohesion more effectively than argument. Reading documentation collectively breaks tension allowing the bartering, marketing and exchange of ideas.

We each desire smart ways to bring more of ourselves to work. In MTV training walking through 19 Non-Tech Ways to Document offers everyone an individual approach to the zone of design thinking. In this model one size does not fit all. MTV suggests a question is better answered when lots of people answer it in many different ways.

3. Making Thinking Visible is a Tangle of Spaghetti

To complicate things we collaborate not only with people but with materials, objects, tools and environments. Pioneering psychologist Loris Malaguzzi called this jumble a "tangle of spaghetti".

Pictures transform social interactions. Research where "images and symbolic presentations infringe on the rule of the spoken word" relax us away from habit. Documentation is a soothing agent undermining dialogue resistance; the graphic "stuff" is go-between for your talking head and mine, pitting strategies not people against one another. As an MTV participant said "it effortlessly encourages engaged listening".

Going through MTV experience together we are privy to how someone else puzzled through to solutions and can more easily stand in their shoes. MTV takes the heat off any one person as tricky topics are considered. People can compete and cook side by side too. Design thinking conjures the funny.

4. Making Thinking Visible Values Equivalency

Steve Seidell, Harvard Graduate School of Education, compares this approach to a jazz ensemble replete with independent and interdependent riffs of inquiry while being consistent to a through-line of the larger goal. Participants play equivalent roles as documenter and interpreter of the evolving archive. As in jazz, ensemble research entails dexterity in coordination and collaboration. Others have made this distinction:

Coordination We work together without having to change much; the exchange has a mechanistic quality. The business community excels here.

Collaboration A different animal altogether! The risk is we will be changed by what we listen. The upside is individual learning accelerates and there is relief and integrity in belonging to something larger than ourselves.

While MTV makes clear individual contribution to the whole the paradox is resilient teams take pleasure in not knowing who generated what - ownership is collective and given away. And it all sounds better.

(c) 2007, Linda Yaven. All rights reserved. Want to use this article in your e-zine or website? Yes, you can, provided you make all links live and include this copyright and by-line below.

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The Only Sport That Matters - Health - Fitness

I get asked often do I exercise and lift weights to prepare for participation in other "real" sports. My response is always the same. Weight lifting is a "real" sport. Actually one of the few "real" sports. Let me explain.

Since the assumption is that I am training for another sport, my other sport probably involves competition against another entity, hence the reason I am training, to gain an advantage. I need an advantage because in this sport I must be training for, there will be a score kept, and at some point in time we will say the competition is over and the individual or team with the best score "wins". I mean that IS what sports are, right? Play, keep score, win or lose. I can not think of a sport where that isn't the objective.

I play golf. Very poorly, but I play. Very difficult individual sport. Me against the course. Me against my playing partners. I make a terrible swing and hit a crazy duck hook off the tee that hits a tree and bounces into the middle of the fairway. I make a rare perfect swing and hit a beautiful high fade and the ball lands in the middle of the fairway and rolls to a stop inside a three inch deep divot. This is sport? You can use any team or individual competition out there and they all have these forces at work.

Weight lifting is black and white. No grey areas. No luck. No time table. No excuses. No funny bounces of the ball. No wind assists. No bad calls from the ref. No home field advantage. No equipment advantages. And most importantly of all, the only opponent anyone ever needs.

Themselves.

You want to keep score? How about this: a 100 lbs today will be the same as a 100 lbs tomorrow and forever. Lift it today. Can you lift it the next time you try? You want time frames for the competition? Fine. Could you lift it a year ago? Can you now? You see there's no hoping tomorrow's opponent is easier, or that you're the home team and you're hitting down wind on 18. There's no blaming the refs, I was good but my teammates stink and damn that 10 pin tap. Live with that.

So the next time you see someone lifting weights and taking it serious, and you wonder what sport they are training for, know this. The only sport that matters. Their life.

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Men, The Scrapbooking Craze Isn't Just For The Ladies! - Other

That's right, men, the scrapbooking craze isn't just for the ladies anymore! Many men are finding that scrapbooking is a great way to express some creativity, preserve their precious memories, and above all else, spend some quality time with the family without video games or television. So speaking just to the men, the scrapbooking craze can appeal to you as well, but how? You may have seen some scrapbook pages that were anything but masculine, so how can you make it work for you? How can you avoid the frilly, silly, girly pastime and really make it something that "the guys" can enjoy?

One good thing about scrapbooking is that there is no right or wrong way to compose a page, and no right or wrong thing to preserve and to use as elements. Dig out those pictures of your last fishing trip or that great golf scorecard that you couldn't bear to throw away because you finally broke 90. These are great items for men. The scrapbooking craze really took hold for women because they were able to keep those funny, silly, sentimental photos and other items from their lives and you can do the same.

Once you have the mementos you want to put on your page, then you decide what decorations and other elements you want to use on the page. This is a great creative outlet for men. The scrapbooking craze really saw the women get creative with their decorations - buttons, dried flowers, yarn, twigs, and pieces of fabric or pockets from old jeans. All of these things are often used for scrapbook page decorations. You men can do the same. Use fishing lures for that picture of the fish. Use golf tees to decorate that scorecard. You can purchase many items that you can't find around the house and chances are that your scrapbook supply store will have some accessories that are perfect for you.

The scrapbooking industry is responding to the needs of men who are into this hobby. More and more manufacturers are releasing designs that appeal to men. There are now albums and supplies in masculine colors and patterns. The biggest change has been in the scrapbooking supply themes. You can find embellishments and papers on so many typically male interests, like fishing, military, poker, golf, and team sports.

We may never see men gathering together for scrapbooking crop parties. Yet that idea is certainly not impossible. However, men want to preserve their memories as much as women do. Men also are becoming more aware of the importance of archival safe albums for their photographs. Men want a way to collect their photos and record their memories. They may not want them overdone with embellishments, but their scrapbooks will still reflect their unique personalities and styles.

And if nothing else, men, the scrapbooking craze is a great way to spend time with your family and your kids. If you don't want to do your own pages, sit down with your kids as they do theirs. The days of the kids gluing macaroni onto construction paper and calling it art are over; creating scrapbooks is the new craze, and rightly so!

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Learn how to attract women not chase women! - Relationships - Dating

As a dating coach, one of the things I am struck with so often is how little time a guy gives to thinking about the image he projects. The image you project is what makes people take notice of, and treat you exactly how you expect to be treated. Are you treated with respect? Or like a doormat?

For example, if you stand slouched over, looking down and speaking in a whispered voice, you are absolutely projecting a severe lack of confidence and you will be treated that way. Conversely, if you stand erect, shoulders back, looking straight ahead as if you own the sidewalk, people respond to that signal as well. Experiment with it.

There is evidence everywhere that proves my point. As part of the animal kingdom, we are conditioned to respond to certain stimuli instinctively. No doubt you have heard of the "fight or flight" instinct. The fight or flight instinct says that faced with certain stimuli, fear for example, you have a choice to run like hell, or you can stand your ground and fight what it is that is creating the fear.

Here is an example of my thinking. If you are walking down the street, and sitting on a park bench are three men wearing black leather jackets, blue jeans, tee shirts, and black boots, what is your immediate thought about these men? Bikers. Right. Scary bikers? Depends on your opinion of bikers, but they are bikers. Period. Even if you don't see any motorcycle anywhere, right? Right.

But what if I were to tell that they were actually accountants five days a week, but dress like bikers on weekends. Would that change your opinion of them? Yes, it would. The point is that they have decided to behave in a such way that projects an image that they want to project. And, certain women will respond to that image. The image of the loner biker. The rebel without a cause. Most likely those same women would not respond in the same to accountants! Who would??? Just kidding.

The point I am making is simple. If you do not like who you are, change. If you don't like the fact that women don't respond to you, change the way you behave toward women. But what should I do Mike? Well, I will tell you.

What men do you know that have no problem getting women? Think of them. How do they behave? How do they dress? How do the wear their hair, talk, walk? Are they rebels? Do they wear leather? Do they wear preppy clothes or golf shirts?

What women do you want to attract? Where do they hang-out? Who do they like? They like strong, cocky, funny guys. They like guys that bust on them, and take no crap from them.. They like guys that call them on it when they whine.

Take a look at yourself and decide if you are a man that women would want to be with. I don't mean your looks. I mean your clothes, hair, and attitude. If you are not, change yourself. Buy some new clothes. Smile less. Appear indifferent. Practice behaving that way every time to talk to a women whether you are in a supermarket, restaurant, school or work. You will be surprised how they begin to react to you.

Well, that is it for today's lesson. Good luck!!

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18 Ways To Boost Your Site Traffic Fast! - Marketing

So, It is the time now to generate traffic.. i will display below some of techniques about how to get traffic fast and free! NOTICE : Some of these techniques are pretty old (web1.0) but there are some new techniques (web2.0) here so don't worry you will find what you need!

1. Bookmark your site - To social bookmarking websites, i.e. digg, reddit, del.icio.us, stumple upon

2. Ping! - Ping your blog every time you write a new post, Try Pingoat.com or pingomatic.com

3. Make Contests - Give away Tees, Links, Ipods, gadgets or whatever people like. (Really Work Out)

4. Put Your site in your sig - Put your site ate your signature in forums, Emails,...etc

5. Join MBL (MyBlogLog) - it's a good way of socializing your blog/site.

6. Offer people to subscribe to your feed - Don't Order them but ask them;-)

7. Don't Be Boring - Tell Jokes, be funny.

8. Write Articles and submit it - This Really works even after a long time.

9. Optimize your H1, H2, etc - Almost all search engines base on the "h" tags so be sure to optimize it with the right keywords.

10. Make a video - then put it on youtube, Google video, metacafe,...etc and don't forget to put your URL on it

11. Give a free e-book - This will really work and make a good cover ( You can put an Opt-in to collect subscribers)

12. Add Sitemap to increase your Ranking - This will give a little boost in search engine rankings

13. PPC - Pay Per Click, it's still the fastest and most effective way but of course, it costs you a lot.

14. Post or answer a question at Yahoo Answers - Then add your URL in it!

15. Become friends - with someone popular and maybe he can promote you! :D

16. Make blogger blogs that link to your main blog - Don't make them look like a spam!

17. Always update your blog - update from time to time so people will visit you a from time to time also

18. Submit your site to Dmoz - PR8... That's Enough PR to submit your link into;-)

We Conclude from these ways that there is a lot of methods to get high targeted traffic just take action don't read only!

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Meeting Women: How to Get Them to Approach You - Relationships - Dating

Want women to come up to you and strike up a conversation? It's not as hard as you think. All it takes is a little creativity.

Walk A Dog

Women are suckers for dogs, especially puppies. So if you have one, it's almost guaranteed that women will come up...ask if they can pet your dog etc. If you don't have a dog, you might want to consider getting one - assuming you have the time and responsibility to take care of it. Or, "borrow" a friend's dog and take it to areas that are women-friendly. Of course, the best place to go is the dog park. Other great places include the beach, parks, outside shopping malls, outdoor cafes and coffee shops. You can also use other cute pets as well: exotic birds, ferrets, monkeys! The more unique the pet, the better the odds that women will notice you.

Drop Something

Here's another way to get a woman to approach you (and see if she's a good Samaritan). Carry a big load of books, papers, canned goods etc. and "accidentally" drop them near a woman. If she's a decent person, she'll come over and ask if you if you're okay or need help. Just make sure you don't actually injure yourself in the process.

Show Off A New Gadget

If you're a techie and among the first to get the hottest new gadget (i.e. the iPhone), you could use these as babe magnets. Whether you're on a bus or sitting in a coffee shop, use your new "toy" and don't be surprised if you find a woman approaching you and going, "Hey, isn't that the new (insert gadget here)?"

Wear A Funny T-Shirt/Cap

Funny t-shirts and caps can make great conversation starters no matter where you are (some of the best shirts are topical tees). For example, if you wear a t-shirt with Britney Spears' image and the caption, "Mother of the Year" or "Somebody Just Please Slap Her," most women will find that funny, and perhaps funny enough to come up to you!

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How One Golf Fundamental Increases Power, Improves Balance and Contact - Sports

Funny how the even the smallest motion can affect your overall golf swing. One area I would focus on all of my former students was the trail knee. Many times you will observe golfers straighten their back legs while swinging. Now you will learn the benefits of keeping the bend in the trail knee. To be clearthe back knee must maintain its bend up to the top of the back swing.

Increase Torque=========Increase the swing's torque. When you straighten your leg then you allow the hip to turn too easily. The fault lies when the hips turn too far. You start to lose power and control. You will lose control because your timing has to be more precise to square the club face at impact. The lose of power is because the coil is far less than it should be. Your x-factor is reduced when the knee loses its bend. The x-factor is a methodology taught by Jim McLean and it is simply the difference between the hip turn vs the shoulder turn. The larger the difference the larger the coil. Teaching professionals preach that the shoulders should turn twice as far as the hips.

Balance=========Straightening your knee on the back swing you will lose your balance. A reverse weight shift may be in your near future because when weight shifts to the back foot the back knee helps support the swing. If the leg straightens then the support for the swing becomes weaker the front leg will support the swing. keeping the bend in the back leg and your balance will improve.

Solid contact=========How does keeping the bend in the back leg help you make solid contact? It allows you to keep your posture throughout your swing. Maintaining a good posture will allow you to swing the club on the proper plane and also make the bottom of your swing predictable. Knowing where the swing arc bottoms out tells us where to position the ball in our golf stance.

In 2007 Phil Mickelson changed his swing instructor. After a long time with Rick Smith, Phil employed Butch Harmon as his swing instructor. Three weeks after the coach change Phil won his first Players Championship and this became his 31st career PGA Tour win. The swing element they worked on was to improve the bend in the back knee. It Phil's case this permitted him to shorten his back swing and he gained control with his driver.

If arguably the worlds best golfers works on this swing element. Why not the rest of the golfers? Many golfers are not aware and those that are don't think it is that important.

An the practice tee take some time and check the bend in your knee at:1) Address,2) Halfway way point in the back swing, and3) Top of your swing

Did your leg straighten out? Oops... keep working on it. Or was the bend maintained at all three points? Keep it up. Now don't want to force the leg to maintain the flex so the knee remains completely fixed. The knee will move a tiny amount we just be sure the bend is exists in the back swing.

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Evolution of the T Shirt From Inner to Outer Wear - Advertising

Quick! What are you wearing right now? No this is not one of those questions; it is posed merely to elicit a very likely response: because if you are reading this lounging at home right now, you are very likely to be dressed in a T shirt, whether you are male or female. If there is one item of clothing that anyone and everyone has in their closet it is the ubiquitous Tee.

So how did this most omnipresent form of attire come into being? Well it is widely believed that the Tshirt design was originally fashioned to be a form of innerwear and the story goes that t shirts first became popular during World War I when American soldiers noticed their European counterparts' cool and comfortable cotton undershirts when they were forced to bear with their less practical and more sweaty woolen uniforms. The other theory for the origin of the t-shirt design is also ascribed to the men at arms, the US navy prescribed a "light undershirt" to be worked around the year 1913, and this item was described as a garment having "elastic collarette on the neck opening, called "crew neck".

However, it was still used chiefly as innerwear till the 50s. What finally made the T shirt come out of the closet (and into all of ours) and the reason it was finally perceived as seemly to be worn even without an outer shirt is another story. Widely believed to have really made the T shirt mainstream is the unforgettable and iconic portrayal of the Rebel without a Cause by heartthrob James Dean in the 1955 classic film. It is James Dean that is credited with making the tee a contemporary symbol of youth, and rebellious youth to be particular.

Whatever the provenance of the Tee shirt, it is now probably the most popular and the most versatile item of clothing, so that the t shirt can be anything from grunge and slouchy to elegant and smart. There are tie and dye tshirts, batik tshirts, funny tshirts, plain tshirts, psychedelic tshirt, striped, pattered, distressed, the list goes on and on. Amazingly enough, there are many websites today holding t shirt design contests. There are cash prizes amongst others for the winners. It's a great way for budding designers to gain repute.

T shirts are increasingly used to make a style statement these days. Although the Tee is viewed chiefly as a casual, informal way to dress, it is very versatile in that it can be smartened up to go anywhere. For instance the long sleeved T shirt is instantly less casual and with appropriate trimmings can become quite a formal garment, especially for women. Graphic tees can instantly make you look cool.

T Shirts have undergone a long evolutionary process. What started out essentially as the round neck short sleeved garment made of knitted soft hosiery cotton, changed dramatically over the years both in terms of design as well as the material used to manufacture it. Cotton was replaced by cotton blends, polyester, lycra, spandex and a whole host of other materials that were used to keep pace with the ever fickle trends of the day. Necklines rose and plunged; sleeves lengthened and shortened and sizes shrunk or expanded in accordance with styles and fashions dictated by the powers that be! And the evolution of the T shirt continues to this day!

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Finding Clothes For Your Chihuahua - Family - Pets

I'm sure you have seen a cute little chihuahua dressed up one time or another. It can be alot of fun to dress up your chihuahua, but it can also be beneficial to their health. Chihuahuas are small, and often need protection from the elements, so consider getting your chihuahua some clothes.

They are more affected by the weather and elements than larger dogs. Their thin coat of hair doesn't offer much insulation or protection, even on the long-hair breed. If you live in an area which has cold winters, it can be dangerous for your them and even cause health problems. Consider buying a sweater, or raincoat for tiny loved one to help shield them from the cold, rain, and snow.

T-shirts are best for protecting your chihuahua in milder temperatures. Most T-shirts are light-weight and short-sleeved. Typically T-Shirts encompass the dog's entire torso, offering protection from the sun and other elements.

Sweaters can be light weight or very thick. Sweaters are great for providing warmth for your little one, while protecting him from dirt and water as well. Most sweaters have wide neck lines, so be sure to secure it before letting your dog outside.

Hoodies offer a lot of protection for your chihuahua. Hoodies can be light weight or heavy, so they are good for both warm and cool temperatures. Hoodies offer protection for your their torso, legs, and head.

Raincoats offer the most overall protection for your chihuahua. When paired with a rain hat, raincoats protect your dog from rain. wind, and snow. Raincoats can come in many different fun colors and styles to choose from.

When you dress your dog up, make it reflect their their personality. There are lots of graphic tee's available and these can be perfect for the males, often saying funny quotes. Girl clothing, such as things with rhinestones, and accessories are great for female chihuahuas. Just remember, something as simple as blue for males and pink for females can make a huge difference.

When you get your new clothes, take some time practicing putting them on your chihuahua and getting them off. This will get you and your pet used to it.

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You, Me and Pictures, Part 2: Making Thinking Visible's Collaborative Aspect - Business

Me.We.-Mohammed Ali

The educators of Reggio Emilia, Italy tell the story of pre - kindergarteners waiting for after school pick-up. Carlo, admiring the colorful tee shirt of his buddy Enzo asked his teacher if he could try it on. Her okay made Carlo wonder "Whose head will pop out from Enzo's tee shirt, mine or his?" The teacher suggested trying it to see so Carlo asked "If Enzo's head pops-up will you put mine back before my mom arrives?"

The experiment began: what a relief for Carlo and the watching children when his head came out of Enzo's shirt! Soon all the kids were swapping tee shirts.

Part of small children's charming power is living between fact and imagination. Yet Carlo's concern applies to adults - in competitive environments collaboration entails risk and pleasure.

A wave of design thinking is altering the empirical world of work, pulling us up to speed on collaborative intelligence as never before: monologue replaced by dialogue, uniformity by diversity, talking at by talking with.

In the politics of dense, layered organizations Making Thinking Visible catalyzes collaborative competencies aligned with childhood: openness, transparency and, for long moments, putting judgment on ice.

1. Making Thinking Visible is Collaborative and Transparent

In this article I identify the "putting people first" aspect MTV has no matter application: from design and presentation of case studies, prototyping, testing products and services, deepening reflective action to meeting facilitation.

MTV is a documentation model driven by the needs of the organization, community or site it serves. It is human centered research for existent, newly formed or multi-disciplined teams. Transparency is a strategy of MTV that lets us follow the footprint of another's thinking. It cultivates individual voice.

MTV underscores collaborative intelligence by giving people smart tools to "speak" in ways supplementing the spoken word. It furthers thinking by making it visible yet art, visual or even digital skills are not required. It catalyzes deliberate thinking so people leave a session with clarity. Time is energized.

In A Whole New Mind: Why Right Brainer's Will Rule the Future and Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything the authors identify, respectively, emergent creative and collaborative economies. The saying "the MFA is the new MBA" demonstrates the business community's growing understanding of these economies. In September 2008 California College of the Arts is launching the first Design MBA in the U.S. (emphasizing sustainability). Within a year we will see other art and design colleges offering MBA's.

Change is not linear. Neither is design thinking making it the prefect match to address change. Design thinking - mixing logos (logic, a tendency towards the cut and dry), ethos (character) and pathos (emotion) - is a living environment and the future of work.

2. Making Thinking Visible is Engaging

Heard of the trend of people standing in meetings to think clearly or prevent someone from going on forever? Not to mention getting us up from the screen. In painting class students stand for similar reasons. Animated people belong to engaged minds, hands, hearts and guts.

Ask the spoken word to do its stunning labor - not more - and let a host of design languages loose to accomplish the job in tandem with text. Analytical skills are necessary but no longer sufficient. The adventure has a different texture now: the mechanical mind is inadequate to the global task and playing by the old rules depletes people's thinking, energy and interest.

Choose a topic, service or product to investigate; utilizing multiple forms of representation is a breeding ground for trust by showcasing individual contributions to the whole. There's a tipping point where visual evidence invokes cohesion more effectively than argument. Reading documentation collectively breaks tension allowing the bartering, marketing and exchange of ideas.

We each desire smart ways to bring more of ourselves to work. In MTV training walking through 19 Non-Tech Ways to Document offers everyone an individual approach to the zone of design thinking. In this model one size does not fit all. MTV suggests a question is better answered when lots of people answer it in many different ways.

3. Making Thinking Visible is a Tangle of Spaghetti

To complicate things we collaborate not only with people but with materials, objects, tools and environments. Pioneering psychologist Loris Malaguzzi called this jumble a "tangle of spaghetti".

Pictures transform social interactions. Research where "images and symbolic presentations infringe on the rule of the spoken word" relax us away from habit. Documentation is a soothing agent undermining dialogue resistance; the graphic "stuff" is go-between for your talking head and mine, pitting strategies not people against one another. As an MTV participant said "it effortlessly encourages engaged listening".

Going through MTV experience together we are privy to how someone else puzzled through to solutions and can more easily stand in their shoes. MTV takes the heat off any one person as tricky topics are considered. People can compete and cook side by side too. Design thinking conjures the funny.

4. Making Thinking Visible Values Equivalency

Steve Seidell, Harvard Graduate School of Education, compares this approach to a jazz ensemble replete with independent and interdependent riffs of inquiry while being consistent to a through-line of the larger goal. Participants play equivalent roles as documenter and interpreter of the evolving archive. As in jazz, ensemble research entails dexterity in coordination and collaboration. Others have made this distinction:

Coordination We work together without having to change much; the exchange has a mechanistic quality. The business community excels here.

Collaboration A different animal altogether! The risk is we will be changed by what we listen. The upside is individual learning accelerates and there is relief and integrity in belonging to something larger than ourselves.

While MTV makes clear individual contribution to the whole the paradox is resilient teams take pleasure in not knowing who generated what - ownership is collective and given away. And it all sounds better.

(c) 2007, Linda Yaven. All rights reserved. Want to use this article in your e-zine or website? Yes, you can, provided you make all links live and include this copyright and by-line below.

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The Only Sport That Matters - Health - Fitness

I get asked often do I exercise and lift weights to prepare for participation in other "real" sports. My response is always the same. Weight lifting is a "real" sport. Actually one of the few "real" sports. Let me explain.

Since the assumption is that I am training for another sport, my other sport probably involves competition against another entity, hence the reason I am training, to gain an advantage. I need an advantage because in this sport I must be training for, there will be a score kept, and at some point in time we will say the competition is over and the individual or team with the best score "wins". I mean that IS what sports are, right? Play, keep score, win or lose. I can not think of a sport where that isn't the objective.

I play golf. Very poorly, but I play. Very difficult individual sport. Me against the course. Me against my playing partners. I make a terrible swing and hit a crazy duck hook off the tee that hits a tree and bounces into the middle of the fairway. I make a rare perfect swing and hit a beautiful high fade and the ball lands in the middle of the fairway and rolls to a stop inside a three inch deep divot. This is sport? You can use any team or individual competition out there and they all have these forces at work.

Weight lifting is black and white. No grey areas. No luck. No time table. No excuses. No funny bounces of the ball. No wind assists. No bad calls from the ref. No home field advantage. No equipment advantages. And most importantly of all, the only opponent anyone ever needs.

Themselves.

You want to keep score? How about this: a 100 lbs today will be the same as a 100 lbs tomorrow and forever. Lift it today. Can you lift it the next time you try? You want time frames for the competition? Fine. Could you lift it a year ago? Can you now? You see there's no hoping tomorrow's opponent is easier, or that you're the home team and you're hitting down wind on 18. There's no blaming the refs, I was good but my teammates stink and damn that 10 pin tap. Live with that.

So the next time you see someone lifting weights and taking it serious, and you wonder what sport they are training for, know this. The only sport that matters. Their life.

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Men, The Scrapbooking Craze Isn't Just For The Ladies! - Other

That's right, men, the scrapbooking craze isn't just for the ladies anymore! Many men are finding that scrapbooking is a great way to express some creativity, preserve their precious memories, and above all else, spend some quality time with the family without video games or television. So speaking just to the men, the scrapbooking craze can appeal to you as well, but how? You may have seen some scrapbook pages that were anything but masculine, so how can you make it work for you? How can you avoid the frilly, silly, girly pastime and really make it something that "the guys" can enjoy?

One good thing about scrapbooking is that there is no right or wrong way to compose a page, and no right or wrong thing to preserve and to use as elements. Dig out those pictures of your last fishing trip or that great golf scorecard that you couldn't bear to throw away because you finally broke 90. These are great items for men. The scrapbooking craze really took hold for women because they were able to keep those funny, silly, sentimental photos and other items from their lives and you can do the same.

Once you have the mementos you want to put on your page, then you decide what decorations and other elements you want to use on the page. This is a great creative outlet for men. The scrapbooking craze really saw the women get creative with their decorations - buttons, dried flowers, yarn, twigs, and pieces of fabric or pockets from old jeans. All of these things are often used for scrapbook page decorations. You men can do the same. Use fishing lures for that picture of the fish. Use golf tees to decorate that scorecard. You can purchase many items that you can't find around the house and chances are that your scrapbook supply store will have some accessories that are perfect for you.

The scrapbooking industry is responding to the needs of men who are into this hobby. More and more manufacturers are releasing designs that appeal to men. There are now albums and supplies in masculine colors and patterns. The biggest change has been in the scrapbooking supply themes. You can find embellishments and papers on so many typically male interests, like fishing, military, poker, golf, and team sports.

We may never see men gathering together for scrapbooking crop parties. Yet that idea is certainly not impossible. However, men want to preserve their memories as much as women do. Men also are becoming more aware of the importance of archival safe albums for their photographs. Men want a way to collect their photos and record their memories. They may not want them overdone with embellishments, but their scrapbooks will still reflect their unique personalities and styles.

And if nothing else, men, the scrapbooking craze is a great way to spend time with your family and your kids. If you don't want to do your own pages, sit down with your kids as they do theirs. The days of the kids gluing macaroni onto construction paper and calling it art are over; creating scrapbooks is the new craze, and rightly so!

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