Dunia Aneh Blog 89: 2017

How to Measure Moisture Content in Rice

Moisture content is basically the weight of water that is contained in the rice or paddy which is expressed in percentage. This is referred to the wet basis that means the total weight of the grain inclusive of water.

Why is it important?

It is extremely important to measure the content of moisture in the rice because of the managing and marketing of paddy and rice. Due to different purposes of rice that depends on different ideal moisture contents makes the testing of accurate moisture content essential. If there are inaccurate measurements of moisture content, it can lead to different serious scenarios:

If the grain is extremely wet in the storage, it will get spoiled.

In case the grain is too solid means very dry, it will result in the weight loss of these grains that means loss in profit.

If paddy is harvested wetter than what is required, it will lead to extra drying cost and also loss in harvesting.

When rice is milled at wrong moisture content, there is lower head rice.

If you dry the paddy too far, it results in extra drying cost along with loss in the quality of the rice.

How to measure the moisture content?

There are two methods of measuring the moisture of content in grain:

Primary Method - It is based on the weight measurements such as infrared moisture balance and oven method

Secondary Method - Electronic instruments are used in this method that makes use of electrical characteristics of grain

When it comes to measuring the moisture content, there are a number of portable grain moisture meters that can be used. Make sure, when you are selecting a meter for this purpose, that it is suitable for the activity that you are going to use it for, such as milling grain or harvesting paddy.

The type of portable moisture meter used in:

Harvesting - Here, to measure MC use a resistance moisture meter that can provide you quick results with small samples only. If you have low MC, you will have more losses from shattering and higher Mc will result in losses from poor grain quality.

Drying - The seeds should be dried below 12% and grains below 14% as improper drying will lead to low see and grain quality. In order to avoid any damage, dry the paddy within 24 hrs after the harvesting.

Storage - In the initial weeks and months, MC percentage should be 14% or less and in 8 to 12 months, it should be 13% or less.

Milling - The standard MC is between 13% and 14%.

Nextech Solutions is an Indian-based Rice Milling Plant Consultant with years of experience in the rice milling industry. They provide services like rice cleaning, rice processing, parboiling, drying, and grading.

Article Source: How to Measure Moisture Content in Rice

Options After Completing Bachelor of Arts (BA)

By Rakhi Singh Kaur

Completing a graduation can be termed as a penultimate step of your educational career, at least, regular formal educational career. Students after completing their graduation often get confused as to what exactly are the options going forward, whether they should go out for higher studies, prepare for competitive exams or go for some specialized professional courses. Choices are in plenty, however, the decision is often a difficult one due to the sheer number of opinions suggestions and information we get from various sources regarding different career streams.

More so, when a student has completed his Bachelor in Arts, i.e. such students face this difficulty in a more pronounced way. Their used to be a time when completing your graduation in Arts would have made you eligible for government jobs. However, the times have changed, the competition has intensified, and obviously many new streams and subjects have percolated the academic and the professional fields, which warrant through contemplation on the part of students regarding the career he chooses.

Some search opportunities after Bachelor of Arts have been mentioned below for helping students to make an informed decision:

Note: We will not be giving details about the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) in this article because B. Ed. has been made more or less mandatory by almost all the states in India and is now-a-days, a prerequisite for entering into the education sector. So rather than being a career choice, it has become a compulsory preliminary screening platform for entering into a career i.e. education and teaching.

MASTER OF ARTS (MA)

This is the ideal choice for students who intend to go into professional teaching field. You can pursue Master of Arts in your respective stream and then can go in for Doctoral and Post Doctoral programs. There are many government vacancies in terms of teaching in Government colleges and Institutions and further into Semi Government Institutions with good monetary benefits. You can also opt for career in the Communications field by pursuing higher studies in Mass Communication and Journalism.

BACHELOR OF LAWS (LL.B)

This is also one of the options, which is exercised by a majority of the students who have completed their Bachelor of Arts. After completing LL.B you can opt for the career as a lawyer in specific technical streams including being a civil lawyer or being a criminal lawyer. If you opt for the stream of being a commercial lawyer then you can be hired as a Legal Advisor in the Private Sector as well as Government and Semi Government Sector. You can also go for the position of higher repute via becoming a judge after successfully cracking the judicial services exams conducted by the concerned bodies of the State and the Central Government.

MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (MBA)

One of the preferred career choices of today's students is MBA, a course that equips students with complex problem solving skills and managerial attributes to climb the ladder of success in the corporate world. After successfully completing your MBA, either you can join the private sector for professional excellence or you can also go for government jobs via appearing in the various exams conducted by Government Institutions who require knowledge of management related aspects.

MBA, if done through a good institution can be a lucrative career in terms of monetary benefits and professional satisfaction. The caveat is to go for institutions, which have established Alumni Network and well connected industry contacts for good placements.

OTHER PROFESSIONAL CAREER CHOICES

Students after completing their Bachelor of Arts irrespective of the specialization stream can go for preparation for various professional exams like in the Banking Sector, Armed Forces, and Paramilitary forces amongst others. When you prepare for entry into the banking sector, you have to crack the exam conducted by IBPS and when you successfully crack the exam, you get entry into the Government Banking Sector as a Probationary Officer.

Nowadays various private sector banks have also started giving importance to the successful cracking of the exam conducted by IBPS for their selection procedure. If you are someone who focuses on physical fitness and want to contribute to the security and well-being of the nation also, then you can go for the exams conducted by armed forces (Army, Air Force, and Naval) for entry into various positions. You can also go for professional studies in Social Work, Fashion Design, & Hotel Management and can make a successful career in these respective arenas.

SHORT TERM COURSES

There are various short-term or diploma courses, which have emerged as good choice for students who have completed their Bachelor of Arts. Such courses equip students with professional, managerial, technical, and complex problem solving skills, to make them fit and eligible for further professional advancement.

In today's rapidly changing times, such courses can provide students with handsome amount of monetary benefits and an option to be a part of the most innovative industries. Students can opt for such short-term professional courses in the fields of animation, video editing, documentary or filmmaking, artificial intelligence etc.

MISCELLANEOUS STREAMS

Bachelor of Arts can be also done with specialization in an area of your choice. When indeed you complete your Bachelor of Arts with a specific technical stream then there are further options available to you in terms of advancing in that very particular stream.

For example, if you have completed your BA with specialization in statistics then you can opt for Post Graduation in Statistics, if you have done your BA with Economics then you can go for Master of Business Economics (MBE) or MA in Economics and if you have then you are BA with psychology as your specialization then you can go for higher studies in the Psychology field and go on to become a professional Counselor in various institutions or the private sector.

The point is that there are many options available when you do your BA with the specialization of your choice.

We will be posting on a regular basis regarding the choices available in terms of such specialized fields, so make sure you regularly visit this page for most updated information. Check more career options after BA here. https://www.tradejinni.com/

Article Source: Options After Completing Bachelor of Arts (BA)

All About Intermittent Fasting

By Blake Pennock

Intermittent Fasting (IF) refers to dietary eating patterns that involve not eating or severely restricting calories for a prolonged period of time. There are many different subgroups of intermittent fasting each with individual variation in the duration of the fast; some for hours, others for day(s). This has become an extremely popular topic in the science community due to all of the potential benefits on fitness and health that are being discovered.

WHAT IS INTERMITTENT FASTING (IF)?

Fasting, or periods of voluntary abstinence from food has been practiced throughout the world for ages. Intermittent fasting with the goal of improving health relatively new. Intermittent fasting involves restricting intake of food for a set period of time and does not include any changes to the actual foods you are eating. Currently, the most common IF protocols are a daily 16 hour fast and fasting for a whole day, one or two days per week. Intermittent fasting could be considered a natural eating pattern that humans are built to implement and it traces all the way back to our paleolithic hunter-gatherer ancestors. The current model of a planned program of intermittent fasting could potentially help improve many aspects of health from body composition to longevity and aging. Although IF goes against the norms of our culture and common daily routine, the science may be pointing to less meal frequency and more time fasting as the optimal alternative to the normal breakfast, lunch, and dinner model. Here are two common myths that pertain to intermittent fasting.

Myth 1 - You Must Eat 3 Meals Per Day: This "rule" that is common in Western society was not developed based on evidence for improved health, but was adopted as the common pattern for settlers and eventually became the norm. Not only is there a lack of scientific rationale in the 3 meal-a-day model, recent studies may be showing less meals and more fasting to be optimal for human health. One study showed that one meal a day with the same amount of daily calories is better for weight loss and body composition than 3 meals per day. This finding is a basic concept that is extrapolated into intermittent fasting and those choosing to do IF may find it best to only eat 1-2 meals per day.

Myth 2 - You Need Breakfast, It's The Most Important Meal of The Day: Many false claims about the absolute need for a daily breakfast have been made. The most common claims being "breakfast increases your metabolism" and "breakfast decreases food intake later in the day". These claims have been refuted and studied over a 16 week period with results showing that skipping breakfast did not decrease metabolism and it did not increase food intake at lunch and dinner. It is still possible to do intermittent fasting protocols while still eating breakfast, but some people find it easier to eat a late breakfast or skip it altogether and this common myth should not get in the way.

TYPES OF INTERMITTENT FASTING:

Intermittent fasting comes in various forms and each may have a specific set of unique benefits. Each form of intermittent fasting has variations in the fasting-to-eating ratio. The benefits and effectiveness of these different protocols may differ on an individual basis and it is important to determine which one is best for you. Factors that may influence which one to choose include health goals, daily schedule/routine, and current health status. The most common types of IF are alternate day fasting, time-restricted feeding, and modified fasting.

1. ALTERNATE DAY FASTING:

This approach involves alternating days of absolutely no calories (from food or beverage) with days of free feeding and eating whatever you want.

This plan has been shown to help with weight loss, improve blood cholesterol and triglyceride (fat) levels, and improve markers for inflammation in the blood.

The main downfall with this form of intermittent fasting is that it is the most difficult to stick with because of the reported hunger during fasting days.

2. MODIFIED FASTING - 5:2 DIET

Modified fasting is a protocol with programmed fasting days, but the fasting days do allow for some food intake. Generally 20-25% of normal calories are allowed to be consumed on fasting days; so if you normally consume 2000 calories on regular eating days, you would be allowed 400-500 calories on fasting days. The 5:2 part of this diet refers to the ratio of non-fasting to fasting days. So on this regimen you would eat normally for 5 consecutive days, then fast or restrict calories to 20-25% for 2 consecutive days.

This protocol is great for weight loss, body composition, and may also benefit the regulation of blood sugar, lipids, and inflammation. Studies have shown the 5:2 protocol to be effective for weight loss, improve/lower inflammation markers in the blood (3), and show signs trending improvements in insulin resistance. In animal studies, this modified fasting 5:2 diet resulted in decreased fat, decreased hunger hormones (leptin), and increased levels of a protein responsible for improvements in fat burning and blood sugar regulation (adiponectin).

The modified 5:2 fasting protocol is easy to follow and has a small number of negative side effects which included hunger, low energy, and some irritability when beginning the program. Contrary to this however, studies have also noted improvements such as reduced tension, less anger, less fatigue, improvements in self confidence, and a more positive mood.

3. TIME-RESTRICTED FEEDING:

If you know anyone that has said they are doing intermittent fasting, odds are it is in the form of time-restricted feeding. This is a type of intermittent fasting that is used daily and it involves only consuming calories during a small portion of the day and fasting for the remainder. Daily fasting intervals in time-restricted feeding may range from 12-20 hours, with the most common method being 16/8 (fasting for 16 hours, consuming calories for 8). For this protocol the time of day is not important as long as you are fasting for a consecutive period of time and only eating in your allowed time period. For example, on a 16/8 time-restricted feeding program one person may eat their first meal at 7AM and last meal at 3PM (fast from 3PM-7AM), while another person may eat their first meal at 1PM and last meal at 9PM (fast from 9PM-1PM). This protocol is meant to be performed every day over long periods of time and is very flexible as long as you are staying within the fasting/eating window(s).

Time-Restricted feeding is one of the most easy to follow methods of intermittent fasting. Using this along with your daily work and sleep schedule may help achieve optimal metabolic function. Time-restricted feeding is a great program to follow for weight loss and body composition improvements as well as some other overall health benefits. The few human trials that were conducted noted significant reductions in weight, reductions in fasting blood glucose, and improvements in cholesterol with no changes in perceived tension, depression, anger, fatigue, or confusion. Some other preliminary results from animal studies showed time restricted feeding to protect against obesity, high insulin levels, fatty liver disease, and inflammation.

The easy application and promising results of time-restricted feeding could possibly make it an excellent option for weight loss and chronic disease prevention/management. When implementing this protocol it may be good to begin with a lower fasting-to-eating ratio like 12/12 hours and eventually work your way up to 16/8 hours.

COMMON QUESTION ABOUT INTERMITTENT FASTING:

Is there any food or beverage I am allowed to consume while intermittent fasting? Unless you are doing the modified fasting 5:2 diet (mentioned above), you should not be eating or drinking anything that contains calories. Water, black coffee, and any foods/beverages that do not contain calories are OK to consume during a fasting period. In fact, adequate water intake is essential during IF and some say that drinking black coffee while fasting helps decrease hunger.

IF YOU JUST WANT THE BENEFITS:

Research on intermittent fasting is in it's infancy but it still has huge potential for weight loss and the treatment of some chronic disease.

To recap, here are the possible benefits of intermittent fasting:

Shown in Human Studies:

1. Weight loss

2. Improve blood lipid markers like cholesterol

3. Reduce inflammation

4. Reduced stress and improved self confidence

5. Improved mood

Shown in Animal Studies:

1. Decreased Body Fat

2. Decreased levels of the hunger hormone leptin

3. Improve insulin levels

4. Protect against obesity, fatty liver disease, and inflammation

5. Longevity

For more about all things health and wellness visit http://www.pennockwellness.com

Article Source: All About Intermittent Fasting

Getting To A Place To Breathe Again

By Ashley Thompson

I grew up in the church, and experienced God move in many ways. It was so much easier to experience God when I was younger, the more I grew up the more difficult it became. The more tainted my spirit became, the harder it was for me to dig to feel Gods presence.

I remember I would go in and out of churches and relationship with God. I could not decide what I wanted. Looking back I was so broken, hurt, low self-esteem and all I wanted was to be was accepted. I begged for acceptance not because my parents didn't give it, but there was something more that I was searching for. When searching for something in a dead place, can be so dangerous. I gravitated to wrong people, I battled court cases, and I lost friends while in such a dead place in my life. I often wonder how my mother felt. To be a ordained minister to work in the gift of prophecy and watch your daughter run with no life. Now that I am a mother of three, I can only imagine the hurt she felt. I wonder where I would be if I didn't have a mother who prayed. I remember long nights I would be out, and my mom would pace the hallway praying for me into I returned.

Through everything I have been through you would imagine it would have been easy to run to God's open arms. Unfortunately it was not, I would run sit at his feet for a moment and run back to my vomit. At moments, I would think when will God walk away from me. How many times can I slap him before he dust his hands from me.

Would it have been that fall night around eleven years ago when a shotgun was pointed at my head. Or maybe the time when the car flipped three times, when I was leaving the club. Regardless of how many times death knocked God sent his angels to protect. Even then, I turned my back and revisited my old vomit.

I am not sure at what point I surrendered. I do remember I started to become numb, numb to feeling, numb to pain. I felt as if I was going through the motion and with every bump, and bruise I felt as if it was deserved.

It all shifted when my mother hosted a women's conference and to be honest I didn't want to be there. With hesitation I drug myself to support. I sat in the back of the church and in the mist of praise and worship that's when my life changed. An actual encounter with God happened. Everyone in that room left and it was me and God. God spoke to me so clearly that day, and I could see him actually purging me. I felt his arms around me and at that moment I realized this is what I been looking for God's loving arms. God has always been there for me but I had to get to a place where I could receive his love. It took me being broken and mentally checked out to see. I was like a vase that was smashed into pieces and I kept trying to hold the pieces together, with using whatever was in sight. When water was poured into it the vase water would ease out and eventually it would destroy the vase again. But when that encounter happened, God took his hands and tweaked every piece and re molded me, re shaped me and placed me back on the potters-wheel. That day when I had a visit from God, it changed my life. That day I begin to live!

Article Source: Getting To A Place To Breathe Again

Exercises and Workouts - Three Workout Musts To Avoid Injury

By Beverleigh H Piepers

Do you exercise even when you are tired from lack of sleep? Do you take your eye off when you need to do a warm-up routine? If so, you could be setting yourself up for a workout injury. Let us face it, injuries suck. If you have ever been struck down with an injury, you know just how frustrating this can be. You are seeing significant progress one minute, and the next minute, you are sidelined wondering what you are going to do to prevent muscle loss.

The great news is, for the most part, injuries can be prevented. You just need to know which steps to take to keep your risk as low as possible.

Here are three things you will want to start doing...

1. Warming Up Properly Before Each Lift. Be sure you are doing a proper warm-up before each lift you do. Many people are aware of doing a warm-up when they first get to the gym, but after that, they figure they are done with warm-ups. Not so.

You should be doing at least one warm-up set before each significant compound lift you do. Do not even think about rushing into any heavier weights as that is an excellent way to land yourself in pain.

2. Taking Regular Deload Weeks. It is also essential after every 4 to 8 weeks of training (depending on your workout intensity and recovery ability) you are taking a deload week. This means backing off your training and lifting about half of the amount you usually lift.

Think of it as a week off, but you still get to go to the gym. By doing a deload rather than an entire break, you will maintain some degree of tension on the muscles and prevent muscle loss while allowing for maximum recovery to occur.

Do not be afraid of time off from doing your regular training and heavy lifting. Time off or taking a deload week is where you continue to make progress.

3. Catch Up On Your Sleep. Finally, do not take your sleep for granted. Many people are under the impression sleep is just to feel energized to do your workouts, but rest also is a time where tissue repair takes place: this includes repairs to your bones, tendons, and ligaments.

If you are skimping on sleep, your risk of injuries will be increased no matter how you slice it. Start getting your eight hours a night.

There you have the main points to know and remember on the must-do's to avoid injury to your body. Are you including these points in your workout program?

Although managing Type 2 diabetes can be very challenging, it is not a condition you must just live with. Make simple changes to your daily routine - include exercise to help lower both your blood sugar levels and your weight.

For nearly 25 years, Beverleigh Piepers has searched for and found a number of secrets to help you build a healthy body. Go to http://DrugFreeType2Diabetes.com to learn about some of those secrets.

The answer isn't in the endless volumes of available information but in yourself.

Article Source: Exercises and Workouts - Three Workout Musts To Avoid Injury

What to Look for in a Car Audio

By Shalini Madhav

If you want to boost the dashboard tech, then you need to pay some attention to the car audio. When you do this, then you will have a completely new experience. There are some features that you should concentrate on when you want to choose only the best.

The receiveris the main component and it is referred to as the deck or the head unit. It is the heart and the brain of the system. This is what you end up interacting with as you use your car. The receiver locks the audio sources, the expandability, and the features of all other systems. Here are some of the tips that can help you end up with the best.

Audio sources

You need to determine what audio sources you use often. Consider if it will be necessary to have a CD player, whether you need DVD playback and so on. Consider whether you want to use digital media too. After you decide on this, then you need to choose whether you want a traditional receiver for the discs, a matchless receiver, or an A/V receiver.

If you settle for a CD player, there are still odds that a passenger may want a media player or may want to plug their phone while in the car. It is sensible to have a receiver that also has a port for USB so as to make it possible to use different storage devices.

Smartphone and app integration

Today, smartphones are very common, and so are the apps. It is, therefore, a good idea to have a receiver that connects to your phone. You should look for a USB port and make sure that it actually supports your device. Make sure that the receiver is compatible with your device before making the switch. If you are a heavy app user, then ensure that the receiver you settle for has some controls for the apps. These should be accessible to you regardless of whether you are on the road or not.

Satellite and local radio

Most receivers have AM/FM radios that can access the local stations. If you want to improve this, then choose one with HD radio decoding. This improves the audio quality of your local stations because they use digital format. It also makes it possible for you to choose different digital subprograms. This gives you access to more stations.

Navigation and GPS

The receivers are not only about playing music. They can also assist you when you want to make your way around by making use of the GPS navigation. Make sure the GPS module that has been set in the receiver is able to assist you and give you the correct directions.

Physical controls and dimensions

It is important to think about the physical dimensions of the receiver. There are options that will use very little space while others will take up more. If you want DVD playback, app mirroring, and GPS navigation, then the receiver will end up occupying more space. You need to consider the controls too. While a touch screen could be a convenient idea, it may not work well when you are on the road. Car audio Maryland offers you some of the best head units and navigation system options. Choose your receiver carefully and get the full benefits that are associated with them.

Article Source: What to Look for in a Car Audio

New Book Teaches How to Attract Money Through Thought and Action

By Tyler Tichelaar

Nearly a century ago, a brilliant man, Napoleon Hill, decided to study how the most successful people in America-people like Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and Andrew Carnegie-came up with their great ideas and became successful entrepreneurs and businessmen. What he discovered has astonished people ever since and has inspired thousands to believe in the power of thought. As the years have gone by, Napoleon Hill's classic Think and Grow Rich has inspired such people as Norman Vincent Peale and Jerry Hicks. Not the least of those inspired is Ray Higdon, and now Higdon has written a modern-day version of Think and Grow Rich with his new book Vibrational Money Immersion: Think and Grow Rich for Network Marketers.

Higdon quotes extensively from Napoleon Hill, but what makes this new book stand out from Hill's classic is that it takes Hill's ideas and applies them to the twenty-first century and specifically the field of network marketing as a means for attracting the kind of success and money people desire. Higdon also shares many of his personal stories of how believing in positive thinking and applying it have helped him to achieve success.

This is a no head-in-the-clouds type book about imagining riches. Rather, Higdon, who has been flat broke twice in his life and gone on to great financial success, is extremely honest in stating that we need to take action along with imagining the lifestyle and riches we want. As he states, "What are we talking about in this whole book? We're talking about raising your vibrational level toward money. Persistence is an essential factor in raising that vibrational quotient, of transmuting desire into its monetary equivalent." While Higdon clearly believes in the Law of Attraction, he also knows that you can't get something for nothing. Not only do you have to tell the Universe what you want, but you have to decide what you are willing to do to get it, and you have to plan ahead for when you have it. As he wisely points out, most people who win the lottery end up worse off than they were before because you can't get something for nothing and those people have not planned ahead for what to do with their money once they get it.

For Higdon, the solution of what to do in exchange for the money you will attract is network marketing, and especially real estate; he has been very successful in real estate. Of course, many people are turned off by network marketing, believing it doesn't work or not understanding why some people succeed at it while they have tried it and failed. Higdon responds to this concern by saying that those results have to do "with people's relationship with money, how they view money, how they view wealthy people, and how they view successful people." Higdon explains that too many people focus on their lack of money rather than envisioning having it; plus, they have a poverty mindset that believes they can't achieve money so they give up before they've even given themselves a chance. But Higdon's book can help people to break that cycle by offering the tools needed to change our thought process to a prosperity mindset. As Higdon's friend Mark Hoverson once said-and this is one of the most powerful sentences in the entire book-"Your poverty is not serving anyone."

A few of the tools Higdon offers readers include learning how to quit using the past as an excuse to hold you back from a successful future, and how to use the power of affirmations to change your poverty mindset into a successful one that will attract money and all the other things you want in life.

For me, one of the most insightful statements Higdon makes is that "Knowledge is not power." A lot of people chase after education, read a lot of books, and go to a lot of seminars, thinking they'll find the secrets to success in those places-and they may, but a lot of them are just fooling themselves into thinking that being busy equates with being productive. He quotes Napoleon Hill to support this point: "Knowledge is only potential power. It becomes power only when, and if, it is organized into definite plans of action, and directed to a definite end. This "missing link" in all systems of education known to civilization today, may be found in the failure of educational institutions to teach their students HOW TO ORGANIZE AND USE KNOWLEDGE AFTER THEY ACQUIRE IT."

Perhaps my favorite part of this book is Higdon's focus on the power of the imagination. He tells us that we have to separate what we want from our current reality: "Too many people are just observing what's in their lives. They say, 'Ray, I'm just telling it like it is.' Well, telling it like it is keeps it like it is. Justifying where you are keeps you where you are. There is no imagination necessary to see your current bank account. This is about developing that imagination, believing that you're more deserving of bigger, better, and more things. That development of the synthetic will let you tap into the creative."

Higdon goes on to discuss many other tools that help people to develop imagination and use it to attract money, but the one that grabbed my attention the most, and which he borrows from Hill, is the idea of invisible counselors to help us. He asks us to imagine who we would like to receive advice from-anyone whom we admire for their success and, more specifically, whom we admire for their characteristics that helped them achieve that success-characteristics we would like to have. For example, if we want to be more persistent, we might choose a famous athlete as a counselor. If we want to be kinder, we might choose Jesus. We can imagine these counselors gathered with us, conversing with us. To me, this idea seems like taking the "What would Jesus do?" question and putting it on steroids to be "What would Gandhi do in this situation?" "What would Andrew Carnegie do in this situation?" "What would Abraham Lincoln do?" I absolutely loved this idea and have begun to use it in my own life as an author thinking about what other authors might do, not just authors I admire as great writers, but authors who were successful businessmen, such as Charles Dickens, as well as people in other professions I greatly admire for their personal beliefs and courage.

Higdon concludes the discussion on invisible counselors by explaining, "Too often people look at successful individuals and they say, 'Well, if I only had their money,' or 'If I only had this or that.'' Do you understand that all you need is their mindset, their attitude, and a little bit of their knowledge? That's what you actually need, so that's what you should be asking for." That's what I'll be asking for and then applying, with trust that the money will follow.

Vibrational Money Immersion is filled with tons of more information about how to develop that prosperity mindset so you take inspired action to make money flow to you. Read this book and develop a prosperity mindset, and the sky will be the limit for you.

Article Source: New Book Teaches How to Attract Money Through Thought and Action

Book Review of "Permanent Happiness" by Iyabo Ojikutu MD

By Paige Lovitt

"Permanent Happiness" by Iyabo Ojikutu, MD, is a beautifully written guide to help you live a peaceful life. Tying together the link between our physical and spiritual lives, Dr. Ojikutu offers three steps to help us become more peaceful and happy beings. In this work, she shares a great deal of her own personal experiences, of which many readers will be able to relate. This includes discussing the end of her marriage, single parenting, having a stressful career, and re-entering the dating world. Peace and faith resonate through her words. While finding a great deal of useful information that will aid me on my path to happiness, I also discovered that just by immersing myself into these pages, I felt peaceful and relaxed.

I appreciate that this book is not written in a textbook style. The author blends her lessons in with her personal experiences. Readers will definitely want to do some journaling about their thoughts as they read. Women going through divorce will really appreciate her thoughts on healing during this difficult time in their lives. She also offers sound advice on parenting and dating for teens. While it would seem that what she discusses is pure common sense, for some reason people need to hear what she is saying and actually process it. In addition to her own personal experiences, Dr. Ojikutu also has a wealth of experience in dealing with a variety of stressful issues that can result in stress and lack of peace. Her common sense approach to dealing with these issues will help readers either avoid these experiences or learn how to escape from them peacefully so that they can move on to being happier, healthier individuals.

I would love to see "Permanent Happiness" by Iyabo Ojikutu, MD, as a selection for a reader's group, whether it be secular or faith based. In addition to benefiting from reading it, readers will also gain a great deal of insight with shared discussions. I think it would also be a great gift for young ladies who are in their teens or young adult years. It would be awesome for these young ladies to start following the steps to permanent happiness so that they can learn to seek permanent happiness while they are young, and unburdened with emotional baggage. I look forward to entering into this New Year with the resolution of following the steps to seek permanent happiness!

Reviewed for Reader Views December 2017. http://www.readerviews.com

Article Source: Book Review of "Permanent Happiness" by Iyabo Ojikutu MD

Understanding Browser Games

By Shalini Madhav

Browser games can be defined as computer games that are played on the internet through web browsers. They can be run by making use of the standard plug-ins and web technologies. The creation also has to include the standard web technologies. They include all genres of video games and they can be multiplayer or single-player. They can also be played on different operating systems, web browsers and devices. This is because they run isolated from the hardware and they do not have to be ported to all platforms.

The browser games also come in various genres and they come with themes that are appealing to the casual and regular players. Many of the games are large titles and franchises that can be sold in physical stores or online.

Most often, these games are free to okay and you may not need any software installation before you can engage in them. You may be charged for some of the in-game features. When in multiplayer mode, social interaction is the focus. Because of their accessibility, they can be played frequently and in shorter sessions when compared to the traditional options.

The persistence of these games

For a game to be persistent, the video game has to be browser-based and it has to be persistent. Such games rely on different codes and use different technologies. The games that rely on the client side technology are very rare because there are some security aspects that have to be met when writing and reading from the local file. This is because the browser does not want the web pages to harm the computer, and the designer does not want the computer to store the files to avoid editing. The code is used to store information about the players and the game in a database.

Such games need to be sustainable so as to successful. This is what allows the modeling elements to progress and develop even if players are offline.

Technologies

For the browser games to be successful and function well, there is a need to make use of various technologies.

The web standards

Different web technologies are used so as to create the browser games. They have little success due to issues such as quality and compatibility. These technologies allow games to run in all browsers that are compatible. Different standards are required for different uses.

Plug-ins

These were used to provide the game technologies after they were installed. However, many companies today are considering ending support for the plug-ins. Many of the manufacturers are also abandoning the idea of plug-in use completely.

Browser games are not too intensive graphically and have lower requirements since their design is aimed at a wide range of devices and systems. There are so many games that can be accessed today and some are very new. There are also many classics that have been re-made so as to fit as browser games.

Most of the games are also so easy to play and all you may need is a compatible device, internet, and a name. The games usually have a very simple goal and you gain points as you go.

Diep io is a browser game that involves a smoke ball that has a cannon attached. The goal is to gain points and to take all the opponents down. You add points when you kill enemies and when you destroy the shapes that surround you.

Article Source: Understanding Browser Games

The Advantages of a Motorcycle Track Day

By Amy Hall

If you're a motorcyclist, you are familiar will the thrill you experience being in your own world, on a completely empty and winding road, enjoying a smooth ride. As a rider, you take a lot of risks, riding on the streets and public access roads, where there are possibilities of things going wrong. Potholes, vehicles, and a lot of other obstacles are all working against you. There is also the possibility of being pulled over, for trying to enjoy a good ride! However, you still love that feeling you get from riding anyway.

Imagine a place where you can enjoy a good and fun-filled riding experience, where the pavement is smooth and well maintained, more fun, no careless drivers, no traffic worries, and no cops waiting to pull you over? Taking your bike to its limits is encouraged instead of frowned at or punished? Yes! There is such a place. A Motorcycle Track Day!

A Motorcycle Track Day is the most thrilling, and effective way to build and enhance your riding skills. The event is held on a racetrack, allowing you to learn and ride at real-world speeds and also concentrate on enhancing your skills without the hazards on the street.The track gives you an great, safe environment compared to riding on public access roads. It is one of the best and exciting skill developments you can buy.

Learning on a racetrack will help you build skills that will make you a faster and better rider.

So what exactly are the advantages of a motorcycle track day? There are loads of benefits of taking your motorcycle to a racetrack. Here are some of the benefits you can experience by involving yourself and participating in a motorcycle track day:

Safe & Fun-Filled Environment for Learning

The track offers a safe and controlled environment to ride, especially for riders who want to enjoy the thrill of speed. You are surrounded by coaches and experienced riders. There are also no hazards or roadside obstacles that get in your way like on the street.

Fast Learning

You can learn more in one motorcycle track day than in several months of street riding in good conditions. This adds up into making you a better rider, whether on the street or on a track.

Opportunity to Socialize

Such an event like a motorcycle track day gives you the opportunity to network and develop new friendships other motorcyclists. Most new racetrack riders are usually nervous and afraid on their first day of participation, but once in the midst of a friendly group of riders with enthusiasm to learn, they are made to comfortable and feel at home.

Advanced Learning

You will also be able to concentrate on learning how to improve your riding skills such as such as how to corner and brake with more control and confidence. It is also the only place you can learn to ride your bike the way it designed to be ridden

Riders will learn how to apex a corner, braking skills, when to brake and when not to, appropriate shifting techniques, and the right body positioning. They will better understand the physics behind riding a motorcycle, and the consequences of improper moves when riding. This will help them become safer riders on the street because they learn control of their motorcycle better, and how to handle it.

Participating in a motorcycle track day helps you become a faster, safer better rider, allowing you to mentally process and react better to unexpected occurrences while riding.

Article Source: The Advantages of a Motorcycle Track Day

New Book Offers Insight Into Personal Injury Trials and Preparation

By Tyler Tichelaar

In Approaching the Bench: Tales of a Personal Injury Lawyer, attorney Jan Weinberg shares some of his most fascinating cases over a career that has spanned decades. Beginning with stories of his time at Harvard Law School-years marked by anxiety and skipping classes-to his first assignment to a client while still a law student, and then being a partner in a law firm and finally practicing on his own in Hawaii, Weinberg offers a revealing portrait of not only the clients, judges, and opponents he faced in the courtroom, but also a look at how being a lawyer at times affected his personal life.

Anyone who loves good courtroom drama will find much to enjoy in this book. There are fascinating details about how Weinberg researches his cases and finds precedents for his arguments; there are female clients more interested in hitting on him than having him defend them, and there are some heart-wrenching stories of clients who desperately needed someone to stand up and fight for their rights, and Weinberg was able to do that for them.

While I can't detail every story here, I'll briefly mention a few of my favorites. One case Weinberg wasn't involved in but that was a key case he learned about in law school was the case of the hairy hand-in this case, a doctor did a skin graft by taking skin from a patient's chest and using it for his hand-when chest hair grew on the patient's hand, the patient was not happy. This case is one every good law student apparently knows about.

In Weinberg's first case, which he was assigned while still a law student through Harvard Legal Aid, he handled a divorce. He quickly discovered how much he still needed to learn despite his law school training. His client was getting divorced for the first time, but her friend, who accompanied her to her appointment with Weinberg, had been divorced three times and apparently knew more about court protocol when it came to divorce cases than he did, so he learned a thing or two from her.

In another case, Weinberg was assigned to do some research in a pro bono case where a partner was representing a convicted bank robber in his appeal. The conviction was based on an identification of the client's left elbow that was hanging out of the getaway car's window.

Throughout his career, Weinberg has proven himself very good at researching his cases and preparing for trial as well as examining and cross-examining witnesses. As Weinberg states at one point, "So, if an attorney isn't willing to spend time after hours and on weekends to think about cases while walking, gardening, working out, and even performing basic bodily functions, to research, to question, and to worry, then an area of law other than a personal injury practice would almost certainly be a better fit." Weinberg's stories and results testify to the fact that he was always, like Perry Mason, trying to figure out his cases and strategy from every angle possible.

One story that really made me admire Weinberg's techniques in the courtroom was when he was questioning a doctor who was an expert witness in the trial for his side. Feigning full disclosure, but really to get the jury's sympathy, Weinberg asked the doctor whether it was true that he was a convicted felon. The man replied, "Yes, I am a convicted felon. But, please, may I explain. As I told the jury, I am a Hungarian. You may recall that in 1956, the Soviet Union sent tanks and troops to overtake our country. I was a young man then, and with other young men filled Coke bottles with gasoline and inserted rags in them. We would run up to the tanks, light the rags, and throw the bottles under the tanks. We called ourselves 'freedom fighters.' The Soviets called us 'terrorists.' I was convicted of terrorism and spent two years in a Soviet prison in solitary confinement." Weinberg goes on to say that the doctor "spoke in a mellifluous tone of voice, with a distinct Hungarian accent. His performance was operatic. He was mesmerizing. He spoke directly to the juror who seemed to be attracted to him. She had tears in her eyes as he finished his answer. The Hungarian dance of love looked like it was succeeding."

Plenty of other stories in the book will fascinate, surprise, and entertain readers. One landmark case from 1996 that Weinberg was involved in concerned a pedestrian who was hit by a driver who may have been using a cell phone. This occurred long before there were discussions about the dangers of cell phone use while driving. Ironically, twice during the trial, the driver's cell phone rang, which only made her look worse to the jury. Other stories demonstrate how handwriting samples are used to determine prospective jurors' personalities, and how Weinberg has used mock jury trials to determine the strengths and weaknesses of a case before going to trial.

Approaching the Bench will appeal to law students, lawyers, and anyone else involved with the court system or simply a fan of courtroom drama. I'm sure that after so many years of practicing law, Jan Weinberg has only shared the tip of the iceberg with the stories in this volume. I wouldn't be surprised if he writes another book someday. I'm sure fans of this volume will welcome it.

Article Source: New Book Offers Insight Into Personal Injury Trials and Preparation

New Book Tells Tale of Cleveland Boy Who Overcame Obstacles to Play in the NFL

By Tyler Tichelaar

Move over Rudy-Dr. Kenneth Polke is here to tell his own inspiring story of overcoming obstacles to play in the NFL in his new book Conquering Your Adversities.

In this hybrid of a memoir and a self-help book, Dr. Polke shares his inspiring journey, from growing up on the Mafia-ridden streets of Cleveland in the 1950s and going to a Catholic boys school to watching the nation erupt in violence during the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War, seeing his neighborhood of Collinwood become known as Bomb City, USA, and all the while, staying focused on walking the straight and narrow path that would lead him to his dream of playing in the NFL.

I'm not a football fan, but I always love a good rags-to-riches or dream-come-true story and every page of this book is full of both. One thing I really enjoyed about Conquering Your Adversities is that Dr. Polke contrasted his personal stories with keeping a pulse on what was happening outside his private sphere-in his city and in the nation. As a result, the book was filled with nostalgia about America's best days in the decades following World War II, as well as some of its most turbulent times. At the heart of the story is the Polke family. Dr. Polke describes growing up in a small house in Collinwood with his brother and little sister and later a baby sister. His father read to them and educated them on everything from sports to the Mafia. When his mother was not busy caring for the family, she was working her hands raw at the Jergens factory to make sure they had everything they needed. Dr. Polke's parents were hardworking middle class people who upheld the Ozzie and Harriet values of the 1950s and instilled them in their children, providing them with strength and a moral code to follow when temptation came their way.

And temptation was all around Dr. Polke as a child. His parents sent him to Catholic school to keep him out of the troublesome public schools, but even when surrounded by nuns, he couldn't help getting himself into trouble-stealing communion wine from the church. But far worse, the streets of his neighborhood were controlled by the Mafia, and while Dr. Polke never had direct dealings with them, he was always conscious of them being in his neighborhood; he often had to take cues from his father about how to react to different situations, whom to be friendly with, and whom to avoid.

Foremost among the Mafia figures in the neighborhood was Danny Greene, who would later be the subject of the film Kill the Irishman. Dr. Polke had one memorable run-in with Greene when he was a child-a positive one, fortunately, that allowed him to understand why Greene was venerated as a type of Robin Hood in his community, although he also knew Greene's choices were ultimately a mistake.

When things got rough, Dr. Polke always managed to persevere, but the temptation was ever there to take the easy way to success. When he did not have a lot of money or when his dreams didn't seem like they were going to come true, Dr. Polke occasionally would see rich guys drive by in fancy cars with beautiful babes, and then he would realize that he could be enjoying that lifestyle if he wanted to join organized crime. Instead, he chose sports-specifically football-as his way out.

Dr. Polke's football career is impressive. He may not be a household name today, but he went a lot farther than most who dream of playing professionally. He tells us stories of great moments on the football field in high school. We feel butterflies in our stomachs along with him when he meets with recruiters from different colleges, and ultimately, we feel like falling off our chairs in shock when he finally gets that magical call. I don't want to ruin all the suspense, but I will say that Polke ended up playing for two different NFL teams.

And then, in the end, he walked away from football for something better...

You'll have to read the rest of Dr. Polke's story for yourself, not just to know what happened to him-but to discover what can happen to you. Each chapter of Conquering Your Adversities ends with a series of challenging questions to make readers reflect upon Dr. Polke's story, think about similar challenges they've faced, and figure out how to overcome them. In the end, this book becomes a blueprint for readers to follow their own dreams and achieve success despite any obstacles that stand in their way.

If you want to be inspired, if you love history, if you're from Cleveland, if you love football-heck, if you're a human being, you'll love this book because you'll relate to it and it will help you to conquer your own adversities. There are plenty of self-help books out there, but few can help as much as exploring how someone else overcame difficulties and taking inspiration from his personal story-and Dr. Polke delivers all the way.

Article Source: New Book Tells Tale of Cleveland Boy Who Overcame Obstacles to Play in the NFL

New Book Offers Invitation to Get to Know the "Real" God

By Tyler Tichelaar

In Adoring God by Keith Knell we get a look at the true attributes of God. We all have a concept of who God is, whether it's an old man in a white robe on a cloud, or a loving father, or the judge of sinners. Keith Knell, however, asks us to reassess who we think God is. Relying heavily on Scripture-the most reliable source for information about God-he walks readers through God's many attributes, separating the myths and misconceptions from what the Bible says and reminding us not to make the error of seeing God as having human attributes because we are made in His image and not the other way around.

As Keith states early in the book, "Ultimately, my goal in this book is not to teach you how to read and understand the Bible better, but for you to get to know God better, to understand Him more fully and love Him more deeply." Keith wants us to reread the Bible, asking ourselves in the process, "What does this passage reveal about God?" After all, Keith points out, "The Bible is primarily about God unveiling and revealing parts of who He is!"

Keith then walks us through the attributes of God, devoting chapters to such topics as God's holiness, His truth, how He is unchanging, and how He is merciful. But Keith also makes us realize that the Bible is not always presenting us with a loving God who will forgive us and only let people like Hitler burn in Hell. For me, the most rewarding and challenging parts of Adoring God were these chapters where Keith looks at some of the seemingly harsher aspects of God's character, including His jealousy and His wrath; again relying heavily upon Scripture, Keith shows how these aspects of God's character are not contradictory but righteous and part of God's overall perfection.

The result is a very eye-opening portrait of God that can result not only in increased love and devotion toward God but also facing some hard truths for the reader-truths that even Keith has struggled with, as clear from the Contemplations sections that end each chapter. In these sections, the reader can pray to God and ask for insight and better understanding. One such Contemplation reads:

"Wow. It boggles my mind to think that You don't consider what we would think of as 'the right thing to do.' You considered what You wanted, and did it. And that made it right. Now that's supremacy. You are what is 'right.' I don't have to spend time arguing with myself over whether something You chose to do was right or not. It is a given. It was right because You decreed it. How unsearchable are Your judgments and unfathomable Your ways!"
Another point Keith makes that many Christians today may try to ignore is that God is wrathful:

"Many people don't believe God is wrathful at all... And some who agree with the truth that God is wrathful, nevertheless make excuses for Him or feel the need to apologize for this part of who He is. Some think that if He was wrathful, then that was the 'Old God,' long ago from the Old Testament past, and that He has changed, matured."

Keith goes on to explain that God is wrathful, but He is just and righteous in being so. Furthermore, Keith denies the modern notion that God can mature or evolve. He quotes the Puritan writer Stephen Charnock to support this point. Charnock says, "What comfort would it be to pray to a god that, like the chameleon, changed color every moment? Who would put up a petition to an earthly prince that was so mutable as to grant a petition one day, and deny it another?"

In other words, God is not like you and me. Once we move past that faulty view, we can discover who He truly is, as reflected in Scripture, and as highlighted in this book.

In addition to the main text, Keith quotes many theological giants to support his points. Those writers include A.W. Pink, Thomas Watson, John Calvin, and Jonathan Edwards, to name just a few.

Perhaps most impressively, the book is a superior example of Bible scholarship. There are over 500 footnotes, most listing multiple Bible verses, not only to back up Keith's statements, but more importantly, to be further reading for the person who truly wants to explore and understand the various attributes of God. Keith asks that people not just read the book, but that they spend a week on each chapter, praying over its message and meditating on the many verses cited. I believe this process would be very beneficial and turn a reading experience into a deeply spiritual one.

In the end, Keith hopes that the result of reading this book will verify the Scripture statement, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." (James 4:8). Whether you are currently a nonbeliever, an active Christian, or somewhere in the middle, Adoring God will give you much food for thought and, ultimately, I believe it will deepen your understanding and relationship with God in surprising and gratifying ways.

Article Source: New Book Offers Invitation to Get to Know the "Real" God

Survival Skills - How To Build A Survival Fire

How To Build A Survival Fire

If you ever find yourself in a survival situation, especially in cold or wet weather, few things will be as important to your survival as the ability to make fire. Hypothermia can set in when your body temperature drops by as little as two degrees, and it goes without saying that fire could be what stands between you and freezing to death. Almost as important, a positive attitude is essential to being able to survive and make it home to your family, and a nice warm fire can be the difference between hope and despair. But knowing how to build a fire, especially if you have no matches or lighter, can be difficult at best. If you've never spent any time building these all-important skills, mastering them in moments of stress will be almost impossible.

So we'll explore the basics of how to build a fire in survival situations. Once you've got the head knowledge, it's imperative that you put that knowledge to work in a practical way. You have to practice, practice, practice, until the different ways of building a survival fire become a part of your muscle memory. Only then can you be sure that when it really matters, you'll be able to call your skills to mind. You can't save yourself, or anyone else, if your knowledge never makes it off the page.

Where To Build A Survival Fire: Location, location, location

As they say in real estate, it's all about the location. The same holds true for choosing a place to build your fire. There are several things to consider:

1. Where will your shelter be placed? If you've not already erected a shelter, choosing a location for your fire should be made in conjunction with a choice about shelter placement. If possible, choose an area below the canopy of a covering tree where limbs are over 10 feet high.

2. What direction is the wind coming from? This also applies to your shelter location. Selecting a fire site that is out of the wind will help in building the fire, maintaining the fire, staying out of the smoke, and controlling the fire, as well.

3. What are the ground conditions? On wet ground your fire will struggle, if you ever get it started at all. In wet areas, or snow, you may have to build up a base for your fire to sit on. Choose rocks or green bows to build something out of the wet to build a fire on.

4. Identify and protect against wildfire danger: Clear the area of debris and build a containment area. Fist size stones make a good fire ring, a trench or pit can also be used, anything to help ensure that your survival blaze doesn't become the spark that sets the world on fire.

Fuel To Start Your Survival Fire: Identifying Usable Material

You can't have a fire without fuel. Best case scenario you're in a wooded area full of dead, dry wood just waiting to be gathered up and turned into a roaring blaze. Standing dead timber makes the best firewood. If you aren't so lucky, remember that any items can be used to feed a fire. Dry dung will burn, if you can find it. Grasses, bundled and tied into knots, will burn longer than if it's loosely piled. Whatever you can find, get as much as you think you'll need, gathered to the place you've chosen for your fire, and then double it. Nobody ever gathers enough firewood.

Finding Dry Tinder: this can be a challenge in wet conditions. Tinder is the fine materials used to catch a spark, and the most basic part of any fire. If you were building a fire at home, in a fireplace, wadded newspaper would be your tinder. But in the wild, you'll have to carry in, find, or make tinder. A small pile of fire starting material is called a tinder nest. Knowing where to look for tinder can be the difference between getting a spark to catch, and going cold through the night. If you can, locate a fallen tree or limb. Even after days of rain, the underside of the tree can hide dry materials. If there isn't dry grass, twigs or leaves, take your knife and scrape up into the log, on the downward facing side, to create a bed of spongy dead wood. As long as you're using your knife, you can shave off the outer wet layer of a good sized stick, to reveal the drier wood underneath.

Making Tinder: Your clothing can also provide you with some usable tinder. Scrape the sharp blade of your knife along a flannel shirt, cotton t-shirt, or blue jeans to create a small pile of made-to-order lint. Use your knife to whittle a stick into a pile of shavings. The outside may be wet, but the wood inside will be much dryer. Cat tails and tree moss, if you can find them dry, also make great tinder for starting your fire. Cat tails go up fast, though, so have your other materials ready before you light it.

Bringing Your Own Tinder: To avoid having to hunt tinder in poor conditions, you could carry some on you. A good wilderness pack should always contain a fire starting kit that would include tinder, among other things. There are several great commercial fire starter kits that would be very handy to have on hand in a survival situation. In addition to your fire starter kit, here are several types of tinder that would be easy to find around the house and put in the bottom of your pack, to always have with you.

• Cotton balls covered in petroleum jelly (you'll want to put these inside a baggie to keep them from getting on everything else)

• Steel wool - super fine grade works best

• Lighter wood - pine wood chunks, soaked in pitch, usually from the stump of a tree

• Dryer lint - you make some every time you do a load of washing. Put a couple of loads worth in a Ziploc bag, put it down in the bottom of your carry bag, and forget it's there until you need it.

• Char cloth - heat cloth in a container until it quits smoking - it should be dark brown

Homemade Accelerant: If you have a tube of petroleum based chap stick, you can cut a corner off of your cotton or flannel shirt or jeans, rub it good with chap stick and use it as a base for your homemade dryer lint tinder. The chap stick cloth will act as a wick, pulling petroleum into the lint, encouraging your tinder to burn longer, giving you a better chance of getting your natural tinder to light and take off. This can be especially helpful if you're having trouble finding a dry area to start your tinder nest. There are other materials that can be used as an accelerant, if you can find them. Petroleum jelly, or petroleum based antibiotic from your first aid kit will burn, as will WD40, super glue, motor oil and a number of other household items that you likely wouldn't have in a survival situation, but who knows? Mixing these accelerants with your fine tinder or a bit of cloth will help them to burn even longer, giving your other materials a chance to dry out and catch.

How To Start Your Survival Fire: Tinder Nests

How to build a fire if you don't have matches or a bic lighter? Not a question you want to face for the first time in a life or death situation. There are many methods for building a fire without matches. An important thing to remember is that tinder burns quickly, so before setting the spark to your tinder, have the next step ready to go. You don't want to have to start three or four tinder nests, before you get your fire going.

Gather a bundle of twigs into a bunch, like you're picking wild flowers. Holding the thicker ends together firmly at the bottom, the narrower ends up. Pack the narrow ends full of tinder (this is tinder separate from your tinder nest), then stand the whole thing on its head, with the tinder now on the bottom. Adjust the bundle as necessary to make it stand up in your fire pit. Now you're ready to set a spark to your tinder nest, then push the lighted tinder into the bottom of the bundle, igniting the entire thing.

How To Start Your Survival Fire: Friction

There are already a number of great guides on how to build a fire with friction. You can learn the steps here from the Boy Scouts of America or here from Field and Stream Friction fires are more difficult to master, and certainly should be learned and practiced by anyone serious about their survival craft. But there are some easier, though less discussed, methods for starting a fire that we are going to focus on here.

Flint and Steel: This is the easiest of all the "survival" methods, and barely qualifies as "friction based fire." All that's required is a piece of flint and piece of high carbon steel, like your survival knife. A spark is formed through friction, by striking the steel against the flint. Place your tinder bundle to catch the sparks and gently blow the spark to life, once it catches in the tinder. If you haven't carried flint with you, you may be lucky enough to find some around. This YouTube video shows you how to identify flint.

How To Start Your Survival Fire: Lens

Standard Lens: this method is pretty straight forward. Most little boys have practiced this method on ants unfortunate enough to set up camp in their yard. The biggest downside to this method is that it only works on a sunny day.

• Find a lens - magnifying glass, binoculars, reading glasses, lens from a camera (you'd probably have to remove it), even the lens from the end of a flashlight, removed.

• Hold the lens up to the sun, tilting it to focus the sun into a fine point of light, hold the light steady on your tinder nest until it ignites. If you're using binoculars to focus your light, hold the wide end up to the sun, focusing the light out the narrow end.

• Steady! A steady hand is important, as is patience. A point of light that moves all over the place will never build up enough heat to light the tinder.

Less Common Lenses: Lenses can be created out of unusual items.

• Ice can be made into a lens, given the right circumstances. Absolutely clear water is necessary. With an approximately 2" thick piece of clear ice, use your survival knife to shape the ice into the rough shape of a lens. You can also use nearby stone to grind the ice into the right shape. Using the heat from your hand to smooth the edges of your ice lens, you should end up with a piece of ice that is much thicker in the middle than it is on the edges. Think "coke bottle glasses" kind of a lens. Then use the ice to focus the sunlight in the same way you would a traditional lens.

• Coke can lens - not exactly a lens, but another way to focus sunlight is to polish the aluminum on the bottom of a drink can to a high shine. You can use toothpaste, sand, or even chocolate to polish the aluminum to a high shine and then reflect the sun back onto the tinder nest.

• Water bottle - a preferably clear water bottle filled with water, can be transformed into a lens by removing the label and holding curved side of the bottle up to focus the sunlight onto your tinder nest.

• Bag of water - this method is about as simple as it sounds. Water in a clear plastic bag creates a bulging side that acts as a lens for focusing the heat of the sun and giving you fire.

One Additional Note: focusing your beam of light onto darker material is more successful in igniting than lighter material. Char cloth would be an ideal tinder for this scenario, but if all you have is natural tinder, focus your beam on the darkest you have in your nest. Once you get the tinder to smoke, continue to hold the beam of light in place until you have a genuine spark, then gently blow the spark into a flame and move your tinder nest into your kindling bundle.

The lesson with lens methods is to be creative. Don't give up. If you lack the means to start a fire with one method, look around to see what else you might have available that just may work. A never quit attitude will bring you home to your family.

How To Start Your Survival Fire: Other Methods

Batteries and Steel Wool: Hopefully you've carried in, or can find, something with batteries in it and some fine grade steel wool. This is one of the easiest methods of fire starting, short of having matches or a lighter. Even a battery as small as AA will work. Slightly shred a piece of the steel wool, and make it long enough to reach both ends of the battery. Be sure you don't break the continuity of the steel wool. Hold the steel wool to both ends of the battery and it will ignite, almost immediately.

Battery and aluminum gum wrapper: much like steel wool, this method is easy, but you have to move quick to make the most of the spark. The paper flashes and burns out just as fast. Shape the chewing gum wrapper into an hour glass shape, fat at both ends, narrow in the middle. This shape concentrates the flow of electricity in the middle, igniting the paper very quickly. But it goes out almost immediately, so your tinder will need to be very dry, and very close by.

With every method, once you get a spark in your tinder nest, blow it gently until you create a flame, and then move it to the bundle of kindling, to start your fire. Once your kindling is going good, add slightly larger pieces of wood, being careful not to smother your flame. Congratulations! You've started a fire!

Practice How To Build A Fire

All the head knowledge in the world will do you little good in an emergency situation if you can't call it to mind. Even skills that you can remember, but have never done, will be difficult to do for the very first time under stressful conditions. Take every opportunity to build a fire to use one of these non-traditional ways of doing so. Show your children or your friends how to build a fire without a match. They'll be impressed with you and closer to possessing this all-important life-saving skill themselves.

Kelli is the owner of http://www.EverydayCarryGear.com and publisher of "How To Build A Survival Fire", one of the many articles designed to educate and help you the reader be prepared and ready for action in whatever survival situation you could find yourself in. If you enjoyed this article, I recommend heading over to website for some more great reads.

By Kelli Warner

Article Source: Survival Skills - How To Build A Survival Fire

Survival Tips - How To Build The Best EDC Kit

How To Build The Best EDC Kit

An Every Day Carry Kit, or EDC, is comprised of the everyday carry gear, including emergency items, that you might need to face challenges or dangers, that come between you and home. In the strictest sense, we all take an EDC kit with us each day. Our wallet or purse, keys, money, cell phone; these are the things we've decided we need each day to ensure that we can do what we need to do and get home safely. But is it everything you need?

Identifying Your Everyday Carry Gear Needs

If only we knew exactly what situations we would face on a given day, we would never leave our house unprepared. There are no warnings given for disasters. You have to try to anticipate your needs before they arrive. Your daily routine can give you some ideas about the types of situations for which you need to be prepared.

Where Do You Live? Do you live in an urban, suburban, or country community? Or do you live so far out in the boonies that, without a four-wheel-drive truck, you'd need a 72-hour pack to make it home alive?

Work Environment? You may live in a gated community but work in a dangerous part of town. Consider where you'll be spending time, especially outside of your car, as a part of determining likely risk.

Long Commute? People who commute long distances have a higher likelihood of certain challenges like car trouble, or dangers such as car accidents.

Responsible For Others? If you often have children with you, you may need to consider their needs as a part of your every day carry gear.

Unique Medical Needs? Do you suffer from a food allergy, bee allergy, asthma, high blood pressure or diabetes? Rescue medications like back up inhalers, epi-pens, blood pressure medicine, insulin, and needles would need to be a part of every kit you prepare.

Assessing What Challenges or Dangers You Are Likely to Face?

There are three types of scenarios for which you need to be prepared.

Challenges: common situations like a flat tire or a dark parking lot, a power outage; things that won't kill you, but a little preparation goes a long way toward making things easier.

Threats: a personal attack, car accident, injury, or an opportunity to help another person with one of these scenarios.

Catastrophes: Terrorist attack, natural disaster, rioting, getting lost or breaking down way out in the wilderness, anything that results in a major disruption to routine, or makes it necessary for you to survive on your own, at least for a time.

You know your routine. Only you can identify your unique needs and likely threats. It's important to be prepared, but if you try to prepare for every single emergency that could ever arise, you could end up with an EDC kit that's so enormous you never have it with you. The very best everyday carry gear is the gear you actually have on you when the need arises.

The Difference Between an EDC, a GHB, and a Bug Out Bag

If your initial instinct is to over-prepare, relax. At least you're on the right track. There are several types of emergency kits that are valuable to have around, and they all serve slightly different purposes. A Get Home Bag, or GHB, carries a little more equipment than you would want to carry on your person and is designed to do exactly what the name implies, get you home. Another type of emergency kit, called a Bug Out Bag, or BOB, and is as much as you can carry (within reason) and is designed to give you everything you need to survive up to a week. The weight limit recommendation for a Bug Out Bag is 1/3 of a man's body weight and 1/4 of a woman's.

Preparing for eventualities with all three of these types of kits in mind can allow you to prepare efficiently and give you ultimate peace of mind. You could think of it this way: Your everyday carry gear is designed to get you to your Get Home Bag. Your GHB is designed to get you to your Bug Out Bag. And your BOB is designed to support you through a minimum of a week in the wilderness, should the need arise. Best case scenario, you never need a GHB or a BOB, but it's nice to have them. An EDC kit, however, you are almost certain to need at least a couple of times a year.

What To Carry In Your Every Day Carry Kit

There are many recommended items that you might want to carry as a part of your EDC kit. Based on the risk assessment that you've already performed, you'll need to choose the items that best help you meet those needs.

Must Have Items:

Self Defense - a knife, box cutter, credit card knife, tactical pen - any item that you can use to defend yourself.

Fire - Lighter - windproof is best, waterproof matches, fire starting kit. Depending on the size of the kit you're creating, you can choose the size. But at a minimum, you should have at least one way to start a fire.

Light - Flashlight - You may end up with several different light sources, stored in different places, and in different kits. But you should always have some source of light on you at all times. If nothing else, a mini flashlight on your key chain is a must.

Compass - this could easily be incorporated with an analog watch, rather than as a separate piece of equipment. What you can't count as a compass is the GPS in your cell phone. In the event of infrastructure failure, one of the first things you'll lose is your cell service. You need an old fashioned, magnetic compass, either integrated into your analog watch, or by itself.

Cordage - a box of unflavored floss, a paracord bracelet, a bundle of paracord, or even replacing your shoelaces with paracord - too many situations will require some type of cordage. Don't be without it.

Shelter - Mylar blankets are the easiest and lightest choice for very small kits. As you develop larger, more advanced GHBs, or BOBs, you can incorporate better shelter. But a Mylar blanket or two will go a long way in a pinch.

First Aid Kit - This can be as simple as a few bandaids, a couple of alcohol pads, and some antibiotic, or as evolved as a full fledged First Aid Kit, complete with a defibrillator. Consider the other kits you're preparing, and carry what you think you'll need. First aid items you may want to consider, even for a small kit, include: band aids, bandages, alcohol, antibiotic, antacids, ibuprofen or acetaminophen, and certainly must include any personal rescue medications.

Food - or more correctly, a way to get food. At a minimum, a couple of fishing hooks in your daily wear hat, or folded into a piece of aluminum foil in your wallet, or a small medicine bottle full of supplies, you choose. These can be combined with your floss for fishing line.

Cash - You should always have at least some cash that is for emergency use only. It's probably a good idea to store it separately from your normal funds.

Should Have Items:

Items you should incorporate into your everyday carry gear, if you can. If necessary, use this list to begin putting together a Get Home Bag.

Small Pill Bottle of Vaseline - Vaseline (or any petroleum based jelly) has variety of uses including treating chapped lips and hands, cuts and scrapes, and for use as a fire accelerant

Cotton Balls - first aid uses and as tinder for starting a fire

Weatherproof Matches or Fire Striker

Battery - at least AA size. Maybe you already have one in your flashlight, but carry spares if at all possible. They come in handy for other things, too, like starting fires.

Small Wire Saw - This can be included as part of a credit card size multi-tool, to cut down on the amount of gear you have to carry.

Fishing Supplies - a couple of fishing hooks in your daily wear hat, or folded into a piece of aluminum foil in your wallet, or a small medicine bottle full of supplies, you choose.

Food - hard candies, a bullion cube, anything to give you calories and a morale boost. The more the better, within reason.

Water Purification - Whether tablets or a filtration system, something to get you clean water in a pinch. There are straw sized filtration systems.

Multi-Tool - either full sized, or a credit card multi-tool that you carry in your wallet.

Whistle - For signaling, scaring away wild animals, or human attackers

Super Glue - comes in mini tubes and can serve a variety of purposes, including minor repairs, first aid, and as a fire accelerant.

Nice to Have Items:

A few things that it would be nice to have, if you can fit it in. If it won't fit in your everyday carry gear, this could be the beginnings of a great Get Home Bag.

Small Address Book - in the event that you lose the use of your cell phone, you'll need the emergency contact information for those closest to you. Include in it, any other information you might have difficulty calling to mind under stressful situations.

Shoes - a spare pair, in case you have to walk a long way. Hiking boots would be preferable. This is especially important for women, who might be wearing heels when they discover the need to walk.

Larger Knife or Weapon - Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

Bright Yellow Poncho - good for weather protection and easier to spot.

Stainless Steel Water Bottle or Thermos - This can also be used as your kit container, as a weapon, or just to keep some water in.

Food - One or more high calorie energy bars or protein bars, enough to get you through a few hours of stress, at least.

Finding The Right Container For Your EDC Kit

Once you've assessed your needs, and chosen the items you can and will carry on you every day, it's time to figure out how to carry it. There are a couple of ways to go. The typical method is to get a small container and fit your gear inside. You'll need to choose a container size based on how you'll be carrying your kit. If you have a briefcase or purse, you can accommodate a larger size. If it must go in your pocket, you'll have to use a smaller container and be more creative in the way you carry anything that doesn't fit.

Metal Box - If you can find something metal that fits your needs, a metal container is optimal. It will hold its shape and maintain a water tight seal better than some plastic containers. If necessary, you could also use it to cook with. Altoids tins are a popular choice, especially for an in-your-pocket EDC kit, though it is limiting in its size.

Plastic - The advantage of a plastic container is how easy it can be to find one in a size that fits your needs. Rubbermaid style containers come in a variety of sizes and are inexpensive. The downside is the lid can sometimes be too easy to remove; you may have to seal it with some duct tape.

Organization Pack - Commercial EDC organizational packs are available in a number of sizes, designed specifically to help you organize your essential Every Day Carry Gear.

Wearing Your Gear - You can distribute your gear throughout your clothing, using cargo pants pockets, your hat, key ring, wallet, a chain or lanyard, etc. Women are at a distinct advantage because they are expected to carry a purse, and by simply carrying a slightly larger one they can accommodate many more items with little trouble. Men can improve their carrying abilities, depending on their work dress code, by wearing cargo pants with a number of pockets, or carrying a briefcase or small backpack with them to work. (Maybe now is the time to consider purchasing that ultra trendy man purse you've been secretly eyeing.)

Self-Contained Kit - Your container could also be a part of your kit. A thermos or metal container that can be used for cooking, etc. The only downside to this container is that you still have to figure out how to carry it with you every day.

The Best EDC Kit

There's what you should carry, and then there's what you will carry. The very best Every Day Carry kit is the one you have with you when you need it, and includes the knowledge to use the gear you've carried. All the preparation in the world doesn't do you any good, if you don't have your gear or don't know how to use it. So be realistic in your risk assessment, practical in your kit assembly (remember you can assemble a GHB and BOB, as well, you don't have to carry everything every minute), learn to use the items you've chosen, and be faithful in carrying your Every Day Carry Gear, every day!

Kelli is the owner of http://www.EverydayCarryGear.com and publisher of "How To Build The Best EDC Kit", one of the many articles designed to educate and help you the reader be prepared and ready for action in whatever survival situation you could find yourself in. If you enjoyed this article, I recommend heading over to website for some more great reads.

By Kelli Warner

Article Source: Survival Tips - How To Build The Best EDC Kit

Where To Go For A Cruise According To The Best Reviews

Going for a cruise is something that should be on top of your list of things to do in your life. This is an adventure that all of us should venture towards at least once in a lifetime. Riding on a luxury cruise is worth any amount of money you spend specially if you choose the place of your adventure wisely. After doing thorough research we bring to you a list of the most sought after places when it comes to luxury cruises. Going for a cruise on one of these places will surely change your outlook on life. So get yourself some Asia Miles and fly to these places for the cruise of your life:

1. Cruise in the Nile
For those of you who do not know - Nile is the largest river in the world and runs in Egypt. Going on a cruise here will leave you refreshed and will give you an insight into Egyptian history like never before. This cruise is said to bring its dwellers quite an insight into the classic lifestyle of the people living in the Egyptian countryside wilderness. You can get them from a range of 7 days to a cruise lasting upto 15 days. And if you want a longer cruise you can start from here and go on a tour of the whole of middle east. Depending on your taste you get a lot of variety here.

2. Wind your way across the Scottish highlands
The scots are famous for their beautiful highlands and the feeling of serenity that they provide. You get to gaze on the amazing beaches, the vast and versatile wildlife of the area along with the beautiful scene when the sun sets to the west. You'll be enthralled by the beauty of a cruise in Scotland. It will make you want to stay there forever. And the best part of the cruise is that it won't be too heavy on your pocket especially if you fund your travels using Asia Miles.

3. Cruise the winds around the world
This cruise is more than an adventure. You need a lot more time and some more funding to undertake this adventure. But it is not impossible to do and it does not require as much capital investment as we would have thought. But this experience is going to change you for the better. Just think about it, you and the world and sea breeze and no other stress for at least two months.

Can you imagine how much fun this would be? You will get to see the major cities of the world and all the nooks and crannies of the most famous beaches around the world. This truly is the ultimate dream of any travel lover with wanderlust running in his/her veins.So start planning your trip, get some air travel deal using Asia Miles and have the time of your life.

By Abuzar Mir

Article Source: Where To Go For A Cruise According To The Best Reviews

The Allure New York Holds For First Time Visitors

New York city is one of the most developed and the most sought after places in the world. This giant of a city has many things to offer to any visitors that comes through its doors.. It has also been featured many times in different movies and TV shows with the famous Empire State building in midst of all the action. If you are someone who likes to spend their vacation in the midst of action and hustle bustle then this place is a top location that you should include in your travels. Planning to go here for the first time can be a little tricky. The reason for this is that with so many places to choose from it can be a daunting prospect to make a choice between what to see and what not to see. Here are a few things that will definitely keep you entertained for your first visit to New York.

1. The Empire State Building
Whenever you get the chance to fly to New York on cheap international flight tickets, this is probably the first thing that will catch your eye. Rising to the clouds, this building was once known as the tallest building in the world. Now however, places such as the Burj -ul- Khalifa has stolen the title. That does not in any case mean that the Empire State Building has lost its appeal. In fact, the older it gets, the more people it charms with its ability and grace.

2. The Central Park
If you have been a fan of the 90's sitcom Friends, you're probably thing that the name has been spelled wrong. Actually the Central Perk in this TV show was inspired by New York's central park which is right in the middle of the city and is big enough to make you feel lost. Recently, central gained popularity again when famed photographer Brandon Stanton started photographing people going about their daily life in Central Park. He named these people the Humans of New York and started recording tidbits of his conversation with them. So this is something that you must visit on your first visit to New York.

3. Wall Street
It doesn't matter if you have an interest in economics or not, Wall street is something that you definitely have to go and see. Why you ask? Well don't you want to see the place that controls more than 50 % economy of the world? Personally, a lot of people have gone to visit this place after they saw Leonardo's performance in the Wolf of Wall Street. This place is a businessman's heaven. It has the ability to make or break your dreams and you won't even know it. Believe us when we say that this place the ability to charm the knickers out of you.

If you're convinced enough now then we suggest you pack your bags get yourself a cheap international flight ticket and fly to New York today.

By Nick S Curtis

Article Source: The Allure New York Holds For First Time Visitors

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