Newark Nottinghamshire Vacation of Dreams

Author: Lindsey Williams
Source: articleage.com

The power and persistence of a good idea constantly amazes me. Once an inspired perception of human activity takes root it is impossible to wipe it out and only with difficulty modified.
It is this quality of man’s mind that makes the study of ancient history so fascinating. Most of what we accept as modern had its beginning thousands of years ago. Much of what puzzles us today is understandable when we know how it started and how it reached us.
A case in point is the celebration of New Years Day. It began before there was writing, but it has changed little over the centuries. It is an important holiday to all civilized peoples because it embodies the important idea of a new start, of trying main to do better. It’s human and it’s important, thus it persists.
I have been led to these somewhat philosophical observations during the closing hours of 1968 by a Christmas gift book, “Stonehenge Decoded,” by Professor Gerald S. Hawkins.
Stonehenge is that mysterious circle of giant stones in southern England which was erected by an unknown people for an hitherto unknown purpose.
Dr. Hawkins, professor of astronomy at Boston University and research associate at the Harvard College Observatory, has proven to my satisfaction that Stonehenge was a stone age astronomical observatory and the world’s first computer.
I became acquainted with Stonehenge a little over a year ago during a visit to England. I arrived at Amesbury, nearest village to the famous monument, in midmorning. No taxis were available and the only bus of the day did not leave until mid-afternoon. As Stonehenge was only four miles away by well marked path I decided to walk.
In retrospect I recommend this approach to the ancient circle. Amesbury is the kind of British village you see in travel folders. Little shops crowding the sidewalk, cottages with well tended lawns and flower beds, a low bridge over the gently flowing Avon River then a long slope up Lark Hill to Salisbury plain.
As I reached the open countryside it started to rain softly. The wet grass soaked my feet but otherwise I was adequately protected by a rain coat and hat. On the horizon I could just make out the grey clump that was Stonehenge. The slow, silent walk in a drizzle, through a strange land, conditioned me to a proper awe by the time I arrived at Stonehenge.
Because of the rain there were only two other visitors at the site and they soon fled to their car and departed. I walked around and under the huge, glistening rocks, each up to 50 tons bulk. How had men with only their own power and primitive tools raised these giant stones? Why?
I stood motionless in the center of the ghost-like stones to absorb the mood of mystery and desolation. After awhile the guard at the gate left his little ticket house and squished toward me. “Like me to show you around a bit?” he said.
It was obvious to the guide that I was more interested in Stonehenge than the average tourist for he braved the rain with me for nearly an hour explaining as much about the stones as now is known.
A horse shoe of head-high stones is encompassed by another horse shoe of 24-foot trilothons — two upright stones capped by a horizontal stone. These are enclosed by a circle of slightly smaller uprights originally consisting of 30 stones and a continuous lintel across their tops. Next are two rows of postholes, then a ring of 56 white chalk spots. Finally around the whole is a low mound.
In all, the arrangement is some 300 feet in diameter.
The white spots, called Aubrey holes after their discoverer, are four-foot holes packed with chalk and—in many instances—cremated human bones.
By radiocarbon dating of the charred bones, and a piece of deer antler found under one of the upright stones, Stonehenge has been accurately dated. It was built over a three hundred-year period from 1900 B.C. to 1600 B.C. This was a thousand years after the building of the great pyramid of Egypt, Troy had not yet fallen to the Greeks and Abraham was still living in Mesopotamia.
The predominant people in Britain at that time were the “Beaker People” but no one today knows where they came from or what happened to them. They left no other monuments or records, and their numerous burial mounds reveal only a primitive culture.
Was Stonehenge their single, supreme example of a superior intelligence, or were wise foreigners living amongst them to supervise the erection and operation of a holy temple?
It is probably significant, said the guide, that the altar stone and the heel stone alignment point to the mid-summer sunrise or solstice. For this reason the monument was thought for hundreds of years to be a Druid temple. However Stonehenge was ancient and deserted when the Druids came over from the European continent. I finally ran out of questions so the guard gave me a lift back to town. We shook hands solemnly, he appreciative of my respect for his ancient monument, I appreciative of his time and courtesy.
It is easy to see how Professor Hawkins — who grew up near Stonehenge — would apply his astronomical knowledge to the mystery. He returned to his birth land to make measurements and sightings of the Stonehenge stones.
Back at Harvard, members of the computer staff programmed Hawkins’s measurements into an IBM 7090 then reversed the sky electronically —and in less than a minute — to the stone age. The alignments of paired stones pointed unerringly to every extreme movement of the sun and moon.
For more details I suggest you get the book published by Doubleday. It’s better than a detective story.
Which brings us back to New Year’s Day.
Hawkins points out that the June 24 summer solstice alignment also points in the reverse direction to the December 22 winter solstice — the time when the days start to get longer. This was the beginning of the new year to the ancient sun worshippers.
Stonehenge was likely a ritual tomb for the sun and a temple to its rebirth. Elsewhere it is known that this was the beginning of a four-day festival ending Dec. 25. It was a time or rekindling the hearth fire, gift giving, merry making and resolutions to live a better life.
Whether your present remembrance of Jan. 1 is a throbbing head or a glowing heart, the idea has been handed down from your ancestors with the unspoken wish you will resolve to improve. After four thousand years of trying, we must be making progress, aren’t we? I mean, we are!
January 1, 1969
Lindsey Williams is a Sun columnist who can be contacted at:
LinWms@earthlink.net
LinWms@lindseywilliams.org
Website: http://www.lindseywilliams.org with several hundred of Lin’s articles written over 40 years, and his book “Boldly Onward,” about the original explorers of America.

Author: Steph Winston -
Source: articledashboard.com

The many car collisions every year, which are consequential to demises and agonies of little children have called for making use of an additional car protection piece of equipment: baby car seats.

A good number of general problems of nearly all parents are selecting the finest baby car seats from amongst the scores of alternatives – each one with its individual protection aspect – that are being put across in the marketplace. The response to this is anything that fits the baby at ease, fits in the car securely and is inside the financial plan is the finest baby car seat, which any person can come across.

Every one of the baby car seats, or for that subject all that has got to do with automobile protection, has to clear the similar federal crash trails and security features. Baby car seats, which are agreed upon by the authorities has the guarantee of protection, and the goals that are laid down has to be cleared by every one of the companies. It is pointless to state, that even the most low priced baby car seats put across in the marketplace had to go through the similar crash trails and will at all times save the children from harm against collisions, given that these are appropriately set up.

Additional aspects are all right but all that adds up to the price of the baby car seats. Exorbitant charges do not all the time stand for the most excellent, because there is no “most excellent” car baby seat. A few additional aspects will merely be significant if it can be made use of but the car seat have got to fit the baby foremost.

After you have selected the baby car seat, which you approve of, the subsequent article on your listing is to go through the company instruction guide. The most luxurious and numerous aspects baby car seats will be of no utilization if the company’s instruction booklet is not studied in detail because they might have unique necessities in relation to particular fittings and utilization.

In any case, the similar standard will be relevant. Infants and children, who weigh up less than twenty lbs, ought to be made to sit in the direction of the back of the vehicle. If the kid is by now a year old but still less than the requisite weight restrictions, then the suitable baby car seat have got to be the convertible sort but the kid still has to be made to sit in the direction of the back. The convertibles are capable to be built in to look at the fore, which may possibly be a fine readiness when the kid goes beyond the weight restrictions.

Car seats for just infants are little transportable seating that are frequently a component of a baby carriage. It has 3 to 5 point strap ups and is able to be made use for kids till the weight of twenty two lbs. The seat is typically obtainable with a removable bottom for ease because it suggests that you are no longer needed to set up the seat each time it is made use of.

Larger baby car seats are made use for bigger and older kids and they usually face the front. Similar to the baby car seats for just infants, this is obtainable with a 5-point strap up as well. Additional aspect is a T-Shield with a padding, which is joined to the shoulder band and a tray with padding like above the head guards that dangle down about the kid.

Car seats for babies, regardless of what the nature is includes one item that is common – they are all planned to save the baby from harm against every unseemly mishaps that may possibly take place for the duration of the tour. And just like a security belt, which is joined on the seats of the car to strap up grown up passengers, car seats for babies give protection to the little kids on the vehicle.

Author: Tim Frady
Source: articleage.com

One of the best tools you have as a webmaster is your website statistics. The most popular site stats programs are Awstats, Webalizer, and Analog. Usually, they come free of charge and are accessible through your website’s control panel provided by your web host.
Awstats gives you valuable information like which file types on your server are getting hit the most, what page is getting the most hits, the number of hits you get from each search engine, search key phrases people are using to find you, and which sites are sending you the most traffic. All of this information is extremely valuable if you are going to have long term success with your website. Analyzing which keywords are bringing in visitors from search engines tells you what’s working and what’s not. You can then search Google and Yahoo using the key words to find out what your position is for those key words, which is a lot faster than doing random searches looking for your site.You can see how many times visitors are pulling up 404 Document Not Found Pages. This might show you that it’s time to customize your 404 page with links back to your site. No sense in losing visitors.
You may be interested in knowing what type of browser your visitors are using. Awstats also tells you that. Another great thing about looking at your stats is that you realize which linking partners are the most valuable. This can help you decide which sites to try and obtain links from in the future. A well placed link can bring you a few hundred extra hits a month. One of the most important things you should be able to see from any statistics program is the amount of pages that the search engine spiders are traveling down your website. If they’ve stopped visiting your site, it may be an indication that something is very wrong. You don’t want to get caught off guard one day and find out your site has completely disappeared from the search engines.
Webmaster Tips – Information to help you create great web pages, and become successful in your webmaster projects including tips on RSS, free content, SQL, and more.
Feel free to post this article on your site but please include the link to webmaster tips or the home page http://buyersmls.com

Author: PisanK
Source: articledashboard.com

Many of famous bag providers are trying to produce the most comfortable and durable bags enter to the market, but commonly the renowned companies usually be famous for it certain type of products such as carry-on, Pullman or backpacks categories. Some of them has variety of products that are able to correspond to everyone’s needs, no matter you want some kind of school backpacks, want a rough backpack to travel in urban jungles or even leaf-covered trails. Some companies exist in the bag business for more than forty years, and have developed its product line to cover all kinds of bag and backpack that could be available on the planet. They even develop products, which is completely different from competitors to differentiate themselves as well as increasing awareness of consumers. Some of them even try to develop new technology to produce the new products that they never have experience before such as books bags, to laptops case to clothes for the weekend and beyond.

Some companies have exceptional competitiveness of many products, for example bags produced by them have very rugged design, and the material of the bags is durable as well as designs that correspond to any age of consumers. However their products are developed far more by using the combination of production engineering technology to create the new line of product available to the market. For example, the duffels, totes and upright cases are the small type luggage, which specially designed for carrying purposes but require variety of colour mix and match. These types of bag are made from polyester fabrics. The most distinct advantage of polyester is very strong and durable. The other benefit is polyester has strong resistance of abrasion as well as water proof performance. These kind of bags are really suitable for travelers who need carrying bag that can go with them everywhere and in every condition as well as looking for something that protect their property from robberies because the bags also provide very secured locking. Pulling or pushing is easy with the locking retractable dual-tube handle system that has ergonomic grip.

It is no doubt that today we need some kind of bags or suitcase that has roller wheel to make life easier when we transport. Most of bag provider companies try to develop wheel technology to replace the ordinary one. The recent development of bag wheel technology is inline skate wheels, which used to see as sport equipments, but now they are with suitcase!
Inline skate wheels offer stable, controlled motion and the corner guards offer added protection from scuffing and abrasion. Not only in terms of material and function that many companies try to develop for the best of their products. They also focus on design and pattern. It seems that some colours are becoming into people attention such as brown and turquoise blue, so you may have seen these colours quite a lot when you shopping for a bag.

However, even though there are millions of functions, designs, patterns and brand. It is still necessary that you should buy only ones that fit to your needs within available budget. There is no guarantee that you will get the best quality if you buy the most expensive one.

Author: Anita Funkhouser
Source: ezinearticles.com

Getting a dog can change your life. If you get a dog that is compatible with your lifestyle, it can be a very rewarding experience, but all dogs require love, attention, care and training, so before you make that decision, ask yourself these questions:
Do I have time to give a dog the attention it requires?
Do I have the ability to provide proper grooming, exercise and training for a dog?
Can I afford the expenses that come with a dog?
Do I have what it takes to be a strong pack leader?
Do I want to buy a dog from a breeder or adopt a dog from a shelter or rescue?
If, after answering the above questions, you decide to move forward with getting a dog, it would be wise to learn about the different breeds and their characteristics, personality/temperament, possible health conditions and exercise and grooming requirements in order to make an informed decision.

This article is a basic overview of one particular breed — a Miniature German Schnauzer. Read on to decide if this breed of dog is compatible with your particular lifestyle.

History/Background: Originally bred in Germany in the late 1800s, the miniature German Schnauzer is reportedly a cross between the standard schnauzer, the Affenpinscher and perhaps the poodle. It was named after the German word “schnauze,” which means muzzle. It was primarily used for droving, stock tending, hunting vermin, pulling carts, guarding flocks and children and serving as watchdog, and excelled at killing rats. It was brought to America in 1925 and classified under terrier. It is currently the 10th most popular breed in America. Talents include hunting, tracking, watchdog, performing tricks and competitive obedience.

Physical Characteristics: The miniature German Schnauzer is small and squarely proportioned, with a bushy beard, mustache and eyebrows. The tail is usually docked. It has oval dark-colored eyes. The ears are V-shaped and fold forward or are cropped to stand erect. The double coat is harsh, hard and wiry with a short undercoat. Coat colors include salt and pepper, white, black or harsh black and silver outer coat with a soft undercoat. Height is 12-14 inches, and weight is 10-15 pounds.

Personality/Temperament: Mini Schnauzers are happy, affectionate, loyal and very friendly. They are intelligent, obedient and very adaptable. They are perky, bright eyed, energetic, active and playful and are good with children. This breed likes companionship and attention of its owners and is devoted to home and family. They make good companions and family pets, as well as good watchdogs and mouse catchers. They also travel well. Mini Schnauzers can be reserved with strangers but most of them love everyone.

They may develop behavioral problems such as separation anxiety, willfulness, nervousness, guarding, boldness and sometimes be temperamental if the owners do not display pack leadership. Charming and attractive, this breed has clean habits and generally does not have a doggy odor. They should not be trusted around smaller animals because of their hunting background. They are fairly easy to housebreak if trained properly.

Possible Health Conditions: Miniature German Schnauzers are usually healthy but may be prone to kidney stones, liver disease, skin disorders, Von Willebrand’s disease, diabetes, cysts or hereditary eye problems. This breed tends to gain weight easily and should not be overfed. The mini Schnauzer shows no signs of age until quite late in life. Life expectancy is about 15 years.

Exercise/Grooming: Mini Schnauzers need daily, long, brisk walks. They love to play off leash. Grooming is fairly easy but the coat will become matted unless combed or brushed daily with a short wire brush, and the knots should be clipped out. The whiskers should be cleaned after meals, and the eyes and ears should be trimmed around with blunt-nose scissors. The coat should be clipped all over twice a year, spring and fall, to an even length. This breed of dog sheds little to no hair and is a good breed for allergy sufferers.

Living Conditions: This breed is good for apartment life. It is fairly active indoors and does okay without a yard.

Summary: Miniature German Schnauzers are small dogs that make good family companions, are usually fairly healthy, require little exercise and shed very little but, as with all breeds of dogs, require strong pack leadership to prevent behavioral problems and require regular grooming. So, now that you’ve learned a little about this breed of dog, one question remains — Is a Miniature German Schnauzer the right breed for you?

Anita Funkhouser is the owner of http://www.gogreendogbeds.com, offering high-quality, eco-friendly dog beds, toys and sweaters made from recycled materials, and http://pickofthelitterblog.wordpress.com/, a blog about various breeds of dogs.

Author: Janet Moon
Source: ezinearticles.com

The big account for September is Mercury’s retrograde, which will absorb a lot of of the month. But, we aswell accept 2 apathetic alien planets, Saturn and Uranus, advancing to the 3rd aiguille of their opposition. It will apparently be best to chase the boy scout’s adage and “be prepared” for just about annihilation as our seasons change from Summer to Fall.

September begins with Mercury and Mars angry and fighting. A lot of of us will be activity somewhat tense, and there will be a college anticipation of accidents on the freeways. Some of us may say a few things we regret, afore Mercury turns astern on Labor Day, September 7th.

Labor Day weekend could activate with absolutely a activity with the Pisces Full Moon on Friday. Many will be acute and some will be using their addictions to aloof those feelings. We will get our additional wind on Sunday, but bouncer adjoin abrupt behavior. You may end up in an blow with one of those bashed drivers. And, we will accept the accepted Mercury astern base problems like biking delays and detours, advice problems, and just apparent brainy abashing all the way through Tuesday, September 8th. (Happy Labor Day?)

Those of us with boss Scorpio in our archive may feel like the aboriginal anniversary of Mercury’s astern is complete hell. Its not Mercury’s retrograde. Its Pluto axis direct. Many of us will acquisition that we are accessible to bandy abroad the debris in our lives September 7th through the 14th, but we will hit the aiguille of that activity on September 11th, Patriot Day.

The anniversary of September 14th could be actual arduous with 8 of the 10 above planets adverse in some way. Saturn and Uranus will be hitting the 3rd aiguille of their 2 year continued action on Tuesday, and on the aforementioned day Venus and Neptune will be at odds. Then a brace canicule after the Sun joins the Saturn-Uranus dispute, and Mercury in astern picks a action with Pluto. The accomplished anniversary could accompany a lot of frustration, accidents, and conceivably even some alienated behavior.

The weekend will activate with the Virgo new moon on Friday, September 18, and we should get a bit of a abatement from the all-overs and irritations. It will be a abundant time for parties and romance, and maybe some of that apparition hunting I mentioned in my Mercury Astern article.

There will be just a few added hurtles to jump during the aboriginal few canicule of the anniversary of September 21st. There could be some jealousy, overreacting, misunderstandings, and abrupt bad account through Thursday, September 24, but the blow of the ages should be a breeze.

Mercury will be axis absolute on Tuesday, September 29th, but this time Mars will be sending absolute energy. There may be a few archetypal Mercury astern problems, like delays and misunderstandings, but it will not be annihilation we can’t handle.

We had eclipses in July and August, Mercury’s astern in September, and assumption what, people? There is annihilation above advancing in October. It should be a artistic ages with a few ups and downs. Check aback next ages for the details.

Janet (Sparrow) Moon is a professional psychic and astrologer. You can visit her web site for more articles about upcoming events in astrology, and to read her daily astrology general tendencies forecast. (This article can be reprinted freely online, as long as the entire article and this bio is included.) http://www.sparrowmoon.com/

Author: Brent Peterson
Source: ezinearticles.com

When I asked fellow RVers about traveling with children, there was always a short pause before they would answer. Was this a trick question, I thought? Then came their wry smiles, as if their minds were suddenly flooded with memories of the madcap and the maddening. “I just left him outside for a second,” said one full-timer friend with a chest full of family war stories. “The next thing I know I hear footsteps on the roof.” Quick, someone call Sponge Bob to talk him down.

Ask around and you’ll hear a million tales just like that one from RVing parents and grandparents alike, all of which made me petrified to take my youngest on his first motorhome trip. As it turned out, RVing with Parker was a breeze when he was two. Two months old, I mean, when the only thing he had on his mind was his next nap and blobbing about the living room, counting the rug fibers. But then he – gasp! – grew up, got mobile and oh so curious. And then you wake up one morning to find him shuffling down the hallway looking for something to smash with that hammer you accidentally left by the nightstand.

So how does one dare unleash Junior on that poor, unsuspecting recreational vehicle? It’s called childproofing, and as I’ve slowly discovered, the only difference between a bull in a china shop and a toddler in a fifth wheel is your level of preparedness. So prepared we will become, since nothing spoils a family getaway faster than an Elmo doll stuffed down the toilet. Or so I’m told. Here’s how to get your RV ready for those little ones.

Chances are good if the homestead is adequately childproofed for your youngsters or grandkids, those instincts and practices will carry over to the diesel-pusher rather nicely. After all, we’re talking about the proverbial home on wheels here, with many of the same temptations and trouble spots found here for the family roughneck. Be sure to start with the basics. Outlet covers are a dime a dozen and should be used liberally throughout the interior. Latch all cabinets, even those compartments with nothing to hide, if for no other than to dissuade kids from hiding the family cat. Be on the lookout for sharp edges and corners found on some dinettes, entryway steps, and countertops. One enterprising gent used piping insulation to dull these areas, possibly saving their kiddo from a nasty gash and new crew cut.

It seems everyone’s got a different idea of how to handle the oft-perilous entryway area. A fall down this well is particularly nasty, culminating in a major-sized head-on with the door itself. One needn’t listen too closely to hear these horror stories around most any campfire. Some families simply gate off this opening, while others fill the space with fluffy items until it’s less hazardous. One family I know buffets the entryway with pillows; another uses their luggage to fill the abyss. Just don’t make these contents too tempting to where it starts resembling the ball pit at Chuck E. Cheese.

Pay careful mind as to how the RV is packed and loaded to avoid any problems. Obviously, any cleaning agents, detergents, poisonous items, sharp utensils, and tools should be kept locked up and away from all interested parties under four-feet-tall. When my friend Mitch told me about the runaway bowling ball that tumbled out from an overhead cabinet breaking his aunt’s toe, well, it was sort of funny. However, the consequences of that strange scenario could be deadly if that had happened to be a one-year-old waiting down below. When loading the vehicle, remember this simple rule – heavy items go low, light items up high. Add some non-skid material to cabinets to keep contents from sliding around, and be careful when opening doors for wayward projectiles. And ask yourself – is there really any reason to bring a bowling ball? I thought not.

Pretend you’re four-years-old with a daredevil mentality. This kind of mental role-playing is particularly useful for those unaccustomed to communing with youngsters, like you grandparents spoiling, err, I mean taking care of your kid’s kids for a weekend. What kind of mischief could you uncover onboard? Shorter countertops allow for greater access to boiling pots, hot pans, and utensils that can definitely leave a mark. Watch those handles on your cookware! Dangling cords from coffee pots and curling irons can be pulled on to youngsters down below. The bathroom door, with the ever-tempting toilet (latch that, too), should be fitted with a childproof doorknob handle to thwart trouble before a devious plan from a child is hatched. One full-timer told me to give appropriate thought to places my son could climb. She mentioned how her boy used the toilet to climb up on the sink, exposing him to unprotected outlets, potentially hot water, and a slew of items best left alone.

Whether they’re known in your family as “tumbles,” “bonks,” or “earth-shattering wipeouts,” kids do more falling than the NASDAQ did last year. Those linoleum and vinyl floors used liberally throughout many vehicles don’t help matters, either. Shoes and/or socks with traction are terrific ways to keep kids upright. A rug on slippery surfaces is that much more destabilizing to a two-year-old in a full-out running frenzy, so watch out for that. Enforcing a walk-only rule inside and keeping obstacles out of walkways whenever possible serve as two tumble deterrents.

The escape window on any recreational vehicle is a constant source of fascination for most kids. Those bright, red handles attract like neon beacons, screaming “Come Play With Me.” While it’s wise to talk with the family about ways of exiting the RV in case of a fire, the term “emergency exit” sure sounds like fun to most young ears. Don’t tolerate any horseplay (Geez, what a grown-up thing to say) here, making sure everyone knows this area is off-limits during non-crisis situations. Windows in general also deserve attention. A toddler leaning on a screen could potentially fall out. Get in the habit of sliding windows open only a few inches, installing wedges to hold them in position, if necessary. The entryway door should be locked at all times since that last step to the outside is indeed a dozie. Any Greg Louganis diving impressions from the bottom step should be strictly prohibited.

Now comes the question of how to stay out of trouble when the lights turn off for bedtime. As you know, RV designers have come with up with no shortage of places for kids to bunk, including sleeper sofas, convertible dinettes, double and triple bunk beds, and recliners. The key challenge, however, is to keep kids in place, with numerous products available up to the job. Bedrail guards or side netting should do the trick for toddlers getting used to crib-free sleeping. Wal-Mart, for instance, has an entire section devoted to childproofing items. Otherwise, line the perimeter of the sleeping nook with pillows to serve as a blockade, while cushioning the floor below with materials to provide a soft landing if things go slightly awry. Nightlights strategically placed throughout the coach are an excellent way to safeguard groggy walks to the bathroom or trips to your room for that early morning game of Chutes and Ladders.

All this readiness may sound daunting, but it isn’t really. Think of all this work as a labor of love, a dutiful act to keep the kids safe and you with a chance to relax knowing the RV won’t turn into a kind of house of horrors. Then you can turn your attention to childproofing outside. Speaking of which, what’s that I hear on the roof?

Article written by Brent Peterson for the June 2009 issue of CyberSam.
Brent is the author of the Complete Idiot’s Guide to RVing.

Author: Coffee123
Source: articledashboard.com

How to Brew the Perfect Cup of Coffee -

Here are the basics to brewing the perfect cup of coffee: You take some coffee beans from a coffee plant. Roast them as desired. Grind them a lot or a little. Add hot water, ideally around 195 – 200 degrees F. Wait. Either filter to remove the grounds or leave them to settle to the bottom. Optionally add spices, milk product, chocolate, sugar, fat free lactose milk falsa; then SIP; Drink. Smile . Wasn’t that easy?

First we must determine how you are brewing the coffee – most people know about their own method but there are one very common and six less – common methods. The most common is the plug in drip coffee maker which most of us grew up with or currently have. The key to the aut drip coffee maker is: keeping everything clean; making sure the water is heated to the right temperature and that everything is clean.
Here are the other six:

The first method, which I refer to as “Turkish Coffee” is popular in both the middle east and my house. It involves using extremely finely ground coffee boiled in water, typically with sugar. Some choose to add various spices to the coffee, such as cardamom. There is no straining nor filtering, the coffee, grounds and all, are poured into cups for an excellent drinking experience. Great for surprising an unexpected house guests.

The French press method is typically chosen by “gourmet coffee tasters”, and as well as coffee snobs. It actually gives the maker a lot of control over the final product. Coarsely ground coffee is placed in a glass carafe. Hot water is added and a lid with a plunger is placed on top. After approximately 5 minutes, the plunger is pushed down, taking most of the grounds with it. The coffee is then immediately poured into cups. The French press can make a perfect cup of coffee.

Percolation is one of the oldest ways to make coffee and luckily its not used much anymore. One way to destroy a perfectly good coffee bean is to boil the grounds. Then keep boiling. Then boil some more. This is percolating and ends up with a thin and bitter drink. Obviously, this is not my “cup of tea” but there are those who, for some reason, like this result. Like bus drivers and security guards.

The Far East or Vietnamese Coffee is an excellent coffee when its only you or a special friend drinking coffee that morning or evening – its also an excellent after diner coffee. An excellent way to brew a single cup of coffee that is unique in many ways. The final product is often described as “drinking a cup of melted coffee H?agen-Dazs ice cream.” Made with condensed milk, it is great hot or served over ice for a summer drink

Some folks have purchased expensive home espresso coffee makers. Espresso is made when fine ground coffee is infused with hot water at high pressure for a short time. The resulting coffee is full bodied, strong flavored, and typically has a “crema” or foam on top. Combined with steamed milk for a latte or cappuccino, espresso is quickly becoming an American favorite. High density intense coffee.

Our sixth method is Vacuum brewing is definitely cool to watch. The method uses a device composed of two globes, one on top of the other, with a filter between them. Coffee grounds are placed in the upper globe, water in the lower. When heated, the water, due to pressure from the resulting steam, travels up a tube into the upper globe, mixing with the coffee. As the device is allowed to cool, the water (now coffee) filters into the lower globe. A mediocre cup of coffee usually ensues.

So the key to all these types of coffee brewing. Use good quality gourmet Arabica beans – I prefer Columbia; Costa Rica or Brazil beans. Use whole beans and only grind them right before you brew them. Keep them in a tightly sealed tuber-ware like container. Use fresh bottled or mineral water. Heat it to 200 degress. Now sip the perfect cup of coffee.

Author: Shane Rivers
Source: download

Maybe you’ve never seen the excellent television series Lost, or maybe you’ve only recently become hooked. Either way, this article was written with the intention of giving you a brief rundown of all the pivotal characters. Unless otherwise mentioned, each character was a survivor of the crash of Oceanic Flight 815.
Jack – A doctor, Jack had traveled to Australia to pick up the body of his father to take him back to America for burial. Since he’s the doctor among the survivors, Jack has become the de facto leader of the group. Hardheaded, but always tries to do what he thinks is right. Has an attraction to Kate.
John Locke – Traveled to Australia to go on a walking tour of the Outback. He was turned away because he was in a wheelchair. It is still unknown how he came to be in the wheelchair, as flashbacks show him to be walking without trouble. After crashing on the island, Locke found that he could once again walk. Skilled at hunting and tracking, Locke has natural leadership talents. This has caused he and Jack to clash on several occasions.
Sawyer – A con man, Sawyer was in Australia to kill the man responsible for the death of his parents. Hates himself and wants everyone else to hate him. Very charismatic. Is constantly getting shot, tortured, or knocked over the head. Has an attraction to Kate.
Kate – Was being brought back to the United States by a federal marshal when the plane crashed. She was wanted for the murder of her father, an abusive drunk who beat her mother. Has had other run-ins with the law, but much of this is still unexplained. Is torn between her feelings for both Jack and Sawyer. Strong survival instincts.
Hugo Hurley – Likeable overweight fellow who won the lottery and is worth millions of dollars. Laid back attitude and often serves as the comic relief. Spent time in a mental institution. Has an imaginary friend named Dave. Was working on a relationship with Libby before her death.
Charlie – The creative force behind the once-famous band known as DriveShaft. Heroin addict. Traveled to Australia to see his brother, the former lead singer of the band. Attracted to Claire. Hates Locke and would like nothing more than to see him look like a fool. Has demonstrated that he is more than capable of violence.
Claire – Was pregnant when the plane crashed. Has since given birth to a baby boy named Aaron. Native of Australia. She was flying to America to put her baby up for adoption. She and her baby were captured by the Others, but she was able to escape.
Sayid – Former member of the Iraqi Republican Guard. Skilled torturer and interrogator. Was involved with Shannon before her death.
Sun – Wife of Jin. Korean. Was planning on leaving her husband before the plane crash. Was recently revealed to be pregnant, even though her husband was supposed to be sterile. Often tends to her garden and seems very gentle, but recently shot and killed one of the Others. Father was a crime boss.
Jin – Husband of Sun. Korean from a very poor fisherman’s family. Fell in love with Sun and became an enforcer for her father. This job made him very cold and distant. On the island, he puts his skills as a fisherman to good use. Has reconciled with his wife.
Michael – Had traveled to Australia to take his son, Walt, back home after the death of Walt’s mother. An artist who was also involved in construction. Built a boat to try and escape the island, but it was destroyed by the Others. After his son was abducted, Michael seemed to go a little crazy. He eventually killed Ana Lucia and Libby in a desperate bid to get his son back. Walt was returned and the two were given a boat and directions to the nearest continent. They have not been seen since.
Walt – Young kid. The son of Michael. Was going to live with Michael after the death of his mother. Possesses strange powers to manipulate reality. Captured by the Others. At the end of season two, he is returned to his father and the pair is allowed to leave the island.
Shannon – Spoiled brat from a rich family. When her father died, she was forced to fend for herself. Was in love with her step-brother, Boone. Was involved with Sayid shortly before her death. Fatally shot by Ana Lucia.
Rose – Wife of Bernard. Dying of cancer, but the cancer went into remission on the island. Very straightforward.
Bernard – Husband of Rose. Had taken her to Australia to a faith healer. Does not want to leave the island, for fear that his wife’s cancer will return.
Henry Gale – Seems to be the leader of the Others, although he claims he answers to someone else. Highly intelligent and well-read. Played Jack and Locke against one another. Has a tumor on his spine and has had Jack captured so that he can remove it. Claims to be one of “the good guys.”
Ana Lucia – Former L.A. cop. She quit the force after killing a man who had shot her (she was pregnant at the time and lost the baby). Tough and no nonsense. Attracted to Jack and slept with Sawyer. Accidentally killed Shannon after mistaking her for one of the Others. Shot and killed by Michael while she was guarding Henry Gale.
Libby – Claimed to be a psychiatrist, but spent time in the same institution as Hurley. A widower, she gave her husband’s yacht to Desmond during a chance encounter. Was developing a romance with Hurley. Accidentally shot and killed by Michael when he assisted Henry Gale in escaping.
Mr. Eko – A Nigerian warlord turned holy man. Eko clashed with Locke on several occasions. Physically, the most imposing of the survivors. Stood up to a strange black smoke which has appeared a few times. When the smoke took the form of his dead brother and demanded that Eko repent for his sins, Eko refused. The smoke then lifted him up and killed him.
Boone – Step-brother of Shannon. Had traveled to Australia to bring her back home. Boone died in season one from injuries sustained when he fell off the side of a cliff. Was in love with Shannon.
Juliette – A member of the Others, Juliette has been assigned to gather information from Jack. Claims to have once been a fertility doctor. Wants Henry Gale dead.
Desmond – A former military man and convict, Desmond found the island while on a boat race around the world. He became involved with the Dharma Initiative and was living underground until discovered by the crash survivors. He has since joined up with their group. Unbeknownst to him, his former fiancee is still combing the world in an effort to find him.
Danielle – A French scientist who has been stranded on the island for decades. Her young daughter was captured and raised by the Others. Has went a bit mad living alone for so many years. Master of tracking, hunting, and survival. Still wants to rescue her daughter.
Talk about Lost and many other television shows at Cinema Threads

Author: Andrea Markham
Source: ezinearticles.com

If you’ve stepped foot outside your house at all in the last year, chances are you’ve been on candid camera from some type of surveillance system. They’re everywhere you look, right?

There are usually at least 2-4 at an intersection. These can be used to monitor traffic patterns, catch red light violators and/or just to run every single person through a face recognition software. I know, you’re thinking, yikes! While these monitoring cameras can sometimes be beneficial in clearing up who was at fault in a fender bender, it seems like an invasion of privacy. I’m sure I’m not the only one who drives with my visor down when I’m traveling through a big city. Not because I have something to hide! I just don’t care to have my face analyzed 100 times in the course of a visit to Costco for my monthly food run. Call me paranoid, but I like my privacy and I don’t like having the government involved in every aspect of our lives!

I know I’m not the only one, either. When the technology for police to monitor homes with infrared devices mounted on their dashboards came out, the public screamed “invasion of privacy”! And they were right to do so. While some crimes may have been stopped by using this technology, you and I both know that police are human just like the rest of us and would be tempted to check out every home in the neighborhood. The likely hood of them being able to watch your intimate acts would make you feel uncomfortable doing anything in the “privacy” of your own home.

Now, ATM cameras, I don’t have as much of a problem with. It is a high risk area with cash being taken out by every single user. This temptation for criminals can make them salivate with anticipation.

However, I’m sure I’m not the only one who has watched cop or forensic TV shows. How many times have we seen them solve a case or get a significant clue from an ATM camera? This may not happen quite as frequently in reality as on TV, but the resource is still available. Again, I don’t have a problem with using the ATM cameras to solve crimes, but it can also capture you hiking up your pantyhose or adjusting an irritating wedgie when you think no one else is looking. Seems comical, but it is still an invasion of privacy.

It would be easier to list the places that DON’T use security cameras, but I’m fresh out of ideas for the types of businesses that wouldn’t want to use them. Banks, kids arcades, hotels, supermarkets, any retail store, the list goes on….we’ve all seen the obvious security cameras. And while these do protect your business, I’m sure every security guard or camera monitor gets a huge laugh at least once a week from watching the clumsy idiot that tripped and fell flat on his face on aisle 3.

It puts me constantly on guard…and I don’t like that feeling.

Andrea Markham is the president of Three M Solutions and writes about some of the issues we face in our quest for keeping our homes safe. Her website is http://www.premiumnannycameras.com which sells wireless hidden cameras, remotely accessible DVR’s and covert portable cameras.
Andrea also blogs at http://www.premiumnannycameras.blogspot.com and would love to hear your opinions on security related issues.