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Wooden decks adjacent swimming pools are notorious for being slippery. With children getting in and out constantly, the pool deck can quickly become an ice skating rink. If the deck is also cluttered with multiple rafts, noodles, beach balls, ducks and float rings, the chance of slipping on the deck increases.
Many people choose to throw their toys over the side of the pool into the yard. The toys may be out of the way, but when the kids use them again, they bring grass and dirt back into the pool. An alternative to throwing the toys overboard is to somehow neatly store them near the swimming area.
If your deck is large, and you don’t mind giving up deck space, products are available both locally and online. The bench seat with storage underneath and separate container products both allow for storage of smaller toys and accessories such as goggles and fins. Both of these storage
The problem is where to put the toys, and keep them within reach, while people are swimming.

Kathleen Pike, the creator of Pool-Pockets, said “Dragging toys up from underneath the deck several times a day just wasn’t working.” The solution was to find a product that hung over the outside railing of the deck. Pike said she searched on the internet for available products but only found storage bins that take up precious deck space. That’s when the idea began to create her own design.
“Since our pool deck is a main summer entertainment area, I wanted to create a storage system that complemented the nautical look of the deck” Pike said. Used fishing nets and natural hemp roping were selected as suitable materials. Pike then created a design by weaving used nets together and accenting them with shells and starfish.

After receiving many favorable comments on the Pool-Pockets, Pike was encouraged to further develop her product for sale. Many prototype pockets were created to perfect the weaving technique to make the pockets hang straight. The rope used to weave the pockets added another element of design. “Natural hemp rope must be whipped at the ends or the rope will fray” Pike said. “The new pockets are strong, attractive and provide a way to easily store pool toys out of the way” she said.

Pike currently sells three sizes of Pool-Pockets on the internet. Her original design was 4 ft. x 4 ft. to accommodate several pool rafts and noodles. Pike then added a 4 ft. x 8 ft. design for families with many pool toys to keep organized. One thing Pike noticed last year was small toys, such as snorkels and masks, collected at the bottom of the deep pockets making retrieval difficult. She has since designed a smaller, 2 ft x 2 ft pocket for small toys and accessories.

For additional information about Pool-Pockets, including photos and ordering information, you can visit Pike’s website at www.pool-pockets.com.]]>

1. Don’t be afraid to enter tournaments. Poker tournaments can often be the most fun and the most profitable. It has been said that tournaments depend largely on luck, but don’t let that deter you. A solid poker player can make great strides in any type of game. However, luck certainly is a factor. You should be conscious of the buy-in and be willing to lose that amount of money. As you get deeper and deeper into the tournament, the blinds will increase and you should closely monitor the flop. In some of the cheaper online tournaments, new players will lose their money extremely fast. It is important to capitalize on this if you have a good hand. Playing a tournament came can be very fun, so any serious poker player should try to enter and win at least one tournament.

2. If you must, switch your table. It is a very good idea to switch the poker table you’re playing at least once a session. This is especially important if other players at a certain table have started to notice your habits. Also, a fresh set of opponents means a fresh set of betting habits and a fresh set of money. The advantages to staying at one table are familiarity with opponents, but your poker experience will certainly be more rewarding if you switch around tables.

3. Manage your money wisely. In order to have poker success, you must be financially savvy. Set limits for yourself based on your poker ability, financial situation, and your aversion to taking risks. It is always a good idea to set a lower limit because the competition is often easier there. Some players play games at two different limits. This can be quite beneficial. Playing in an easier game just for safety, and playing in a tough game can lead to increased winnings. Also watch your betting. Never bet too high too often, because this almost always leads to trouble. Finally, be mindful of short run and long run gains. Using lower limits will lead to gains in the long run, but high limits have the potential for gains in the short run. The best idea is to play to your strengths and to not lose all your money in the short run.

4. Know when to quit. This is a very important concept to grasp. Some poker players keep playing and playing until they have serious financial issues. If you keep playing in order to “break even” then you have played for too long. Additionally, if you start to lose your focus on the game and other opponents, and you constantly think that everyone is bluffing, than you have been playing too long. Even the best poker players have good days and bad days. One element that makes a poker player truly great is that he or she knows when to stop playing. If you start to feel as if you must play just one more hand, than you should stop playing immediately. Quitting at the right time can save you quite a bit of money and will lead to more enjoyable poker experiences in the future.

Online poker can be very fun, and also has the potential to be profitable. The best suggestion is to simply play smart. Keep an eye on your bets, and don’t hinder yourself by taking on too many hands. Know when to quit and manage your money wisely. Change tables every now and than for variety. Last, but certainly not least, have fun!]]>

How many times have you taken a golf lesson, only to be more frustrated and hitting the ball worse than before that golf lesson? Do you know why this happens? It can be many different reasons, such as too many swing thoughts; making drastic changes that require hours at the range and hitting thousands of balls; or lastly, your body just can’t effectively move in the way it needs to, to make a mechanically correct golf swing.

I’m inclined to say that for the majority of golfers, especially the older golfer, it’s the last reason above. Your body just can’t move the way it needs to. The question now is, why?

Why can’t your body do what you know it needs to do to swing the club correctly? It can drive you to the point of quitting the game. But there is hope. There is an approach that will almost 100% of the time correct this problem. Do you want to know what it is? It’s addressing your “physical limitations”. That’s what’s keeping you from a great game of golf.

Do you ever get on the course and just feel like you can’t make a full backswing? Or, it just feels impossible to maintain your golf posture and “stay in your swing”? No amount of golf lessons or hitting balls will correct this. This is a “physical” issue with your body, and until you work on it, it will never get better. I’ve seen it time and time again. Golfers walking off the course in pure disgust. They’ve taken golf lessons, hit balls at the range, and even bought the latest, greatest titanium drive; and yet still can’t play like they think they are capable of.

Finding out your “physical limitations” is the first step to a lifelong better game of golf. Once you find out what’s keeping you from making that perfect swing, you can set up a game plan to improve it. It may be a flexibility issue, or it may be a strength issue. But either way, you’ve got to find out what it is.

The most common issue (especially for the older golfer) is flexibility. Not being able to rotate your body fully on the backswing, creating that power and torque for maximum clubhead speed. If your back swing is cut short, you will LOSE yards on your drives! And I say again; no amount of lessons or hitting balls will make that any better. You’ve got to do specific golf stretches to improve this limitation.

Now on the other side of these limiting factors is strength, specific to golf. And one of the most common limitations is weak hamstrings (the back of the upper leg). The role of the hamstring is critical. It allows you to maintain your golf posture throughout the swing and for 18 holes. It prevents undo strain on your lower back. And can give you a steady, comfortable position while putting.

If your hamstrings are weak, I can almost say with certainty, you’ve got some low-back pain or injury. This is prevalent in older golfers and even the younger ones too. Back pain is the number reason to keep a golfer from playing his/her best. Have you ever walked off the course with your back in pain? I’m sure at one time or another you have. Now do you think hitting more balls or taking more lessons will improve this? I think you know the answer.

If you have a difficult time, “staying in your swing”, it most definitely could be the above scenario. In order to maintain the forward flex in your upper body (golf posture), your hamstrings need to have optimal strength (and flexibility). If not, your hamstring will send a message to your brain saying, “get out of this position, I can’t hold it any longer”. Do you think his has ever happened to you?

So working on the physical side of your game improvement may be the missing link. I can assuredly tell you with this approach, your game WILL improve. There is no doubt. Getting your body to move just a little better will make a huge difference in your ability to make an optimal swing for 18 holes. So before you take that next golf lesson, take a look at your BODY first!]]>

minutes. Always dry leaves and roots out of the sun, in dark airy places. Then store in airtight containers.

Persimmon Tea: The leaves when dried and crushed make a fine strong tea. Can be used all year round. Rich in vitamin C. Used as a healthful tonic.

Sassafras Tea: Boil fresh roots after washing, until water turns reddish brown. Can be sliced and dried for later use. Claimed by some to be a blood thinner, a blood purifier, to help bronchitis, a
stimulating spring tonic. Mostly it is used for pure enjoyment.

Birch Tea (Wintergreen): Black, yellow and white birch. Dried leaves can be used year round. A large handful of fresh leaves steeped in hot water was drunk 1 to 2 cups a day for rheumatism and
headaches. Said to reduce pain of passing kidney stones, and a fever reducer. Cold it was used as a mouthwash.

Blackberry/Raspberry Tea: The dried mature leaves of these brambles make a good tea. Used to help control diarrhea, as a blood purifier and tonic. Use all year round.

Blueberry Tea: The dried mature leaves are steeped until cool and drunk 1 to 2 cups per day as a blood purifier and tonic. Also used to help inflamed kidneys and increase the flow of urine.
Somewhat bitter. Use all year round.

Alfalfa Tea: The dried and powdered leaves and flower heads make a very nutritious tea, but it is somewhat bland. We suggest mixing them with normal teas to stretch them and add nutrition. Its
vitamin content was the reason it was used. Used all year round.

Wild Strawberry Tea: Use dried leaves normally. Pour several cups boiling water over a handful of fresh leaves in the evening. Cover and let steep overnight. Strain water and reheat in the morning.
Believed to help with a multitude of things, from stomach troubles, eczema, diarrhea, etc. According to experts, it is much more healthful than purchased coffee or teas. Use all year round.

Wild Rose-Hip Tea: A handful of these steeped for 10 minutes, then strained, make a healthful tea. Can be used dried or fresh in season. Instead of boiling, place a handful in cool water overnight, then stain and reheat in the morning. Use all year round. Strong Vitamin C content. Helps with Colds and
the flu. Also for sore throat.

Sweet Goldenrod Tea (Anise): Can use dried or fresh leaves or flowers. Makes a very flavorful tea. Pure enjoyment only!! Used all year round.

Soldier’s Herb Tea: This common yard weed with green leaves and two seedie spikes was used by the colonials and Indians alike. One teaspoon of seeds per cup of boiling water steeped for 1/2 hour
was used for dropsy and jaundice. A tea from fresh leaves (chopped fine), one heaping teaspoon per cup of boiling water steeped for 1/2 hour. For dried powdered leaves, use one level teaspoon
and reduce time to 15 minutes. Drunk 4 to 5 times a day until relief was obtained. Used for gout, to
help clean out nasal passages and to slow menstruation. Also used to expel worms. A tea cooled made from rainwater was used as an eyewash.]]>

5th dan

Henry Ellis and Derek Eastman - 2000

Henry Ellis was born May 3rd 1936 in a tough coal mining town in the County of Yorkshire, North of England. This was pre-war Britain, and growing up as a child during the austere war years of the 1940’s all Henry ever knew was hard times and hard discipline as the son of a tough coal face miner. Henry didn’t realize that this tough life with strict discipline would stand him in good stead in the years to come.

In 1956 he became a member of the Abbe School of Budo at the now famous Hut Dojo. His first introduction to Martial Arts was in the Judo section. After a full year of Judo, Henry saw the great master Kenshiro Abbe sensei demonstrate Aikido which had only recently been introduced to Britain ( 1955 ).

Henry Joined the Aikido section in 1957 while continuing with his Judo studies.

TheHutDojo1957, Judo and Aikido students.
Front row Abbe Sensei and K Williams Sensei.

The Hut was the Hell Dojo of all Hell Dojo’s. The discipline was very strict and very few continued to study. This was the only Aikido dojo in the UK. Abbe sensei and Williams sensei would teach with a shinai, words were wasted but the shinai always received the students full attention. Abbe sensei said many times that his English was bad but his shinai spoke excellent English.

Henry fitted well into this disciplined routine where a mistake would receive a whack with the shinai or between 100 and 200 press-ups on the back of the wrists. At third kyu Henry was promoted to personnel assistant to Williams sensei, he then travelled around the UK with his teacher taking the very first Aikido seminar in the UK in the town of Devises near historic StoneHenge.

Henry Ellis Sensei and David Warne Sensei demonstrate shiho-nage.
Basingstoke Dojo 1986

When Henry reached first dan he was instructed to take an assistant, the assistant was Derek Eastman who is still associated with the Ellis Aikido Schools.

Of this early select group eight became dan grades ( black belts ) these were the only dan grades for Aikido in the UK. Henry was the first Aikido teacher to introduce Aikido into the British education system in the early sixties.

In the very early sixties Ellis and Eastman, on the instructions of Williams sensei, travelled around Britain teaching Aikido to Judo and sports clubs for free. They worked a few days here and there for a meal and a bed, often sleeping in the car, in an effort to promote the art to anyone who would give them the opportunity to teach and demonstrate. The two spent one year “on the road “ .

Ellis and Eastman both studied Kendo with their best friend Tomio Otani Sensei the British National Coach for Kendo. They in turn taught Tomio Aikido.

At this time Harada Sensei was teaching his ShotoKai Karate at the Hut Dojo. Henry studied with Harada Sensei, Henry using Karate in his Aikido and Harada Sensei using Aikido movement in his Karate.

Harada Sensei had last been graded to 5th dan in 1957 by the founder of modern Karate Gichin Funakoshi. Harada Sensei had developed the art of ShotoKai Karate. When asked why he was still 5th dan as he is today, Harada replied “ Any grade above 5th dan is totally pointless “. This impressed Henry who himself was now sick at the sight of so many self appointed egotistical self aggrandising so called masters who cared more for titles than the Martial Art they represented. Ellis and Eastman agreed to follow Harada Sensei’s stand and they made the highest grade in the Ellis Schools of Traditional Aikido to be 5th dan.

Henry Ellis with Mikito Nakazono Sensei

Henry has personally studied with many of the great early names in Aikido. Sensei’s Kenshiro Abbe – K Williams - Tadashi Abe – Mikoto Nakazono - Misamachi Noro – N Tamura – Kobayashi – Kazuo Chiba to name a few.

Henry is proud of the expansion of the ESTA to the USA in Alamogordo New Mexico and Dallas Texas.

On the 17th of December 2004 the release of the book “ Positive Aikido “ was of great satisfaction after almost 50 years of Martial Arts.

Henry Ellis
C/o Author: Positive Aikido
http://www.EllisAikido.org
http://www.geocities.com/britishaikido]]>

I’ll go into why that is the case a bit later on, but for the time being let’s just examine why we use marinades at all.

Principally there are two reasons. One is to add flavor, and the other is to tenderize. Usually, we are trying to do both.

It’s worth bearing in mind that marinating is a cooking process, even though heat is rarely applied. The importance of recognizing this is that, like any other cooking process, you can overdo it.

It’s not just a case of putting the meat or fish in a sauce and leaving it there until you are ready to use it. Many of the fruit juices we use in marinades, such as lemon and pineapple, contain enzymes that break down proteins. In essence, what they do is digest them.

Leaving meat in them for too long would result in an unpalatable mush. If you want to try this for yourself, leave a piece of pork in fresh pineapple juice overnight and then see what happens when you cook it.

You probably won’t like the result.

Why is meat tough?

It’s a tragedy that although we are killing our animals at an earlier age in order to satisfy the demand for fresh meat, the end product still tends to be tough.

There are good reasons for this and it is useful to have a working knowledge of them if only to avoid potential disasters.

It is not, as some cooks would have you believe, simply a matter of finding a butcher who will take the trouble to discuss your needs with you, if indeed such a person still exists outside of the more fanciful cookbooks.

Our meat is tough because it started out that way. And here’s why (if you are squeamish, skip this section):

When an animal is killed its muscles (protein) go into spasm caused by the injection of the well-known fight or flight chemicals released by the brain.

Under normal conditions, that is to say in the natural world, this would be followed by rigor mortis setting in, followed by a gradual relaxing of the proteins back to their normal state.

However because of the speed at which the slaughter and preparation of carcasses is carried out, this vital, natural step is rarely if ever completed. The animal is killed, cooled and frozen in one continuous process.

The result is toughened proteins.

A butcher who hangs his meat can, to some extent, reverse this effect. If you ever find one, hang on to him for dear life. You have found a rapidly disappearing treasure.

The alternative is to use marinades.

Basic principles

Marinades can be wet or dry and you can add just about any flavor you desire to them.

When a marinade is liquid, the base is usually acidic. As I said earlier, this may be fruit juice, but wine, vinegar or even beer may also be used. As a matter of fact I know of one cook who uses Coca-Cola.

If it marinades meat, just think what it’s doing to your insides.

Steeping in the marinade may take anything from a few minutes to several hours, and even overnight in the refrigerator.

The more delicate the proteins, though, the more chance there is of overdoing things. Fish, for example, should rarely be in a marinade for more than 30 minutes, particularly if lemon juice is involved (which it usually is).

Red meat, on the other hand, can sit in the refrigerator all night without coming to any harm. So can pork and chicken, providing there are no enzymes present of the type described above.

In other words, if you are using fresh fruit juice, keep the marinating time to a minimum. That is to say, no more than an hour at the outside.

Come to think of it, if either of those meats needs longer than that to tenderize it, it’s definitely time to change your supplier.

Caution

Whatever marinade you use, throw away any uncooked portion once you have finished with it. Do not taste it after the meat has been put in it, and do not use it for anything else.

If you want to heat it through to use it as an accompanying sauce, by all means do so, but ensure that it comes to the boil and that it cooks for at least 10 minutes.

Alternatively, heat it in the microwave, which will achieve the same thing in a shorter space of time.

Marinades are the perfect medium for food poisoning bugs to take their vacations in, and when bugs are on holiday they are happy. And when they are happy, they multiply. A bit like us, really.

If in doubt, throw it away.

Copyright © Tingira Publishing 2004 All Rights Reserved]]>

Like animals, which sense fear, humans are no different. The vibrations of fear pass from one mind to another just as quickly & surely as a human voice. Your opponent across the ring will sense your fear & use it to his advantage. The three horsemen need to be mastered before claiming your title in or outside of the ring.

Here are some tips

1. Think from your opponents mind, what would he do?
2. Watch & analyze your opponents fights to get a sense of his game plan
3. Focus & remind yourself of your strengths as a fighter.
4. At night before going to sleep rehearse your fight plan in your mind & what you will do to counter attacks
5. Have a flexible fight plan ready in your mind & stick to it

“IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE VICTORY YOU MUST PLACE YOURSELF IN YOUR OPPONENT’S SKIN.IF YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND YOURSELF, YOU WILL LOSE 100% OF THE TIME.IF YOU UNDERSTAND YOURSELF YOU WILL WIN 50% OF THE TIME.
IF YOU UNDERSTAND YOURSELF & YOUR OPPONENT YOU WILL WIN 100% OF THE TIME.”

Tsutomu Oshima
]]>

Packages are designed to provide the fishing fanatic with every person’s situation and budget taken into consideration. There are many packages geared towards what you can afford. Packages often can include any or all of the accommodations and amenities you want. They are versatile and flexible to suit any fisherman’s idea of the “best gift I ever got.” Here are some examples of what packages may or may not offer.

Fishing packages can be for a half-day or full day. They can be tailored for fishing trips lasting up to seven days and more. Some may include lodging and meals. If you want to join your fishing fanatic, many packages are available for double occupancy. If you’re a single fisherman and want to go it alone, accommodations can be arranged for singles as well. Some packages won’t include charter fees or taxes. Some don’t include your transportation to the state or locale you are going to fish in so be sure to read everything that is offered in the package you choose.

Reputable people in the business of providing the ultimate fishing vacations or packages will offer this advice. A package is a better deal because you don’t have to provide all the stuff. Now, unless you just have to cart that favorite fishing pole onto the plane, fishing guide businesses will have all the fishing equipment you will need. A guide will also know the “fishing holes”. Traveling to an unknown locale to go fishing can end up with you not having caught anything. Your package and guide will be able to get you to the right fishing spots at the best times. Most of all, professional fishing business owners will always advise that you research the company you are going to purchase a package from. Know whom you are dealing with. Check their references and ask if they have insurance. Once you have found the package and the company you want, get ready for your fishing fanatic to say, “That was the best fishing I’ve ever done.” Packages are a great gift because you want the fanatic to have the time of their lives but a time that had little stress. Isn’t that what fishing is all about?]]>

The goal of the Black Dot Bullseye Shaft is to deliver to you the player something that has never been done before by any cue makers (custom or production) ג€“ any time or anywhere including Meucci Originals. That goal is to provide multiple shafts that play precisely the same, while reducing cue ball deflection and increasing power to an unprecedented level.

Why is that important to you as the player? Decreased cue ball deflection, and increased power should be obvious. As you might know, your mind adjusts to the very fine variations in the shaft you choose to play with over a fairly short period of time. But heaven help you if the tip comes off that special shaft in the MIDDLE of intense competition.

As all top players know, one shaft fits their brain (sight picture) better than the other, unused shaft in their case. If you donג€™t believe that, open any top playerג€™s case and the second shaft will be virtually unused and the player might tell you that one of the shafts (the dirty shaft) happens to be his favorite; meanwhile, the other shaft remains clean and fairly unused. There is a very good reason for this phenomenon and it has to do with the differences in natural wood, and the power of the human mind.

Single-piece, maple shafts vary considerably from one to the next because of the grain structure created by the location that the shaft is cut from within the particular tree. Fast growth wood ג€“ near the center of the log ג€“ is softer, and more flexible, where later growth rings nearer the outside of a large tree, are closer together and create a much stiffer shaft. That variation is as much as more than double the stiffness from one side of the spectrum of the tree to the other. When you take into consideration the differences in the wood grain and the time it takes for the human mind to readjust to the fine nuances of ג€œsight picture,ג€ this is more than a player should have to deal with when attempting to change from one shaft to the other. For these reasons, we have decided to take random chance out of the picture.

When we released generation 1 of our performance shafts, the red dot shaft, it was a quantum leap in performance in regards to power and reduction of deflection. However, the flaw in the red dot that has now been cured by generation 2, the black dot bullseye, is the fact that it was made from one solid piece of maple.

The Black Dot Bullseye Shaft is a composite of 35 single, hard-rock maple veneer pieces flat-laminated uni-directionally with extreme heat and pressure. Through multiple turnings, and stress-relieving processes the desired, optimal result is achieved by the perfect blend of the stiffness of the glue, the pressure used to laminate, and the consistency of thin, maple veneer. The variations between one Black Dot Bullseye Shaft (tapered the same) and another is no more than one and a half percent. This amount of variation would change the flight of the object ball on a Black Dot Bullseye Shaft with a Meucci Power Piston butt as little as ten one-thousandths of an inch, when shooting a spot-to-spot shot into the corner pocket. Comparatively the variations between two one-piece maple shafts under the same conditions, would cause the object ball to vary by up to 100 times greater variation than the black dot bullseye.

Now letג€™s consider segmented shafts. The problem with the pie segmented shafts, when considering only one flaw, variations in stiffness, is that the segmented shaft is also under the influence of grain structure of the original wood used. All six, eight, ten, or twelve segments of the shaft coming from the same piece of wood, and the same location of the log it was hewn from brings us back to the same problem we addressed before with the single-piece shafts: variations in stiffness from one shaft to the next.

The benefits that we have discussed are only available in the Meucci Blackdot Bullseye shafts. There are other flat-laminated veneer shafts that have attempted to duplicate the performance of the Meucci Blackdot Bullseye, but tip, ferrule, and taper design have caused a deviation from the perfection that we have brought to fruition through many years of research and development.

Like never before, you now can have a perfect, matched set of shafts whether it be two, three, four or more, to increase the consistency and accuracy of your game.

Bob Meucci is the owner and founder of Meucci Originals, Inc., which manufactures]]>