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You’re a fool if you don’t know that April 1st is when the Final Four contests commence, with the NCAA National Championship being determined on April 3rd.

It is a crazy time of year all-around and college basketball embraces this insanity whole-heartedly. If you’re planning on wagering on March Madness-the biggest sporting event of the month and one of the most heavily bet events each year-you may want to consider a few important facts when choosing your brackets or making a team-on-team wager.

March Madness features 65 teams from some of the best known and also from some of the lesser-known college hoop conferences. Certainly you’ll see teams from the prestigious Atlantic Coast, Big East, PAC-10, SEC, Big 12 and Big 10, and you’ll also find various other conferences represented, such as the Metro Atlantic, Big Sky, Big South and America East. Most fans will have heard of and know something about the teams from the more competitive conferences, however the schools from conferences that are not closely followed during the year are often difficult for even experts to analyze.

In the first round, bottom seeds contend against top seeds with the results usually being predictable-the top seeds more often than not win. However, as far as covering goes, that’s a different story. When you look at underdog teams from lower ranked conferences they rarely win, but about half of the time they beat the spread, which spells “upset” for the bettor.

Whether you’re considering the first round or focused on the Sweet Sixteen, which is when making your picks gets extremely difficult, here are a few guidelines to help you make productive wagers.

Ranked Number 1? Big Deal:

In the last 20 years, the team nationally ranked number one going into the tournament has won it only three times. Since 1966 the top three NCAA teams have all battled it out in the Final Four only once. Let’s face it, most teams competing in March Madness are pretty good and when you come down to it, what’s the difference between the seventh and first ranked team? Not a whole lot. This is especially true in a sport where during the regular season there have been virtually no head-to-head match-ups between initial tournament participants. An additional fly in this year’s ointment are the numerous conference changes that various teams have initiated, with more than a half-dozen perennial March Madness contenders switching leagues.

The bottom line is-do your homework. Read up on the teams and find one or two experts who have crunched the numbers for you and really analyzed each club according to how they’ve performed in various situations.

Some Things Won’t Change (Probably):

Teams that play well on the road tend to do well in the March Madness frenzy, where almost every team, except for the top seeds, play away from comfortable, familiar surroundings. So, if a team has been a road warrior all season, they will probably continue to be that same animal in March and possibly into April.

During March Madness teams usually step it up, performing at an extremely high level. If throughout the regular season a team has played and consistently beat good teams, chances are they will continue to do so from March 14th to April 3rd. It is a tough, grueling tournament, and you want to back teams that can step up to the challenge every time. Who are they? They tend to be the clubs that have been stepping up all season.

More experience and less talent will more often than not beat more talent and less experience. Why? It’s the nature of March Madness. Teams are under a lot of pressure, playing in unknown arenas and in the national spotlight against teams they’ve never seen. There’s a lot of travel and little rest between games, which translates into an advantage for a team that’s been there before with a coach who has experience in the March Madness pressure cooker.

Numbers That Don’t Lie (Well, Usually They Don’t):

There are no guarantees when it comes to any sporting contest. With that in mind, here are a few basic statistical observations to consider. When it comes to championships and March Madness, 13 of the last 15 teams have either been a number one or two seed. In the past 26 years (since 1979), the final two teams vying for the championship have been there before. (Limits the field a little bit, doesn’t it?) Finally, in the last 24 years there has always been a number one seed in the Final Four. Do long shots win it all? In this contest, hardly ever and certainly not in the last quarter century.

Conferences are important. If a team plays in an elite conference, has faced the type of competition that a tough conference offers, and has done well in their conference, they are definitely a contender. If they play consistently well, that means more than the occasional blowout victory amongst various games they’ve blown in the final minute. Look for teams that play well under pressure.

With those tips in mind, you’ll want to consider that in the past seven NCAA Tournaments, two teams in the Final Four came from the same conference and in the last five of six tournaments three teams in the Elite Eight came from the same conference. In eight of the last 11 Sweet Sixteen rounds, one conference has contributed four teams and last year nine of the sixteen came from three conferences-the Big East, Big Ten, and ACC.

You’ll want to look closely at top seeded teams from powerful conferences. Although it’s called “March Madness,” remember that wagering on teams that are presently strong and have been strong contenders in the past may be conservative but it makes sense. Look for a conference that has at least four teams in the tournament and stick with them. Odds are that you’ll have someone in the Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight, and Final Four.

Also, consider a well-conditioned 10 or 12 seed for one of your picks. Why? Since 1997 each Sweet Sixteen round has had at least one 10 seed and in five of the last seven Sweet Sixteen’s a 12 seed has been there. How do seven, eight, and nine seeds do? They don’t even come close to performing the way 10’s and 12’s do. However, more often than not a three to eight seed makes it to the final four. Do your homework and pick one from this group to become a member of that heralded quartet.

Team and Tournament Specifics:

If you’re serious about wagering, you’ll want to read at least one or more of the many in-depth reports available through various media-magazines, newspapers, and the Web. A good report will include an analysis of the team, especially the point guard and the interior players, road and home record, recent performance, playing style, turnover ratio, penchant for committing fouls, injuries, tournament history, bench, and coaching.

As an example, consider these few key elements as they relate to the tournament.

Point Guard and Interior Players:

Point guards are often the playmakers on the court-controlling the tempo, keeping the team on the same page; and leading by example. A sound, dynamic point guard can be the difference between long-term survival and immediate elimination. As the stakes get higher, the position becomes even more important.

Strong, solid interior players who can bang inside and control the boards are essential. Teams in the top conferences work hard to secure guys who will wear down and dominate other teams inside. The Big East, ACC, Big 12, Big 10 and PAC-10 are noted for tough, interior play. In this brutal tournament these types of players can be the difference in the second half of any and every game.

Fouls:

A team with key players who get into foul trouble can be in big trouble in the tournament. The best of the best referees will be officiating and they won’t hesitate to make a call no matter how close the game is or how little time is left. During crunch time, when mistakes tend to happen, is also when cool-headed experience can pay off for a team.

The Bench:

It’s a long road from the March 14th tip-off to the April 3rd final game showdown. A deep, mature bench offers a huge advantage to any team. There’s no way around it, every player is important during this three-week period.

Turnover Ratio:

If teams are making mistakes during the regular season, they will continue to do so in the post season. Turnovers will kill any team’s chances of advancing to the next round. Again, think-point guard and the bench.

Toughness:

How do you evaluate toughness? First look at the coach and his staff. Consider how disciplined the team is. Find a time when the team lost a tough one or got blown out and look at how they responded. Don’t just consider the next game but the next series of contests. Did they meet that opponent again?

How durable are the starters and how driven are they to play? Is this a team that has players sitting all the time due to injury?

Is there one guy, a true team leader, who may not be the most talented player on the court but is savvy, dedicated, and focused on one thing-winning? Does he push the other players to excel through example, team play, and determined grit?

Another part of toughness relates to a team’s legs or ability to play up-tempo ball. If a team can control the tempo and run with the best of them, they’re not going to give up, and they will usually not be intimidated. If pushed, they’ll push back. They’ll counter the energy of the other team every time.

These are just a few ways to assess a team’s toughness, which translates into durability and resiliency. Both are needed to go deep into the NCAA Tournament.

A Final Thought on the Final Four:

Often people make gut choices rather than analyzing a team’s performance, reading some expert analysis, and considering match-ups and trends. If you really want to go deep into the tournament, then do your homework. It can payoff, taking you to the National Championship by insuring that you make sane picks without bending to the pressures of March Madness.

This article was written by Pat Stevens for www.thegreek.com/. The Greek Sportsbook & Casino, winner of Gambling Online Magazine’s Top Payouts Sportsbook two years in a row, is host to one of the top online sportsbooks. View up to the minute sports betting information on not only basketball, but football, baseball, hockey and so much more. Reproductions of this article are encouraged but must include a link pointing to www.thegreek.com

So which exercise machine is best: the treadmill or the elliptical trainer?

While treadmills are still the #1 piece of home exercise equipment, elliptical trainers are quickly catching up. This leaves many people wondering ‘Should I buy an elliptical trainer or a treadmill?’

While there are definite differences between the two, it really boils down to you – the buyer. This article lays out the benefits of both the treadmill and the elliptical so you can make an informed decision and choose the best machine for you.

Treadmill Benefits:

Great for runners, walkers and joggers:

The treadmill is still the machine of choice for those who prefer running, jogging or even walking.

It’s obviously a smarter choice for the dedicated runner/jogger than an elliptical trainer. Plus it can help you train even in the winter months when you don’t want to run outside.

Suitable for any exerciser:

Walking is a simple form of exercise that anyone can do – from beginner to seasoned athlete. It doesn’t take much coordination.

You don’t have to be supercoordinated to figure out how to use a treadmill whereas elliptical trainers can sometimes be a little tricky to use – especially for beginners.

Provides workout variety:

A treadmill also provides workout variety of a different kind than the elliptical trainer. A treadmill allows you to walk, run, jog, walk uphill, do intervals and programs. You can even build in upper body handweights to work your arms, back and shoulders.

Elliptical Trainer Benefits:

Lower impact on your joints than a treadmill:

What is interesting is that this lack of impact on the joints allows the user to burn roughly the same amount of calories as treadmills with the impression of putting out considerably less effort.

So you burn the same amount of calories while feeling like you did less work. (This is called the ‘Rate of Perceived Exertion’)

This lower impact also makes the elliptical trainer a great choice for those with knee or hip problems, the elderly or even rehabilitation patients.

Provides an overall body workout:

With the dual-action upper body arms as well as the foot pedals, you are getting an overall total body workout. Whereas the treadmill mostly focuses on the lower body, the elliptical works your entire system for an overall cardiovasculer workout.

Excellent workout variety:

One feature that is often overlooked on an elliptical is the opportunity to move in both a forward and backward direction.

When you go backward you are targeting a different set of muscles than when you go forward (hamstrings vs. quadriceps). This helps add variety to your workout and keeps you motivated.

So those are some advantages of both elliptical trainers and treadmills. Is one machine better than the other? It really depends on who you are and what YOU enjoy doing.

Here’s the bottom line:

If you enjoy using a specific exercise machine more than others, you will exercise more often – which means more calories burned, more weight lost and a better body achieved. That is the best exercise machine for you.

One final note: Remember that whichever machine you choose – with exercise equipment you basically get what you pay for. Many people buy cheap equipment and then pay for it later in the form of equipment repairs, joint problems and painful injuries. Make sure you buy a high quality brand name machine with a solid warranty that was built to last.

Kathryn O’Neill is the chief editor for Elliptical Trainer Review

For more elliptical buying tips, brand reviews, and best buys visit http://www.EllipticalTrainerReview.com

Reprint Rights: Feel free to reprint this article on your website or in your ezine as long as the ‘About The Author’ section is included and ALL LINKS ARE CLICKABLE

The concept of “nature” is a romantic invention. It was spun by the likes of Jean-Jacques Rousseau in the 18th century as a confabulated utopian contrast to the dystopia of urbanization and materialism. The traces of this dewy-eyed conception of the “savage” and his unmolested, unadulterated surroundings can be found in the more malignant forms of fundamentalist environmentalism.

At the other extreme are religious literalists who regard Man as the crown of creation with complete dominion over nature and the right to exploit its resources unreservedly. Similar, veiled, sentiments can be found among scientists. The Anthropic Principle, for instance, promoted by many outstanding physicists, claims that the nature of the Universe is preordained to accommodate sentient beings – namely, us humans.

Industrialists, politicians and economists have only recently begun paying lip service to sustainable development and to the environmental costs of their policies. Thus, in a way, they bridge the abyss – at least verbally – between these two diametrically opposed forms of fundamentalism. Still, essential dissimilarities between the schools notwithstanding, the dualism of Man vs. Nature is universally acknowledged.

Modern physics – notably the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics – has abandoned the classic split between (typically human) observer and (usually inanimate) observed. Environmentalists, in contrast, have embraced this discarded worldview wholeheartedly. To them, Man is the active agent operating upon a distinct reactive or passive substrate – i.e., Nature. But, though intuitively compelling, it is a false dichotomy.

Man is, by definition, a part of Nature. His tools are natural. He interacts with the other elements of Nature and modifies it – but so do all other species. Arguably, bacteria and insects exert on Nature far more influence with farther reaching consequences than Man has ever done.

Still, the “Law of the Minimum” – that there is a limit to human population growth and that this barrier is related to the biotic and abiotic variables of the environment – is undisputed. Whatever debate there is veers between two strands of this Malthusian Weltanschauung: the utilitarian (a.k.a. anthropocentric, shallow, or technocentric) and the ethical (alternatively termed biocentric, deep, or ecocentric).

First, the Utilitarians.

Economists, for instance, tend to discuss the costs and benefits of environmental policies. Activists, on the other hand, demand that Mankind consider the “rights” of other beings and of nature as a whole in determining a least harmful course of action.

Utilitarians regard nature as a set of exhaustible and scarce resources and deal with their optimal allocation from a human point of view. Yet, they usually fail to incorporate intangibles such as the beauty of a sunset or the liberating sensation of open spaces.

“Green” accounting – adjusting the national accounts to reflect environmental data – is still in its unpromising infancy. It is complicated by the fact that ecosystems do not respect man-made borders and by the stubborn refusal of many ecological variables to succumb to numbers. To complicate things further, different nations weigh environmental problems disparately.

Despite recent attempts, such as the Environmental Sustainability Index (ESI) produced by the World Economic Forum (WEF), no one knows how to define and quantify elusive concepts such as “sustainable development”. Even the costs of replacing or repairing depleted resources and natural assets are difficult to determine.

Efforts to capture “quality of life” considerations in the straitjacket of the formalism of distributive justice – known as human-welfare ecology or emancipatory environmentalism – backfired. These led to derisory attempts to reverse the inexorable processes of urbanization and industrialization by introducing localized, small-scale production.

Social ecologists proffer the same prescriptions but with an anarchistic twist. The hierarchical view of nature – with Man at the pinnacle – is a reflection of social relations, they suggest. Dismantle the latter – and you get rid of the former.

The Ethicists appear to be as confounded and ludicrous as their “feet on the ground” opponents.

Biocentrists view nature as possessed of an intrinsic value, regardless of its actual or potential utility. They fail to specify, however, how this, even if true, gives rise to rights and commensurate obligations. Nor was their case aided by their association with the apocalyptic or survivalist school of environmentalism which has developed proto-fascist tendencies and is gradually being scientifically debunked.

The proponents of deep ecology radicalize the ideas of social ecology ad absurdum and postulate a transcendentalist spiritual connection with the inanimate (whatever that may be). In consequence, they refuse to intervene to counter or contain natural processes, including diseases and famine.

The politicization of environmental concerns runs the gamut from political activism to eco-terrorism. The environmental movement – whether in academe, in the media, in non-governmental organizations, or in legislature – is now comprised of a web of bureaucratic interest groups.

Like all bureaucracies, environmental organizations are out to perpetuate themselves, fight heresy and accumulate political clout and the money and perks that come with it. They are no longer a disinterested and objective party. They have a stake in apocalypse. That makes them automatically suspect.

Bjorn Lomborg, author of “The Skeptical Environmentalist”, was at the receiving end of such self-serving sanctimony. A statistician, he demonstrated that the doom and gloom tendered by environmental campaigners, scholars and militants are, at best, dubious and, at worst, the outcomes of deliberate manipulation.

The situation is actually improving on many fronts, showed Lomborg: known reserves of fossil fuels and most metals are rising, agricultural production per head is surging, the number of the famished is declining, biodiversity loss is slowing as do pollution and tropical deforestation. In the long run, even in pockets of environmental degradation, in the poor and developing countries, rising incomes and the attendant drop in birth rates will likely ameliorate the situation in the long run.

Yet, both camps, the optimists and the pessimists, rely on partial, irrelevant, or, worse, manipulated data. The multiple authors of “People and Ecosystems”, published by the World Resources Institute, the World Bank and the United Nations conclude: “Our knowledge of ecosystems has increased dramatically, but it simply has not kept pace with our ability to alter them.”

Quoted by The Economist, Daniel Esty of Yale, the leader of an environmental project sponsored by World Economic Forum, exclaimed:

“Why hasn’t anyone done careful environmental measurement before? Businessmen always say, ‘what matters gets measured’. Social scientists started quantitative measurement 30 years ago, and even political science turned to hard numbers 15 years ago. Yet look at environmental policy, and the data are lousy.”

Nor is this dearth of reliable and unequivocal information likely to end soon. Even the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, supported by numerous development agencies and environmental groups, is seriously under-financed. The conspiracy-minded attribute this curious void to the self-serving designs of the apocalyptic school of environmentalism. Ignorance and fear, they point out, are among the fanatic’s most useful allies. They also make for good copy.

About The Author

Sam Vaknin is the author of Malignant Self Love – Narcissism Revisited and After the Rain – How the West Lost the East. He is a columnist for Central Europe Review, PopMatters, and eBookWeb , a United Press International (UPI) Senior Business Correspondent, and the editor of mental health and Central East Europe categories in The Open Directory Bellaonline, and Suite101 .

Until recently, he served as the Economic Advisor to the Government of Macedonia.

Visit Sam’s Web site at http://samvak.tripod.com; palma@unet.com.mk

Talking glass, which was featured recently in the famous Tom Cruise Movie “Minority Report” where advertising would spring to life and communicate with the actor; is not new science. In fact it has been around since the 1940’s and some believe that the ghost of Lincoln, which was discussed in the biographies of Richard Nixon as being in the White House when looking at his picture on the wall was Whispering Windows Technology. In other words unfortunately ghosts do not exist in the white house at all. These technologies where called “Terfonal Devices” and were developed by scientists at the University of Iowa and were primarily used to enhance sonar capabilities. Today you can buy a small personal device for your mirror at home to tell you that you look great or use the mirror as a speaker for your favorite music.

The talking glass advertisements to day use “magnetostriction,” that of course being a real fancy name for a hockey puck size transducer unit made of Terfonal-D alloy which is a blend of various rare alloys, which is attached to the flat surface via a small inconspicuous wire. This rapid shape changing attached transducer is then hooked up to an amplifier. This allows the glass to vibrate at up to 20,000 times per second producing sound.

What is interesting is that marketers of retail stores have found ways to hook this to counter tops, tales, windows, mannequins, shelves and even walls. The company which produces this is Entrema Products in Ames, IA;

http://www.etrema-usa.com .

This technology lends itself well to observation decks on moon colonies, space stations and Space Suits. We should be fully looking into these new advances of older technologies.

This is hardly a new science but it could be used for many other purposes as well. For instance we could hook this up to a heads up display unit and miniaturize it. It could be used for Heads Up Displays in attack helicopters, Racing, Private Jet Aircraft. It could be used to read your airspeed on landing in a corporate jet. It could be used on the space shuttle to read out altitude, speed, heat, angles on re-entry. It could be used on Docking Maneuvers of spacecraft boarding the ISS. It could be used for pilots landing on aircraft carriers. It could be incorporated into night vision systems, combat Army tanks, gun sites. We could use it for satellite controller ground stations. It would work for UAV tele-robotics.

It would well in Virtual Reality Environments, Augmented Reality, or even video games where you turned your windows into elements of a 360-degree sound system. The possibilities are endless. Think about it.

“Lance Winslow” – Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

One Wrong Thought You MUST Eliminate From Your Golf Swing To Avoid Sooo Much Trouble

You try your skills at golf and some (or all) of the following results occur: * You miss the ball * You miss it again and again and… * You hit the top of the ball * You correct this mistake and you hit the ground behind the ball * You see people hitting the ball in the air but your hits cause the ball to bounce along the ground * Whoops! Where did that big curve in the flight of the ball come from? * The more you try the more you find yourself creating other poor results * You finally get a nice hit but you have no idea what you did to get the good result * You look around and some of your friends and relatives are having the same problems as you * Grrrr! Why can’t I hit the ball like those people on T.V.?

This is the second article in a series of articles which will lead you to a simple method of putting, chipping, pitching, and full swing skills.

The slice, duck hook, complete miss, topping the ball, hitting fat (hit the ground behind the ball), and most of the other undesirable results you have experienced or witnessed in other golfers are caused by ONE incorrect thought.

Replace this thought and you will have much more success with putting, chipping, pitching, and the full swing.

However, this thought is buried deep in your subconscious mind. It is very **logical** to our way of thinking.

To change your approach to your golf swing AND your putting you will have to accept an illogical thought. But, when you make the change you will begin executing some of the easiest swings of the golf club you have ever made (and know why this happens.)

Five amazing results in ball flight will occur once you overcome this wrong thought in favor of executing unusual, **illogical** movements.

1.You will finally learn to make a divot like the Pros. 2. You will lift the ball in the air. 3. You will hit the ball straight. 4.You will hit the ball farther. 5.You will get a lot more backspin on your ball.

This “wrong” thought causes movements of various parts of your body in ways which ruin an easy golf swing. These incorrect movements are visible in your hands, forearms, arms, body, hips, and legs.

This thought triggers incorrect movements at various stages of your swing sequence. Wrong body movements can begin as soon as you start taking the club away from the ball until after the ball has been hit.

But, if the ball is gone how can a wrong move affect the result. Simply put, muscles which produce the wrong movement after the ball has been hit have begun to “gather” or bunch-up before the club reaches the ball. This initial bunching of muscles interferes with your intended swing movements. You, or your golf partners, are not aware that this has happened.

Most of my teaching lessons are geared to helping you change from the wrong, logical thought to the correct, but illogical thought. My lessons will teach you movements which respond to the correct thought. My lessons will give you a process for playing all golf shots with this correct thought in mind.

Since this wrong thought is logical it is buried in your subconscious. The various views at golf courses, as you try to hit the ball, cause this thought to be more involved in your swing movements.

To toss out this thought from your mind and replace it with the correct thought cannot be done by simply being aware of the correct way of thinking. Even though I am aware of this error the scenery of the golf course or the desire to make a precise hit will cause this wrong thought to reappear to influence my golf swing. I believe it can even affect the best golfers in the world due to the pressures they face in golf tournaments.

What you will learn from this website is a step-by-step process which will teach you movements in relation to developing a new subconscious thought. This new thought will trigger the desired movements you want in your effort to hit the golf ball where you want it to go.

The next message in this series will show you a basic step-by- step process of playing any golf swing or putt. I call it “the phases of playing a golf shot”. You will learn to focus on a task, change your focus to another task, focus on the next task, and so on.

This routine will eliminate the feeling you might have of trying to remember 20 or 30 things before you swing the golf club.

By following a regular process of playing a golf shot you will soon develop a new subconscious thought so that you can rid yourself of that one wrong thought.

Oh yeah. Before I forget. What is the **one wrong thought**? A quick story, first.

A few years ago I witnessed a young woman take some golf lessons from the local Pro over a 2 year period. He did a good job at showing her some very good swing skills. But, I saw her continually hitting the ball out the right and she could not hit the ball as far as she was capable. At the beginning of the third year she came for another lesson. I could see from her hand movements that she was saying something like, “I’m still hitting the ball out the right!”

She had a lot of good swing mechanics from the previous instruction. I watched the teacher try to figure which of the mechanics was breaking down. The problem was not solved. My experience as a Grade 1 to 9 physical education teacher gave me the background of body movements whereby I could see that there was something else besides breakdowns in swing mechanics.

What was happening in that woman’s swing which caused her to hit the ball slightly to the right despite very good swing skills?

Answer: The ball is at point A. The green, flag, and hole are at point B. Logical, subconscious thought tells us that we want to smack the ball from point A to point B. This same thought also convinces us to create movements at some stage of our swing which will cause a forward motion of the golf club through the ball so that it can go from A to B.

But, these forward motions occur at various stages of our swing which cause such a variety of poor results. Forgotten in this thought process is the most important part of the swing.

And that is —- APPLY A BLOW TO THE BALL so that it can firstly be put in motion to leave the vicinity of point A.

The coming lessons will teach you how to carry out movements which respond to your new focus of making the ball move — and move correctly. Prior to these lessons I will have more articles which will prepare you to focus entirely on the instructions.

P.S. There are a few “tips” roaming the world which leave wrong ideas in the minds of new golfers. Some of these blatantly interfere with good body movement. Future articles will show you some of the wrong movements used by you or other golfers. You will learn WHY each wrong movement is produced. You will discover why and how to replace these wrong movements with better moves.

P.P.S. You, or someone you know, will be very interested in how body movement faults can cause back injuries. My methods actually brought a man back into golf so he could golf with his grandson. He felt so good about his new swing that he was able to return to golf with his former golf buddies. I hope to do a series of articles about this using the help of some people I know who are in the physical health field.

P.P.P.S. I will seek your input about what resources and sources you would like to learn about. Fellow subscribers will be able to provide many of these answers. I will not publish them all in this Website but I could compile a lot of them into a free ebook or series of ebooks. Ideas will come for this and other subscriber interests and needs for better and more enjoyable golf experiences.

P.P.P.P.S. There are 2 or 3 lesser faulty thoughts for certain golf situations such as hitting the golf ball over a hill or a tree. Future articles will cover these topics.

In 1950, a chiropractor from America named Bernard Jensen began teaching students about the necessity of using natural foods to detoxify the body. He developed a method by which the color of the iris was used to indicate the presence of different toxins. American iridology was born.

However, iridology, or the study of disease using the color of the iris and certain color and thickness of lines across the eyeball originated in Europe, when a physician from Hungary and a Swedish pastor both noticed iris markings in connection with disease.

The physician-Ignatz von Peczely accidentally injured an owl as a child, breaking its leg. While nursing the owl back to health, the young von Peczely noticed that the thick black mark that appeared in the owl’s eye after the injury began to lessen as the owl healed. He never forgot it, and as an adult practicing his profession, he recoded that patients with bone fractures experienced the same black mark across the iris.

The Swedish pastor-Nils Liljequist-was exposed to malaria as a young man and while recieveing the treatment of quinine and iodine noticed that his blue eyes began to grow darker as the drugs built up in his system. He grew up to study homeopathic medicine and recorded similar reactions in clients who came to him for detoxification purposes.

It has been said that the eyes are the mirror to the soul. The famous Greek physician Hippocrates believed that they were also the mirror to the body-specifically for the purpose of determining various ailments. He too recorded the presence of black marks across the iris of fractured bones in his patients, and a change in the color of the eye of patients coming down with diseases.

Unfortunately, iridology cannot be used to determine a specific disease.

Practitioners of iridology use it to help patients as a preventative measure understand basic health problems in order to refer them to specialists if needed. The belief is that if a disease is detected in the very early stages it can be prevented from spreading further. The colored part of the eye-the iris-is studied for these markings and color changes by isolating the iris and taking pictures of it with a very strong lens. The process takes about an hour and is painless. The photos are then blown up and gone over with a magnifying glass by the iridologist and used to determine and identify potential ailments.

Most of these ailments are believed to be hereditary, and the patients predisposition to toxicity and disease is determined not only by the photos but with an extensive interview of family medical history. This holistic concept is well accepted by other disciplines of alternative medicine, as it is a fact that all parts of the body are related, especially when used to warn the body of an impending degenerative disease.

Under this theory, the color changes in the eyes at the very onset of the degenerative disease are used by the body to indicate an upcoming health problem, and to warn the body to seek preventative measures. The concept is not far fetched at all-take the example of chiropractors using the process of correcting the spinal alignment to help internal organs. Even conventional physicians check the eyes for signs of sickness. (Blood vessel size is an indication of the level of cholesterol.)

There is, however, some criticism toward iridology as practitioners (especially in the United States) are often not fully or thoroughly trained, as the courses offered are usually no more than two to three days in length and are put on by marketing companies who offer “certification” as an iridologist to their distributors. The result is the potential for over diagnosis with the distributor pushing their products through their “specialist.”

This tendency toward American consumerism and over marketing has given iridology a black eye (no pun intended) as a reputable form of medicine.

When seeking an iridologist, find one who has been certified by the Institute for Applied Iridology or by the International Iridology Research Association in Solana Beach, CA.

Rene Graeber graduated from the University of Munic in Educational and Sports Science and from the Paracelsus School of Medicine in Hamburg from Naturopathic Medicine. If you’re looking for helpful information about alternative medicine visit his website at www.naturheilkunde-preetz.de

Since I recently received my very own juicing machine, I have experienced a great sense of wellness and well-being. It’s not only due to the health advantages of the freshly made vegetable juices I’ve been drinking. It’s also caused an extreme and noticeable lessening of mental stress and anxiety which I’d experienced prior to using it. That is, the mental stress bought on by departing with my well earned money to buy the ever more expensive fresh juices in restaurants, health stores, and juice bars.

I started using my juicer to create my own interesting and sometimes weird concoctions and combinations. Wheatgrass and ginger to cleanse the lymph system and build up the blood. Barley grass and tomatoes for their high anti-oxidant values. My own original beet, celery, and ginger combination. And many more.

Before buying my juice machine, I was really beginning to feel exploited by the juice bars charging as much as five and seven dollars for a few carrots, a stalk of celery, an apple, and some honey through their industrial juicer.

In many ways I am not that health-conscious, but I really love freshly squeezed juice. I grew up without a juicing machine, and I remember that many of the bottled drinks at the time advertised that they were “made with real fruit juice”, but in reality they were sugar water with only enough “real fruit juice” in them to give the drinks a hint of the taste of the original fruit.

I was also not the healthiest of children. I had asthma and shortness of breath. I was moody, distracted, and had serious problems with attention and concentration. When I reached puberty, my skin condition went from bad to worse. I had pock marks, pimples, and acne and was embarrassed to go out.

It wasn’t until I discovered “real” juice in my early twenties, that I became aware of just how much what I ate and drank affected my over all health. My girlfriend was a health addict and, if I remember correctly, had a “Jack Lallane” juicing machine which she used religiously every day. And through her own persistence, she got me hooked on juicing as well.

It took me a while to get used to the taste and concentrations of some of the stranger juice concoctions that she came up with. But I noticed almost immediately, within a two-week period, the drastic difference in my energy levels and the clearness of my skin.

Now, even though I now have my own juicing machine, I no longer juice every day, as my schedule doesn’t permit it. But I do it as often as I can. I just wish I had started sooner.

Jim Allen is a writer and researcher for http://www.acai-berry-fruit-juice.com.

There are a great deal of sound reasons why you would want a shed and fortunately there are garden sheds to meet just about every last requirement. Cheap Garden Sheds may be bought just about everywhere but what you will notice is the price will vary hugely. You shouldn’t have to give up the shed you require because it is excessively expensive though. A garden shed is something you purchase once and utilize for a long time and when you have a look on the net you can obtain Cheap sheds at some pretty silly prices. I don’t mean silly and cheap as in quality but as in monetary value. You may find you can obtain the garden shed you want for the price of the one you were close to settle for a lot cheaper and if you possess a garden that you tend to each day you will almost likely require to look into a wooden garden shed as a space to place the fertilizer, water hose and tools and so forth.

Protecting your garden tools and having them easily obtainable is a very good idea. You can find sheds on the net that are the identical sheds you’d purchase in the shop. As A Matter Of Fact, you can even go to the store and shop even touch them to see if it is what you require then go on the net and buy it for a whole lot less. The difference in cost is significant!

Prepaid Cell Phones compared
Historical Perspective
The Cell Phone is one of the most innovative inventions of the twentieth century. Callers can find an individual anywhere in the country through calls, text messaging, and the mobile internet. When the cell phone first came on the scene it was targeted to doctors and other professionals. Those in this league paid around $1 per minute, so the number was not on business cards or anywhere else that someone could call without a real good reason.
Cell Phones companies then revamped their target audience to the mother with children who might need to make an emergency call for help, such as a car breaking down on a snowy night. The rate was $19.95 per month for 30 minutes.
Finally, someone realized that people wanted to be cut from their home phone cord, and made the cell phone available to the average person. The problem came with the deposits that some companies required. Some went as high $1200. Further, per minute charges was still high since block plans had not come out in full force yet. Therefore people who could not afford to pay these astronomical deposits and monthly bills were forced to be left behind technologically.
Those with bad or no credit had no available options until cell phone companies came up with the prepaid plan. Consumers paid a higher rate than the average consumer, but at least they could have a phone. Cell phone companies began to target college students with the plan, since most did not have the credit to establish normal monthly service. Since this innovation, companies also started using this option for their sales reps out on the field, and as a benefit to their employees.
The prepaid cell phone is great for those who want to keep their phone bill at a specific amount per month. With the advent of the free nights and weekends, users are hard-pressed to find a difference in the prepaid vs. normal cell phone service.
In 1987, the monthly average of a U.S. cell phone bill was $96.85; in 1998, it was $39.43. A friend may say to you
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Good customer service can make all the difference for a product. That might seem like a no brainer, but a recent report indicates that customers are even willing to pay more to get that extra bit of service.

Convergys, a customer management and billing provider, conducted the customer scorecard research based on a YouGov poll of over 2100 adults during February this year. The research shows that most customers want to speak to a well-trained member of the customer service staff who can solve the problem in one go. It also shows that 17% of the people are ready to pay extra for a fast and responsive customer care. This was against a mere 5% who said they would go for the cheapest rates even if it meant a poor customer service.

President (international) for Convergys, Jean-Herve Jenn, said that good customer service is a straightforward way for mobile operators to earn extra revenue, as the customers are willing to pay for it.

The survey also shows that in the UK, good customer service is rated higher than the brand and mobile broadband prices for a package by the consumers. This is yet another wake up call for the mobile providers to realize that instead of focusing on excessive price reductions and spending huge sums on advertising, they should first get their customer support in place. So mobile broadband operators, if you want to drive up that revenue, beef up your customer service.