28/02/2008 by admin.

Easter moves about each year
It will, however, fall on March 23 in 2008, but will not do so again until 2160. So what is easter really about.

Easter, Pascha, or Resurrection Day, is the most important religious feast in the Christian liturgical year. It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, which Christians believe occurred on the third day after his crucifixion some time in the period AD 27 to 33. Many non-religious cultural elements have become part of the holiday, and those aspects are often celebrated by many Christians and non-Christians alike.

Easter also refers to the season of the church year called Eastertide or the Easter Season. Traditionally the Easter Season lasted for the forty days from Easter Day until Ascension Day but now officially lasts for the fifty days until Pentecost. The first week of the Easter Season is known as Easter Week or the Octave of Easter.

Easter is termed a movable Christian holy day because it is not fixed in relation to the civil calendar. Easter falls at some point between late March and late April each year (early April to early May in Eastern Christianity), following the cycle of the moon.

Easter is linked to the Jewish Passover not only for much of its symbolism but also for its position in the calendar. The Last Supper shared by Jesus and his disciples before his crucifixion is generally thought of as a Passover meal, based on the chronology in the Gospels

It’s also a time for the family to get together and enjoy each other’s company.

However as with other bank holidays it seams to have been made commercial and the opportunity to make money is high on the corporate agenda.

So take time out and relax recharge your batteries, and read this book so you can share time with your children and find things to do over the easter period.

Easter Things to Make and Do (Usborne Activities) (Usborne Activities)By Kate Knighton and Leonie Pratt

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06/11/2007 by admin.

Men, are you taking the good approach when you are trying to get male six pack abs?

What you first need to realize is that is more than making abs exercises. In fact, you can do hundreds of repetitions of abs exercises a day, and still look fat. Why? Because getting great abs is way more than just doing crunch style exercises. You must also:

-Change your diet.
-Do cardio.
-Take care of your overall health.

Also, the idea of getting male six pack abs can be a little deceiving, because there’s a genetic factor to the whole idea of “six pack abs”. Some people never get this kind of definition, if not for certain periods of time. Do you think models have a six pack all the time? Or body builders? Well, then you are wrong because they always do a diet specifically for a contest or photo shoot. Most body builders look fat when they are not preparing for competition.

So, there are some key point you must need to do to get a nice flat and defined stomach (which not only means it will have the ripped six pack abs):

1. Do a lot of Cardio. Interval training is great to lose weight, what this means is that if you are running, you run a minute with your full capacity and four minutes with your normal capacity. Cardio is running, jumping rope, swimming, hiking, climbing - anything aerobic. This training will also take care of your body as a whole. Cardio is the best six pack abs exercise.

2. Reduce fat and sugar levels. Can’t be any simpler. Sugar is really bad it doesn’t have any nutritive benefit to us and it is addictive. (Why don’t you think even some salty products have sugar?) Do this slowly cause I know it can be hard.

3. Have Patience. If you are serious about having six pack abs, then you know it is a matter of time and a change of lifestyle. Don’t try to push things too hard, or you’ll risk getting frustrated and quitting at any opportunity. Everybody knows about yo-yo diets, they are not only useless, but can also bring serious consequences to your health.

Recommended Read: Six-Pack Abs in 60 Days: The Easy Way to a New, Slimmer Midsection
By Robert Kennedy, Dwayne Hines, Dwayne Hines II

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30/10/2007 by admin.

You’ve probably heard about other people making money selling on eBay. There’s no reason teens can’t do the same. This article is for teens who want to learn easy ways to make some spending money and will give you the tools and tell you how to do it.

Decide What To Sell

There are a few pointers to keep in mind as you decide what you’re going to sell. First, try to pick a product that’s reasonably unique, that a million other established sellers aren’t already selling. The product might be something you make, like dolls, quilts, or candles. Or it may be a collectible like antique children’s books, vinyl records, or vintage clothing. You can also sell things that people use in their every day life, like games, kitchen appliances, or fishing gear.

Second, pick a product that you’re interested in. There may be days when you get tired of your product even if you start out loving it. If you start out hating it, your business is not likely to last for long.

Third, you should have a renewable supply of your product. As old items sell, you should have a way to get new items. For instance, if you’re selling vinyl records, you might make it a point to go to every neighborhood garage sale you can find and buy up vinyl records wherever you see them. If you’re selling vintage clothing, keep an eye out for sales at the thrift store. And so on.

Research

Once you have decided what you’re going to sell, check eBay listings for similar items. Pay attention to the average starting prices and closing prices as well as to the layouts of the auctions. Which items seem to be getting the most bids? The ones in bold print? The ones that have a special look? You will want to incorporate this information into your own listings. For instance, if most items like yours are selling for $10, you won’t want to set a starting price of $20.

Photograph

People don’t like to buy what they can’t see. You may persuade a few people to take a chance on books, DVDs, or games, but no one is going to buy, for instance, a dress or a homemade candle unless they can actually see what it looks like. If you don’t already have one, invest in a digital camera and take pictures of the items to add to your listings.

Set the Right Price

The lower the starting price, the more likely people will be to bid on your auctions. But be careful–if you’re selling something truly valuable, you don’t want to let it go for $1.50 when it’s worth $150. Luckily, eBay has what is called a “reserve price” feature. It is not visible to the public, but it allows you to set the absolute minimum you will accept on bids. Using the reserve price allows you to set the starting bid low, secure in the knowledge that you won’t risk losing a valuable item for next to nothing if the bidding doesn’t take off like you hope it will.

A word to the wise: only use the reserve price feature to protect a truly valuable item. Buyers tend not to like reserve prices and may steer clear of auctions that use them.

Accept Payments Online

Gone are the days when people had to mail you a check or money order. Now most eBay buyers prefer to pay quickly online using PayPal (eBay’s partner) or another online payment service. Many buyers will bypass an auction that doesn’t accept PayPal. If you’re underage, you’ll probably have to have your parents help you set up a PayPal account, but it’s well worth the aggravation.

EBay is a viable home-based business for teens that can help you earn extra spending money with a relatively small investment of time and energy. Use these tools to get started on your new career!

Recommended Read :The Secrets of Successful Buying and Selling on Ebay
By Roger Shaw

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04/10/2007 by admin.

Volleyball originated in United States and is more than hundred years old. Volleyball is an extremely popular sport in United States and has gained popularity in various other parts of the world. It is estimated that 46 million Americans play volleyball and there are around 800 million players of volleyball worldwide. In the year 1895, William G. Morgan, thought to mix the elements of baseball, basketball, tennis and handball into one game. He thus created a game called mintonette, which was later called volleyball. The first game of volleyball was played in the year 1896. Earlier, the ball of basketball was used for playing volleyball. In the year 1900, a special ball was designed for the sport. The ball of volleyball now weighs between 9 and 10 ounces and the ball pressure is between 4.5 and 6 pounds

Volleyball is one of the most energetic sports. In volleyball there are typically six players in one team. There are two teams playing against each other. Each team has three players in the front and three players at the back of the court. In between the two teams there are high nets to separate them. The teams use their hands and arms to hit the ball back and forth over the net. The ball should not fall on the ground.

Volleyball can be played indoors as well as outdoors on a rectangular court. The field is divided into two equal half-courts. The rules of volleyball are fairly simple. There are six players on each side. The server of the ball should serve from a line on the court called the restraining line or the end line. It is necessary that the ball is clearly visible to the opponents before the serve. The ball may be served overhand or underhand. The served ball may graze the net and fall to the other side for a point. The maximum hits allowed per side are three. A single player cannot hit the ball twice in succession. If so, it is considered to be a foul. The ball may be played off the net throughout a volley and on serve. A permissible hit is contact with the ball by a player body above and together with the waist, which does not permit the ball to perceptibly come to a rest. If two or more players contact the ball concurrently, it is considered one play and the players concerned may not partake in the next play. A player must not attack a serve. Switching positions will be allowed only between front line players and that also after the serve.

The scoring of the game is also quite simple. Rally scoring is used in volleyball. The game of volleyball is typically played to twenty five points. There will be a point scored on every score of the ball. Scores will count on a defence miss or out of bounds hit. Defense will score on an offensive miss, out of bounds hit, or serve into the net.

***Recommended Read - Volleyball (Know the Game)
By English Volleyball Association

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25/09/2007 by admin.

I am NOT certified to teach swimming, but am in teaching business. [I have taught scuba diving and have swum for 55 yrs.]

I have all my students do the same thing and I hereby share these with you–in the pool instruction–too.

a; the water is not your friend or enemy. It is a chemical entity. NOT more, not less.

b; 95% of fresh water has some softness to it permitting FLOATING. I require all my students to get comfortable with the water before swimming. Swimming is not automatic nor a born skill and thus, without basic skills, one can die in 3 feet of water.

c; most instructors teach immediately, the different “strokes”; Australian Crawl, breast, side, back, etc. I do not. Those come after one is comfortable in the water.

d; after one gets used to standing and then kneeling in the water, I teach breath holding. Few instructors teach swimming underwater. I find that absurd. IF one is not adept at swimming underwater and one is not in a shallow body of water and one wants flexibility, swimming underwater can be a God send. [many good swimmers do not like being underwater!]

e. After one can hold their breath comfortably, and has no fear of water, we kneel down and look around us underwater, with or without a mask. We become friends with the water.

f; After one has accomplished the above, it is time for the most important life-saving component of swimming; floating. SO many people have drowned because of exhaustion when they were in water over their head.

So, after one is “at home in the water”, we roll onto our back and move our legs and arms around a bit to keep afloat. We initially hold our breath because we will sink often till we can synchronize our movements and the air in our bodies enabling us to stay afloat. I can stay afloat on my back hours at a time–it can go from being very relaxing to very boring.

g. Now, we learn to kick. We need to learn to kick the swimming way and soon thereafter, using a stroke. If we kick INEFFECTIVELY, we get a lot of motion and splashing and little movement in the direction of our choice. So, we grab hold of the edge of the pool and while we are in the water, let go of our standing position and let our bodies float to the surface. We simply experiment with different movements of our legs. The straighter we can keep our legs, the more FORWARD motion we will generate.

h. NOW, it is time to learn to swim! AND, no matter where you are in the pool;

If you get tired and don’t happen to be near the side and you are in over your head, you can just roll over and float and push yourself to a shallower end.

All swimming seems to start with the Australian crawl but I prefer that being stroke #2. I prefer teaching a sloppy “breast” stroke first, as it is easiest and generates forward motion with the least specific things to do.

To do a breast stroke, one “lies” in the water IN THE SHALLOW END TO BEGIN WITH, [on top of the water], and we bring our [two] hands together about 6 inches out from our face, and we smoothly push the water out of our way, while concurrently, kicking with both feet. [We also CUP our hands so that we push the most amount of water with each movement.]

IF we begin sinking, we move our hands and feet faster. If for some reason, we cannot stay afloat, we twist our bodies around and seek to float.

We also learn to play as we learn to swim; we learn what results we get when we move our hands and our feet and our head. Some UNCOORDINATED movements will still provide some forward movement and an assurance that we stay afloat. The more coordinated we get, the more we stay on top of the water [if that is our objective] and the faster movement we get in our choice of direction.

Lastly for now,

i. Swimming –or, doing the Australian Crawl.

We take a breath of air, then, keeping our bodies floating, we can go faster if we do not turn our faces to catch a breath of air, so we hold our breath for 2-4 strokes. In pure crawling, one grabs breath at each stroke.

—The problems novice swimmers have; they demand air at all times instead of practicing EASY breath holding. IF we get comfortable with the water and learn there is nothing there to harm us, and learn to hold our breath, and be comfortable with water IN OUR noses–we can swim under water and above water and we can be in control! When we get tired, we get out of the water. IF we get tired quickly and are many feet from the sides, we roll over and IN A RELAXED manner, float. AS we float, we aim ourselves to a side.

People panic because they are in deep water or cannot breathe at any moment they want to. Practice in holding one’s breath a few seconds longer and longer will almost eliminate one’s panic when the time comes the body is tired and not near a pool’s side or are swimming in a river, lake, or ocean. By turning over and floating, one saves his life! Once one has turned over and gotten one’s wind, one can again turn over, face the shore–and begin casual swimming -or–turning over and –as one floats, aim oneself to the shore while floating! While it sounds complicated, it is the opposite; relaxing and comfortable and one need not hold one’s breath when good at floating!

NOW, save your life and your friend’s life.

… and NEVER ever [in my opinion] enter the water that is over your head, voluntarily without knowing how to swim EVEN if wearing a life preserver of any sort.

[Panic kills, the water does not kill!]

Recommended Read - Master the Art of Swimming: Raising Your Performance with the Alexander Technique
By Steven Shaw

Try the Sports page

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25/09/2007 by admin.

Skateboarding is a fascinating and fun sport that is growing rapidly. To help you get the most from skateboarding, below are a few tricks and tips that can be very useful.

Here are a few skateboarding tips to get you started.

• Overcome the fear of having your back face the transition
• Learn how to stall properly
• Learn how to gain momentum
• Never let your edge wheels hang up

Here is a list of some of the most popular tricks.

• Stall
• Backside 50-50 on transition
• Frontside 50-50 on transition
• Frontside 5-0 on transition
• Ollie
• Kickflip
• Kickflip nose manual

One of the first things that a skateboarder needs to learn is how to stall. This needs to be done before you attempt to move on to other tricks. Stalling helps you to get familiar with your weight placement which aids in other tricks. Once you have accomplished this move you are ready to move on.

To perform a stall start off with a good amount of speed and as soon as the trucks on the back of the skateboard reaches the coping turn and make your heel edge wheel roll onto the top of the coping. Put your weight over the heel edge to help you get up on top of the coping. Once you have accomplished this, continue by setting your front truck down and finish off the stall by dropping back in, lift up your front truck then kickturn into a tranny. Avoid hang ups by putting weight on the toe edge.

The Backside 50-50 on transition is one of the first tricks that most skaters learn. Begin with more speed than you need to simply perform a stall. When you approach the coping turn slightly so you will be at an angle, this will allow you to ride the coping. The more momentum you have the further you will be able to go before dropping back in with the kickturn.

The Frontside 50-50 can be very intimidating for many skaters because your back is facing down the transition. However, once you get over this fear you will be amazed at all the tricks you will be able to accomplish. Gain momentum and go straight up the transition. When you near the coping turn because, instead of your heel edge wheel you want the toe edge wheel of the back truck to hook as far as possible over the coping. Begin with the back truck first and then set down on your front truck. You need to keep your weight mainly on the toe side of your skateboard.

To do a Frontside 5-0 transition you must get on top of the coping and scrape some metal. Get up as much speed as possible, turn putting your body weight to the front then lock your back truck onto the coping. After some practice and learning how to keep your balance you got it made.

The Ollie will be the next trick that you need to learn followed by the kickflip and the kickflip nose manual. As you may have noticed learning one trick will help you accomplish the next one. For instance, knowing how to do the Ollie will help you accomplish the kickflip, which in turn helps you learn the kickflip nose manual. Take your time and learn one trick at a time. Before you know it, you will be a skating pro that knows all the tricks and tips to success.

Recommended Read - Skateboarding: Book of Tricks (Start-Up Sports)
By Steve Badillo, Doug Werner

Try the Sports page

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17/09/2007 by admin.

The sport of soccer, known as football to most of the world, has produced some great soccer players over the past years. Perhaps the most famous of all is Pelé, who amazed the world with his incredible ability to maneuver the ball in a way it hadn’t been done before. Pelé retired more than twenty five years ago but he is still a household name on the lips of soccer players and fans around the world. His story of rising from poverty in Brazil to soccer superstar is a source of inspiration for young soccer players everywhere.

Another soccer great is Pavel Nedved. Pavel is well known both in his homeland of the Czech Republic and around the world as one of the youngest soccer players of all time to make a lasting impression. Pavel played for Sparta in the 1990’s and scored many goals for the team from 1992 to 1995.

The world has seen many players who have been the focus of extreme soccer skills, but none so well known as Zinedine Zidane. Zidane was born in Algeria in 1972 and after struggling in school for several years he decided that soccer was his main interest. He was spotted at the age of sixteen by a soccer scout and very quickly found himself in Cannes. Shortly after that Zidane was playing for the French Division, scoring goal after goal and becoming the star of the team.

Today one of the most popular soccer players is David Beckham, who is the star of Great Britain when it comes to the game. At sixteen Beckham was playing for Manchester United team and was already attracting the attention of soccer scouts around the world. Beckham’s incredible talent found him on England’s World Cup Team in 1997. His handsome looks and boyish attitude make him one of Britain’s favorite celebrities.

The world of soccer continues to give us up and coming stars, but none can ever rival the status that the above players have earned.

Recommended Read - David Beckham: The Great Betrayal - The Inside Story of How Britain’s Greatest Football Club Lost Their Greatest Player
By Virginia Blackburn

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17/09/2007 by admin.

If you have children then you will no doubt want to share as many activities with them as possible. One which teaches children quite a few useful life lessons and can develop into a lifelong passion for them is fishing.

When you are fishing with children one of the most important considerations is safety. You need to assess what kind of fishing you are going to be doing. There are so many different variations of fishing options, and you need to make sure you select one that is suitable for the children you will be bringing along.

Regardless of how strong a swimmer your children may be, they must use life jackets. Additionally, it is imperative that you have a first aid kit with you. We all know, after all, how easy it is for children to become scratched or cut by hooks and other parts of fishing gear.

Get your children their own personal fishing tackle boxes. This will not only make them feel as though they are in charge of their own equipment, but you will be able to obtain a children’s version of equipment for them to use.

You don’t have to spend too much with this. Simply purchase a few essentials to start with, and as their interest grows, they can decide what they would like to add to their collection.

After you have shown your children how to land their fish by initially playing with it, let them take over. As long as you are on hand to help out as needed, they will love the freedom of being able to battle with fish by themselves and feel quite proud when they reel in their first catch all by themselves.

It is normally best to introduce a children to fishing early in life. This is useful in many ways. The younger children begin, the more they will take in - although never take a child who is too young to understand what is going on. Early life experiences also provide children the opportunity to see the how fish are cleaned and realize that this is not a disgusting practice but rather part of the fishing trip experience. You can also let your children learn as you go concerning the rules of fishing. Doing this will help keep fishing fresh in their minds.

You can never be completely sure that your children will take to fishing as there many factors that could detract from their attention. Your initial trip out on the water could be a slow day and you might not even get a bite, let alone haul anything into the boat. This could result in your children becoming bored. If this happens don’t loose heart. Let your children know that this not unusual when fishing. You never know, you could turn their initial disappointment into a plus as your children may become more excited about finally catching a fish next time.

Children love to feel as though are in charge of doing almost anything, and fishing is ideal for this. Fishing is a great learning adventure, and doing this together should prove to be a wonderful experience.

Recommended Read - Fishing with Dad: Lessons of Love and Lure from Father to Son
By Michael J. Rosen

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11/08/2007 by admin.

http://www.fastlinxs.co.uk/Fashion_and_Lifestyle.htm

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06/08/2007 by admin.

http://www.fastlinxs.co.uk/finance_and_debt.htm

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