The Hip Hop Culture Identity

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Hip-hop isn’t just about music. Hip-hop is about dance, art, expression, pain, love, racism, sexism, broken families, hard times, overcoming adversity and the search for God. It’s a culture, a way of life, a language, a fashion, a set of values, and a unique perspective. Hip-hop is about trying to live out the American dream from the bottom up.

Hip-Hop culture is a unique phenomenon because it does incorporate and affect so many different cultures, ages and classes. In the early 1970’s the unnamed culture known today as “hip-hop” was forming in New York City’s ghettos. Each element in this culture had its own history and terminology contributing to the development of a cultural movement. The culture was identified in the early 1980’s when DJ Afrika Bambaataa named the dynamic urban movement, “hip-hop.” Since that time “hip-hop” has served as a powerful voice and form of expression for young black audiences and has evolved into a culture with its own language, style of dress and mindset. The hip hop culture envelops not only music but also fashion and dance.

What makes hip hop’s evolution is the range of flavor the culture has to offer and what “hip-hop heads” thrive on is individuality and creativity, which is never more apparent than in hip-hop fashion. In fact, hip hop fashion is one of the top clothing industries in the world today. It is claimed to have begun in the African American community but has spread quickly into being a truly universal style for people of all ethnicities and sexes and a lynch pin of hip hop culture. Hip hop fashion is preferred by various celebrities such as 50 cent, Puff Daddy, Ja Rule and Sean Combs. It is often satirized by comedians such as Ali G. Hip hop fashion is a visible element of hip hop culture.

Hip hop dancing is evolving in many different directions today, heavily influenced by the evolution of hip hop music and its popularity in media, surrounded by heated debates on history and authenticity. Modern hip hop music gave birth to new styles of hip hop dancing partly inspired by the old school styles. Most of those styles focused on upright dancing as opposed to breakdance which is better known for its floor-oriented movements. To express one’s creative talent, hip-hop dancing is perhaps the best way in which impressions and expressions come from the soul.

Music has always played a key role in shaping minds and attitudes. Hip hop music sheds light on contemporary politics, history and race. The social influence hip hop music has on the hip hop cultural movement includes activities of dancing, associated slang, fashion and other elements. Hip hop music encompasses the written word, visual art, dance and rhythmic style with intricate beats. Music has no boundaries and no limits; anything worthy should be available through music, especially spirituality and religion. A big influence on the hip hop identity is its redeeming music.

Culture is the product of a current reality. The identity of a culture is created by the work and thought of human beings. It is the expression of a class or element of a particular class and is reflective of a certain period. The allure of Hip Hop culture as an organizing mechanism has arisen primarily because there is no existing political apparatus that adequately addresses the needs of young people and/or poor and working class communities; in a political vacuum. Culture, as a general matter, cuts to the core of how people articulate their beliefs, values and customs. Hip Hop culture is the most visible and vocal representative entity of its own identity.

Yacht Charter in Dubrovnik – Gateway to a Thousand Islands

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Start your sailing yacht charter in Croatia here and you won’t be disappointed for sure. This wonderful city will have you mesmerized and loved up in no time. Dubrovnik is bursting at the seams with beauty, variety and a magnetism that is unique to the city. There is a wide range of high quality sailing yachts or power boats. Last not least the prices for boat rental are very competitive.

Setting sail from Dubrovnik – How to get there?

You can easily reach Dubrovnik airport, 15 km from the centre, from mostly all bigger European cities. Or make your way down the Adriatic Highway by car – all the while dreaming of your ideal Dubrovnik charter experience. This famous seaport is located on the Adriatic coast in Dalmatia, at the southern tip of Croatia. Therefore, it is the perfect starting point for a boat charter around the Croatian islands.

Which marinas in Dubrovnik are best suited for bareboat charter yachts?

Marina Gruz can host about 100 yachts of up to 55 m LOA and has several cruise ship terminals too. It lies about 4 km North-West of the Old Town. Already here you have practically everything you might need within walking distance: Shopping mall, supermarkets to get supplies for your Croatian yacht charter, banks, restaurants and bars. If need be, you can pay mostly anywhere at your convenience with Euros or Dollars – the change given back will be Croatian Kuna however. A taxi or shuttle bus will take you the short ride into town. It’s a lovely drive and you will be passing lush greenery and gorgeous villas on the way.

About the same distance to the Old Town is the Yacht Club Orsan to the North-West of the historic centre. It has 250 moorings for vessels of a maximum length of up to 20 m. This port is also very well connected and also offers a wide range of services for yacht charterers.

Finally, the Dubrovnik ACI marina about 6 km from the city centre has 380 berths and fits yachts of up to 60 m. Here you get fantastic infrastructure for sailors. There is a shipyard with dry dock, lots of shops, a swimming pool, tennis courts and much more.

Contrary to belief it is not possible to moor up in the historic harbour of Dubrovnik. But with the above options you have plenty of possibilities to choose from.

What has Dubrovnik got to offer for après sailing?

Before going on a sailing holiday around the Croatian islands you should really pay the Old Town a visit. A tour on top of the huge, up to 6 m thick ramparts can easily mean walking on the biggest, coolest set of city walls you will ever set foot on.

´The pearl of the Adriatic´, as it is also called, is vibrant and alive with street performers, music festivals and concerts. You can shop till you drop or take the cable car far, far up the hill. Here you can savour the breathtaking view over some of the most impressive fortifications in Europe. Admire the sea of red roofs and the distant horizon over the Med full of promises for your personal dream Adriatic yacht charter. Back down with your feet firmly on the ground take in some more of the sights of the UNESCO world heritage site – there are so many to choose from. Strolling down the Stradun, Dubrovnik´s majestic main street, is just one of them. It is a pedestrian zone as is the rest of the historic centre. Maybe sample some Croatian produce as you go along or buy some funky souvenirs and have a chat with one of the local vendors.

When it’s time for sundowners you can make your way up to one of the numerous charming little chill out bars that are perched on the rocks above the sea. Listen to the hypnotic beats, relax and congratulate yourself on being there. Dream away as you watch the sun drop in the Mediterranean Sea. Your own sailing adventure is soon about to begin…

As it gets dark the ´Croatian Athens´ is transformed dramatically into a stunningly romantic backdrop for you to lose track of time. You can enjoy pristine quality seafood fresh from the catch, have a glass of wine and watch the international crowd walk past. Most visitors coming to this town for the first time will have a look of sheer wonder and joy on their faces. Dubrovnik does just that: It makes people happy to be alive and its amazingly intact walls are a sight to behold forever.

Which ones are the best day charter escapes from Dubrovnik?

Very recommendable is a day´s sailing trip around the beautiful Elaphite islands. A skipper will pick you up from Gruz harbour and take you across the clear water. There are plenty of beaches there to discover, or alternatively many beautiful churches and sights dating as far back as the 15th century. Enjoy the lovely view of the orange groves and try the local cuisine before heading back to the city.

Another option is a day trip to the Mljet National Park. This densely wooded island is said to have been the setting for Ulysses being caught in the goddess Calypso´s cave.

Korcula, also nearby, has an absolutely wonderful town worth coming to. Here you can also visit Marco Polo´s alleged birth house.

Last not least you could do an excursion to Montenegro that includes a stop in the beautiful port town of Kotor. The choice is all yours!

Mobster in America – Jack "Legs" Diamond – The Gangster Who Couldn’t Be Killed

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Jack “Legs” Diamond was shot and injured badly so many times, he was called “The Gangster Who Couldn’t be Killed.”

Diamond, born on July 10th, 1897, of parents from Kilrush, County Clare in Ireland, spent the early years of his life in Philadelphia. After his mother died from a viral infection when Diamond was thirteen, he and his younger brother Eddie fell in with a group of toughs called “The Boiler Gang.” Diamond was arrested more than a dozen times for assorted robberies and mayhem, and after spending a few months in a juvenile reformatory, Diamond was drafted into the army. Army life did not suit Diamond too well. He served less than a year, then decided to go AWOL. He was soon caught and sentenced to three to five years at the Federal Penitentiary in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Diamond was released from prison in 1921, and he decided that New York City was where he could make his fortune. Diamond and his brother Eddie relocated to Manhattan’s Lower East Side, where they fell in with an up-and-coming gangster named Lucky Luciano. Diamond did various odd jobs for Luciano, including a little bootlegging, in conjunction with Brooklyn thug Vannie Higgins. Diamond’s marriage to Florance Williams lasted only a few months (he was never home). But his luck changed, when Luciano introduced Diamond to Arnold “The Brain” Rothstein, a notorious gambler and financial wizard. This was the break Diamond was waiting for and he made the best of it.

After starting out as a bodyguard for Rothstein, Rothstein brought Diamond in as a partner in his lucrative heroin business. When his pockets became full enough with cash, and his need for Rothstein diminished, Diamond, in concert with his brother Eddie, decided to branch out on their own. They figured they could make a bundle hijacking the bootlegging trucks of other mobsters, including those of Owney Madden and Big Bill Dwyer. This was not a very good idea, since Madden and Dwyer were part of a bigger syndicate of criminals, that included Luciano, Dutch Schultz and Meyer Lansky. In no time, Diamond was persona non grata in the gangster world, and free pickings for anyone who wanted to get rid of him.

In October of 1924, Diamond was driving a Dodge sedan up Fifth Avenue, when at 110 Street, a black limo pulled along side him. A shotgun fired at Diamond from the back window of the limo, but Diamond was too quick to be killed. He ducked down and hit the accelerator, without looking where he was going. Luckily, he was able to escape his shooters and drive himself to nearby Mount Sinai Hospital. The doctors removed pellets in his head, face and feet, and when the cops arrived to question him, Diamond dummied up.

“I dunno a thing about it,” Diamond told the fuzz. “Why would anyone want to shoot me? They must of got the wrong guy.”

Soon Diamond became friends with a gangster not looking to kill him. His name was “Little Augie” Orgen. Orgen installed Diamond as his chief bodyguard. In return, Orgen gave Diamond a nice share of his bootlegging and narcotics business. This friendship went just fine, until October 15, 1927, when Louis Lepke and Gurrah Shapiro gunned down Orgen on the corner of Norfolk and Delancey Street, with Diamond supposedly standing guard over Orgen’s safety. Diamond was shot in the arms and legs (probably by accident), necessitating another trip to the hospital. Upon his release, he made nice with Lepke and Shapiro, and as a result, the two killers gave Diamond Orgen’s bootlegging and narcotics businesses, as a reward for being stupid enough to get in the way of bullets meant for Orgen.

Now Diamond was on top of the world. He had plenty of cash to throw around, and he became a mainstay in all of New York City top nightclubs, usually with showgirl Kiki Roberts on his arm, despite the fact he was still married to his second wife Alice Kenny. Diamond was seen regularly at the Cotton Club, El Fay and the Stork Club, and his picture was frequently in the newspapers, which portrayed Diamond not as a gangster, but as a handsome man-about-town. Soon Diamond was part owner of the Hotsy Totsy Club on Broadway between 54th and 55th Street, with Hymie Cohen as his fronting partner. The Hotsy Totsy Club had a back room where Diamond frequently settled business disputes, usually by shooting his adversaries to death, then carrying them out as if they were drunk.

Diamond’s downfall started, when on July, 13, 1929, three unruly dockworkers got loaded and started a ruckus at the bar of the Hotsy Totsy Club. Diamond jumped in, with his gang member Charles Entratta, to stop his manager from being throttled. “I’m Jack Diamond and I run this place,” Diamond told the dockworkers. “If you don’t calm down, I’ll blow your (expletive) heads off.”

Talking didn’t work and soon the shooting started. When the smoke cleared, two dockworkers were dead and one injured. As a result, Diamond and Entratta took it on the lam. While they were in hiding, Diamond decided that before he could go back to doing what he was doing, the bartender and three witnesses had to be killed. And soon they were. Cohen turned up dead too, and the hat check girl, the cashier and one waiter disappeared from the face of the earth. Diamond and Entratta, with everyone out of the way who could possibly harm them, calmly turned themselves into the police and said, “I heard we were wanted for questioning.” No charges were ever brought against them, but Diamond realized New York City was no longer safe for him, so he closed the Hotsy Totsy Club and relocated to Greene County in upstate, New York.

From upstate New York, Diamond ran a little bootlegging operation. But after a few months of impatience, he sent word back to gangsters in New York City, namely Dutch Schultz and Owney Madden, who had scooped up Diamond’s rackets in his absence, that he was coming back to take back what was his. This put a target right on Diamond’s back, and he became known as the “clay pigeon of the underworld.”

Diamond was sitting at the bar of the Aratoga Inn near Arca, New York, when three men dressed as duck hunters barreled into the bar and filled Diamond with bullets. The doctors gave him little chance for survival, but four weeks later, Diamond walked out of the hospital and told the press, “Well, I made it again. Nobody can kill Jack Legs Diamond.”

A few months later, as Diamond was leaving an upstate roadside inn, was shot four times; in the back, leg, lung and liver, but again, he beat the odds the doctors gave him, and survived. He was not so lucky in December of 1931, when after a night of heavy drinking at the Kenmore Hotel in Albany, he staggered back drunk to his nearby boarding room and fell asleep. The landlady said afterwards that she heard Diamond pleading for his life, before she heard three shots. Apparently two gunman had burst into Diamond’s room, and while one held him by his two ears, the other put three slugs into his brain.

The killers escaped in a red Packard, putting an end to the myth that Jack “Legs” Diamond was the gangster who couldn’t be killed.

Cool Music Games for Music Lovers!

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There are many ways to learn about music and to practice it! Cool music games are great for that. These are online games that can give you a great experience: Exploring music, while playing a game! Playing cool music games is a great chance to learn more about music and rhythm, to learn more about beats, notes and melodies, while having fun. So get your groove on!

In my opinion, when combining music and playfulness, it could help become more accurate with sound and to improve your ear for sound differences and nuances. It could be helpful for those who want to practice playing any instrument and for those who love singing and want to become better. Of course it’s also for those who just want to have fun and play!

Here are some of the cool music games I really like:

Cytus – A free online game. The music that is played in this game is “feeding” the main creature. The music is being converted from human feelings into music. This game has almost one hundred songs in many different variations. There are many music genres like pop, rock, jazz, drum and bass and much more! You play by following the scan line and by tapping on it when it’s time, which is heard by the beat of the song. In some levels you must drag the line to the direction showed to match the sound! The game has an artistic touch and style that makes the experience even more interesting!

Magic Piano is a really cool music game that is fun and easy. It’s also a great practice to your sense of rhythm and beat. You use your fingers to tap on little bubbly dots that are synchronized with the melody. You hit those ones like you hit the piano keyboard and it feels as if you make the sound yourself. I recommend that for helping your piano skills and sense of rhythm get even better. There are many options of songs you can choose to play – from modern top hits to classical oldies.

My singing monsters – A really cool and funny game features monsters and funny creatures that each has its own sound or special voice. Some of them just sing or utter a voice, some of them hit their heads for a drum-like sound, others play an instrument. Each type is very unique and is a part of the whole “orchestra” that you can create! In order for them to keep making cool music you must feed them, give them rest when needed, and generally, take care of them so they can keep the show on! The sound and look of those monsters is hilarious and you can add or change the assembly in many ways and varieties.

In general cool music games that involve good sound and an option for a freestyle managing, are great opportunities to create, to deepen your music skills and to just chill and have some fun. Enjoy!

Mystery Shopping Fakes and Finds

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The times in my life where, for one reason or another, I was looking for a job, I always found the lure of work at home jobs tempting. The work at home jobs that were most readily available were either scams or they cost more to do than you could make. The best work at home jobs were hard to find or they required skills that I just did not have.

My true passion and calling is church ministry, which in my case has moved me across the country a couple of times. It also, until recently, did not pay at all. That meant I had to find some regular paying job that was flexible enough to let me do my church ministry.

My last move was from California back to my home state of Missouri. That left me in a position where I was not yet being paid by the church, and I still didn’t have a secular job. After a short time of filling out applications, I got tired of it and just looked up the city’s business directory and started calling. I didn’t get very far down the list before I was asked to come in for an interview. After the interview process I was hired. The job I landed was a hourly position at a mystery shopping company.

I have learned a lot about the mystery shopping industry and the problems they face with fake mystery shopping companies. These fake mystery shopping companies will often use the real mystery shopping companies name. They ofter refer to the real companies website to enhance their legitimacy. They sometimes even use the names of the employees at the real mystery shopping company.

This article’s purpose is to teach you how to avoid the fakes and take advantage of the finds by; showing you what to look for in the fakes, where to look for the finds, and the best way to make the real deal profitable. This article should give the person looking for a work at home job with flexible hours the information they need to make mystery shopping a profitable venture.

Beware of checks in the mail! If you receive checks in the mail from a mystery shopping company before you have done anything, chances are they are a fake. They may email you or even call, but if they send you money that has not yet been earned, be afraid. Be very afraid! Some unsuspecting people have called our office asking where their money is. They followed the instructions carefully. They deposited the checks and wired the money, but now their bank account is overdrawn and they are demanding answers. My only answer is they have been duped and we had nothing to do with it. It breaks my heart to tell them that they will probably never see any of that money again. If you have lost money due to one of these scams, you should contact any companies involved and the FBI as well as alert local authorities. Don’t expect any of them to be too reasuring though. Your money is probably in another country right now.

If the checks or money orders are fake, why doesn’t the bank catch them right away? The evil doers that make these fakes are really good at what they do. The only way the banks can know for sure that the checks or money order are real, is to run the transaction. That takes a couple days. Meanwhile your bank account if full of imaginary money. When you pay for something or use money out of your bank account, that money is real. If you wired money to these people or where ever they told you to wire it, that money was real as well. When the imaginary money disappears, the bank holds you responsible for the difference.

There are a plethora of other schemes out there designed to make money off anyone who might be a little to trusting. The general rule is, you don’t give or use money that you couldn’t afford to lose. If you are given money in the form of a check, money order, or even cash, give the bank time to verify it is real. Do not spend the money or send the money until it is verified. Open a separate account so as not to mix the potentially fake money with your real money. Be very careful about giving out personal information.

You might be thinking that you should just avoid everything that comes along with the words “mystery shopping” attached. Please don’t come to the conclusion that mystery shopping is always illegitimate. There are opportunities out there for those that want to shop businesses for money. Businesses rely on mystery shopping to make sure their front line employees are meeting their standard of customer service. Sometimes they do the shops internally, sending in upper management undercover. Sometimes they ask their regular customers to evaluate their service. The most common and most effective mystery shopping programs are done by third party businesses.

Mystery shopping by its very nature is secretive. Companies do not want people or other companies to know about their mystery shopping program and shoppers do not want people to know that they are mystery shoppers. Mystery shopping companies have to be very careful about how they promote their business. They can’t go around saying, “we have shops at McDonalds” to the whole world. They have to be somewhat generic. “We have fast food shops in this city” they might say. These generic advertisements rouse suspicion among those who mystery shopping companies would most like to reach. It is a catch 22.

People who are looking to become shoppers can find a few places where they can be sure the opportunities they are getting are real. One of those places in the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA). The MSPA is like the Better Business Bureau, except they deal exclusively with mystery shoppers and mystery shopping companies. Their website is mysteryshop.org. They help connect shoppers with legitimate companies.

You can also find mystery shopping forums where shoppers talk to each other about what companies are the best and worse. Most mystery shopping companies will have somebody out there calling them a scam on these forums, but take those comments with a grain of salt. These shoppers probably did not complete the shop according to the client details specified before they accepted the opportunity. There are always bitter people out there who’s goal in life is to destroy the reputation of businesses they feel cheated them out of a couple dollars. Check and see if everybody is complaining or if it is just one voice in a thousand.

You can also check out the webpage of the company and any of their social media pages. Look specifically for others who have posted on the companies blog or Facebook page. You can tell a lot by how many friends a company has on their social media platforms and how active they are. Keep in mind that shoppers are pretty private people, so you won’t a whole lot of comments on public forums. You will see enough to verify there is some life though.

Legitimate mystery shopping companies will have some sort of sign up process. Some are long and somewhat laborsome. Other companies sign up process is as simple as using a Facebook automatic sign up button. A sample of your writing might be required and other information you. It is not unusual for a mystery shopping company to ask for your Social Security number or EIN. They need this for tax purposes. If you make over $599.00, the company will have to send you a 1099 form. They may also require a W9. If the company does direct deposits they will need some bank information. Asking for any of these thing should not make you think that the company is illigitament. All these things are a necessary part of doing business with you as a independent contractor.

In most cases, unless you are applying for editing, scheduling, sales or some other type of office job, you will not be hired by a mystery shopping company. What I mean is you will not become an employee of the mystery shopping company. If you do mystery shopping you will be doing it as a independent contractor. Congratulations! You are running your own at home business. Mystery shopping companies are how you connect to the clients who need shoppers. They also do all the scheduling and editing for the client. Basically, the mystery shopping company is a liaison between the mystery shopper and the business. Without all the tools that mystery shopping companies have, shoppers would not be able to deliver the kind of reporting that companies require. Without the mystery shopping companies, businesses would spend a lot more time and money on mystery shopping programs. Mystery shopping companies are a valuable asset, both to the businesses who need shoppers and to the shoppers who want to shop for businesses. The important thing to keep in mind for those looking to be shoppers is, you are not an employee. There are benefits to that and drawbacks. but you are your boss and your client is the business. You will probably never have any contact with the person who is really paying you. Strange but true. Mystery shopping is kind of a weird world.

Different mystery shopping companies have their own way of telling you what shops are available. Most mystery shopping companies will give you a login to their website where you can see all the available shops in your area. You accept the shops you want to do and after the shops are awarded, you are responsible to follow the client details for the shops you have accepted.

After completing the shop, you will normally fill out an online survey. When you have completed the survey, some mystery shopping companies will have editors review the survey, and if there are any problems, the editors will return the shop to you to correct those problems. If you fail to follow the client details or fail to complete the survey thoroughly, the editors may reject your shop all together and look for another shopper to complete it. You will not be compensated for time or money spent doing the shop. This is the risk of being an independent contractor. If your work does not meet the agreement when you accepted the project, the client does not have to reward you.

On the other hand, if the survey is filled out thoroughly and all client details were followed, you will receive the agree upon amount of money. You may also receive an agreed upon amount of reimbursement as well for purchases made. The business will pay the mystery shopping company for their services which includes the shopper pay. The mystery’s shopping company will disburse the money owed to the shoppers. The disbursements are made using pay services, paper checks, direct deposit, etc… The day of the disbursement also varies a great deal. It could take up to 90 days to receive the disbursement for your shop. It could be as quick as 15 days from the day of the shop.

There are shops that could earn you large amounts of money or reimbursement in one shot. Normally those shops require a lot of time, a large amount of money up front, and/or some risk. There are shops where you are earning a meal, product, vacation or service completely reimbursed. You will have pay for these things first, but if you do the shop correctly, they will be 100% reimbursed or up to the agreed amount in the client details.

On the other hand, a majority of shops available earn much less money. Shops can earn as little as $2, but most are in the range of $5 to $20. Some shoppers aren’t really doing it for the money and just shop for fun.

Other shoppers develop large routes so they can do as many shops as they can in one day. They can turn $10 each into $100 easily. Many shops are in close proximity and if planned well, can make the shopper a lot of money in one day. To do this they have to sign up for as many mystery shopping companies as possible.

Route shopping takes a lot of organization. You have to be able to work with the schedulers from the different mystery shopping companies and make sure the shops can all be done on the same day. You have to allow enough time to travel between locations and enough time to fill out all the surveys. Some companies require the surveys to be turned in the same day that the shop was completed. You also have to be thorough in your reports or they could be rejected. If you miss due dates or forget about shops, you could get black listed and not be able to do anymore shops for some companies. For those that can plan and organize routes, they have the most potential for making a significant amount of money.

Most locations can be done more than once by the same shopper, there are usually rotation times. Rotation times could be as little as 30 days all the way up to a year. Some shops will only be able to be done one time and will never be able to shop that location again. It just depends on what the client needs.

Mystery shopping companies may also have affiliate programs, where the affiliate is rewarded for referring shoppers to the company. These programs could pay for every person referred that signs up or even for every shop completed by the person who was referred. Some also pay for sub-affiliate activity as well.

Mystery shopping can be a viable, flexible and fun source of income. Even if you have heard horror storys of people being taken advantage of, you can confidently choose legitimate mystery shopping companies to shop for.

Carbon Fiber and NanoTech Will Improve the Accuracy in Archery

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There have been some incredible technological advances in archery over the past couple of hundred years, but we are about to see a huge technological leap with new nano materials. Arrows and bows made out of carbon nano tubes, graphene, and bucky paper will make arrows super strong, and very accurate, as well as thinner and thus, faster.

For the crossbow hunter this gives them a superb advantage over wild game. Almost to the point that it isn’t fair, of course it wouldn’t be fair to hunt wild mammals with a sniper rifle either. And if you are hunting something that could hurt you, you don’t necessarily want it to be a fair fight anyway. Still, with these new high-tech materials there will be no competition.

There will however be competition in archery, as these new materials are being used by all participants. The accuracy ratios will be nearly unheard-of, the distances to the target can be increased, but the accuracy will get even better. Right now the manufacturers of these nano to materials have a few hurdles and barriers to cross, but within the next five years they will revolutionize the sport of archery.

It will be very interesting to see what the Olympic judges determine when using these new more accurate materials. We are already seeing with high-tech swimsuits, and special prosthesis running legs, that they given a very banished. In the archery space each athlete is allowed to use the same high-tech materials, and thus, it evens out any advantage.

Still, for the very first contestants and archery athletes that have these new materials, they will have an advantage for at least the length of time until their competitors get the same tools. Please consider all this.

An Homage To Proof S Prolific Work On The Detroit Scene

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I d like to point out that Proof has marked hip hop history. I still miss his absence in the game.

NB: the list of tracks and songs mentioned in this article is non exhaustive…forgive me for the ones I might have omitted.

Deshaun Holton was deeply rooted with the Detroit scene. Eminem and D12 s overwhelming success, Proof always busy schedule never changed the man he was. Down to earth, heartfelt, true to his roots, Proof always kept his underground work with local artists active and worked hard towards getting Detroit hip hop on the map.

Deshaun Holton was the kind of person who would not let fame affect his behavior towards other people. He didn t feel too proud to talk to a former friend nor a fan who d cross his road in Detroit or anywhere else.

Within a decade and despite all his detractors might object against him, Big Proof has done more than many artists during their whole career.

1996:

Big Proof might not be as notorious as Tupac, his underground work resembles the hidden part of an iceberg: there is more to discover than you actually think. In fact, Proof s musical work goes back to 1996.

Working together with DJ Head (D12 s former DJ), the talented artist released a mixtape called the WEGO mixtape. 5ELA s Yester Years EP is also the fruit of a collaboration with Thyme and Mudd, who formed 5 ELA with Proof.

Deshaun Holton also had a special connection with the notorious Trick Trick and his Goon Sqwad group. The same year, another CD entitled From Death came out as the product of a common collaboration.

In 1996, Proof also released a Jay Dee produced song called Da Science.

1997

Proof concentrated on working with his D12 fellows on the D12 Underground EP, a remarkable piece of work that is characterized by a combination of astute, crazy, filthy rhymes and the frequent use of dark instrumentals such as the bass.

1998

In 1998, Proof and his D12 fellows were actively working with Slim Shady on the Slim Shady EP.

On his already busy schedule, Deshaun Holton added some good quality work with hip hop dedicated artists of 5 ELA, Thyme and Mudd (Proof was also a member of the group named above). The trio gave birth to several underground jewels like The Album That Time Forgot and 5E Pt 3.

Proof and Bugz also united their lyrical efforts on deceased artist Bugz underground classic, These Streets EP. These Streets EP is, by the way, very popular in Detroit City.

1999 to 2000

The years that followed kept Proof very occupied. Eminem s overwhelming fame, the constant touring, kept Proof very active on the scene, as Eminem s hype man.

2001

Regarding D12, one could barely think of 2001 without thinking of the Devil s Night album. Major success followed with the release of the album.

During the same period, Detroit s Dirty Dozen released the Detroit What! Mixtape. Glory, fame and acclaim didn’t change Proof, who never ever neglected his local hip hop scene.

In 2001, Proof also combined some intense musical efforts with his long term friend Kevin Bailey, also known as Dogmatic.

Promatic originated from the combination of both artist s names: Proof plus Dogmatic equals Promatic. Both artists released the Promatic LP the same year.

2002

If you were already a Proof fan or listener in 2002, parts of his projects were available and downloadable on his former website, Big Proof Dot Com. One of those projects was the Electric Coolaid Acid EP.

2004

Sometimes, it feels so lonely at the top. Fame can alter the taste of simple pleasure and force you to do things that you like less, but that are requested by the music industry.

Deshaun sometimes felt like his entry into the mainstream sphere had left a sour aftertaste in his mind. In I Miss The Hip Hop Shop, a brilliant mixtape that includes many local Detroit collaborations and productions, Big Proof expressed how much he regretted the golden age of hip hop he experienced at Maurice Malone s Hip Hop Shop.

2005

Maturity comes with age and experience. From there you can look back at your mistakes and try to improve yourself. In Grown Man Shit Proof started squashing a bloody beef with his long term rival, acid rapper Esham. But Proof didn t limit his reconciliation attempt to words on a tape: his reconciliation with Esham actually happened at his last birtday party on October the 2nd, 2006.

In Grown Man Shit, Proof also puts some insignificant local haters in place and astutely ridicules them in a well written song, with loads of humor.

2006

In 2006, Proof released his Searching For Jerry Garcia LP, a CD that he had been working on for at least three years before its release. In Searching For Jerry Garcia, Proof reveals his incessant quest for real artistry, showing how much it is difficult to be a real artist, in all senses of the term.

The same year, Proof s Hand 2 Hand mixtape, a beautiful compilation of numerous Detroit talents also came out.

Before his tragic death, in March 2006, Proof did a last album, within 24 hours that is entitled Time A Tell. The album, that includes some collaborations with underground emcee Intrinzik hasn t been released yet.

During his whole career, Proof has been collaborating with numerous local Detroit talents. Among them, the notorious Trick Trick and his Goon Sqwad, Jay Dilla, Hash, Purple Gang, Woof Pac, 5 ELA, Dogmatic, Royce Da 5.9, Slum Village, Malaki The Most Hi, Twiztid of Psychopatic Records and many more.

On a national scale, Proof has also worked with numerous influent mainstream artists such as B Real of Cypress Hill, 50 Cent, Nate Dogg and Method Man.

Deshaun Holton s short life is the testimony of his true love for hip hop. A love nobody can erase from the face of the earth.

Fiverr – How To Make An Income With Only $5 Gigs

On: By: admin

Fiverr or Fiverr.com is rocking the world. This web business has become extremely popular since it was launched a few years back. In fact, it has been featured on The Wall Street Journal, NBC, Yahoo Finance, CNN Money, Fox News, Smart Money, and many other places. With every new day, more and more people are signing up and joining the Fiverr gig community.

But what exactly is Fiverr? It is an online marketplace where providers can post services offered for just $5. In other words, buyers can buy gigs that are displayed there and they have to pay just $5 for the service purchased.

The seller gets $4, and the balance is taken by the website as its commission or earning. The provider can withdraw money for services offered to the PayPal account. The services can be posted under several categories such as writing, social marketing, graphics, music & audio, business, technology, programming, and more.

What Makes Fiverr So Special?

The fact is, there is no dearth of marketplaces on the Internet. Most of them work the other way round. In other words, employers would post jobs, and as a service provider, you have to place your bid. You will hardly have any control over what you can offer as you are restricted to what the employer wants. Fiverr is different. Here, you can post the services you can offer, and the employers too can let you know what they are looking for.

The main difference is in the pricing. All services sold at Fiverr are at $5.

So, it can be said that this is a micro gig marketplace. For small jobs, this is just perfect, because at other job boards or marketplaces, the cost is simply too high to justify sales of $5.

So How Can You Make Money At Fiverr?

The website offers a great opportunity to make quick money. First, the membership is free. Just sign-up, give your details, and you can be a member in minutes.

You can start posting the services you offer as soon as you become a member. Just write down what you want to do for $5, select the category where you want your online job advertisement to be displayed, write a description for the service offered, mention the number of days within which you can do it, add an image, write down the tags, and you are done. Your advertisement will be on Fiverr in minutes.

You will begin to see traffic coming in as people view your gig, and if what you are offering interests them, then you will have sales too. You will see the revenue when you deliver the order.

It is essential that you promote your gig because it can lose visibility as more advertisements are posted in the category at Fiverr. With low visibility, your gig will have almost no traffic, and this means, no sales. You can promote your gig through Twitter, by posting the link at Face book, and asking your friends to visit and order, or you can also send your friends an email. Just be imaginative, do some promotions, and orders can soon flow in.

BOOK REVIEW: Bringing Up Girls by Dr. James Dobson

On: By: admin

Here’s a checklist of who this book is for:

-You’re a dedicated viewer of Fox News

-You attend a Christian church weekly, read the bible and pray daily (NO OTHER RELIGION IS ACCEPTABLE)

-You blindly vote Republican in every election cycle

-You consider Bill O’Reilly or Bill Cosby as moral barometers to be looked up to

-You think 1950’s America was the height of civilization, where women stay home to raise babies, don’t have professional careers, are under-educated, subservient to men and the whole women’s liberation movement ruined our society

-You believe the world was created in 7 days, 6,000 years ago and that dinosaurs and global warming are a hoax, the Earth is flat and at the center of the universe and otherwise think science is not factual

– You have a daughter

If you have all those boxes checked above and you fall into those categories, (I’m sorry for you), here are other reasons you shouldn’t buy this book: Telephoned-in authorship, meaning there isn’t that much original writing of new material. It’s mostly excerpts from other books, interviews from the author’s radio show or other shows copy/pasted together in a very incomprehensible, non-chronological and illogical way. Also, the book is littered with footnotes from sources that were selectively cherry picked to support the author’s opinion, particularly with scientific studies and material from other medical journals that were taken out of context or where the parameters of the study are faulted to produce a bias. Most of the supporting evidence for theories is anecdotal, with each story coming from women that are daughters or closely related to clergy members of other church organizations that the author has a relationship with. As a reader, you shouldn’t expect to gain any tactical advice from this book, such as “spend at least one day a week unplugged from the digital world with your daughter outdoors”, what you’ll read instead is a whole chapter on why you should focus all your efforts on ensuring your daughter stay a virgin until her wedding day and how the sky will fall down upon you if that doesn’t happen.

This book will offend you if you:

-Have any tattoos

-Have any piercings not in your ears, (women) any piercings (men)

-Are atheist, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Zen, Paganism or gain any spirituality from nature, or participate in any other religion that is not Christian in any capacity

-Are gay, or transgender

-Are not born in America, (this book is very nationalist with a negative viewpoint on being a responsible global human)

-You’re a professional women with a career outside the home, and/or the household breadwinner

-You’re a stay-at-home dad

Other disturbing issues with this book are the authors negative views on the ACLU, American Civil Liberties Union, whose stated mission is “to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States”. So because the ACLU has taken stances on issues that this author doesn’t agree with, they’re now evil and should be admonished. Along with the ACLU being outcast, so too should you admonish Girl Scouts! Because they did the most horrible act of putting the whole world first before America! Nationalism is a dangerous disease, and this author clearly suffers from it.

So why did I read it. This book was gifted to me by a family member and I was thus forced to read it. The family remember that gave it to me speaks english as a 2nd language, so I presume she didn’t fully understand what she was buying, and I had no idea who this author was before receiving this book. This book creates a world that I don’t want to live in for myself or my daughter.

Best Wedding Entertainment Options For Big Weddings

On: By: admin

The best wedding entertainment options may not include big bands that play traditional music, but we’ll let you decide that after you see some of our great selections. Making the decision to hire a band shouldn’t end in over the top stress attacks, but if you’re not sure what to do, you may be struggling. That’s why we offer great entertainment solutions for weddings of all sizes.

The bigger the wedding, the bigger the band?

Perhaps not… Let’s consider what your wedding reception style is, before we pick the best wedding entertainment for you.

Formal – Ball room style dancing, formal or black tie attire, evening wedding.

Semi-Formal – Indoor usually, semi-formal attire, may be afternoon or evening reception.

Casual – Indoor/outdoor, semi-formal to casual attire, afternoon reception.

As they imply a variety of dress codes, these wedding styles also imply a variety of band options.

Best options for a Formal Wedding Reception – include a Big Band Era, Swing Band, String Quartet, Classic Ensembles, Latin or Salsa, or Orchestra – specialties might include a theme or musical era with selected music options. One of my favorite options is to hire a Big Band for the music and add lookalikes for some variety in music selections and entertainment options. Not everyone will be dancing, so having a variety of entertainment can make the formal reception more fun for everyone.

Best options for a Semi-Formal Wedding Reception – include Latin or Salsa, String Quartets, Jazz Bands, Swing Bands, or Show Bands featuring themes, more modern music, and specialty tribute artists, or specialty acts.

Best Wedding Entertainment for Casual Receptions – include specialty acts, String Quartets, Specialty Tribute Artists or bands featuring indoor/outdoor option themes, more sing-a-long music, softer music for strolling or dancing on smaller dance floors might be included.

The bigger the wedding, the bigger the band? Feature bands with artists who sing well known covers, a cover band, or a 10 piece ensemble that offers more options might be a better band selection for the big wedding. Or a few string quartets entertaining in different areas of the reception? Hiring an event planner, or music agent to help you plan your wedding reception offers better choices.

One of the more successful wedding receptions I remember was a house party reception where the bride had hired four different bands to play in different areas of the house, gardens, and barn – turned ballroom. The early part of the reception was decidedly casual to semi-formal, but later in the evening when the lights came up in the ball room, the four bands came together as one ensemble and ball room dancing went long into the night.

How exciting your wedding and reception can be, when you hire the right bands for the right job!