It is about 3 in the afternoon and all of a sudden you are ready for a nap. It happens to you everyday about this time. You can’t concentrate anymore and you just can’t wait for the day to end?

So what can you do about it? There are 3 things that can really help to battle mid-afternoon slump.

1. sleep
2. Diet & Meal frequency
3. Exercise

Make sure you are getting between 7-8 hours of sleep every night. Your body needs the down time to recharge.

What you eat is extremely important! Your body can not function properly if you do not provide it with proper nutrition. Every meal you consume should have a protein source, such as; eggs, lean meat, fish or poultry.

The carbs you consume should be natural carbs. (i.e.: potatoes, fruits and vegetables) If you are eating grains, try to make them whole wheat and only in the early part of the day.

You should limit the fat consumption in your diet. A could place to start is 40-30-40; meaning 40 percent of your calories should be from proteins, 30 percent from carbs, and 30 percent from fat. Everyone is different, but this is a good starting point.

If you find that you are still sleepy mid-afternoon, increase your carbs slightly and decrease your fats.

Just as important is how often you should eat. To keep your body constantly charges and working properly, spread your calorie intake over 5 meals. Eat approximately every 3 hours. This will give your body constant fuel without the lows and highs that we often experience. This meal schedule will also increase your metabolism and help you burn fat.

Daily exercise is something that everyone should fit into their lifestyle. Exercising just 20 minutes a day will keep you healthy and strong. Try to mix cardio, strength training and meditation for a healthy mind, body and spirit. If you find it hard to take 20 minutes to spend exercising, try a few of these. Take the stairs to your office; join with a few colleges and “walk your lunch”, play an outside game with your children, park further from the office or store to get in a brisk 5 minute walk.

With the proper combination of sleep, diet and meal frequency and exercise you will achieve just the boost you need to get through the day with more energy and better health.

The author is the publisher of Total Health Magazine - an e-zine dedicated to the total health of its subscribers: mind, body & spirit. With over 5 years experience in the health and fitness industry; specializing in diet maintenance and balance, cardio workouts and strength training. She has been a personal trainer to many athletes in several fields - track, baseball, football and more. These athletes have used her expertise to increase their level of performance in their particular events and in their everyday lives.

Planning a wedding, whether big or small, entails a lot of preparation on the part of the people involved. For the bride and groom, the planning does not end after the wedding ceremony or the reception that comes afterwards. There are still a number of things to do after your wedding.

As the newly-married couples, you will wish to continue to celebrate your time together well after the festivities have ended. This is usually enacted by proceeding to your honeymoon destination immediately after the reception. This is easier said and done. The honeymoon destination is something that must be planned and agreed well before the time is upon you. That means well in advance.

During the planning stage, the bride and groom must decide and agree on where they want to spend their time after the wedding. Between you, make a list of appropriate and agreeable destinations. You must, of course, pack beforehand including all the things that you will need on the intended trip so that you need not bother with this task during the celebrations. The honeymoon is an important part after your wedding since it marks the first time that the bride and groom will be left alone to enjoy their marital union (traditionally, at least).

The honeymoon choice can be one which causes some friction between bride and groom. It is best to choose somewhere neutral where neither of you have been or perhaps where you have both previously been, The honeymoon period should be one of enjoyment and relaxation and you should not have any worries or concerns – and especially no conflicts – during this time.

So, plan well in advance and make the most of your knowledge of each other and your personal likes and dislikes as you book and plan this special vacation.

Eric Hartwell oversees “The World’s Best Homepage” intended to be a user-generated resource where YOUR opinion counts. Anybody can contribute and all are welcomed. Visit us to read, comment upon or share opinions on weddings and marriages and visit our associated site articles for free.

The Costa del Sol experienced its first rush of popularity with British holiday
makers in the 1960´s with the advent of the “package holiday.”

The intoxicating mix of guaranteed sunshine, cheap beer, safe, sandy beaches
combined with the opportunity to go abroad for the first time in many people’s lives
not to mention to fly, was just too good to be resisted. Add to this the chance
to stay in a hotel instead of a boarding house in Blackpool and the result
was a forgone conclusion with hoards of British holidaymakers burning themselves
on the beaches by day and throwing up in the discos by night.

This love affair with package tours to the Costa del Sol continued unabated
for nearly thirty years with holidaymakers sticking strictly to the coast,
very rarely being seen to venture into the hinterland of Andalucia. Car Hire
was not a consideration, after all nobody wanted to drive on the wrong
side of the road. But then things started to change.

Eventually a few of the more enterprising visitors began to explore the countryside
and even began to take advantage of the incredibly cheap property prices as the locals,
who for generations had eked out a poor living from the land, decided to sell
up and live more comfortable lives in the pueblos.

Taking full advantage of the lack of building regulations it was possible to
build your dream house on a fantastic sunny hillside surrounded by peace,
tranquillity and nature with some stunning views thrown in, at a fraction
of the cost of a similar property back home in dreary old blighty.

Once these homes were completed and the coffers running a bit low these enterprising
individuals started to look around for ways to replenish them. Realizing that there
were plenty of Brits who did not belong to the sun, sea and sangria brigade
but who expected from their holidays rest, relaxation, the chance to recharge
their batteries and experience something of the true nature of Spain they
decided to open up their homes and thus rural tourism in Spain was born.

Rustic villas in the most idyllic settings imaginable were rented out to
eager tourists wanting to get away from it all and experience the “real Spain.”
What a revelation this was. To be able to rent a beautiful property with a
pool surrounded by nothing but nature and perhaps a few goats. The peace, the sunshine-
it was a winning combination.

For a few years these pioneers had the stage to themselves but it did not take long for
the developers to catch on and move in.

Apartments on the coast started to go up at a rate of knots with the next
stage in the Costa del Sol tourist industry being residential tourism.
Mortgages with very favourable interest rates were offered to foreigners
for the first time and it became increasingly easy for EU nationals to
reside in Spain. Pensions could be paid into Spanish banks and the health
care on offer was deemed to be as good, if not better, than back in the U.K.

The result was the purchase of thousands of second homes on the Costa del Sol.
Some being bought with the intention of renting as holidaymakers makers began to
have the confidence to move away from the security and all inclusiveness
of the package tours and decided to go it alone by renting an apartment and
shopping around on the “net” for cheap flights.

In tandem with this was the promotion of golf tourism with the construction of
many first class golf courses and the renaming of the Costa del Sol to the
Costa del Golf.

All this development has obviously bought incredible change to the area, some
of it good and some of it bad. The roads and all infrastructure have improved
beyond bounds. There are many more and varied attractions for visitors now from 2 fabulous
aqua parks, to Selwo wildlife Park and Selwo Marina,The Picasso Museum, Mijas
Race Course, Sea World, the list goes on. The town’s and city’s streets and parks
are always beautifully kept with exotic plants and plenty of colour. The original
attraction, the beaches, have not been left out either as many of them now have lovely
long, clean promenades, they are all kept immaculate and have their share
of coveted blue flags.

And so the Brits. love a fair with Spain continues unabated and for very good reason.
The Spanish are a friendly, obliging nation, we get on well together with
no underlying historical frictions. The weather is reliable, the language not
difficult, the cost of living still reasonable and the distance from home
and the cost of travel quite acceptable. To make things even more attractive
the recent modernizing and up grading of the Costa del Sol has resulted in
some very attractive and luxurious developments, albeit perhaps one or two too many,
along with much improved town planning, banking, shopping and all general facilities.
Foreign and national and EU investment in the area has made all this possible
and it not only has much to offer all types of tourists but also the many foreign
residents who have chose to make it their second home.

Article submitted by Ruth Polak the owner of http://www.costadelsol-vacationrentals.com A web site specializing in holiday villas and apartments on the Costa del Sol and in Rural Andalucia. You will also find lots of information about Spain and Andalucia, in particular.

As team identity goes, the New York Pitbulls and Portland Wolfpack couldn’t be more different.

Renzo Gracie’s squad is a mixture of Brazilians and New Yorkers, veterans and rookies, and none of them can ever seem to get anywhere on time.

Matt Lindland’s team mostly mirrors Lindland himself: serious, hard-working, and not quite cosmopolitan. Even their gyms are complete opposites.

The Pitbulls, for instance, train in a humid basement studio in midtown Manhattan. At times it can seem as though every Brazilian in the city congregates there, and the surrounding neighborhood is full of the kind of shops where you can’t tell exactly what they’re selling, but you know it’s expensive.

The Wolfpack train out of the vaunted Team Quest facility in northeast Portland, where life is simpler, to say the least. The parking lot out back is unpaved, the inside of the building resembles a barn, and it’s not uncommon to hear an argument over who took the last can of Skoal.

In short, the only thing these squads have in common is a 1-0 record and a score to settle after a disappointing 2006 season.

The Pitbulls failed to win a single team match-up last year, although they lost only by 3-2 margins. The Wolfpack made it all the way to the finals, where they were dismantled by the Quad Cities Silverbacks.

Now, after both teams scored relatively easy victories over struggling teams in their first matches of the new season, they’ll square off with one another. Whoever emerges with the win will join the Anacondas and Sabres as the league’s only undefeated teams, and in so doing will find themselves an instant favorite to make the playoffs.

The loser, however, has to battle it out with the four other 1-1 teams all vying for two, or maybe even one, playoff spot.

One of the more intriguing matches on the card for Friday’s event (which can be seen on FSN the same night, by the way, with only a couple hours delay in most regions) has to be heavyweights Devin Cole and Bryan Vetell.

Cole is a former standout college wrestler, but he’s had a string of bad luck recently, losing his last four matches against some tough opponents. The scouting report on this Wolfpack big man says he starts fast, but has trouble pacing himself to finish fights.

One thing that isn’t in any doubt is his toughness. When Rafael Feijao broke his nose with a short right hand the last time out, Cole nonchalantly reached up and set it himself. Just hearing the clicking sound that resulted would be enough to make some men faint, take my word for it.

Vetell (right) also comes from a wrestling background, but has been molded by Gracie into more of a submissions specialist. His only loss in his relatively short MMA career came against Ben Rothwell, who also KO’d Cole with the now-famous high kick to the head in the 2006 finals.

Look for these two to go after one another right from the opening bell. Cole needs this win badly, and Vetell needs to prove he can beat an experienced opponent with strengths to match his own. Depending on how the bout order shakes out, this contest may be decided with this heavyweight showdown.

The welterweight division also presents an interesting clash of styles. The Wolfpack’s resident “skull crackin’” expert, Mike Dolce, faces his first real test against Brazilian Delson Heleno (top) .

Dolce opened strong in his IFL debut for the ‘Pack, knocking out Jim Abrille in less time than it takes to microwave a Hot Pocket. But Heleno is in a different league entirely. A jiu-jitsu champion in Brazil, Heleno is always coming forward, always grinding away at his opponents, and he looks as if he’s never been tired in his entire life.

Dolce will have to force Heleno to play his game, something the Red Bears’ Mark Miller was unable to do, despite a valiant effort. The difference in experience may decide this one, since Dolce has only three pro fights to Heleno’s eleven. If he can’t stay off his back against “Pe De Chumbo”, he may get a quick lesson on Friday night.

Of course, the light heavyweight match-up brings us the IFL’s first rematch, as the Wolfpack’s Matt Horwich moves back up to 205 to take on Jamal Patterson. Horwich lost the first meeting, but he’s been a different fighter ever since. In the middleweight class, Fabio Leopoldo looks to continue his winning streak over Gerald Harris, a late fill-in for the Wolfpack.

Finally, the lightweight match of the evening pits newcomer Joe Sampieri against the Wolfpack’s Ryan Schultz (right). Schultz is coming off two straight losses to powerful strikers, so he may have some demons to slay against the Thai boxer Sampieri.

The word on Schultz is that he hasn’t been quite the same fighter since he hit this rough patch a few months back. Look for this wrestler/brawler to get back to his roots in this one. The Wolfpack are certainly betting on it.

Also on the card, Don Frye’s Tucson Scorpions look for their first IFL win against Carlos Newton’s Toronto Dragons. The highlight here should be heavyweights Chad Griggs and Rafael Feijao facing off, as well as the much-anticipated return of Mike Whitehead.

The event kicks off this Friday night, April 13th, at 8 pm est. Wolfpack-Pitbulls can be seen on Fox Sports Net starting at 11 pm in most regions, but be sure to check our TV schedule for your local listings. In addition to the TV coverage, IFL.tv will feature a live play-by-play from ringside.

All too often, people experience work that does not provide any enjoyment at all. Each day they wake and in those seconds as they become conscious, they realize it’s another dreary day at their workplace. It’s like a ball and chain on their life, eight or ten hours, simply wasting their lives away.

Every day.

Of course they have other things to look forward to - those hours they spend with friends or family outside their awful workplace, And yet, the cloud hanging over them persists, sadly. And the hours grow into days. And the days into weeks, months and years. before they know it, their work life ends with so little to show for it.

Truth is, you can be one of the growing number of people who find a job they love by taking action. Just a few easy stages, taking you along on the path to a very different work experience. Here are six simple steps you can take to get you on your way.

Tip One

First up is making sure you really recognize the kind of work that turns you on. Some skeptics might say that there’s no ‘job’ anywhere to get them excited about. Yet, most often, most people do want to be fulfilled and experience an opportunity to grow themselves and make a positive impact on the world. Yet it’s always best done in a way that gives them a buzz as they do it. And everyone is different, so that if all the jigsaw pieces fell into place, we could all be doing just what we are best at!

Tip Two

Second step, once you’ve carefully recognised the kind of job you really do want, is to work out where those jobs hang out. Is it somewhere you know? Somewhere that requires you to change where you live; something you can’t quite find yet. It’s about what resonates with you when you check the job adverts in the local paper. Or maybe know someone who has just the thing you want even!

Tip Three

Make sure that whatever you set your mind on is doable; maybe not this year, maybe not next, but if you really do want something badly, you will develop for yourself a strategy that will help you gradually edge closer to exactly what you want. So, a key action here is to assess how close you are to what they will want from you and plan ahead to get the experiences and training you might feel you need - in advance, because when you find the opportunity, you want to be as ready as you can.

Tip Four

Prepare your resume well. there are all sorts of free information websites out there nowadays. You can pay to get the job done for you, but by taking a little time to research, you will most likely be able to glean enough detailed knowledge about resumes to make yours stand out above the rest. If in doubt along the way, make friends with someone in HR, so that they can cast an eye over what you prepare.

Tip Five

Believe in yourself. As Henry Ford once said, ‘If you believe you can, or you can’t, you are right’! Truth is, it’s a lottery as to who is successful in applying for jobs sometimes. But you can prepare well and build experiences that will stand you in good stead for the questions that come. Not only that, but the key thing is that the broad, carefully selected scenarios of worthwhile experiences, showing off exactly what you personally, did WILL give you huge confidence. Truly that, in fact, you CAN!

Tip Six

To quote another great man, this time a Brit, who masterminded success during the bleak days of a World War. Winston Churchill’s famous motto was, ‘Never give up. Never give up. Never give up’. Life doesn’t go in straight lines, there are ups and down, so be careful not to lose faith in your ultimate success. In fact, with each and every time you fail, just by the law of averages you are more likely to succeed next time! Use the failures to learn from; get objective feedback if you can and fine tune your ‘performance’ for next time. To find a job you love, you will need to persevere and continue searching and applying, until you find something you will totally LOVE!

It’s a huge challenge to get what you want from your career - and yet it’s such a valuable activity. Remember you have the choice - and it’s only your choice, no-one else’s - you can go for it and take the chance, or you can wallow in the comfort of nothingness for the rest of your career.

It’s as simple as that.

© 2007 “How To Land Your Dream Job”. You can have the job of your dreams. It takes application, attention and the information you need to get you there, young or old. There’s all you need at Martin Haworth’s website, http://www.howtolandyourdreamjob.com

The life and death of Anna Nichole Smith remind us that a life of fame and fortune can be tragic if we do not deal with our inner-demons. According to CNN, Anna Nichole came from humble origins in the Southern United States. She began a very successful career as a model at an early age because she was very attractive. New opportunities began to open because of her “delightful personality,” according to friends and loved ones, as she became a Playboy Bunny and Center-fold, and later an actress who hosted her own reality show called The Anna Nichole Show. During her reality show a much heavier but still very attractive Anna Nichole struggled with normal life circumstances, in an entertaining way. Eventually, through dieting and exercise, she lost much of her weight and became the beautiful, well-shaped woman she had always been.

As a result of her discipline, Anna Nichole became an example of an entertainment personality who could work hard, and could take control of her life. Underneath all of this, however, was a very troubled person. She, like the beautiful Maryland Monroe, often suffered from depression, anxiety, and a low self-image. Her life was filled with wild parties, alcohol, and drugs. She was also taking several types of medication prescribed by a number of doctors unaware of each other’s prescriptions. Some of the prescriptions were even discovered to have been prescriptions written for Howard Stern, her lawyer and personal advisor. By the time Anna Nichole met a tragic death, according to CNN, she was taking more than nine medications. She amassed a fortune because of her success, but also attracted many men who seemed somewhat “unhealthy,” according to her close friends and family.

Her eldest son had died as a result of drug abuse. Many of her friends blamed his death on the negligence of her personal lawyer become lover, Howard Stern, and thought he was somehow implicit. She had three men claiming to be the parent of her new-born child. She was struggling with drug addiction, and psychological injury. Her demons plagued her despite her beauty, her bubbly personality, and her power to make it in the world of entertainment.

Anna Nichole’s death, as reported by the coroner, was a result of a bad interaction between prescription drugs. She was taking the drugs to heal herself in the same way she was striving for fame and fortune to take her out of a world of poverty, boredom, and low self-esteem. The irony and tragedy is that her external striving for esteem and power may have helped worsen her pain and depression. Had she used the same amount of energy working “on the inside as the outside,” as the teachings of the Shaolin Monks suggest, perhaps she wouldn’t have needed to resort to drugs, alcohol, and partying for relief.

The life and death of Anna Nichole was a tragedy for all who knew her, leaving us with the lessons that fame and fortune are not all that there is, and that we must take care of our inner-demons; they will not automatically take care of themselves. Striving for fame, fortune, and success is admirable, but without taking care of our inner-demons, it can all crumble around us.

Journal of Practical Spirituality at http://www.dswellness.com There is also a link to our Universal Circle of Creation Spirituality, our progressive mystical voice for spirituality. For ideas like these read:
Reunion of Souls, Dr. John W.Gilmore. A book of deep spirituality in Sci-fi form.

There are some things that can be said about all Mark Twain quotes, regardless of which one it is you’re referring to. One, they’re witty. Yes, Mr. Twain was one witty character. Two, they bring a smile to your face. Whether you’re smiling because you think it’s funny or you’re smiling because you completely relate (even if a bit embarrassingly), Mark Twain quotes can crack a grin on the most stoic of faces.

Here are 16 Mark Twain quotes to get you smiling during Humor Month (April).

1. “Always acknowledge a fault. This will throw those in authority off their guard and give you an opportunity to commit more.”

2. “Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.”

3. “Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.”

4. “A person with a new idea is a crank until the idea succeeds.”

5. “Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.”

6. “But who prays for Satan? Who, in eighteen centuries, has had the common humanity to pray for the one sinner that needed it most?”

7. “Don’t part with your illusions. When they are gone, you may still exist, but you have ceased to live.”

8. “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.”

9. “It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.”

10. “Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.”

11. “Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.”

12. “Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living; the world owes you nothing; it was here first.”

13. “A person who won’t read has no advantage over one who can’t read.”

14. “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great ones make you feel that you, too, can become great.”

15. “A man who carries a cat by the tail is getting experience that will always be helpful. He isn’t likely to grow dim or doubtful. Chances are, he isn’t likely to carry the cat that way again, either. But if he wants to, I say let him!”

16. “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do… Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

Mark Twain was one of America’s true treasures. Not often is it that we can find a man who can touch us so deeply with the written word. Inspiration, reflection, humility, confidence, wisdom, and (of course) laughter — Mark Twain quotes can give us all of this and more.

For more Mark Twain quotes, check out the popular Mark Twain quotes section of Famous-Quotes-And-Quotations.com, a website that specializes in ‘Top 10′ lists of quotations in dozens of categories.

Around the explosive, political and musically transitional period of the late ’60s, America, Jamaica and England were affected by a new production technique that first reared its head in Jamaican studios. Special effects units like delays, echoes, and reverbs had gained popularity through producers like Osbourne (King Tubby) Ruddock, who owned a sound system and cut acetates at Duke Reid’s Treasure Isle Studio. By accidentally leaving out parts of the vocal mix to a song, Ruddock stumbled upon a new formula that offered more options for performing studio magic. He took this new mix with him to a dance, and played the recognizable version first. Then he played his ‘accident,’ and the dub mix was born. Not only did he blow the people away that night; he ran back into the studio to do it again.

In the 1970s when a single was released, it was often answered by another record that gave the second artists’ commentary on the first record. Sometimes, many spin-off versions came out of this technique, known as toasting. This form of rapping caught on later in the United States via the concrete jungles of New York City. On many Rap mixtapes and CDs, artists would modify toasting by ‘dissing’ each other when they had beef among themselves. Though some of the product was hard to find, fans ate up the resulting, often-exclusive releases anyway. Toasting utilized catch-phrases that incorporated the sharp Jamaican dialect–-it added a rhythmically expressive, deep melodic quality to Reggae music. When many of my fellow Jamaicans speak, their accents often make them sound like the music: quite rhythmic, quite expressive, quite melodious, quite harmonic, and quite textural. Some popular Jamaican phrases follow:

Babylon - hard living, trouble My yute - homeboy
Bwoyfren’ - boyfriend N’yam - eat food
Cool runnin’s - it’s all good ‘Ole on a likkle - wait just a minute
Cho’ - never mind Oonu - you all
Diy’yah - over here Pickney - children
Frock - a dress Redi dress - showing out
Is fi’ mi - it’s mine Roll tide - keep it moving
Good good - that’s fine Selectah - a DJ
Gweh - get out of my face S’mody - somebody

Gwine - going Soccamibassa - dressed poorly
Gyalfren’ - girlfriend Tegereg - troublesome; a P.I.T.A.
Leggo beas’ - wild, unruly Tump you - hit you
Maahgah - skinny Whe’ mek? - why?

Dialects of Jamaican ‘patois’ can be spoken fast, slow, or moderately. Some of the diction is easier to understand than others because it may depend upon which region of Jamaica one is from. Some people may have emotional inflections in their speech patterns, while others may have musical ones. One thing for sure is that unless you can’t hear, you will definitely know it when a person from the islands is talking or singing…‘yah, mon.’ But even without vocals, this underground Dub music of Jamaica was still shaping itself into a more defined entity. By 1973, ‘King Tubby’ Ruddock was experimenting with instrumental versions of songs by manipulating sounds on the tracks. His equipment contained a disc-cutter, mixing console, tape machines and effects units. He worked with the top producers on the island to compose and release the dub album “Blackboard Jungle.”

Instrumental versions of songs soon showed up on the B-sides of singles, called ‘dub mixes.’ Whether tracks were abruptly punched-in with buttons or smoothly faded-in with the sliding fader, they were still given a heavy dose of sound effects. In some cases, interesting effects were created by running a looped tape over the heads of a tape machine. To facilitate this method, a section of the tape was identified for ‘surgery’ or ‘splicing.’ Splicing occurs by putting the section of tape on a ‘chopping block’ with vertical and diagonal grooves etched into it. The grooves guided a razor blade as it sliced the tape at the beginning and end of the section to be cut. The two ends of the isolated tape were then taped together and run through the tape rollers, which passed the tape over the three heads (erase, record and playback) in a repeated, looped manner.

The playback head picked up the signal and played it till the ‘stop’ button was depressed. If the splice wasn’t precise, this procedure could become tedious and time-consuming. This method may not have caught on in the fast-paced world of ‘put it together quick’ Rap music, but sampling sure did. Electronically-made sounds and sampling went on to become worldwide phenomena. Like tape looping, Jamaicans used sampling to create new music such as Dancehall Reggae. You’ll want to see the chapter “What Makes Music” in the forthcoming “Musicology 102” for more on sampling. If the info in that chapter tweaks your interest, we’ll be covering more studio techniques that you may find interesting in the sequel to that book, “Musicology 103.”

Dub remixes were released as a standard configuration by the mid ’70s, and DJ’s constantly played them in the clubs. The open relationship between the United States and Jamaica allowed new styles and trends to drift between the two cultures. By the end of the decade, Rap music made its introduction by creatively looping drum and bass lines with a rhythmic (non-melodic) vocal track and new sounds. Rap brought showmanship to a new level by using the techniques of Jamaican Dancehalls and sound systems, courtesy of innovative DJs like Kool Herc. In case you may have forgotten, we opened up the book chapter by talking about the DJ who brought thunder to the clubs. ‘Big ups’ to these unsung heroes–-they changed the era’s musical protocol by breaking down music and remixing it. In America, R&B, Funk, Jazz and Dance music were also broken down and rebuilt; adding anticipation, excitement and exhilaration to physical activity (dancing) and other types of live performances.

Dub music was often fused together in a live setting (people are around), with the mixing board serving as the action centerpiece, as if it were a musical instrument. In the hands of an experienced, partially or totally insane sound engineer or producer, this meant hit records. Besides tweaking the sound processing devices to get a desired or unexpected effect, other studio tricks were also employed. Some techniques include the use of gunshots, screams, sirens, whistles, test tones, mechanical sounds; even physically striking a reverb unit to get a new sound. Therein lays the answer to the exclusivity factor, which was taken very seriously in Jamaican music. Since no one else had the sounds, no one else could play them. To quote pioneering rapper Rakim (of Eric B & Rakim), “I said it before.”

By the late ’70s, the Imprint label, headed up by top Dub engineer Lloyd James (also known as ‘Prince Jammy’), stepped into the limelight to become one of the leading forces in this new wave of music coming from Jamaica. In the meantime, concerts by Jamaican artists were supported by a core group of Blacks and Whites in England and in the United States. The support of British and American recording artists encouraged a curious fan base to listen closer to Reggae. Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton and The Police made hits that hinted at Reggae, while Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder gave their own convincing perspectives. Just take a good listen to groups like The Eagles (“Hotel California”) and Steely Dan (“Hey Nineteen”) as you dig through hordes of great music tracks to decipher what they and so many others have created during their fabulous careers. More tactical support was on the way when the new Dancehall genre came out of Jamaica. During the late ‘80s to early ’90s, it filtered into the Rap/Hip-Hop culture, by way of transplanted Jamaicans and inner-city Big Apple youth who were already thinking “outside the box.”

The loss of Jamaica’s musical prophet Bob Marley in 1981 shook the shores of Jamaica and chain-reacted to a worldwide level. Before things improved, things got worse and Jamaica’s economics took a nosedive. Political turmoil ran rampant between the Jamaican Labor Party (JLP), and the People’s National Party (PNP). Jamaican posses became murderously volatile at home as well as in the States and in the U.K. Well-known activists (including musicians and others) were getting viciously gunned down, left and right. The per-capita statistics were astounding. Something had to give; there was too much trouble popping off on this nearly 150 mile-long island starving for ongoing attention, out in the middle of the Caribbean Sea. Through multiple Prime Minister hand-offs over the years, the bureaucracy of Jamaica (liberated in a year that holds strong significance to me), has passed among seven pairs of hands:

1962 – 1967 Alexander Bustamante (JLP)

1967 Donald Sangster (JLP)

1967 – 1972 Hugh Shearer (JLP)

1972 – 1980 Michael Manley (PNP)

1980 – 1989 Edward Seaga (JLP)

1989 – 1992 Michael Manley (PNP)

1992 – 2006 P.J. Patterson (PNP)

2006 – Present P.S.-Miller (PNP)

Notice anything interesting? It’s been said that there’s no constant like change: for the first time in history, Jamaica handed off its male-dominated political reigns to another original–-the first female Jamaican Prime Minister, in March of 2006. The PNP’s own Portia Simpson-Miller succeeded another PNP member, Prime Minister Percival James Patterson.

Over in England, Reggae and Dub artists made successful entrances into the music industry’s battle arena by slicing and dicing the studio mix exclusively for the club. By the 90s, the eminent sub-division of Dub music emerged not only from Jamaica, but also the U.K. and U.S. with styles like ‘Drum & Bass,’ ‘Jungle,’ ‘Trip-Hop’ and ‘Techno.’ International groups from other genres like The Cure, Depeche Mode, Garbage, Living Colour, Nine Inch Nails, and dozens of rappers, producers and DJs tested Dub in their tracks. Dub influences are often heard in recordings with electronic drums, bass, keyboards, strings, and horns in Reggae styles like Dancehall. A popular sound was found in an early form of Reggaeton called Dancehall Reggaespanol, or Spanish Dancehall. This style of music appealed more to people of the Hispanic/Latino societies in Cuba, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and abroad. Spanish Reggae featured Reggae music with Spanish lyrics and catchy horn arrangements. Traditional Latin music may often feature the guitar in songs.

Many people may not realize it, but the Panama Canal was built not only by local Panamanians, but also Jamaicans and other immigrants from around the world in search of economic relief. It didn’t take long for the music industry to notice there were many Black Latinos in places like those listed above, and in South America. By 1991, Columbia Records acknowledged Dancehall Reggaespanol, as it appealed to a large, multi-cultural fan base. Some acts:

Arzu
Cocoa Tea
Cutty Ranks
El General
Fab 5
Killer Ranks
La Diva
Lisa M.
Little Lenny
Marcony
Nando Boom
Nardo Ranks
Ninjaman
Sugar Minott
Supercat
Rude Girl
(La Atrevida)

INTERESTING POINTS:

• Featured artist Lisa M is from Puerto Rico; not only is she making songs like ones on this CD, but she also creates music in other styles such as Merengue. Merengue is popular throughout the Caribbean islands, and in South America. While we’re pointing out well-known Merengue hot spots, let’s not forget the site of the famous, international canal–-Central America’s Panama, home of red gold. Lisa M and the remaining “Dancehall Reggaespanol” cast were on the forefront of something that wouldn’t crest until after the new millennium arrived.

• Now going by the name of Reggaeton music, Latin Dancehall music incorporates Spanish lyrics as the driving force; moving forward in its popularity, a whole new generation of music appreciators will be pleasantly surprised to hear this exciting music form: some of them, for the first time. Godspeed, children.

• You may have noticed the name “Ranks” attached to Cutty, Killer, and Nardo. Trust me - these guys are not brothers by blood. In fact, many Dancehall artists used “Ranks” in their stage names. One of the biggest was “Shabba.” He got signed to Epic Records around the time Columbia Records signed another hot Jamaican artist known as Supercat. Since I worked for Sony Music (the distributor of Epic), I marketed and promoted Shabba Ranks’ Epic releases.

• Supercat (also known as Don Dada), was already doing his thing on a ‘super’ level when he got signed to a Columbia Records contract during the late ‘80s. He was also one of the first-round draft picks when the label began their Dancehall/Reggae signing spree. In keeping ahead of the violins, let me point out that he was another act I marketed at Sony Music, along with Columbia’s “Dancehall Reggaespanol” compilation CD. Considered a ‘West Indian Godfather’ in ‘the biz,’ Supercat is given love in Damian Marley’s song with the somewhat infamous Bobby Brown, called “Beautiful.” That’s another hit song on Marley’s “Welcome To Jamrock” CD. Trust that! Supercat still has his mojo too, with his name mentioned twice each time it comes up throughout the song. “Check it!”

A valedictorian and contributing author to Bernard Percy’s books during elementary school, L.A. finished high school in Brooklyn, then went to L.A.City College. He graduated in 1987 from Georgia State University in Atlanta. An internship led to 10 years with CBS Records/Sony Music, where L.A. worked with almost every act, implemented sales/marketing campaigns, received numerous gold/platinum albums, awards, and traveled throughout the U.S., Canada and Jamaica to events.

As a recording studio owner, AV technician and manager for a global audiovisual company (TAVS), L.A. owns MKM Multimedia Works. In 2001 he executive-produced the Million Mom March’s Atlanta Artists Against Gun Violence compilation CD, featuring top Atlanta acts. In 2002, L.A. secured a commercial with The GAP for Arrested Development’s Baba Oje. L.A. now initiates his ‘6 books in 5 years’ plan.

With a vision of where he’s going, L.A. works towards a goal. A quote that L.A. picked up from mentor/author/educator BernardPercy.com is: “Everything turns out right in the end - if it isn’t right, it isn’t the end.”

Are you depressed? If so, don’t feel alone. It happens to millions of Americans and others around the world. The thing that really stinks about depression is that, with all of our technology and medical “know how”, we still haven’t come up with a sure fire cure for depression. There’s a reason behind this too. Read on.

The biggest issue that doctor’s are having with finding a cure are that there are several different types of depression to deal with and of these, some have their own unique symptoms that must be dealt with. This is why some doctor’s will give you more than one medication to try to help you. You could be suffering from a few different symptoms and they would have to give you a different medicine for each individual symptom. Example, you could be suffering from depression, anxiety and insomnia (loss of sleep). In this case, the doctor might give you an antidepressant drug like Zoloft, something to help your anxiety symptoms like Busbar and possibly Trazadone in order to help you sleep. This is all hypothetical, but comes from personal experience.

The only problem with antidepressant medications is that, in many instances, they only relieve the symptoms of depression about 70% of the time and of that, only partially. There are some people that must “try” several different medicines before they either find something that helps or choose to try something completely different, such as professional therapy. The problem with these medicines is that it takes three to four weeks for them to get fully integrated into your system. Only after this time has passed will you know if they are helping you, not helping you or making things worse. After this time frame has passed you may choose to try another medication and the process begins all over again. Whatever you do, never stop taking your medications without consulting your doctor first. This can be extremely dangerous in some cases.

Another issue with antidepressants are the side effects. These are always such a joy to deal with. Nervousness, diarrhea, constipation, insomnia, fatigue and more. Isn’t it ironic that some of the side effects are things that you may have gone to the doctor to get help for in the first place?

There are other types of depression that are very serious such as Clinical depression or Manic (Bipolar) depression. People that suffer from these forms of depression suffer from an entire array of symptoms such as mood swings, sometimes violent, inability to have or maintain healthy relationships with friends or family, suicidal thoughts and more. Manic depressives have also been known to perform self mutilation, cutting themselves all over their arms and legs. Not deep enough to be life threatening normally, but enough to leave terrible scarring and cause themselves awful pain.

Depression is a terrible disorder that has become more and more common in this day and age. If you or some one you know suffer from symptoms of depression for more than two weeks, you need to seek medical help and find out what your options are. Good luck.

Joe Stevens is a Webmaster and a disabled veteran that writes articles about topics that are of interest to him or affect him. You can read more helpful articles like this by going now to http://www.ArticlesAboutDepression.org or Depression And Self Test

So you have watched poker on TV, maybe even played on the internet. Now you and a group of friends want to have your own tournament. Before the cards hit the table, there are several things you can do to insure everybody has a good time and your tournament runs smoothly.

The first thing you should do before planning a home poker tournament is to check the laws in your area. Each state and in some places, even the county you live in have laws regarding gambling. In most cases the laws restrict anyone from making a profit from the tournament. This means you can’t charge an extra fee for entering the tournament. Any money collected for entering the tournament should be added to the prize pool and distributed to the winners. Your local laws may differ.

Questions to ask yourself before sending out the invitations:

What game are you going to play?
While there are a great number of different poker games, the most popular version these days is No-Limit Texas Hold ‘em. This is what everybody watches on TV and will likely be familiar to everybody you invite.

How much are we playing for?
A home poker tournament should be more about having a group of friends over and having a good time rather than about winning a large sum of money. Consider the tournament a night of entertainment for your guests. Dinner and a movie will run between $20 - $30 dollars. This is a good place to start and is likely in everybody’s comfort zone.

Will you allow re-buys?
Playing No-Limit Texas Hold ‘em means that it’s possible for players to lose all their chips very quickly. Allowing players to purchase more chips if they lose them all during a specific amount of time is one way to make sure that everybody gets a chance to play for an ample amount of time prior to being relegated to watching the tournament from the sidelines. The other benefit to re-buys is the additional money in the prize pool for the winners. Set the number of rounds for which you will allow re-buys.

Will you allow add-ons?
While a re-buy lets someone buy more chips once they have lost all theirs, an add-on is a way to let all players, regardless of the amount of chips they have, to purchase more chips. There is usually a specific time for making the add-on purchase and once that time has passed, no additional chips can be purchased. At this point, if you lose all your chips, you are out of the tournament for good. It’s typical for re-buys and add-ons to be available for the first hour of play.

How many chips do you get?
The physical number of chips is going to depend on how many chips you own or can borrow. The chip values, in reality don’t matter either since everybody is going to be starting with the same total value in chips. However, to make it easiest on yourself and your players, I suggest keeping to a pretty simple formula. Start each player with $2000 in chips. The configuration that I start each player with looks like this:
(10) $5 chips
(10) $25 chips
(7) $100 chips
(2) $500 chips

In order to make this as easy as possible, make the cost of the initial buy-in, re-buys and add-ons the same cash value and worth the same number of tournament chips.

As a side note, to cut down on the amount of physical chips you will need, for all re-buys and add-ons, either give the player (4) $500 chips or (2) $1000 chips.

What are the blinds?
Here is an example of a relatively simple blind structure:
level 1 - 5/10
level 2 - 10/20
level 3 - 25/50
level 4 - 50/100
level 5 - 100/200
level 7 - 200/400
level 8 - 400/800
level 9 - 800/1600
level 10 - 1600/3200

Each blind level should last 15 to 20 minutes. If the structure above seems to get too high, too fast, you can easily add in the following levels: 75/150, 150/300, 300/600, 500/1000 or as many additional levels as you choose. Just remember, the more levels you add, the longer the game is likely to last.

How many winners will there be?
The number of players who will win part of the prize pool largely depends on how many start the tournament. If there are going to be 10 players or less, I usually do a 60%/40% split of the prize pool for the final 2 players. Between 11 and 30 players, split the prize pool 50%/30%/20%. If your tournament is going to be larger than 30 players, for each 10 additional players, add another payout spot. Take a few percentage points off each of the higher payouts as needed.

Will you be providing refreshments?
Just because you are hosting the tournament, doesn’t mean it’s your job to feed the group. There is nothing wrong with letting your guests know ahead of time that you will provide chips and sodas and that they are welcome to bring food items or beverages of their choosing. Or, ask everybody to pitch in $5 or $10 for food and then plan to order pizza and stock your fridge with sodas and beer.

Now it’s time to send out your invitations. I suggest using a service like evite.com. It’s an easy way to keep track of who’s coming and who isn’t. This will help you in your preparations the day of the tournament. Send out your invites as early as possible giving your guests the best chance to schedule the night out.

What you are going to need on the day of the tournament
By this time you should have a pretty good idea of how many players to expect. Now it’s time to get set up.

Tables: It’s important to consider how many players you can fit around each table. Figure that each table needs to hold an equal amount of players. You will want each table to hold no less than 6 players. Also, plan on covering the tables with either a table-cloth, or if you can purchase a fold-out poker table-top or a poker felt. During the course of the night you will not want to have poker chips, drinks and whatever else sliding across your uncovered table surface.

Chairs: Obviously you want to keep your players as comfortable as possible. Most houses don’t have 20 chairs sitting around, so you may need to buy, borrow or rent enough chairs to handle your tournament size. Folding chairs will run you $8 - $14 each depending on if they have padded seats or not. If you plan on running your home poker tournament on a regular basis, purchasing the chairs may be your best option in the long run.

Poker Chips: Your options for poker chips these days are tremendous. There are literally thousands of sets available on ebay.com and hundreds of online poker supply stores. If you plan on using the poker chips on a regular basis, I strongly suggest you purchase a large enough set to handle at least 50% more players than you are expecting to show up. And, purchase a decent quality chip set. This doesn’t mean you have to go broke, but make sure you are going to be happy with the chips in the long run. I suggest buying at least 11 gram chips or 14 gram chips if you really want a “casino feel” to your chips.

Cards: The saying “you get what you pay for” couldn’t be more true than when it comes to purchasing poker cards. Every poker supply store will sell you “cut” or “stamped” cards real cheap. These are cards that were used by a casino and have been retired. They usually come from the blackjack tables and have seen only 5-6 hours of play. But, these cards will get bent and marked quite easily. I suggest you stick with Bicycle brand plastic playing cards, or if you want to go for the professional feel, search for KEM or Copag cards. These are plastic cards that will not be ruined if a drink is spilled on them, they take back their original shape after being bent and are a solid investment for long term use. These cards will cost you $10-$15 per deck but will save you money in the long run as you won’t be replacing them several times per night like you would with the cheap cards.

One additional item that you may want to have for your poker tournament is a program available for your computer called Poker Tournament Manager. This software will help you keep track of which players have already paid for their buy-in, the chip color/denomination, the blind levels, the payouts and it also keeps track of players’ personal stats including where they have placed in each of your tournaments, their buy-ins and payouts, etc. It also has a timer that keeps track of when the levels are supposed to change. The software also allows you to post each tournament’s stats to their server where you can view all the stats online. I’ve personally used the software for over 2 years and could not see running a tournament without it.

Almost game time
Just before you start the game it is a good idea to take a couple minutes and go over the “house rules.” Remind them of your policy for re-buys and add-ons. Let them know exactly how many places will be being paid out and how long they have to make re-buys or add-ons. See if anyone has any questions before you start.

Seating the players
Players should not be allowed to choose their own seat location. If you picked up the Poker Tournament Manager software, it will randomly seat the players for you. Otherwise, figure out how many tables you are going to have (I’ll assume 2 full tables of 10 players for this example) and then remove the Ace through 10 of two different suits. Mix the cards up face down on the table and have each person select a card. This will be their seat number and table assignment. All the people who chose the same suit will sit at the same table in the order of the rank of their card. You can let the player who drew the Ace choose their seat and then the remaining players would fill in the remaining seats with #2 being on his left, then #3 to his left, etc…

If you are lucky enough to have players who are experienced enough to also know how deal, see if one of them would be willing to be the designated dealer for each table. If so, automatically sit them in seat 1 in the middle of the table giving them the easiest access to deal to the entire table.

If you do not have a designated dealer at the table, it’s best to have 2 decks of cards at each table. Be sure to have recognizably different sets of cards at the table. For example, the backs of one deck can be red and the other deck blue. This will make it nearly impossible for the decks to get mixed up. Decide where the dealing is going to start (typically with the player in seat 1) and give them one of the decks to shuffle and deal. Give the second deck to the player in seat #2. They can shuffle the cards and get them ready for their turn to deal after the conclusion of the current hand.

It’s time to play cards. Shuffle up and deal!

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John Hawkins is the writer and editor of Texas-Holdem-Poker.com. Check out
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