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Himfr Ivy asked:


The ancient Olympic Games were a four-yearly event with sporting activities as its main content and the cessation of hostilities among the city states in Greece as its main characteristic. In those days, China also experienced divisions from time to time. There were the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC) and the Period of Warring States (475-221 BC) during the Zhou Dynasty before the First Emperor of Qin (259-210 BC) unified the whole Chinese empire. Following the Han Dynasty (206BC-AD220), the main part of China was divided again during the Period of Three Kingdoms (220-280), to be reunified under the Jin court. As in ancient Greece, there were of course intervals of peace between wars among the states or kingdoms—not as a result of the proclamation of truce during the Olympic Games which were non-existent in ancient China, but as a result of diplomatic manoeuvres or military deterrent forces. After all, there is the universal law of “split after long unity and unity after long split,” as Chinese philosophers put it.

However, the non-existence of Games does not necessarily mean non-existence of sports. As a matter of face, there are sports whenever and wherever there are human activities. Man must take up sports to keep fit for survival and amuse themselves after work. In order to gather food , hunters in the palaeolithic times not only invented tools, such as stone axes, balls, hooks, spearheads and nets, but also learned how to use them more efficiently, knowing that only with a stronger physique and the ability to run and swim faster, jump higher and throw a projectile farther and with greater precision could they catch more game and fish. This was the origin of the running, jumping, throwing and swimming events which figure so largely in the Olympic Games today, and whose origin can only be attributed to human instincts rather than to a particular race or individual at a particular time. The stone balls excavated in Gaoyang County in China’s Shanxi Province date back to 100,000 years and are supposed to have been used not only in hunting, but also in throwing contests as athletes do in shot putting today. Archery, another Olympic event, has appeared in the mythology of many nations. Odyssey was said to have slain his wife’s suitors with his bow and arrows. A Chinese legend has it that during the Yao times many thousand years ago, a marksman named Hou Yi shot down nine of the 10suns in the sky which had scorched all plants on the earth. Even today, bows and arrows are still used among many ethnic groups in China as a weapon to kill animals and in archery as a popular sporting event.

In ancient times men engaged themselves not only in flight with nature, but also in flight among themselves. Therefore sport has yet another aim: to improve the ability to beat the enemy, with or without weapons. During the rule of the Yellow Emperor, who has been held as the first ancestor of the Chinese nation, a rebel tribe headed by Chiyou trained his warriors in fighting with cow horns fastened to the head, which was included in the “one hundred amusements” and developed into various forms of wrestling in later generations. Military training in ancient China included all kinds of martial arts, such as wrestling, pugilism, fencing, tripodlifting, horse-racing, stone-throwing, hunting and swimming. During the Spring and Autumn Period, a high-ranking official in Qi state named Guan Zhong (?-645 BC) ordered the building of swimming pools by conducting the water of three rivers and awarded heavy prizes to good swimmers among his “water troops.” A copper pot excavated in Chengdu in Sichuan Province is inscribed with a battle on water in those days. Among the Greeks there is note of occasional swimming races, and a famous boxer swam as a part of his training.

Sports also served military purposes in a ancient Greece, especially in Sparta where all citizens received stoic military training from early childhood, in almost the same sports as in ancient China. According to historical records written during the Period of Warring States, the Chinese kings and emperors ordered their officers to teach archery, charioteering and wrestling in winter and “required the populace to spend six hours farming and two hours practicing martial arts every day.”

The ancient Chinese and Greek civilizations shared another thing in common in sporting activities, that is, they were often combined with dancing. A pot in the Neolithic Age excavated in Qinghai Province’s Datong County shows on the inside surface three groups of dancers. It is said that in those times China was hit by frequent torrential rains and floods and people suffered a lot from unbroken spells of wet weather. In order to relax their stiffened bones and muscles and dispel their gloomy moods, they would dance a kind of dance that “could conduct the flow of blood and vital energy in the body.” The military training in Sparta also included dances and there were choreographic competitions at the ancient Olympic Games. Actually there was little or no difference between physical exercises and dances as is the case with such modern sports as figure skating and artistic and rhythmic gymnastics.

What should be emphasized here is that sports were included in the educational system both in ancient China and Greece. During the Zhou Dynasty and the previous Xia (21st—16th century BC) and Shang (16th—11th century BC) dynasties, all seats of learning were at the same time places for teaching martial arts. The great Chinese philosopher and Educationist Confucius (551-479 BC) was also a good athlete in archery and charioteering and took an active part in fishing, hunting, excursions and hill-climbing. Paying equal attention to moral, intellectual and physical development of his 3,000 pupils, he carried out an educational system of “Six Arts,” namely, rituals, music, archery, charioteering, writing and mathematics, which were supplementary to each other. In archery, for instance, he insisted on proper conduct, or what we call “sportsmanship” today, pointing out that an archer should do his best to win and what’s more important, “be modest and observe rituals.” Besides, he advised people to keep a good eating habit, to abstain from stale dish and meat and not to talk when taking a meal. Such guiding principles were similar to those of the great Greek philosopher Plato (428-348 BC) who held that physical training and sanitation should become an important part of education and that one should train his physique through sports and mould his temperament through music. The curricula at his time included gymnastics, which was broadened to embrace hygiene and dietetics. The Greek gymnasium also taught philosophy, literature and music, and public libraries were nearby.

It is interesting to note that both Chinese and Greek educationists in ancient times emphasized that physical training should suit different ages. According to the Chinese classic work Li Ji (Book of Rites), children should learn “civilian dances” at 13, “martial dances” at 15, and archery and charioteering at older ages. Plato also advocated different sports for different age groups—music and singing for 7-12, dancing, wrestling, archery and horsemanship for 12-17 and more physical training for 17-20.

Whether out of historical necessity or contingency, sports in both ancient China and Greece were closely combined with productive labour, military training, dancing and the whole educational system, thus providing an ideological foundation for China’s ready acceptance of the modern Olympic ideals, which were deeply rooted in the ancient Greek society, in spite of the cessation of Olympic Games for15 centuries.



Posted by Nikhil Gupta

David B Smith asked:


Bruce Leslie Smith 1932-2001

Who was he – my dad?

He was my dad, but he belonged

to many people beyond myself,

and to God most of all.

What was he – my dad?

A teacher, a preacher, a poet -

perhaps a poet most of all.

What made him tick – my dad?

He was a capable academic,

an elegant speaker,

a wordsmith of some renown,

but this river had a source,

and its source was hidden, though never secret -

the hidden presence of Christ within.

‘For me to live is Christ and to die is gain!’

Was that St Paul or my dad?

My dad was an evangelical

who embodied the best of the mystical tradition –

practising the presence of Christ.

Everything was integrated for dad –

praying, breathing, thinking, eating.

He lived that way and he taught that way.

He taught us the philosophy of Socrates

(or Kant or Kung or Kierkegaard?.) but then,

instead of appropriately restricting himself

to dealing with a body of thought, we found that

he had us wrestling with the man behind it!

When he preached, he fooled us into thinking

that he was just dealing with a text, but then suddenly

we found that it was not the text that we were dealing with, but with Christ Himself!

Here was a man who could not speak about Jesus

without also speaking to Jesus. Here was a man who

practised the presence of God.

Who was he – my dad?

He was a workaholic academic who, ironically, failed

most of the university degrees he set out to complete.

He was a human being who fell in love, was married

and was divorced, and who never got over his feelings

of guilt and pain.

He was a father who loved his children,

sometimes inadequately, but many times wonderfully,

and inspired them to try to become decent fathers themselves.

He was a man who had a passion for life –

for music, for art, for the beauty of creation,

for gentle conversation over coffee with friends.

He was a friend of Christ,

who practised the presence of God.

Who was he – my dad?

He was many things to many people.

To me – he was my dad.

I left dad at around midnight. Actually, it could have been an hour either side of midnight. I wasn’t really very aware.

We’d spent the whole evening there with dad – Andy and Rob and me – in his little hospital room. We’d been laughing and joking - remembering old times.

He didn’t seem very ill. The oxygen mask on his face was a bit of a give-away I suppose, but apart from that he seemed pretty much his normal self. The hair was gone, of course – brushed away by the first bout of chemotherapy – but we’d become used to that.

I’d been through much of this before of course, with my mother, over twenty years earlier, but you forget the signs.

Mum died a death by inches as I remember it, and I do remember that. She was only young - still in her thirties I think. I was younger again of course, still a teenager – a terrible age to watch your mother die.

There was so much pain then. The pain of the illness was terrible. The pain of her divorce from dad, all the lost friendships, the unsuccessful love affairs, having her name dragged through the mud, watching her children (and me especially) go off the rails – these things must have been the greater hurt. And there was so much left unsaid!

I guess that there was much to be thankful for in dad’s case. I think we had time to say just about everything there was to say. I can’t think of anything I really regret doing or not doing with dad. And it wasn’t an agonizing death by any means. So why does it hurt so much?

I told dad a risque joke that night – the one about the guy who pisses all over the bar after a bet with the publican. It was an odd thing to be doing on my last night with dad. That sort of thing had never been a part of our relationship, though dad had loosened up considerably over his later years.

He wasn’t old! Sixty-eight years old. That doesn’t seem very old to me. He didn’t look very old – well, not to me. And it’s not as if he’d slowed down much. He was flat out lecturing, preaching and teaching only a few months ago – at the height of his career it seemed. I had optimistically rostered him on to do the preaching at Dulwich Hill this week. We’d kept pushing the appointment back week by week as the release from hospital kept being delayed, but that’s all we had ever been thinking in terms of – delays. Well, perhaps that’s all I would let myself think in terms of.

I couldn’t accept that he was dying. He was still moving about under his own steam. He could still get to the toilet without aid and do all those things that help a man to maintain his dignity under the stress of hospitalisation. His mind was still as sharp as a tack. His wit was undiminished. He was not living and speaking like a man who had only a few hours left to live.

I held his hand. I clung to it. In my mind were all the images of the man who had towered over me like a mighty colossus in my youth.

I remember that time, I must have been only five or six years old, when the garage shutter at St Barnabus’ Broadway dropped on my dad’s head and almost knocked him unconscious. He let out some expletive – ‘Gorn’ I think it was (expletive enough for dad) – and he stumbled about. I remember the horror I felt at seeing this invincible and unflappable figure, my hero and my defender, staggering about and loosing control. I never forgot that terrible image.

I remember the time when dad lost his cool with us. I only remember it happening the once. He was taking us back to mum’s place, only shortly after she had taken us from him. I must have been twelve or thirteen. The three boys – we were all sick as usual. We would contract colds, upset tummies, and allergies by the bucket-load. It was our normal state. Dad made some comment about us being a ‘bunch of cripples’. I remember the pain of feeling that I had let dad down, and a deeper pain, that perhaps dad had let us down. He never said anything like that again.

I remember the climactic day when I beat dad in an arm wrestle. Week by week we would go over to dad’s place, and week by week each of us would take him on in an arm wrestle. I must have been fifteen or sixteen on that mighty day, when finally the tables were finally turned.

I was the oldest of course, so the other boys, while they did their best, didn’t really stand a chance against the big guy. Even so, they took their turns. There must have been a sense of apprehension though when I finally took my position. Week by week it had been getting harder to dad to floor me. Week by week I’d felt him straining ever more greatly to hold me back. Yet I could not have known that this would be the week, the day, the moment! We gripped. We struggled. We sweated. My dad started to turn red. Suddenly he stood up and pulled away in pain. He could take it no longer. It was over – the ritual never to be repeated again.

Rob was always the realist. Before he left the hospital he said to dad ‘I’ll see you in the morning, but if you have to go before then, then that’s OK. It’s been a privilege being your son.” It was a great thing to say. Andy and I were less realistic: “We’ll see you in the morning.”

I decided to stay on at the hospital for a time, while dad went to sleep. Despite the fact that he had explicitly told us to go home and get some sleep, it just seemed like the right thing to do. That was where I wanted to be.

I watched dad go to sleep, and got increasingly comfortable myself. The hospital seemed comfortable. The silence seemed comfortable. Most comfortable of all was the sense I had of being in the right place, doing the right thing - a dutiful son, sitting by his father’s bedside, ready to spring into action if he needed me.

Then he woke up. “What are you doing here? Go home and get some sleep!” “I’ll sleep better if I know that you are sleeping well, dad,” I said rather feebly. Within fifteen minutes I was back in my car, trying to remember my way home.

He should have let us stay. He should have at least let the nurse get us in the morning, when she could see that he was fading fast. “No, no, let them sleep,” he’d said. “They’ll get here later in the morning.” We did get there later in the morning, but the struggle was over before we arrived.

It’s not as if any of us would have been at home sleeping soundly. I stayed up until nearly 4am, sitting at my desk, painting my set of American Civil War action figures. I was up and about again at 6.30am, wondering what I should do. I decided to go back to work on the toy soldiers, though I really wanted to be somewhere else.

I was pouring my time into one figure – a rather dignified looking general with a receding hairline. As I worked on him, I had his hairline recede further and further. I realised I was modelling this figure on my dad.

Perhaps I could take this colourful figurine into the hospital. Dad would probably be amused to see it. I’m sure he’d see the resemblance! I’m sure he would be pleased. Then I remembered my three-year-old coming up to me only the day before: ‘look dad, I painted a picture of you’. I shuddered a little. Then the phone rang, to tell me where I should have been all along.

It was a mighty funeral. It was held in one of the biggest churches in Sydney, and the church was full. There were more bishops floating around than you’d find in half a dozen chess sets, and men and women of note were abounding. The speeches were beautiful. The choir sang. Tributes were given. The rituals were performed. And then we all went home, except for dad.

It was very public. He was a public person of course. Even so, I had to keep reminding myself – this is my dad that I am burying.

And now the public have gone, and we, who knew and loved him best, must go on and do the work of grieving alone. This is always the way of course. I’ve taken over a hundred funerals myself. I know the score. Yet it doesn’t make it any easier.

Why did you have to go dad? Why couldn’t we have spent just a bit more time together? How am I supposed to go on living, dad, now that you are gone?



Posted by Nikhil Gupta

Karen Corey asked:


There are a variety of training methods to help teach a puppy not to bite. You should keep in mind some basic guidelines:

 



Don’t slap or hit the puppy in the face. This is not effective and it may confuse the puppy. He or she may think that you are playing or this might frighten the pup and make him afraid of you.

You want to always encourage acceptable behaviour and always discourage unacceptable behaviour. Everyone in the family has to be consistent when it comes to showing the puppy want you want them to do and not to do.

During the teething stage when you are trying to stop your puppy from biting you shouldn’t play tug of war games or playful wrestling with them. This is hard to do because they are so cute and want to play rough. However, it you do play these types of games with them this will only encourage nipping and biting.



 

Your puppy is just doing what comes naturally and doesn’t know any better. He doesn’t know that he is doing anything wrong. You have to consistently show him what is acceptable and what is not.

 

There are different techniques used to show your pup that biting you is not acceptable. Below you will find a few suggestions to try for yourself. To stop this habit quickly you need to start as soon as they are showing signs of wanting to sink their teeth into anything that moves.

 



You can try to redirect the biting from your hand or toes to a toy or chew stick. As soon as the pup starts to nip, say NO, and replace you arm or feet with a chew toy. Puppies are very smart and if you use this method consistently they will catch on quick.

One of the most popular methods is to make the puppy think he is hurting you each time he tries to take a bite out of you. If you have ever watched a litter of puppies play and wrestle with each other; you will notice that they don’t stop attacking until another pup yelps. When your pup bites you say ouch and pull away from him. The trick to this is to startle them with your voice and then pull away and stop playing for awhile. This will show him that if he bites you won’t play with him anymore.

You can us a small spray bottle filled with water and every time he nips or starts to bite at you spray him with the water. Just one short spray in the face should deter the pup. Most puppies don’t like to be sprayed.

Here is a tip that might sound a little strange, but it seems to work on some puppies. You take an empty can and fill it with rocks or coins. When your puppy starts to bite, you say No and shake the can. For some reason most pups don’t like the rattling noise and they will stop biting you.

If you have a pup with severe biting problems you can use this method. When the pup sinks his teeth into you say, No, and quickly put your thumb under his tongue and your other finger under his chin. Be careful not to hold his mouth too tightly and do this for about 10 seconds and release him. This is uncomfortable for the pup and after a few times he will understand that if he bites he will be uncomfortable.



 

Just keep in mind that this is a natural phase and they will settle down after the teething process is finished. Just be consistent when training them not to bite. You will have many years ahead of you to play, wrestle and run with the newest member of your family. You might want to consider getting pet insurance on your puppy incase there will be any unforeseen medical expenses in the years to come. This will give your family peace of mind knowing that you will be able to provide medical attention when needed.



Content

Andrew Regan asked:


Dwayne Johnson is the star of several Hollywood blockbusters, but he is perhaps best known to most for his time as professional wrestler, The Rock. During the late ‘90s and early ‘00s he was one of the most popular and successful wrestlers in the business.

Debuting in WWE as a clean-cut ‘babyface’ (wrestling slang for hero, or good guy) in 1996, Johnson became despised by fans, who found the character uninteresting and unrealistic in the wake of anti-hero characters like Stone Cold Steve Austin, and the De-Generation-X group. As a result of this backlash, Johnson was eventually turned ‘heel’ (wrestling slang for villain, or bad guy).

Ironically, it was during this time, when the Rock character was portrayed as arrogant and devious, and often insulted fans in interviews, that Johnson reached the height of his popularity, as fans saw a real talent and charisma in him. He went on to hold the World Heavyweight Championship nine times.

Johnson’s massive popularity with wrestling fans soon saw him follow in the footsteps of Hulk Hogan and crossover into the mainstream. While still a full-time wrestler, Johnson appeared on rapper Wyclef Jean’s track “It Doesn’t Matter” (“It Doesn’t Matter” being one of The Rock’s signature catchphrases). He also made an appearance as guest host on US comedy show ‘Saturday Night Live’ (a role usually reserved for movie and pop stars), perfectly showcasing his acting and comedy abilities. Johnson soon landed his first role in a movie, as the Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns.

The job earned Johnson a place in the Guinness Book of Records, for the largest amount paid to a first-time actor ($5.5M US). He resumed the role, this time as the star, in the subsequent spin-off, entitled The Scorpion King. Johnson’s wrestling appearances became fewer and fewer as he began to focus on his acting career. He starred in more action movies, including Walking Tall and Doom, but they all either bombed at the box office, or were slated by critics - or both.

In October 2007, Johnson and his wife donated $1M US to the University of Miami’s athletics department, the largest amount ever donated to the university by a former student – Johnson attended the university in 1990, playing as defensive tackle for the Miami Hurricanes. In 1992, he was part of the team that won the National Championship.

The Hurricanes are the most successful college football team of the last twenty-five years in America, and have won more National Championships than any other team in their division. From 2008, The Hurricanes begin playing their home games at the Dolphins Stadium located in Miami Gardens. For anyone wishing to visit this world-famous stadium and see the Hurricanes in action for themselves, there are many hotels in Miami available.

Since his last major run in WWE ended in 2003, Johnson has stated several times in interviews that he is finished with wrestling. He has made occasional non-wrestling appearances on WWE television during the last few years, but it’s unlikely he will ever actually wrestle again – considering that his average movie salary is US$10M, Johnson makes more from movies than he could ever hope to make in the wrestling ring!



Posted by Nikhil Gupta

lily006 asked:


The martial arts styles can be divided into several categories, depending upon the dominant techniques they expound.

Stand up styles are so called because the fighter fights on his feet using a combination of punches, kicks and footwork techniques. Karate, Kung Fu, Taekwondo, Boxing/Kickboxing, Krav Maga, Wushu and San Shou are some of the art forms in this category.

The stand up styles use nimble footwork, distance and timing to defeat an opponent. Here physical conditioning is paramount because the body needs to be in peak condition for lightning fast responses.

Some stand up fighting styles such as boxing and Wing Chun emphasizes the use of hands. Others, like Taekwondo, focus on kicking. Hapkido propagates counter-fighting, use of locks, blocking and other techniques.

Grappling or ground fighting styles, as the name suggests, focuses on the wrestling part of fighting. In this, the players employ wrestling techniques, which requires them to be on the ground quite often. Brazilian Jiujitsu, Shootoo, Sambo and Greco-Roman wrestling are all martial arts that fall in this category.

Grappling has only a limited number of stands up fighting techniques. In this form of fighting, the martial arts artist concentrates on taking an opponent down and getting the better of the fighter by using a choke, a lock or any other grappling technique.

Though grappling art forms appear to be less graceful and artistic than stand up styles, this art form has nothing to do with brute strength. Grappling is a precise art that requires the artist to not only to be in good physical condition but also have knowledge of the human anatomy. This is because awareness of the body helps the grappler to sense the opponent’s intention through the body movements and therefore control the fight.

Throwing styles and weapon-based styles, as the name suggests, involve throwing opponents from a stand up position and using weapons respectively. The first uses throws, trips and locks as weapons to disrupt the opponent’s balance while the other actually uses weapons to overcome the enemy. Judo, Aikido, Chiao and Hapkido are some throwing styles while Iado, Kendo and Kali are weapon based.

Low impact or meditative styles may have been developed originally for combat, but through the ages they have developed into art forms that are more for the peak performance of the body. These focus on breathing, internal energy and stress relief along with low impact exercises. Tai Chi and Chi Gong are a part of this style.



Content

Doug Wilson asked:


Lately I’ve been having a lot more fun. I’ve been sleeping better and I have a goal. My goal, so far, has been to be as useful to the human race as possible and, by default, useful to whatever else exists in the universe. It wasn’t a wholly satisfying goal. It lacked a final objective, it was just the best I could decide on at the time. Recently my goal has been extended to a more satisfying “completion picture”. It no longer stops at simply being useful because that’s what makes the most sense. It has been extended to “being useful so that we can ultimately do a specific thing”.

If any of you have read my writings or visited my site then you realize that I have always had difficulty dealing with the two major “Origin of Life Stories”. They being creationism and evolution. When I refer to creationism I mean the religions formed by the people who compiled the bible, censored religious intuitiveness and market their specific interpretations as the “Word of God”. As for the religious evolutionists they would be those who would attempt to exclude anything but a “creator-less natural selection world”. I see both these “schools of thought” as fundamentalist movements. I see no reason to believe that either one has the whole story. I don’t even see either one as a particularly good story. Not surprising since they were both devised and created by people. On the other hand I believe both are right about some of the story.

I believe that biological life forms evolve and adapt to their environment. I also believe that there is a creative intelligence in the universe. Both of my, currently held, beliefs are based on evidence. The evidence for evolving and adaptive biological life is supported simply by the examination of the immune system. If that’s not self explanatory a little research will make it so. The evidence for a creative intelligence is represented when you take into account that you could be reading this article within hours of me writing it. We ourselves are a creative life force. I create the document. Then with the help of all the creative human intelligence that put together the world wide web, you read it. You may even tell others what you read and create images for them to see. Those images will become part of the “world mind” image and that larger picture will manifest, through us, into a physical form: thus creation. Is there a higher creative intelligence present in the great big world? We better hope there is. We have and are repeatedly demonstrating our tendency for self destruction. If there are those who don’t see how close we are to extinction, that is only evidence of our ability to delude ourselves. If there is no intervention our environment will reach such a state of toxicity that our evolutionary adaptability will not be sufficient to biological changes needed to survive what we ourselves are creating. Besides we’d have to evolve into a different biological ecosystem, and I really don’t know if that’s even possible.

Returning to the life story business. None of the myriad of creation stories and evolution ideas sits well in me. In order for me to accept any of them as “The Story” I have to bend my brain into a shape that fits around the story. So far, none of them have slid easily into place. There have been no good fits. As a result my brain has been in a state of turmoil since grade school. About the time I started looking around, listening to stories and thinking about them. We use the brain in the problem solving area in two distinct ways. One, we examine things while we’re awake, we discuss them with others, consciously gather data and make decisions on that data. The other brain business goes on while we sleep. The brain tries to put the pieces together like a jigsaw puzzle. It seeks to resolve contradiction. These contradictory conflicts develop between “the stories” and our first hand, on site, observations. For instance, if we were told horses come from taxi cabs. Even if we wanted to believe it. If we decided that it was true because thousands of others believed it and it came from a seemingly credible authoritative source. It would still set up an unresolved contradictory puzzle for the brain. As a result, the brain would work at it, while we were awake, and while we were asleep, until (1) we got a different “where do horses come from” story, or (2) it, the brain, dies. It won’t give up. It can’t resolve “horses from cabs” because it’s not a fact. But if we want to believe it then it will try everything in it’s computability arsenal to make it fit. Even if it becomes seemingly delusional and has to be dealt with through the “miracle of modern medicines molecule manipulation program”, it will stay in a state of unresolved turmoil. Even if it manages to seemingly, wall off the contradictory compartment (ignoring the piece of the puzzle that doesn’t fit) it will not rest. I see this as part of the whole “stress/environmental/trauma/craziness/addiction/dis-ease” plague of the 21st century. When things don’t make sense we wrestle. I finally found a story that I don’t have to wrestle with - it all fits. My brain has, at last, been relieved of it’s nocturnal battle.

So what is the story? The aliens did it. Here is the readers digest version. The universe is jam packed full of people. Some of the people look like us. They are our ancestors. There are a trillion other types of people ( pure meaningless author speculation ). Some of them are here - maybe. They have always been around - most likely - that’s the story. There is a huge and fascinating field of study at our disposal - absolute fact. Some of the most intelligent people on the planet see this as a feasible logical puzzle solving theory - fact. Some of the kookiest humans to ever roam the planet without a leash believe this story - fact ( Inescapable Fact). Not really a significant point since the world is packed to the brim with koo koos: Hey, we put poison in our water and give it to our kids; then we wonder why everyone is acted Kooky. The bottom line with the, people from other planets came here and helped get us going as a species story, is: my brain doesn’t have any issues with it. As soon as I decided that this was probably what happened, historically, and that all the stories about gods and all the biblical anomalies were just early mans experience with more evolved people, my brain just curled up and went to sleep. Now it’s kind of like a cat on the window sill. I forget it’s even there. I’ll notice it and say, “aren’t you going to do anything today?”. It’s relaxed for the first time I can remember. It also completed my ultimate goal dilemma. Before, although I had decided to do something, for what I believed were the best purposes, I didn’t know where it was leading. I was still torn between being useful to people through personal interactions and my website interaction “or” forming an army and taking control of the planet via violent coup. The problem with either of these is I couldn’t figure out where I’d go from there. Well obviously, for the coup scenario, I’d make a rule “be nice to each other”. Then employ the sanest people I could find to come up with a sustainable plan. But beyond that both plans kind of fizzled out. Now I plan to be as useful to others and get as many people thinking about “be nice to each other” as possible and if we can get to a place where we play nice with the dangerous toys we already have, I think we can meet the neighbors. The rest of the family. I think we’ve been quarantined. In the big universal scheme of things we are more like a virus. Sane people don’t let viruses spread. Don’t like the virus analogy? How about, as a species, we can’t be trusted with more power?

Well it’s working very well for me. I am enjoying my extraterrestrial idea. Since I am having such a good time with it I figured that if I didn’t introduce it to as many people as possible, I wouldn’t be acting in the most “useful as possible” manner. So in closing, I hope you enjoy the article and like me, come to “Enjoy the Extraterrestrials”.



Content

Gian Fiero asked:


If you are fortunate enough to have a network of indispensable allies who contribute to the welfare of your company or the prosperity of your career, taking the time to nurture the relationship is essential to adding greater depth and strengthening the bonds you share. Listed below are some surefire ways to nurture your network.

MAKE REFERRALS: When you send someone in your network a prospective paying client what you are in essence saying is: I had a choice of where to send this person and I chose you because I have trust in your expertise and your ability to deliver the results that the client is seeking. It also says that I trust you with upholding my reputation. After all, a bad referral reflects negatively on both parties.

GET IN TOUCH WITH THEIR NEEDS: Everyone is busy these days. But what are they busy with? Fulfilling needs. When is the last time you asked one of your allies what new projects they are working on? What challenges they are currently facing? What future goals they are trying to reach? Or better still, what can you do to help? In a thriving network, allies take care of the needs of those that take care of them.

OFFER SOLUTIONS: All of us have challenges (though some of us perceive our challenges as problems) that we face on a daily basis. Whether it’s marketing a new service, promoting a new product, improving operations, reducing overhead, or expanding into other areas. Why not offer solutions to someone who you know is wrestling (or may soon be wrestling) with an issue that you’ve already conquered? Benefiting from the experience of others is what builds communities and keeps them strong.

SEND A THANK YOU NOTE: It’s becoming increasingly rare to find hand-written letters, thank you notes, and cards in your mailbox these days. Everyone likes to receive them. Why not send a note to thank someone for something they’ve done for you? Whether it’s a note expressing how much you value them as an ally, or a card to wish someone well, it will create a personal connection and add a human touch to your networking efforts.

HAVE A MEAL TOGETHER: Breaking bread is a universal phenomenon (if you are a carb watcher break salad). No matter how busy people are, they have to take time out of their day to eat. Even those those who are accustomed to eating on the run will welcome a lunch or dinner invitation offered at your expense. As a tip, when relationships are new, probe people for their favorite restaurants or cuisines. They are more likely to share a meal with you when you suggest meeting at such-and-such restaurant that they love.

SHARE RELEVANT ARTICLES: Every industry has trade publications, websites, and newsletters that contain information and activities that take place within it. If you happen to know someones’ passions and pursuits, send them an article that will be of use or interest to them. Better yet, subscribe to a trade magazine which captures their interests (and you will pay for). It’s relatively cheap (about the price of a meal) and it’s a thoughtful way of showing that you are dialed into their interests.

INQUIRE ABOUT LOVED ONES: Most of us are motivated to work so that we can take care of ourselves and our loved ones. When you make a simple inquiry about someone’s significant other or their children, it indicates that work is not the only thing you think about (though it may very well be the basis of the relationship). Showing sensitivity and concern for family members (and family matters) further humanizes the relationship and creates an acknowledgment of the people who carry the most significance in the lives of your allies.

STAY IN TOUCH: We’re all guilty of losing touch from time-to-time, but not recognizing when it’s time to get back in touch is a serious professional oversight that will result in you getting overlooked for future opportunities. Along the same lines, don’t commit the social offense of only coming around when you need something from an ally; keep the lines of communication open by engaging in the aforementioned activities listed in this article and you will put yourself in a much more favorable position to serve the needs of others, while getting what you need and want in the process.

Remember that we do more for those we like, than those who we think are just using us.

Hopefully these tips will help you nurture your network and strengthen your alliances for years to come.



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Daniel Sitar asked:


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David Michael Bautista, better known as Dave Batista or by the ring name Batista, is an American professional wrestler. Batista is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), wrestling on its Raw brand. Batista is a three-time World Heavyweight Champion and the winner of the 2005 Royal Rumble match. After Shawn Michaels defeated Ric Flair at WrestleMania XXIV, Batista began a feud with Michaels, calling him selfish and egotistical. The two faced off at Backlash with Chris Jericho as the guest referee. Michaels won after faking a knee injury and performing Sweet Chin Music. Batista then defeated Michaels at One Night Stand in a stretcher match, thus ending their feud. On June 23, Batista was drafted from SmackDown to the Raw brand during the 2008 WWE Draft. Batista became a World Tag Team Champion for a third time on the August 4 edition of Raw when he teamed up with John Cena, his SummerSlam opponent, to defeat Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase for the title but failed to retain the title against the former champions on the next edition of Raw. Batista narrowly defeated Cena at SummerSlam.

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Posted by Nikhil Gupta

MCStylin asked:


For the longest time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), there was just one prized belt that the female wrestlers competed for. The title known as the Women’s Championship was held by some of the best in the business, such as Trish Stratus, Lita and Victoria. In the year 2002, after the WWE Women’s Championship had been defended on both the Raw and Smackdown programs, a change was made. The women’s title became exclusive to the Raw television show and only the WWE divas wrestling on Raw competed for it. It was contested on four different occasions on Smackdown afterwards, with Torrie Wilson, Nidia, Melina and Ashley Massaro of Smackdown each trying for the belt on separate occasions. None of these WWE divas won the belt, and it continued to be the prized women’s title on Raw. It wasn’t until earlier this year that a new title was added for the divas, and made exclusive to Smackdown.

On June 6, 2008, Smackdown General Manager Vickie Guerrero decided that her show also needed championship gold for its divas. Vickie announced that there would be a brand new WWE Divas Championship belt created. The belt itself was unveiled on July 4, 2008 on Smackdown, and featured the color pink on it. The Smackdown General Manager held a series of matches to decide who would fight for the title. There were two separate “Gold Star on a Pole” matches held in which the first diva to climb the corner of the ring and retrieve a golden star hanging on a pole would win. The match featured divas such as Victoria, Maryse, Cherry, Natalya and Michelle McCool. One match was won by Natalya, while the other was won by Michelle McCool. The two WWE Divas would meet at the Great American Bash in Uniondale, New York on July 20, 2008.

At the Great American Bash Pay-Per-View, it was Michelle McCool who was able to defeat her opponent Natalya in the first title match. Michelle won the title by submission, using a Brazilian Heel Lock to force Natalya to tap out. Michelle etched her name in WWE history by becoming the first WWE diva to win the WWE Divas Championship. Up until now, Michelle has been the only WWE Divas Champion as she has successfully defended the title against the likes of Natalya and Maryse. Both the Raw and Smackdown brands now enjoy competitive diva divisions thanks to the creation of the new belt. On Raw divas continue to fight for the prized Women’s title and on Smackdown the newly created WWE Divas Championship has earned its spot in WWE history.



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Jim Brown asked:


Professional wrestling is represented in many forms and in many places throughout the world. Each location that a professional wrestler greets the public is certain to have professional wrestling merchandise for sale. Some of the items that have a price tag attached to them might have become available through a recent wrestling match. One item that would never be sold to the public would be a professional wrestling championship belt because there is only one of those in the world.

Some wrestling fans are collectors of items owned by a certain wrestler. The merchandise that they are interested in is usually items that they wore in the ring during a title match or other costume parts that are remnants of a costume that was ripped to cinders in the ring when other wrestlers came to the rescue of someone who was viciously attacked after a heated argument in the ring. Those costume remnants will make interesting topics for conversation to wrestling fans around the globe.

Some of the popular merchandise that fans flock to when they enter a sports arena to see a professional wrestling match are the DVDs for sale at tables throughout the arena. Each professional wrestler will have a merchandise table set up and it will be heavily laden with items such as DVDs and videos because fans can purchase these and watch them many times to learn the moves from the people that made them famous.

These items might find their way to a table at a later date in a local flea market. To do honor to the professional wrestler that is depicted in the tapes and DVDs, a seller might sell various items that depict the same wrestler. Some flea market outlets will sell DVDs for wrestlers that are part of the World Wrestling Entertainment network, and ignore other wrestling groups altogether because to honor every wrestler that has ever made a wrestling video would be near to impossible to accomplish.

The merchandise that fans select for purchase most often are the photographs that depict action that took place in the ring. These action photographs could also depict the wrestler in street clothes that depict rippled muscles and abdominal shots that make the wrestler seem superhuman. The wrestling fans that are female will truly appreciate posting these photographs on their bedroom walls because a photograph that gorgeous will deserve such a honor.

Professional wrestlers give fans the honor of their autograph at every wrestling match they attend. Fans only need to wait patiently for the wrestlers to come in the arena before a match and venture out into the audience to welcome the people that came there that night to see them. An autographed picture of a professional wrestler is a prize that is certain to be honored by a wrestling fan for many years.

Some fans have amassed such a collection of autographed photographs of certain wrestlers through the years, and can take personal pride and satisfaction in knowing that they own a collection that is an official record of the physical changes that have occurred during a professional wrestler’s career. Those photographs will be treasured keepsakes that will increase in value over time.



Posted by Nikhil Gupta