Blog

“Daddy, I want to take Karate!”
” Mommy, Jimmy on the bus hit me again today”
There are many reasons why parents want to sign their children up for Self Defense or Martial Arts classes. Is my child to young?
Martial Arts and Self Defense Styles
There are as many different styles of Martial Arts as there are religions in the world. You have probably heard of Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Jujitsu, and even Aikido, but there are still numerous styles and offshoots of the Major styles.
What Style is the Best and what style should I choose?
In reality, it is this author’s opinion that the style of Martial Arts your child will learn is not that important.

What is important is the method of teaching and training that your child will undergo. With Martial Arts training your child should learn self-respect, self-esteem, and self-discipline, along with the confidence and ability to defend themselves.
I suggest that all parents visit several locations with their children to observe the Instructor at work. The beginner’s class is where your child will start.
Do you want your child viewing this instructor as a role model? Most children will look up to their Martial Arts & Self Defense Instructors as role models and will be in awe of their abilities and skills.
It is also important to view an upper level class. The beginner classes are usually very tame, and the teaching philosophy is tailored to a younger audience.
Cost
The majority of Martial Arts & Self Defense Locations (or Dojo’s) run their business on a membership basis. Customers must sign contracts, where they are obligated to pay for a certain time period to participate. The locations are run like a gym membership, you pay for a certain length of time and may participate as often as you desire.
Rarely are the “hidden costs” discussed when signing up for a class or membership. In Martial Arts there are numerous skill levels that are equated to a belt rank. After a certain period of time and training, the student is ready to advance to a new level or belt in their martial arts style, and a “belt test” will be performed.
As the child advances in rank, protective sparring gear is required. Now this is normally mandatory for the child’s protection and safety, but can be expensive. Normal safety gear for Martial Arts consists of Foot Pads, Hand Pads, Head Gear, Mouth Piece, Groin Cup, and optional Spar Vest.
Parents, factor in the total cost of classes, testing fees, and required equipment when making your decisions.
Age
At what age should my child begin Martial Arts or Self Defense? I have seen children as young as 4 years old participate in Martial Arts or Self Defense training. The age of which a child should start Martial Arts or Self Defense classes should be judged on an individual basis and be determined by the parents.
If the child is currently enrolled in grade school and has no problem adapting to those conditions or settings then they should be considered old enough to benefit and participate from Martial Arts or Self Defense instruction.

There are many reasons why parents want to sign their children up for Self Defense or Martial Arts classes. In reality, it is this author’s opinion that the style of Martial Arts your child will learn is not that important. At what age should my child begin Martial Arts or Self Defense? I have seen children as young as 4 years old participate in Martial Arts or Self Defense training. The age of which a child should start Martial Arts or Self Defense classes should be judged on an individual basis and be determined by the parents.

“He stared at other girls the whole time he was on our date.”
” She had the most piercing laugh I’ve ever heard. Everyone in the restaurant stared, and I wanted to crawl under the table.”
As many single people know, finding a quality date is often comparable to finding a needle in a haystack.
Are you tired of answering personal ads in the newspaper, fearing that the person you meet may really be a crazed stalker or worse? Are you fed up chatting with someone on the Internet for weeks, only to find out that in person, your date has no teeth, a wife, and six children?
Are you just plain sick of wondering why you can’t meet someone face-to-face with no pressure and get to know them a little before deciding to go on a date with them?
Now you can.

Allow me to introduce Speed Dating. For all of you depressed, bored, tired, and fed up singles out there, Speed Dating is a hot new trend unfolding in big cities as well as small towns all over the world. Speed Dating has taken dating to a whole new level – a simplified level.
Speed Dating was founded in 1999 by Los Angeles rabbi Yaacov Deyo, who wanted to give Jewish men and women the opportunity to quickly find potential mates. Nowadays, you can find Speed Dating just about anywhere. You can find advertisements for them in your local newspaper, and even on localized online Speed Dating websites.
Simply show up to a Speed Dating event. You will be given a name tag, a score card, and ten seven-minute sessions to go on dates with ten different people. In your seven minutes with each other, you and your date are allowed to discuss anything except your age, occupation, or place of residence.
After each seven-minute session is up, a bell is rung and you move on to your next date. Following each session, you and your date mark on your score cards whether you would be interested in meeting each other again. The speed dating organizers will provide the both of you with each other’s phone number at the end of the event if you both mark each other on the card.
The positive side to Speed Dating is that if you don’t like the person you are talking to, you don’t have to worry about spending an entire night with them. You only have to sit with them for 7 minutes if the person has no teeth. Of course, you won’t know if they are a crazed stalker, or if they have a wife and six kids … but a first impression face-to-face will hopefully give your intuition something to go on.
One downside to Speed Dating is that if you are a shy person and not very confident with making small talk with a stranger, you might find the whole thing a bit stressful. The key to successful Speed Dating is being yourself, having a sense of humor, and just having fun it.
No matter where you are from or what type of person you are, you will encounter a room full of people, some who have the same feelings about dating as you. And with Speed Dating, you may just be able to find that right person in the nick of time.

Speed Dating was founded in 1999 by Los Angeles rabbi Yaacov Deyo, who wanted to give Jewish men and women the opportunity to quickly find potential mates. Nowadays, you can find Speed Dating just about anywhere. You can find advertisements for them in your local newspaper, and even on localized online Speed Dating websites. The positive side to Speed Dating is that if you don’t like the person you are talking to, you don’t have to worry about spending an entire night with them. One downside to Speed Dating is that if you are a shy person and not very confident with making small talk with a stranger, you might find the whole thing a bit stressful.

Break Those Bad Habits
NowTake a look at what you are doing right now with respect to any web site dating services. Are you beating your head against the wall, because you just can’t seem to find the person you are looking for? Is your negative attitude towards dating affecting other parts of your life, or are you dating a lot of people, but nothing ever seems to go anywhere?

Is your negative attitude towards dating affecting other parts of your life, or are you dating a lot of people, but nothing ever seems to go anywhere?

Think about what you have been doing related to dating, and meeting people through web sites. Learn how to make yourself happy, without needing the reassurance from someone you are dating through a web site to do so. Do the work required to release these negative feelings, and you’ll be ready to start dating using a web site service again in no time.

Make a list of the things you’ve wanted to do for a while, but just haven’t had the time to because of your web dating habits. Learn how to make yourself happy, without needing the reassurance from someone you are dating through a web site to do so.

Implement Changes
Perhaps focusing on these feelings can release some of the pent-up emotions that were holding you back previously from being successful in the web site dating world. Do the work required to release these negative feelings, and you’ll be ready to start dating using a web site service again in no time.

Break the cycle that you’re in at the moment, and don’t visit a dating web site for a while. Try a week for starters, but realize that this process may take a lot longer than that.

Have you met a lot of people from one or two dating web sites recently? Are you feeling a bit out of sorts, burned out, or just generally unhappy with the results?

Time Frame?
For some people, this process could take six months, or even a couple of years. Others could work through their issues in as little as three months, but that’s probably pushing it a bit.

This may sound like a long time for someone not to date, and it is. Remember how miserable dating has made you? It may not be an easy situation to face, but without taking the time to deal with your issues, you’ll just be spinning your wheels forever.

Once you’ve taken the necessary steps to heal yourself, take inventory again. Are you ready to bring someone new into your life through a web dating site, now?

If so, it may be time for a break, or hiatus, from any web site dating services. This article will discuss how you know it’s time to focus on other things for a while, when to take that step and what to do in the meantime.

Think about what you have been doing related to dating, and meeting people through web sites. Now, take those patterns, and DO THE EXACT OPPOSITE. Stop trying to meet someone, and focus on YOU for a bit.

Making the Break
Once you’ve made the decision to stop dating for a while, go on the various web sites you have subscribed to, and put your account on hold. Just this act alone should take a huge weight off your shoulders.

Are you ready to bring someone new into your life through a web dating site, now?

Even if a person of mature age is able to overcome their fears and take a chance on starting a new relationship, the first date can be a nerve wracking experience. Age and experience have nothing to do with how we feel, a senior citizen can easily experience the very same nerves and uneasiness that a teenager experiences before they embark on a date or a dating relationship.

Don’t forget, the people a mature person is most likely to be compatible with are probably people of their own age range. That means, more often than not, that the singles in their dating field are people who have gone through many of the same life experiences and have many things in common. Many may have retired after a long career.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Dating is about getting to know other people, not about diving head first into a lengthy and serious relationship. Instead of allowing themselves to give into the pressures they’ve imposed on themselves, seniors dating again for the first time late in life should relax and (just like when they were young) consider dating a way to first make a friend, then to develop that relationship to the next level.

Yes, fear and anxiety is normal when it comes to seniors dating. A person of mature age should never allow those fears to sideline them in the dating game.

Instead of allowing themselves to give into the pressures they’ve imposed on themselves, seniors dating again for the first time late in life should relax and (just like when they were young) consider dating a way to first make a friend, then to develop that relationship to the next level.

For many seniors dating and re-entering the social scene can cause a great deal of anxiety and nervousness. Even if a person of mature age is able to overcome their fears and take a chance on starting a new relationship, the first date can be a nerve wracking experience. Age and experience have nothing to do with how we feel, a senior citizen can easily experience the very same nerves and uneasiness that a teenager experiences before they embark on a date or a dating relationship.

The reasons behind the nervousness most certainly feel very significant to the individual, but in most cases those anxieties are self-inflicted. When they were much younger, seniors dating in the modern era are under no greater real pressure than they were.

Regardless of your age, dating doesn’t have to start out as a serious commitment. Too often, seniors dating again for the first time feel the pressure of their years. They worry that if they should meet someone special with whom they ‘d like to form a long-term relationship, the fact that they’re past the midway point in their lives makes establishing an intimate relationship impractical.

Others may have lost a spouse and be unsure about committing themselves to another person. Regardless of what most seniors have been through, when it comes to seniors dating they should trust that they have the opportunity to share very special moments, very important milestones, significant memories and life-long experiences with another person who fully understands what all of those things mean.

That means, more often than not, that the singles in their dating field are people who have gone through many of the same life experiences and have many things in common.

Here are some of the basics of web design that you should know on your own without your web design company having to teach you:

Web Design- on Graphics

• Use graphics that are suitable to the page content. An exception will be on design images, which are made up of photos and graphics that make up the page design and have nothing to do with the content.

In order to optimize your page and avoid slow loading pages, make sure you set your graphics to a file size of only about 10 to 12KB per image. Slow pages are always annoying, and no doubt your web design company will agree with this.

• Minimize the use of blinking, rotating, flashing or changing graphics or images. These types are the ones that annoy and distract people the most. You need your online visitors to look at the contents of the page, and not get distracted by these graphics.

Web Design- On Layout

• Pay attention to whitespace. You should know that whitespace is not just a CSS property, but is one of the functions of your layout. The whitespace actually has a bearing on how the page content is viewed and is just as important in your web page layout as it obviously is in the paper.
• Use graphics as actual elements in your layouts. It serves a far better role if you use graphics as an actual element in your page layout.
• Try to get by with standard layouts. I have seen them all: from those pages with eight frames, to those which you need to scroll to the right then downwards. The reason why your web design company suggests the use of the standard 3-column layout is because it is what works well with the general audience.

Web Design- On Fonts

• Use only standard fonts. If you stick will general fonts such as Arial, Helvetica, or Verdana, your pages will look better and your designs will likely be in the right places once they are viewed.
• Use standard fonts. Do not wonder if your web design company advises the use of this font family.

Doing this will not make your web design company very happy. Try to limit your site and page to about two or a maximum of three standard font families.

Web Design- On Advertising

Yes, you and your web design company have the actual control over the ads that can be placed on the site. Know that your readers do not visit your page to read the ads, but they need significant content.

Web Design is about remembering Your Readers

Slow pages are always annoying, and no doubt your web design company will agree with this.

An exception will be on design images, which are made up of photos and graphics that make up the page design and have nothing to do with the content.

Your web design company requires you to come up with sites that are effective and viewable. Make sure that your page design is compatible with as many browsers and OS system combinations as possible.

The reason why your web design company suggests the use of the standard 3-column layout is because it is what works well with the general audience. Do not wonder if your web design company advises the use of this font family. Doing this will not make your web design company very happy.

• Write the content that readers want. Your web design company will appreciate this.

A web site developer does not simply apply graphics freely on a site. Graphics should be used in the correct manner, or else, users might get turned off because the graphics featured just overwhelmed or confused them.

Graphics used in the Internet is inextricably linked to multimedia. Multimedia is a combination of graphics, animation, text, and sound to express a message to users.

According to research, animated images can facilitate the transfer of learning in a positive way if it is utilized to show a vital part of the concept that is being illustrated. On the other hand, animation can serve as a barrier to user recall and performance.

While it is true that attractive design is important for reasons that need not be explained, the choice of design must be carefully considered against the fulfilling the needs of users. When done successfully, it could be safely said that the web site has achieved its goals.

There can be no argument about the importance of design in attracting Internet users to a particular web site. If it does not contain eye-catching graphics that can please the visual sense of the users, no one would bother to explore the contents of a site. With so many kinds of web sites existing online, it is extremely challenging to attract users and keep them interested in the site.

Here are the guidelines in incorporating graphics to web sites:

1. Justify the usage of the graphics
   The most obvious problem that can be seen on web pages is the over-usage of graphics. The main downside of this is that complicated, unnecessary graphics can take a long time to download, and this, of course, will not sit well with users. The graphics to be applied should support the transfer of data and should also be in relation to the accompanying text.
2. The difference between graphics with text-redundant data and those containing information that is non-redundant is that the former facilitates and ushers in the learning process, while the latter does not either help or slow down learning.
3. Consistency should be a priority in graphic design
4. Web pages should be marked up so that text will be downloaded before the graphics. In this way, the users will know immediately if the page has the information that they are looking for and if not, they will be able to save precious waiting time knowing that they do not need that certain page.
5. The loading of graphics should be controlled as such that loading will commence from top to bottom, and the users scrolling down the page will encounter said graphics.
6. The downloading of pages should be fast in order to save users waiting time, and in order to reduce the chances that they will get frustrated that they will abandon plans to download. Here are several ways to achieve fast download periods:

It takes a considerable amount of effort to maintain the attractiveness and establish and efficiency of a website. All the efforts of web designers will bear desirable results if the guidelines above will be followed. They only have to remember that the benefit of the users will always be the basis for everything.

Animation is very much a part of web graphic design. The primary difference between web text and graphics and contents that are print-based is the dynamics.

• Decrease image resolution
• Limit the colors that will be used for the images
• Images should be combined in order to minimize the number of server connections. Remember, the more connections that exist, the slower the download time will be
• Keep the physical size of the graphics to a minimum
• Limit the use of animation

In designing a web site, there always exists a conflict between the desire to have total control over the appearance of the need and a page to permit users to establish their own preferences. The general appearance of the page should be made by the designer, but there are certain elements that users should have control over, such as color and text background, and the option whether to display graphics or not.

The usage of blinking texts should be avoided. It has long been regarded as an overused feature and the latest browsers no longer support it.

No one would bother to explore the contents of a site if it does not contain eye-catching graphics that can please the visual sense of the users. Multimedia is a combination of graphics, animation, text, and sound to express a message to users. The most obvious problem that can be seen on web pages is the over-usage of graphics. The main downside of this is that complicated, unnecessary graphics can take a long time to download, and this, of course, will not sit well with users. Web pages should be marked up so that text will be downloaded before the graphics.

Like they say, you never get that second chance to make one. No matter what kind of business you’re in, the first impression you make on a potential customer or associate can make or break the deal.

Anything that customers initially interact with, such as your website, letterhead, advertisements, logos, or business cards make up your business face. Many business people think that making their business materials look and feel professional and enticing costs a lot of money, and it certainly can– but it doesn’t have to.

Anything that customers initially interact with, such as your website, letterhead, advertisements, logos, or business cards make up your business face. If all these things don’t work together to make a positive impression, your customers aren’t likely to take that next step and eventually buy from you.

Many business people think that making their business materials look and feel professional and enticing costs a lot of money, and it certainly can– but it doesn’t have to. The Internet has virtually unlimited resources for inexpensive ways to spice up your logo, web page, stationery, business cards, and more. The cutting-edge graphics, animations, fonts, and clipart are out there just waiting for you to find them, and they’re not necessarily expensive or complicated to use.

There are many graphics libraries on the Web that offer images for download or printing if you’re willing to spend some time looking. If you conduct a search for “clipart” or “graphics” you’re likely to find several of these libraries, but be careful. Some of them will want royalty fees or charge monthly for membership, whether you use any art that month or not.

Overall, the graphics you need are out there, and just because they’re inexpensive doesn’t mean they look cheap. There are select graphic libraries out there today that offer affordable, cutting-edge, impressive graphics for your use without royalties or copyright worries. Find them, and you can put your best face forward and make that all-important positive first impression.

What you’re looking for is royalty-free graphics; images that nobody wants payment for. You also want to use images only from sites that expressly say you don’t have to worry about copyrights. The last thing you want is to be using images that belong exclusively to someone else.

No matter what kind of business you’re in, the first impression you make on a potential customer or associate can make or break the deal.

Today click-and-download technology presents a greater threat to the music recording industry than all other past music-delivery technologies combined.

Music piracy exists in 3 different planes:

Illegally mass-manufactured pirate music CDs
Illegal copies of legitimately purchased music CDs
Illegally downloaded digital copies of recorded music

When the average person thinks of music piracy, he or she usually thinks of unauthorized sharing of downloaded or recorded music between small groups of friends. And while those numbers do contribute to the music industry’s losses, the biggest losses occur from the sale of pirated music that is burned onto CD-R disks by the thousands in small commercial laboratories by professional music pirates.

A recent research study on the economic impact of music piracy (Institute for Policy Innovation, August 2007) paints a grim picture. The impact of music piracy to the U.S. economy is estimated at U.S. $12.5 billion annually. It is important for every musician and band member to understand the nature of music piracy and learn how to combat this problem. Know your rights, and learn about the technology that exists that can protect you and your intellectual property (music) from piracy.

Of course, these figures are based upon the assumption that sales of recorded music on CD would have held constant, or increased, from year to year. The truth is, however, that CD sales are on the decline as MP3 players and other digital technology make the need for music on physical media obsolete.

The costs of music piracy are staggering not only for the high profile superstars but for the new musicians. It is important for every musician and band member to understand the nature of music piracy and learn how to combat this problem. Know your rights, and learn about the technology that exists that can protect you and your intellectual property (music) from piracy.

In addition to falling CD sales, half of America’s independent record stores closed between 2003 and 2005. (NY Post). One of the largest international chains of recorded music sellers, Tower Records, closed its doors forever on December 22, 2006.

Want to see how prevalent music piracy really is? Here’s a real-time counter that shows the number of illegal music files downloaded around the world every second.

A recent research study on the economic impact of music piracy (Institute for Policy Innovation, August 2007) paints a grim picture. The impact of music piracy to the U.S. economy is estimated at U.S. $12.5 billion annually.

Sometimes it is hard to read sheet music, this is not because it is hard in general it just takes practice, the more you practice reading the sheet music the better you will become at it. When learning any instrument and you want to learn like a pro you need to learn the sheet music, understand it and process it.

When looking for sheet music especially piano sheet music there are many different genres to choose from and this makes finding the music much easier. As the turn of the century arrived piano sheet music became very popular among young adults, many people were playing the piano and parlor music became the new trend to sweep the country, this made sheet music very popular.

When looking for sheet music especially piano sheet music there are many different genres to choose from and this makes finding the music much easier. As the turn of the century arrived piano sheet music became very popular among young adults, many people were playing the piano and parlor music became the new trend to sweep the country, this made sheet music very popular. If you are looking to improve your musical talents a create resource is the internet, you can download free sheet music and this will benefit you in many ways because it allows you to play other pieces of music. As pieces of music get complicated for the person playing it the notation of the music becomes more complicated and the difficulty to the compose the music becomes harder, because of all this you will learn how to write the music as you go along.

If you are looking to improve your musical talents a create resource is the internet, you can download free sheet music and this will benefit you in many ways because it allows you to play other pieces of music. Musicians that are struggling musicians find it much easier to find sheet music, most of the time they can download it from the internet for free. Today, sheet music is found on many music sites on the Internet with some giving an option of free downloads.

The Internet has brought forth many resources for musicians, from one-click access to research of pieces, bands and songs, to easy access to catalogs full of thousands of instruments and other products that can be ordered and shipped directly to them with a few simple clicks. As pieces of music get complicated for the person playing it the notation of the music becomes more complicated and the difficulty to the compose the music becomes harder, because of all this you will learn how to write the music as you go along. There are literally thousands, if not millions of musical pieces for violinists to play.

To have a good grasp of the notes for a guitar, a good suggestion is that you learn them slowly and with concentration. Most violin music is written in the middle C, so when producing notes they are written on the treble clef. You are not just learning the notes you are also learning another language when you learn a piece of music with traditional sheet music.

Music directors and other musicians use sheet music for different songs and it covers many different vocal ranges and instruments. Musicians back then publish their songs in these unbound sheets of paper. Going back to the 19th century most of the songs in the USA became popular by sheet music.

The order is always up to the person (s) creating the music. You can begin with the themes most common in notated Jazz and Blues sheet music or fake book forms. The direction one can go in music arrangement is infinite according to the history of how each style of jazz music was created.

Jazz music composition is the work of knowledgeable musicians with the skills to create and write one of the most memorable masterpieces. To find your way into the making of Jazz music composition you should learn the skills of basic theory in ear training, notes on various instruments, key signatures, scales, chords, intervals, counterpoint, harmony, melody, music terminology, clefs, meters and time signatures, transposing of various instruments, and music reading.

The direction one can go in music arrangement is infinite according to the history of how each style of jazz music was created.

There are many versions of Jazz standards such as “They Can’t Take That Away From Me”, “Misty”, and “Stormy Weather” by different people who wanted to either keep the basic structure or interpret the song in their own special way. The basic rules to composing a Jazz Composition is to make a theme and arrange the music around it.

Jazz music composition is the work of knowledgeable musicians with the skills to create and write one of the most memorable masterpieces. Jazz music Composition is a course included in universities and colleges who deem it a worthy subject to study. Composing Jazz music requires the theory of constructing chords that are altered or substitute that would fit within the guidelines of composition.

When creating Jazz music composition one must remember the essential element present in all true Jazz music which is improvisation. Most commonly there is embellishment in the middle of the piece, but it all depends on the mood of the creator of the music.

When creating Jazz music composition one must remember the essential element present in all true Jazz music which is improvisation. Once you learn the theory behind Jazz music composition, you can learn the shortcuts on creating.

The aim of Jazz music composition is to create what you feel about any subject into the sound of your musical work. To find your way into the making of Jazz music composition you should learn the skills of basic theory in ear training, notes on various instruments, key signatures, scales, chords, intervals, counterpoint, harmony, melody, music terminology, clefs, meters and time signatures, transposing of various instruments, and music reading.

You can learn the shortcuts on creating once you learn the theory behind Jazz music composition. Lead sheets usually have the Jazz chord symbol above the melody below it as a basic structure to follow. You will have created your own masterpiece as a gift to the world from your heart when all is said and done.

Listening to Jazz music from various artists will give you a feel for the type of composition you would like to create. You can begin with music arranging which is recreating an old song with new ideas.