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Quit Smoking Aids – Help yourself Quit Painlessly and Successfully

Quite No Responses »
Sep 132010

Quit Smoking Aids – Help yourself Quit Painlessly and Successfully

“Quitting smoking is easy. I’ve done it a thousand times.” This quote by Mark Twain, aptly describes how tough it is for the addicts to stop smoking once and for all. Quitting cold turkey does help many smokers but many succumb to the temptation of having a puff again which gradually leads them back to their habit of chain smoking. In fact it has been observed that some smokers have to make 3 – 10 attempts to quit smoking in their life.

To make quitting attempts convenient and successful there are several quit smoking aids available in the market. Smokers can get help from a doctor or a dentist to decide on the most suitable quit smoking aid for them when they make a committed decision to quit.

Quit Smoking Aids
Smokers are very much aware of the health risk posed by cigarettes on their body and most of them have an unconscious desire to break the habit one day. The biggest fear faced by smokers thinking about quitting are the withdrawal symptoms and whether they will be too much to handle. Withdrawal symptoms like cravings, headache, cough, fatigue, anxiety, anger, insomnia, constipation, weight gain etc can put tremendous pressure on someone who is trying to give it up, and more than often leads to them picking up the habit again. Often, the fear of nicotine withdrawal symptoms dissuade smokers from even making an attempt to quit smoking while those who attempt give in to the symptoms and get back to their old habit.

To help smokers quit successfully with minimum discomfort there are large number of quit smoking aids available today. Listed here are few of the most successful ones –

-Nicotine Replacement Therapy
The nicotine in cigarettes causes an addiction and unpleasant feelings of withdrawal when a person tries to quit. Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) works by providing the body with nicotine generally in the form of a Nicotine Chewing Gum or Nicotine Patch without the other harmful parts of tobacco. Other forms of nicotine based quit smoking aids include nicotine tabs, lozenges, nicotine nasal spray, inhalators. These aids can help a person concentrate more on quitting the habit of smoking by relieving the symptoms of withdrawal.

However, since NRTs contain nicotine, a certain risk of re-addiction is involved when using these products. Therefore, one must use this method carefully by following instructions from doctor.

-Nicotine-Free Quit Smoking Aids
These days there are several forms of quit smoking aids that do not use nicotine as an active ingredient. These are prescription based drugs and hence should be taken under a doctor’s care.

Zyban – The active ingredient in this quit smoking aid is bupropion hydrochloride. Developed as an anti-depressant drug, Zyban has been shown to dramatically reduce physical withdrawal symptoms associated with nicotine and hence works well as a smoking cessation aid.

Chantix – Developed by Pfizer, Chantix (varenicline tartrate) was approved by FDA in May 2006. Unique property of this popular quit smoking aid is that it reduces the level of satisfaction derived from smoking. Chantix also reduces the nicotine withdrawal effects and thus makes it convenient to quit.

Processes to Follow Quit Smoking Aids
Following processes may help smokers quit smoking successfully –

1.Decide to Quit – This is the fundamental aspect of any smoking cessation program. Tell yourself honestly that you want to quit and you will quit.

2.Prepare to Quit – Planning makes it possible. Set a quit date, seek support of your friends and family, and be prepared for the cravings that come with withdrawal.

3.Use Quit Smoking Aids – Quitting cold turkey is tough for people addicted to nicotine. Prescription drugs like Chantix reduce the impact of withdrawal and helps you quit successfully.

Benefits of Quit Smoking Drugs
Studies reveal that quit smoking drugs quadruples a person’s chances to quit smoking as compared to trying it cold turkey. The best part of quit smoking drugs like Chantix is that it makes quitting a painless process as it significantly reduces the effects of nicotine withdrawals. The other good characteristic of Chantix is that is makes smoking less enjoyable for you. People on Chantix do not derive any pleasure out of smoking and are therefore reluctant to light up again. This is a significant feature of Chantix for smokers who are unable to bear the craving and have a tendency to break their smoking cessation program by lighting a cigarette.

Seek your doctor’s approval before using Chantix as a quit smoking aid and get the cigarettes out of your life, forever.

The author Katie DHF writes articles on Sports Accessories, Tips on Quit Smoking Aids, Quit Smoking Benefits, Healthcare and she is also doing the Help to quit smoking by using Quit smoking drug. After following her successions, many people released from their smoking addiction.

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Dog Illnesses

Dog No Responses »
Sep 122010

Dog Illnesses

All pet dogs should be treated as members of our family and adequate attention must be paid to the canine’s health. Sometimes dogs become sick but may not look so. It is very important to recognize and understand dog illnesses symptoms.

Since prevention is a better cure, we must learn something about dog illnesses and symptoms so we can better understand their conditions. This will help us recognize some common dog illnesses. If appropriate and adequate vaccinations are administered to the puppies, most of the common dog illnesses can be easily prevented.

Some elementary observations are useful to recognize certain common dog illnesses. Dogs take a lot of sleep but their sleep is marked by alertness. If a dog is sluggish then there may be various causes contributing to it, right from anemia to old age. If the dog is limping then you should check for prospective painful areas using a firm and yet gentile hand. Check out for any signs indicating lameness from time to time.

The appetite of the dog is bound to be affected by ill health. Look for any signs of loss of appetite. An important sign of dog health problems is excessive thirst. A pronounced weight loss is also an indicator of ill health. Check the eyes for any ulcers, discharges, veins or sores.

The mouth of a healthy dog is pink. There should not be any discoloring or cavities in the teeth. Look for signs of discharge from ears. It is advisable to clean the ears from time to time. The dog’s head should be regularly checked for sore patches, hair loss, or deep wounds.

Investigate the limbs and trunk for the same signs. If the dog is vomiting, there may be various underlying problems. If the body temperature of your dog is not between the range 38 to 39 Celsius it is an indication of some kind of illness. Check the female dogs for any kind of foul smelling vaginal discharge, which needs attention of a vet.

The symptoms of pain and discomfort experienced by a dog can give us many clues about the possible underlying illness. If the dog is suffering any abdominal pain, it may be due to canine hepatitis, enteritis or it can be a simple case of constipation. The abdominal swelling dogs indicate canine bloat and roundworms in puppies. Aggression of the dog may be caused by rabies. Roundworms, tapeworms, and whipworms my cause anemia in dogs. Any behavioral changes in dog can be an indicator of hookworms, tapeworms, whipworms, canine arthritis, heart disease, canine, or parvovirus.

Kidney diseases sometimes cause blood in urine. Eye infections and entropion cause bloodshot eyes in dogs. A ruptured diaphragm, obstructed airway, lungworm, bronchitis, pneumonia, food poisoning, heatstroke, allergies can cause respiratory problems in dogs.

There are various reasons of sudden change in weight of dogs like heart disease to heartworms. Hernia might be caused due to long term constipation in dogs. Allergies, parvovirus, hepatitis, lungworm, TB, pneumonia or distemper may be one of the reasons of coughing in dogs. Cannine parvovirus can also cause dehydration in dogs. Any pancreatic disorder, food poisoning can give rise to diarrhea in dogs. The dog may suffer from hair loss due to mange, red mange demodectic, scabies, cheyletiella mange, or cushings syndrome.

If dog indicates any signs of failing genital bleeding, persistent constipation, projectile vomiting, fainting, hair loss, seizure, stumbling, trauma, trembling, mouth bleeding, rectal bleeding, lethargy, shaking, urinating problems contact a dog care specialist.

If you love your dog, you’ve got to know “What to do if Your Dog is Poisoned” just in case. Hope you’d never have to use it. http://www.2knowabout.com/dog/what_to_do_if_your_dog_is_poisoned.php

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Central San Diego Real Estate Market - Mid Year Snapshot Of Median Prices (2006) - Single Family Homes

Real No Responses »
Sep 112010

Central San Diego Real Estate Market – Mid Year Snapshot Of Median Prices (2006) – Single Family Homes

Central San Diego Real Estate Market – Mid Year Snapshot of Median Prices (2006) – Single Family Homes

As of this writing, the San Diego real estate markets appears to have shifted from one that favors sellers to one that favors buyers. However, this premise may not hold true for all communities within San Diego, as median prices for some communities continue to rise while others fall.

While there are many metrics to evaluate the real estate pricing trends of a community, one commonly used parameter is to evaluate the median price of homes from one point in time against a prior point of time. The median price reflects the point at which half the homes are above a particular price point, and half the homes are below a particular price point. The median price metric provides one method to analyze the direction of home prices, but should not be used as the sole source of data from which to form conclusions.

The data below is a comparison of median prices for various communities in central San Diego County, comparing data from June 2005 against data for June 2006. This information is only one metric at a particular point in time, and other metrics or data from future months may support or dispute the pricing trends noted below. For some of the San Diego communities presented below, very few homes sold during June 2006, which diminishes the usefulness of the median price metric.

COMMUNITIES WITH INCREASES IN MEDIAN PRICE – SINGLE FAMILY HOMES – JUNE 2006

The data below pertains only to the sales of single-family homes, and does not include condominiums or townhomes. The data is organized by the magnitude of change in median price, with the highest change in median price presented first.

For the Coronado real estate market, the median price was ,775,000, which represents a 14.7% increase from the same time last year. Approximately 15 homes sold in June 2006 (21 homes sold in June 2005).

For the Point Loma real estate market, the median price was ,024,068, which represents an 11.4% increase from the same time last year. Approximately 20 homes sold in June 2006 (14 homes sold in June 2005).

For the University City (UTC) real estate market, the median price was 0,000, which represents a 10.6% increase from the same time last year. Approximately 5 homes sold in June 2006 (19 homes sold in June 2005).

For the La Jolla real estate market, the median price was ,692,500, which represents a 10.3% increase from the same time last year. Approximately 28 homes sold in June 2006 (38 homes sold in June 2005).

For the Logan Heights real estate market, the median price was 5,000, which represents a 7.6% increase from the same time last year. Approximately 13 homes sold in June 2006 (14 homes sold in June 2005).

For the Paradise Hills real estate market, the median price was 7,500, which represents a 5.7% increase from the same time last year. Approximately 8 homes sold in June 2006 (16 homes sold in June 2005).

For the Mission Hills real estate market, the median price was 7,500, which represents a 3.1% increase from the same time last year. Approximately 11 homes sold in June 2006 (12 homes sold in June 2005).

For the Scripps Ranch (Scripps Miramar) real estate market, the median price was 9,250, which represents a 2.8% increase from the same time last year. Approximately 34 homes sold this month (43 homes sold in June 2005).

For the San Carlos real estate market, the median price was 3,000, which represents a 2.4% increase from the same time last year. Approximately 12 homes sold in June 2006 (16 homes sold in June 2005).

For the Del Cerro real estate market, the median price was 7,500, which represents a 2.1% increase from the same time last year. Approximately 13 homes sold in June 2006 (30 homes sold in June 2005).

For the Normal Heights real estate market, the median price was 6,250, which represents a 1.7% increase from the same time last year. Approximately 20 homes sold in June 2006 (19 homes sold in June 2005).

COMMUNITIES WITH DECREASES IN MEDIAN PRICE – SINGLE FAMILY HOMES – JUNE 2006

The data below pertains only to the sales of single-family homes, and does not include condominiums or townhomes. The data is organized by the magnitude of change in median price, with the highest change in median price presented first.

For the Old Town real estate market, the median price was 0,000, which was a 19.1% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 5 homes sold in June 2006 (14 homes sold in June 2005).

For the Golden Hill real estate market, the median price was 1,000, which was a 16.4% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 10 homes sold in June 2006 (13 homes sold in June 2005).

For the Pacific Beach real estate market, the median price was 1,960, which represents a 14.8% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 15 homes sold in June 2006 (19 homes sold in June 2005).

For the Tierrasanta real estate market, the median price was 0,000, which represents a 12.6% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 9 homes sold in June 2006 (17 homes sold in June 2005).

For the North Park real estate market, the median price was 0,000, which represents a 9.7% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 31 homes sold in June 2006 (16 homes sold in June 2005).

For the College Grove real estate market, the median price was 5,000, which represents a 5.9% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 38 homes sold in June 2006 (40 homes sold in June 2005).

For the City Heights real estate market, the median price was 0,00, which represents a 5.3% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 17 homes sold in June 2006 (30 homes sold in June 2005).

For the Mira Mesa real estate market, the median price was 0,000, which represents a 4.7% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 45 homes sold in June 2006 (47 homes sold in June 2005).

For the Linda Vista real estate market, the median price was 0,000, which represents a 4.2% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 16 homes sold in June 2006 (17 homes sold in June 2005).

For the Mission Valley real estate market, the median price was 0,000, which represents a 3.8% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 7 homes sold in June 2006 (18 homes sold in June 2005).

For the Encanto real estate market, the median price was 5,000, which represents a 3.3% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 36 homes sold in June 2006 (47 homes sold in June 2005).

For the Clairemont real estate market, the median price was 5,000, which represents a 2.6% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 30 homes sold in June 2006 (34 homes sold in June 2005).

For the Sorrento Valley real estate market, the median price was 1,000, which represents a 1% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 6 homes sold in June 2006 (5 homes sold in June 2005).

ADVISORY

Homebuyers and home sellers should keep in mind that the data above is simply a snapshot in time, and is not conclusive of the pricing trends for any community. For some communities presented above, very few homes were sold during June 2006, which makes the use of the median price metric of limited value. The data must be evaluated over a longer duration, and involve multiple metrics to fully understand enduring market trends. Contact your Realtor to obtain information about enduring market trends for any given community.

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Our Marvelous Roof the Sky

Sky No Responses »
Sep 102010

Our Marvelous Roof the Sky

ONE of the most beautiful, ever-changing sights on earth is the sky. Its scope and grandeur simply stagger the imagination. The whole earth is enveloped with the sky’s endless majestic and colorful panorama. In the east a golden glow announces the dawn, while a crimson western sky bids the day adieu. There are moments when the sky may be adorned in a royal canopy of blue, or dismal gray or in resplendent white. White billowy, cotton-like clouds called “cumulus” proclaim a fine spring day; gay featherlike clouds called “cirrus” tell that summer is here, and a sporty fall mantle of clouds that appear like lamb’s wool betokens the nearness of winter.

At night the sky’s beauty is even more magnificent when bedecked in starry splendor. The breathless glory of the night is enhanced when the aurora weaves a delicate tapestry of color high overhead. Each garment assumes an infinite variety of shapes, all dazzling masterpieces of beauty, all creations of perfect art. Little wonder that worshipers of Jehovah referred to the beauties of our marvelous “roof” as “the wonderful works of the One perfect in knowledge,” “the wonderful works of God.” Job 37:14, 16.

Almost daily across the sky’s broad highway parade clouds of every size and description. Fluffy clouds, billowy clouds, fleecy clouds these are like glorious floats that silently glide by. There are white pillar clouds surrounded by straggling cloudlets, like children about their parents. There are wavy clouds and rolling clouds, the shapes and forms of which are worthy of the finest sculptor. There are huge clouds that look something like a mammoth cauliflower or an enormous white anvil.

The cumulonimbus, also called thunderheads, are massive. They are composed of billions of ice crystals. These formations can rise to 50,000 feet or more in height. A single formation can contain as much as 300,000 tons of water! An estimated 44,000 thunderstorms lash the earth’s surface every day, some 1,800 of them in action at any given moment! They are majestic in their awesomeness and from them can burst forth creation’s regal spectacle the rainbow. God speaks of it as “my rainbow,” obviously one of His wonderful works. Gen. 9:11-16.

Often the sky foretells the weather. In the western hemisphere when scattered cumulus clouds dot the sky, when the barometer remains steady or rises, and when the wind blows gently, fair weather will probably continue. The long curling clouds known as “mares’ tails” are generally a sign that foul weather, in the form of snow or heavy rain, will probably arrive within twenty-four hours. Also when dull-gray altostratus clouds darken the whole sky and the barometer drops, rain or snow will probably continue to fall. The Bible, at Matthew 16:2, 3, gives meaning to the fiery sky often seen at sunset: “When evening falls you are accustomed to say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is fire-red’; and at morning, ‘It will be wintry, rainy weather today, for the sky is fire-red, but gloomy-looking.’” A red sunrise presages the opposite of a red sunset.

Why the Sky Is Blue

What is this wonderful work of God we call “the blue sky”? Blue is not the color of air, as was believed by some in the nineteenth century. Nor is the blue due to light emitted by the atmosphere itself, for then it would appear blue at night. Were the air completely transparent or nonexistent, the sky would necessarily be as black as space, a fact confirmed by astronauts who journeyed above the atmosphere. “Up there, it’s a black-and-white world. There is no color,” said American astronaut Jim Lovell. But more recently spacemen returning from the surface of the moon have described the lunar surface as a nondescript gray.

Since the sky is not black to us on earth, the cause, then, must lie in the behavior of sunlight when it comes in contact with the substance of the atmosphere.

The color of the sky results from the air within less than one hundred miles of the earth. This belt of atmosphere is made up primarily of five gases, namely, nitrogen, oxygen, argon, water vapor (a compound of hydrogen and oxygen) and carbon dioxide. Besides these gases there are others that are rare, but in smaller amounts, such as helium, xenon, neon; and a few poisonous gases, such as methane, ammonia, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide. Up to the realm of the highest familiar clouds the sky also holds quantities of foreign matter, such as pollen, dust, bacteria, soot, spores, volcanic ash, salt particles from the seas and dust from outer space.

When the sun’s radiation, which consists of electromagnetic waves of many different wavelengths, passes through the atmosphere, the longer wavelengths plow through the atmosphere quite easily and reach our earth. We may feel them as heat. But the shorter ones are scattered in all directions by the air molecules and other particles in the atmosphere. The blue light is bounced about again and again as it comes earthward from the sun. In other words, the blue sky is a gauzy glowing fabric spun of blue light and air. It is, moreover, only about twelve miles high; beyond this the sky darkens to violet. Above twenty miles the sky becomes black and the stars emerge.

Why the Other Colors?

Though generally blue, the sky may be red, orange, green, in fact, almost any color. It all depends on how light waves enter the atmosphere and what they encounter on their way down.

In the lower atmosphere are concentrated clouds, dust and all kinds of particle material. These being larger than air molecules, they scatter the longer wavelengths of light. When the sun is near the horizon its rays enter the atmosphere at a slant, passing through much more of the particle-laden air. All wavelengths are scattered, and only the longest red rays penetrate at all. So we have the ruddy hues at dawn and sunset. The more dust or cloud particles in the air, the deeper is the color. The less dust, the bluer the sky, because the long light waves come right through to the earth without being deflected, while the short blue light waves we see are the ones being bounced about by air molecules in the sky. Therefore, on a clear, relatively dust-free day, our marvelous “roof” is blue.

Other Sights in the Sky

When, after a few days of bright winter weather, high clouds, feathery and fragile, give to the sky a milky-white opalescence, bright rings, called halos, appear encircling the sun or moon. Halos of the moon are necessarily much fainter, and their colors are nearly imperceptible. In many parts of the world halos are visible, on the average, as often as once each four days. Even some of the brighter stars show coronas as thin, fleecy clouds glide slowly past. These halos may show several distinct concentric circles of color, each bluish on the inside, then passing through a yellowish white to a reddish brown on the outside. Sometimes they resemble circle rainbows in the sky. This phenomenon is caused by light waves being reflected off regularly shaped ice crystals floating high in the air.

The regular rainbow we see in the sky, which arouses awe and excitement, is formed by light playing on waterdrops as they fall. Each raindrop acts as a tiny prism, breaking down the sun’s white rays of mixed light into their component spectral colors. Occasionally droplets of mist can cause a rainbow, but generally it is the larger raindrops.

No two persons see the same rainbow. Each individual sees the rainbow from his particular point of view, because a rainbow is only light coming from a certain direction. Since the drops reflecting the light are falling, this means that we see a new rainbow formed by every new set of raindrops. What a magnificent gift from God the rainbow!

Sometimes a second rainbow may appear in the sky, lying outside the first and shining rather more faintly. Have you noticed, the colors in this rainbow are in the reverse order, with blue on the outside and red on the inside? This is because the light rays have undergone one more reflection on the internal surfaces of the raindrops and are reversed in much the same way as left becomes right and right becomes left in a mirror. But this extra reflection causes a reduction in intensity of the light, which is why the second rainbow is always dimmer.

The Aurora

Neither a rainbow nor a cloud formation, except perhaps a glorious sunset or sunrise, can compare with the aurora in the sky, that is, the northern or southern lights. No written description or photographs can convey the true magnificence of these ever-changing, luminous displays, often in vivid colors. Sometimes they are so bright that one can read by their light.

Generally the aurora flickers, suggesting a blazing fire just over the hill. Often the glow kindles into brilliance, assuming the shape of a huge arc, or it may take the form of bundles of rays like those of sunlight shining through holes in a cloud. These shafts of light may be pale white, emerald green, violet or rose red. At times the aurora may appear to hang in folds like a huge curtain or drapery of a stage. It may shimmer like the folds of a great screen hanging from the sky that is stirred by a silent wind. Or it may burst into feverish activity. Yellow becomes tinged with red and green as rays leap upward, subside, then dart ahead again.

There is nothing with which one can compare the delicate beauty and coloring of the aurora caused by clouds of electrically charged particles coming from the sun and entering the earth’s magnetic field. These particles collide with molecules of air, causing them to vibrate and give off the red, white, blue and green lights of their awesome displays. The aurora another of God’s marvelous gifts to man.

The Lightning Miracle

An estimated 9,000,000 lightning bolts strike the ground daily. About half the time, what people see in the sky as a single lightning flash is actually composed of up to ten successive strokes streaking along the same path as the first. There may be as many as forty pulses in a second, which is about how long the lightning’s path stays open. The heat in the path rises so abruptly that the surrounding air breaks the sound barrier in moving away. The result is thunder. The sky at such a time is alive with fire and sound.

There are various kinds of lightning. Heat lightning occurs on the horizon and is considered to be the reflection of strokes too far away to be directly seen or heard. Sheet lightning takes place inside clouds, blanketing them with a widespread flickering light. Ribbon lightning occurs when a strong wind blows the conductive channel of a multiple stroke to one side. The successive strokes rage upward a few feet apart, appearing like ribbons of light.

But what good is accomplished by all this fire filling the sky? It is now known that lightning helps greatly to fertilize the soil. Eighty percent of the atmosphere or sky is nitrogen, an essential food for plants. About 22,000,000 tons of this nutriment float over each square mile of the earth. But as it exists in the atmosphere nitrogen is unusable by plants. Before plants can take life from it, it must undergo a series of chemical changes, very much as food in our digestive system must undergo changes. Lightning in the sky touches off the series of changes. Air particles are made white-hot by lightning, for it can heat a two- to ten-inch channel of air hotter than the sun’s surface. Under this intense heat, the nitrogen combines with the oxygen in the air to form nitrogen oxides that are soluble in water. The rain dissolves the oxides and carries them down to earth as dilute nitric acid. Reaching the earth, the nitric acid reacts with the minerals of the earth, there to become nitrates on which plants can feed. Since plants can feed and live, man and animals can feed on plants and live!

What a marvelous gift lightning is from God to man! It does more than light the sky. Meteorologists estimate that lightning bombards the earth at a rate of more than one hundred times a second, transforming the upper air into fertilizer for plants!

God has given us, not only a practical sky, but a marvelous “roof” filled with awe-inspiring, ever-changing beauties and wonder, a sky that moves faithful men to praise Jehovah the Doer of all these wonderful things. Ps. 136:4.

 

Did you find this article useful? For more useful tips, hints, points to ponder and keep in mind, do please browse for more information at our websites. http://www.marvelsofcreation.com and http://www.adsflick.com

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Moon as the Earliest Calendar

Moon No Responses »
Sep 092010

Moon as the Earliest Calendar

Moon as the Earliest Calendar give readers of the Holy Bible information recorded in ancient times.  Lunar/solar calendars were common throughout the ancient world.  Three calendar systems that help our study of Bible times are the Jewish, Mesoamerican and the Egyptian calendars.  Changes in the appearance of the moon at night provide the seven-day week.  Time steps in the lunar/solar calendar accumulate for longer time cycles.

Moon as the Earliest Calendar

Clark Nelson

2282 wds

Moon as the Earliest Calendar

I AM speaks to people through His Word, the Holy Bible.  Historical, inspirational and supernatural, the Bible has been with us since calendar recording began.  Readers of the Holy Bible can understand the records of ancient times.  We discern what the numbered ages in the Old Testament actually mean by using three oldest calendars.  Three calendar systems that help our study of Bible times are the Jewish, Mesoamerican and the Egyptian calendars.  These three calendars allow us to trace back into remote prehistory.  The word prehistory includes the “before time”, and the compound of “His” and “story.”  Scientists who have worked with these very early cultures can provide the basic calendar methods that were once used to measure time.  We need to review the Lord’s units of main time keeping to see the way ancient humanity dealt with time observation.

Early parts of the Old Testament mention days and years together.  Time and the Biblical Creation include major fundamental concepts known to the ancient Jewish people.  The Old Testament provides our first realistic ideas about time reckoning and recording.  The Lord defines the day and night in the book of Genesis.  The very first calendar of one day had begun.  Description of the seven-day Creative Week further defines basic operation of the calendar.  The sacred seven-day week is a fundamental religious idea.  Four phases of the moon marked four weekly intervals during the month.  Approximate lunar phases are attached to the origins of the calendar Sabbath week.  Seven-day weeks and lunar months create the lunar-side of the lunar/solar calendars.

We are discovering ancient days when timekeepers watched the sun, moon and stars.  The Jewish Calendar is simple when you understand the numbers used.  The Jewish Calendar is based on the sun and moon together and measures chronology in numbered years from the Creation year 1.  Modern recorded dates denote this era as B.C.E. for “Before Common Era”.  Christianity dates according to the birth of Christ.  The same B.C.E. initials mean “Before Christian Era” or simply B.C. for “Before Christ.”  Time reckoning after Christ applies the A.D. marking of Anno Domini, which stems from the Latin meaning: “After Divinity” in the year of our Lord.

Calendar systems map world chronology according to different beginnings.  Some follow Jewish tradition and put the Creation date at 5,767 years ago or about 3,761 years B.C.E.  Others credit Archbishop Ussher with calculating in 1,701 A.D. that Creation took place in 4,004 B.C.  The Egyptian Calendar begins between 4,236 B.C.E. and 4,241 B.C.E., along with Egyptian mythology explaining the world’s creation.  Starting dates depend on star observation in Egypt, since that is the only way primal society had to mark calendar years.  Another plan estimates the starting Mayan Calendar date to be 3,113 B.C.E.  Shared calendar characteristics enable deeper inspection of prehistoric time reckoning.  Sacred texts and current science provide clues needed to reconstruct the oldest Biblical history.  Important traits gathered from past calendar time streams become woven together to obtain hybrid insight.  Three ancient calendar systems form the world’s oldest trunk line of calendar science.  God used a lunar/solar calendar to write listed ages for the Antediluvian Patriarchs.  The family of Adam heralds new discovery from the earliest time.

Ages of Adam will aid you through better understanding of the Old Testament and significant calendar information.  The work at timeemits.com stresses time reckoning and recording.  We return to the origins of day and night that lead up to the sacred seven-day week to explore this affinity between God above and calendar times.

Genesis 1:4

“And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.”

God was “between” the light, and the darkness in the literal Hebrew definition.  This basic interlinear Bible definition establishes a slightly different thought of God being between or separating, daylight on the one hand, and darkness on the other.  This meaning sets the precedence for identifying day and night.

Genesis 1:5

“And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.  And the evening and the morning were the first day.”

The Lord put two great lights in heaven, one to rule the day and one to rule the night.  The light of the sun measured the day and the light of the moon measured time greater than a day.  The greater light is, of course, the sun.  Everything we call solar deals with the sun.  The lesser light, or luminary, is the moon.  The word lunar relates to the moon or the month.  The sun and moon identify as luminaries.

This work of God, of dividing, separating or coming between daylight and darkness to measure time is the basic premise of the original Jewish calendar.  Calendars, time, and the sacred seven-day week have inspired the purest of time references to the Holy Bible.  We must examine formative religions and ideas about time.  In chapter 5 of Genesis, a correlation exists between the “begat” genealogy following Adam and numerical ties to ancient calendars.  Adam and his descendants through Noah are the Antediluvian Patriarchs.  Antediluvian tells us they were before the great flood of Noah and all were Patriarchs or fore fathers of humanity.  The Holy Bible provides our greatest treasure of calendar history and early theology.  The Master of the Universe, He who sits upon the throne of glory and grace, stretches forth His right hand to give us time.

We become one human race when you put man and woman together.  There are two literal Hebrew definitions involved here.  Adam meant “the man,” in the literal Hebrew sense of the word.  Adam, the word, differs from a personal pronoun name like Bob or John.  Adam is the human being, the generic man or a breathing creature.  Adam in this work refers to the universal, generic meaning for man.  The man is a derivative form of the root word that describes reddish clay, soil or dust.  Literal word searches furnish meanings that aid our calendar study.  A synthesis of faiths and mythology sharpen initial views regarding civilization.  People have always marked birth and death by the calendar.  Calendars unite with the spiritual afterlife in memorials.  Early religions recognized conceptions of the spirit and soul after death by burial and by saying “from dust unto dust.”  The lifetime of Adam is given precise lunar/solar years in chapter 5 of Genesis.

Eve is the woman in literal Hebrew.  She is the life-giver, mother to the living, or child-bearer.  The feminine fertility issue has always been associated with lunar observation.  The lunar month forever etches upon humanity the moon — mother perceptions of ancient times.  Cycles of new moons were basic time reckoning ingredients for lunar/solar calendars.  Where Eve represented the feminine side of human order according to lunar observation, Adam represented the masculine, solar side, according to solar positioning on the horizon.  In other words, Adam’s male image also implied meaning toward the rising and setting positions of the sun through all four seasons during the year.  Adam and Eve have embedded connections with primitive cosmology.

Clarification of God resting on the seventh day defines a separation between successive time frames.  God again divides, separates or is between the light and darkness of the moon.  Repeated instances in a theme show a holy relationship is present between specific divisions of calendar times.  Transition from one lunar phase ending to commencement of the next lunar phase is the most revered unit of time measurement known.  God set aside the Sabbath Day as holy.  God consecrated the Jewish Shabbat for all time to come.  The sacred Jewish significance of the seven-day week and the number seven elsewhere support religious observance of the moon as an early calendar.

The lunar/solar calendar begins to emerge with a variety of ultimate connotations.  Day unto night, between the weeks as Sabbath, new moon crescents and finally intercalary days all continue divine providence upon Earth.  Time steps in the lunar/solar calendar accumulate for longer time cycles.  Years and then multiple of years exhibit the same religious notions to vast proportions.

Changes in the appearance of the moon at night provide the seven-day week.  Divisions of seven-days separate the four basic lunar phases noted in figure 1.  Starting with a new moon crescent, the moon gradually comes into view on following nights.  The first half of the moon is visible in about seven-days.  The moon waxes until full moon at the end of two weeks.  Lunar light reverses progression in the third week, waning to half visibility.  A fourth week completes the month and visibility diminishes toward a new moon.  Completion of four lunar phases comprises the month.  The true lunar month measures 29.53-days.  Ancient calendar makers recorded approximations according to actual observation.  Whole lunar months of 29-days or 30-days were the common practice in lunar/solar calendar systems.  The average lunar month of 29.5-days repeats upon sighting the new moon crescent.  Light and darkness classify lunar phases in the lunar-side of lunar/solar calendars.  Original interpretations of lunar time place God between the weeks on Sabbath Days.

 

Lunar/solar calendar foundations of the Jewish calendar extend from the earliest verses of scripture.  Natural, uniform motions of the heavenly spheres are the pivotal markers of time reckoning.  The list of ancient characters mentioned in the Old Testament used this lunar/solar calendar system of time recording.  Observation of lunar phases coupled with solar positioning graduated the lifetime ages of Adam and his descendants.  Well over ten thousand years ago, proto-historical calendar makers had developed advanced sciences such as mathematics and astronomy.  Intercalary days add to the lunar year of twelve-moon-months in order to complete our modern solar year of 365-days.  Necessary intercalations best describe lunar/solar separation time by “coming between” lunar and solar times.

Time Equations

There are 12 finished lunar months during the current 365-day-solar-year.  Since day one, that has never changed.  An average lunar month is about 29.5-days long measured against a starry nighttime background.  There are four quarters during one-lunar-month.  From new moon, which shows no moonlight, to the first phase of the moon, or half the lighted moon, about one week has passed.  Moonlight waxes to full-moon stage after two weeks.  Reversing the pattern, the third week of the month wanes visibility to diminish the moon’s light back to halfway again.  The fourth weekly period continues the waning retreat of moonlight until again repeating the new moon.  Twelve mature lunar months multiply by 29.5-days per lunar month for 354-days to approximate the lunar year (Eqn. 1).

Time differences between lunar and solar calendar years provide lunar/solar calendar adjustments or intercalations.  Subtraction yields 11 days of lunar/solar separation time between the lunar year of 12-moon-months and the 365-day-solar-year (Eqn. 2).  Eleven days of difference every year were the staple for lunar/solar calendars.  During 19-years, 11-days of lunar/solar separation time every year multiply this division between lunar years and solar years (Eqn. 3).  Lunar/solar separation time measures 209-days of difference after 19-years have passed.  Therefore, any 19-year lunar/solar calendar cycle had to incorporate these remaining 209-days of separation as intercalary days in order to catch up the lunar-side of the calendar, with the solar-side of the calendar.  Intercalary systems varied between cultures to compensate calendar recording.  The Mayan Calendar escalates the same intercalations to distribute 210-days over a 20-year lunar/solar calendar cycle (Eqn. 3).

Throughout this text, ‘lunar/solar’ denotes calendar terminology that pertains to lunar and solar time.  Variations include ‘lunar/solar separation time’ to indicate time between lunar years and solar years.  Occasionally the phrase is abbreviated ‘l/s’.  Lunar-side specifically addresses time measured according to lunar or moon reckoning.  Solar-side time splits address time that depends upon solar or sun reckoning.  Lunar/solar calendar time is the most important approach to survey ancient calendars.

Equations

1.                  12-Month-Lunar-Year

29.5 day-lunar-month

x 12  lunar-months in lunar-year

= 354 day-lunar-year

2.                  11-Days of Lunar/Solar Separation Time

365 day-solar-year

- 354 day-lunar-year

= 11 days of l/s separation time per l/s calendar year

3.                  Lunar/Solar Separation Time for 20-year-L/S-Cycle

11-days of Separation per l/s calendar year

x 19-year-l/s-calendar cycle

= 209 days of separation per 19-year-l/s-cycle

Approximates to 210 Days of Separation per 20-year l/s-cycle

The lunar/solar calendar begins to emerge with a variety of ultimate connotations.  Day unto night, between the weeks as Sabbath, new moon crescents and finally intercalary days all continue divine providence upon Earth.  Time steps in the lunar/solar calendar accumulate for longer time cycles.  Years and then multiple of years exhibit the same religious notions to vast proportions.

Lunar/solar calendars were common throughout the ancient world.  Different calendar systems employed the 19-year cycle with slight variations.  Study of the Jewish Calendar provides the necessary understanding that is fundamental to lunar/solar calendar cycles.  Equally important, the Jewish Calendar was the mainstay time recording plan found throughout the Old Testament.

More information regarding Jewish Calendar festival and holiday celebrations is available from the timeemits.com website.  The scope of this work is primarily the treatment of l/s intercalations.  Ancient and modern versions of the calendar vary slightly.  A true comparison is possible only through supplementary reading in Judaism.

Are you a pastor, educator or a student of the Holy Bible?  Timeemits.com seeks anointed people to review and contribute to the Ages of Adam ministry.  Ancient lunar/solar calendars like the Jewish and Mayan calendars provide the background to understanding early time.  Ancient calendars of the Holy Bible use differences between the moon and sun, numerical matching and a 364-day calendar year to describe X-number of days that match with X-number of years.  Ages of Adam is a free read. at timeemits.

Clark Nelson is webmaster for http://www.timeemits.com and author of Ages of Adam and sequel, Holy of Holies. Contact article@timeemits.com for more information.

© Copyright 2006 Clark Nelson and timeemits.com All Rights Reserved.

Starring Sam Rockwell, Matt Berry, Robin Chalk, Dominique McElligott and Kevin Spacey as the robot. A truly unique film: It is the near future. Astronaut Sam Bell is living on the far side of the moon, completing a three-year contract with Lunar Industries to mine Earths primary source of energy, Helium-3. It is a lonely job, made harder by a broken satellite that allows no live communications home. Taped messages are all Sam can send and receive. Thankfully, his time on the moon is nearly over, and Sam will be reunited with his wife, Tess, and their three-year-old daughter, Eve, in only a few short weeks. Finally, he will leave the isolation of Sarang, the moon base that has been his home for so long, and he will finally have someone to talk to beyond Gerty, the bases well-intentioned, but rather uncomplicated computer. Directed by Duncan Jones.
Video Rating: 4 / 5

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Ethnicity and regionalism in voice over, is your race or culture a burden?

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Sep 072010

Ethnicity and regionalism in voice over, is your race or culture a burden?

This article has been on the shelves in the back of my mind for a while. I was waiting for the time to write it as much as I was waiting for the right words and phraseology to come to the forefront. This is and always will be a sensitive subject so I will attempt to treat it as such. I was further inspired to get it on paper now, by the recent departure of Isaac Hayes from the hit comedy cartoon South Park. Though the story of his departure includes religion and politics, neither one applies to this article. Isaac Hayes was the voice of the character Chef on Comedy Central’s animated series because of who he was and what he sounded like when he spoke. Why he left the show has nothing to do with this article, but his situation while working for the show may have some correlation. It seemed now was just as good a time to write it as any other, with a little national attention being given to a topic in the same family.


So ok already, enough with the justification for writing it. Get on with it…


In several years of learning the ins and outs of the voice over business, I have always wondered if voice over might someday become a great pillar of equality. Something that leveled the playing field for the diverse multicultural society we call America; a business with open doors for all, regardless of where we came from or what color our skin happened to be. As I continue to ponder the possibilities of such a level playing field, the answer to the overall question is a resounding no. It will not be a playing field of equality anytime soon, but maybe not for all of the same old reasons you might suspect.


In no other business would it be acceptable, or for that matter legal, to post a job opportunity or listing with criteria or parameters such as “Wanted, African American male or female.” or “looking for north American Caucasian male for this job.”; job postings that in their limits not so subtly say, “No others need apply.”


But in the voice over industry, the ability to pick and choose between male or female, black, white or Hispanic is not only an every day occurrence, it is the way business is done. Producers and casting directors are at liberty to be as finite as they like in their pursuit of the perfect match for their part. Does this make them evil, horrible people? No. But there is no shortage of talking points when it comes to how equally opportunities are spread among performers in the movie and television industry. Imagine the front doors of a large American corporation covered in posters to this effect: “wanted, computer programmer must be black female with a slight urban tinge to her voice.” The idea should be so far from the realm of possibility as to be laughable, at least in this day and age. But in the voice over industry there are daily postings that don’t imply or infer this. They come right out and say it.


No one will ever be able to tell the true intentions behind the people hiring for the project, and for our own sanity we might as well assume their intentions are good and with merit. With all of the attention and criticism Mel Gibson received for his hand in The Passion of the Christ, I don’t think the thought of a black male lead ever crossed the minds of the people in the casting department, and oh what a ruckus there would have been had that been the direction they decided to take that movie in. Did they cast a white male lead actor for the part of Jesus in order to preserve the accuracy of the story? If so, there are many in this country and the rest of the world that question that accuracy.


Wait a minute… I can feel this article spiraling… Apply breaks, return to original intention, and get back to the topic…


Ok, I think I got it.


Suffice it to say, that people’s true intent is generally buried so deep it is pointless to begin looking for it. If we want to move beyond the possibilities of prejudice and exception in this business, we will have to find a way to fool the directors and casting people. A way to beat the system that may or may not be in place. A way to overcome, so to speak, an obstacle that to this point remains faceless and so illusive it may never be tackled. We wont know what we are fighting, or if we are fighting anything at all. Not a very bright prospect.


Breaking Down Barriers.


When I have the opportunity to coach voice over talent with ethnic backgrounds different from my own, my mind opens to the fascination of the unknown. I am peering into a crevasse so deep and different from my own, that my receptors are on high alert. Inside that crevasse are many things I haven’t ever seen, culture I may have never witnessed, beliefs and experiences that I may have never considered. Many are portions of human existence that I have never encountered, and as they have shaped this person, might shape me a little as well. I must witness them, learn from them, feel them and hear them in order to better mold my approach to teaching this craft. That is usually much easier said than done. Many times I encounter actors or broadcast talent who have fought so hard to suppress their regionalism, ethnicity or nationality that getting them to lower the wall they have been at times forced to create, is not an easy task.


Much of my ability to break down these barriers is simply a developmental approach to building trust. You may ask why I would try to break these walls down at all; why not just leave them be and skim over them? Probably for the same reason when I speak to someone I want them to look me in the eye. As a coach, it is my job to dig as deep as I can to find the raw talent. Then I need to bring that talent to the surface where it can breathe, grow and flourish. This is a performance art, a human business, an art form that requires people be their true selves. I am trying to teach voice actors how to create characters, not teach one character how to become another. I need to be able to see the real person. It is there I will find the voice I am trying to coach. I cannot coach the person adorned with a shallow façade. I need to talk to the real person behind the wall.


Reality dictates that societal pressures and socioeconomic status along with cultural background will be the strongest influences governing how a person presents themselves to others. In the far from Utopian community of commercial voice over talent, producers, and companies that hire freelance talent outright, if the above mentioned factors lead you to speak anything but “The Kings English” (along with his accent) the world of opportunity in voice over will be forever very small for you. The way we speak, our intonation and the regional artifacts in our sound play a huge role in whether or not we see any success in this industry.


Becoming better versions of ourselves.


So many people pursuing voice over or broadcasting careers are forced by some unwritten word of law to mold their sound into something considered more user friendly. Who makes those laws or sets that policy is unknown to me, as well as the rest of us, but more often than not it dictates that: Urban accents and dialects are eliminated or suppressed. Culture is lost and regional flavor is buried. What is left over is a completely manufactured sound which in turn becomes the person’s permanent public or professional voice. Many times it sounds forced, which in turn makes it sound fake. When it sounds forced or fake the announcer sound starts to creep through. Forced, fake announcer style reads are not at the top of the hit list in the voice over business.


Producers and even regular people who might be casting voice talent are looking for the voice and/or feeling of real people; the guy or girl from the coffee shop, a person they met at the bank, the people who provide their daycare services, the people at the deli’s and small shops they frequent. In essence, people they choose to interact with during their normal course of business. When many voice over jobs are cast, it is the feeling we get when we see a familiar face or hear a familiar voice that producers and casting people are trying to recreate.


When we see a familiar face, or hear a familiar voice and it is one we want to see or hear, it is generally comforting. When something is foreign to us, or strange and unrecognized, we are usually anything but comfortable. That in a nutshell is why we don’t want our voices to be strange, unrecognizable or foreign to the general audience. Our ability as voice actors to create the desired imagery with our voices is what gets us hired and lands us jobs. What gets us overlooked if not pigeon-holed completely is not being able to deliver these voices without some sort of regional, urban or ethnic affect. When a voice actor auditions with any of the above artifacts in their voice for a job that does not expressly require or request them, they most likely will not get the job, and the person hiring for that job, by making a discriminate judgment, will have in essence discriminated against them because of the sound of their voice.


Understanding the brisance of the word “discrimination” I ask that you please entertain all definitions of that word before going off the deep end over my use of the word. It is not at all meant to imply the producers in the world are directly discriminating against anyone who sounds as if they are anything but white. That was not the intention of the comment, but the reality of that idea, is we will never know if they are or not. The only way to remove it as a possibility is to subvert it by becoming a better, more versatile voice over talent and learning to speak with or without our regional or ethnic affect. Essentially through training and practice becoming better versions of ourselves.


Embracing our natural character.


I can think of nothing more hurtful, insidious or nefarious than telling a person of any color, culture, race, nationality or creed that the way they were born into this world isn’t good enough to participate in – and prosper from its harvest. However, that is the message received daily by people of various cultures from directions and sources that are too many to name. There are some who may conclude by my simply writing this article, I have become one of those sources. I beg to differ, but at this time decline to argue. Once again, I will not allow this article to spin out of control. My only comment is this: The longer we go on without talking about these issues, the longer we will ultimately end up talking about them.


Our natural character, more than how we sound when we speak, is what makes us whole. Though some of us might not entirely like ourselves, when we are free to be ourselves we seem to be most at ease. When it comes to the business of voice over, being at ease is one of the main keys to success in front of the microphone. We want to be relaxed. We want to be able to focus and concentrate on the task at hand, both of which are quite difficult when a portion of our energy is spent trying to be someone we are not. The best example would be the type of discomfort a singer experiences when they try to sing a piece that is out of their range. That experience is identical to the experience of the voice over talent who is trying to bury an accent or dialect, and sound like someone he or she is not.


However, if our natural character is one that speaks with a southern draw, an urban accent or foreign dialect, any time we speak as ourselves, we will be speaking in fashion not very well suited to performing voice over here in America. So what are talents of various regions and ethnicities to do? To answer that question we need to explore the implications of hiding or learning how to perform around who we really are. That brings forward the dilemma I alluded to a few columns back; how do you wake up, look in the mirror and accept that the way you were born into this world isn’t good enough to participate in this business? It’s a rather tough pill to swallow.


On every forefront, in every corner of our society forces are struggling to preserve their culture, and this industry in many more ways than one, asks that you abandon it. Not to say there aren’t opportunities out there for people of different culture, color and dialect, but the majority of voice over jobs are going to the average Joe or Jane who speaks with a typical middle America type affect.


My first opportunity to coach an African American student came several years ago. She was a young woman, very poised with a charming smile. She came to my studio with a fair amount of acting experience which was a true advantage for her. Due to some of her Shakespearian stage experience her regionalism and dialect were only very subtle attributes to her voice. I found her to be a very pleasant speaker, and after hearing her behind the microphone, thought that with a little tweaking, we could produce a demo reel that had no identifiable characteristics that would announce to the listener what she looked like, how tall she was, what kind of shoes she liked to wear, and yes, what color her skin was.


After some discussion about the concept of having her demo be ethnically neutral, she and I both agreed we would work to have it not be completely neutral, but instead trickle some of her natural flavor in with the more mundane, conservative reads on her reel. It was important to me that she was able to demonstrate her ability to turn her urban dialect on and off, and not have it lean more in one direction or the other. I didn’t want to suppress or try to hide that fact that she was a young, dignified, intelligent black woman. I wanted her demo to show that she was a young, intelligent, dignified woman who by the way happened to be black.


We both wanted to embrace her culture. My overwhelming desire was that she got a fair shake when someone listened to her demo. I wanted them to get a few tracks in before they discovered that there were more layers to the product. My primary concern was that someone would pop in her demo reel, hear the first track and disregard it as an ethnic demo, or add it to the black pile if there was such a thing, or worse throw it out. We discussed all of these possibilities and took them into consideration when crafting her demo. I knew from the beginning I was treading in ethically unknown territory by bringing these issues to the forefront, just as much as I am by writing this article. But I felt as strongly then as I do now, that until society finds a conscience and some decency, or we can turn back the hands of time, it may do more harm than good by choosing to pretend the world isn’t the way it is.


When it came time to select cover art for her demo reel, the question became whether or not she should put her headshot with her demo. My answer to that question was not to. After all, this business is called Voice-Over, not Face-over, or Where-Did-I-Come-From-Over, or What-Color-Am-I-Over. In this business, as with any other business, it should make absolutely no difference where you come from or what you look like. The only thing that should matter and often does is what you sound like.


Isolating your abilities


One of my greatest concerns when a new talent comes to my studio is that they understand the difficulty of achieving success. It takes a great deal of investment, time and energy to move forward in the industry, and informing a talent of what obstacles stand before them up front before they ever get started, or ever spend a penny on the business only seems fair to me. Most people have the same obstacles when getting started: Lack of experience, cold read ability, and audition technique, lack of technical knowledge when it comes to editing and uploading files to servers and configuring home studios. All of those obstacles are pretty general. But when a talent has a regional, ethnic, or cultural background that directly effects their delivery of voice over copy, it becomes much more of a challenge for them as a talent and me as a coach.


In my early days of coaching, commenting on someone’s cultural background as a hindrance to their success felt a little like walking a tightrope. I wasn’t exactly sure of what approach I should take and saying anything at all was a little uncomfortable. But when I considered the alternative of not telling the student and letting them go into their training only to have someone tell them later, I felt I might as well take the risk and tell them up front. Each time I have had to do it, there has been a mixture of responses, most of them non verbal so it is hard to tell exactly how the talent perceived what I was saying. I can think of no easy way of saying it. So up to this point I just come right out and tell people that their accent or way of speaking is going to have a negative impact on their success as a voice over talent. I usually try to explain the process of installing a switch that rather than completely ridding them of their natural style of speaking, enables them to turn it on and off. Installing this switch takes time and effort, and time of course in the pursuit of coaching costs money. Money continues to be the one major prohibitive factor that keeps people for entering this business or continuing to pursue it for very long. When someone considers the prospect of spending some of their coaching budget on getting rid of something they never saw as a problem in the first place, it occasionally prompts them to throw in the towel early and decide this business isn’t for them.


Though it may sound cruel or untoward, when most students decide to back out at this point I am elated. Turning tail and running at the first sign of difficulty is what keeps everyone and their brother from having a voice over demo on the market. But when a talent from an ethnically diverse background decides to back away upon being informed of this, it hits me a little closer to the core. I can’t help but feel that I am just another in the long chain of people that has said throughout the course of their lives, “I am sorry, but because you are (place ethnicity here), this business isn’t right for you.” One, it is not at all what I am saying and two; it couldn’t be further from the truth. Though on a human level, this is what it feels like I am saying and I never wanted to be a person who said things like that.


I have known for a long time that the truth hurts and people’s perception is their truth. How people perceive what I am saying can lead to it being be misconstrued. I have also known that in order to be a leader you sometimes have to make some very unpopular decisions. This is why I continue to follow a path of honesty, and provide assessments of how I see this business to all comers and how I feel they will fit into it. I find it an act near criminal to take a person’s money, push them through training and launch them into the world with less than the appropriate tools and barriers standing in their way. I am afraid that not all in this industry share the same foundation of principal. This is certainly something I think voice over talent with ethnically diverse backgrounds should be aware of when entering this marketplace.


If you are a voice actor who feels some of the characteristics of your voice may have something to do with your lack of success in this business, then I try to offer you a hand of understanding. In such a detail oriented business where even the slightest variation in our voice can mean the difference between getting hired and not getting hired, it is of the utmost importance we are able to analyze our product and see if there is anything holding us back. If we lack the ability to self analyze, it is a process that can be learned through steady coaching. Also, don’t feel as if your natural style is something that needs to be crushed, wiped away or stuffed into some deep dark corner because it doesn’t. Look at it as a tool, another arrow in your quiver, and another voice with which to demonstrate your versatility. Try to look beyond it as your only voice and see it as one of the many things that make you unique, diversified and intriguing. It can be a very valuable piece of your portfolio, but as your only piece, may be a detriment to your success.


There are walls all around people of culture in this country, let alone the world. Some are made of granite; some are not so easy to see. Some have fallen in the last 25 years and some are still in the process of being constructed. Some are meant to keep people in, though many now are meant to keep people out. These are the realities of the world in which we live. They may continue to be realities for as long as we live. Though this doesn’t mean we have to bow to them, or attempt to tunnel our way beneath them, we only have to imagine there are ways to rise above them and make them disappear. In the faceless world of voice over, a little training can go a long way toward creating a new reality. A reality where we are not judged buy the color of our skin or where we come from, but by the content of our demo tape.

Michael Minetree is the owner of MineWurx Studio, a voice over training studio in Washington D.C. He has been training new voice talent for 10 years and works in the industry on a daily basis. You can find out more about him by searching for his studio on the Internet or by going to http://www.minewurx.com

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Analogy Examples

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Sep 062010

Analogy Examples

Here analogy examples and great analogies explained so you can use them as tools in your writing. There is nothing like an example of analogy to help you in your songwriting.

An analogy is a comparison between two different things so you can point out something about how they are similar. The comparison often is done point by point.

It often is done to explain something not well known by describing something that is known so you can generalize the information from what you already understand to the new thing.

Its a way to provide insight by suggesting existing similarities suggest that there are even more points that are similar.

Using analogies helps the reader to see the logic in your example, perhaps create a visual awareness of what you are talking about and helps them verbalize and understand your suggestion. It transfers information from one particular subject to another.

It does this by inferring the similarity. It does not prove the similarity such as making deductions. What you generally demonstrate is how “a” and “b” is similar somehow to the relationship between “c” and “d”.

Here are some more specific example of analogy:

1. glove is to hand as monitor is to computer

2. surfs are to a king as earth is to the sun

3. furs were to north american aboriginals as credit is to a shopper

Notice how there are similarities in the terms used first and the ones that they are compared to. A glove has a similar relation to a hand just as a monitor has to a computer.

Surfs, by similar logic, are similar to the earth, and furs served a similar function in north american aboriginals cultures as credit provides in our shopping world of today.

Analogies show similarities in relationships that you might not first realize but they can be taken too far. At some point if you continue the comparison in too great of detail your comparison breaks down.

You are pointing out similarities, not proving they are exactly the same. They are only suggestions, they do not prove anything but just point out similarities that you might not have noticed.

Analogies are different than metaphors. Analogies set up examples of similar relationships between two things but don’t show total likeness. A metaphor does. It tries to turns one thing into another.

In your writing you have to decide how far do you want to go with your example of analogy. Do you just want to show a comparison or do you want to turn one thing into another?

Both have their place. But you must think of the impact on your listeners or readers, use an example of analogy to see what best fits your needs.

Analogies let one object you’re comparing have some baggage that doesn’t automatically get forced on to the other. A simile also allows you this leeway as you are only saying one thing is “like” another.

But use a metaphor and your second object has to wear all good and the bad baggage in the comparison. Think of the impact when you choose which to use. Hopefully analogy examples will assist you.

John Cowell is self proclaimed songwriting addict. His fresh approach to songwriting tips and advice will have you saying “Ah-Ha” over and over again. To get simple and terrific ideas on how to write great songs visit his website http://www.greatsongwriting.com. To learn how to build your dream web site and web business like John did, go to http://www.greatsongwriting.com/sbi-tv.html. It’s easier than you think!

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The Nigerian Roads, Screaming for Urgent Attentions

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Sep 052010

The Nigerian Roads, Screaming for Urgent Attentions

Roads in Nigeria have truly become what we now refer to as death traps, which cause that typical vehicular and human traffic jam, the type you have never heard or seen all your life. The situation described here is worst in Lagos, Ibadan, Port-Harcourt, Onitsha (Head-Bridge) and Benin City. You can expect much more intense traffic jam even along high-ways, especially the now infamous Benin-Ore Road, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway etc, anyone who for satisfaction of his curiosity can drive around and take a look at what the people of the country call “Go-slow.” It is this word Go-slow that this article will use to describe this situation.

These Go-slow may sometimes be artificial with no visible cause in sight. You arrested by this hold-up for several hours, sweating and instantly removes your jacket, instead you receive stuffy air much to your discomfort, and as you manage to gradually drive to the beginning of it all, while hoping to find that large object which has blocked the entire road, you discover nothing much to your amazement except maybe a pot-hole. You suddenly discover yourself join others in swearing and cursing which in the end yields, only for you to become hooked up in another Go-slow some few metres away from the previous scene.   

Once I was in a commercial bus, driving from Festac Town across the Festac-Amuwo link bridge, after experiencing a stand still for several hours on this road, it was time to drive on, suddenly we noticed that a particular private bus did not make moves like other vehicles now jostling like the heavens was open for self-acclaimed righteous to enter but there was a much more difficult snag, the private bus driver was not driving, surprisingly, the man was noticed resting his head on the steering of bus, while other vehicles maneuvered their ways out of his stationary position and as usually, tongues began to wag, was he dead or strangely had slept off? As it is typical of Nigerians, other passengers began to pray for him, though no one attempted to come down and verify what the problem was with him.

We can at best qualify the kind of Go-slow we find in Lagos as “made in heaven” this kind of Go-slow is not found in anywhere else, in fact, Lagos is the king of Go-slow. Every single available road in Lagos appears to be designed with Go-slow as its major target. No journey which requires plying the Lagos road would take you less than one hour, no matter how short you may consider it. Interestingly, the people of the State plan their daily routine, which requires plying the roads with Go-slow. The more usual excuse to tender upon late arrival to work is go-slow, just mention it and your Boss will readily agree with you, or will narrate his terrible experience to you.

Rather than expand these roads to accommodate more vehicles and allow free flow of vehicles, the Lagos State Government demarcated and further reserved a portion of the road which it named BRT routes, this is a fine idea, but with this portion of usually narrow and congested roads reserved for Lagos Government Buses, the implication is the rest of the other vehicles struggle to utilize what is left for them.

One major reasons the Lagos roads has become home of Go-slow is abandonment by the federal government, the Nigerian Government rather than consider the once capital of the federation as its maintenance priority, the federal government considers all affairs having to do with the State as a matter for the people of the State, yet Lagos State continues to host, accommodate and shelter politicians and their families. Lagos can pass as a State in the country where every politician of high profile have one form of business or the other, yet it State which is the commercial nerve of the country is deliberately stagnated in oblivion.

The long stretch of road, the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, an international route which links the country with Republic of Benin is the worst route anyone can ply. From Mile II down to Okokomaiko, your troubles begin, this narrow road is never free, and most parts of the roads have been taken over by humans who trade. It has been suggested that the best period to ply the route is before 5.00am when you assume every other person still sleeping. Suddenly we heard there were plans to expand the road; suddenly nothing is heard again from the federal government.

Generally, Nigerian roads require urgent attentions, now that Christmas is at hand when we expect quite a lot of persons to travel to their hometowns for the holiday, Nigerians are panicking because they are aware of the level of inconveniences they will encounter on our roads as vehicles are sometimes seen alternatively moving from the road and plying farmlands in villages to beat Go-slow. Benin City has also emerged as one Go-slow den that drivers must avoid if they are to at least arrive home at a reasonable time rather than kill their time in stationary traffic jams. It beats our imagination that the State Government has still not found solutions to this traffic jam problems in the ancient city of Benin.

We know that our government cannot suddenly and magically supply solutions to the road needs in the country especially now that Christmas is at hand but they can do a lot to better the lives of the people who pay taxes, and are naturally entitled to living good lives like their counterparts in other parts of the world, it is for this reason that we call on the various governments of the States of the federation and the federal government to urgently arrest the bad situation of roads in the country to reduce the number of deaths and maiming that occur on our roads as a result of motor accidents by reconstructing, re-planning and  expanding these roads.

We have also noticed that in other countries of the world the Police do not stand in the middle of the road while performing their functions, rather these officers are well positioned by road sides where they quietly discharge their duties with the traffic flow unhindered. Street traders have also occupied more than half of our roads, with the remaining half left for vehicles. This must be discouraged. Most times, I wonder why our government cannot procure and manage traffic control lights like it is done in other countries of the world, if this is provided with the Police quietly monitoring the situation, a lot of stress will be saved the traffic warders who must be relaxed while performing their road duties. Until we stick to these, we shall continue to entertain panics before and when on the Nigerian roads. Pray against hypertension.        

Emeka Esogbue hails from Ibusa, Delta State, Nigeria. He is a Historian and International Relations graduate and Political/Public Affairs Analyst.


emekaesogbue@yahoo.com

Posted by admin at 1:36 pm Tagged with: , , , ,

Mountain Biking Accessories

Mountain No Responses »
Sep 042010

Mountain Biking Accessories

When you first start out with mountain biking, it can be a bit overwhelming when you walk into a bike store to buy your first mountain bike and see all of the available accessories you’ll need when you first start riding.

There are several mountain biking accessories and related products that you can purchase. Although the sales staff will try to sell you anything they can, the real question for those on a budget isn’t what’s cool, but what accessories you need to make your rides more safe and enjoyable. By starting with these accessories, you’ll be just fine when you hit the trails.

Bike helmet
The bike helmet is the most important mountain biking accessory that you can buy. No one should ever be on a bike without a helmet. There have been many people who have experienced serious head injury, when it could have prevented by wearing a helmet. All mountain bike helmets are comfortable and stylish and everyone who rides on the trails wears one.

Mountain bike gloves
No matter what season you ride in, your hands can take a beating. Beginners will normally keep a death grip on the handle bars, which can be very brutal for their hands. When you crash, your hands will be the first thing to hit the ground – and everyone crashes at some point. Mountain bike gloves are a must have accessory, as they will take the beating for you. 

Mountain bike shorts
After the first few mountain bike rides you take, you’ll notice that your rear end will be quite uncomfortable. Even though your body will adjust, bike shorts are great to have as they will help keep it at a bare minimum. You can get shorts that are very comfortable, making them a great addition to your mountain bike ride.

Mountain bike shoes
Depending on the type of pedals you have and the type of riding you do, you’ll want to pick your mountain bike shoes accordingly. If your bike has clipless type pedals, you’ll want to get shoes to accept the special cleat for your pedals. Good mountain bike shoes are durable, comfortable, and also a stiff sole for better efficiency when pedaling. Also, you should make sure to get the right shoe for the terrain you’ll be riding in as well.

Eye protection
If you get something in your eye, you can run off the trail in a matter of seconds. Sunglasses or clear lensed glasses can help keep your eyes safe from debris, as well as protect them from the wind. When you buy your glasses, make sure they are non-breakable.

Hydration system
Bringing a water bottle or hydration backpack with you is always a great idea. It’s very easy to get dehydrated so you should always bring water with you and drink it on the trail to ensure that your body stays properly hydrated at all times.

Trail repair kit
It’s easy to get stuck in the woods or on the trail if you don’t bring the proper repair kit for your bike. To be on the safe side, bring a multi-tool designed for bike repair, tire levers, and a patch kit for fixing flat tires.

Webmaster of Mountain Bike Store

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Country Club India Member Testimonials – Members Speak Out

Country No Responses »
Sep 032010

Country Club India Member Testimonials – Members Speak Out

The Country Club India member satisfaction is well known around the clubbing circles. The Country Club India member testimonials speak volumes of appreciation regarding the satisfaction they get from the facilities and the entertainment options provided by the country club India network of clubs and resorts. The country club India testimonials is a perfect showcase for all the new country club India members who would love to know the new options with their membership. With all the members who have experienced the facilities and travel and holiday options provided by the club gladly write a testimonial about their holiday or an entertainment experience. There are several country club India testimonials written by numerous members after they had a memorable experience with the club. Few of the country club india member testimonials say “We enjoyed a lot in Country Club Medchal. We are very much impressed with the ambiance and the kind of warm welcome from the Country Club Medchal attendants. I would like to visit again”.

This is just one of the country club India member testimonial from Mr. Ravi Kiran. Also Mrs. Priti Hemant Warankar gave her gracious comments saying “We enjoyed our stay at Country Club Medchal Resort. It was a beautiful resort; surrounding area was very good & beautiful. We were given an excellent service. All the facilities at Country Club Medchal Resort are excellent”. Abhishek Gupta shared “My experience at Country Club Goa was warm & very cozy; we find very friendly & dedicated staff of Country Club Goa. We look forward for more Country Vacations properties to avail your services in future.” Mr. Mahendra P. Darokar shared his thoughts… “I, along with my family availed stay at Country club Mysore during 24-29 December. The accommodation was reasonably good and we enjoyed our stay there. As promised by the Country Vacations, we were able to use the facilities such as swimming pool, Health club (Gym), Snooker, Table Tennis, Carom etc. From Mysore, we also visited Country Club Bandipur and Ooty. The club staff was very efficient, cooperative and well behaved. The Food quality was good and we enjoyed north Indian, Continental food beside south Indian delicacies.

Overall, I am satisfied with the services and hospitality” the country club India member testimonials cannot be covered as whole coz of their sheer number.

For More Information Please Visit: Country Club India Ltd.is the best network of clubs and resorts Country Club India Company profile, Country Club India Franchise Clubs, Country Club India Fractional Ownerships,Country Club India Member Testimonials, Country Club India Leader in Clubbing, Country Club India Press Room.

Posted by admin at 1:48 pm Tagged with: , , , , , ,
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