Coordinated Dreams

Posts Tagged ‘hobbies’

From a business standpoint, the UFCs first trip to Germany will clearly fall short of their success in the UK. From poor ticket sales to a downright hostile German media, its been one headache after another for Dana White and company. That was all forgotten thanks to an entertaining if somewhat uneven fight card highlighted by a spectacular main event between Rich Franklin and Wanderlei Silva. Franklin would ultimately win the unanimous decision victory, but the fight itself far exceeded the expectations of most fans.

For the most part, Franklin picked Silva apart throughout the course of the fight (to quote UFC color commentator Joe Rogan) and deserved the unanimous decision verdict. What made the fight exceptional were the occasional glimpses of the old Axe Murderer. Late in the second and third rounds, Silva tagged Franklin with hard punches that left him clearly stunned.

In the co-main event, heavyweight phenom Cain Velasquez survived a few nervous moments to put in a wall to wall domination of Cheick Kongo. Velasquez was rocked by Kongos punches early in rounds one and two, but quickly recovered to take the fight to the ground where he mauled the Frenchman. The result was an impressive victory for Velasquez over a top level opponent, but his struggles against Kongos standup game left several unanswered questions. The most compelling concern, of course, is that Velesquez might have a weak chin and simply not be able to take a punch particularly well. His problems could also be tactical or simply a case of not having enough patience”rushing his takedown attempts and eating punches rather than work for a less risky opportunity. In any case, his stand up defense needs to be upgraded significantly before he can think about competing against the likes of Brock Lesnar or Frank Mir.

The event also featured the UFC return of former PRIDE open weight GP champion Mirko Cro Cop. Cro Cop was making his return to action from knee surgery, and the Croatian striking machine got off to a slow start against overmatched Mostapha Al-Turk as he clearly sought to protect his rebuilt wheels. Of particular note was the fact that Cro Cop didnt throw a kick the entire fight”his bread and butter during his PRIDE dominance, which evoked the mantra right leg hospital, left leg cemetery. Once he let his hands go, however, he demonstrated emphatically that hes still got serious power. He ended the fight late in the first round by flooring Al-Turk with an overhand left followed up with some hammer fists on the ground. Al-Turk survived this onslaught, but when the referee returned the fight to standup he caught a poke in the eye (similar to the one suffered by Josh Barnett in his PRIDE OWGP Final matchup against Cro Cop).

In the opening match of the live PPV, Dan Hardy won a hard fought split decision over Marcus Davis. The two men had feuded back and forth in the UK media, and while the fight may not have settled their differences in a decisive manner it did provide a solid opener to the evenings fight card.

Ross Everett is a respected freelance writer experienced in travel, poker and sports handicapping. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, flower arranging and deep sea diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.

In one of the stranger front office shakeups in recent NBA history, the Los Angeles Clippers have ‘relieved’ Mike Dunleavy of his head coaching duties effective immediately. He’ll remain on board as the Clippers’ general manager, and both he and the team cited the demands of the forthcoming trade deadline and free agent market as a catalyst for the change. Dunleavy leaves as the most successful head coach in the team’s less than distinguished history. With the Clippers, however, that’s not saying a whole lot.

Not surprisingly, there is much speculation as to the back story behind the move. Some with knowledge of the situation suggest that Clippers’ owner Donald Sterling wanted to fire Dunleavy altogether, but relented due to the $5 million the team will owe him in the final year of his contract next year. More recently, a bizarre rumor has been circulating that Sterling has approached Isiah Thomas about taking over Dunleavy’s coaching position and becoming team president.

Despite the diva-like drama, everyone is keeping up appearances in public. Dunleavy issued this statement, playing along with the team’s insistence that the decision to give up coaching was ‘mutual’:

“I’ve come to the conclusion that this is the ideal time for me to direct my efforts toward the many personnel opportunities that lie before us, such as the trade market, the draft and the free-agent process. We fully expect to be active and productive on all those fronts.”

Team President Andy Roeser added:

“We fully agree with Mike that this is the right time to make this change. It just seems clear that the team needs a fresh voice and we hope that our players will respond in a positive way.As we approach the trade deadline, the NBA draft and the upcoming free-agent period, our team is very well positioned from a salary-cap standpoint. Mike’s experienced input will be vitally important as we continue to develop our young talented nucleus and shape our team’s future.”

Dunleavy’s agent Warren LeGarie continued the same theme:

“This is something we’ve been contemplating for some time. There’s a shelf life to coaching sometimes. So you constantly have to keep measuring whether [the team's inconsistency] is because of injuries, because of you, or something else. And at some point you have to make a judgment call about what’s best for the team, and that’s what Mike did.”

The Clippers have lost 7 of their last 10 games to fall to 21-29 on the year. They’re 17 games behind the Western Conference leading Los Angeles Lakers and 8 games out of the final playoff spot. The schedule won’t get any easier for the Clippers over the next week, as they host the red hot Utah Jazz on Tuesday and head into the All Star Break with a game on the road against the Golden State Warriors.

Ross Everett is a well known cheerleading coach and a consulting handicapper for Anatta Sports. He provides Internet and broadcast media outlets with daily free sports picks when not working with Olympic bound ice skaters. He is a widely published writer specializing in sports handicapping, falconry, auto racing and wombat breeding. He lives in Southern Nevada with his houseboy, three dogs and a wombat.

A white hat link building plan is one that aids the SEO of a website, but does so in a manner that will not result in penalties from major search engines. Basically, the goal is to get links from relevant websites, but also do so according to a strict schedule and plan. That way you will not incur setbacks along the way.

Never under estimate the power of networking with others. It holds true for the Internet as well- search engines like to see networks of local businesses. It gives them extra weight in the search results. If you already have friends who have websites, you might ask for a friendly link from them. Offer to link back to them as a simple “thank you” and to also help them out in their own business search listings.

Not so long ago, a web directory was the only way to find relevant websites on the Internet. Things have changed since then, as we have Yahoo!, Google, and Bing to thank for easier searching. The fact is that directories are still valuable for finding local services, and search engines still give a lot of “weight” to those who are listed in relevant directories. Find such directories in your locale and get a listing.

If you have competitors in your niche, such as the kid down the road who just started a web development business, you might see how they are ranking. If the result is better than your own ranking, look at what links they have built through free online tools. Make an attempt to gain the same links if at all possible. Many times it may not be, but it’s worth researching.

Asking for a link exchange is perfectly fine, so long as you do it correctly. It helps if you create the link to a website before you send the email, so they know you are serious about inclusion on your website. The link exchange won’t always go as planned, so be sure to remove any links after a week if there is no response from the website owner. Many web owners aren’t open to exchanging them.

Always be sure to use a tool to check that link exchanges you initiate are going well. Tools will allow you to check the state of links daily so that you know website owners don’t remove your link. In the event they do, you can be notified so you can either ask why, or at least remove the link to that website from your own website.

In Conclusion

Building links is the key to making your presence on the Internet. Just remember to do it the right, respectable, way. Otherwise you could bring the progress of your company and its rankings to complete halt entirely.

Learn more on website marketing and website link building.

South Carolina’s Darlington Raceway is an egg shaped terror that has become known as the track too tough to tame. If thats true, David Pearson came pretty close–during his illustrious career, he posted 10 victories and 12 poles at Darlington. These are both records for one of NASCAR’s most unforgiving tracks. Pearson’s ability at Darlington bordered on the unreal, and he was able to follow the conventional wisdom about performing well there better than anyone. The old saying is that you need to race the track, not the other drivers, but that’s a lot easier said than done. Pearson, however, made it look easy.

David Pearson was born on December 22, 1934 in Whitney, SC–a textile town near Spartanburg. Like most of the locals, his parents worked in the local cotton mill and did their best to provide. David quit school after the 10th grade and went to work in the mill. It wasnt long, however, before his love of cars and racing made him leave the mill life behind. He bought a car and began racing at short tracks in the upstate. He ran his first race on 9/19/52 in Woodruff South Carolina. Within a few years, he won his first championship at the Greenville/Pickens Speedway in’59.

Pearson never really sought much more than this local fame and success, but a couple of his friends and some fans had loftier ambitions”they began raising money to buy a car to compete in the NASCAR Grand National series (which was the forerunner to today’s Sprint Cup series). With the financial backing from friends and family, David began racing a limited schedule on the Grand National circuit and was named the’60 rookie of the year. In’61, he became the first driver to win on 3 of 4 superspeedways in the same year (Charlotte, Daytona, Atlanta). Success beget sponsors, whos dollars allowed him to afford better cars and crew. This brought about championships”he won three Grand National titles in’66,’68 and’69.

During the 70’s, Pearson specialized in superspeedway racing. Through the end of the’70s, Pearson won 43 races. In addition to his mastery of Darlington, he posted remarkable numbers all over the circuit. He is one of two men to have won more than 100 races, and his 105 is second only to The King Richard Petty’s 200 wins. Hes also second on career poles (113) to Petty. Head to head, however, he has a slight edge over NASCARs legendary King: in races where he and Petty finished 1-2, Pearson won 33 to Petty’s 30. His 11 consecutive poles at Charlotte is a feat that will likely never be matched. Another record that may never be broken is his’.29% winning percentage, as well as his record of starting from the pole in 20% of the races he ran.

In March, 2000, SC Highway 221 through Spartanburg County was renamed David Pearson Boulevard in his honor. He lives in Spartanburg to this day. Pearson still takes to the track occasionally–he and current NASCAR driver Carl Edwards were the first to race on the newly repaved Darlington Raceway last Spring. We should all hope to be able to run with a 20 something NASCAR driver when we’re in our mid 70’s. Incidentally, he got the nickname Silver Fox due to his prematurely gray hair and cunning style behind the wheel.

Ross Everett is a consulting handicapper for Anatta Sports and an expert on World Cup soccer betting. He has written extensively on sports betting, horse racing, travel, and fencing. He lives in Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pair of racing wombats.

Making soap and candles was just a part of weekly life in the early days. Today we can make it skipping several steps that the people of early days had to do. They handled materials that tended to be very dangerous and we have the comfort of using less caustic ingredients to make them today. Making candles or soap is a hobby and no longer has to be done regularly. Instead we just just turn on an electric lamp or go to the store to pick up some soap. You no longer have to make your own soap and candles to stay clean or light the way.

It is fun to make candles and soap but you will need to pick up some basic equipment. A heat source is needed. In the early days soap and candles would have been made over a fire outside but we have some modern conveniences to use they did not have. The best thing to use is an electric hot plate but if you have an electric stove it will work well too. Make sure to never mix your pans for soap making with your pans for candle making. Never mix those pans with ones you use to cook dinner in either. You might get a frothy mouth and horrible taste if you do. Buy old pans from a second hand store and keep them hidden away unless you are making soap or candles. A necessity is a double boiler and you should be able to find an old one but if you do not use an empty metal can for coffee. Place it inside a pot of water or fill an old electric skillet with water and place it on the surface.

To make candles you will need a few more things you can pick up at the craft store in town or online where ever they sell crafts. You need wax, wicks, some sort of mold to hold the wax, fragrance for the candles if you want them to have a certain scent, and color for the candles. You can use household items to make your own molds if you do not want to buy them. Use wax coated paper cups to make small rounded candled or paper, wax coated milk cartons to make square candles. To make tapers you will have to buy a specific metal mold and they are a little tricky and best left for after you have mastered the art of easy candle making.

A double boiler is used to prevent the wax from burning. If you put it in a double boiler it will not burn because the heat from the boiling water in the pot underneath is what melts the wax not the flame of the burner. You need to be careful with wax because it is very flammable. You rarely have a flair up when using a double boiler. Another safe way to melt wax is to put water into an electric skillet and let it come to a simmer. Put the wax in an old coffee can and put it in the water that is in the skillet. The wax will melt slowly but you will continue to be safe and sound.

Use paraffin wax to make your first candles as it is easier to work with. There are many different types of wax but this type melts readily and you do not have to do anything special with it. Find paraffin wax in food stores where they keep the canning supplies. It can also be found in any craft store. Paraffin usually comes in a box in either bars or in sheets that are about an inch in thickness. Just place them in the top of the double boiler or in the coffee can and let them melt. Make sure the whole bar or sheet is in the container so there is no chance of any dripping down on to the burner as this could cause it to catch on fire.

Add the color you picked up with the wax at the craft shop and the fragrance while the wax is melted. Put a wick in the center of the mold and pour in the wax. Do not fill to the top but leave about one inch or half an inch space at the top. Your wick will need to be about 1 to 2 inches above the level of the wax. To hold it up out of the wax tie it onto a pencil and place it over top of the mold. Your filled molds will need to set at room temperature for 12 hours. Place them in the refrigerator for an extra bit of drying for 10 hours. You can just peel off the paper mold if you used cups or milk cartons or look at the instructions on the mold on how to get the candles out.

Soap made by our ancestors was dangerous to make because it used some nasty ingredients that could cause poisoning if eaten or could do damage to the skin and lungs because they were so caustic. The used saved cooking fat and mixed it with the ashes from their cooking fires. Today we have easier ways to make soap. The easiest manner is to make it just like you did candles with the melt and pour procedure. Purchase a soap base that also comes in either bar or flakes. Place it in the top of a double boiler and begin the melting process. Once it is melted add the fragrance and color just like you did with the candles. Soap molds are a little different than candle molds. They are generally made of a hard plastic and you just pop the soap out once it dries. They come in different shapes including some whimsical ones like sea shells and fish. Once the soap is poured it needs to dry a few days at room temperature.

The above procedures are the easiest and most simple ways to make your own soap and candles. You can find other methods that will produce some interesting and beautiful products that take more tools and more time but are worth it. You can find these methods on line by searching under making soap and candles.

Now you can get all the instructions to make your own candles fast! All the ingredients you need as well as kits for soap making and candle making that can be made with scents that are uniquely yours!

When David Beckham suffered a torn Achilles’ tendon in a Italian league game in mid-March, doctors gave him an outside chance of returning in time for the World Cup or at the very least part of the MLS season. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like either of these favorable scenarios will transpire. In a recent statement Beckham broke the news that his recovery is behind schedule and he won’t be able to resume playing soccer until November at the earliest.

This timetable does leave open the possibility that he could return to action should the Los Angeles Galaxy make the MLS playoffs. As far as a potential return to England’s national team the first realistic opportunity for Beckham to play would be in a European Championship qualifier against Wales in March 2011. He’s been assured that he’s welcome back at AC Milan in Italy’s Serie A league whenever he’s back in playing shape, though neither the team nor Beckham have indicated anything specific about his future with the team.

Beckham, who is still using crutches to get around, explained his recovery process:

“I won’t be running for another three months, so I will be playing again in, probably, November.”

“My mentality is to kind of push it and get moving and running and soon as possible. But it’s an injury that has to take time to heal. It’s frustrating. It’s obviously disappointing because I’ve been working for the last two years to get into the English squad [for the World Cup].”

“At the moment, it’s just getting the motion back into the ankle, the tendon, because it’s still repairing. I’m trying to get mobilization back into the ankle.”

Beckham also recalled the injury itself:

“It was like being hit by a hockey puck. I thought someone was behind me and kicked me. Obviously no one was there and I saw my foot hanging and then I felt down there and there was a hole.”

The former England captain would have likely served in a reserve capacity with the World Cup squad. Even without Beckham in the lineup and with lingering injury issues plaguing Manchester United superstar Wayne Rooney soccer betting enthusiasts are bullish on England’s prospects this summer. The ‘Three Lions’ are currently the third favorite in World Cup future betting behind Brazil and Spain.

Ross Everett is a experienced freelance writer who covers travel, poker and sports handicapping. He is a consulting handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, falconry and scuba diving. He lives in Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pet coyote.

When it is time to rest after a hard day’s labor it might take a little coffee or probably a few rounds of alcoholic drink or any other booze you could get your hands on. Okay, yeah I’m to be blamed for that one also, unless I’m caught dead wearing a lampshade over my head after a few rounds of vodka… half-naked! Okay, bad example and I apologize to everyone reading this after getting dreadful dreams about me in that state of drunken state of unconsciousness.

Just don’t ask how it happened, please.

Nevertheless the most interesting part of the matter is that I ask myself: how do people go through the usual part of life when faced with vein-popping pressure? Get me clearer, the new age thing like Zen or yoga is one of the good things and it actually works. Is there room for the intellectual side of people who can actually smell the roses-in-a-can while on the move? This really makes me think intensely that at least there really must be something in this ‘mind-over-matter’ thing.

Humor is indeed the best medicine there is whenever you are. I mean anyone can pay good money to listen to a comedian just to make you wet your pants after laughing so hard. Despite of what’s been happening, and to those who has gone though the ordeal, it’s better to just laugh while facing the troubles with a clear mind than anger with a clouded vision.

One of my favorite celebrities of all time may have to be Woody Allen. Now this is one guy who gives you the in-your-face bluntness that he pulls out with gusto, even without even trying. You can talk just about anything with a man, and he’s bound to mock the subject and you’ll end up laughing rather than being upset about it.

Woody Allen has this to say:

1. “Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons.” I deem it good, I mean the practicality of all things does involve money but it doesn’t have to take an arm and a leg to get it.

2. “I believe there is something out there watching us. Unfortunately, it’s the government.” He thought.

To get the remaining segment of this piece of writing, please search for the title with the number (2) instead of (1). Meet you.

Abraham Saleh presents secrets tips on love, health, success and finance and your divorce family ebook

The Edmonton Eskimos survived a wild back and forth CFL shootout against the Calgary Stampeders before prevailing 38-35 to take over sole possession of first place in the CFL West. Edmonton improved to 4-3 with the win, while Calgary dropped to 3-4.

After the game, winning QB Ricky Ray said that he enjoyed playing in the shootout:

“That was a ton of fun. In the CFL you get to play in a lot of games like this, especially against a guy like (Calgary quarterback Henry) Burris, who has done this to us. It’s great to come out on the winning end of a shoot-out like that. It’s a great uplift for the team. It’s a huge win for us.”

With a bye week on deck, Eskimos head coach Richie Hall said that the win couldn’t have come at a better time:

“Regardless of what happens, we are coming back in first place. Now we have one up on Calgary. It’s going to be a dogfight for all the teams in the West and any chance you get to win, especially a win like this, it’s a real bonus. It’s great for our confidence.”

Calgarys Burris remembered a very similar situation in a game last year where Edmonton won by the same margin on a last play touchdown:

“They got us last year in this situation and of course you didn’t think it was going to happen again or even could happen again. It felt so great to get that late touchdown and with 38 seconds on the clock nobody was even thinking about last year. We had to stop Jackson and we didn’t. And we had to stop Ray and we didn’t. Kudos to Edmonton.”

Both teams have a bye next week. Calgary returns to action on Aug. 28 in Toronto while the Eskimos will next play on Aug. 29 when they host Hamilton. The two CFL provincial rivals from Alberta will face each other twice more this season.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on World Cup betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been playing the Cleveland Browns for longer than any other team in the National Football League, dating back to’50. And while it hasn’t been quite that long since the Cleveland Browns won a game against the Steelers it may be starting to feel like it. On Sunday, Pittsburgh won for the twelfth straight time dating back to 2003 as they topped Cleveland by a final score of 27-13. The defending Superbowl champions improved to 4-2 while the Browns fell to 1-5.

The good news for NFL betting enthusiasts who took the +13′ with the Browns as a road underdog is that they managed to cover the pointspread by the slimmest of possible margins. Betting against the defending Superbowl champion is a long standing handicapping concept, and this season at least its worked like a charm-the Steelers have only covered one of their first six games. Cleveland, meanwhile, evened their NFL pointspread record at 3-3 on the season. The Browns have covered three straight after dropping their first three both straight up and against the spread. The 40 combined points went OVER the posted total of 37′.

Pittsburgh dominated the game in virtually every statistical category. They amassed 28 first downs to 12 for Cleveland, held a 543 to’7 total yardage advantage and a 36:46 to 23:14 time of possession advantage. Most of the post game talk from both sides was about a controversial spot in the first half where the Steelers were given a first down on a short yardage play when it appeared that they didn’t make the required yardage.

After the contest, Derek Anderson spoke of the frustration of continually coming up short against the Steelers. The Browns have only one once in ten games since Pittsburgh moved into their new home at Heinz Field:

“We’re not trying to lose every time we go out here. We put tons of hours in and … it’s frustrating. Every single week, it’s frustrating.”

Steelers’ tight end Heath Miller said the team is happy to be where they are at this point despite not playing up to their standards:

“I think we haven’t played our best ball yet and that’s pretty comforting. We’ve gotten a few wins here without playing our best.”

The Steelers will host Brett Favre and the 6-0 Minnesota Vikings next Sunday. The Steelers are a -4 home favorite with the total set at 45. After a bye week, the Steelers will hit the road to play another undefeated team as they take on the Denver Broncos on Monday, November 9. Cleveland will host the Green Bay Packers this Sunday, with the Browns a +7 home underdog and the total set at 42′. They’ll head to ‘The Windy City’ to face the Chicago Bears the following Sunday and then have a bye week.

Ross Everett is a widely published widely published freelance sports writer and highly respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and betting odds portal sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

Duke University is far from being a national college football powerhouse, but they’re no longer a team you can take lightly either. #6 ranked Virginia Tech found that out on Saturday, and what they expected to be an easy afternoon became a tightly contested affair. In the end, Virginia Tech prevailed for a 34-26 road victory but not without some anxious moments. Virginia Tech improved their record to 4-1, while Duke dropped to 2-3 on the 2009 college football season.

Despite the straight up loss, Duke won where it counted as they rewarded sports players who bet on college football with the ATS victory as +17 home underdogs. Duke evened their mark at 2-2 in their lined games, while the Hokies dropped to 2-3 against the spread. The 60 combined points scored went well OVER the posted total of 48.

The Hokies were saved by the career day posted by their quarterback, Tyrod Taylor. Taylor threw for 327 yards on 17 of 22 passing and two touchdown passes. After the game, Taylor modestly downplayed his own impact on the outcome of the game:

“I know we have a lot of talent on the offensive side of the ball. It’s just my job to get the ball to them.”

Venerable Tech coach Frank Beamer saw his team defeat Duke for the ninth straight time, but noted:

“I don’t think that’s the old Duke football team.

Blue Devils coach David Cuttcliffe said his team is reaching the point where moral victories don’t provide enough satisfaction:

“We got close enough in the fourth quarter to go beat a great team. Once you taste that, you like it. I wouldn’t say we spit it out — it wasn’t a choke — but we just didn’t finish.”

Despite getting the win, Hokies coach Beamer was critical of his teams performance:

“Too many penalties and too many long plays. We weren’t as sharp as we would like, but I don’t think it was lack of effort. Part of it was Duke, and part of it was us. … Sometimes I think you’ve just got to win some games that’s not real pretty on the road, and this is probably one of those.”

Still, he praised his team for doing what they needed to do to preserve the victory:

“When we needed to run the football, and we did, and got points, that was critical to this ball game. They were going to take the run away, so you’ve got to be able to throw the ball.”

Virginia Tech will host Boston College next Saturday before traveling to Atlanta the following weekend for a game against Georgia Tech. Duke will play at North Carolina State next Saturday before a bye week. Theyll return to action at home on October 24th against the University of Maryland and play on the road at Virginia the following week.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and highly respected authority on World Cup soccer betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and betting odds sites. He lives in Northern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.