Have you ever wondered…

What if the victims in many of these stories had properly prepared themselves for the eventuality of being attacked, because…

1. They recognized the existence of danger in the world…

2. They knew that, based on the shear numbers of incidents that…

…danger could, and probably might, touch them, and…

3. They took steps to insure that they would be a survivor instead of a victim who’s story would be laid bare to the world, courtesy of the press…

What if even one story ended like this…

“…she remembers learning how to get out of this type of attack and [automatically] reaches up to grab and pull his arm away from her neck. What she finds though, is that she cannot even begin to budge it in the least.

“Taking the short stick-like key ring that she habitually carries in her hand when there might be a need, she begins delivering a barrage of stabbing and grinding attacks to her assailant’s body. As she feels his grip loosen, she expands her counter-attack to include stamping heel kicks to his instep, smashing headbutt strikes to his face behind her head, and maybe even a well-placed elbow or two to his ribcage.

“She finds herself free as her assailant is sent reeling from the painful blows. She stands there in her defensive position, watching to see what his next move will be, her eyes burning with rage and indignation. Her very presence communicates to her would-be attacker that, “what he is feeling right now is the nicest thing that he will feel if he tries to touch her again!”

Can you see how the assailant’s own perception would be suddenly different, because…

Seeing what was supposed to be his victim standing before him, obviously prepared to do more than he has already experienced, the assailant’s intentions change. What began as a defensive, anger-response to his own pain and a desire for retaliation, has now, with the realization that his victim is no-such-thing, he decides that his own safety is more important than what he wanted from “this” particular target.

He decides to let her go. And, besides…

…he will be able to find another, easier, victim…

…soon enough.

***************************************

This story illustrates a common occurrence – more common, in fact, than most of us ever begin to realize. It describes, in one form, what happens to would-be assailants every day, who choose the wrong target and are left with the realization that not everyone will play the role of the “victim.”

Unfortunately, stories like this are usually never reported on by either the police or news people.

Why? Because they never even know about them. Because the intended victim handled things on their own and escaped safely, returning home to friends and family.

This article then, is a tribute to all those who have decided that, should something ever happen, they choose the outcome of this story to be theirs.

Can you imagine what the world would be like if even half of citizens were capable and prepared to defend themselves against danger? I for one can think of two types of people who would have to find new work…

…criminal attackers, and…

…reporters!

Jeffrey M. Miller is the founder and director of Warrior Concepts International in Sunbury, Pennsylvania. He is the author of the “Foundations of Self-Defense Mastery” eCourse, which is available free of charge to subscribers of his self defense newsletter. You can subscribe to the newsletter at: http://www.warrior-concepts-online.com/newsletter-subscribe-self-defense.html He is also the creator of the EDR: Non-Martial Arts Defensive Training Program, author of the book, “The Karate-Myth” as-well-as the powerful, “Danger Prevention Tactics” video. Additional information is available by visiting http://www.warrior-concepts-online.com.

Successful search engine optimization experts tout that in today’s online environment a website is successful because of several sequential steps occurring naturally online. That is…

- increased website content creates more search engine indexing opportunities, which results in more opportunities for organic search engine traffic;
- more search engine traffic leads to more online popularity and subsequently, increased viral online linking;
- this increased linking to a website results in more perceived relevancy by the search engines and, again, higher organic search engine listings; and,
- finally, these higher listings lead to more traffic, and the cycle continues.

So how does a website owner deal with this fact of doing business online? Simple. By providing an ever-increasing amount of content on their website.

But if you own several websites you understand how great a challenge it can be to be able to provide constantly updated, valid and useful content, usually in substantially large quantities via hundreds or thousands of webpages, for your website’s visitors and information seekers.

So the way to solve this dilemma for most webmasters is to use content written by others. But the most common route to getting this type of information is to have to pay for a ghostwriter to write the content. This can get expensive so, again, one’s website’s content volume suffers.

Some webmasters use RSS feeds to scrape content from other websites, but to build static webpages from the scraped content can get into legal issues so this tactic can be rather risky.

And for those webmasters brave enough to write the needed content themselves usually face a difficult mountain to climb. That is, these days it’s very tough to actually find the time or have the knowledge to do this. One can only write so many pages on the same topic before experiencing writer’s ‘burnout’.

So what would be the answer to this apparent dilemma of needing lots of website content but not having lasting viable routes to obtaining the needed content? Simple.

Grab content from free article directories. An article directory is specially designed for website owners and publishers to legally and freely take copyrighted articles, written by online authors willing to share their writings, and post on their website as content.

And one can find hundreds of article directories available on the Internet today and most have only one condition of use: there are terms of usage that website owners agree to follow before using the articles from the article directory. But outside of that there are no other restrictions, and no ‘memberships’ required.

So, in view of the issues surrounding creating content for one’s website, as described above, and the absolutely necessity for a website to have voluminous and fresh content to stay ranked highly in the Search Engines, one can easily see how the free articles found at an article directory can be just the answer a website owner needs to give their websites a needed boost with the Search Engines.

No more having to pay for content. And no more struggling with writing the content yourself. Use whatever information you find at the article directory that you deem relevant and post it on your website, or blog, or forum.

Article directories. Free on-topic content for YOUR website. YOUR blog. YOUR ezine. YOUR forum. Cool.

Written by Andre Best
President, Ultimate Results, Inc.
www.ArticlesandAuthors.com – THE Premier Site for Articles AND Authors

(Authors permission is granted to share this full article with others. Just leave the signature line intact, please.)

This is not because I am anything special or know some magic formula, but because
I have learned a few goal and program-setting techniques that I would like to share
with you. Start incorporating them into your plan today and notice the difference
tomorrow.

The very first question I ask each new client that comes to me is, “How long have
you been on the same workout program?” Without fail most, if not all, say, “Over six
months.” They do not understand why they are not progressing.

Rule #1:

Change your routine every twelve weeks: Your body adapts to exercise like our
bodies adapt to taking antibiotics. For some reason after a period of time it gets
used to the same routine.

Rule #2:

Have a rest period between twelve week segments: Take a few days off between the
twelve segments refreshes you and allows your body to recuperate.

Rule #3:

Keep to ball rolling: There is a let down after you have reached your goal. When you
realize that you are going to reach your goal, start thinking of the next one. This
keeps the momentum going and decreases the chance of having a let down.

Rule #4:

You need a carrot: You need some tangible reward for your efforts. You need
something urgent, something you just have to have. Find it and it will motivate you
in the down times.

Rule #5:

Follow an intensity curve: Within the twelve week segment, ramp up your intensity
levels in your workouts. Start at eighty percent and by week two you should be at
100 percent.

Rule #6:

Set one main goal a year: Set one big goal a year with seasonal ones leading up to
the big one.

Start with these and see how your motivation goes up through out the year.

Greg Ryan is a high profile fitness expert and former employee of Kathy Smiths. Body building champion, public speaker and personal trainer to the stars. He is a best selling author of the Changing from the INSIDE Start getting in better shape today!

For FREE MINI COURES click here http://www.resolutions.bz

Know yourself well before committing yourself to a life of marriage to another person. Are you really ready? Are you done playing the field? Do you still have wild oats to sow? Is your career or higher education going to get in the way of your ability to really build a life with someone else? What are your beliefs about marriage? Are you a high maintenance or low maintenance personality? Are you ready for kids? Do you even want kids? How exactly do you plan on raising them? Are you going to be a smothering parent or one who pushes the child into independence? Tough love or doting? What kind of financial lifestyle do you want? Can you achieve it before you have kids or should you wait and have kids later when you’ve set things up just so? How much intimacy do you want, need, prefer? How accommodating are you to other people’s needs? Are you a team player or a bit self indulged?

There are no right or wrong answers, you just need to have your eyes wide open for the sake of your future spouse. You need to be able to tell them straight up what it is you’re offering. What exactly does ‘let’s get married’ look like to you?

Know your partner before proposing or accepting their proposal. Are they really ready? Do you trust them not to cheat? What are their career aspirations? What are their spiritual beliefs and how important are they to them? What religion does your partner want to raise your children in? Are they high maintenance or low? Do you have what it takes to please them? Are they the type that will naturally please you without having to force yourselves to take care of each other? Do they want kids? If so, when? What kind of financial lifestyle do they want to raise a family in? Are they the type to want to just dive in and trust that everything will turn out okay or do they have a plan that they’re going to want you to agree to and follow with them? What is their parenting style and beliefs? How much intimacy does your partner like? How well do they compromise with others? Again, there are no right or wrong answers, but you need to know these things about the other person before agreeing to marry them.

I heard a wonderful New Age definition of marriage recently. They said marriage is the act of agreeing to live out someone else’s karma with them. So ask yourself, what’s my partner’s karma look like? What goes around comes around. What are they putting out into the world? And what kind of energy are you putting out into the world? Would it be fair to ask someone to join you in your karma? Be honest.

Young people really need to be educated as to what marriage is. So many girls accept the first proposal that comes along assuming it’s the best they’ll ever get. I think the fear that we’ll be alone makes us afraid to say no to someone who isn’t necessarily the right partner for us. I suspect the boys proposing are doing the same thing. Our fear of being alone and our low self-esteems make us desperate to couple up without really checking out who we’re going to be with and what it is we have to offer them. Add to that the dizzyingly wonderful high that first comes along with falling in love and it’s almost more than folks can handle. It’s only natural that we would want to stay on that high forever. When we’re young, we think that the high will last forever if we get married. We’re committing to the emotions, not to the cold hard facts of who we are, who they are, and what marriage together would really end up looking like. It’s very difficult to do, and much easier said than done, but young kids need to take a step back and seriously look at these questions before moving forward with marriage commitments.

The adults I know who have gone through repeat marriages and divorces are all still making that same mistake. They’re marrying the rush of emotions before doing their homework and finding out who they’re actually in love with. We are in love with being in love. Beautiful stuff, but often a sure formula for divorce once reality hits. If we can learn how to take a step back and bring our heads in where our hearts have taken over, I think we could save ourselves a lot of heartache down the line. Yeah, we probably wouldn’t get married as early in life, because it will take a while to find the right one. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The older and wiser we are, the better the chances that we’re going to be able to openly and honestly present ourselves to potential mates.

As a society, if we would just wait for the right one to come along, we’d see a huge drop in the divorce rate. There will always be weird unexpected things that happen, but overall marriage would actually have a fighting chance at being a happily ever after thing again. Choose wisely and hold it sacred when you do find that special someone. Know just how rare and special they are. And give thanks daily once you find them.

Copyright 2004, Skye Thomas, Tomorrow’s Edge

About The Author

Skye Thomas is the CEO of Tomorrow’s Edge, an Internet leader in inspiring leaps of faith. She became a writer in 1999 after twenty years of studying spirituality, metaphysics, astrology, personal growth, motivation, soulmates, and parenting. Her books and articles have inspired people of all ages and faiths to recommit themselves to the pursuit of happiness. After years of high heels and business clothes, she is currently enjoying working from home in her pajamas. To read more of her articles, sign up to receive her free weekly newsletter, and get free previews of her books go to www.TomorrowsEdge.net.

Skye@TomorrowsEdge.net

The first part of my journey requires a bit of effort to paddle against the current in the wide tidal river that connects my canal system to another nearby one. For no more than ten minutes I have to paddle vigorously. After that I get a rest as I take it easy and cruise down this lazy stretch of canal that takes me around Paradise Island.

On this particular occasion I was hot from my big push across the river and really in the mood to kick back and go with the flow. So I lifted my feet and legs up out of the kayak and rested them on the top of the covered section.

Lounging in this kayak in this way is not the most stable position to be in, but it is comfortable.

I paddled slowly along this resort-laden stretch of suburbia and enjoyed the sights and the sounds. The sounds were particularly rich this time. Not only where the birds singing but the sounds of laughter and people on vacation filled the air.

Then all of a sudden, from my left came the hooting and hollering of a teenage boy on the warpath! It was a bit of a shock and caught my attention. Then came the sound of a metal gate squeaking and slamming closed.

The remaining schoolies in the spa were now chanting, “Go… Go… GO!!!” I knew this Australian youth was after me. I was his prey and he had the look of determination in his eyes. Based on his physique I quickly surmised that he had a very good chance of succeeding in overturning and capsizing me.

What would you have done in this situation? Would you have tried to get away? Would you have attacked him with your paddle?

I may have been able to get away, but the way I was lounging in my kayak was not conducive to a quick get-away. And I may have flipped myself over if I had tried due to the unstable distribution of my weight in the kayak.

Not only did my options seem limited but I decided I would rather shift this with my energy. I thought, “I am *NOT* a vibrational match to being shoved out of my kayak by some young lad out for a bit of fun and mischief!”

So I got a grip on my mind and calmed my racing heart. As this young man rapidly approached my kayak I laughed deep and loud and said to him, “Great idea! You gave me a bit of a fright there for a moment. Please don’t dump me out, I have my mobile phone in here.”

The spunky lad was huffing and puffing but he had heard me. He began looking into my kayak and so I produced my dry bag, which contained my mobile phone. It was safe even if I was dumped, but he did not know that.

Meanwhile his friends were making a lot of noise pushing him to do the dirty deed. This lad lifted my phone into the air and yelled out, “He has valuables!” There were people on both sides of the canal observing this exchange of energy and waiting for him to dump me.

We talked for a little bit, shook hands and then with one mighty push he sent me on my way.

I reveled in the feeling of exhilaration! I was excited and happy to be alive. I had not been in real danger, but it was thrilling just the same. My heart was pounding and I was grateful to have had such an encounter with this young being.

I thought about how different it could have turned out. I marveled at how powerful our energy can be. I knew without a doubt that I had commanded that situation by being firm and clear in my intention.

When I got home and shared this story with my new housemates, a couple of Australian women, they were shocked to find out that the boy did not turn me over. Knowing Aussie lads the way they do, they figured it was a sure thing.

You see, when you take control of your mind and your vibration you take control of your entire life! You become safe because you will feel when you are in danger. You will know what actions to take and when to take them.

There have been times when I ignored messages that could have saved me trouble, but there have *NOT* been times (in the last few years) when I missed the messages altogether.

Most of the time I either miss trouble without a (physical) clue it was ever there, or watch it move past me while being grateful for having such a clear connection to my guidance system.

You must know that it has not always been this way for me. I used to have experiences that were quite painful and difficult and no clue as to how they came about.

These are skills that anyone can learn… even you! I teach these skills in the “Facts of Life” ecourse. You can visit http://gr8Wisdom.com to find out how to purchase this invaluable ecourse.

About the Author

Michael Skowronski is a spiritually oriented Life Coach and Counselor. He offers the free “Walk On Water” ezine and sells the “Facts of Life” ecourse from his http://gr8wisdom.com website. Michael also offers Teleclasses and an Apprenticeship Group. Please consult my web page for email contact details

Have you ever had a checking account and you wrote a ton of bad checks? I mean you have a week before they all clear and you can write as many as you want but this short term gain does really in all reality screws you in the end.

Not only do you have to pay the money out, you pay a $30 returned check fee on top of all that and if you can’t pay it off, you will then be turned into collections and then the phones will be ringing off the hook. Now do you see where the short term gain, the stuff that you wanted but didn’t need it can turn into long term pain?

Now let’s look at this by looking at other situations and how they affect our life. Have you ever felt that you had to have a doughnut everyday? What if you can’t stay away from the good stuff, all the sweets? Well let me tell you what happens, slowly and surly you add a few pounds here and a few pounds there and before you know it you are 30 pounds over weight.

Now that you went from a 34 to a 38 waist line you figure that you must lose some weight. Now can you see where short term gain, eating all the sweets that you wanted and never worrying about your weight and this made you very happy because it made you feel good.

Now lets look at the down side, the long term pain. Do you know how hard it is to lose 4 inches off your waist? I mean it goes on quickly and easily, but is a son of a gun to get it off.

It will take literally months of exercise and sweat and lots of hard work to get back to where you were at and that is a 34 waist line. Now do you see how being conscious of the short term gains and looking at them closely and see which ones will cause long term pain and decide if it will be worth the effort to overcome the long term pain.

If you feel that you need to gain the short term pleasure, then make sure you know the consequences to your actions. Because this will give you a blue print for what to do and what to avoid and if you were wise you would look at the situation and decied if the short term gain, will be easier than long term pain that you will receive from the other?

Probably the best way to get hold of theatre deals is to go on the World Wide Web. Here you can find websites that specialise in the booking of London theatre tickets just by using Internet search engines like Google, Yahoo or Bing, or alternatively through Internet directories such as DMOZ & Yahoo.

These specific sites will usually let you to search for packages based upon specific criteria for instance the theatre play you want to go and watch, the date, the time of the show, book-in date, number of nights, type of room, & even the method of transport. The search engines will present all the theatre packages to be had that match your requests together with price details.

More often than not the amount of the markdown will increase with the number of items that you want to include in your theatre package, as this allows the theatre website selling the theatre package to slash more whilst still turning out a nice profit. This means that when you include rail travel in your theatre package you will obtain a considerably better savings reduction.

Constantly check to see if the business or internet site offers to beat the prices of all its rivals. Obviously this is a straightforward way of guaranteeing that you are getting hold of the best available package from the plenty of theatre packages to be had. You have to make sure though that what you are comparing is the same in regards of overall benefits when evaluating theatre packages. For instance, only check hotel & theatre show deals that have the same plays, venues, and accommodation, with the specific conditions applied. For example, one theatre show package might perhaps include a buffet dinner, whilst another might provide a continental lunch, all at the same hotel. Two London theatre deals may well seem very similar while in fact one might well provide a liberal termination policy while the other may not.

It is also imperative to confirm that the show packages are financially guaranteed. In view of the fact that service can vary from one package to another, it is also an excellent idea to try and find testimonials or to get several reviews from prior theatre customers. It is also useful to check to see if the call centres offer a good service and if theatre goers wishes are satisfactorily met for the duration of their theatre break. With a small amount of effort you ought to be capable of discovering the best theatre & hotel offer available.

The most needed item of furniture in a bedroom is certainly the bed itself. Beds today come in numerous different sizes & forms. For starters, beds can be procured as a single, double, king-size or super king-size.

Whilst the size is a central aspect, the exact shape of bed you acquire will also make a great difference in how precisely your bed is specifically utilised. If you are short on space, settle on either a cabin bed or storage bed as these have suitable storage drawers below.

If you enjoy having your relatives over often then make certain that you get a guest bed that meets your specific requirements. A guest bed has an extra pull out mattress below. What’s more you can also choose a folding bed for friends, as this bed is usually small and lightweight, which provides easy manoeuvring.

If you are restricted on available bedroom space for your guests, then acquire a sofa bed. Sofa beds look exactly like sofas and with this in mind can be matched to your homes decor, but also convert into a cosy sleeping option for friends.

To get the most happiness and stability out of your bed, you will definitely need to acquire a mattress. There is a diverse array of mattresses to pick and choose from nowadays, with one of the most well-liked styles being a Memory Foam mattress. The value of a Memory Foam mattress over other mattresses is that it can mould to the form of your specific body for more comfort and support.

When procuring your new mattress, make certain that it is the exact size as your current bed. For example, a single bed will only take a single mattress, while a double bed requires a double mattress, it’s that straightforward.

To finish your bed, pick & choose a duvet cover that complements your décor. Not merely do duvet covers come in a large collection of finishes and shades, but they can also be produced from environmentally friendly materials. What’s more, duvets are lightweight & easy to wash down.

Another practical piece of bedroom furniture you should get is a chest of drawers. A chest of drawers can keep a lot of your clothing, & can easily be matched to other bedroom furniture you may have bought.

Designer fashion store Matches are currently stocking the all new and exceedingly unique necklaces and bangles by Hannah Martin. Jewels that are a little bit dark, a little bit decadent and thoroughly sexy. Designer store Matches bring you direct from an airy loft flat in New York City- Haute Hippy, the trademark says it all. The best of both worlds combine for an amazingly vintage inspired, beautifully crafted pieces that are super gorgeous, seductive and deeply cool. And now for the 2 J chaps, Julian David and the amazing Julien McDonald. With decidedly soft, feather-light scarves in a wide range of colourways Julian David is the scarf man to watch and get all set to party in Julien MacDonald’s beautiful dresses. Burberry Prorsum to view all the latest fashion products from Giambattista Valli.

Be completely smitten by the latest collection to hit the high fashion stores, it is London based designer label Loha Vete by Max Zubari. These designer clothing pieces are love-worn t shirts graced with Zubari’s own personal wisdom slogans about life, love and anything in between. Show off your heart on your sleeve and make ordinary clothing a fashion statement.

Be sure to view the Matches online website for even more information about these cool new clothing designers, the latest must haves and the insider knowledge about all things fashion on designer store Matches daily blog.

The computer in the DAB digital radio grabs the digital feed and effectively does away with any other signal or ways of distortion, for instance electrical machines being run nearby. Instead of scrolling through the radio knob, DAB digital radios provide a list of tuneable stations that can simply be accessed with one click of a button. The last advantage we’ll point out is the ability to pause a radio show, and then listen to it later, exactly what you would find with digital television.

That is a brief look at the DAB radio evolution. Now, let’s take a more complete look at the various different types of DAB radios to be purchased at present. They vary extensively when it comes to features as well as cost; but we try to present you with recommendations that will provide insight and steer your choice. Buy a wide selection of technology products such as; DAB radios, digital photo frames, and iPod Nano from leading brands online.

Entry level DAB radios are little and very moveable. Usually featuring only one speaker, they are enormously easy to carry around and offer stereo sound when used with the earpieces. They often come with a three point five mm input to use in conjunction with either your Apple iPod or Sony MP3 machine.

Taking a step-up, scores of reasonably priced DAB radios have 2 speakers for better-quality sound quality, first-rate portability, and MP3/iPod connectivity. LED read outs also allow for easy scroll and selection of the radio shows you want. Push to play or lock it in as one of your pushbutton options. There are several brands selling goods with these exact features.

A couple specific brands of DAB radios also come with Wireless capabilities, which mean that from any available hotspot you can listen to anything available across the entire Internet. That’s amazing! Look for a device with DAB, DAB+, FM, and Wi-Fi preferences. Some of these also come with a chip that makes them forward compatible, useful as technology alters.

Therefore, it is vital that you to take the time to peruse the exceptional variety of handheld DAB radios, plus in car systems, waterproof DAB radios, digital alarm clocks and personal sound machines. And for the latest DAB digital radio technology consider acquiring a product with record options employing SD cards to save the music files you want.