Yratorm, LightMage

When the going gets tough, that's when the tough get going..Okay, a cliche, but it's true. I understand exactly how you felt when your team-mates let you down - I was part of a massive game development team recently, and we had a major game almost 90% complete, and then our lead programmer walks off because a large company 'bought him off' with a big salary, perks, etc. Now this guy let a lot of people down - there are over 50 people on our team, but hating him doesn't really heal anything. He was a friend of mine, and he's still a friend. Just because someone let me down doesn't mean I can't try to understand - I happen to know that he had a lot of problems and was under intense pressure from his family.Basically, each person's point of view differs, and when you understand that you go a long way towards understanding the people around you. Just remember that what's important to you might not be as important to the other people working with you - so try to find people to put on your team that are as dedicated as you are.And make concessions for human weakness - humans aren't gods, we're still human - and humans make mistakes, they fail, they are afraid sometimes - all these things are part of being human, part of the process of GROWING.Your experience DOESN'T have to be a total loss - not if you LEARN from it. Learn to look at people with new eyes, choose people for your team who believe in the SAME dreams that you do, and are really and truly willing to put in their best towards achieving those goals, and then work with those people towards your common dream. And then, if you find such people, help them when they fall, don't turn away from them. And you'll find that what you get out of this is more than just people working with you, but perhaps some true and life-long.. friends.Hey, long post Take anything from it that will help, and disregard any part where I happen to be talking nonsense And take care!!

LOL, nice intro - welcome to the club Great to have you around. Bhavesh has explained the system very well - of course you can go on vacations etc. you just need to have enough credits in hand to tide you over. If you post regularly on any topic you're interested in, you'll accumulate the extra credits without even trying.

I think spiderman 3 wasn't as good as spiderman 2 - Doc Ock in spiderman 2 has a lot of charisma, and the plot line is better. As for the romance in spiderman 3, yes, I think it's overdone a little. I think Harry as Goblin jr was facinating, though - wish they hadn't killed him off, would have liked to see more team ups along those lines. The sandman was very convincing I thought - but venom wasn't. He's not half as powerful as venom's supposed to be, and a lot less fun.An okay movie, but not in the league of the previous one in the series.. oh, and I wouldn't mind seeing a spiderman 4, so long as they reduce the romance a bit - it's getting a bit tiresome seeing the two lovebirds break up and make up again - and again - and again - and again.

Hey, seems it's a lot more common for dads not to teach their kids how to drive than we think - mine didn't either, I learned with friends. Perhaps some friends of yours will help you out - guys who already know how to drive, I mean? Or perhaps you could ask some decent older person on your block to help you out with this problem? You know, if you have a problem, there's always someone out there who can and will help you with it. Is there a 'nice guy' on your block who you can just walk up to and say 'see, I have this problem, can you help me out.' Hey, if he refuses, ask someone else, until you find someone who WILL help you out. Ask people you know well, preferably - do you have any uncles/aunts who could teach you, for that matter? I agree that there's no sense in paying for two courses, but there's no sense in waiting for your dad to 'do his stuff' either. I'd say that if you can't climb the mountain, then find a way around it.

I'd say don't get yourself killed or seriously injured - putting your life on the line for kicks is d**ned dangerous. Even if you break your neck and are 'only' paralysed, you'll have to spend the rest of your life being turned over by your nurse to prevent bedsores, and trying to bear with the sympathetic looks of the people around you.My brother was an adrenalin junkie of sorts - he passed away recently. Violently. At high speed. You get the picture.

Au revoir - the world is round and you can ride, rumble and splash to the other side.. and back again. You'll be back... I hope Till then, take care, and for now, simply Sayonara

Actually, in reference to colliding galaxies, we don't have to wait 3 billion years to see it, there are galaxies colliding right now that we can examine at our leisure. And when we examine colliding galaxies, the strangest thing we find is that when two galaxies 'collide' they DON'T really collide - they pass THROUGH each other and move on. Sure there's some elbow rubbing, the destruction of the odd starsystem, an exchange of a few stars, some stars going rogue, but all in all, it's actually a far less catastrophic scene than what one might expect. Rather than a gigantic explosion or anything of the sort, most of the stars in each galaxy.. just pass through the spaces BETWEEN the stars of the other galaxy.. and vice versa. You get the picture.

I have a major strategy game with all the art, the music, sound and special effects, voices, everything needed complete - it's a game we developed independently, and production came to a halt when our lead programmer was 'bought off' by a major company. If you're interested I can send you screenshots, etc. If you're interested we can discuss the game concept in more detail. All the art etc. is equal to industry standards. As I said, if you're interested we can discuss the game concept in more detail - when we discuss the concept, and if you like it, you can either develop a brand new engine of your own, or complete the game's present engine, which is about 70% done, I'd say. PM me for more details if you'd like to hear more. Good luck, and take care.

Hi unstoppable, I practice ninjutsu (not the style made popular in the west), also karate, including strikes, nerve attacks, combat-effective throws and some kansetsu holds - we train for about four hours per day on four days a week - different kinds of training aimed at hand-eye co-ordination, balance, power, speed, reflexes, evasion, etc. One day in the week is devoted to running, half of which is sprinting and half reasonably fast 'cruising'. Two days are devoted to weights - one to upperbody weights and one to lowerbody weight exercise. No belts in our ryu - you progress if you can stand the pace, which is gruelling. Not many last the first week. The first two months are devoted to massive conditioning, improving the various systems of the body, striking capability, etc. After two months, you can take out any single attacker - then the real training begins. It's amazingly interesting and fun. Small off-topic note to unstoppable (my apologies, all): Don't do weights everyday, that ruins the effect of the weight training - weight training should be done just once or twice a week (say just the upper or lower body) and around ten sets for each exercise that you do - that and careful control of diet and rest should give you adequate results for muscular development, if you'd like that. Note also that you CANNOT do ANY other type of exercise on the day you do your weights, this causes catabolic reactions in the body that prevent muscular development - no martial arts, no aerobics, no running, nothing else. On the days you do weights, do ONLY weights, on other days you can do your martial arts/combat routine, whatever appeals to you. Good luck. If you'd like any more info, PM me.

Having been around the world, I'd say that racism has no logical basis at all. Everywhere I went, I found people had the same strengths, the same weaknesses, the same potential for cruelty and callousness.. and the same potential for kindness and compassion. I haven't detected the slightest superiority or inferiority based on race.In most cases what's perceived as racial inferiority is more a case of lack of opportunity, or of education. But among people of different races that had the same level of education, etc. there was very little difference.And in some cases I'm comparing people on opposite sides of the planet - like whites in america and chinese in china - and if people on opposite sides of the planet have basically the same HUMAN nature, it means that we are all HUMAN. And our minds work the same way.. or, put far more simply, if we bleed, our blood is red.So racism HAS NO basis, therefore only the unthinking, the foolish or the ignorant indulge in it. I don't think any form of racism can be justified - when will humans learn to look beyond the externals, beyond the surface, beyond race, or the way a person dresses, or the way a person looks (handsome,sexy,etc.) to a person's MIND and HEART?Racism is only one expression of a flawed concept, that what we are on the outside matters more than our talents and thoughts and aspirations and dreams. And I think that racism, even standing alone, is inexcusable, because anything that tries to put another human being down is inexcusable.History is full of one set of people climbing higher by stepping on the heads of another set of people. But what the racist doesn't realize is that if we all work TOGETHER, the very stars might be within our reach.Lets not all keep making the mistakes of yesterday. If we want to move into the future, we're going to have to leave issues of race and sect and creed behind.

Which just reminds me, I got one of these 'chain-emails' from a friend of mine who said that microsoft would give him $10000 if he managed to get that email forwarded to a certain amount of addresses - yup, ridiculous that he could actually believe that, isn't it? Anyway, he desperately wanted to believe that, so I agreed to forward his e-mail - I just forwarded it to several of my own email addresses (I have quite a few) and so he was happy and I didn't bother anyone with the e-mail either.Of course it was very silly and he didn't receive any cash - how could he even believe something like that?? Anyway, it's not for me to say anything, experience teaches best, I think. The next time a chain letter pops into his inbox, no matter what it promises, he's going to be more wary of it.I'm just surprised people haven't learned yet. Makes you think of the 'millions in Nigeria' scams that still make the rounds. Wonder if people fall for those as well - I guess they do, arrgghh.

I suppose I'm just against the whole 'external appearances' attitude. Well, I suppose one should be clean, well-groomed etc. up to a point, but I think there are limits to how far one should go to look good externally. I think it's your mind, your thoughts, your attitude and your personality that should count - both with you and with others.Plastic surgery for people seriously burned, disfigured, etc. I can understand. But cosmetic surgery, I'm wary of that. I have friends who don't necessarily look 'optimal' but that doesn't affect my attitude to them - they're wonderful people to be around, and I like them, and that's what matters, not what they look like.As for age, everyone ages, it's nothing to fear, and there's nothing bad about it. I once read an interesting article that said that as you age, your character is written on your face, the lines tell the story of your life, of your good times and bad, of happiness and sorrow, of love and sunshine and joy and pain.And I think that that character makes old people beautiful. How sad to wipe the slate clean just to look young again.Besides, no matter what you look like outside, I think that how young you are is really decided in your mind and heart, in your attitude to life. There are those who are young at heart at eighty, and there are those who are old and conservative at twenty-five.Can age be a state of mind after all??

Well, I have these glasses which are virtually armor plated - well, that is, you can drop em, you can step on em, and they still survive. They'd make me look dorky, but as I do the martial arts and lift plenty of weight, I guess they don't - well, at least people don't make an issue of them. They're very convenient.I do have lenses, but I wear them rarely - I generally rely on the glasses when I'm going to be using my eyes for long periods.

Well, as I see it, Velma's asking how many people DO get into heaven.If we assume that all religions are right - well, I'd say no one. Because if you're a Christian, you're da**ed to hell by some other religion, and if you belong to some other religion, you're sent to hell by Christianity.There are some who talk of many paths up the mountains (that is, all religions lead to the same end) - if this is so, then if you lead a good life I suppose you have a pretty good chance of getting into heaven.However, by the strict codes of some religions - no way - if you belong to another faith, you burn in eternal hell fire.On the other hand, perhaps it's the more interesting specimens that go to hell?? Well, I'm just kidding, but since I'm pretty unreligious I suppose I have to take an optimistic view of the matter, arrgghh. No, no, just kidding.Velma has a very interesting point, really. I hold that all religions send each other's followers to hell and no one gets to the 'good place'.

Well, in most cultures that practice female infanticide, it is usual for a girl, when she grows up, to go and live with her husband's family while a man, on the other hand (and his wife) stay with his parents.So most parents in these cultures view a girl child as a 'bad investment' - yes I know, that's so cold blooded, but that's how they think. To them, if they look after a son, bring him up, etc. he will look after them in their old age - a girl on the other hand, will leave them after all that and look after her husband's family.Worse, in many such cultures it is a MUST for the girl's family to give a large dowry to the boy's family at the time of marriage. So if a family has two or three daughters, getting them married will probably bankrupt their aged parents completely. And society places an intense pressure on the parents to get their daughters married.So you see, the issues are very complicated. It is difficult to eradicate female infanticide in such cultures without re-educating people completely - and these things are SO ingrained in these cultures, over hundreds, if not thousands of years, that I wonder if it's possible.Whatever the reasons behind it, it's a cold blooded and terrible evil, there's no doubt about that. Great topic, Velma.

Hey, Happy birthday!! Hmm, your profile says you're just two - SO.. may you live to be an entire 3!! Kidding, just kidding. Hope you had a great time, and take care.

This topic will discuss ancient teaching of the east - 'All will pass, and all will come again' - a teaching that draws a lesson for human life out of the ever-changing seasons The law of the cosmos is change - do not regret the bitter snows of winter, for the spring could not be half as beautiful without them. And spring is made even more beautiful by the fact that it is so transient - if it lasted forever, how soon would we cease to appreciate it. And even winter has it's beauty, and it's opportunities. To stand against the cold, and smile at the touch of the snow - to rise above the harshness of the elements and conquer them - here is a simple opportunity for an austere greatness. So it is with life. Joy would not be so precious were it not transient, were the shadow of past and future sorrow not cast upon it. It is the sorrows we have known, the sorrows that are to come, that make our joys so precious and so beautiful. And sorrow and disappointment carry in themselves great opportunity - the opportunity to rise above them - to climb our dead hopes to greatness, to be strong enough to hope when the weak would despair - to conquer the darkness by turning our faces to the sun. Ah yes, joy and sorrow, growth and pain - all pass, and all return. Accept them, love them; and as the cycle moves on, grow - grow in courage and strength and contentment and wisdom. The steel blade howls when it is plunged into the fire, yet it is the fire that makes the blade immortal. So it is with the souls of men.

Thanks for the kind words, Forbez, they're really appreciated.Yes, cangor, pepper sprays are really good, just be careful if there's a strong wind blowing, it may blow some the spray back in your face. High pressure sprays are excellent, just be aware of the wind conditions and things will be fine. If you have a strong wind blowing in your face, you may want to circle a bit to the side (if it's at all possible) before using your spray.

I agree.Personally, I've spent the last ten years traveling across asia collecting DNA samples from endangered species. These are carefully preserved in a vault, and I'm experimenting with cloning techniques that hopefully might one day 'bring back' these species even if they become extinct.However, this seems pitifully little in the face of the way the environment is being damaged. However, it's all I can do, at least for the moment. The reason my activities are restricted to asia is that it's very cheap to travel here, so one can cover a large area on a relatively small budget.Personally I think that the best solution to the problem is to gradually reduce human populations - true, IF we put the interests of the human race before that of any other species and ruthlessly exploit the planet, Earth could probably support even more hundreds of millions of humans, BUT if we are to maintain a balance between the survival/interests of the human race and the survival of other species on this world, as well as the planetary environment at large, a reduction in the overall human population could only be beneficial.Another thing could be cutting down on the 'comforts of life' a bit - using vehicles that pollute the environment less, using less appliances, working towards cleaner sources of energy. Actually none of this needs to be said - everyone can see what needs to be done, but most of us do not have the resources to do it, and those that do (large corporations/governments) won't do as much as they should.Anyway, I'm determined to do my bit. Besides maintaining a DNA bank of highly endangered species, I'm trying to develop a source of clean power, but money is a huge problem, as always. A pity, really. I'm trying to work around the financial barrier, but it isn't easy.

Right, Roconza. Just go in with the right attitude and things will be fine. Be genuinely friendly, try to help as much as you can - if you see that it's REALLY far more than she can handle, then talk to the right people and see what can be done. I believe that one's own attitude is everything - if you go in with a sincere desire to help out, to be friends, then that matters a great deal, no matter which way your duty tells you to act later.Best of luck, both to you and the shelter and especially to all the little creatures in it. Take care.

Before you start on this tutorial, which will teach you how to train physically to SURVIVE a hostile situation, you should first read the previous topic in this series, which teaches you how to prepare your mind. Preparing the mind is at least as important as preparing the body. You can access the tutorial on training your mind here: Dealing with Fear in a Hostile Situation If you've already read the article on 'dealing with fear', you can go on to: Training your Body for a Hostile Situation! There are two parts to this section1) Effective Fleeing.. 2) Effective Fighting We will discuss each in detail. 1) Effective Fleeing.. Understand that in a hostile situation you have the option of fight OR flight. Which one you use depends entirely on the particular hostile situation in which you find yourself. If simply running away is an option, by all means take it - but understand that EVEN if you choose to run, you must be CONFIDENT of your ability to OUT-RUN your enemies. If a short dash will take you to safety (say to a crowded place, or inside a mall), and you can manage to do it, then it is an obvious course of action to take. However, if you are on a lonely street with no help in site, you will have to run faster and with more endurance than your enemy. This is not as difficult as it sounds. Your attackers will be running for money, or kicks, or lust. You will be running for your life. Just remember that, and it will help you into the right mind-set for effective fleeing. A CRUCIAL POINT: I'm going to state an obvious point here, but I'm stating it because it is CRUCIAL. The point is that you MUST have foot-wear that you CAN run in - always. If you wear high heels, or shoes that you cannot run in, understand that you are removing your option of fleeing a situation. This is NOT a good idea. A hostile situation can arise at any time - you MUST have the option of fleeing. I understand that people wish to look good, so by all means buy shoes that fit your taste, but just make sure they are shoes that you can run in at close to your optimal speed as well. I'm stressing this point so much because it is CRUCIAL. The way to deal with a hostile situation is fight OR flight - if you remove the option of fleeing by wearing shoes that make it impossible, you are reducing your chances of SURVIVAL. Don't do that. TRAINING AT RUNNING: In it's own way, this point is as crucial as the previous point. You must train to run, just as you would train to fight. This training is simple. On at least two days a week, go for a run. Run on soft ground if at all possible, this reduces the strain on the bones and joints of your legs. This is the training.. When you come to where you are going to run, start by warming up with some brisk walking for a minute or two, then run at a slow and easy pace for a minute or two. You are now ready to begin the actual training. Now, SPRINT at least 100 meters at your fastest possible speed - put all you have into it. After you have sprinted 100 meters, continue to run (despite being tired) for at least two minutes at a slightly slower speed. Then walk for a while. Do the exercise above twice per 'running session' for the first week, then increase to four times per session after that. Try to increase the speed at which you make your dash, and the speed that you can keep up in the subsequent slightly slower running. Do this training to the best of your ability. Not only is it a good aerobics workout, but it could someday save your life. _____________________________________________ 2) The Basics of Effective Combat.. In a situation where fleeing is impossible you will have to fight. It is not necessary to completely defeat an enemy who is threatening you - you just have to hurt or stun him ENOUGH so that when you begin to run he (or they) cannot follow. Or, for example, if you are surrounded by three or four attackers, you may have to 'take out' one of them to get out of their 'circle' and begin running. It is easier to 'take out' an enemy than most people think. Let us proceed with your training.. As we wish this tutorial to be beneficial even to a person who is completely untrained in the martial arts, we will begin here with weapons training, which will give you the most effectiveness in combat in the shortest possible time. You will learn make and use several SIMPLE weapons, and also how to carry them about with you concealed until the moment of use. Understand that your weapon must BE IN YOUR HAND whenever you're in a situation where danger could arise - most of the weapons below can either be concealed, or will arouse no suspicion when they're in your hand. I cannot stress this point enough - the weapon must be in your hand in any place where danger COULD arise. The Weapons: Weapon 1) The Yawara Stick. Weapon 2) Throwing Coins & Shuriken (Ninja Stars) Weapon 3) Heavy Boots, and kicking techniques _____________________________________________ Weapon 1) The Yawara Stick. The first weapon is the Yawara stick. This is usually made of wood, but in our Ryu, we prefer weapons of metal and steel. We have a saying in our Ryu 'Steel is inimical to flesh'. What this means is that a steel (or metal) weapon does massive damage when it is used - thus it is the best material to use for a weapon. A crucial point - in a combat, try to retain your hold on your weapon - don't lose it. This is crucial. A hand-weapon is only useful if it is in your hand. Now, a little more about a Yawara stick - it is a thin cylinder of metal - it is between three to four inches long and is about 3/4 the of an inch in width. Look at the picture. You can make it by cutting a that length off a metal rod, or off a slim metal water-pipe. It doesn't matter if your 'Yawara stick' is a solid rod or hollow. A solid rod will do more damage because it has more weight, but if you can't get one, a piece of metal piping will do as well. If your Yawara stick/rod is of the dimensions mentioned above (and shown in the picture, you can hide it in your hand perfectly in broad daylight if you wear a shirt/upper garment with loose long sleeves. If you don't want to wear such a garment, you can keep it in your pocket/purse in most situations and only take it out when you're in a lonely place/feel endangered. Just remember that if a hostile situation arises, a weapon in your hand is worth ten weapons in your pocket, or in any place where you cannot get at them quickly. If the time comes when you have to use the Yawara stick, don't show it to the enemy - strike with most of it concealed in your fist. Let your enemies think (if at all possible) that your mere fists are felling them with single strikes. Terror is a weapon. You enemies must FEAR you, and one of the best ways of MAKING them fear you is to make them think that you are somehow a greater, more dangerous person than they are, that you are somehow more than human. Never let an enemy see a weapon, if possible - let him think that it is YOU, not some weapon, that it the cause of his defeat. Let him/them fear YOU, not your weapon. That is the right way for them to think, so 'show them the way' Using the Yawara Stick: a) The Swinging, roundhouse Yawara Strike: You hold it in your fist as shown above, so that about half an inch protrudes out of the bottom of your fist. This exposed metal end is what you strike with. Strike with fast, swinging strikes - the way you would use a hammer. Remember, for all practical purposes, what you now have in your hand now is a hammer, so use it like one - swing your hand and hit the enemy with the exposed steel. Look at the images below.. When you swing the weapon sideways, as shown above, the targets for it are the temple (the side of the head just behind and slightly higher than the eye), the side of the neck, the center of the throat (just in the center of the gullet), and the back of the head, just where the neck joins it (this position is not usually reachable, but if an opportunity presents itself, by all means strike at it). You can also swing the Yawara stick vertically - start in the position shown in the first image above and swing it vertically, so that the metal end strikes either of the eyes, or you can target and break the nose. The targets mentioned above are marked in blue on the pictures below... ******* b ) The Stabbing Yawara Strike: The Yawara can also be held like a knife, with the metal end exposed at the top of the fist instead. Look at the picture below.. In this position, the Yawara is used with a stabbing motion, with the same motion you would use with a knife.. Look at the pictures below.. Using this motion, you can strike at the solar plexus (a nerve point located just beneath the breast bone), or at the groin. If you attack the solar plexus, attack it with a rising thrust at an angle of about 45 degrees. Look at the image below, it shows the targets for a stabbing Yawara attack.. Get yourself a punching bag and practice the various strikes described on it, with your Yawara stick - start with ten repetitions of each type of strike, with each hand, then increase it gradually to a hundred. Do this on at least two days a week. In doing so, you hard-wire these moves into your brain and nervous system, so that when you are under threat, there is no hesitation, you ACT by REFLEX ACTION. Strike harder and harder, trying to increase how far the bag swings with your strikes. When the bag disintegrates under this maltreatment (and it inevitably will) you will know that you are a tiger whose claws are beginning to be reasonably sharp. _____________________________________________ Weapon 2) Throwing Coins & Shuriken (Ninja Stars): The second weapons are simply - coins. The largest and heaviest that you can find and still carry four in your hand at once without them being seen. These are for distraction.. If your attacker is out of range, or has a gun, and you HAVE to fight him, throwing these coins in his face can distract him for a vital instant, while you close with him. The ancient Ninja used to use throwing stars in such situations, but coins are easier to conceal and carry about with you in this modern age. However, four small four-pointed throwing stars would be the optimal weapon - nothing is so distracting to a person as having four Shuriken (Ninja stars) in his face. Triangular pieces of metal with the tips sharpened also work just as well. If you use stars, remember, you must use small ones that can be concealed when held in your palm. If you want to conceal your weaponry, and therefore wish to use only coins, make sure they are heavy coins, with sufficient weight. Target the eyes with the coins, if at all possible. Practice throwing your stars/coins at a target, at least two days a week. Start with a short range, then increase the range as your accuracy improves till you can hit the target accurately at ten to fifteen feet. Practice throwing the coins overhand and underhanded, with both hands. Practice makes perfect. Practice hardwires the attacks into your nervous system till your response to an attack is not driven by mere thought, but by reflex action. Incidentally, if there happen to be stones lying around, these make excellent weapons, especially if you've developed accuracy in your throws. The stones should be heavy enough to cause damage and light enough to throw. Aim for the head or groin for maximum damage. You should also practice throwing the Yawara. I do not recommend this, as the Yawara is your close-combat weapon, and if you throw it away, you deprive yourself of it. But an emergency MIGHT arise when throwing the Yawara at an enemy's face could give you the time you need to make a dash for it, so practice throwing it, if you wish to. I do NOT recommend throwing the Yawara at your opponent except when NOTHING else will work. Your close-quarter combat weapon is far more dangerous in your hand. Now remember this: In a risky location, where danger could arise, the Yawara must always be in your right hand and the coins in your left. If your weapon is IN YOUR HAND when danger arises, it will SERVE YOU WELL. _____________________________________________ Weapon 3) Heavy Boots, and kicking techniques: There's nothing like a pair of good heavy boots, preferably combat boots. Forget fashion, buy a pair that are reasonably heavy and preferably have steel tipped toes - You cannot ask for a better weapon - kick someone with one of these and he'll feel like he's been kicked by a mule. If you do start to wear steel tipped boots, get some dull matte paint and paint the steel tips so that they don't APPEAR to be steel tips. Like a tiger, never 'show' your claws before it is time to use them. An enemy who does not understand your tactics is an enemy already halfway beaten. If you find it difficult to acquire steel tipped boots, buy shoes that are slightly longer than your foot size, then wrap a small piece of lead in cloth and push it inside the shoe, right to the front, so that when your foot is in your shoe, the piece of lead is held in place by your toes. This metal inside your shoe will add extra weight to your kicks, even if your shoes aren't heavy shoes. As with the Yawara stick, practice these moves against a bag hung to the right target height, trying to get it to swing as far as possible with the force of your kick. Sharpen your claws You can also practice kicks with moderate force against a stone pillar. There are a number of kicks that you may use described below.. Kick 1: The Roundhouse Kick to the Knee: Your target is the knee (look at the pictures below) - Your leg should be at a 45 degree angle for maximum effect, with your whole body weight behind it. If you kick from the front, the knee will break, if from the side, it will be dislocated. This kick is ideal for any fight, but especially in the case of a knife attack, as it causes the upper body to lean away from the attacker. One possible attack is to toss your coins/stars in the attacker's face and then kick him in the knee with your heavy boots. This is the simplest of the power kicks. The target is the KNEE. Step 1: Stand with one leg forward, as shown below: Step 2: Now, pivoting (turning) on the ball of the foot of the forward leg, bring the rear leg round and raise the knee (see the image below). Step 3: Now kick down at your enemy's knee with a stamping motion of your foot, with your whole body-weight behind the blow. Strike with the edge of the foot, or the heel, whichever feels more comfortable to you. The striking leg should be at a descending 45 degree angle as the kick is delivered - this makes the kick more effective. Look at the picture below.. This is a very effective move - the only downside to it is that it will break or dislocate the knee of your attacker (if that can be called a downside). Use it only in situations that warrant such an attack. It will break the knee if applied from the front, and dislocate it if applied to the side of the knee. Practice this strike against a bag hung at the right height, 20 times with each leg - increase that to 50 times after a while. If you place a stone tile or a brick leaning against a wall, you'll see how easy it is to break it with this kick. ______________ Kick 2: Haisoku Kingeri (Straight Kick) to the Groin: The kick to the groin (especially with steel tipped toes) would instantly settle the fight, but many people EXPECT an attack to the groin. However, if an opportunity presents itself, by all means use this attack. Look at the three pictures below showing a simple kick (known in Japanese as the Haisoku Kingeri, and in plain English as a flip kick). The three steps to executing this kick are shown below: Step 1: Step 2: Raise the knee of the kicking leg.. Step 3: Now, flip the attacking leg forward, catching the enemy in the groin with the instep - the top of your foot (as shown below). If you are wearing steel-toed boots, use the toe of the boot to strike with. The arms can either be held close together in front of you for defense, or spread out for balance.. Look at the picture below: This kick is very simple - you just raise your knee and kick out, forwards. Note: This kick relies on speed and accuracy. You need speed for this kick because it is a natural instinct with most males to protect the groin. Your speed must be faster than your enemy's reflexes. Practice this strike against a bag hung at the right height, 20 times with each leg - increase that to 50 times after a while. A Tip: If the kick connects, it might cause the enemy to bend forward. If he does, you can use the same kick, only this time striking him in the face with it, to cause additional damage. Or you can move in with your Yawara Stick and use several of the moves you learned with that weapon to take out your attacker. ______________ Kick 3: Kick to Shin: This is a close quarter kick - if you are too close to the attacker, instead of the kick to the knee or the front kick to the groin, just raise your knee so your foot is at shin-height, and swing your foot back (image 1, below), and then smash it forwards (image 2, below).. With shoes on, especially weighted or steel-toed shoes, this kick can be devastating, and might even break his shinbone if applied with sufficient power. Moreover, there is a concentration of nerves in the center of the shin, so the pain will be excruciating, even if you don't break the bone. TRY your best to break the bone. Just draw your leg back and kick forward to execute this kick. ______________ Remember, practice these moves against a bag hung to the right target height, trying to get it to swing as far as possible with the force of your kick. Sharpen your claws You can also practice kicks with moderate force against a stone pillar. These are just some basic combat moves - time permitting, I will add a tutorial on medium range weapons and unarmed combat.

Fascinating. I cannot make a statement on the higher-income-group study, as I am ignorant about that, but about the simplistic lifestyle misanthrope mentions, actually I myself tend to that sort of simple lifestyle. Basically what I feel is the less one 'demands' of the planet, the less damage one does.Essentially the problem seems to be that the planet has a massive population of humans, out of all proportion to other similar species, which basically is what gives rise to ruthless, brutal systems like 'factory-farming' - Basically industrialists are meeting the massive demand for food by the most efficient means, with no concern for ethics. Fortunately, human populations in most western countries are falling - however, governments usually react by importing people from some other country. Governments are so protective of massive industry, hmmm. I understand the financial concerns that cause them to protect industry at all costs, but sometimes wonder if a little more effort couldn't be put into searching for (and finding) a better way.Basically, I would say that a simpler lifestyle would be healthier all round - healthier for the planet, better for the environment, and FAR healthier for humans. Unfortunately, with the enormous concentration of humans in cities (and resulting demand for 'processed' foods, it seems far out of reach.

Right, as FolkRockFan says, see if there's any way you can help out. Misanthrope has given a good description of how a financially unsupported shelter functions, and I think that if there's any way you can help them, it would be far better than just 'blowing the whistle' on them. These people probably care deeply about animals. And do let us know how things turn out, won't you? We'll be following this thread with interest.

I think that to say that vegetarians are smarter is a massive generalization. And generalizations are dangerous. I have already pointed out early in the thread that in india, where a massive percentage of people are vegetarian, most people are no smarter and less intelligent than people anywhere else in the world. And that's 1 billion people there, as examples that whether one is vegetarian or not is largely irrelevant to the level of one's intelligence.Basically in experiments one must look for the 'control factor'. That is, one needs to check the effects of vegetarianism on intelligence (or vice versa) over a vast spectrum of people from all walks of life, before making any statement on the subject. And I believe that india provides that. True, there are some brilliant people in india, but there are also a far larger section of 'ordinary' people, and another section of 'unintelligent' people. Just as it is everywhere on the planet.There ARE moral, ethical and spiritual reasons for being vegetarian, and if a person cited those reasons, I would have to agree. However, to suggest that vegetarians are smarter (or that smarter people choose to be vegetarian) is a fallacy in view of the first paragraph of this post, in which I cite an entire country of vegetarians as an example.I think that one's intelligence is based more on one's genetics and one's thirst for knowledge than on most 'lifestyle' choices.