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Jungle Trekking

What is it really like to be in a rainforest? It’s hot and sticky. As you eco-trek out of your hammock and go hiking, you’re immediately covered in sweat. Your underwear clings, your pants cling, and things that Eek! aren’t part of your clothing at all cling to you. You’re also instantly covered in bugs. And the wet forest is, as its name would imply, wet. Hence, Whoops! Slippery. You’re immediately covered in mud too.

 

While you’re trying to remove the sweat, bugs and mud off with handkerchiefs, moist towelettes and Off (in the environmentally friendly pump containers), you’ll find insects that look like sticks and frogs that look like leaves and moths that look like birds and lizards that look like anything they sit on. There seem to be problems with identity in the jungle. Among the various things the wet forest needs is, probably, psychiatric help.

 

Every kind of plant and animal has some sort of stringer, barb, thorn, prickle, spine, poison. There’s a fierce competition for nutrients on the ground which is why rainforest soil is so notoriously poor and easily damaged by horticulture. The tremendous hardwood trees of the jungle, rising 120 feet with prodigious buttresses and trunks as big around tract houses are rooted in earth where you couldn’t grow petunias.

 

The wet forest is not, however, scary; not even in the dark. Though it is dense, tangled, and filled with remarkably icky things like bugs, you start looking at the multitude of insects. The astounding number of them. The great smacking bogs and oodles, the scads, the lasings of bugs galore. Why do people spend so little time contemplating the ugliness of nature? How many humans get all the way through even the most fabulous sunset without getting up for a beer or going inside to check the evening news? But you can watch an enraged fruit bat trying to take out a professor’s face. An enraged Malaysian fruit bat looks like a colonel in the RAT Airforce. It has a set of teeth that look like it could perform an appendectomy. If I were a local resident, I’d keep the fruit out in the garage or rent a mini-storage space.

 

Trekking along the footpaths and rocky outbacks of Asia’s forests you come across water camps. Here, really sophisticated efforts at simplicity have been made. The camps are nothing but wobbly, bamboo platforms with a roof of palm leaves. Some camps get balsa plaques carved by previous tour groups. The plaques bear names of travelers and descriptions of some of the highlights of their travels. Some contain poems in the order of:

 

Though the bugs made noise,

Our trip was full of joys,

Because the monkey howls’

And the wise owl hoots,

That it is bad to pollute.

 

So, we all know what awaits us: muggy outcrops, swampy mangroves, river floodplains. In the forest, an unknown number of animal, plant and insect life wait to be discovered. They can be reached by air and land travel. What strikes many tourists’ fancy nowadays is having a taste of life in the rainforest.

 

 

Sites for Nature and Jungle Adventures

 

• Kuala Selangor Nature Park, Selangor, Mangrove forest
• Templer Park, Selangor, Mountain forest
• Ulu Bendol, Negeri Sembilan, Mountain forest
• Endau Rompin, Johor, Lowland rainforest
• Lowland rainforest, Johor, Highland rainforest
• Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Highland & mountain rainforest
• Taman Negara, Pahang, Lowland and hill rainforest
• Tasik Chini, Pahang, Freshwater swamp forest
• Tasik Bera, Pahang, Freshwater swamp forest
• Genting Highlands, Pahang, Highland rainforest
• Fraser’s Hill, Pahang, Highland rainforest
• Tasik Kenyir, Terengganu, Freshwater swamp forest
• Danum Valley, Sabah, Highland and mountain forest
• Kinabalu Park, Sabah, Highland and mountain forest
• Kinabatangan Floodplain, Sabah, Freshwater swamp forest
• Gunung Emas, Sabah, Highland rainforest
• Bako National Park, Sarawak, Mangrove and mixed forest
• La Mulu National Park, Sarawak, Hill rainforest & limestone pinnacles
• Niah National Park, Sarawak, Lowland rainforest

 

 

 

Jungle Adventure Tips

 

• Find out as much as you can about the trail and surroundings.

 

• Plan your route carefully to allow enough time for you to complete it before darkness sets in.

 

• Know you physical limits and only undertake trails that you know you can handle.

 

• Inform the park official or other people of your plans for the day, especially if you are going alone.

 

• Pack plenty of water and a few snacks to maintain your energy level.

 

• It is best to set out at dawn when animals begin to seek food and the warmth of the early morning sun. Move about as quietly as possible to avoid scaring any wildlife.

 

• Wear thin, loose, cotton clothing to remain comfortable.

 

• Long trousers and long-sleeved shirts protect arms and legs from mosquitoes and thorny plants.

 

• Wear sturdy shoes that support your ankles well and allow your feet to grip the ground as you walk Leech socks or long socks prevent leeches from getting at your legs.

 

• A poncho, large enough to cover you and your belongings, will provide protection from sudden rain showers.

 

• A wide brimmed hat is highly recommended for providing shade from the tropical sun.

 

By ANGEL DULAY

 

About the Author

After more than twenty years in the corporate world, Angel is now pursuing a hobby that has been his for decades; that is, writing.

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The Known Fact About Cuts Bruises And Blisters

To begin with, a cut refers to a skin wound with separation of the connective tissue elements. Unlike an abrasion (a wound caused by friction or scraping), none of the skin is missing the skin is just separated. A cut is typically thought of as a wound caused by a sharp object (such as a knife or a shard of glass).

The term laceration implies a torn or jagged wound. Lacerations tend to be caused by blunt trauma (such as a blow, fall, or collision). Cuts and lacerations are terms for the same condition.

The term gash can be used for more dramatic effect because it implies a longer or deeper cut. An avulsion refers to a wound where tissue is not just separated but torn away from the body.

After you suffer a cut you often bleed. Other concerns with a cut include infection, pain, damage to structures beneath the skin, and future scars. Call your doctor to decide whether you need a tetanus booster. You should have had a tetanus booster immunization within the last 10 years if you have a simple, clean cut, or within the last five years if you have a more complex or dirty cut.

Beyond general wound care advice, it is very difficult to give advice on care specific to a patient's cut over the phone. Your doctor may help you decide whether it is better to go to the doctor's office or to a hospital's Emergency Department.

Just as at home, the first step is to stop the bleeding. If direct pressure is not enough, a blood pressure cuff can help as a temporary measure for cuts on arms and legs. Tourniquets are generally not helpful for cuts to the face or body.

Importantly, cleaning is the most important aspect of good wound care. This may be done by first washing the adjacent skin with soap and water and removing crusted blood with diluted hydrogen peroxide. Next, irrigation by squirting saline at the wound under high pressure is very effective at reducing bacterial contamination in the wound.

Secondly, a bruise is a common skin injury that results in a discoloration of the skin. Blood from damaged blood vessels deep beneath the skin collects near the surface of the skin resulting in what we think of as a black and blue mark.

The treatment for a bruise is most effective right after the injury while the bruise is still reddish. A cold compress such as an icepack or a bag of frozen peas should be applied to the affected area for 20-30 minutes in order to speed healing and reduce swelling. Do not apply ice directly to the skin. Wrap the icepack in a towel.

If the bruise takes up a large area of your leg or foot, the leg should be kept elevated as much as possible during the first 24 hours after the injury. Additionally, Acetaminophen or ibuprofen may be taken for pain as instructed on the bottle. Avoid aspirin because aspirin slows the blood from clotting and may, in fact, prolong the bleeding.

After about 48 hours, heat in the form of a warm washcloth applied to the bruise for 10 minutes or so 2 or 3 times a day may increase blood flow to the bruised area allowing the skin to reabsorb the blood more quickly. Ultimately, the bruise will fade in color. Moreover, a black eye is a relatively common result of injury to the face or the head, caused when blood and other fluids collect in the space around the eye; swelling and dark discoloration result hence, the name black eye.

Most black eyes are relatively minor injuries. Many heal on their own in a few days; however, sometimes they signify a more serious injury.

The skin around the eye is very loose, with mostly fat underneath. This makes it an ideal site for fluid to accumulate. The effects of gravity also help to swell this part of the face. This is why many people wake up with puffy eyes in the morning.

Despite the name, black eye, the eye itself is not usually injured. The tissues around the eye may be significantly discolored and swollen without any injury to the eye itself. Think of it as a bruise around the eye.

Like a bruise, as a black eye heals, the swelling around the eye decreases, and the bruise gradually fades away.

Rest and ice applied early after the injury help to decrease swelling and pain. Ice helps to decrease swelling by constricting blood vessels, by decreasing fluid accumulation, and by cooling and numbing the area. We suggest you apply ice for 20 minutes an hour every hour while awake, for the first 24 hours.

Ice should not be applied directly to the injury. To avoid potential cold injury to the site, wrap the ice in a cloth or use a commercial ice pack. A bag of frozen vegetables wrapped in a cloth makes a good ice pack.

Also, do not put a steak or a piece of raw meat on a black eye. No scientific evidence supports this treatment. Putting potentially bacteria laden meat on a mucous membrane or an open skin injury can be dangerous.

Next, splinters are foreign bodies that are partially or fully embedded in the skin. Splinters usually are wood, but metal, glass, and even plastic materials may be considered a splinter.

Sometimes splinters have to be removed by medical professionals, especially splinters that are deeply embedded or lodged under a fingernail or toenail. Most people with splinters, however, are able to remove them at home. Splinters are usually found when they penetrate the skin usually in the hand or foot. Almost always, even fully embedded foreign bodies have a unique sensation.

Also, splinters are full of germs. If splinters are not removed (or don't work their way out themselves), they may cause an infection or an allergic response.

Using a pair of tweezers, grab the protruding end of the splinter and pull it out along the direction it entered. Wash the area with soap and water. At times, splinters may be fully embedded in the skin. Use a small needle cleaned in alcohol.

Also, clean the skin with an antiseptic (examples are Betadine or alcohol). Use the needle to gently and partially dislodge the splinter, which may then be removed fully with tweezers. Wash the area with soap and water.

Soak the area in warm water with a tablespoon of baking soda added. Do this twice a day. The splinter may work its way out after a few days. If a splinter appears to be too deep to attempt removal at home, see your doctor. If you have only been able to remove a portion of the splinter and foreign material remains embedded in the skin, the doctor should be able to remove the rest.

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Mean Animals I Have Known

Mean Animals I Have Known

By

Thom Cantrall

 

            Once again I find life and Hollywood to be at odds.  In all the movies I’ve ever seen wherein animals are actually allowed to appear as themselves, in their real personae and not some Disneyesque scenario where wild animals are portrayed as living in family groups with Papa Bear, Mama Bear and Baby Bear living in harmony with their bunny and squirrel neighbors, the mean ones, if depicted at all are conspicuously obvious.  Who could but realize immediately upon seeing him that Shere Kahn is absolutely up to no good and wishes nothing but evil to the “man cub” in “The Jungle Book”?

            Even when actual animals are playing the part of animals, often with the help of plastic stand-ins, we are not allowed the honor of determining for ourselves the level of innate goodness embodied therein.  “Jaws”, for example could not make an appearance without being introduced with a blood chilling rendition of some soul-tingling mood music.  I know that one Great White Shark bears a strikingly close resemblance to any other Great White Shark much the same as one crow bears an exact resemblance to any other crow in the world.  But, that not withstanding, did we need to be told that this creature was dangerous?  Wouldn’t the simple appearance of a tall fin jutting out of the water tell us his intentions?

            As a person who has spent a great percentage of his life among God’s Creatures, I can attest to anyone so inclined that no such warnings as those described above have ever preceded any close encounter of the malevolent kind among Mother Nature’s children.  Not once have I ever heard the tum-tum-tum-tum… tum-tum-tum-tum that Jaws engendered when approaching any critter that might wish me ill!

            In my single digit and very early double digit years I spent well over seventy-five percent of the daylight and a substantial portion of the not-so-daylight hours when not serving time in that venerable institution that was the bane of my ilk… School… anywhere but under a roof.

Much of this time was invested in exploring every square foot of my uncle’s ranch and the surrounding environs.  Fences held no meaning for me at this juncture and location other than a necessary inconvenience meant to keep livestock restricted to a predetermined area… more or less, considering the shape in which most of these backwoods fences were kept.

            Many of them had been erected by the Spanish when General Mariano Vallejo had owned this vast Northern California domain and had seen little in the way of maintenance since that time.  To say that most were decrepit would have been liberal in description… actually, most were worse than that.  As a consequence, this was pretty much open range to both the cattle and sheep that grazed these timber and brushlands as well as to small boys who were, truly, pint sized disciples of Lewis and Clark, Kit Carson and Jedediah Smith.  But, I digress…

            This ranch was home to about four or five million Western Rattlesnakes.  Indeed, it seemed that these rattlesnakes were the only thing that did grow in profusion on this back-woods ranch.  Now, perhaps I’ve exaggerated a bit, but suffice it to say that they were common and they grew large.  I know that the official records say that this snake does not exceed five feet (1.52 m) in length, but I could have shown those experts several specimens that exceeded that conservative length considerably.  Probably the largest I ever saw personally was one my cousin Shirley killed under the clothesline just out the back door of the house.  This snake measured over six feet (2 m) in length without its head.  This snake had a girth of over eight inches (19.3 cm) and looked particularly menacing.  For the most part, the only time we ever killed a rattlesnake is when it was in proximity to the house or could pose a danger to some of us.  While I know that television tends to portray the rattlesnake in a coiled position, head poised to strike and rattles singing, I actually saw that in the wild so rarely that I thought for many years that we had demented or, at least, unnatural snakes.  Yes, when provoked, our snakes would coil and assume that classic pose, but it was an extremely rare circumstance, for sure, when a snake let forth with his singing buzz.  Generally speaking, he had to be provoked heartily to induce that buzz.  Normally, as soon as he was no longer being prodded or poked, he just uncoiled and slithered on about his rattlesnake business without so much as a “by your leave” or even a glance back.  Though, he would probably have shaken his head and shrugged his shoulders, had he had them, at the ignominy of this treatment he had received.

            The one notable exception to this general rule occurred one warm spring day when Tony, our trusty and tired saddle horse, and I were returning from a morning’s excursion to the edge of the wilderness, an area of immature Madrone trees about two inches (5 cm) in diameter and twenty feet (7 m) tall that had been killed in a fairly recent wildfire that had passed through the area.  This created a nightmarish land of soot-covered stems reminiscent of a black bamboo jungle.  Only the foolish ever entered the Wilderness… a second time.  On the morning in question we had just made the trek for much the same reason people climb mountains… because they are there.  It had been a pleasant foray and had served to clear my mind of the cobwebs engendered during the previous week by Mr. Wilson, my fifth grade teacher in his never-ending quest for dangling participles or split infinitives or something of the sort.  The ride had worked wonders on my over-taxed nervous system, serving to remind me that if a noun wanted to dangle its gerund, it was by no means my fault! 

            I was smiling inwardly and drowsing outwardly in the late morning sun.  Tony, for his part, was taking it all pretty much in stride and was nearly as asleep as I was.  The road we were on was no proper road, but a cat trail cut out by the massive blade of my uncle’s venerable TD-24 bulldozer in the quest for the huge Coastal Redwood trees (Sequoia Sempervirons) that grew there.  These cat roads laced the mountainside, providing the foot-weary a fairly comfortable place to walk.  They were, at least, brush free and coated in about six or so inches (9 cm) of loose, flowing dust.  The dusty trail was the morning newspaper of the mountainside.  In it you could read the travels of the local denizens… deer, lizards, snakes, mice, skunks raccoons and weasels… they all left note of their passing for the alert reader.

            On this particular day, however, “alert” was not a word I would use to describe either Tony of myself.  I was slumped in the saddle, nearly asleep in the sun, the reins wrapped loosely around the pommel... My feet were dangling on either side of the horse, free of the stirrups.  All in all, it was about as pleasant a morning as a lad of my few years could have imagined until we rounded a curve and, directly under Tony’s belly a rather large rattler let out with a very loud and penetrating buzz that immediately served to transform an idyll into a nightmare.

            I immediately recognized the sound for what it was and, unfortunately, so did Tony.  His immediate reaction, born of an innate, if heretofore unknown, dread of large rattlesnakes, was to launch himself straight vertical for a considerable distance.  I’ll have to leave the exact altitude attained to one’s imagination as, at that moment, I was much too busy for quantitative research.

            Words my father had uttered only a week or so prior, on the occasion of my arriving back at the barn on Tony and being in the saddle but sound asleep, came to mind...  “Thomas (actually, he called me Tommy… a habit I could not break him of his entire life!) one of these days something is going to spook him and he’s going to throw you so high the crows will have time to build a nest in your behind (actually, my dad’s language being as colorful as it was, “behind” was not the exact word he used here) before you hit the ground!”  That, along with certain other predictions regarding the effects on my anatomy of some of my antics served to suggest to me that he would have had a fair future as a prophet had he chosen to pursue that end.  With maturity, something you could have gotten pretty long odds, in this era, against my ever surviving long enough to reach, has come the realization that, perhaps, “Natural Consequence” may have had more to do with his prognostications than did any sense of the supernatural or ethereal.

            It amazes me even today, more than a half century later, how clearly those thoughts came to mind while I was still in the ascent stage and was diligently applying what I knew of , added to what I was learning of the physics of flight, even while contemplating the inevitable… Somewhere below me was a crazed horse and, below him, an angry, vociferous rattlesnake.  Even though I was still gaining altitude at the moment of this thought, I knew that, eventually, gravity being what it was, I was going to going to have to effect a landing.  Although I was, at present, navigating quite well, I was not at all sure that such benevolent circumstances would long continue, let alone persevere.

            While time seemed to hang suspended, I could feel myself losing velocity as I neared the apogee of my short flight.  Soon, I felt the rush of air as my direction of flight reversed and my velocity once more began to increase at the rate of, I was to learn many years later, thirty-two feet (11 m) per second for every second of my descent.  At this point, my thoughts began to change from the esoteric investigation of non-powered flight to the entirely mundane… Where the HELL (this being about the strongest language at my command at this time) is that snake?

            I must say, as earth became larger and larger in my window of vision, much the same image the Apollo Astronauts would have seen about a decade and a half later, that snake began to occupy more and more of my working mind.  As the conjectural thoughts were pushed aside in favor of the essential, I began to detect, on the very periphery of my awareness, a loud, eerie screeching that seemed to fill the air with its essence.  A small portion of my conscious thought was being hijacked by the weird sound.  About this time it dawned on me that, of the three players in this incongruous drama, there was only one capable of generating that kind of output.  As in the science of criminology, when the impossible is eliminated, what is left is probably the truth.  So it was that in this case, neither horse nor snake was capable of  that tone, therefore, that left only me as the author of that sound… a fact that, while it did little to attenuate the volume, it did serve to remove one source of stress from my already tortured psyche.

            Now, there was only one prime thought remaining… where the hell is that snake?  Very soon, like the pilot said at his Board of Inquiry following the crash of his fighter plane… “I ran out of air speed, altitude and ideas simultaneously”… I found myself measuring my length in the deep dust of the road.  As I lay prostrate, still wondering where that snake was, I could hear Tony making tracks as fast as he could down the mountain.  He seemed nothing more than intent on putting as much distance as he could between himself and that snake… wherever he was… as possible in the shortest possible time.  As I lay there in the dirt sucking the needles and leaves off nearby trees and shrubs in the effort to get air flowing into my lungs once more, I began to take stock of my anatomy.  Without the benefit of mirrors or other paraphernalia, I made the assessment that everything seemed to be pretty much as it was prior to the ordeal, all of three seconds before.

The snake was not in evidence, having departed during the debacle just described.  Tony was gone, but I had no concern for him.  He knew the way back to the barn better than I did and I had no doubt but that I’d next see him when I got to the bottom of the mountain, standing at the gate, probably grumbling because he hadn’t been fed yet.

I spent a few minutes assessing my condition, testing my extremities and, in general, wondering where in hell that snake was.  Finally, having decided that little further could be gained from my present position, I tentatively began to rise.  It was not the easiest task I’ve ever performed but almost everything seemed to work fairly well so, timidly at first but soon with more strength and purpose, down the road I moved.  I was sure that Tony was gone and that I was resigned to the long walk home on shaky and achy legs.

About three curves down the hill, standing to one side of the skid road was Tony, his reins were dangling, effectively ground-hitching him and allowing me to catch up the reins, mount the saddle and ride into the ranch yard in triumph, head held high rather than having to sore-foot it the last two miles in from the site of my encounter.

My even more unkempt than usual condition and my rather labored movements finally clued my parents that all was not pure peaches and cream in my world.  The severe interrogation to which I was subjected finally served to get the story of the meanest rattlesnake in all of Northern California out of me… only to incite paroxysms of mirth from the entire family, parents, siblings, aunt and uncle and cousins, at my expense… probably the meanest thing that snake did.  And, I never did figure out where he had gotten to… I was just eternally grateful that he was not still there when I arrived, returning from my aborted free-flight.

As is usual with mean animals, there was absolutely no warning before he sang out in that especially loud voice…er… tail in his case.  In fact, it is precisely this proclivity in some individuals to remain silent until I am entirely within their snare and am at peace with the world before launching their attack that marks them as particularly mean animals!

One of the past masters of this subterfuge resides in the forested areas of the Pacific Northwest.  He is a rather small bird, too small to account for the amount of terror he can author.  He seldom is as large as a bantam hen, but his ability to raise his victim’s blood pressure to near explosive levels is unparalleled in nature.  The usual scenario generally involves…

The morning had been eventful.  Elk were around in good numbers and had provided shot opportunities on a couple of occasions on smaller bulls.  It was early in the season though and I was holding out for something better, ignoring my long-standing tenet of “never turn down on the first day what you would take on the last day.”  The vagaries of archery hunting for elk being what it was, one was never safe in the assumption that further chances would eventuate that would offer good shots.  But, I was adamant.  I wanted a nice bull if I could get one, and if one always takes a small one first, he will never have the opportunity to take a large one.

The sun was making brief appearances from time to time and it had not rained in over two hours when I caught wind of elk nearby.  It must be noted that elk, though beautiful are not fastidious and they do not bathe.  Hence, they smell like a barnyard.  And, a large group of them smells like a large barnyard.  That is what I was catching now… the aroma of a group, properly called a gang, of elk somewhere very close.  The terrain was flat and somewhat swampy.  The timber was sparse, but regular in its growth.  The main growth was the ubiquitous Salal Brush (Galtheria Shallon).  Salal grows everywhere in this country, and is, indeed a major economic commodity in this area as it is harvested and used in floral arrangements in the cities of the west.  Entwined in this lush growth of Salal is the scourge of northwest loggers, Pacific Blackberry (Rubus Ursinus).  There is just enough of it here to serve as a major tripping hazard, tying the hiker’s legs securely to the ground as his body continues onward on its trek.  The result is, often, a loud crash and a burst of profanity.  The fact that this simple shrub is the major food source for the Columbian Blacktail deer that live here does little at this moment to redeem it in the eyes of the tripee.

On this morning, I was especially careful of it.  I was moving across this area of sparse timber most quietly, easing my way to where I might see the elk I was smelling.  On and on I moved, step after silent step.  From one tree to the next until, at last, I was seeing elk moving through the timber.  There were several animals present and I had seen at least one set of antlers through the trees.  I was inching ever so much closer.  Already I had passed up a small bull and some cows, the larger bull now in full sight just ahead.  I was slowly closing the range on him… Fifty yards… forty yards… nearer and nearer to the twenty-five yards (22.5 m) to which my wooden recurve bow limited me.  Just as I was to the point that I felt that I might consider a shot, I took that one more step that is so often fateful.  From out of the brush at my feet burst a small ball of feathers in the form of a ruffed grouse.  He was mean enough to beat me mercifully with his wings as he made his ascent and his escape!  If I could have maintained my composure, I could have caught him in my hat as he passed by, but, alas, such was not to be.  One cannot imagine the amount of noise such a tiny creature can make with just his wings in the morning air.  Add to that the fact that he was actually multiplying that by the factor of his wings actually beating me physically.

Of course, the elk were long gone, having no more desire to deal with the small tyrant than I had, but they had a clearer field in which to maneuver than did I with my feet tied to the ground by blackberry vines, my heart was now in the proximity of my Adams apple and still on the rise… the air around me still blue from the expletive that managed to slip out while my mind was otherwise engaged with the problems of dealing with killer grouse!

On a scale of one to ten in meanness, that grouse had to rate at least a twelve or thirteen.  I did manage to survive that unmitigated attack and even to take more elk in the future, but that didn’t stay me from my newest sport… skewering grouse with my bow and arrow whenever the opportunity presented itself!

Lest one begins to think that it is only the alive and aware animal that is capable of inflicting pain and torture on the unwary or under prepared, please note that there are several species that bear enough malice to continue their retribution even past the curtain that signals the end of mortality.  One of the meanest of these was an elk that went beyond the call if duty in creating torment.

It was a rainy morning that opening day of elk season so many years ago.  It was the first such season and my first foray into the jungle of huge stumps, ancient timber and young re-growth timber that is the west side of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula.

The Navy, just a few months prior, had seen fit to honor my first choice of duty station on my transfer from the submarine I’d served aboard for the previous five years. POMFPAC, Polaris Missile Facility, Pacific, was to be my home for the next, and last, two years of my service.  This facility was located on what is now the Submarine Base at Bangor, WA, home to the Pacific Trident Missile Fleet.  Housing shortage in the area at the time of my arrival… “most critical since WW II” the newspaper headlines announced on the day of my arrival… forced me to make an alteration to my original plan and to take a military house on the Naval Ammunition Depot Annex on Indian Island, near Port Townsend, about thirty miles (50 km) north of the base.  This proved a most fortuitous circumstance as it landed me among the worst of bad company… a band of hard core elk hunters.

From the time I met Greg and Adam in June until season opened in November, we talked elk.  Being the new boy on the block, I listened and listened… and listened some more.  Many were the tales of the elk trails followed, the elk seen and of the ruggedness of the country traversed.  It was this last that I, in retrospect, didn’t listen to quite closely enough.

Opening morning of elk season 1968 found me on a ridge covered in reprod timber… that is, young growth approximately six to eight years old.  It was about fifteen feet (5 m) high and just an inch or two in girth.  They can grow quite thickly, blanketing the terrain with a rather tall carpet of green.  I was sitting in a position where I could see across the canyon below to the ridge opposite.  Adam was to my right, up the ridge about a quarter mile (400 m) away and near where the two ridges united.  Greg had taken up his position by going to my left, down the ridge, crossing a drainage and up onto the side of the next ridge, giving him an excellent view of the lower end of the ridge opposite.  What had caused us to assume this alignment was our having spotted a gang of elk on the ridge beyond, coming up out of the Mosquito Creek drainage.  And, this gang was moving slowly and unconcernedly in our direction.  A quick war council produced this deployment with the agreement on the point that when they reached the top of that ridge opposite, chances were that they would either turn to my right, up the ridge or turn to my left, down the ridge.  If the former case came about, they would run directly in Adam.  If the latter, they would bottom out and be directly in Greg’s sights.  I, being the rookie, was in the rocking chair and hoping just to get an opportunity.

The plan worked exactly as designed.  The elk hit the crest of the ridge and turned to my right, uphill.  I could see them as they fed and moved through the young timber.  Never long enough for a shot, but I could see them.  Occasionally I could see antlers, usually poking above the trees.  Never could I see both antler and animal simultaneously until, finally, at the head of that spur ridge in a small clear spot, there he was.  A young bull he was, to be sure, but a nice one for a rookie.  Slowly I raised my brand new Remington .30-’06 and took careful aim.  I judged the range at a bit under three hundred yards (270 m) and was snuggling into the sling of my rifle… the cross hairs of my scope were just settling in place when a very loud shot rang out and all I could see of the bull in the scope were four elk feet flailing in the air!  Adam, obviously, had been in absolutely perfect position.

With the report of the rifle, the gang immediately turned back down the ridge, obviously planning their escape back down the ridge to the bottom and thence slipping into the standing, old-growth timber unseen.  Again, I could see them slipping through the brushy timber without giving me opportunity for a shot.  Again, I could see antlers above the brush, but then…. Directly across the canyon on the side of the ridge about a hundred feet (30 m) below the crest, the herd was on a trail that brought them into the open for a short distance.  By this time, they were in single file and moving at a slow trot.  At the particular point in question, each animal in turn had to jump a downed log and was then in full view for about three to four body lengths at which time the animal disappeared back into the jungle of growth.  It was like a shooting gallery.  The range was good, about two-hundred-twenty-five yards (200 m) and about level.  The shot, while it had to be done without wasted time, was doable.

I watched eagerly, my scope locked on each head as it appeared in queue, awaiting a turn at the gallery jump.  When a set of small antlers appeared in the lineup, I slipped the safety off and waited as the cows and calves ahead of him cleared the way.  Soon, he was there… his head held high as he jumped the fallen obstacle without seeming effort and landed in the open area.  He took one more shuffling step to catch his balance and I heard the report of my rifle.  I do not recall ever feeling the recoil.  The shot was true as I watched the hair jump just behind his left front shoulder and he stopped still in his tracks.  Since he was still on his feet, I worked the bolt and jacked a second round into the chamber.  Again, the hair jumped right next to the first hit as the one-hundred-sixty-five grain Speer bullet found its mark.  But, again, he did not fall.  Neither did he move.  It was as if time was standing still and all else in the world had disappeared except that bull elk and me.  There were no other elk in existence… I had no companions, no family, and no purpose except as concerned that bull.  Once more, I worked the bolt.

I knew I had two lethal shots in him and was amazed at his ability to remain upright.  That he was shaken and wounded mortally, I knew, but I was determined he not suffer.  Always, I had prided myself on the fact that no animal I had ever taken had required more than one shot to dispatch.  That a Roosevelt Bull Elk could carry a lot more lead than a deer was a fact that I understood intuitively and was just now learning in real time.  For my third shot, I took a bit more time and located where the bone ran through his neck.  I was sure he was not moving with two rounds in his boiler room… now I was going to put one into his wheelhouse.  I felt that the range was a bit excessive to effect one into his brain, so chose the second-best location.  Once more, I could see the hair on his neck jump as the heavy bullet created its effect.

Slowly, after this shot, the bull’s knees began to buckle.  Like a punch-drunk fighter viewed in slow-motion, he folded slowly, one leg at a time and he eased to the ground, taking care, I was sure, not to bruise any of his delicious meat.  I watched as he crumpled like an empty potato chip bag until he was prostrate on the steep sidehill.  Then, like that bag unfolding on its own, a leg jerked spasmodically…  A second kick caused him to roll down the hill a bit.  Soon, another kick and he tumbled even further down the ridge.

“Aha,” I said to myself, “how wonderful!  He’ll be so much easier to dress out at the bottom of the ravine than he would be on that steep sidehill.  I’d probably have to drag him down to the bottom anyway…”

Oh, how naïve can a rookie be?  I had totally failed to reckon with the fact I had just harvested one of the really mean elk in all of creation.  All elk hunters know intuitively that trophy elk do not live above the road as this would make the pack out to be much too easy.  Even if one should be caught traversing that “no-elks-land” they will do everything they possibly can to rectify their faux pas and immediately light out for the very bottom of darkest, brushiest hole imaginable, there to die.  Thus, in their passing, they can inflict the greatest possible distress on the hapless hunter who was inexperienced enough to have taken his life!  I once had a Pastor of a local church swear to me that he had taken a nice bull above the road in such a position that he had but to back his truck up to the bank at the side of the road and slide the animal in whole, thereby retrieving him almost without effort.  I was skeptical but not wanting to disbelieve the clergy when I found out he was also a fisherman!  Now I was torn terribly trying to believe his most wild story.  As he continued, it cleared itself up for me.  It seems he was forced to stop for some construction work on the road he was using when the timber cutting crew lost control of a tree they were falling and it dropped right across the bed of his truck… I tell you, those elk will do ANYTHING to get even!  I’m now quite sure that animal’s being above the road was just a ploy to lure the unwary into a position where his truck could be squashed like a june bug.

This is a trait common to all elk and subsequent harvests have led me from the depths of “Ohmygawd Canyon” to swamps so mean and foreboding that the fauna has regressed several stages on the evolutionary scale (I mean, have you ever seen a flying lizard?).  These outings have served to teach me this fact.  However, what this young bull did was way beyond the scale of ordinary meanness.  Upon reflection, I cannot recall a single time when an elk just went peaceably and stayed where he fell.

In this land of excessive moisture, the rain creates many strange phenomena.  The more than two hundred inches (500 cm) of annual precipitation causes the land to be conformed to the water’s needs.  In this case, these pressure ridges, as we were now on, created by a long ago, long gone glacier several thousand years ago were not made of solid rock, but of alluvial materials like sand and gravel.  At the bottom of the gully, between the ridges, the excessive water flow had created a trench very much like that created by a backhoe when installing underground utilities.  This trench was approximately eight feet (2.5 m) in depth and three feet (1 m) in width.  The sides were perfectly vertical and water ran in the bottom.  The ditch looked so unstable to me that, if it had been a construction project, no man would have ever been allowed in it without shoring the walls.

As I hiked down the hill from my ambush point, I was being soaked by the gallons and gallons of water that had been suspended on the needles of the young spruce and hemlock trees I was bulling my way through to reach the place where I expected to find my elk.  Looking back on that today, my worrying about that water was very much like worrying about spilling a cup of water on oneself just before falling out of the boat.  It took me nearly an hour to fight my way through brush as thick as the hair on a shaggy dog’s back to reach the bottom of that gully.  I could readily see the path in the more open sidehill the bull had made in his “kick it loose and let it roll” routine he used to expand his meanness to stellar proportions.

The thick brush I had been negotiating ended a few feet from the very bottom of the gully, providing a clear area approximately eight feet in width extending up and down the gully.  I could not believe my good fortune in seeing this… Imagine, an area of clear ground on which to work!  A five hundred pound (225 kg) plus animal is hard enough to move around for dressing in any place or position.  Doing so in brush or on steep ground can be terrible.  I was nearly ecstatic, then, at finding this boon.  And, that ecstasy lasted the full two minutes or so it took me to break through the last of the heavy cover and see the horrible truth of what this animal had done as his last act of defiance.  All that was to be seen where I would have supposed this beast to be was the marks of his last struggle as he managed to heave himself bodily into that trench in the bottom of the gully.  With no small amount of trepidation, I inched forward slowly, peering expectantly into that hole even while dreading the confirmation of what I new was true.

What greeted me was a sight indescribable.  Lying in the bottom of that hole I could see a foreleg, or maybe two hind legs and one eye.  He lay in such a juxtaposed position I am convinced there were forces other than random chance at work here.  I doubt sincerely that he could have become so sincerely misaligned by mere chance.  In addition, he was now acting as a really nice dam in the stream running at the bottom of the trench and was rapidly creating a rather nice lake on his upstream side.

It was at least six feet (2 m) from the lip of the trench to the animal and he filled another short distance with his body.  The walls were perfectly vertical for as far as I could see in either direction, affording me no easy access or egress anywhere within sight.  I found a convenient stump left over from the logging of this area and sat down to contemplate my situation.

As I pondered the improbability of this, a shot rang out from Greg’s direction.  Vaguely, I recalled another from that area a bit earlier.  More than likely, this last shot finished what the prior one had started… which meant, Adam being busy with his own bull from earlier and, now, Greg with his, I was entirely on my own.  I was sure that I could expect no help so what was to be was up to me.

The rain was falling, not in drops any longer, but in vast sheets of water.  Looking down the draw, I could see wave after wave of water being driven before the wind.  In places, where the wind swept up the ridge, the water was hurled up the ridge, a vanguard to the wind.  It was actually raining uphill!  I have never, before or since, witnessed this exact phenomenon, but there it was this cold, windy and wet November day.

I finally, after much soul-searching, removed my outer garments, coat, vest, raingear, etc. and piled them on the stump that had served as my throne and, keeping only my venerable Buck Knife, my small hand axe and bone saw from my belt sheath, I jumped from the lip of the trench into its bowels.

I have never seen such a sight.  I didn’t have an elk lying in a ditch; I had a pile, a lump even, of elk lying in the bottom of that ditch.  Looking up, it appeared that I was being buried in the groin of Mother Earth herself.  With a sigh, I pushed all thoughts aside and bent to the task at hand.

My first several attempts at moving the animal merely resulted in falling debris and waves of water as I unblocked, momentarily, the river that was being detained by the body lodged in the bottom.  I stopped a moment and reassessed my situation.  I looked over the situation in minute detail and, believe me, there was no little part of it that was comforting.  At last, I thought I had a handle on what needed to be done to untangle this mass of elk and arrange it in line with the flow of the trench.  This, at least, would afford me the opportunity of dressing out the animal and, possibly, rendering it into pieces of a manageable size that it might, eventually, be removed from the hole.  My years of untangling backlashes from my fishing reels stood me in good stead in getting this job accomplished.

By pulling on one foreleg until I got it free then scrambling across the lump of elk and into the growing lake of ice water on the uphill side, there to extricate a hind leg from its trap,  I was able to effect some progress.  Back across the carcass again to find the other foreleg only to find the antlers buried in to the bank, holding the head firmly in place… directly on top of the misfolded appendage I was trying to liberate.  On and on, back and forth for the better part of an hour I worked to get this mean critter into an orientation that would allow me to begin the arduous task of butchering.  By the time I managed to get five hundred pounds of dead elk arranged as I wanted him, I was drenched to the skin, covered in mud and muck and ruing the day I had ever heard of elk.  It should be noted at this point that, although I may have described this in words that would make one think it was a pleasant, joyous occasion… it was not!  However, in terms of what was yet to come, this interlude might well be taken as high, easy living.

At last I had wrestled him into a position in which I could begin the dressing.  As soon as I had vented the animal, I began to encounter problems caused by the proximity of the vertical walls.  I could not roll the animal to allow easy extraction of the offal, so I had to remove it by hand, over the aft end, piece by piece.  By now, Icy Lake, formed by Elk Dam, had drained sufficiently that I could move the offal out of the water.

When, at last, I determined him to be as clean as I could make him in my present place and circumstance, I began the task of reducing him to carriable proportions.  I thought that six would be appropriate.  To this end, I removed his head and antlers and placed them in a safe spot.  I then removed both front shoulders.  This, while not near as easy as it would have been on open ground, was not overly difficult.  The hind quarters, however, were a totally different matter.  Normally, with the animal on its back, it is a relatively simple matter to make a cut at the joint, allowing the weight of the hind quarter itself to pull it way from the carcass.  By simply extending the cut as the quarter falls away, it is soon completely severed, the hip joint being a ball and socket joint that is easily popped loose.

Such is life in a perfect world.  My world, at the moment, was far from adequate, let alone perfect.  I could not effect the cuts as I normally would because the walls held the legs nearly vertical, not allowing gravity to aid in the process.  Add to this the fact that Rigor was, by this time, setting in and one can see the situation was deteriorating rapidly.  It was pure gut-busting, mule-hauling work to get those hind quarters separated from the carcass and by the time it was completed, I was nearly in as bad shape as was that elk.

The last step in my butchering process was to split the carcass transversely, across the carcass just above the sixth rib yielding a fairly flat chunk of meat that was the prime of primes in elk.  On this was contained the tenderloin and the choicest steaks.  The other half contained some fine steaks as well… the T-bones and the rib steaks as well as the chuck steaks were here with a lot of fine elk.  It also included the ribs and brisket as well as the neck.

By the time I had completed the butchering, I was exhausted.  While deciding my next move, I sank down to rest, using a hind quarter of elk as my seat… a load of round steak supporting a round butt… and began to think how I was going to get out of this predicament.  Obviously, I could not get out the way I had come in, gravity being what it was, so that left only two options… up the trench or down the trench.  As soon as my heart rate returned to a near normal rate, I arose and, shouldering one forequarter, began my trek down the bottom of the trench, praying for a spot where the sides were low enough to let me get out of the hole.

It seemed like hours had passed and miles walked before the lip of the trench began to do dip to greet me.  Slowly and cautiously I crept along, my load gaining weight with each step all the while issuing prayers for the lessening of the depth to continue.  Finally, at last, my head was above the ground level and I waited no longer, but lifted that front quarter from my shoulder and onto the ground outside the trench.  It really felt like I’d covered at least a mile, but it was, as I learned by pacing the distance on my return trip, only about five hundred feet (350 m).  Four more trips I made with the meat from that bull and I had only the chest cavity remaining.  I was out of gas and out of ideas on how to move that large, bulky bull down my rapidly deteriorating route when I heard my name being called.

While grinning so widely that I threatened to break my face, I hollered back.  When a second call asked if I needed help, I screamed for rope and my packboard, a couple of items I had neglected to bring with me when I dove into this hell-hole.  I guess I was more interested in keeping them safe and dry in my truck than I was in actually using either.  That was a mistake I never repeated in all the years I hunted elk.  From that day onward, I never left my truck without a length of rope wrapped around me.

I put the question of what to do about that last piece of meat on hold until I had help here with me.  In the meantime, I recuperated.  I knew the job was far from complete as, even if both Adam and Greg came in, it would still mean two trips apiece back up that mountain through that brushy jungle with more than a hundred pounds (45 kg) of elk strapped to the packframes.

In a few minutes, I heard the chatter of men as the brush snapped and an occasional curse rang out, signaling a foot caught up in a root or a vine or such.  It dawned on me suddenly that this was the noise of more than just two men.  In fact, when the brush finally parted, not only Greg and Adam popped out, so did three good friends from town.  I could not believe that they were actually there, having told us not to expect them until late as work commitments would cost them opening day of the season.  There were now six of us.  Bob, Leon and Larry had found our trucks parked and had heard the shooting so had figured we had animals down and could use some help.  This being before the present era when the world was not overrun with thieves, we did not remove the keys from a vehicle when we parked as it may need to be moved to allow access to another.  Thus, the three got out packboards and such gear as they felt we would need and started in to find us.  I was deep in my long rut when they called out at first, so I did not hear them.  Greg and Adam, however, did.  In fact, they were within a stone’s throw of Adam and he guided them on to Greg.

I cannot express the joy I felt on seeing their homely mugs, and told them as much!  It was the work of but a few moments to tie a rope to that last hunk of carcass and to pull it out of the hole.  They had even determined a better route out.  Basically, it followed the trail the elk had used in coming down that ridge so long ago and led us directly to the junction of the ridges and to our trucks.  I broached the possibility that I might get a ride out on one back or another, but the fact that I soon realized that the only way this was going to happen is if I were willing to go the same way that elk was going… in six pieces did much to cool my ardor at what I had really thought to be a viable idea just moments before… An hour later, after much discussion of the sanity of anyone who’d venture into that hole, we were all at the truck enjoying a cold drink and a warm meal of Chef Boyardee that was whipped up on a Coleman stove.  Although it was just simple fare, heated quickly and served directly from the pan, it was possibly one of the finer, most welcome repasts I have ever known.

Adam’s elk was already in his truck and Greg’s was waiting at the edge of a small logging trace, ready to load.  I had fired my first shot at 8:05 that morning and the sun, behind thinning clouds, was sliding from the western sky as I sat on the tailgate of my truck, recounting the tale of the meanest elk that ever lived…

About the Author

Thom is 65 years old and retired, forcibly, from regular work. He is helping his family start up a new concern manufacturing an idea of his from a couple of years back. He designed a target stand for archery 3D targets and has spent a great deal of time in this endeavor.

Thom was educated at Sonoma Valley High School in Sonoma, CA. After high school, the US Navy occupied the next nine years of his life, from 1961 to 1970 where he served as a Polaris Missile Technician on board the FBM Submarine USS James Madison SSB(N) 627. After leaving the Navy, Thom finished his formal education at Peninsula College in Port Angeles, WA and the University of Washington in Seattle.

Since leaving school, Thom as owned and operated several businesses, from a logging company to two accounting firms and an engineering firm.

Presently Thom lives alone in Kennewick, WA where he follows his love of writing, archery and his adopted family there.

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Brains and Beauty: a Profile of Lily Cole

With a distinctive mane of lively red hair, pale skin and a cupid-bow mouth, Lily Cole is one of the UK’s top models. At just 18 years old, she is said to be worth around £11 million.

Her Rise and Rise

At 14 years old, a modelling scout spotted Torquay-born Cole as she devoured a burger in Central London. Cole initially ran away believing a ‘dodgy guy’ was chasing her but when asked to consider modelling, she accepted their offer. Soon after, Cole signed with Storm, a top agency representing models such as Kate Moss and Elle Macpherson.

Cole’s modeling career took off in 2003 when she worked for Italian Vogue with Stephen Meisel, the photographer responsible for Madonna’s SEX book. This catapulted Cole into the spotlight and in 2004, she appeared on the cover of Vogue and won the coveted Model of the Year prize at the British Fashion Awards. Cole would later work with many more major fashion photographers, including David Bailey, Craig McDean, Nick Knight, Juergen Teller, Irving Penn and Arthur Elgort.

Fashion’s Brightest Star

Her long limbs and porcelain doll features have made Cole a hit with the most prestigious designers. She is frequently seen on all the major catwalks and has appeared in shows by Jean Paul Gaultier, DKNY, Versace, Alexander McQueen, John Galliano and Louis Vuitton.

One of Britain’s most recognisable models, Cole has appeared on countless magazine covers, including ID, Numero and the American, Italian, British, Japanese and Korean editions of Vogue. Cole has also appeared in advertising campaigns for a number of designers such as Christian Lacroix, Chanel, Hermès, Longchamp and Cacharel.

At Christian Dior’s recent 60th anniversary show, Cole’s reputation as a top model was cemented. Appearing alongside legendary models such as Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell and Karen Mulder, Lily was one of the only young models invited to participate.

She is the face of Accessorize and two fragrances: Ghost’s Anticipation and Moschino’s I Love Love. She was recently approached to become the face of De Beers diamonds but declined due to claims that native bushmen in Botswana had been thrown off their land to make room for De Beers's new mining sites.

Other Talents

Cole has brains as well as beauty. In Summer 2006, she achieved three A’s in her A-Level English, Politics and Philosophy and Ethics exams. This earned her a place to study Social and Political Sciences at Cambridge University, although she has deferred her course for the foreseeable future due to her career.

Cole also has plans to embark on an acting career and was recently cast as Alice in Marilyn Manson’s upcoming film Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll. A number of critically acclaimed shorts from the film have already been featured on Manson’s website and a feature length film is also planned. It has also been recently announced that Cole will join the cast of St Trinians, Rupert Everett, Colin Firth and Stephen Fry.

What’s next?

With brains, beauty and a blossoming film career, Cole has world at her feet. Will she continue modelling for multi-million pound contracts or will we see her embarking on a career in academia or Hollywood? The fashion world waits with baited breath…

About the Author

Biography
Tania Machowska is a former model with experience of catwalk and catalogue modelling. She loved being a model escort in Paris, with trips as an escort in Cannes for a Nice escort agency.

How Can the Baby Ring Slings Help You?

You will find endless varieties of baby slings in the market today. Only you have to choose the one that suits you best. The basic types of slings include pouch slings, ring sling, wraps sling, folding slings and many others. The sling carriers come in fabric as well as design types. Ring sling is probably the most popular type of baby sling. Ring Slings are the usually made of long straps of fabric that are adjusted with rings. You may choose between padded as well as non padded ring slings. Usually the ring slings come in different shapes sizes and with different features. They offer every type of advantages to give complete comfort to your child. It can be used from the new born stage till the toddler stage.

The ring slings offer a number of advantages:

• Easy to use: The ring slings are easy to use. Almost all the ring slings will fit you. The size only dictates the tail size. It involves a very easy process for handling. In fact it is of great help for those who find comfortable in using it. The usage of ring slings also involves much lesser time to handle your child comfortably, but it is a great sling for all those who find it handy.

• Flexible: A ring sling comes in variety of types. It is versatile. Usually the sling is designed in such a manner that it can be used to cup the shoulder. As you wear the sling, it spreads at your back naturally. This helps you to keep your baby secure and comfortable.
• Enables you to carry your child in different positions: The ring sling allows you to carry your child in an upright position. It is of great help for the parents whose child prefers tummy-to-tummy hold or upright position. The top rail of a ring sling helps children to tighten your child and offer complete support to your baby in a vertical position.

• Offer all possible comfort to your child. The top rail of the carrier enables the parents to position their child in the perfect manner to provide discreet breastfeeding. Almost all the variety of ring slings come in a very compact shape. This makes the ring slings diaper-bag friendly.

However, while you are purchasing a ring sling, certainly check out the age and the temperament of your child. See which size would be best for you within your budget.

About the Author

Attached to Baby specializes in baby slings, carriers and babywearing accessories. Carefully chosen, all the carriers in our shop are loved and successfully used by tens of thousands of happy families. Our baby sling selection is unmatched!!

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Flat roofing, protect your home

A flat roof is a type of covering to a building, which is horizontally laid. It has always been popularly used roofing in architecture since time immemorial.

A flat roof is an excellent type of roofing, protecting buildings from water and snow effectively. It is a kind of roofing that is very popular, sturdy and reliable. A flat roof cannot be beaten in terms of functionality and value for money. It is a kind of casing for a building. Different from the sloped variety of a roof, a flat roof is horizontal or almost horizontal. Materials that envelop flat roofs must permit the water to run off from a very minor inclination.

Conventionally flat roofs used a tar and gravel surface which was enough to stop dissemination, if water did not pool on top. Contemporary flat roofs are more likely to use an incessant membrane covering which can very well resist pools of standing water. The membranes are put on as a continuous sheet. There are some more flat roof options like sealed metal roofs using copper or tin.

A leaking or broken roof ought to be taken care of and repaired appropriately and efficiently. Flat roof repair is extremely important after the rainy season and after the roof has been on for many years. Depending on how bad the damage is, you may be able to repair the flat roof yourself, or may have to get the repair professionally done. There are some things you should keep in mind when hiring out the job, in order to restore the roof in the best shape.

When finding an expert to do the job for you, it would be in your best interest to ask the people around you and find out if anyone got a roof repair job done recently. If yes, then ask them if they can recommend someone. If you can’t find anyone, looking online is the second best option. Find out a company and then go ahead do extensive research on them. Try to find out if they have testimonials by previous customers.

All this will surely help you save loads of dollars and spare you a headache.

When you bought your home, you bought it with a lot of dreams in your heart. You will, for sure, would want to preserve those dreams as well as keep the home looking as good as new. The roof of a building is the most important aspect. It protects from rain, snow, sun. It needs to be built carefully and then, if damaged, repaired by an expert who will ensure it lasts long.

About the Author

"Pankaj Modi Says:" A flat roof is an excellent type of roofing, protecting buildings from water and snow effectively. To know more about roof repair and roofing visit: http://directflatroofing.co.uk

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Interesting Black Berry Storm 9500 Black Mobile

Black Berry Storm 9500 Black is not just the first touch screen Blackberry device, but it is RIM's first product that lacks a physical keyboard. For business people, who are the main target of the smartphones, this might sound weird. However, to replace this deficiency, RIM has introduced a new innovative technology called Sure Press. Patented by RIM, the Sure Press technology makes the physical screen to react like a button when pressed. The display also provides a hepatic feedback, which means that you will not feel the difference between a physical and a virtual keyboard, on screen. However, we could not overlook the sense of insecurity that I had when I pressed the touch screen. It seems that it is well embedded in the body casing, and moving to each press. Moreover, the first time I held the phone in my hand, I thought that the device has a great defect, since the screen is 2mm shorter than its frame. A thin foil protects the touch screen, so the number of fingerprints is limited.  The device appears to have been built very solid, can be held very well in hand, but is heavier than I have expected (155g including the battery). Entirely made from metal, its back case is the main reason that the phone is so heavy. However, Storm 9500 is not even a big phone compared with the HTC Touch HD, or even iPhone 3G, and measures 112.5 x 62.2 x 14mm.

As I mentioned above, Black Berry Storm 9500 Black is the first device that has a capacitive touch screen. It measures 3.25 inches and displays 65 000 colors and a resolution of 360x480 pixels. The capacitive touch screen eliminates the need to use a stylus, and is resistant to scratches. BlackBerry Storm 9500 Black includes the Sure Press innovative technology, a technology patented by RIM (Research in Motion), which offers a hepatic feedback. This screen allows the user to navigate through the phone menus, using the fingers, similar to a computer’s mouse. To select an option simply click on the screen surface. If you wish to start the selected application, you only have to click it again. These displays have the ability to adjust the screen settings, so double click can be used as a method of selection and navigation through the phone menu.

The BlackBerry Storm 9500 Black 3.2-megapixel photo / video camera presents characteristics like autofocus and flash LED. Unfortunately, the camera interface is missing almost completely. The only way to adjust some settings is to click the Menu button after you open the camera function. However, the camera includes some interesting features for photo fans: geo-tagging and image stabilizer. The maximum image resolution is 2048x1536 pixels, but it can be reduced to save storage space. The only other camera settings are colors, and picture quality. Shooting photos with the Black Berry Storm 9500’s 3.2 megapixel camera is quite difficult, as the preview image on the screen is covered at the bottom with a band, which has some settings. This makes the framing of the picture to be quite difficult. Otherwise, I found the quality of the pictures to be quite good. Even if this camera is not one of the best, the quality of the pictures is certainly above average. The color and the contrast look good, while the noise is kept to a decent level. Videos can also be recorded in QVGA resolution at 30fps, but the quality is lower than I expected, so it is not recommended to use the smartphone for recording clips. Overall, I think Black Berry Storm 9500 includes a camera, which is good enough for a smartphone that has as a target the business segment, a camera, which I am sure that it will meet the needs of this phone’s users. For more details visit www.phoneandbeyond.com

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Representing BlackBerry Storm 9500 Black in the website www.phoneandbeyond.com

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Heavy Duty Platform Trucks

Heavy duty platform trucks are used for moving large and heavy loads of materials from one place to another. They are ideal for moving loads in different environments, especially industrial and commercial settings, especially warehouses and factories.

Heavy Duty Platform Trucks in Ergonomic Designs

Heavy duty platform trucks can be found in different makes including steel and wood. The features and specifications of these products vary from model to model. There are models with ergonomically designed push handles for improved control and safety of the users. This enables easy unloading of deliveries from cargo trucks. The trucks are also fitted with casters for optimal control and maneuverability.

Special Features and Functions

Certain models of heavy duty platform trucks come with molded-in tie-down slots for the security of the loads. For eliminating the risks of slippage, it is advisable to use platform trucks with textured surfaces. Powder-coated steel handles and frames ensure optimum service life. Sturdy structural foam platform trucks ensure maximum durability and built to resist denting, rusting, chipping and peeling. Heavy duty platform trucks come in different models.

By minimizing the incidence of good damage, heavy duty platform trucks can result in reduced costs in warehouse operation. The use of these sturdy trucks for moving material will reduce the chances of goods being dropped, which means that the overall operating costs of the warehouse come down.

Shop Online

It is always advisable to purchase top brand heavy duty platform trucks. Browse online to take stock of the different models of heavy duty platform trucks that are available in the market.  Selecting the model that is most suitable for your environment will ensure greater efficiency, safety and productivity.

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<a target="_new" href="http://www.rydoexpress.com/">Rydo Express</a> is a leading provider of janitorial supplies and <a target="_new" href="http://www.rydoexpress.com/Material-Handling-s/25.htm">material handling</a> products. RydoExpress stock the best Heavy Duty <a target="_new" href="http://www.rydoexpress.com/Platform-Trucks-s/80.htm">Platform Trucks</a> on the market from all popular brands.

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Swimming Pool Slides

Having a swimming pool slide can be a great form of entertainment for both children and adults. In ground and above pool slides can come in any shape or size you can imagine. You can easily order water slides that will work best for you and your family. Slides are built to be durable and reliable so you can enjoy your summer days without having to worry about safety. Pool slides have a few advantages over diving boards that many families prefer.

All ages can benefit from water slides. Installing a plastic slide with your backyard's swimming pool can bring hours of entertainment. Unlike diving boards, outdoor slides can be installed in shallow areas of the pool so that younger children can also enjoy them. Diving boards will need a deep end in order to be safely used. Since not every backyard pool has an area deep enough, many families have found that slides are just as fun.

Children slides can be less expensive than diving boards. If you have spent the money to create a backyard lagoon, you may not have much left over for a pricey diving board. Luckily, plastic slides come in various sizes so you can choose the one that fits the look of your back yard, but also keeps within your budget. Custom swimming pool slides allow homeowners to have any look they want. Slides can be as bright in color as you wish, or can easily blend into the natural surroundings.

While pool slides can only be used when the weather is warm enough to be in the water, there are slides available that can be removed from the pool and used in the yard as dry slides. This guarantees year-round fun for adults and children. Toddler swimming pool slides allow younger kids to have fun like the big kids with a slide designed to be safe.

Space can often be an issue. Luckily, slides can be made in a custom form that can efficiently use the space available for stairs and the slide itself. If you have a design in mind, you can easily work with somebody that can create a custom design so the slide perfectly fits the available space. Not only will this let you achieve the thrill factor you want for your slide, but you can guarantee that the area is safe for the surrounding area.

Water slides can be made so older children and adults can experience a fast ride, while slower speeds are left for younger children. Some playground slides will have a weight requirement in order to ensure everyone remains safe. Luckily, you won't have to buy more than one slide to provide the level of fun for both teenagers and younger children. You can still find a design already made or create a custom design that will give excitement to any age.

Every family will thoroughly enjoy the excitement of having a pool slide. With so many choices available, you can easily match the color, speed, and distance that you want. Not only will your children enjoy racing down the slide and splashing into the water, but adults will be reminded of what it's like to be a kid again.

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Sexy Flirting

Let’s say you go out to a party with some friends and draw attention of an attractive woman or man whom you are interested in. Sparks fly, as you exchange looks, talk animatedly, and even exchange numbers. After some pegs and laughs, you decide it is time to head home with the person.

In front of the crowd, it was okay. But now you two are alone. A wave of anxiety lurks in your mind as you are alone with her/him at home or at another place. Both of you know at the back of the mind, that you may end up making out. The point here is how you would communicate this part across to your object of attraction without sounding cheap, desperate or explicit. Read on to know how you can be suggestive without being lewd:

Here are some sexy pointers to know the person before making the move!

Find out about how ‘open’ he or she is: In the time that you spend with the person, you should gauge enough to know about how open or broad-minded he or she is to such things. If the object of your attraction is openly giving vibes, your responsive mind will be able to pick up the subtle signals. However, if you find that the object of your attraction is a bit withdrawn, mindful or reticent about certain things, make sure that you do not rush or cross the line.

You may have to add a lot of charisma in your conversation to get the desired effect. You can let her or him know that they are irresistible and attractive because of their ?(spot one quality and name it). Also seemingly shy people need to open up and any sexual talk or double meanings at this juncture will spoil it. Make sure you only talk about a personality trait that is sexy rather than comment on any physical attribute that sounds suggestive.

Humor: Humor has been one of the hottest qualities in many flirts and will be for the next 500 years. It is the best way to break the ice. Again there are different types of humor which you can use according to the temperament of the person. Try telling a joke about a guy who slipped on a banana peel. There are chances a girl break into peals of giggles. Another girl might just find this kind of humor pathetic and disgusting. It is always better to use general humor which does not offend any sentiments. And one more thing, cheesy pick up lines are just that..cheesy!

Be a tease: You need to loosen up and be playful. That does not mean, you go on tugging at his shirt or tugging at her hair clip. Tease her or him in a seductive manner so that he or she gets aroused and humored at the same time. Let the other person know that you are interested in him or her and are really enjoying their company.

Dance: Dancing is flirting in action. For those who can dance, this is a piece of cake. For those who cannot, it still works. Have feet, will dance! You do not really have to gyrate or break into a jive. If you can, then it is always a plus point. For those who cannot, you can still just hold the person close and move with her or him matching the steps. If you really do not know the moves, the person will guide you, if he or she is interested in you. Know that dancing can lead to a range of sizzling delights later. So make sure, you do not pass this one!

Eat to know better: There is something sensuous about a way person eats her or his food. It can subtly give you an idea about the person he or she is in bed. If he or she talks a lot while eating food, there is a chance that he or she likes to be talkative in bed too. If he or she is practiced and measured while eating, there are chances that they can be the same way in other areas of life, which include love making skills too. If they are clumsy and rushed while eating (assuming there is no urgent appointment), there is a chance that they will be the same in bed too. After all it all boils down to a person’s characteristics and traits. Hunger and sex are after all, basic instincts in a person, which compliment each other.

Relaxed touches: Do not ever ogle at a person’s body (especially a lady’s) like a sex maniac. You will ruin it. Do not grope or fondle a person in the hope of turning him or her on. It does not work and you end up getting a slap or having the person leaving you stranded. If you want to touch her, keep it casual. Do not make it seem as if it is a big deal. You need to keep it sexy enough but without any showing any element of explicitness. For example, a soft caress on the cheek(of the face that is), gentle holding of hands, caressing the palm or gentle tugging of the ear as you talk can be amusing and flirtatious without looking lewd. As for the grand course, you will know it as she or he picks up on your cues and gets into the groove with you.

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V.S.ARUNRAJ talks about how you can sweep the opposite sex of her feet with your charisma. To know more about relationships head over to the warm cafe

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Be Creative With Contemporary Wall Decor

Wall décor, which are treated in textured form subtle in nature, painted or are the simplest are often considered great. Choosing the right combination of texture, light and color is the key to great wall decoration, along with taking into account that these variables and your furnishings have a complex effect on each other.

Stucco, plaster or trowelled is a simple wall décor idea but it gives a great visual impact. Non-professionals cannot easily achieve the stucco swirls although for a sophisticated color and texture it is an ideal backdrop and on expanses of wall it has a dream effect.

Yet, walls are considered personal and within the same interior, contemporary wall decor ideas of surprising ranges work well. Here are some of the suggestions:

•Stripes - To create optical interest they can be used, whether slanted, horizontal or vertical. To give an example, an elongating effect is given by vertical narrow stripes while a room's ceiling may appear lower with broad stripes.

•Cladding - To add a dimension to the wall that reflects light in captivating and diverse ways and invites touch, you can use materials like metal, fabric and wood.

•Paint - One can always add individual and appealing touches with specialized paint effects to detailed frescoes to solid colored feature wall.

•Wallpaper - While hiding hairline splits on the wall and creating illusion with interior space one can choose from the wallpaper of expensive specialty to traditional paper to contemporary vinyl.

•Tiles - For areas of maximum exposure to heat and water or heavy wear this is a formula, which has been tried-and-tested. To give the room dimension and texture it is usually recommended for an entire feature wall to be tiled.

•Stone - A comeback of this is being seen though a mixture of varied textures. E.g. designers prefer rough against grooved granite.

•Vinyl Text - With cutout vinyl lettering you can turn your favorite quote or poem into a wall art.

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Direct broadcast satellite era is approaching, let us look forward to - direct broadcast satellite, satellite television, radio and television -

Star on live, I unknowingly wrote a lot of articles. For a long time, too many expectations and concerns, such as layers of fog have been haunted by live satellite, so that it covered with mystery. For broadcast satellite development in China, the industry is full of misgivings, unwilling to say more.

The face of external pressure and domestic demand urgent, live satellite is ready to fly, had to send.

Live star in the end when Launch ? Broadcast satellite and cable is widening between the competition? Decree No. 129, the door policy can loose? Direct broadcast satellite companies face what position? With so many doubts, I went into the China Direct Broadcast Satellite Corporation, Deputy General Manager Huang Baozhong interviewed.

History of China Direct Broadcast Satellite Co., Ltd. established

2007 12 25, China Direct Broadcast Satellite Company Limited opening ceremony at Beijing's Diaoyutai State Guesthouse Held, marking the China Direct Broadcast Satellite Co., Ltd. as a platform in China carried out the successful completion of industry consolidation satellite operators, satellite Communicate Broadcasting TV Operation "national team" for the public official Service .

National Development and Reform Commission Zhang Xiaoqiang, deputy director of the National Defense Science and Industry and Deputy Director of Sun Yan, Vice Minister Jiang Yaoping, National Meteorological Secretary Zhang Jian, space Technology Ma Xingrui Group Corporation, China Satellite Communications Corporation, General Manager Ruixiao Wu, Education Guo-yuan, minister assisting the minister to the joint leadership of 8 broadcast satellite of China, Ltd. unveiled. Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation All Lei Pui Vice President, Chief Accountant s West aerospace veteran leadership Liu Jiyuan, senior technology consultant Chia-Tung Shun, assistant general manager Entering the total Project Sun for the steel division, as well as radio and television from the communications sector, the countries embassy in all walks of life attended the ceremony. China Direct Broadcast Satellite Company Ltd. Cheng Guangren presided over the ceremony.

China Direct Broadcast Satellite Co., Ltd. integrates the China Satellite Communications Corporation, Sino Satellite Communications Co. Ltd. and China Orient Telecomm Satellite Company, all of its satellite-related assets, business and team, as the only one of our satellite operations company. Direct broadcast satellite company's unified Management And operation "Zhongwei 1", "Sino No. 1", "Sinosat 3", "the star 6B" This is more than four satellites in-orbit satellites and satellite resources in the building, initially formed a large-scale development pattern.

Focus: live satellite be launched? Huang Baozhong In answering this question, and did not give the exact time, but revealed delayed to June, but the exact date has not been confirmed. Delay reasons, mainly due to the star on the 9th some technical problems, related topics held confidential manner.

Live satellite development advantages Live satellite for the core driving force, mainly from the Chinese market itself, the enormous potential demand.

Huang Baozhong that live Satellite TV System has many advantages. From the transmission effect, direct broadcast satellite television transmission from Geography Environmental restrictions, and the channel resource utilization of high-capacity programs, in addition to a strong digital signal anti-jamming capability, satellite programs to prevent infiltration of other countries. Operation from the industry perspective, the direct broadcast satellite television ground receiving equipment is relatively simple, inexpensive, cost-effective than laying cable transmission Network Many high; Moreover, the direct broadcast satellite television service using conditional access technology, which enables users to receive live content management and direct control, this change in our country for over-reliance on television media Advertisement Income situation are very positive. In addition, the direct broadcast satellite TV service up and running, you can still use plenty of bandwidth resources to provide users with a variety of value-added services, with the attendant can bring my radio and television, Electronic Information, Software The rapid development of related industries. This series of technical advantages, our radio and television for solving some important problems encountered in the development of great significance.

For our terrain, large population, but uneven and unbalanced economic development, national conditions, the use of satellite broadcast television technology transfer radio and television programs is to improve the population of our radio and television coverage, improved signal transmission quality and avoid and outside the program were stars, and programs can be paid to achieve ratings of the most effective, most economical and most advanced means.
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Sebastien Frey

Star players are now not only be a role model for children - children, but also the echoes in the act. Conscious or not, the players seemed to really enjoy this condition. They called a hero and all things associated with him must be quickly imitated by fans. But not all players will drift off of this, one of the players who pay attention to this important is Sebastien Frey.

Fiorentina goalkeeper from France is very concerned about the growing fanaticism in soccer. According to him the attitude that football players with a binding contract independently as young age is appropriate in duplicate, but the lifestyle and dress like them is not appropriate for the echoes.

"It is ironic for the development of mass media today. They only cover what is interesting and sensational. But you know it can be bad for the people. "Added to ANSA. This is a concern following the news about the side in 5 children under age teens who are waiting their turn in the tattoo. Besides inspired to play football, they want to meet her arm with a tattoo like Christian Vieri and Francesco Totti. "Bobo (Vieri) and Francesco (Totti) did not start the career of a new tattoo to play ball, but they were already successful and then make it as a reflection of their career." Buddhists Add as introduced by Roberto Baggio.

From this concern he felt the need to educate the fans and football players that the quest for knowledge is far more important than spending time with just following fashion. "Fashion is important in follow because it shows how advanced your thinking, but a far more important than that is how deep your knowledge. For that, the size is only able to read. "Continue Frey who claims often brought the newspaper in each exercise even before the game.

Through reading, the goalkeeper who did have the blood of playing football from his grandfather was felt that her life is far from worry. He was never afraid that his career will last, because reading can be added according to the concentration and confidence."Did you know that in between - during the preparation or the game, knowledge and insight can a football player in the measure by not only the ability of the coach while playing ball. But it also looked in to see a problem, that's why I later appointed as captain of the team Fiorentina although many senior players who I think is more appropriate."

His professional career was fairly successful even be said to exceed the other fellow French goalkeeper. Only one season at Cannes, in 1998 he had attracted Internazionale Milano. The arrival of experienced goalkeeper goalkeeper-position shift in the core team, though he never really - was excluded because in the year 1999 - 2000 he was on loan to Hellas Verona, and the proof he bemain good. That is why then the following season he went on the contract by Parma. In Parma, Frey developed into a star player with Matteo Ferrari, Martin Djetou, Aimo Diana, Marco Marchionni, Hidetoshi Nakata, Emiliano Bonazzoli Daniele Bonera, Matteo Brighi, Mark Bresciano, Adriano, Adrian Mutu and Alberto Gilardino through coach Cesare Prandelli.

Only a crisis in the body of a buffer chocolate company, Parmalat, in the year 2005-2006 which later made him go to Fiorentina that when it was still status loans. In the Artemio Franchi and Frey met with Prandelli. The coach was so sure that Frey did not have to follow the medical test session when the body swells up to 10 kg due to the long injury. Although he was not a favorite choice as the French goalkeeper, but trust Prandelli has not changed. This view has not changed even after Frey states withdrew from the French national team on August 20, 2008 after problems with coach Raymond Domenech.

He later became a strong candidate as a successor Michael Rensing Bayern Munich goalkeeper, although his international career opposite. Even Franck Ribery insists that Frey was far greater than other candidates such as Robert Enke (Hannover), Rene Adler (Bayer Leverkusen), Carlos Kameni (Espanyol) and even the young goalkeeper AZ, Sergio Romero.

Sebastien Frey - Reading is important

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Should Females Be More Aggressive In Relationships?

Should Females Be More Aggressive In Relationships? 

We always hear about the guy who does whatever it takes to "win" his girl. Though this article is dedicated to the females who are just as ardent, the males will benefit from the information and perspectives. Essentially it all boils down to what (or who) really matters to you and how you really feel about yourself. 

Before we analyze "women who go for what they want", let's review my Ex (she's a great example of such): 

I met my Ex at this gathering (of friends). She seemed really nice, but I noticed one thing about her. She had no problems with going up to a guy, initiating communication, and flirting with him. Now don't get me wrong, she wasn't "that type" of girl. This was a Christian gathering. Me Ex was a member of the religion, but she seldom attended meetings. I was young, naive, and totally devoted to the religion. Yet, I still had my "Pre-Religion" personality deep inside me. I liked my Ex because she was anti-typical. She really was that "Bonnie (ride or die) chick". I learned a long time ago you'll also be confused if you choose a confused person. My Ex "played" the naive role (and in some ways, she was), but underneath she really was "controlling the strings". I was impressed with my Ex's swagger that night. Yet, I was extremely busy with the religion. So nothing came out of my Ex's flirtatious advancements. 

The next time I saw my Ex, I was at Buckingham Palace, Pennsylvania. It was my baptism day. She was very happy to see me. We exchanged phone numbers. When I returned home that night, my favorite (but now deceased) cousin stopped by. I don't really remember what happened, but I think he and I decided not to pursue the situation. Some how her phone number got lost. Her congregation location was different from mine. I thought we'd never "hook up" after that. Then the Supernatural happened. The religion's leaders decided to reorganize the congregations. She and I attended meetings at the same time across from one another. Soon as I walked outside our worship room, there she was. We began talking, calling, meeting each other, and the rest is "ancient" history. 

Unfortunately, the religion was authoritative and cultic. Too many "chiefs" and "know it alls". That experience taught me how important the Bible's counsel is that a man and a woman's relationship is between the two (Genesis 2:20-24). She and I had a really good relationship. I was young and naive, and "obeying" those who claim to be the "voice of God on Earth" took its toll. She eventually left the religion, and pushed for an "End" to us (although she hung around in my life till my new girlfriend "evicted" her). I tried to hang in with the religion. Once reality and maturity replaced "religious naive ness" I also eventually left it. 

My Ex had many desirable traits. I've come to appreciate those traits more so. She didn't wait around for the guy to initiate contact or "make the first move". She truly was a Leo. She was pretty much supportive of our relationship (but not of the religion). I'm certain that had it not been for authoritative religion and its deceptions, we would have remained a couple. 

So how does any of this apply to today's world? 

1) Most people want someone who "looks the look" and "walks the walk". Unfortunately, that's what they often get (An Actor). An Actor can look the look and play the role, but has no substance (depth). Many persons don't want or care about "depth". That's why it's essential that a person knows what he or she wants. If the situation is casual, then keep it casual. It gets really "creepy" when someone attempts to put tabs on a "casual" relationship. 

The point is this. You should have some idea what you want. If you want a "real" whatever, then make sure you have substance. In other words, the male or female might "excite" you in one or more ways, but they're not loyal. They might not be the type of person you can plan a future with. Sometimes we say, "It doesn't matter what whoever thinks". Yet often times it does matter. Blood will usually always be thicker than water. It's hard to remember the dancing and the "good times" through the pain.

2) Most people allow someone else to "figure it out for them". Another Big Mistake. From Employment, To Friendship, To Love-Substance will always be what's eventually wanted and needed. A Part Time Employee must still do a good job. Otherwise, they will have wasted time and money. Don't allow this friend of yours to "lead" your life. You must always be a Co Partner. If they don't Respect you as such, your "situation" will eventually fold.

It's unwise to think that "things will work themselves out". Once feelings and pride become involved, "erratic behavior" will be the result.

Many persons say, "well it's not suppose to be 'intellectual' it's suppose to be fun". The truth is anything that is not "thought about" will suffer some sort of emotional "karma". There is a reaction for every action. Ok, enough of the philosophy stuff. 

There are times to think like "kids", and that's when we are kids. As we grow in age and body, we have to allow our emotions and minds to grow also. 

3) Now that you know what you want, Go for it. Do not fear. You can always change your agenda if needed. 

4) If you want a casual situation or friends, then don't be afraid to state what you want. Anyone who calls you "too friendly" after you made it clear that all you want is friends is an idiot. Never play with anyone's mind or emotions. Karma does "come back around". Be able to cut off anyone who attempts to isolate you. 

The one thing a person doesn't want to do is "tarnish" their image. I know that sounded "corny". Let me explain. A man that's a player is "Macho". A woman who is a playette is "Loose (and other derogatory names)". That's totally sexist, but is the way it is. I don't tour the bars anymore. Yet, I remember how the females who had "done a lot of things" would greet guys at the bar. Immediately the "warnings", jokes and "whispers" about them began. It's not worth the "backlash". 

5) People are very concerned with their Independence-With all the drama in relationships, we can see why people want to be private or "not answer to anyone". Yet we all know that we could never approach our employer with that attitude. He/she can walk up to you and tell you to work late or come in early. Most of us wouldn't dare read him/her the "riot act". "How dare you assume that I'm going to put this job above my personal (private) life, and no I'm not going to tell you why I can't and will not work". Yea, imagine that. For most of us, that conversation would never take place in this life time. So why give the same "drama" to someone else? Now don't misread what I am writing. Not everyone has a right to certain information. If you are, however, dealing with someone that is more than a "casual" situation, common courtesy would be nice. Especially for the Ladies-"Kill 'em with kindness". You can be the most seemingly considerate person with out really telling him anything. Men can also utilize charm to avoid the drama. Believe me, once the drama begins, so does the "Relationship Is Just About Over" invisible time clock. 

Many women have told me that Relationships shouldn't be "work". That's a bunch of rubbish! Anything that you want to make while will require work. Just Work Smart. Imagine John who gets up early, gets his entire agenda accomplished, and totally relaxes thereafter. Drama stresses people out. It's when you are "pissed" with your significant other that "Silvia" or "Rico" approaches them with temptation. 

Being considerate doesn't mean that you aren't being private or Independent. The key is to show the other person that you do in deed care about their thoughts and feelings. 

6) If you want something with depth, then "start swimming"-As I wrote earlier, most of us want the person with the looks and moves to "sweep us off our feet". Well, try to look at it this way. Jennifer's older brother was always "schooling" her. Jennifer had looks and popularity. The guys she dated never "came through". Her older brother told her to start dating various guys. Jennifer liked what she liked, yet she got sick of her older brother laughing at her after every failed date. Jennifer finally decided to give Myron a chance. I know, "Myron" (I'm laughing at this guy already). Jennifer initially hated Myron. She wanted to immediately attack his "low self confidence", but she kept hearing her brother say, "you wouldn't like it if somebody did that to you". Myron took Jennifer to a nice location. Jennifer decided to enjoy the night and attempted to listen to Myron. Jennifer immediately noticed that Myron had a focused future. He was the first guy she had met like that. For some strange reason, she gave Myron a second date. Even her older brother wasn't expecting Myron to get that far! 

So "Start Swimming". Most people go to the pier and expect the fish to "jump right onto the hook". It usually doesn't work that way. Some females are thrilled with the "dark" and/or "bad boy" type until she learns why he's a bad boy. 

So "Start Swimming". Try different people, places, and things. If you have legitimate concerns, respectfully mention them. If your date cares how you feel, they will respond. If they don't care how you feel, then you might not want a second date with that person. 

Some people are attracted to the "rude", unemotional type. To each its own. 

Again, "Start Swimming". If you don't initially enjoy the person on the date, then enjoy the date. Maybe it was the location. Maybe you can "try again" at another location or another type of event. 

7) Realize that with out you opening up, your relationship can never deepen and grow. Actually you both have got to open up. Only you will know when you're ready. But you have both got to open up. There will be no meaningful growth with out mutual openness toward each other. 

The key is to always be Proactive. If your partner doesn't appreciate your attempts to strengthen the relationship, then they might not be he one for you. Of course you don't want to overly stress anyone out. Yet, each person must show significant signs of wanting to grow with each other. 

This is my favorite step. Step number 8: Ladies Go For It! Come on Ladies, you changed the world! Now its time to change the game! We guys had to learn how to "make the first move". We had to learn how to accept initial rejection. We had to learn how to attempt to rebound, how to make a date fun, how to "look the look", and how to do all that other stuff to impress YOU. Now it's your turn. In this category, I admit that no one every superseded my EX. She was the Queen of Going For It! 

It's not fully the ladies fault. Past generations taught females to be seen and not heard. Presently most females won't say anything to avoid hurting feelings. They'll leave and guys will be wondering why. In many of those cases, if a female had just spoken up, the guy may have been able to rebound. Again, if the female wasn't looking for anything more than it is what it is. In other cases, the female may have not liked the date location, or the cologne. Speak Up Ladies. Give the guy a chance to "make it right". 

If you really want to meet a guy. Then find ways to do show. Alicia Keys wrote a really nice song. A Waitress finally "got up the nerve" to call one of her patrons. LL Cool J said that the person can only say "no" (it's not do or die). 

I've had numerous females initially tell me NO! They would go home and think about it, and the next time I would see them, they would initiate conversation and everything. I was like, what the "hell" changed her mind. 

So Go For. Be Nice. Be Friendly. Show Concern. It goes a long way. 

The main thing many females need to stop doing is waiting for the guy to approach her. Maybe he's scared. Or for some crazy reason, maybe he's never looked into your eyes, or noticed your great personality. Yea, I know you think people don't look for "personality" but yes they do. Look how well Taylor Swift's song did. That song was all about a guy with a girl who really didn't appreciate him, but one who "loved" him was right there. All it takes is a second. But you have to be PRO ACTIVE. Go for it, Ladies. 

My New Jersey friend was out in California and caught a flat tire. 3 Cali chicks got out their car and asked him where he was from. When he said Jersey, they decided to show him hospitality and changed the tire for him. TRUE STORY! 

No, I'm not telling you to change a guys tire. Well let me give you another example. 

One day I was in the car with this female. She was in somewhat of a grumpy mood. We were in an apartment complex. A female was walking with her boyfriend. All of a sudden, the female did like four or six flips to impress her boyfriend. I was totally impressed. The female in the car with me looked at me and said, "well I can flip too"! LOL 

So don't sit around waiting for the guy to make the move. You Make It If You Really Want To Make It. And don't worry about "rejection". You females have been rejecting us guys for centuries. That doesn't stop us from hoping and trying. Toughen Up! 

The point is always be Proactive. Especially if you are in a Relationship. A man acts like he wants a woman that keeps her mouth shut, but he doesn't. If you go too far out of your way to "please your man" he will probably take you for granted. Man, I really hate admitting this, but most men want a woman who can say what's on her mind (even putting him in his place) like his Mother would! Man, I really hated typing that. But it's true. Most men are still "boys" at heart. Who did Chance choose (Real Chance At Love)? Chance chose the female who wasn't afraid to tell him off. 

So ladies if you don't communicate for whatever reason, somehow (internally and emotionally) the man feels that you don't really care about him. Then pops up Cindy or some other "home wrecker". The man makes a bad decision and messes the relationship up. And it's definitely his lost and his fault. But maybe you should have been more PROACTIVE at ensuring him that: 1) you were glad to be with him and 2) you're all he needs in the love/companionship department. 

And let's be realistic. Sh~~ Happens. In many cases, no matter what you do, things will go wrong. But not in all cases. So if you give up and say "that's just the way it is" then you are depriving yourself of a Real (Depth) situation. And they do exist. Dating clubs make millions yearly. So someone, some where is looking for some thing. 

So should women be more aggressive when meeting guys? Definitely. 

So should women talk more to their men about the relationship and improving it? Definitely. 

Should our modern world continue to feel that it is the man who should be taking most of the initiatives? Definitely Not. Our world is Fast and Aggressive. If you pause, you will miss out. 

Well what can a Female or Male do to show interests that will motivate a response from the other person? You should do anything and everything. Mother Universe gave everyone Intuitive energies. Just make a strong and meaningful effort. He or She can only say No. And No often turns into Yes. Just don't fear rejection, "shake it off", and keep seeking something Better. If Better is what you want and what you feel you deserve.

This article can be freely edited and utilized as long as credit is given to its author (
Gary Colin). 

About the Author

Gary Colin is Author of, "Bible Symbolism What It Means To Your Salvation (ISBN 1-4241-0152-2) http://garycolinastrologicalasscension.webs.com

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