Advantages and Disadvantages of Self Improvement in Africa

Self improvement unlike globalization is not a new concept in Africa. It has been practiced by Traditional African Societies for very many years. The only difference between self improvement as viewed in the west and as practiced in Africa is that people in the west have dedicated many books on the topic. Africans on the other hand have primarily dwelt on preserving their self improvement tips through myths, taboos and cultural practices.

An example of self improvement strategies practiced by African communities is the “night runners” phenomenon. This is a practice that was once observed in the Kissii community of Kenya. Members of the community would gather after sunset at a common meeting place. They would then embark on what can now be viewed as a cross country run across the land. The aim of the run was to appease the spirits and their ancestors. However this was not the only benefit that the members of this community got. The Kissii are said to have been fast warriors whose pace helped conquer many neighboring communities.

Another example of a cultural practice that helped improve the individual is the circumcision ceremony among the Maasai community of Kenya. Young initiates “Moran’s” were put through a cumbersome routine that included being sent off to kill a lion, and being locked up in a Manyatta (Mud Hut) infested with termites for days. The Massai therefore had brave warriors who conquered many communities and in the event that one of them was captured and held captive, yielding was not an option.

A charcoal burner placed in a room that is not well ventilated can cause death to an individual in the same room because of the carbon monoxide it. In my community this was explained in simpler terms. The charcoal burner was said to “drain someone’s blood at close range” and this basically kept people at bay. Some might argue that this is not a self improvement strategy but it did help save lives.

The self improvement strategies mentioned above were not only aimed at improving the individual but the community as a whole. Most traditional African communities were into the perception that what was good for the community was good for the individual as well. In light of this the community always came first.

Paul Njihia is the founder and owner of an african site that deals with free articles on
webinfoguru.com advantages and disadvantages of cultural globalization and the effects of globalization.

High-End Acoustic Guitars

High-end acoustic guitars are the modern form of acoustic guitars which are developed with steel strings for a brighter and louder sound than earlier acoustics. High-end acoustic guitars are comprised of several features and are well descended from classical guitars. This form of acoustic guitar is designed with a heavier construction to withstand the added tension. In general, high-end acoustic guitars are also referred as steel-stringed guitars to differentiate from classical guitars.

High-end acoustic guitars are specially constructed with a solid top made of high quality wood. They are developed from durable and elegant materials like rosewood, spruce, and mahogany. They are specially designed to generate louder and more natural sound. There is a huge selection of high-end guitars in models that have different features. High-end, solid top, and 6-string acoustic guitars have the ability to please even a jazz guitar master.

High-end acoustic guitars provide you with high quality sound, when compared to other ordinary guitars. Typically, traditional nylon tone and high-end electronics are used in these guitars to produce enhanced playability. High-end acoustic guitars are also available in few forms which involve a cutaway body type, and can be made of spruce, mahogany, or rosewood, most commonly. In some models, high-quality ebony is used for the bridges and end pins, as this lasts longer than ordinary plastic bridges and end pins. Takamine guitars are also a popular high-end traditional acoustic guitar.

Flamed curly koa is a premium wood that is mostly used for developing high-end acoustic guitars. Whether you choose to use koa in your acoustic or solid body, the tone of your guitar will benefit from added sweetness and pronounced midrange. Koa is typically used in most of these guitars, since it looks wonderful for your tung-oiled, satin, or a gloss finish guitar. Takamine, Blueridge, and New Larivee are few of the top high-end acoustic guitar manufacturers. They ensure you by providing high quality guitars with few exquisite guitar models. These high-end guitars are expensive, when compared with other models of guitars. Typically, they cost around $250, but can exceed more than $1000 depending on their models and features.

e-AcousticGuitars.com Acoustic Guitars provides detailed information on Acoustic Guitars, Acoustic Guitar Tabs, Left Handed Acoustic Guitars, Used Acoustic Guitars and more. Acoustic Guitars is affiliated with e-Banjos.com Used Banjos.

Digital Single Lens Reflex or Point-And-Shoot Digital Camera?

There are two main categories of digital cameras. The digital single lens reflex, known as the DSLR, and the point-and-shoot digital camera. Both types of digital cameras have advantages over the other. Both types of digital cameras have disadvantages also. Which type should you buy? The answer to that question depends on what you plan to use the camera for.

The main advantage a film single lens reflex camera had over other types of film cameras, was that you saw through the same lens the photo was taken. This allowed you to see nearly exactly what would be in the final picture. In other types of film cameras, you looked through a lens that was separate from the lens film was exposed through. This meant, occasionally, what you thought was in the picture, was not. However, with a digital point-and-shoot camera, you can see the picture on the preview screen and this is nearly exactly what will be recorded by the camera. So in effect, digital point-and-shoot cameras have already gained the one of main advantages that most film single lens reflex cameras had over film point-and-shoot cameras.

One of the primary advantages of the digital point-and-shoot camera, over a digital single lens reflex, is size. You can get digital point-and-shoot cameras in extremely small sizes now. This makes the digital point-and-shoot camera very convenient. It is ideal for taking on vacation when you don’t want to carry things around or any other time you don’t want to take anything heavy with you. Trust me, I would much rather have had a point-and-shoot digital camera with me, than the DSLR I carried around, last time I went to Disney.

The point-and-shoot camera’s advantage in size also becomes one of the disadvantages. Because the cameras are so small, the flash is usually very close to the lens. This causes redeye to be a serious problem with many small point-and-shoot digital cameras.

The primary disadvantage of point-and-shoot digital cameras is something called lag. Lag comes in several varieties in digital point-and-shoot cameras. The first variety that you may notice is that some digital point-and-shoot cameras take a second or two to turn on. This can be a little bit difficult to get used to, since your film camera always seemed to be ready to take a picture. The next version of lag you may notice is on the preview screen. There is a slight delay between what is actually happening and what you see on the screen. There’s also some lag between the time you press the shutter button and the time the actual photograph is taken. This can make photographing a child playing soccer or any other sport extremely difficult. The final version of lag makes itself known between shots. After taking many digital photos in quick succession, the camera may need to pause while it processes the images.

Lag in point-and-shoot digital cameras is something the manufacturers are working very hard on. The good news is that, in most current digital point-and-shoot cameras, lag is now reduced significantly. While probably not something you want to use for sports photography, a current, quality, point-and-shoot digital camera acts very similar to a film point-and-shoot camera.

The digital single lens reflex really comes into its own in any type of action photography. The digital single lens reflex has comparatively no lag from the time you press the shutter button and when the photographs are taken. Because the viewfinder is optical, you are actually seeing the present and not the slightly delayed past in a preview screen. This does mean, however, that you cannot compose the picture through the preview screen. There been some attempts to do this in the DSLR by camera manufacturers, but none have proven very successful.

The primary disadvantage of the digital single lens reflex camera is size. While some point-and-shoot cameras are nearly as big, there are no truly compact digital single lens reflex cameras. Not much fun to carry around an amusement park. However, the larger size means those DSLR’s that do have a built-in flash, have placed the flash farther from the lens than most point-and-shoot cameras. The disadvantage is, that many digital single lens reflex cameras, particularly professional models, do not have a built-in flash.

The digital single lens reflex is extremely versatile. You can change lenses or add a more powerful flash. Most digital single lens reflexes also allow making manual adjustments much easier than digital point-and-shoot cameras. This is essential to the advanced shooter or professional photographer.

Most digital single lens reflex cameras also have a larger cache, allowing them to shoot many pictures in succession without having to wait to process between shots. Some professional digital single lens reflex cameras are capable of shooting more shots in quick succession than would even fit on a 35mm roll of film.

Finally, the digital single lens reflex has an advantage in image quality. Even when comparing cameras of equal resolution, digital single lens reflex cameras by Canon and Nikon seem to have an improvement in quality over point-and-shoot cameras. This makes the digital single lens reflex the choice for most serious professional photography.

One advantage the point-and-shoot digital camera has over the digital single lens reflex is price. Most of the point-and-shoot cameras are far less expensive than any of the digital single lens reflexes. The Canon Digital Rebel was the first digital single lens reflex under $1000. The battle for the low cost digital single lens reflex camera market still continues between Nikon and Canon, with prices still coming down.

For practical, everyday photography the current digital point-and-shoot camera is more than capable. If you find yourself photographing action or any type of sports photography, using a digital single lens reflex camera is nearly a requirement. If you are looking for the absolute best image quality, again the digital single lens reflex is your choice. If very looking for something small, and easy to carry, a compact point-and-shoot digital camera will make life a lot easier.

There is no perfect digital camera for all purposes just like there is no film camera perfect for all purposes. Ideally you would have a point-and-shoot digital camera for the everyday pictures and a single lens reflex digital camera for the serious work. That’s not always possible, so you may need to decide what you plan to use the camera for most, and choose the camera best suited for that purpose.

You can get additional information on

Chicks Dig the Long Ball….

What the hell has baseball come to? The game was nearly ruined over the strike in 1994 and was brought back to life by Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. We have found out the past couple of years that the memorable chase year’s ago was by two men juiced up on ‘roids. The greatness of that year is now a fog of controversy and lies. The sport that has been built on history and purity is now tainted (for the moment being) because of selfishness, greed and deceit.

Yes, I understand records are made to be broken but by natural ability and not cheats. Record books serve a purpose of allowing generations to remember back to their youth and allowing fathers/mothers the ability to pass on those great accomplishments to their sons/daughters. I remember being fairly young and listening to my father quite often talk about baseball and the legends he grew up watching. He learned from his father the players that played before his time. When I’m sitting down with my son in the future and my son hears the name “Barry Bonds” and notices he is the single season home run hitter, what am I suppose to say? The follow up question of “Why does he have a star next to his name?” will be hard to explain. Now I am forced to go into the darkest moment in baseball history since the 1919 “Black Sox” World Series scandal. I must explain that these guys cheated the great game of baseball. Not only did they cheat baseball but they cheated the fans that came to watch these so called “greats”. And for what, a $100,000 incentive clause in their contract? More magazine covers? More publicity and notoriety?

We lost interest in baseball once over money and greed and now we are letting it slip through our hands again. In actuality, it’s the same problem that’s just been delayed, greed. The old saying, “Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me” has never been more true. Are we to believe that these players will now stop? The recent investigations will be enough to limit the problem but it will not stop it completely. Criminals/cheaters are always one step ahead of the people trying to catch them.

I may not have the baseball legends my father grew up watching and that’s fine by me. We immortalized and emulated every move, batting stance and trademark of these players when were on the playground. We wore their jerseys and watched their every at bat. There is some good out of all this. I’d rather know they were cheaters now while I still have an opportunity to enjoy the players that are playing steroid-free baseball. It’s hard to imagine that some of the players who were getting all the cheers should have been the players that were getting all of the “boos”. Sad to think, the players that never got a chance to play in their spot were the real baseball players and treated the game with honesty.

It’s hard to turn our backs on a player we grew up immortalizing but that’s exactly what they did to us. Hopefully, come their time to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, the BBWAA (writers who vote members in) will also turn their backs on them. McGwire, Sosa, Bonds and Palmeiro may feel “cheated” by the result but that would only seem fitting for the situation.

Thank you and I encourage any feedback, positive and especially negative.

Jerrad Hendrikson is a documented member of the Professional Handicappers League.
Read all of his articles at procappers.com/Jerrad_Hendrikson.htm procappers.com/Jerrad_Hendrikson.htm

Camera Wars Digital vs Film

Do you like to take pictures? Do you like using a digital camera? Or do you like taking pictures with a film camera and use a scanner? If the answer is yes to any of these questions, read on.

I have finally decided I know how to take pictures after all these years. I have a digital camera and it is virtually impossible to screw up my pictures. With the wonderful picture screen displaying my picture before hand, I can be assured of the best picture ever.

I could not say that for the camera you aim and hope for the best. Heads and feet would get cut off. Also, I had a hard time finding the center of the picture. My only option for a picture was to take it and have it professionally printed. When I want to use one of my pictures in my computer my only choice is to use a scanner.

I know I would have taken more pictures of my children when they were younger if digital cameras were around. Unfortunately, they were not and I had to rely on other people to take my family pictures.

Now with my digital camera, I find myself taking pictures all the time. I like to take photos of flowers, trees and anything that takes my fancy. I take my digital cameral right to my computer and download my pictures right into my computer.

SOME OPTIONS FOR PICTURE USE:

(1) CD

(2) Printing them myself.

(3) E mailing them anywhere for friends and family.

(4) Using my pictures for any kind of correspondence I create.

(5) Leave them in my computer.

(6) Back up my computer onto a CD – all my pictures are backed up at the same time.

Modern electronics are wonderful. I am glad I am around to take advantage of these wonderful modern miracles.

Keep smiling and taking pictures. They are your family history.

Thank you for reading my article. Please feel free to read any of my numerous articles

Copyright Linda E. Meckler 2006

Linda is the author of her first published book, “Ghost Kids Trilogy.” Christy, 12 and her Brother Brad, 16 moves into an old house on top of a mountain and meet two Ghost Kids.

Then we have a mysterious, magical Blue Vase where Uncle Charlie the villain is trapped. He wants out of the Blue Vase and exchange he will tell Christy and Brad where Pirates’ Treasure is Hidden.

Take a walk with Christy and Brad down a dark hall hunting for Pirates” Treasure. You will think were you there right there with them.

Love, Family Values and Charity burst off the pages. lmeckler.com lmeckler.com

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Commercials Catapult Voice-Over Artist to Cult Status

If you think that TV commercials are just fillers to be sorted out from the “real” programs, then maybe you should think about it again. A recent string of commercials for GEICO have proven to be such a hit that they have been viewed by thousands of Youtube.com and MySpace.com visitors over and over again during the past few months.

The commercials feature voice-over artist D.C. Douglas introducing “real people” alongside celebrities such as Little Richard, Burt Bacharach, Verne Troyer (Mini Me), Peter Graves and Charo.

Douglas, a voice-over artist, has been deluged with requests to do more commercials following the success of the current string of GEICO ads. A seasoned professional, providing voice-over services to small, medium and large-scale advertisers alike, Douglas is awed by the response. “It really does just blow my mind,” he said.

But D.C. Douglas didn’t really need the GEICO commercials to be heard or seen. In addition to his voice-over work, he has a career as an actor in TV and movies which stretches back 20 years. He has been featured in guest star spots on several hit shows from “Beverly Hills: 90210″ to “Las Vegas” to “What About Brian” and has appeared in films such as “Under Siege II,” “The Commission” and “Totally Blonde.”

In addition to his work as a character actor and voice-over artist, Douglas is also a successful writer and film producer. He has written and produced several award winning films. He does everything in these films: produces, writes, direct, acts, edits, animates and of course promotes them as well.

In 2005, Douglas’s film short, “Duck, Duck, Goose!” played over 20 festivals around the world and received several awards, including Best Short from the Seattle True Independent Film Festival and Best Actor from the Trenton Film Festival.

However, Douglas is not resting on his laurels and has a number of film projects lined up for this coming year, 2007. D.C. will be in five films, including “Deadwater” with Lance Henriksen and “Universal Remote: The Movie” with Charles Q. Murphy; the Hallmark Channel TV movie “Final Approach” with Lea Thompson and Anthony Michael Hall; and his own film short, “The Crooked Eye” starring opposite Fay Masterson.

Despite his current “voice over icon” status and increased profile brought about by the GEICO campaign, Douglas remains approachable and indeed available for anyone who needs a voice added to an advertisement. He jokingly says, “you can get national voice over talent with a click of your mouse.” His website www.myvoiceoverguy.com handles requests for smaller companies who cannot afford to go union. His union offers are handled by his Los Angeles agent Abrams Artists Agency. Not only can you find out about hiring Douglas on his site, you can also hear sound clips of those now famous GEICO commercials.

Tom A. O. Turan is a free-lance writer based in New York and usally writes about the film and television indsutry. You can find out more about D.C. Douglas’s voice-over services at myvoiceoverguy.com myvoiceoverguy.com

Is it Possible to Cheat at Online Poker

Simply put…no. I am sure you have thought about it. After a bad beat or being sucked out on most likely. You are pissed off that you just lost some money and the first thing that popped into your mind was, “What if I could just cheat?”

Your next move is to go to Google and type in some phrase that contains the words cheat and poker. You are flooded with results for a certain software that claims it will let you see your opponents cards… for $39.95! Let us sit back for a moment and have a reality check. Poker companies have spent thousands and thousands of dollars to keep their games legit and secure. Do you really think someone would be selling some software that would instantly let you see your opponents cards? No!

The only thing I personally have heard about this software is that it is some kind of spy ware. Apparently you need to install it on your opponents computer in order to be able to see their hole cards. This is pretty hard to do considering your opponents are usually from other states or countries. Even if you could do this, your opponent would soon stop playing against you because you would always win.

With all this being said, it is pretty much impossible to cheat at online poker. So sit back and take a deep breath and try to recover from the bad beat or suck out you just received from some amateur.

For more poker articles visit officialpartybonuscodes.com/article_home.htm Poker Articles or if you would like to submit your own poker articles you can do so at my pokerzines.com/submit/ poker article directory.

Eight Fired U. S. Attorneys Asked If Gonzales Should Stay

In a rare turn of events, in which the victims of political nonsense get to have their day in court, the eight U. S. attorneys who were fired under the watch of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales have been asked to decide if he should stay on the job.

When asked how they might vote, one of the attorneys said, “I always like to give the guy who fires me a chance to keep his own position.”

Another one noted the testimony by the Attorney General’s chief of staff, Kyle Sampson, that Gonzales coordinated the evaluations of the 93 attorneys “to see where changes might be appropriate.”

“I think firing me was inappropriate,” the ousted attorney maintained. “And I think it’s only fair for Attorney General Gonzales to enjoy a fate that’s just as inappropriate.”

A third member of the dismissed U. S. attorneys struck a more sympathetic note. “I don’t think Albert Gonzales should allow himself to be a victim of the sort of political witch hunts that have become all too common. I think he should stay on until he himself realizes what a relief it is not to be part of the current administration.”

Given the widespread sentiment of the eight attorneys about their firing, there seems little doubt that they will come down on the side of handing Gonzales the pink slip. With eight to choose from, they certainly have a ready supply.

Yet they must face the fact that Gonzales believes that, as the first attorney general of Mexican descent, he cannot, for ethnic reasons, resign. To bolster his position, he said, “”At the end of the day, I know what I did. And I know that the motivations for the decisions I made were not based on improper reasons. I was simply making it easier for these eight attorneys to take a vacation in Acapulco.”

Tom Attea, humorist and creator of NewsLaugh.com NewsLaugh.com, has had six shows produced Off-Broadway. Critics have called his writing “delightfully funny,” “witty,” with “good, genuine laughs” and “great humor and ebullience.”

Legal Movies, Alternatives to Illegal Downloading

Free is an enticing but often illegal endeavor. All art is produced at a cost, whether it is hours of toil and paint or hours of union labor on a blockbuster film. On your end of it, how much is your joy, laughter, thrill, excitement and anticipation worth?

Instead of putting yourself and your computer at risk by downloading questionable files, consider the value of your entertainment. Before you are tempted to swap files with a stranger, consider these alternatives:

Video Store

Video rental franchises such as Blockbuster and Hollywood Video are stepping up to the plate and are trying to give customers what they want—no late fees. Increasingly, because of low sell through prices, people are choosing to purchase movies over renting. In order to compete, many rental stores are offering inexpensive memberships and extended rental periods or no late fees.

Legal Online Downloads

This industry is expanding daily. Movie studios recognize the demand for electronic sell through purchases, rental downloads and streaming video. Many online movie download services offer membership prices similar to video store memberships or rentals and unlimited downloads. However, at this time, in order to get the newest releases you still have to go with a DVD option. Usually, movies are not provided for download until they have been on the DVD market for a while.

Online DVD Rentals

This is also a growing business. Through a DVD rental service, you can order movies online and receive them in the mail for a very low monthly price. Most of these services do not charge late fees and offer an extensive collection.

Purchase

Why not buy your favorite films? Sell through prices are low right now, even the newest releases can often be found for under $20. Rental stores often sell used copies for under $10. Additionally, if you purchase a DVD you can make a personal backup copy for your own use, its legal. A backup copy is a good idea for your portable DVD players or for your kid’s movies.

Theatre

Get out of the house; some movies are best viewed on the silver screen. Movies with advanced special effects and high tech visuals are meant for the big screen and digital surround sound.

Go to film festivals or special releases. Often you can purchase package deals for festivals and they may include additional activities, such as dinners or parties, live interviews with the directors or cast, advanced previews, contests or other incentives.

Artists Supported Free Downloads

Often independent film directors or emerging bands actually allow free downloads. Artists new to the market may offer free samples or complete copies of their work in an attempt to find a supportive audience for their future endeavors. Film shorts, indie films and Sundance films are often available through online download services.

Try Before You Buy

In court, using the excuse that you just wanted to try a movie or album before you buy it, will not fly.

The only way to legally try before you buy is to rent it or go see it in the theater. Often rental stores and online movie download companies offer low priced memberships so you can rent a movie at a minimal cost before you decide to purchase it. In terms of music, many major media stores such as Virgin Records have listening stations that will let you listen to a CD before you buy it.

So, before you are tempted to swap files with a less than perfect stranger, get a legal copy through an autorized distributer, then sit back and enjoy – virus and copywrite infringement free.

Pamela Stevens

Pamela Stevens writes for