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Shibari (.a.k.a. "Japanese bondage" is an ancient, Japanese, integrated concept of body, mind and spirit.

The objective is to unlock erotic energy through trance or trance-like experiences.

Trance (a different level of awareness) is being achieved through a refined mix of atmosphere, ritual, meditation, love, techniques and intensity of the situation.

most forms of oriental lovemaking are hardly ever straightforward sexuality, but an intriquing game of exploration and challenges and a delicate combination of subtlety and expliciteness.

Shibari is no different.

What is trance?

Trance is a situation where one is so dedicated to and concentrated on one specific goal or situation, that - through blocking out everything else - the spiritual capacities of the mind are eniterly dedicated to that specific activity. This opens the mind to be able to experience - and use - things it never could under "normal" circumstances, since the brain will be too distracted and too busy.

Certain hormones - endorphins especially - play an important role in trance. Endorphins (morfine-like amino acids produced by the body) are the key factor here. Endorphins are known as the "mood chemicals" in your body. They create your moods, all of them. They come in complex cocktails and also serve other purposes. For example, they are a natural painkiller. Experiencing high doses of endorphins release is called an endorphins rush. This is known as the "runners' high" in athletics and as "subspace" in power exchange activities.

A combination of endorphins, dopamine (known as "the lover's feel good hormone"), enkapheline and adrenaline releases creates "super awareness" and this is the key factor in creating trance. Since experiences such as fear, anxiety, stress and physical impulses such as pain all cause the release of high doses of adrenaline and subsequently endorphins - these impulses are being used to allow you to climb the first steps of the trance ladder. Endorphins have a "sister-hormone" called enkephaline, which works on the spinal cord in the same way enderphines work on the brain.

Since mood is important atmosphere is important, which is why - in Shibari body mind spirit terms - a lot of emphasys is being placed on preparation and the physical area. For this, such things as candle light, aroma therapy (incense or evaporating essential oils), bathing and other rituals and techniques are used to create "makama" - the "circle" (area), the physical area where both partners will experience their intens lovemaking. Meditation helps to focus the mind and eventually Ki energy exchange is being used to further enhance the bonding between partners and the forces of gravity and sensory deprivation techniques are being used to create full trance.

Erogenous zones

There is a widespread misunderstanding: "erogenous zones are directly connected to the genital area and other primary sex-identifying features (such as the breasts)". Fact of the matter is that some 25 percent of the body surface (slightly more on the male body) can be identified as an erogenous zone. And the brain no doubt is the largest sex-organ. Erogenous zones are usually best stimulated through gentle massage, but they are also very receptive to other forms of stimuation, for example pain (if you are into that), or bondage.

The seven patterns of passionate lovemaking

By gently - or more strongly, in order to introduce the element of mild pain - pressing your finger nails into the fleshy parts of your partners' body you can not only leave temporary marks but doing this can also be an erotic game by itself. To do so, even and symmetric patterns are your best choice. This will not only indulge her lust, but it will also leave something to remember for a few hours a maybe a day or two, an effect that - more intensly - usually is also the result of whipping and caning.

Ropemarks are often an essential part of bondage. In a Shibari body mind spirit context they play a role, similar to other ways of leaving lovemarks.

In its original form these patterns should follow specific designs and all serve specific purposes. The idea is to leave physical marks that will function as a "tell tale", which - for example in ancient India - forced the "marked woman" to hide these marks since they indicated lustful, wild love. The more intens the temporary mark, the more intens the lovemaking had been. Complicated, repeated combinations of the seven patterns would indicate that the woman had really suffered during the lovemaking and the complicated patterns make it clear that she had to remain still during a long foreplay, while pain-impulses and excitement increased her lust.

The bite of love

Teeth tenderly or not, sinking into the tender female flesh, is not just a scene taken from a Dracula movie. Many novels and poems tell stories about lovebites. And in fact, like whip marks, bruises and others, bite marks serve as something to remember, to be proud of, to relive the passionate night before - the pain, the extacy, the lust, the love and the intimacy.

The Kama sutra again is one of the very few sources that describes the combination of marking and pain impulses during lovemaking. Unfortunately, although various other patterns are mentioned, they are not described in sufficient detail to reconstruct them. Various different flower patterns are mentioned for example. These must be combinations of teeth and nail imprints.

The magic of knots

The magical power of the knot is as old as mankind. You will find references to the magical power of the knot in almost any ancient culture, be it Babylonic, Celtic, Oriental, Hermetic, Wicca, Voodoo or other.

Love magic - and there are many forms of that - almost always involves the use of knots and, of course, rope. Actually, we still have some of that left in modern times. Tie a knot in your handkerchief so you will remember something really important

How does it work?

Magic is all about manipulating the energy of life. This energy is called Ki in Japanese, Chi in Chinese or Prana in Sanskrit (the ancient language of India, still used in yoga for example). Conciously tieing one or more knots in a rope is a way to bundle this energy and store it there. Of course this energy will not make your car run. Neither will it make the lights go on. But it will be more than enough to have its influence on the subtle network of Ki energy exchange, that is everywhere.

In Shibari these "energy loaded" knots and ropes will replace the heart and hands of the giver and as such will contribute to the entire physical and spiritual experience. They enable the giver to "still be close to the recipient", even when physically not around. The interaction between the giver's energy - temporarily stored in the knots - and the pressure points on the Ki meridians in the recipients' body is what will release very powerful sexual and spiritual experiences.

Sexual energy is one of the most powerful manifestations of Ki energy. This is the reason why we still refer to whatever happens between love partners as "the magic", "the spark" or "the energy".

Universal love magic

The use of rope and knots, when working with sexual energy, is universal. In ancient Babylon (in the Middle East) seven knots were tied in a rope to invoke love. Wicca has a similar tradition of making three knots in a rope for the same purpose (sometimes with an almond - the "love nut" - inside each knot). african Voodoo works with either seven knots in a rope or with dolls, tied to each other, to invoke love, the Kama sutra speaks of female love partners, suspended in rope to enhance their sexual energy. These are just a few of many examples.

Is all this strange? Actually not. There are over 50 erotic pressure points (Tsubo) on the human body, each as powerful as the clitoris or the nipples. And there are another 60 hormone-releasing pressure points along the spine, many of which have an erotic/sexual function. Ropes and knots will stimulate all these directly and energy, bundled in a knot, will only enhance their effect.

Dutch former journalist and government spokesman Hans Meijer is the author of the groundbreaking "Shibari Fumo Ryu" series of e-books, the first ever books outside Japan and written in English about Shibari techniques.

A very frequently asked question indeed; how to play the sand shot or the bunker shot.

Before we get to the bunker play tips, I have to preface what you are about to read with but one word practice. Once you get the basics (which are forthcoming) youve got to take the time to practice and gain confidence in the execution.

Believe me; getting your sand play up to a decent level is well worth the time spent on it. With a decent sand game, it is actually more advantageous to be in a bunker around many greens than it is to be buried in the rough just a few yards away! And youll score better as a result.

For good bunker play you need to understand some basic techniques. Actually, before we discuss technique, you need to have a sand wedge in your bag not a pitching wedge Ill tell you why in a moment.

First all, with your set up you want to open you stance, hips, and shoulders to the left of the target (right handed golfers) and the ball positioned slightly forward in your stance. Establish solid footing by digging into the sand just a bit.

With your setup to the left of the target, you now want to open the clubface (rotate the sand wedge so the more of the clubface is exposed).

As far as the swing path goes, you want your swing path to follow the alignment of your body just like you other shots.

With a sand shot you want you club to enter the sand a couple of inches behind the ball. I like to have people imagine that just underneath the ball in the sand, the golf ball is sitting on a tee; and what you are trying to do is clip the tee out from under the ball without disturbing the ball itself.

Keep your wrists firm until well after impact. You dont want get flippy with your hands when it comes to sand shots.

When you are first learning to play a bunker shot, strive to gain consistency with your entry point behind the ball and consistently extracting the ball onto a putt-able position on the green.

The next step for you will be to alter the distance of your bunker shot using your swing speed with you basic bunker swing and shot. However, the first and primary goal is to gain a consistency with your swing tempo and your entry point. For the beginning sand player, gaining confidence in getting the ball consistently out of the bunker and putting is the first goal and the first building block. Just getting this first basic skill established fluently will save you strokes immediately. Dont worry so much about variations to your bunker play these can come later just get comfortable and confident with that fact that youll be out and putting. Rome wasnt built in a day or something like that.

I touched on this earlier and now I want to give you a bit more detail on your bunker equipment (sand wedge) and why you must have one.

First of all, believe it or not, the sand wedge is designed for sand play.

Bounce the sand wedge has a rounded sole that actually sits lower in comparison to the blade of the club. this feature allows the club to glide through the sand rather than dig into it.

Loft greater loft that the pitching wedge - 55-60 degrees as opposed to 48-52 degrees. this gets you ball up and over the lips of the bunkers more readily rather than trying to manufacture a shot with your pitching wedge.

Toe to Heel Design this what gives the sand wedge the oval appearance but more than this it is what keeps the sand wedge from digging in and allows you to splash the ball out of the bunker.

Bottom line if youre not using a sand wedge for your sand shots; youre making things much more difficult than they need be.

Practice breeds confidence and confidence breeds relaxation over a shot. Particularly the sand shot. Tension and nervousness are shot killers. The basic sand shot is not at all a difficult shot to extract, its just that those who fear them are those who dont take the time to practice them think about it this way its the only shot where you are going to actually purposely miss the ball!

So get out there and find a place to practice and get better. Remember first things first just work to gain consistency and youll start improving your game.

Jeff O`Brien offers instruction and golf tips to get your game on track.
Be sure to visit golf-ology.com for online golf lessons, golf gear, and other articles at http://www.golf-ology.com

I love playing video games. I love it so much that I even have two video games systems at home an x box and a Playstation. I used to play with my Playstation most of the time because it had all the games that I love to play. But recently Ive noticed that I now have an extensive collection of x box games and my Playstation has been collecting dust in a corner.

It all began a year ago when I saw the x box in my neighbors multi family yard sale. He wanted to get rid of it because his son has been spending all of his me on it and I was able to get for a reasonably low price. And since he also had lots of x box games to go with the system I was able to get them for a few bucks as well. I was able to get my favorite fighting games for a lot less money than of have I bought them from a video game store.

The x box game that Ive grown to really love is the Dance Dance Revolution. Its a new type of game that combines a workout with the normal gaming experience. Its a revolutionary video game that tries to accurately simulate dancing. At the time that I bought the game I had no idea that it would be challenging.

To my surprise it was quite difficult and I actually felt that I was really dancing as I played the game. Its amazing to play a game that stimulates your mind while giving you a cardio-vascular exercise.

X box games can cost quite a lot and I learned that it would be wise to rent a game from a video store to determine if its worth buying. However, Dance Dance revolution was the exception. Its the only game that was more convenient to buy than to having rent the game and the mat. The idea of using a mat that was used by other people seemed quite unhygienic.

X box games on ebay can also be bought for less money than those on video games stores so I go there to check out some games. The most economical way to get new games is to trade games with other x box gamers but you have to make sure than you ca get your games back. In recent months the only games I buy are the ones that Ill really like and of course, the exceptional Dance Dance Revolution.

Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning X box Games. Get more information by visiting http://www.xtraordinarysite.com/games/games/having-a-ball-with-x-box-games.html.

All things in life experience change and everywhere we look everywhere we go we observe change. We see the seasons change, the weather change, our bodies change and we experience events bringing about change. We know that changes must be made in the heat of battle on the sports field during the game where new players are brought in and a transition is made for an upcoming defensive or offensive play. Change is often necessary, change is often forced and change is often the most favorable strategy to win.

Everyone knows and it is indeed no secret that anytime you change the human leadership on a sports team, government agency, non-profit group or business entity that there will be a short term transitional time that can cause short-term disruption. The goal is for the smoothest possible transition of course while maintaining fluidity of motion on the field, in the battle space, in the market place or in the public’s eye.

The smaller the disruption and the smoother the transition the better for all concerned and this must be the goal. Efficiency is paramount and the order of the day because when it comes to change there is no easy way. Capitalizing on change and discovering opportunity during the transition, minor chaos and disruption is often the key to successfully averting negative results and creating a winning situation. All is possible if you focus on the game, mission and or marketplace. Embrace change and study the game to find opportunity in chaos, while minimizing the affects and advancing the team.

In this article I want you to consider these thoughts and discuss strategies of change in human leadership, the psychology of change, the primate politics of organizations and case studies of how companies have dropped the ball during changes in upper echelon executives and how other companies had found opportunity in the chaos of change. I very much appreciate you reading this article, as it is my first works on this topic for 2007 and yet something tells me that it will not be my last and therefore. Perhaps this article is of interest to propel thought in 2007?

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is a guest writer for Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington

The Orlando Climate is sub tropical. The weather tends to be warm and humid. The climate is influenced by several factors. The Gulf Stream and the citys proximity to the Tropic of Cancer affect the climate. The low elevation of the city adds to the humidity level. There are two basic seasons in Florida: a hot summer season and cooler winter season.

Orlando Climate in the Summer Season

During the summer season, the weather is hot and humid. The average temperature during the day is in the nineties. At night, the temperatures range from the seventies to the eighties. The heat index during the day can get quite high. A heat index of over one hundred degrees is not uncommon.

The summer is also the rainy season in Florida. Storms are quite common, especially in the late afternoon. Most of these storms are caused by air from the Atlantic and air from the Gulf colliding over central Florida. At times, these storms can be quite violent. The storms often bring wind, thunder, lightening and hail. Orlando is known for more lightening strikes each year than any other city in the United States.

The rainfall during these storms can be very heavy. The months from June through September bring the most rain to Orlando. The average rain fall during these months is about fifty inches. In some years, this number is even higher. Often, the storms are strong, but short lived. You will usually be able to enjoy the evening outdoors after a storm. Unlike some areas of the country, the rain does not cool the temperature. Often the humidity is even higher just after a thunderstorm.

Hurricane season also occurs in the summer. The official hurricane season runs from June through November. Since Orlando is not on the coast, the city often escapes the brunt of the storms landfall. By the time most storms reach the city, they have weakened considerably. However, this doesnt mean the city is safe from these strong and unpredictable storms. The city has sustained damage from several storms over the years.

Orlando Climate in the Winter Season

In the winter, you will know why Florida is called The Sunshine State. There is very little rainfall during this season. Most days are dry and sunny. The weather in the winter really is beautiful. This is a fabulous time to plan a trip to Florida. Many tourists flock to the area during this season to escape the freezing temperatures in the northern part of the country. For more information contact the Florida Tourist offices.

The months of December through May are the driest months of the year. In some years, the weather is way too dry during the winter months. This increases the risk of wild fires in central Florida. In the past, these have gotten quite severe.

The temperatures in the winter season are very mild. The average daily temperature ranges from the mid sixties to the seventies. The night time temperatures are generally in the fifties. There is virtually no snow in the Orlando area. The few times there have been flurries, they dont accumulate. If you want to escape the winter, this is the place to come.

Howard Farmer
Florida Property Portal
1st for Florida Property - large selection of developments in Orlando, Florida and coastal locations. Great investment potential.
Click here for >> Florida Weather

America is a nation of self-disclosers, amiably acceptant of our weaknesses. Celebrities, family members, coworkers and friends think nothing of admitting their compulsions and dependencies on alcohol, street drugs, prescription medications. We enter rehab programs, clean up, dry out, and go on with our lives: beating our problem or entering a long series of relapses and treatment episodes. Except, perhaps, for politicians or ministers, there is little social stigma attached to such mistakes unless there are criminal overtones that may lead to incarceration.

Television and films have educated us on the dangers and side effects of dependence upon alcohol, heroin, cocaine, amphetamines, designer drugs, steroids, pain pills, cannabis and opium. We had to coin the term chemical dependency (CD) to completely cover the broad and ever-growing field. We approach individuals ensnared in their abuse as victims of a disease, to be educated and helped as long as they have a willingness to change and are prepared for the painful journey that owning responsibility for one's own self-destructive behavior demands.

But the most widespread, self-destructive, dangerous addiction afflicting America is never discussed: FOOD.

The treatment of overeating is extensive: diet clinics, fitness programs, fat farms, plastic surgery. We collectively spend billions of dollars on weight loss aids and fitness equipment. We decry the epidemic of obesity that is overtaking our population to an enormous (literally) degree. We investigate metabolism and hormonal effects. We debate the comparative merits and flaws of protein, fats, carbohydrates, and roughage. We develop new vitamin and mineral formulae. Diet books, support groups, internet clubs, and television shows trumpet tips, techniques, special aids and hundreds of weight control regimes that promise inevitable weight loss with the right combination of "tasty" and "delicious" foods, guaranteed to ensure that our comfort levels remain high and our self-discipline minimally challenged.

We fail to confront the irrefutable fact that obesity is caused by food addiction. Excuses and metabolic rationales aside (No, Virginia, no one ever walked out of a Nazi concentration camp or a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp fat -macabre but true) our out-of-control overweight is a direct result of our obsession with, and dependency on, too much food.

You may disagree. After all, the other CD addictions are for substances we can totally banish from our lives whereas we have to eat to live.

Consider the problem from a slightly different perspective. In the United States, an "all or nothing" society, the goal of the typical CD treatment program is total abstention. The alcoholic is taught that one sip of liquor is never acceptable and constitutes a full relapse from which recovery must start over. In Europe, and many other parts of the world, moderation is considered more realistic than abstention. The goal is to lower the level of usage to the point where it has no deleterious effects on the user's life and the problems - work, relationships, mood, productivity -are resolved.

Such a model can more easily be applied to food. Our bodies require a certain level of sustenance to thrive. It is when the intake becomes excessive that problems arise: appearance, the inability to be active, fatigue, depressed mood, and strains on the internal organs. If we can temper that level of intake, we can avert the consequences that follow overindulgence in anything.

Such is indeed the focus of many weight control programs. However, they are missing one vital ingredient: acceptance of personal responsibility. At a 12-Step meeting, members repetitively admit to the group: "My name is B and I'm an alcoholic." Imagine, if you will, the different atmosphere that would be engendered if a member were to state: "My name is B. I drink a lot because I inherited the genes from my drunken parents and I can't drink, like all my friends can, without overdoing it. It's so unfair that everyone else can enjoy a drink and I can't."

Such a statement sounds ridiculous coming from an admitted problem drinker yet that is exactly what we allow from our problem eaters. It is far more likely that we will tell a close friend: "M, I think you have a problem with alcohol and I want you to get help," than we will tell an equally close friend: "G, I think you have a problem with too much eating and I want you to get help."

We remain silent about overweight because we don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. We use euphemisms like "heavy" and "queen-sized" to avoid the word "fat." When a very overweight friend asks plaintively, "Don't you think this dress makes me look slimmer?" we quietly agree, refusing to give the honest answer that nothing in the world will make her look slimmer except losing 60 pounds of avoirdupois!

One lesson learned over decades of CD research and treatment is that the problem must be acknowledged before it can be addressed and beaten. CD clients are notorious for making excuses, playing mind games with those around them, and shirking self-responsibility whenever they can. If we can bring ourselves to acknowledge that we are addicted to food, it allows for eventual movement into a process of change, bypassing the excuses and rationalizations at which overeaters excel -- to an extent that their CD counterparts would admire.

Confrontation of the problem requires that we drop the faade of politeness and euphemistic phrasing. As a society, we need to look at others and ourselves and call it as we see it. If I'm fat, I'm fat, and it's my responsibility to not only admit that honestly, but to also admit to myself and the world that it is my fault: I am the one who made myself fat. No one else forced food into my mouth. Like the recovering alcoholic at the bar, I can always say no or drink a plain club soda. Like the recovering cocaine addict who learns to stay away from certain street corners or drug houses, I can stay away from bakeries, fast food outlets, and pizza parlors.

Weight control can be simple - eat only what you need to survive - but never easy. The fallacy of many diets is that we can lose weight without suffering. Stopping or minimizing CD abuse is always painful and a craving for chocolate, ice cream, or the urge for sugar (no one seems to crave vegetables) can be as overwhelming to the dieter as the addict's emotional need for his drug of choice.

Naming our national weight problem for what it really is, a plain old addiction to food, releases us to start the process of rehab and recovery that has been so completely developed in the CD field. Honesty, and the willingness to work through pain to reach our goal, allows us to not only accept our responsibility for our problem but also to relish the triumph of our eventual success.

Virginia Bola is a licensed psychologist and an admitted diet fanatic. She specializes in therapeutic reframing and the effects of attitudes and motivation on individual goals. The author of The Wolf at the Door: An Unemployment Survival Manual, and a free ezine, The Worker's Edge, she recently completed a psychologically-based weight control book: Diet with an Attitude:A Weight Loss Workbook. She can be reached at http://www.DietWithAnAttitude.com

It is general knowledge that the really excellent golf clubs that many professionals use are very expensive ones that not many can afford to buy. This may be true, but it does not necessarily mean that all cheap golf clubs are not capable of bringing you glory at the green. There are many cheap golf clubs out there that are really quite outstanding and are even comparable to the more expensive models.

If you know where to look, there are many cheap golf clubs you can buy that can help improve your performance far better than some of the more costly clubs. I am talking about second hand but high-quality golf clubs. The question is - where do you start looking for these great cheap golf clubs?

If you want to buy some of these excellent but cheap golf clubs, you will have to constantly scan the ads in golf magazines or even in your local newspaper to know where cheap golf clubs are being sold. Many golfers who are quite serious about their game regularly dispose of their old branded clubs in exchange for the newer models that come out in the market. These old clubs usually end up for sale at golf supplies shops at a much lower price.

You might even get firsthand information from serious golfers who might be interested in selling their old golf clubs, and you can even buy these straight from them at an even lower cost. Even if you do not personally know any golfers looking to sell, these kinds of information are quite accessible in the golf community and all you have to do is ask around. You might even be able to get a better deal when buying through friends than if you purchase cheap golf clubs from a store.

The internet is also a great place to look if you want to buy some cheap golf clubs. You can even compare the prices and quality of several cheap golf clubs before you actually make your purchase.

Another great advantage of buying cheap golf clubs from avid golfers is that there is a great chance that the secondhand cheap golf clubs have been very well maintained by their previous owner. Serious golfers are very particular about their equipment, and you can be almost certain that their golf clubs receive good care while in use.

Moreover, if you are buying cheap golf clubs from the sporting goods store, it is very likely that these cheap golf clubs have been carefully restored to almost brand new condition. No store owner would like to be accused of selling low quality goods, so the cheap golf clubs you are buying have probably been fixed up quite well. Because of this, you might actually be getting better quality from cheap golf clubs than from other new clubs that are being sold.

You can also find more info on Bag Boy Golf Carts and Golf Carts Parts. Golfclubscarts.com is a comprehensive resource to know about golf Carts.