You wouldn’t be alone in thinking that hair extensions are a recent phenomenon as they didn’t really gain mass appeal till the 2000’s, however as far back as Egyptian times both men and women have worn wigs or hair pieces to improve the way they looked. Even the Egyptians were slaves to fashion and there is documented proof that hair extensions and wigs were used as far back as 3400BC. And it seems that some things never change as back in these times as it is today, the prices and quality of extensions varied greatly. The highest quality being made of 100% human hair with the lowest quality extensions being made out of anything that the people could get their hands on, including vegetable fibres and sheep wool. Of course, the Egyptians did not have the luxury of the technically advanced methods of application that we now enjoy and it is thought that a full head of hair extensions would have taken 15 hours of intricate weaves and knots.
Wigs, hair extensions and hair pieces have come in and out of fashion in nearly every century and in Georgian times high false wigs were in vogue in both men and women. These wigs were elaborate, intricate and exquisitely beautiful. However, following the Georgian fashion and as we stepped in to the 1800’s extensions, wigs and hair pieces actually became frowned upon. Men wouldn’t be seen dead in a wig during this time and women chose to wear their hair in a more natural and neat style. However, the appeal of fake hair swung into fashion again in the Romantic era. This era saw the elaborate Apollo knots becoming very much the fashion and the more elaborate the better.
False hair saw a dip in popularity after the Romantic era only to be dragged back in to fashion by the mid Victorian era. The Victorians favoured elaborate hair styles that could only be achieved by false hair. In fact hair extensions, hair pieces and wigs were so popular that the Victorian era saw 102 tonnes of hair sold in France in 1873 alone.
False hair became in vogue again for the early 20th century Edwardian women. They wore false hair additions to create the popular Pompadour hairstyle that was thought to make a woman look like she was wearing a teapot on her head!
Stepping into the 1920’s and women abandoned their hair pieces for a look that was natural with many women sporting much shorter looks than ever before. Women were living in a time when almost everything luxurious was rationed and they tended to favour practicality over style in this period.
The 1950’s saw women enjoying shorter bob styles and more youthful styles such as the ponytail, no need for extensions here. By the turn of the century the simple ponytail was transformed into complicated elegant French plaits and chignons. The 1960’s sparked a revisit to the world of big hair and with this came hair a demand for hair pieces and wigs. The 1960’s and 70’s was a great time to reinvent yourself and many people used hair pieces and wigs to create different identities and styles from day to day.
By the 1980’s the interest in hair pieces and wigs had worn off and people were turning to more natural styles with only performers and celebrities still using false hair for big impact on the stage. During the majority of the 1900’s hair extensions weren’t popular as the cost of the hair was massive and they were seen as a luxury that only the rich and famous could afford to indulge in. However, over the last few years the hair extensions industry has boomed. The cost is now a lot more affordable for the public to try out and the extensive range of application methods really do mean that there is something for everyone. Nowadays, hair extensions are not just a luxury that celebrities can afford as more and more of us are deciding to invest our hard earned cash in a new, versatile look and are loving the results.
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Thursday, May 6, 2010
Like Herding Cats: Driving Cattle
The ability to herd cattle seems like the type of skill that is more suited to the characters in a John Wayne movie than to someone just trying to navigate modern life, but the fact is that you never know what you may be called upon to do. Whether you are visiting friends in the country or helping your local zookeeper round up stray goats, cattle-herding prowess could come in handy at the most unlikely of time, so it's best to be prepared. As you read this article, you may also find that the principles involved can also be applied in the field of human relations, when you are trying to figure out how to get people to do what you want them to do.
So, the basic cattle-herding scenario is that you are faced with a group of cows or some other animals and you have to move them from point A to point B. Hopefully, you have some other people with you, but there is a chance that you will be on your own. In either case, you need to remember that cattle will tend to move away from you if you try to approach them, and that they are especially nervous around strangers. You can exploit this fact to your advantage, or you can disregard it entirely. I leave it as an exercise for the reader to determine which strategy tends to produce the best results.
Get behind the cattle, and if you have other people with you, then arrange them on the side of the cattle so that when you close in, they will have only one direction in which to go: the direction that you want them to go. Keep in mind, however, that cattle are not very good at discerning which way you are trying to get them to go, and that they will often ignore the obvious opening that you have left them and head off in the wrong direction. They will do this more often when excited and scared.
Because of this, you want to do your best to keep the cattle calm. Move slowly, and do not wave your hand or yell. As you approach them, they will move out of the way. You don't need to hurry the process along. If you break into a run in order to keep on their tail, they will likely break into a run as well, and once they have started running they are not likely to stop until they have reached a fence or other obstruction that forces them to stop.
If the cattle end up against a fence, don't move in on them directly. Get behind them and guide them along the fence to where you want them to go. If they start going to wrong way, try to head them off, but remember the cardinal rule: don't scare the cows. As long as you keep your cool, they'll keep theirs, and you will be able to easily lead them to where you want them to go.
Source Of Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
So, the basic cattle-herding scenario is that you are faced with a group of cows or some other animals and you have to move them from point A to point B. Hopefully, you have some other people with you, but there is a chance that you will be on your own. In either case, you need to remember that cattle will tend to move away from you if you try to approach them, and that they are especially nervous around strangers. You can exploit this fact to your advantage, or you can disregard it entirely. I leave it as an exercise for the reader to determine which strategy tends to produce the best results.
Get behind the cattle, and if you have other people with you, then arrange them on the side of the cattle so that when you close in, they will have only one direction in which to go: the direction that you want them to go. Keep in mind, however, that cattle are not very good at discerning which way you are trying to get them to go, and that they will often ignore the obvious opening that you have left them and head off in the wrong direction. They will do this more often when excited and scared.
Because of this, you want to do your best to keep the cattle calm. Move slowly, and do not wave your hand or yell. As you approach them, they will move out of the way. You don't need to hurry the process along. If you break into a run in order to keep on their tail, they will likely break into a run as well, and once they have started running they are not likely to stop until they have reached a fence or other obstruction that forces them to stop.
If the cattle end up against a fence, don't move in on them directly. Get behind them and guide them along the fence to where you want them to go. If they start going to wrong way, try to head them off, but remember the cardinal rule: don't scare the cows. As long as you keep your cool, they'll keep theirs, and you will be able to easily lead them to where you want them to go.
Source Of Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
How To Pack A Perfect Punch
We all hope that we will never be forced to physically defend ourselves against an attack from someone who is trying to injure or kill us, but the statistics on violent crime say otherwise. Because of this, it is vital that everyone learns to perform basic self-defense techniques correctly.
Of course, everyone assumes that they automatically know how to perform the punch, the simplest of all techniques, but there is actually a lot more to this move than meets the eye. A wizened martial arts master who had been studying the fighting arts for 80 years once remarked that, "I am just now beginning to understand the punch." Add in that an incorrectly thrown punch can easily hurt you more than it hurts your target, and you definitely want to pay attention to the information in this article.
Let us start with your foundation, foot placement, also known as stance. Remember that the more your knees are bent and the farther apart your feet are the lower your center of gravity will be, and the more stable you will be. However, you do not want to get too deep in your stance or you will end up sacrificing speed.
To make a fist, start with your hands in front of you, palms up. Curl your fingers in towards the center of palm. Make sure your thumb does not get stuck inside your fist, or you will probably break it when you attempt a hard strike. You also do not want it flopping around loose, or it may catch on something and get bent back. Keep it safely tucked underneath your knuckles, at the bottom of your fist. When you punch, make sure that you strike with the first two knuckles on your hand, the ones closest to your thumb. This will concentrate your impact and make for a harder strike.
As you prepare to strike, remember that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. The shorter the distance your hand has to travel, the faster you will be. On the other hand, the farther back your hand is the more power you will have. The best compromise is to keep your hand on your waist, where you belt would be if you were wearing one, and then strike straight towards the target.
Keep your palm facing up as you move, with the muscles of your arm relaxed, but then flick your wrist at the last instant so that it faces down and tense all of your muscles. A tense muscle is a slow muscle. As you strike, transfer your body weight forward to maximize the impact. Lean into the blow. However, do not "point" your shoulder at the target for extra reach. Keep your shoulders square, to maximize stability and power.
As you impact the target, don't think about hitting it. Think about going through the target to hit whatever is behind it. Keep going with your punch, as far as your arm will go. This follow through is essential for good punching. On the other hand, as soon as you are done punching, pull your hand back very quickly. It is not good tactics to leave your arm hanging out in front of your opponent, ripe for a joint lock or take down move. Remember that your are most vulnerable to a counterattack and most open right after you strike your opponent, so the faster you can recover and get back into your fighting stance, the faster you will eliminate that vulnerability.
Source of Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
Of course, everyone assumes that they automatically know how to perform the punch, the simplest of all techniques, but there is actually a lot more to this move than meets the eye. A wizened martial arts master who had been studying the fighting arts for 80 years once remarked that, "I am just now beginning to understand the punch." Add in that an incorrectly thrown punch can easily hurt you more than it hurts your target, and you definitely want to pay attention to the information in this article.
Let us start with your foundation, foot placement, also known as stance. Remember that the more your knees are bent and the farther apart your feet are the lower your center of gravity will be, and the more stable you will be. However, you do not want to get too deep in your stance or you will end up sacrificing speed.
To make a fist, start with your hands in front of you, palms up. Curl your fingers in towards the center of palm. Make sure your thumb does not get stuck inside your fist, or you will probably break it when you attempt a hard strike. You also do not want it flopping around loose, or it may catch on something and get bent back. Keep it safely tucked underneath your knuckles, at the bottom of your fist. When you punch, make sure that you strike with the first two knuckles on your hand, the ones closest to your thumb. This will concentrate your impact and make for a harder strike.
As you prepare to strike, remember that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. The shorter the distance your hand has to travel, the faster you will be. On the other hand, the farther back your hand is the more power you will have. The best compromise is to keep your hand on your waist, where you belt would be if you were wearing one, and then strike straight towards the target.
Keep your palm facing up as you move, with the muscles of your arm relaxed, but then flick your wrist at the last instant so that it faces down and tense all of your muscles. A tense muscle is a slow muscle. As you strike, transfer your body weight forward to maximize the impact. Lean into the blow. However, do not "point" your shoulder at the target for extra reach. Keep your shoulders square, to maximize stability and power.
As you impact the target, don't think about hitting it. Think about going through the target to hit whatever is behind it. Keep going with your punch, as far as your arm will go. This follow through is essential for good punching. On the other hand, as soon as you are done punching, pull your hand back very quickly. It is not good tactics to leave your arm hanging out in front of your opponent, ripe for a joint lock or take down move. Remember that your are most vulnerable to a counterattack and most open right after you strike your opponent, so the faster you can recover and get back into your fighting stance, the faster you will eliminate that vulnerability.
Source of Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
Friday, April 23, 2010
Intuition and Business - How Could They Be Related?
In a previous article, I talked about the power of tapping into your intuition and how your intuition can spare you from harm or even save lives (yours and others). But, what else can intuition do? Hay, Jung, and Orloff have already alluded to its creative abilities. However, Vishen Lakhiani, gives a bit deeper insight when he says that "there are 4 levels of intuition. Level 1 is your warning system. Level 2 revolves around your social intuition. Level 3 is your creative intuition and level 4 is higher purpose intuition." We've already discussed your early warning system in a previous article and if you haven't yet tapped into that and begun using it, I would highly recommend you do! It could just save your life!
But what is this level 2 social intuition Lakhiani talks about and how could it possibly improve your career? Social Intuition is a highly attuned function found commonly in twins and also in people who have empathetically learned to sense the moods and thoughts of those they are emotionally close to, like a mother sitting in the living room, sensing that her son on the other side of the globe is in danger. Or one twin finishing the other's sentences. The best of the world's leaders have developed this type of intuition and when utilized in business as a means of sensing the thoughts and moods of staff and customers, serves managers well.
Deborah Allen tells the story of her daughters' intuition:
When my identical twin girls, Ashley and Rachael, were about a month old, Rachael developed a very high temperature. I took her to the doctor and he immediately admitted her to hospital. As I had another baby and a two year old at home I was unable to stay with Rachael at the hospital. The first night away from home Rachael was very restless and would not settle. Ashley was the same, she just would not settle. The next night was the same.
As Rachael was still unwell, the doctor decided to keep her in hospital for another night, but asked if I could take Ashley to the hospital and leave her there the night to see if either of the girls would settle. They both slept soundly all night! The staff at the hospital were amazed. It appeared that at such a young age the girls knew their sister was not there! The girls slept in separate bassinets on opposite sides of my bed. My girls are now 16 and are still extremely close. They share the same room still and they have the same group of friends. They sometimes appear to communicate to each other without talking (although they don't realize that they do it) and they often finish each other sentences or answer questions for each other. This mental telepathy Allen describes is a form of social intuition and is not just restricted to twins.
B. Andrews of White Plains, New York tells an embarrassing story of a colleague's use of social intuition:
I work for an advertising agency as a copywriter and I want to relay my experiences with a graphic artist, which [experiences] never fail to astonish me. Her name is Angel and she is truly an angel. The way we work it here in the office is I'm given an assignment, usually a product for which to create an ad. I'll write the copy, then arrange a meeting with Angel so she can do the artwork. Our mission is to create an ad or ads that people will be drawn to and remember. When I first sit down with Angel, I am usually geared up to present her with my ideas, but most of the time she simply picks up on my thoughts and starts sketching ideas that I have in my mind.
I don't know how she does it, but time after time she usually hits it on the mark. She has the ability to climb inside my head, and it's both fascinating and unnerving. One minor problem is she is quite beautiful and sexy, but we stay careful not to get personal as our company has strict policies about 'extra-curricular' activities. The problem, of course, is sometimes I can't take my eyes off her and she knows exactly what I'm thinking. I mean to the last detail, if you know what I mean. It has happened more than once when I have a vision of the two of us in a compromising position, and she has whispered in my ear, "Nice thought but forget it buster." Fortunately she has a good sense of humor, but it is unnerving knowing she can sense what I am envisioning. It helps in creating an advertising campaign but embarrassing when I'm thinking of 'other' things. I guess Andrews forgot to keep his 'business hat' on.
Another example of social intuition in the workplaceis that of The DeMoss Group. Mark DeMoss, CEO, had a strong connection with his social intuition. He wanted to create a strong company with happy employees, like any CEO would. Being in tune with his intuition, DeMoss sensed "that without good people-trusted, professional, respected, motivated, inspired, rested people-I have no firm." His intuition told him that after five years of dedicated hard work his employees needed a sabbatical and that he should give them five weeks off work to rest and have recreation. His rational mind reasoned that this was just not possible. The company would suffer financially, his clients would miss key people and go to another firm, the added workload would be stressful for other staff, etc. There were any number of logical reasons he could think of not to give his employees an extended vacation.
Yet, on a leap of faith he decided to trust his intuition and when his first employee (the VP of the company, Beth) approached her five year anniversary, he announced his plans to all staff members. They were each to be given a five week paid vacation on their fifth anniversary, in which they were to have no contact with the company, were not allowed to take work with them, nor could they stay in touch with staff while they were away. It was intended to be a true vacation. "In return," DeMoss said, "I asked only that the person taking a sabbatical commit to spend at least one more year with us."
"Beth used her time away that year to hike the north coast of Maine, visit family and friends in North Carolina and Virginia, and spend time doing nothing at all. Meanwhile," DeMoss said, "I confess that until she walked back in the front door-our first experiment in this perk-I hadn't realized that I could hold my breath for five weeks. During that time, we didn't speak once. To my delight, the wheels of the firm rolled on as the team deftly covered Beth's client work (realizing others would do the same for them when their sabbatical rolled around). Just as sweet was Beth's summary statement on her weeks away: 'The timing was impeccable, you'll never know,' she said, blowing in these days with fresh winds and new energy. She thanked me as if I'd known all along that like a car stuck in stop-and-go city traffic, after five years a person needs to flush the buildup in her mental engine."
Looking at statistics, we see that 40 percent of all America's workers feel disconnected from their employers; two-thirds come to work with scant motivation to help achieve their employers' business goals or objectives; 25 percent admit to showing up just to collect a paycheck. Little wonder then that DeMoss was very glad that instead of following logic and reason, and inadvertently allowing his best resources to burn out, he listened to his social intuition.
How To Creatively Keep Your Fitness Resolutions
April is about the time New Year’s resolutions dissolve and gyms become less crowded again. It’s not that folks have lost their desire to trim pounds or increase their level of fitness. For some, it’s simply a motivation problem. They want to continue, but just can’t seem to make the time amidst competing demands. But for others, they just don’t enjoy exercise. I once watched a woman jogging whose scrunched up face displayed a combination of irritation and defeat. She wasn’t enjoying herself, but felt compelled to continue. So it’s no surprise that keeping our fitness habits going is difficult. Any activity that isn’t innately enjoyable quickly becomes drudgery and nearly impossible to maintain.
No matter what your current feelings regarding exercise, it turns out there is a way to make the activity more enjoyable. It doesn’t involve hiring a personal trainer or signing up for a Zumba class (although those might be nice compliments once you get going). The only thing that’s keeping you from a better exercise regime is your own head.
Ironically, I discovered this trick while doing something entirely sedentary: writing. One of the more difficult aspects of creative writing, especially for the beginner, is eliciting that dream-like state where the words and ideas flow easily. There’s good reason the myths about waiting for inspiration to strike or reliance on a muse persist—for many, the ability to induce the wellspring of creativity remains elusive. Writers often create elaborate rituals to get themselves into this space: they only write during a certain time of day or they have a “lucky pen.”
What I discovered is that these rituals are all methods for subduing the analytical left brain and letting your more creative right brain take over. With time and dedication, you can actually physically feel the mental switch take place. And once you know what that switch feels like, you can learn to control it. That’s how the best writers are able to crank out pages of good writing while others struggle in front of a blank screen or notepad for hours. Good writers know how to generate the mental switch on command.
So what’s the connection to exercise? When I saw that woman jogging who looked so miserable, I wanted to tell her, “It’s all in your head!” All she needed was to get out of her analytical left brain, which was likely paying attention to the amount of time she’d been running or the number of miles left to go. The left brain is prone to focusing on details and lists, making exercise more of a chore than fun. But given the chance, the right brain can make your aerobic workout take on a timeless quality. You might get to the end of a run and say, “Wow. I’m done already?”
Just as your body has that weightless feeling when you’re under water, your concept of exertion and time disappear while day-dreaming. In your head, there are no limits, there’s nothing that isn’t open to you. In fact, many times when I’ve used this technique I actually feel like my brain is out ahead of me, a tether between us, egging me on. Plus, creativity can create its own adrenaline-like feeling—it generates energy instead of zapping it.
Here’s your step-by-step guide to attaining the left to right brain switch:
1) Just like a writer, pick a certain time of day and a certain activity to practice on. It doesn’t really matter what activity you pick, but aerobic exercises where you don’t need to count or pay close attention to anything work best. Once you get proficient at the technique, you can expand it to activities like weight lifting.
2) While exercising, let your mind wander, but try to “think” in images instead of words. Pretend you are watching a movie inside your head: taking the vacation you always wanted or receiving a big award. Do not watch TV—this engages your left brain and will hamper your transition. Music is okay as long as it remains a background noise (no singing along!).
3) Each time you are able to make the switch (that is, you become so engrossed in your dream, you almost lose awareness of your immediate surroundings), try remember what it felt like. Note what your body sensation and what ideas or dreams enabled you to enter that trance-like state.
4) Once you know what it feels like, work on getting to your creative space as soon as possible. When you’re proficient, it should only take 5 minutes or less.
Unlike much advice, which tells you to simply do something a certain number of times until you form a habit, these steps are only necessary until you are able to consistently achieve the brain switch. For those who are more naturally inclined towards creativity, it may only take a couple of weeks of dedicated practice. For others, it may takes a month or more to get it right. The key to making this method work is to remember that positive feeling the next time you’re struggling to get yourself out the door. You’ll not only feel better for having exercised, you’ll soon feel better while doing it too.
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These third-party ad servers or ad networks use technology to the advertisements and links that appear on selfcentre.blogspot.com send directly to your browsers. They automatically receive your IP address when this occurs. Other technologies ( such as cookies, JavaScript, or Web Beacons ) may also be used by the third-party ad networks to measure the effectiveness of their advertisements and / or to personalize the advertising content that you see.
I use outside ad companies to display ads on my site. These ads may contain cookies and are collected by the ad companies, and I do not have no access to or control over these cookies that are used by third-party advertisers.
You should consult the respective privacy policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information on their practices as well as for instructions about how to opt-out of certain practices. selfcentre.blogspot.com's privacy policy does not apply to, and we cannot control the activities of, such other advertisers or web sites.
If you wish to disable cookies, you may do so through your individual browser options. More detailed information about cookie management with specific web browsers can be found at the browsers' respective websites.
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This Web site contains links to other sites. Please be aware that I am not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. I encourage my users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of each and every Web site that collects personally identifiable information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this Web site.
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If you require any more information or have any questions about our privacy policy, please feel free to contact us by email at adibponaan@gmail.com.
Last Update
This Privacy Policy was last updated on September 7, 2009.
Log Files
Like many other Web sites, selfcentre.blogspot.com makes use of log files. The information inside the log files includes internet protocol ( IP ) addresses, type of browser, Internet Service Provider ( ISP ), date/time stamp, referring/exit pages, and number of clicks to analyze trends, administer the site, track user’s movement around the site, and gather demographic information. IP addresses, and other such information are not linked to any information that is personally identifiable.
E-mail Subscription
If a user wishes to subscribe to my posts via e-mail (powered by Feedburner), I ask for contact information such as name and email address. Out of respect for my users’ privacy, a way to opt-out of these communications is provided.
Cookies and Web Beacons
A cookie is a piece of data stored on the user’s computer tied to information about the user. My site use cookies for tracking visitors’ activity. Some of our advertising partners may use cookies and web beacons on our site. Our advertising partners include Google Adsense. Please check their websites for respective privacy policies.
These third-party ad servers or ad networks use technology to the advertisements and links that appear on selfcentre.blogspot.com send directly to your browsers. They automatically receive your IP address when this occurs. Other technologies ( such as cookies, JavaScript, or Web Beacons ) may also be used by the third-party ad networks to measure the effectiveness of their advertisements and / or to personalize the advertising content that you see.
I use outside ad companies to display ads on my site. These ads may contain cookies and are collected by the ad companies, and I do not have no access to or control over these cookies that are used by third-party advertisers.
You should consult the respective privacy policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information on their practices as well as for instructions about how to opt-out of certain practices. selfcentre.blogspot.com's privacy policy does not apply to, and we cannot control the activities of, such other advertisers or web sites.
If you wish to disable cookies, you may do so through your individual browser options. More detailed information about cookie management with specific web browsers can be found at the browsers' respective websites.
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This Web site contains links to other sites. Please be aware that I am not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. I encourage my users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of each and every Web site that collects personally identifiable information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this Web site.
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If you require any more information or have any questions about our privacy policy, please feel free to contact us by email at adibponaan@gmail.com.
Last Update
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