For a great amount of time, perhaps for the greater part of the civilization of the world, mankind has been under authority. And, when it came to the origin of the rights of this authority, it had always been force. Barbaric rulers of an uncivilized people would not answer questions with arguments or reasoning, but rather with brute and unrestricted force. To what right does a man, namely the king, or despot, or dictator, to what right does he have to control the lives of all the men around him? Philosophers, who are sometimes little better than absolute products of the societies they develop in, would defend these ridiculous and cruel governments. They might point to the sky and say that the gods praise such an emporer, or that without a ruler there would be disorder and chaos, and the rights of the people would not be respected at all. Whatever the case may be, no thoughtful or intelligent person today believes that any ruler should have absolute power, that there should be no check to his political abilities.

Today, we hail the system of representative government as the great liberator, the mechanism of society that allows each of its members to engage in the process of governing the whole. For a great deal of the world, this system of representation has replaced the system of monarchs and kings. There are still countries in Europe, even ones we consider “progressive,” which hold positions for kings and queens, whom weild powerful political powers.

Revolutions were waged, in which millions of people would die, so that the system of monarchy was completely removed and the system of representation installed. What was the essential desire of these revolutionaries, when they were overthrowing their governments? What hope, or goal even, was it that they desired to achieve, when they entered the battlefields to end the power of despots and kings? Without a doubt, I think that everyone knows the answer to this: people wanted to create a government system of representation because it most effectively allows the people of that nation to govern themselves. The people of every nation and of every age have given an importance to the matter of governing their own lives. When the government of the time decides to take some action, whether it is military, or commercial, or domestic, or international, or when it raises or decreases taxes, or starts a war or not, all of these are issues of the whole body of a nation. The citizens of that country make up the tissues and organs of this body. Their ancestors from far ago had come together as countrymen and as citizens of the same nation, that they might offer mutual aid and benefit to each other. The social contract was created based on the principles of reciprocity. As members of a collective based on a reciprocal ethic, the members of this society believed that they each had an equal say in the determination of the future of this body they called the group.

The most effective method, to the opinions of these people, for creating a system in which all of their opinions were counted was that of a representative government. People would elect a person to rule over them. The creed that was attached to this representative system was that the people would be able to choose the person who would rule them, and therefore, they would be able to create a system of government that would be effective. If the people desired to alter the military standing of the government, or the policies of commercial dealings, or the matters of national, international, domestic, or other affairs, then the people had the right to vote. By this vote, they could alter the government’s standing on these affairs, by choosing a representative to change these policies. In this respect, the people had control over the government, or so was their justification for this sentiment. The forms of government that are based on dictatorship or despotism or monarchy, these forms of government were regarded as the enemy of the people, and with reason. If men are to be in control of their lives, then a king with great military might is in the wrong, when he can simply enforce whatever regulation or policy or law that he desires.

With that respect, it seems that there is enough justification for the theory of a representative government. The trial of representative government has been tried in all parts of the world. What has its result been? When trying to understand the mechanics of a representative government, there are certain things that must be taken into consideration. First, the representative government, no matter what branches it has, or what formation it might take, or whether it is combined with a hereditary government to create a sort of hybrid, no matter any of these circumstances, there is one thing that must be considered above all: there are two classes, the ruled and the ruling. That is to say, there are essentially two types of people: those who are given the power to rule, and those who are not given the power to rule. Individuals who support the idea of a republican government will not argue me in this fact. There is a clear distinction in this society of who is in charge and who is under rule.

The second observation that must be considered is that of human nature. That is to say, each individual person, whether ruled or ruler, has that set of emotions that we understand human beings to have. Particular to our inquiry, the emotion of self-interest is to be considered. When we look to the ruling parties, we see they are humans, not robots — they are conscious beings, not constitutions or charters or laws. As human beings, they have this desire of self-interest. What is it that this self interest impels them to do? I imagine some government enthusiasts, some aspiring promoter of the republican form of government, will come up to me and say, “They will do what is best for all of society. They will only enact good laws, improving the society and their world.” If it is true that every politician thought this, then I imagine there would be no need to have a representative government at all. After all, if a politician honestly thinks this, no matter what politician, then I imagine that kings and queens would feel this as well, and that there would be no effective difference between a representative government and a dictatorship. In fact, if one can bestow upon every politician the character of a saint, then I see no reason why such a character cannot be bestowed upon every member of the ruled class.

There is a not-so stunning realization that is had here. The only reason, at least as far as supporters of the representative government go, the only reason why government exists is to protect the rights of the people. If it proves to be true that all of mankind is saintly, without even a slight inkling of sin or cruelty or brutality, then there is no need for government, since there would be no infringement of anyone’s rights. So, we come to the realization, that mankind is not inherently good, nor is he inherently evil. Returning to the abovementioned question, what would the desire of self-interest lead the ruling class of society to do? Since like any humans, they have a self-interest that cares for their personal security and welfare, we can expect that the ruling class will act not completely unlike the ruled class. What kind of interests do people normally have? Usually, to secure and protect their own rights: the right to life, liberty, and property. As members of the ruling class, the easiest and most effective way of maintaining these rights is the capability of power.

Power. By this word, I mean the ability to enforce a rule, or suppress an outbreak, or otherwise repress the natural tendencies of others. We see demonstrations of power everyday, in our police forces and our militaries, united with courts and prisons, judges and juries. The ruling class wants to maintain their power, because it is in their own best interests. There can be no doubt or skepticism towards this one fact. After all, if the ruling class — a group made up of kings and queens, presidents and governors, senators and congressmen — if these people truly were saints and had the interests of the people as their best desire, then government would have no purpose of existing. The ruling class, to maintain their interests as human beings, want to maintain their power. That is, above all, their primary interest, as determined by their disposition in life.

I don’t think any educated person honestly doubts this. The ruling class has the interest of maintaining their power, above all other interests. The rights of the people, the liberty of the citizens, all of these are second grade interests to any politician. There may be some exceptions to these statements, but it must be admitted to act as a general rule. What does it mean, then, for a ruling class to boulster its power? Among these first acts, there is the act of criminalizing the act of treason. When I speak of a treason, what am I talking about? Treason might rightly be regarded as perhaps the only act that is truly inspired by the will of free men and turned into a living life realization by men who are not only free of heart, but liberated of mind and with an undying will power. For a collective of people to demand that their opinions be regarded, that the land they work must also be the land that they own, these are the true calls of freedom and liberty. It can be granted without a doubt, that treason and rebellion, an armed revolution backed with the peasatry, may be considered the most sincere and the most honest reflection of the people’s will. The vote has done nothing. The representatives have done nothing. The system of representative government has been a failure like every philosopher predicted. It was not enough. The people took up arms to change things for themselves, through direct action! And yet, this most sincere, most honest form of the will of the people, of delivering power to the individuals who inhabit the countryside and the city, is considered TREASON! It is an act of TREASON for any person to believe that they have a right to live their life as they desire. And what is the punishment for this crime of Treason? In all nations, there seems to be a uniformity here: the punishment for treason is death. There are no negotiations, no arguments, only the logic of the guillotine, only the sense of justice ommitted by the gallows. Why is it that the most sincere form of human expression has been punished with the most brutal forms of punishment? Because, the ruling class has the interest of maintaining power, and by destorying any other uprising of power, they have succeeded in maintaining their positions.

Opposition to the government, that is to say, a support of the peoples’ right to be heard, and an opposition to the government’s right to smother them — yes, true treason! — has been regarded as the uptmost of crimes. But, only by the governments of the world. What other acts have been forbidden by the governments of the world? The actions of freedom of speech. The very first presidents of the United States of America made it a crime to say a single word when it was a word against the government. I’m sure you are all familiar with the Alien and Sedition Acts. Every time that the civil rights of the people were curtailed, every time an innocent person was behind bars for expressing some thought, it has always been for protection of the nation. Well, I cannot speak for anyone else, but I am more inclined to feel afraid than to feel free, when men and women are placed behind bars without any evidence against them. Why should I be forced behind bars and into a cell for expressing thoughts that naturally arrise when I am surrounded by these observations?

The greatest punishments have be reserved for the greatest crimes. Second to Treason: Tax Evasion. When the government decided to issue an unpopular war, disregarding entirely the wills of the people who elected them to de their bidding, those people refused to pay their taxes to fund such a war. Such criminals include Thomas Henry Thoreau, who sat in a jail cell because his senator and his representative had decided that imprisonment of the people was by for more important than freedom of the people. By evading taxation, people are refusing to support a government that has neither their trust nor their intention. These scoundrels are locked up and their property seized anyway. Sedition is another one of those greedy crimes, it reads as though it is to defend the state and the people, but when it is given to the police man, it is an excuse to abuse, to violate, and otherwise enslave every person he desires. The Patriot Act is nothing more. Far from giving us freedom of security, it has given us the fear of covert spying, of undercover police officers who have a proven track record of violence and brutality. Those individuals who have proved themselves barbarians to the world have gained a width of power with the passage of the Patriot Act.

If the most sincere acts of truth, honor, and independence are the greatest crimes in our government, then there should be no question as to why freedom of speech has been limited so much. The argument of the politician has always been: If men can speak as they wish, if they are allowed to think thoughts and say words, and develop ideas, they may come to the conclusion that we are vestiges, that the government of the world is a tyrant, denying the people their rights. It is no secret that the government has for long outlawed Anarchist literature, that it disallows it from being printed in this country or imported from other countries. Then there is the investegation to what literature people are reading. Library records are tracked by the government now, so that the opinions of the people can be monitored. By decreasing the power of the independent citizen to think and believe as they wish, the state grows stronger with ferocity. The FBI and CIA were hardly created for “national security,” so much as they were created for the security of the ruling class. There was never a need to protect citizens from terrorist bombings until the government had agreed to unjust trade agreements. If anyone doubts this, they can check the track record of 3Com and Enron, companies both that had the ears of the government, created tens of millions of dollars for investors, but left tens of millions of people broke, unemployed, and with no future. Imagine the same catastrophe taking place internationally, imagine everyone knowing that it is the fault of the United States, and then you will understand completely why there are people willing to do all that is possible — even sacrifice their own life — to destroy the empire.

The ruling class has secured its rule in several ways: by making it illegal to question that rule, and punishable by death, as well as curtailing freedom of speech and all civil liberties that would peacably question that rule. Finally, the government has instituted a propaganda program. Every school, every government rally, every speach delivered, by these government officials — they can all be regarded as propaganda at its best. They will discuss lukewarm issues, things that are of least importance to the people. They will discuss how to decrease the national deficite, how to gain exclusive oil and mineral mining rights to a third world nation, increasing the pay of soldiers, annexation of third world nations, among other things. Not once will they discuss how the government is a whore that tracks down the actions of the public, nor will they discuss the armies of unemployed, the tens of millions, the one hundred million Americans of this nation that do not have enough food to eat. Not once will this be discussed. The children that are starving in the streets, the education that is used to create an early response to authority, all of these institutions that exist today to make people think that it is just to have any government at all — these things will stop people from thinking altogether.

In what ways have the ruling class established their rule? Through treason, through curtailing civil rights, through avoiding the issues and issuing propaganda in the form of “public education.” Here we have understood rightly the desires of the ruling class, as they can be seen in any nation, in any people. Every torture chamber has united with every presidential podium to deliver a message to the people that with power in the hands of a small, few select, the safety of all can be guaranteed. Yes! There is no doubt that the first and sole interest of the ruling class is to maintain their power as human beings, and if this interest was absent, then it would be absent in the class of the ruled, and cruelty and brutality would wholly be absent from the people, and there would never be any need of government to begin with. The most ironic of all facts that must be admitted by everyone, is that if George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Paine, had these three figures been erected today, in uttering less than one hundred words, they would be put to death by the Supreme Court on account of treason. Finally, with the state defended, by the laws of treason and the mockery of civil liberties, there is a final blow that humanity takes, and it is in formal education.

Our schools may adequately be regarded as institutions of brainwashing. Children attend at a set time, go to class at a set time, agree to rules that they had no decision in choosing, follow a procedure of “learning” that is opposition to actual education. The facts that are given to the children in these inane textbooks are highly swayed and it seems that more attention is paid to the 200 years of our nation than the thousands of years that brought our way of life. Before any child is allowed the right to use the bathroom, they must ask permission. Allow me to repeat that. Before a child can commit an action that is most human and most natural, they can be denied this right by a superior. The rules are formed for the betterment of the teachers, not of the taught. Every teacher is regarded as a professor, or a Mr., or a Mrs.. Orders are given with more fluency than a military bootcamp. The fine contradiction that exists in compulsary education is this: BY TRAINING CHILDREN TO BECOME SLAVES, WE ARE EXPECTING THEM TO GROW UP AS FREE MEN. No greater contradiction can exist in our modern society than just that.

So, it must be accepted, that to elect a senator, a governor, a congressman, a president, or any othe erroneous position, is essentially to put into place a tyrant, who can boast that he has the will of the people behind him.

If the Anarchists were to create a system of public rule, a method by which we choose laws and vote down other laws, it would be a common gathering of men and women, to discuss the issues, and to say what they will of them. By choosing one man to lead all other men has created very little difference than having a man chosen for you, which is what two hundred million Americans do every four years complacently. By Anarchy, I mean this: that there is no ruler, and that every law that is created is created by the will of the people, not the will of a person. It must be accepted as a philosophy that adheres to justice as much as it adheres to the will of the people. Two concepts which are based on the ideal of a better world.

We see there primary vices in the system of representative government: the interests of the representatives are opposite those whom they are supposed to represent, the boulstering effectiveness of power (in essence, making it more difficult for the public to see the mistake they’ve made), and propaganda on behalf of the system of government. It is not enough to simply have control over an area. Those in power must have the ultimate power of a district. Thus, we have the system of representative government. It is, I must admit, not much an improvement from the monarchial system. In fact, it may be worse, in that it lends itself some credilibility which the monarchy were forever without. People looked to the monarchial system, they saw the dictates of the kings and the arbitrary rules of the queens, and they all know that it was injustice, that it was the greatest form of debauchery and deceit. When the republican system came along, people felt — for a moment — that they were in control of their lives, that they had some voice when it came to matters of public affairs. But, they found themselves destitute of any real control.

The reality of the present system truly hits us when we realize that so many people hold the same view. Every person simultaneously feels powerless in this system, as they are forced to vote for leaders that they don’t believe in. This past year was known to the Democratic Party as “Anybody But George Bush.” People who voted for George Bush felt that he was insufficient to governing the whole body of the United States, just as those who voted for John Kerry would tell you, “I only voted for him because he’s not George Bush.” In France, an identical situation would come up, but only worsened to a great deal. Their slogan would be, “Vote for the thief, not for the Fascist.” The alternative they had to a Nazi regimist was a man whose hobbies included stealing funds from the public and abusing power to the point that would make kings seem just. And that is just the point I am trying to demonstrate in this treatise: rulers are rulers, no matter the origin or justification of their power, and as rulers, they will abuse their power, exploit their people, and do what they can to maintain their power. I have ample evidence of this point. For one, I have the greatest piece of evidence of all. Americans are feeling more and more powerless with every passing year, as they find that the social ills that fill their lives with misery and pain remain unchanged. An ethic of “choose the lesser evil” takes hold on the minds of the populace. We start to feel that there is nothing that we can, that throwing our vote away is just as powerful an act as choosing the lesser evil.

One may interject, saying that the people are not sheep, that they can take control of their lives and have done so in the past. Yes, I know this. The error in such reasoning is thus: the government does what it can to maintain its power in the face of the people trying to make a genuine expression of their interests. The Patriot Act, for example, was used by the government to imprison and otherwise obstruct the path that American revolutionaries today are on. It’s not protection. It’s control. As much as they say that this is for the protection of the public, to save us from a handful of airplanes falling out of the sky, they think that a thousand distant prisons and an enormous police state is a more pleasing alternative. Police and law enforcement officials search buildings for certain types of literature. Not only has this happened to me, but it has occured to my friends on more than one incident. Certain ideas, thoughts, and beliefs are considered too dangerous by the government for the people to have. Free speech, free press, free minds. Our American government has made clear where it stands in these areas, so it is our obligation as American citizens to revolt. If anything, I am as guilty as Thomas Paine. When I am persecuted for my conscience, then I can only know that I am not free.

We now have an accurate view of the representative system: it is ineffective and more apt to deceit than it is to any other vice.

When one thinks of the system of Anarchy, the greatest questions are asked. Does it not mean chaos? Does it not mean unrestricted violence? Does it not mean the greatest and most brutal form of cruelty — completely unrestricted? Does it not mean a perpetual war of every man against every other man?

What is it about state power that makes it such an enemy of freedom and happiness? The answer is clear: state power hands authority over to people whose only intent can be to create misery and vice — those who run the state. And whether these people are picked by raffle or ballot, the actions they commit are always the same. Anarchy means the absence of government, the absence of oppression, the absence of power belonging to a small and select few and being held within the hands of the people. It is a simple yet beautiful idea, one that has captured the inspirations and hearts of every man to fall in love with freedom.

www.punkerslut.com

For Life,

Punkerslut

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Punkerslut (or Andy Carloff) has been writing essays and poetry on social issues which have caught his attention for several years. His website www.punkerslut.com provides a complete list of all of these writings. His life experience includes homelessness, squating in New Orleans and LA, dropping out of high school, getting expelled from college for “subversive activities,” and a myriad of other revolutionary actions.

(NC)Quality time with family and friends is an important part of the holidays. Whether your plans include a cozy gathering around the holiday tree or a formal cocktail party for 50, the key to holiday happiness is keeping your entertaining simple - plan ahead, buy pre-made goodies, and ensure your parties are manageable for your home and your schedule. The friendly entertaining experts at M&M Meat Shops have some great tips to help turn every time-crunched party planner into the host with the most! To get started with planning your menu, here are a few festive favourites recommended by the elves at M&M:

Reel In Your Revelers With Seafood

At almost every party, people dive into the seafood appetizers first. This year, please your partiers with a seafood sampler that’s sure to make waves:

• Bacon Wrapped Scallops are the best-wrapped gift in the house! Canadian Sea Scallops enveloped in pre-cooked smoked bacon - a combination that cooks to perfection! Dip in Seafood Sauce for a zesty zip.

• The Salmon and Cream Cheese Roll from M&M is perfect for casual or formal holiday entertaining. Smoked Atlantic salmon is filled with a savoury cream cheese filling, and then pre-sliced. All you have to do is thaw and serve, leaving you more time to spend with your guests and less in the kitchen.

• “Shrimp me.” Entertaining doesn’t get any easier than serving up delicious shrimp with seafood sauce for dipping, thanks to the double ring Shrimp Platter from M&M Meat Shops. Make a splash with your guests by offering a few different varieties including Torpedo Shrimp, Coconut Shrimp and Breaded Shrimp.

Say Cheese!

Cheese pleases, so make sure to include it on your party menu. Whether it’s dressed up for a formal party or breaded and dipped for fun, there’s plenty of great tasting options, no matter how you slice it!

• As a pre-meal appetizer or a cocktail party hors d’oeuvre, Cranberry or Mushroom Brie is an always-appreciated, elegant addition. Smooth and creamy Brie cheese is nestled on a layer of either cranberry and apple compote or sautéed mushrooms and caramelized onions, all deliciously wrapped in flaky puff pastry.

• For melt-in-your mouth morsels, warm up to Battered Mozzarella Sticks and Cheddar Cheese Bites. These lightly battered, great tasting treats are ready to pop in the oven, and then pop in your mouth! Serve them with a bowl of warm Marinara Sauce for dipping.

• It’s that time of year for the ever-popular Cheese Ball. A “must have” for holiday entertaining, M&M’s Cheese Ball contains aged white cheddar, smooth emmenthal cheese and chopped vegetables with a coating of chopped almonds for a great tasting, easy-to-serve treat. Just add crackers!

Add Some “Worldly Spice”
To Your Menu

Tastes from foreign countries are far from foreign anymore. Entertain your guests with international flare with a variety of appetizers.

• Try Italian with an Asian influence with Mini Pizza Egg Rolls. These delicious, bite-sized egg rolls are filled with a savoury tomato sauce, Italian spices and pizza toppings including mozzarella, pepperoni, onions and green peppers.

• A traditional English favourite, NEW Mini-Sausages in Pastry combine a tender, pre-baked pastry dough surrounding a savoury mini sausage. Serve with M&M Honey Mustard Gourmet Sauce and watch them disappear!

• Italian Style Beef Meatballs are an excellent addition to any party. These tender beef meatballs are fully cooked and easy to enjoy. Heat in a gourmet sauce for a delicious final touch.

Sweet Celebrations

No holiday party is complete without a happy ending. For a sweet finish to set them swooning, try some of the easy and delicious thaw and serve dessert options from M&M Meat Shops:

• Add a delicious flash of festive colour with Raspberry Macaroon Bars. The tart raspberry filling is nestled between a sweet cookie crust base and a chewy coconut macaroon topping. The perfect mix of sweet and tart.

• For an elegant look and excellent taste, try Mini Eclairs or Cream Puffs. These two-bite treats tempt the tastebuds with a light creamy filling. A dessert delight for anyone with a sweet tooth!

• Treat your guests with NEW Chocolate Chunk Buttercream Bars. Thick, chewy milk chocolate chunk brownies covered with creamy dark and white chocolate buttercream icing, all topped off with dark chocolate drizzle. They’re a decadent treat that’s sure to melt away the winter chill.

- News Canada

About the author:

News Canada

While pitching machines are most often thought of as tools to aid in batting practice, there are other situations in which the right pitching machine can be an invaluable tool for the results-oriented coach or manager. Many modern pitching machines can be set to throw groundballs and fly balls which can be a great help in many situations two of which we discuss below.

Tryouts:

From little league to high school ball, tryouts are a necessary but sometimes overwhelming process where literally hundreds of hopefuls must be evaluated in seconds apiece. Most tryouts are set up in stages a groundball stage, a fly ball stage, a batting stage, and a pitching stage where characteristics such as arm strength, running speed, agility, fundamentals, and power are judged. How best to judge all of these elements quickly and accurately? Consistency.

As any coach who has tried to hit hundreds of fly balls or grounders with a fungo can tell you, consistency is not something easily achieved by a person. That’s where a pitching machine like the Jugs Lite-Flite or Jugs Combo Machine comes in. By setting up a pitching machine like these two at each of our hypothetical testing stages, each individual can be consistently judged by the same set of criteria as everyone else. Let’s take the groundball stage as an example. By setting the Jugs Combo Machine to throw grounders instead of pitches (a snap given its 360 degree swivel design), each player can be sent the exact same grounder. This allows for quick and accurate evaluation where it is easy to judge a player’s speed, reflexes, and mastery of baseball fundamentals. How is this player’s hand speed versus that player’s? Does this player properly set his feet and position himself well to take the grounder? With the right pitching machine, these questions become simple to answer with some basic observation and your draft picks will become obvious.

And the same technique can be used at all of our tryout stages. Throwing the same fly ball repeatedly quickly reveals which players can properly read the ball’s flight path and who has the best foot speed. And a pitching machine’s presence in the batting stage goes without saying. Do you want to throw 2,000 pitches in a tryout to evaluate bat speed, rate of contact, and power? We didn’t think so. A pitching machine in a tryout is a tremendous asset in determining who is a natural outfielder or infielder, a power hitter or an Ichiro because of their consistency and versatility.

Practice:

As in any sport, repetition is the key to mastery for the young baseball player. To properly teach the fundamentals of fielding groundballs, for example, it is largely a matter of numbers and familiarity. The player who has fielded 10,000 groundballs has an advantage over the player that has only fielded 1,000. And because of a pitching machines consistency, speed, versatility, and flexibility, achieving these numbers is much easier than trying to hit all those grounders and fly balls yourself with a bat. Furthermore, just like in the tryout situation, being able to throw the same grounder at every player on your team allows you to quickly evaluate strengths and weaknesses and where your knowledge of fundamentals can best be applied. Is that player afraid of the ball? Is that player standing flat-footed and waiting for the ball instead of attacking it? With the right pitching machine and techniques, these questions are soon answered and your team is that much stronger because of it.

This article is just an overview of how a versatile pitching machine can help a team go from pretender to contender. We will discuss drills and more specific techniques in forthcoming articles, but if you’ve just been thinking as a pitching machine as a tool in batting practice, we hope that this article has given you some ideas as to the many applications of a great machine like the Jugs Combo Machine for any municipal league, team, or individual player.

About The Author

Carl Fogle is a longtime baseball coach at the high school and community college level. He is also the webmaster of http://pitching-machines.us and a leading expert in the use of pitching machines in the development of young baseball players.

Completely refurbished, our hotel in Palinuro is centrally located, in a panoramic position at a short distance from the sea. With its warm and comfortable atmosphere, the Best Western Hotel La Conchiglia is the ideal place for a relaxing stay, provided with a large panoramic terrace overlooking the amazing view of Capo Palinuro and with several lounge bar and a living room, for pleasant moments.
The renowned restaurant offers a tasty Mediterranean cuisine. Thanks to its strategic position, in the heart of the National Park of Cilento, this hotel in Palinuro is the ideal starting point to enjoy an excursion to the several archaeological sites of that area (Pompei, Paestum, Velia and Padula).

4 good reasons for choosing this hotel in Palinuro:

- Completely refurbished, this hotel is located in a central and panoramic position, only 300 m from the sea and overlooking Palinuro city centre.
- Comfortable living room and 1 lounge bars with large panoramic terrace, overlooking the amazing view of Capo Palinuro.
- Renowned restaurant, where you can taste the pleasure of the real Mediterranean cuisine.
- Located in the National Park of Cilento, this hotel in Palinuro is the ideal starting point to enjoy excusions to Pompei (130 km), Paestum (60 km), the archaeological site of Velia (25 km) and Padula (70 km)

Hotel services
Air conditioning
American breakfast
Bar
Charge parking
Laundry service
Lift
Multilingual staff
Pets allowed public areas excluded
Pets allowed, only small size
Restaurant
Parking

Room services
Cable/satellite TV in every rooms
Pay per view
Coffee-Tea Maker
Fax/modem plug in
Hairdryer
Iron and ironing board
Room Service
Safe deposit box

Nearby services
Fishing
Horse riding

If you think that Hotel La Conchiglia is not exactly what you are looking for, click here to visit our catalogue for Hotels in Italy, and make a search for another hotel in Palinuro: we are pretty sure that you can easy find the Palinuro accommodation that can best fit your need for a perfect stay in Italy.

Everyone wants to be fit and healthy. For many people walking has become the exercise of choice. Treadmills offer the ability to exercise despite bad weather conditions. They offer a low impact cardiovascular workout while also being an easy exercise. There are many reasons to include treadmill walking in your workout…

Reason#1 — Treadmills are used indoors. This eliminates the need to abandon a workout because the weather outside is not ideal. This also allows for you to be able to exercise anytime you want.

Reason#2 — Treadmills give a low impact, cardiovascular workout. Unlike other exercises that give you a good cardiovascular workout, the treadmill does it with no impact on your joints or spine. This is especially nice for someone concerned about a pre-existing health issue.

Reason#3 — Treadmills have been around for years. This means treadmills are not some fad that will go out of style in a year or two. Walking is a natural, easy workout that is known for its great health benefits. If you invest in a treadmill you will be putting money into something that will help improve your health and is proven to work.

Reason#4 — Treadmills offer programmable options. These options allow you to vary your workout just as you would outside. You can change the speed or incline to produce a workout that is best for your needs. This also makes it great for beginners because they can start slow and increase over time.

These are just four of the great reasons to use a treadmill. You will find it is an easy workout to stick with because there is nothing strenuous about it, it is easy to do and you can watch television or read a book while doing it. Treadmills are not a here today, gone tomorrow fad that you will tire of quickly, but instead is a long lasting staple in your health’s future.
About the Author

Mark French is a personal fitness trainer and writer for Best Bargains for Treadmills on the Web, a sites that tries to source the best deals for treadmills on the Internet, including a comprehensive treadmill buying guide.

(c) Copyright 2005 All Right Reserved

Fitness for golf is a common term on the television these days. I’m sure you’ve heard it a few times. The secret is out. Fitness for golf has come to the forefront of total golf performance.

Golfers have heard it enough. The golf swing is a physically abusive movement to the human body…unless you take the time to prepare for it.

I was watching the Golf Channel (I do that frequently) the other day, with Tiger on. He said it perfectly.

He said, “it would be absurd to think a football player, basketball player or baseball player wouldn’t physically work on his body to play better golf. Why wouldn’t a golfer do the same thing?”

I was sitting there saying, “thank you Tiger”…fitness for golf is here to stay.

If it takes the Number One golfer in the world to convince you…then I’m all for it.

How many times have you walked off the course or practice range with a twinge or two in your body? How about when you got home? Did it get worse?

What’s that tell you?

I hope you realize how important fitness for golf is, in not only helping your prevent injury, but utilize your true potential to it’s fullest.
Doesn’t it make sense to improve your flexibility AND strength to hit longer drives that go straighter? Doesn’t it also make sense to improve your fitness for golf as you get older…to slow down the aging process?

Don’t look at it as “work”, “sweating” or “effort”. Look at it as “playing your best game ever!”

You will continue to hear about fitness for golf, when it comes to performing better golf.

About the Author

About The Author: Mike Pedersen is one of the top golf fitness experts in the country, author of the Ultimate Golf Fitness Guide, and founder of several cutting-edge online golf fitness sites. Take a look at his just released golf fitness dvds and Manual at http://www.performbattergolf.com

Youve heard it said dozens of times. Golf is a game of “feel”. You just know instinctively when somethings right or wrong for you.

It sounds a little confusing, doesnt it? Lets try to take that vague feeling and put it into words and action.

First off, lets address the technique of swinging with all your might. If you swing really hard, then you cant get the feel of a correctly hit ball and your muscles dont learn the feel of correct balance. When players have the feel of the shot, their muscles and sense of touch are tuned in to the correct gauge and balance and they just know they can hit the ball.

When you want to lunge at the ball, your power should be developed by twisting your body. If you learn this, it wont take 3 or 4 years before youre hitting the ball a good distance. When you keep failing with a certain shot, just stop and think what youre doing, what youre trying to accomplish. Dont try any certain method unless you have a definite purpose for using it.

Always remember the basics. Think in your mind how it feels to prepare properly for a shot.

One important point is that its not necessary to feel the power during the stroke. You want to swing easily. Its the energy thats transferred to the ball that counts. Get rid of every little detail that destroys your balance and youll get on the right track. Cut out everything thats not comfortable. Your ability to keep your balance and be comfortable is the measure of the amount of power you can use successfully. Many players lift their heads at the last instant. This doesnt add power to the stroke. It actually takes power away from it.

It may sound tricky but you really want to be as comfortable as possible while playing a game and to do things as easily, flexibly and fluidly as possible. Much of this comfortability is purely mental.

Make sure you keep your eye on the ball while youre moving. Thats what counts. When youre doing things comfortably your strength is being properly applied.

The second you brace your muscles, youre moving away from the correct way of playing. If you want to see if your method is right, check your comfortability level. If you get better results with your own method then follow your own method and dont try to imitate someone else. If you want to learn from someone, ask them why theyre swinging in a certain way and if you can learn the reason then you can apply the knowledge in your own way. Just trying to imitate someone elses swing doesnt benefit you.

Over time, youll acquire the ability to know what shot feels right, what club feels best, what decision you should make. Thats the feel. The instinct. The touch of greatness!

About the Author

Want to cut your handicap by 7-12 Strokes Guaranteed? You need the Golf Swing Secret Guide right now!
http://www.profitstrand.com/golfslice.htm

Fall Baseball - A Great Time To Really Coach!

A few random thoughts on making Fall Ball a bit better experience!
*You may want to read the note at the end of this article

I believe that your ability to communicate will always make your life and your team a better experience. Nothing new so far, right?

Fall baseball is the time when teaching and learning, hopefully in a fun environment, may fight the demons of your competitive side. We like to say that it is fall ball so we are not going to win at all costs, BUT… it is hard not trotting out your stud pitchers at every opportunity… especially if you have history with some of your competition! The risk of looking like a weenie or your team getting crushed can be overwhelming!

Well coach, here’s a few thoughts to keep you on the straight and narrow and possibly allow you to retain some of your dignity (and your won-loss record).

1st - You Need To Have The Come To Jesus Meeting!
You have dads in the stands (and players, dependant on age) who are just as competitive as you. Your goals for this fall season must be outlined in an initial meeting with parents and players (this is two separate meetings for some teams).

You must be abundantly clear regarding your thoughts on winning, which I always encourage, but that playing well and marked improvement from beginning to end of this season are the real barometers.

IF THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE TO ANY PARENT, they don’t get it and should be best advised to find another team.

2nd - You are The Man
You, coach, are the guy who is giving your time and doing your best to help an entire team of other people’s kids to do their best. And trust me on this one, if the kids aren’t having fun, you had better change your ways fast… or you are missing the reason you should be doing this in the first place! So, in general…keep it fun!

And to a player, what could be more fun than to finally have a coach who gave them a chance to earn the position they have dreamed about. Learn to pick your spots, be honest with the younger kids who you know may be in harms way, and be aware of when you can and can’t do this. If your heart is in the right place…you will know!

We talk about how kids simply don’t play games anymore…by themselves, without adults. Well, one of the great things about the pick up games we used to play was that kids eventually got to play most or all the positions. Today, without fall ball…when and how are they going to learn these positions?
We Play Baseball - We don’t work baseball!

3rd - More On Having Fun
If it isn’t fun, why would any kid want to do this? They are kids! No matter what the age and skill level, especially as they get older, they have a lot of choices. Keep ‘em in the game!

Face it… most of the world doesn’t think baseball with autumn in the air. It’s football, back to school, etc. So, any kid who is on a baseball field in September is telling you…I REALLY LIKE (or love) THIS GAME! Don’t you chase them away!

No matter what their present skill level, those skills may change… and fast!
I cannot tell you how many kids I have had in the Fall who grow and get stronger by Spring. What a shame it would be if I was the one who discouraged a kid just as we was finally able to physically do what he couldn’t just a few short months ago!

So, again, play ‘em where they think they can play, along with where you already know they can play. If they stink, don’t worry, they will know it before you do.

Always remember… Players get better. Help them make it happen!

Tough Tip - Bench your kid in game one and maybe other games too
Many amateur coaches have their own son, their “favorite player” on the team. If you simply keep your son on the bench for the first innings of your first game, it will display to all that you are indeed sticking to your guns about playing time, new position opportunities, etc.

Hint - Consider making your son your bench coach to show him that this is not punishment- you certainly can make this a pact between he and you alone. Sit him right next to you in the dugout and give him a real duty such as watching and helping position your defenses or maybe giving you a few quick tips on upcoming batters he may know - get creative. Show him you trust and need him! - Build a memory along with a team.

You can even hold out another of your better players too. Refrain from also placing your frontline players in the positions they always play in the first inning.

Your lesser players will play for you and maybe pay huge dividends come spring! The fact is that you may not be able to make all-stars out of all-stars. They will do most of that by themselves. But you sure can turn the lousy player into an average player, the average player into a very good player. This even happens in pro ball, just check out Marcus Giles, a former 53rd round draft pick, who is now an all-star second baseman for the Atlanta Braves.

Finally, remember that almost every World Series winner has one guy who unexpectedly made a difference. Team guys who were not all-stars or superstars! Remember the names Bucky Dent, Craig Counsell, Gene Tenace, Aaron Boone, Mark Lemke, David Eckstein, and Jim Leyritz?

So, take the high road, even if and when others do not. It is their loss…and their players are who ultimately pay the price with a lack of improvement or leaving the game prematurely. It’s not “daddyball”, it’s just smart fall ball!

Take some risks, show some courage, park your ego, then kick some butt on the scoreboard! You may end up getting more out of this experience than your players!

*Note: This article is aimed and read by many coaches and players of many age and skill levels. If your fall schedule is a win-at-all-cost league, some of this article is not for you. With that said, enter these leagues knowing that your players may be missing some very important instructional time for the long term, possibly even contributing to their premature departure from this greatest of games. After all, when do you allow a player to try a new position or switch hit or break out a new pitch…if not in the fall?
Exceptions - If you are coaching a group of prospects looking to the coming year’s pro draft and/or college ball, your goals are obviously different. Much of the above still applies, however you certainly will play these players at their positions of greatest potential.

Get your free instructional articles at www.baseballtips.com

About the Author

Coach John Peter, presently aged 50 something, is a lifelong student of the
greatest game on earth.
After being asked to find a more suitable occupation at age 26, many seasons
after donning his first uni at age 7, he has transcended his skills into the
much more important role of coach and especially as an instructor! He prides
himself as never having charged any player or coach for a single lesson!

Success coaching is a therapy that has become very familiar over the last 7 years. The term life coaching first became likeable in the USA where, together with NLP aka Neuro Linguistic Programming, it became part of a revived super wave of particularly proactive therapy modalities.

In many ways both Lifestyle Coaching and NLP are an answer against certain aspects of the human-centred therapy movement, in particular Person-Centred Counselling. A criticism of the human-centred therapy approach is that it is particularly reactive and not greatly proactive. Although all this works good with some folk, with others long periods of impasse or low return for time and effort occur. Personal coaching and NLP are both human-centred therapy in stance, focusing on improving a customers happiness rather than looking into the depths of childhood, like traditional psychoanalysis. Success coachings emphasis is, however, deliberately proactive and their to resolve your problems.

Performance coaching is not about telling the coaching customer what to do. This is a common misconception. Some therapists are relatively successful in their business careers and then make the cross over to personal coaching, thinking that they will at most be required to share their pearls of stunning wise wisdom with the life coaching client. Sharing pearls of wisdom is more like mentoring an apprentice in a specific environment. Coaching is instead about life as a whole. Use www.easilyachieve.com to book yourself a life coach.

In my experience there are two distinct types of muscular fatigue associated with intense progressive resistance training (only intense training is sufficient to trigger muscle hypertrophy) and these two types should be recognized and understood. The first type of fatigue is direct muscle soreness and is the result of a particular exercise targeting a specific muscle. Scientists are at odds as to the exact cause of muscle soreness but most believe that it is associated with some sort of cellular micro-trauma. Direct muscle soreness is usually the type of pain and discomfort that most folks experience when they begin serious progressive resistance training program.

There are varying degrees of muscle soreness and sometime the intensity of soreness can become so severe as to be debilitating. The muscles are actually sore to the touch. I have self-induced this type of soreness to every degree on every muscle - once, as a 14-year old novice, I found a 10-pound solid dumbbell and proceeded to do 50-repetitions in the one-arm curl for each arm every hour on the hour for 10-straight hours. It seemed like a cool idea to my young and dumb mind but that went out the window the next day when both arms locked up to such a degree that I could not straighten my arms. Both biceps were so traumatized that they remained involuntarily contracted for the next 36-hours. My hands were held at my face and any attempt to straighten my arms resulted in excruciating pain. I had to ride it out until the biceps relaxed. This was an extreme example of muscle fatigue but extremely illustrative of this 1st type of muscle soreness/fatigue.

The second type of muscular fatigue is what I would describe as overall fatigue, I call it body shock. The body is a holistic unit and hard intense training done for long time periods has a cumulative effect. After a while a uniform sense of overall fatigue is experienced manifested by an overwhelming sensation of tiredness. This tiredness envelops the whole body. When in the throes of body shock it seems as if you are moving through water. In my experience this type of fatigue is a direct result of an accumulation of intense workouts. Fatigue and soreness come with the territory and if you never experience either version, likely you’ll not make any significant physical progress.

In my experience, if I don’t feel some degree of muscle soreness in the target muscle after a workout I become suspect that I didn’t work hard enough or the exercise I selected was technically deficient and spread the muscular effect over too wide an area. In this respect I use controlled soreness (no too much, not too little) as a workout report card. When it comes to body-shock fatigue, to my way of thinking a much more serious type of fatigue, I will cut back on my training and kick up my calories, particularly my protein intake. When body-shock descends training through it is a bad idea: first, training poundage plummets (so what’s the point?) and secondly there is a very real danger of fatigue-induced injury.

If you experience severe muscular soreness of the 1st type, avoid training that particular body part until the soreness reduces to tolerable levels. If body-shock envelops you cease and desist progressive resistance training and kick up the food intake. I have found that light to moderate cardio actually helps to dissipate muscle soreness. Accelerating circulation within a sore muscle stimulates recovery, assuming the resistance used is light, easy and not taxing. Use your common sense and be aware that even purposeful primitives paid heed to fatigue.

About the Author

Marty Gallagher is a former Strength columnist for washingtonpost.com. Marty’s articles have been featured in Muscle Media, Muscle & Fitness, and Powerlifting USA magazines. His website, http://www.martygallagher.com, assimilates years of accumulated knowledge from the athletic elite and makes them accessible to the common person.