VampireS Sumo

Why does the number 13 evoke feelings of
uncertainty and uneasiness? Is it really an
unlucky number? What started this stigma
about 13?

Triskaidekaphobia means the fear of number 13.
Sometimes, this fear triggers panic attacks, affects
family and business relationships. Is this rooted
in superstition? Number 13 reflects man’s fear
of the unknown.

Tradition traces this fear of 13 at the table to the
Last Supper- Jesus dined with his twelve apostles.
The inference was someone was going to die
within a short time. Judas betrayed Jesus,
overcome by his guilt, he hang himself.

Mythology has its own story. The Norse gods were
having a banquet for 12 at the Valhalla when Loki,
one of the evil gods gatecrashed the party. Balder
was the god of light, joy and reconciliation. He had
a blind brother whom Loki tricked into throwing a
sprig of mistletoe on Balder’s chest which killed
him ( Balder). Mistletoe is the only earthly thing
that was fatal to Balder.

Into the Middle Ages, the stigma against Friday
the 13th grew stronger. On Friday, October 13, 1307,
King Phillip !V of France ordered the arrest of the
Grand Master of the Knights Templar and his senior
knights and other members.They were tortured to
compel them to admit to “wrongdoings.”

And they were executed. Sympathizers of the Templars
condemned Friday the 13th as an evil day.

Later in the 18th century, this belief about Friday the 13th
was again reinforced. The British ship HMS Friday was
launched on a Friday , the 13th , the captain was a man
named Jim Friday. The ship was never seen nor heard
from again.

Do these events justify the stigma attached to
number 13? It is documented that this fear of Friday the
13th costs millions of dollars a year in business loss
due absenteeism and cancelled appointments .

Some “unlucky” events associated with 13 is
the famous Apollo 13 mission in 1970. It was
launched on 1313 hours, from pad 39 ( 13 x 3),
3 of the sleeping arrangements for the astronauts
were timed to start at 13 minutes past the hour
and so was one of the possible splashdown.

On April 13th, the first of the several setbacks to
Apollo 13 occurred and this added drama to the mission.

In many hotels and skyscrapers, there is no 13th
floor.Most airplanes have no seat No. 13. In Italy,
it is usual to leave out 13 in numbering the
lottery tickets.

Thirteen for dinner? Not in France. A party of
thirteen can hire a professional quatorzieme, a
fourteenth person, from an agency. In some big
hospitals, there is no Operating Room 13, to
spare the patient added anxiety being wheeled
into Room 13.

13 is the ideal number of people in a coven.
It is believed that to left-handed people, 13
is their lucky number.

But why is number 13 given such a negative
implication? This dates back to many centuries,
and still holds today in the 21st century.

Perhaps the anticipation of the negativity of
number 13 makes it a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Why could it not be any number?

Ref: Number Power by Keith Ellis

Bonnie Moss writes to inspire and to motivate
her readers to explore the depths of their heart and
soul. She draws from personal experience and
her interest in the New Age which offers a variety
of tools to walk the path.

Visit her website => goldencupcafe.tripod.com goldencupcafe.tripod.com

As all forms of Omaha Poker become more popular these games are being offered by more and more online poker-rooms. Variations of the game available include Pot Limit Omaha, Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo, Omaha Tournaments and fixed limit variations of the same games. This article will look at some of the important factors which go into deciding which is the best site for Omaha Poker.

Choosing The Best Site for Omaha Poker Tip #1 – Game Selection and Traffic

Many sites offer several variations of Omaha Poker, however it is important to check whether the specific game and buy-in level is available to you. For example the pot limit Omaha high tables at your site may be full while the fixed limit Omaha hi-lo half-empty. Equally significant is the availability of your chosen game at the correct buy-in level. While the micro limits and mid limits are commonly available those players wishing to plat $5/$10 and above would need to stick with only the largest sites.

Choosing The Best Site for Omaha Poker Tip #2 – Software

Does your current poker site make it easy to find and join tables and to play? Not all online poker sites are equal when it comes to software, this includes how heavily the site uses your computer’s memory resources. To make your Omaha poker experience more enjoyable shop around until you find a site that you are comfortable with – not all poker software is equal!!

Choosing The Best Site for Omaha Poker Tip #3 – Bonuses

Generous sign-up bonuses, reload bonuses and incentives such as VIP clubs and freeroll tournaments help make your decision as to the best site for Omaha Poker. While some bonuses appear large they are so slow to clear that choosing a different poker-room could actually be more profitable.

Choosing The Best Site for Omaha Poker Tip #4 – Tournaments

As the popularity of Omaha poker grows so too do the number of tournaments available. Make sure that the site you choose hosts regular Omaha poker tournaments at a buy-in level that suits you. Factors to look out for include re-buy tournaments and guaranteed prize pool Omaha tournaments, many sites now offer Omaha sit-n-go tournaments too.. It can pay to research the size of the field, there is a large difference in the time required to play a 200 player Omaha tournament compared to one with just 50 players.

omahahustler.com/poker-site-reviews The best sites to play Omaha Poker

Do you sometimes wonder why certain materials are badly translated? One of these reasons why translation is difficult is a phenomenon known as polysemy: the many meanings that a single word can take.

For example, In English, the word plain can take on the following meanings:

ordinary / undecorated: a plain white shirt
easy / simple to understand: plain English
a level area of land: great plains

Due to polysemy, translating English into other languages is more complex than it seems. One will have to know which sense of the word is truly needed.

For example, there are over 20 ways to saying “to get” in French. This is because there are multiple meanings of “get” that are used in English, but the French must use a different word for each of those meanings. This concept isn’t that obvious, but this can give translators some trouble.

At basic levels of French, most are taught the verb obtenir (”to get”). But which sense of the word “get” is really used here? Obtenir is used when something is acquired (it looks like the English word obtain). A different word must be used if you want “get” to take on a different meaning.

In each of the following sentences “get” takes a different meaning:

I need to get some bread. (buy)
I get the idea. (understand)
We need to get home. (arrive)

This is just one word out of many which can cause translation difficulty. One must study the context carefully and do not try to translate word for word, or even worse, rely on an automated translator. Translation done by a machine can produce very awkward and often hilarious results which make no sense at all. Automatic translators are only useful for giving a brief overview (the gist of what is being said) of the main ideas being discussed. How will a machine translator know which sense of a word is being used, especially if that word has many homonyms? Looking at the context (or surrounding words) is somewhat useful, but it is not always fool-proof. Only a human being can determine what the best translation is.

More about the interesting aspects of language at The Linguistics Zone:

linguisticszone.blogspot.com linguisticszone.blogspot.com

Downbeating describes the technique whereby natural harmonics are used in tuning guitars. This is a very effective way to tune guitars that can be more accurate than just tuning by ear. It is also a great way of fine tuning once your have approximated tuning with standard techniques.

A prerequisite technique you must learn before you can use downbeating is hitting natural harmonics. Natural harmonics are produced by picking the string while lightly touching the string over the fret wire. You don’t need to push the string down against the fret wire. Natural harmonics sound like a ringing chimed tone. The easiest place to practice natural harmonics is the 12th fret, but you can produce a natural harmonic at nearly every fret. It is easier to hear them when your guitar is plugged into an amp and even easier when using the overdrive channel.

Once you have mastered hitting natural harmonics downbeating is quite simple. You can use this technique to tune every string except the B string (the 2nd string). The reason for this is because the interval between the G and B string is 4 half steps rather 5 half steps like all of the other strings.

Here’s how to do it. Start at the E and A string and work your way up. Simply hit the natural harmonic on the 5th fret on the lower string followed by the natural harmonic on the 7th fret of the higher string next to it. They should produce the exact same tone. For example, if you are tuning the E and A strings, hit the natural harmonic on the 5th fret of the E string followed by the natural harmonic on the 7th fret of the A string. You need to have both natural harmonic tones sounding together at the same time. If the strings are not in perfect tune together, what you will hear is the tone oscillate back and forth between the two strings. The faster the oscillation the further off tune the strings are. As you adjust the tuning peg you should hear the oscillation slow down until you only hear one non-oscillating tone. This is called downbeating. You may have to resound the harmonics a few times while you are adjusting the tuners. Once you hear only one non-oscillating tone the strings are in perfect tune with one another. Repeat the steps for all of the strings (except the B string) and you’ll find your guitar in perfect tune. This technique will work with any guitar acoustic or electric but is much easier to hear with an electric through the overdriven channel.

Try this proven technique, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy the sound of your guitar in perfect tune. Visit 2ndstringguitars.com 2ndstringguitars.com for the best value in new and used guitars, factory 2nds, and refurbished instruments at cheap guitar prices.

E. Lucktong

Cold are the massive ramparts of deep Hell
Demonic beasts stand waiting by their posts:
Agaliarept, the Henchman of the host
He, guards the unholy profound supreme:

Eternity waits—thine war-abyss eyes:
Here the cosmic demons pace and lye;
Underneath the oceans surface, and its tides,
Waiting to take control, of contending skies.

Down Hell’s corridors: flames sweep the deep
Blood hath wet, the devouring trodden walls:
Thunder, unbigoted, unresting, orbits—;
Immeasurable nights, fume the halls.

Here, ye— eternal gates (for fates) lift up
For humankinds, induce unnumbered tears
Here, ye—the mammoth disc, of the vast sun
Beams realms of blood-red dark tow’rs of death!

O dim bowls of fire, with faint unrest
Thine silence now rules the ghostly deep
Held by the pyres of the spectral past:
“Be patient,” says Satan; we’ll rule the weak!

Day shall soon befall this ungraceful abyss
Time shall unwind, darken dungeons: put off
And the legions of Hell, serve God’s will
The near doom of mankind: Hell’s spawning.

#1366 6/3/2006

Commentary: we as humans hold no truce with death, nor a peace treaty with hell, it is the calls of the unchosen, unworthily, the degrade of beauty that knocks at our front door, yes, they come up all the way up from hell’s corridors, to minister honey, to the divided hearts of earth, likened to a hungry bear. Reluctant we may be, but so are they.

See Dennis′ web site: dennissiluk.tripod.com dennissiluk.tripod.com

Aloha! Here are a few ideas for an enchanting, tropical island paradise. The natives are restless…start planning your exotic luau today. Wikiwiki! (Hawaiian for hurry!)

Welcome each guest with an “aloha” and a kiss on the cheek. Hand a lei to all guests, and a silk flower for the women to put in their hair.

Other nice touches are grass skirts to wear or as table decorations.

Think balmy and exotic! Bright and colorful is sure to set a tropical ambiance.

Palm fronds and palm trees should line the area. You can create grass huts out of grocery bags by cutting it into thin strips, and hanging on a card table.

Nylon fish nets and seashells are a great accent. You will want to make sure you have plenty of tropical flowers, whether fresh or silk.

Line the area with brightly colored fish and inflatable palm trees. The table decor can include tiki statues, as well as tiki torches for an evening ambiance.

Here are some ideas for enticing cuisine:

Spiced pork
Rice
Steamed vegetables
Barbeque foods
Fresh fruits- pineapple, strawberries, melons, papayas
Fresh vegetables
Crab salad
Roasted bananas
Macadamia nuts
Hawaiian sweet bread

The best drinks include Margaritas, Mai Tais, Pina Coladas, Bahama Mamas, and Frozen Daiquiris.

Get your cameras ready for limbo and hula dancing contests!

I hope this helps spark some fun ideas for your upcoming Hawaiian luau party. Aloha!

About The Author

Dee Schrock has put together hundreds of theme party tips and fun ideas for easy (and budget conscious!) party planning.

Visit her website

An online grassroots effort has been launched to petition ABC to bring Commander in Chief back from cancellation.

FreshDames website for female celebrities has launched a sister site for the main purpose of rallying people to petition ABC to bring back Commander in Chief.

Throughout the nation and in the far reaches of the world, television viewers were buzzing about the latest ABC drama hit show, Commander in Chief. For months leading up to the show’s debut, previews and teasers were being aired at all hours, literally daring viewers to try and stop from watching this ground-breaking show.

This wasn’t your run-of-the-mill hype for a new show either, with a lead cast of award-winning actresses and actors. Commander in Chief had all the makings for a great show with a gripping plot.

Nearly 90 years after women won the right to vote in the United States, now a women was about to become the leader of the free-world and lead the nation. And like any good show with a great cast led by a great leading actress (Geena Davis), there was a great actor (Donald Sutherland) to add conflict and even controversy.

From the opening moments, even the casual viewer was hooked. Davis’ character, U.S. Vice President Allen, is travelling abroad, acting more like an ambassador sent away to stay busy and out of sight, when she is informed the president has suffered a massive stroke, and she needs to return to Washington D.C. to assume the presidential role and authority.

Before she can even catch her breath, she is whisked away aboard Air Force One and begins to head for the nation’s capitol. En route, she gets a taste of what is to come - as military actions in an unrelated incident requires presidential oversight and authority for action.

Though respected in her capacity as V.P. there is an obvious reluctance to follow her lead and orders, with an underlying questioning of her every decision. Yet she holds her own, displays courage and conviction, and earns the respect befitting of a Commander in Chief. So sets up the stage for an awesome show with a phenomenal cast.

Commander in Chief almost immediately dominated the Tuesday night ratings and enjoyed an enormous market share.

It was only after ABC got greedy and moved the show to Thursday night, in our opinion to compete with CBS, did the show drop in viewers, ratings and market share.

Through their own actions, ABC sabotaged the show. Rather than admit the errors, please loyal viewers, and move the show back to its original time slot, ABC cancelled Commander in Chief. It should be noted that Commander in Chief was nominated for ten (10) Golden Globes and Geena Davis won for Best Actress in a Drama. Yet ABC still killed this quality television show.

Please voice your vote, sign the petition, and demand that ABC freshdames.net/petition/index.php bring back Commander in Chief.

When the Chinese heavenly god and the Chinese earth god decided to create Chinese Astrology and associate Chinese horoscope signs with animals of planet earth, they concluded that each Chinese horoscope sign would need a sort of a powerful material that would not only represent the sign itself, but it would also develop a strong connection, a spiritual relationship with individuals that belong to that sign.

So the great Chinese gods created and collected the twelve most valuable and powerful gem stones on planet earth. These where: Garnet, Aquamarine, Sapphire, Pearl, Amethyst, Opal, Topaz, Emerald, Peridot, Citrine, Diamond and Ruby. Then by studying the attributes of the gem stones they assigned each gem to a Chinese Horoscope sign. These gem stones would protect and bring luck to the possessor. Let’s talk about the attributes of the first six lucky Chinese horoscope gem stones and their association with Chinese Astrology and culture.

Lucky gem stone: Garnet
Associated Chinese Horoscope sign: Rat
Attributes: Garnet is mostly associated with love, loyalty, passion, mental health and women’s needs. Garnet usually comes in deep red colors, that is why Chinese like to call it “The Blood Stone”. It is a gem stone that is very hard, which makes it suitable for wearing or for decoration purposes. Chinese use Garnet to alternatively cure severe melancholy and depression. Little pieces of Garnet are traditionally given to Chinese pregnant women to help them with their pregnancy. It is also known to stabilize a woman’s menstrual cycles. A Chinese legend claims that if you tie a piece of Garnet in your front door it will protect your house against thieves.

Lucky gem stone: Aquamarine
Associated Chinese Horoscope sign: Ox
Attributes: Aquamarine is associated with peace, tranquility, physical health, women and the spirit of the goddess. Aquamarine has an one of a kind transparent blue color that will bring calmness and mental clarity. According to Chinese legends, aquamarine was created by the great Chinese god of the sea who had the form of a sea monster. Then it was given as a divine gift to the Chinese goddesses of the sea in order to charm them. It is very common for Chinese fisherman to carry a piece of aquamarine to invoke the goddesses to bring them luck and protect them when sailing. Traditional Chinese doctors use it to cure digestive problems by dropping aquamarine jewelry into glasses of water and of course removing them a few minutes later, after aquamarine has acted.

Lucky gem stone: Sapphire
Associated Chinese Horoscope sign: Tiger
Attributes: Sapphire is highly associated with guidance, and enlightenment, money, prosperity, peace of mind, leadership, inner strength and self confidence. Chinese use it to send away negative energy and wicked thoughts and bring amiability and fulfillment. Chinese legends claim that Sapphire will open your mind and show you the way to connect with your inner self and god. Sapphire is commonly used in China for concentration and visualization exercises because of its magnificent ability to inspire, and stabilize your mind. Sapphire is a gem stone associated with oracles, dreams and the art of seeing into the past and the future. Chinese call it “The Third Eye Stone″ and use it to cure physical eye-diseases or improve their vision.

Lucky gem stone: Pearl
Associated Chinese Horoscope sign: Rabbit
Attributes: The Pearl is associated with purity and purification, innocence and the feminine side of people. In Chinese culture the pearl is really powerful and is considered to be “The Tear From Heaven” or “The Tear of God”. A Pearl is given to young, unmarried Chinese women to help them find their soul mate. It is a gift that Chinese fathers love to give to their young daughters when they reach adolescence to guard their purity. It is also common among wealthy Chinese to drink alcohol with dissolved pearls to cure all kinds of disease and illness. The Pearl is also used as strength and energy booster.

Lucky gem stone: Amethyst
Associated Chinese horoscope sign: Dragon
Attributes: Amethyst is associated with strong intuition, the brain, wealth, peace, protection and spirituality. Chinese use it for many purposes. For example it is common to wear amethyst jewelry if you are about to drink a lot. Amethyst will protect you from drunkenness and will keep you sober. It is also used in many parts of China, against all kinds of addictions like smoking, alcohol or drugs. This magical purple gem stone is also used for spiritual purposes like meditation or divination. Chinese believe that Amethyst will increase your psychic powers and your invocation skills. Many Chinese Mediums and Astrologers (including me) always carry a piece of Amethyst with them as a divination tool. Last but not least, Amethyst is used in China as a natural medicine against insomnia and bad dreams.

Lucky gem stone: Opal
Associated Chinese horoscope sign: Snake
Attributes: Opal is associated with guidance, luck, honor, potency, visions, dreams and mind power. In many western cultures Opal is considered as a bad stone. Chinese though, believe that Opal will bring tremendous luck and abundance to those people who’s lucky gem stone is Opal. It is a strange and highly mystical gem stone with strong occult powers. Chinese legends refer to Opal as “The Invisibility Stone”. It is also used to receive advice from the spirits through dreams. Chinese put it under their pillows to protect them when they enter the dream world during sleep. Chinese Mediums use it for spiritual journeys and to provide guidance. Opals can change their colors from dark to bright according to the mood of the possessor or to give a message to the holder.

Ewyen Minh is an eccentric Chinese Astrologer with over 30 years of experience in divination and the Chinese Zodiac system. Learn more about the twelve chineseastrologer.org/lucky_chinese_horoscope_gem_stones.php Lucky Chinese Horoscope Gem Stones or visit Ewyen’s website about chineseastrologer.org Chinese Astrology and chineseastrologer.org Chinese Horoscope to find free information about your Chinese sign and discover a way to communicate with your soul and fulfill your destiny.

If you watch poker tournaments on television or have visited casinos you’ll see that poker chips come in many different colors. It can sometimes be confusing because it’s hard to keep up with how much a particular chip may be worth. This is due to the fact that each casino has its poker chips specifically designed and manufactured. A casino will put its unique logo on a chip so it won’t be confused with one from another casino. The chips are also designed to be difficult to forge.

You won’t see any plastic poker chips at casinos, they all use clay chips. Actually these chips are no longer made of clay because the clay chips wear out too quickly. Instead they are made of composite ceramic, but the name has stuck. At most casinos the smallest denomination of poker chips $5.00 although some casinos will have $1.00 chips. Don’t get these chips confused with others such as those used at the roulette table, which often have no logo and come in smaller denominations.

If you’re in the market for poker chips you have a lot of different manufacturers to choose from. You can order clay chips to your specifications or you can order the less expensive plastic chips. The plastic chips are the ones most frequently used for neighborhood poker games. A standard set of plastic chips comes in three to five colors. A set of three includes white, red, and blue with the white chip being worth $1.00, the red $5.00, and the blue $10.00. If green and black chips are added their values are $20.00 and $100.00 respectively. So enjoy a good poker game soon.

Professional SEO. He helps a number of online gambling sites like:

platinumpoker.com/ Internet Poker
doylesroom.com/ Poker
doylespokerroom.com/ Poker Room

The most important thing to do when learning any subject, is to first clear up any misunderstandings regarding the nomenclature related to it. In fact, no matter what you’re studying, or even just reading, the moment you go past a word that you don’t understand, look it up in the dictionary.

A good example of this is the first sentence of this article. If you didn’t know what nomenclature meant, you would instantly have been confused, and your attention would be stuck there. From that point on, you’re looking at the words, but they’re just not sinking in. By the way, nomenclature means: A group of words related specifically to a particular topic, for example: Transistor is a word related specifically to the topic electronics.

When learning how to play the guitar, first get to understand what the different parts of the guitar are, as they relate to the specific lesson you are learning. People have a tendency (I’m generalizing here) to skim through things they’re reading, just to get to the meaty bits, or the part they’re interested in, so the first thing I would say is get a full grasp of the subject at hand, and clear up any misunderstood words. Once it’s in, it stays in.

Just to illustrate my point: When I was in my matric year, I decided to try something different, and actually learn for my final exams. I read the introduction to my geography textbook. The title was “What is geography?” I read it all the way through, but by the end of it, I still didn’t know what geography was, so I quit studying. If I′d taken the time to look up all the words I didn’t understand, I might have carried on with it.

I got a G for Geography. Appropriate innit?

Practice, practice, practice
Repetition is equal to certainty. This is where the machine comes in. By doing the same thing over and over again you are accomplishing two tasks.

1.) You are gaining the dexterity to do the same thing again with ease and
2.) You are hardwiring your brain so that the same thing can be done again without even thinking about it too much.

A good example of this is typing. When I first started using the computer, typing was very slow, now I manage to get it done a lot faster. When you see that guitarist or violinist on stage playing those amazing solo’s with such ease and dexterity, it’s all just “Pactice, practice, practice.”
There is a story about a keyboardist who was late for a Chick Corea concert, and as a result of being late, was refused entrance. His words as he turned around to leave the building where “Oh well, He practiced and I didn’t”.

You are the machine, and so much more
I would like to tell you that there’s any easier way to play the guitar, or aquire a new skill, but unfortunately it’s work. Unlike typing, or bricklaying or some such other task, Learning to play a musical instrument is far more rewarding, and the really great thing about it, is that you’re not just creating a machine, you’re creating a vehicle of musical expression that’ll stay with you for the rest of your life.

Your instrument will be one of your closest friends, and playing it, as natural to you as breathing.

To learn how to play guitar, visit my