Channing Tatum has a lot to celebrate when he turns 29 next Sunday. He’s engaged to Jenna Dewan, his pretty co-star from the dance movie “Step Up,” and Friday’s release of “Fighting” kicks off a streak of films the chiseled actor is in this year.

In “Fighting,” he stars as a bootlegger who begins street-fighting for large amounts of cash when a sweet-natured con man (Terrence Howard) brings him in.

In the July release of “Public Enemies,” Tatum takes on the role of gangster Pretty Boy Floyd. And he’ll again make good use of his combat skills as the lead soldier, Duke, in “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra,” hitting theaters in August

In the July release of “Public Enemies,” Tatum takes on the role of gangster Pretty Boy Floyd. And he’ll again make good use of his combat skills as the lead soldier, Duke, in “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra,” hitting theaters in August.

You practiced martial arts as a kid. Did that help you with “Fighting” at all?

Yeah, I did Shaolin Goh Chor Kung Fu when I was really young, but that is nothing like street-fighting. It probably helped, but the stuff that I got to learn for the ­movie was a lot different, a different style.

Did the battle scenes go smoothly?

No, I actually busted up my nose on the movie during the first fight, the Russian fight. And they had to mash it back into place with cold spoons. It was pretty nuts. They put two spoons in an ice bucket and then they just mashed my nose back into place and just kept squeezing it. That was on set, because we had to keep shooting.
In real life, are you the type to walk away from a fight or have you been in some scuffles?

I’m the type to walk away. I’ve been in my fair share of scrapes. But I’m not a tough guy.

Is there something that’s likely to set you off?

If you mess with my family and friends, that’ll get me fighting quicker. If you just insult me, I’m just going to walk away. That’s not something to fight for. I’m like, “Great, call me whatever.” I’ve even been punched in a fight and just been, “­All right, cool.” It’s just not worth it. Unless I ­really feel in danger, or you’re endangering somebody that I love, I’m just not going to fight.

In one of the first scenes, your character hawks bootleg books on a Manhattan street, surrounded by the madness that goes on New York City. Coming from the South, was it weird the first time you came here?

I grew up in Alabama and in Florida and Mississippi, and they’re more suburban towns. I had lived in Miami and someone got me into modeling there, and that took me all around the world and it ­landed me in New York for 2½ years. I remember when I first moved to New York (about five years ago) — it was huge. The place is bigger than life.

You and Terrence Howard have really good chemistry in the film. Had you ever worked with him before?

I haven’t. But I met him once in Sundance, and it was one of the coolest experiences of my entire life. I remember it like it was yesterday. He looked at me and he recognized me from “A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints.” He said, “I got to let you know you did an incredible job in the movie.”

What was that like for you?

It just melted me, because I had been watching him before I was even acting. That was one of the brightest days of my life for sure. It just blew my mind.

You’re playing the sergeant, Duke, in “G.I. Joe.” Did you own the action figures as a kid?

Yeah, I watched the cartoon first and then I got all the action figures after that. I had Duke and Snake Eyes, Ripcord, Roadblock, all of them, The Baroness, Scarlett, Breaker. The cartoon came on right before or after “Thundercats,” and I loved it. It was one of my favorite cartoons ever.

Will the action figures be rereleased in the images of the actors playing them?

They actually are making a doll that looks like me. It’s the weirdest thing you could ever imagine. I don’t even know how to explain it. I haven’t seen a finished version, but I’ve seen the little mold of my head.

Is it true that you read scripts in the bath?

Yeah, it’s like one of my favorite places to read because it’s just quiet and there’s not a TV or phone ringing, or dogs or friends calling.

[Source]

Yoga has been proven to relieve stress by using exercises that unify the mind, body, and spirit. If you are new to yoga, these seven tips will start you on the road to a more centered life.

1. Talk to your doctor and explain what type of yoga poses you intend to practice. Show your doctor pictures of the poses for illustration. Your doctor may rule out specific poses if you have high blood pressure, glaucoma, a history of retinal detachment, or heart disease. Make sure you follow your doctor’s recommendations.
2. Find a yoga class that best fits your abilities. Talk to prospective teachers, and decide whether of not you can handle a program before you sign up. It’s very important to take it one step at a time. Try a few beginner classes before you attempt more vigerous classes. Don’t move ahead too quickly. Allow your body to adjust to your exercises.

3. Listen to your body and be aware of your physical abilities. You don't want to hurt yourself. Make sure the instructor understands your level of experience and any limitations you may have. Don’t allow anyone to push you ahead too quickly. Remember, this is supposed to be fun and relaxing.

4. If you can’t find a class that meets your needs, you can always practice yoga at home. There are many books, programs, and tapes available to help you get started. Search for the best products on the Internet and read reviews. Talk to others for recommenations.

5. Why not try private lessons? You can book some one-on-one sessions with a teacher in your area. Most yoga instructors offer private classes or can help you design your own program. This is a good way to get started. You can always take group lessons or practice at home after you’ve had private lessons and learned the basics.

6. Find a yoga buddy. It’s nice to practice with someone and it will help reduce injuries. It’s also a great way to keep up your enthusiasm and interest.

7. Eat lightly before practice. Wait at least two hours after meals before yoga class or practice. An empty stomach is best, but don’t let yourself get too hungry to think. You won't be able to focus on the poses or enjoy yourself during the relaxation or meditation exercises.

Now it's time to grab your mat and a towel and get the most out of your yoga exercises.

Some of the reasons people use time management can be counter productive to achieving sustainable change that delivers consistent results.

Part of the problem is that the phrase can be misleading. Here's why:

Time doesn't need managing. It's YOU that needs managing!

The problem is that you are diverting attention from resolving underlying problems permanently that would create lasting solutions that would then no longer require managing.

The problem with time management strategies is that they are often used inappropriately - and that is what concerns me. What we are often doing is using time management to manage ineffective behavior patterns and bad habits instead of using them for improving productiveness and effectiveness. An important distinction.

So instead, I chose to focus on, what I call, self management.

Focusing on self management is about finding lasting changes to ineffective behavior patterns and bad habits. Whereas time management often is about managing these problems. Self management deals with real change that delivers tangible results. Hence my preference for focusing on self management, not time management. You are going to dramatically increase your effectiveness if your remove problem areas totally rather than putting things in place to manage them.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am not suggesting you throw out the current methods you use to get things done or that time management tools don't have a place. What I am suggesting is this......

Focusing on self management is more likely to give real solutions, lasting change and effective habits that naturally produce results.

A good starting point is to look at the mindset you go into when something comes up that you feel falls into a "time management" issue.

If every time a bad habit or behavior pattern surfaces your immediate mindset is to put a time management technique or tool in place to manage it, you are going to be forever in managing issues mode, not creating lasting solutions mode.

The key is to create a mindset that looks inside yourself to the source and solution first and techniques to manage issues second.

A good rule to follow with this sort of thing is to remember to always look inside before you look outside!

The key to real change always starts on the inside, with you and your mindset.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ali_Davies

One of the best ways to put more balance in your life is to get rid of clutter. I sincerely believe that a cluttered house or office just creates disorder in your mind, not to mention the guilt you feel about how you should be spending your time straightening up instead of doing what you really want.

Start first with the mail you bring in as you come home at night. Spend a moment right in front of the trash can or recycle bin and sort it. Junk mail should be dumped right then. Pile all magazines in the same place, newest ones on the bottom. This way, when you have time to read them, you are looking at the oldest issue first.

Bills are next- who wants them staring at you in the hallway every time you come home? Open them up immediately, check the due date, and file them in some type of organizer that will remind you to pay them. Check this file weekly and pay them based on when you get paid. This way, you won’t pay them late and you won’t spend your hard-earned money on late fees.

If you spend just five minutes a day going through your mail, this will be one less chore that needs to be done on the weekend.

Nutrition affects not only the condition of our bodies, but also, and perhaps more importantly, our minds. The food we eat keeps our bodies in good shape and working efficiently. It provides energy, strengthens our immune system and improves our minds. Although many people shun fat and meat, it has been established that they are of great importance to the brain; and this fact must be carefully considered.

There are still many misconceptions about nutrition, e.g., vitamins help to lose weight; enzymes burn fat; weight gain is due to fatty foods, so diet foods are the solution; obesity is connected only to food, and so on. Instead of relying on oversimplified generalizations, it is important to devise a moderate diet from all food groups, including proteins and animal products, because they remove toxins from the intestines and supply the body with natural vitamins and minerals. It is good to eat in small amounts, but often - perhaps four to five times a day - since this way of eating reduces the chance of plaque production in the blood and prevents it from storing it in the internal organs and arteries. It is established that most physical ailments, especially the leading cause of death - the heart attack - are caused by improper nutrition.

One of the first dietitians, William Banting, wrote as long ago as the mid-19th century, “among all maladies which concern the human race, I know none nor can I imagine anything worse than obesity.” According to Dutch medical specialists, people who gain a significant amount of weight after the age of 35-40, shorten their lives by approximately seven years. Also, “if a 40-year old woman smokes and is overweight, she will live, on average, 13.3 years less than a non-smoking woman of standard weight.” When we speak of proper nutrition, it is imperative that we associate it with long life. Quality of life in old age is not about turning back the clock to maintain an artificial extension or replay of youth, but rather, to increase longevity and make life healthier, happier and more fulfilling within the limitations of age. It is no coincidence that the Japanese boast the best nutrition among their population, and their average lifespan is 82.5 years for women and 76.2 years for men.

Suitable combinations of carbohydrates, proteins and fat directly affect brain activity, and consequently, influence our intellectual abilities. Carbohydrates feed the brain, proteins slow down the carbohydrate absorption rate, and fat aids in the production of the hormones that make us happy and also assists in balancing the nutritive chemicals in the blood stream. In addition to the main food categories, trace amounts of specific elements and minerals can have a profound influence on health. For example, the selenium contained in dairy products alleviates stress and is a very good defense against aging. Is it possible to become happier through proper nutrition? Most definitely the answer is “Yes!” The human brain is composed of and maintained by a certain number of building blocks, supplied through nutrition. The brain requires fat, amino acids and proteins to sustain its solid structure. When these substances are missing or insufficient, the brain loses functional efficiency, which in turn causes accelerated aging.

Do not avoid fat altogether for fear it may clog arteries. On the contrary, certain fats, such as those found in olive or sunflower oil, cod-liver oil, almonds, peanuts and walnuts are valuable and essential. It is these fats that structure the nerve cells in the brain. The limiting of fat should be closely monitored, so that it does not damage brain function.

Proteins are also of significant importance. Enzymes, which allow cells to receive messages, and some neuro-meridians, are actually proteins in different proportions composed of amino acids in the food. The conclusion is that the brain needs proteins to stimulate proper activity. Meat, eggs and dairy products supply the required animal proteins to the human body. It has been proven that a lack of Vitamin B-9 is the chief contributor to memory loss during the aging process, and that the liver supports and strengthens the memory. Vitamin B-9 is contained in whole grains, egg yolks, beans, walnuts and spinach. If we add Vitamins B-6 and B-12, contained in fish and meat, we create a healthy blend that guarantees us optimum memory strength. The ancient Roman physician Galen recommended walnuts for stimulating brain activity. His suggestion was based on the ancient theory that body organs should be treated with foods that resemble them, and the walnut, with its convoluted surface, does indeed resemble the folds of the human brain. Although that superficial theory is obviously superceded by the biochemistry of metabolism, modern medicine confirms that walnuts stimulate intellectual ability, help prevent tumors and heart disease, and lower bad cholesterol. That’s why it is important to consume no less than one ounce of walnuts per day, at least three times a week. Vitamin E, which is just one valuable constituent of olives, walnuts as well as other foods, protects the biological membranes from aging.

Broccoli, peppers, cabbage, lemons, oranges and other products containing Vitamin C have a direct influence on the blood circulation in the brain. And in order to prevent the reduction of red blood cells, which supply oxygen to the brain, we need to include iron-rich foods in our diet. Dr. Jill Halterman’s research at the University of Rochester demonstrated that students with low amounts of iron in their blood scored lower on tests. Additional research showed lower IQ scores among young, vegetarian girls, in contrast with girls of the same age who enjoyed a balanced diet.

The bread/pasta food group, particularly whole-grain and multi-grain, is perfect fuel for the brain, and the lack of rice, lentil and glucose causes hypoglycemia and dulls brain function. Carbohydrates are the best energy source for our body, since they digest slowly, are absorbed into our system in small amounts, and feed the brain longer.

We’ve all been taught since grade school that water is of extreme importance to the human body; we may be able to live without food for two to three weeks, but no more than three days without water. Indeed, water represents 70 percent of a human’s body mass. Every one of us loses around half a gallon of water daily, an amount that needs to be replenished. Some of the water we receive through the food we eat, but the majority simply has to be drunk. If this does not happen, the result is dehydration and cellulite, including aging. Besides pure, uncontaminated water, fruit juices and teas are not only useful, but necessary as well. According to Russian scientist Vladimir Volkov, “the decrease of water in the body blocks the bio-filters and causes different pathologies and subsequently aging.” We cannot disagree with the fact that rational and proper nutrition will improve our health, make us more joyful, smarter and prettier, extend our lifespan, and ultimately, stimulate our inner being and help us achieve absolute happiness.

A Tesla coil is an electrical device based on a type of resonant transformer circuit invented by Nikola Tesla around 1891.It is used to produce high voltage, low current, high frequency alternating current electricity.

Tesla coils produce higher current than the other source of high voltage discharges, electrostatic machines. Tesla experimented with a number of different configurations and they consist of two, or sometimes three, coupled resonant electric circuits.

Tesla used these coils to conduct innovative experiments in electrical lighting, phosphorescence, x-ray generation, high frequency alternating current phenomena, electrotherapy, and the transmission of electrical energy without wires. Tesla coil circuits were used commercially in sparkgap radio transmitters for wireless telegraphy until the 1920s and in pseudomedical equipment such as electrotherapy and violet ray devices. Today their main use is for entertainment and educational displays.

The theory

A Tesla coil transformer operates in a significantly different fashion from a conventional (i.e., iron core) transformer. In a conventional transformer, the windings are very tightly coupled and voltage gain is determined by the ratio of the numbers of turns in the windings. This works well at normal voltages but, at high voltages, the insulation between the two sets of windings is easily broken down and this prevents iron cored transformers from running at extremely high voltages without damage.

With Tesla coils, unlike a conventional transformer (which may couple 97%+ of the fields between windings) a Tesla coil's windings are "loosely" coupled, with a large air gap, and thus the primary and secondary typically share only 10–20% of their respective magnetic fields. Instead of a tight coupling, the coil transfers energy (via loose coupling) from one oscillating resonant circuit (the primary) to the other (the secondary) over a number of RF cycles.

As the primary energy transfers to the secondary, the secondary's output voltage increases until all of the available primary energy has been transferred to the secondary (less losses). Even with significant spark gap losses, a well designed Tesla coil can transfer over 85% of the energy initially stored in the primary capacitor to the secondary circuit. The voltage achievable from a Tesla coil can be significantly greater than a conventional transformer, because the secondary winding is a long single layer solenoid widely separated from the surroundings and therefore well insulated, Also, the voltage per turn in any coil is higher because the rate of change of magnetic flux is high at high frequencies.

With the loose coupling the voltage gain is instead proportional to the square root of the ratio of secondary and primary inductances. Because the secondary winding is wound to be resonant at the same frequency as the primary, this voltage gain is also proportional to the square root of the ratio of the primary capacitor to the stray capacitance of the secondary.

High gas prices, wedding presents, graduation parties, July 4th picnics, activities, vacations. Who has the time or money to organize? YOU DO! Organizing does not have to take forever or cost money. Don’t believe me? Keep reading.

How much time do you have to organize? A half a day or whole day or a week would be great, but most of us are not that lucky. If you want to get organized as quickly as possible, it is worth setting aside a large chunk of time to achieve that stress relief. To get twice as much done in the same amount of time, enlist a friend, family member, or professional organizer (bonus: experience, ideas, answers). If that much time is not a possibility (at least at the moment), then utilize pockets of time. Do you watch TV, watch commercials, ride the bus, wait at the doctor’s office, take car trips, wash the laundry, arrive early for meetings, lie awake at night, etc.? If so, take a reading file with you, sort a drawer, go through your magazines and catalogs, clean out the refrigerator, go through your CDs or videos, sift through your closet, clean off a shelf, go through a pile, empty a box, go through your shoes or purses, sort your computer or email files, pick out your favorite recipes in a cookbook, sort some of your pictures or compile one album, go through a file, or find something else small to organize that is quick and will give you a sense of accomplishment.

Not enough money for a custom closet system, garage system, pantry, etc.? Go shopping, in your house. Do you have wood scraps from previous projects? Use three pieces to create a free-standing shelf to better utilize wasted shelf space. Are your hair accessories a jumble? Use a ribbon, old belt, or something similar that hangs to clip your barrettes and keep them separated. You can even use an extra hanger to separate ribbons. Do you have random screw and nails? They make great hooks for light weight items. Are there empty baskets, containers, or shoe boxes? These can function as low-cost pull-out drawers. Would you like to find something in the junk drawer? Create drawer dividers with card board, wood, empty plastic containers, check boxes, etc. .

If I missed the area that is frustrating you the most, email or call for some creative ideas. If you would like quick, easy organizing solutions, let us help you. Consultations are always free. If you want your organizing finished yesterday, contact us for an extra set of hands, focus, and a wealth of ideas and solutions. For your free consultation, questions, comments, speaking and training needs, tips, or gift certificates.