March 6, 2010

10 (almost) Free Travel Deals

While you’re unlikely to get an all-expenses-paid trip unless you win a game show, you can still get portions your trip for free if you book certain promotions or take advantage of some alternative modes of travel. Here are my picks for top limited-time and long-term “free” travel deals worth checking out.

1. Kids Fly Free to French Polynesia

Never considered French Polynesia for family vacation? Maybe Air Tahiti Nui’s kids-fly-free deal will persuade you. When you book two adult Air Tahiti Nui fares from Los Angeles to French Polynesia from January 12 to May 31, 2009, you’ll get two free fares for kids ages 11 or younger. The deal is valid for flights to Papeete, Moorea, Huahine, Raiatea, Bora Bora, Rangiroa, Manihi, Tikehau, and Fakarava. Adult fares start at $1,428, including all taxes. You’ll still be responsible for paying taxes on the free children’s fares.

2. Organize a Group Tour, Travel for Free

If you organize a group of people to book a package tour together, many tour companies will allow you, the group leader, to travel for free. You can choose to accept the freebie or spread some savings out to everyone in your group. Either way, it’s a good deal. Each tour operator’s group tour policy varies a bit, but most require you to put together a group with at least 10 paying individuals before you’ll get a free spot.

For example, Grand Circle Tours, a company that runs trips geared towards mature travelers on six continents, lets a group leader travel for free with 10 paid travelers on river cruises or 16 paid travelers on land tours. Go Ahead Tours, a similar operator, gives two free spots for every group of 12 or more paying guests. Be sure to ask your tour company if they offer similar deals.

3. Pay for Three Nights, Get Seven at Club Med

Club Med’s recurring “Seven-Day Weekend” package is back, promising seven nights for the price of three at eight of its all-inclusive resorts. The deal is valid at family-friendly Club Meds in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; Cancun and Ixtapa, Mexico; Sandpiper, Fla.; Caravelle, Guadeloupe; and Buccaneer’s Creek, Martinique; as well as adult-only Clubs Meds on Columbus Isle, Bahamas, and on Turks and Caicos. You must book by December 15 and travel by February 13 to take advantage of the promotion. Seven-Day Weekend prices range from $793 per person (normally $1,190) at the Sandpiper, Florida Club Med to $1,065 per person (normally $1,610) at the Buccaneer’s Creek, Martinque Club Med.

4. Free Weekend Rental Days From Hertz

Hertz knows the only the thing better than a weekend away is a three-day weekend away. The company makes it easier for renters to take longer weekend trips by offering the first day free when you rent a car for three or more weekend days, including a Saturday overnight. The deal applies to economy- through premium-class cars rented through March 31, 2009, in the U.S. and Canada, excluding Hawaii

5. Kids-Fly-and-Ski-Free Packages

For the past several winters, United and American Airlines have partnered with popular Western ski resorts to offer kids-fly-and-ski-free vacation packages. Generally, these promotions allow children 12 and under to fly and ski for free when an adult pays for an air-hotel-ski package at a participating resort. While not all fly-and-ski-free promotions have been announced yet for the 2008-2009 ski season, Steamboat Ski Resort in Colorado is already advertising its package, which requires a two-night minimum stay at a ResortQuest Steamboat vacation rental. Valid travel dates and blackout periods apply. Be sure to check the American Vacations and United Vacations websites in the days to come to see if other resorts join the promotion.

6. Swap Homes, Stay Free

Why not swap your apartment in New York for a cottage in the English countryside? Or maybe my Utah ski condo for your second home in Costa Rica?

By participating in a home exchange, you can get free use of another person’s house if you’re willing to let them stay in yours. It’s a common practice for a certain segment of travelers who prefer staying in vacation homes over hotels and are a bit flexible with where and when they travel. Essentially, two home owners in different places agree to switch places for vacation, using one another’s homes for no charge. Home exchange websites make it easy to find and make arrangements with other home owners, with the website usually charging a membership fee in order for you to make contact with potential exchange partners. HomeExchange.com is one of the largest of such sites, including more than 24,000 listings in destinations across the globe. A one-year membership costs $100.

7. Free Universal Orlando Theme Park Passes

This coming fall and winter, Universal Orlando is giving kids ages 3 to 9 free Unlimited Admission theme park passes when parents book four or more nights at a participating hotel and buy adult Unlimited Admission tickets. Unlimited Admission passes grant the holder seven days of access to both Universal parks, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. Passes cost $95 each for both kids and adults, so the free child’s ticket is a big savings.

To get the free passes, you must book a stay of four or more nights at one of six local hotels, including the onsite Loews Royal Pacific Resort. Valid travel dates and blackout periods vary by hotel, but all require bookings to be made by the end of December.

8. Free Airfare for Crystal Cruises Panama Canal Sailings

When you book one of three Crystal Cruises’ Panama Canal sailings, you’ll receive free airfare between Los Angeles and Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, or Palm Beach, Fla. The cruises, which range from 14 to 16 days, sail between Miami and Los Angeles, so Crystal is essentially promising a free flight home from the final port. Departures include January 6, February 16, and May 7, 2009. Cruise fares start at $3,595 per person, not including taxes and fees.

9. Skip the Hostel, Couch Surf for Free

For young budget travelers, sometimes hostels just aren’t cheap enough. In that case, why not crash for free with one of the nearly 800,000 members of the Couch Surfing Project, a worldwide network that helps travelers link up with hosts offering free accommodations. The mission of the network is to promote cultural exchange through free hosted overnight stays. Travelers can find and request stays with potential hosts on the CouchSurfing website. Hosts offer a free place to sleep and oftentimes show guests around or share advice on places to visit nearby. As a member, you can request places to stay and host guests as you please. The site has some checks in place to help ensure the safety and trustworthiness of hosts and surfers.

10. Free Meals and Attractions for Kids in Hawaii

Families staying at ResortQuest Hawaii hotels can take advantage of free meals and free attractions admissions for kids year round. There are 26 participating hotels and condo resorts located on Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island.

Upon checking into a ResortQuest property, children ages 12 and under receive a special ID card good for the length of your stay. With the ID, kids get free meals and admissions at dozens of island restaurants and attractions when accompanied by a paying adult. For example, on Oahu, kids get in free to the Polynesian Cultural Center and Honolulu Zoo with an adult admission. On Maui, children eat free with the purchase of an adult entree at the Kobe Japanese Steakhouse and the Beach Club Restaurant.

104inc

104Inc.com
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/10-almost-free-travel-deals-681415.html

Chain Reaction

After researching much of the information regarding the Informant system, I believe this is at the heart of much of the corruption that we are seeing in our society. In our justice systems and in our communities. I believe this system is enslaving large portions of society. I also believe that there are many of us that were and are blissfully unaware of what is happening and will remain so until it is too late.

There is a chain reaction that is happening in society that if left unchecked has the potential to infect and destroy the very core of society that we have all known and depended on. That is of course the snitching infection. I call it that, because there is no other way to describe some of the events that I have read about while doing research into the Informant system.

While researching this phenomenon I have come across people who one minute seemed like average decent persons, and the next minute after being caught up in the Snitching/Informant system were willing to sell their very mothers down the drain to keep themselves free. This is not going to be the case for every Informant, but it’s the case with too many that are a part of this system.

Once let loose back into society many will continue with a life of crime. others will continue with what I call the game.

The Game

The game is one of set up’s and betrayal where the Informant will try to set someone up for a fall. They will choose a target and the unsuspecting target will get caught up in a scheme of some kind, eventually be arrested, they do not necessarily have to have committed a crime, and then the informant will testify against the person they entrapped, or other informants will. Once this new person is caught up in the game, should they be turned informant then the cycle continues once again.

I don’t know how many Informants are a part of this game that is ongoing in society, but I suspect that the many are, and all of them once they decide to become informants are owned by the system, and their handlers. That means anytime the government wants or needs a favor guess who they will call upon? Do you begin to see the makings of a corrupt society? Remember they can call upon these informants years later after these informants have been let loose. Many of these Informants will also go onto have careers, and even become contributing members of society, but they are still owned by the state. A lot of these Informant deals are kept off the records, meaning that the person is owned by a handler, but there might not be an official record of it, but when that handler needs a favor, that Informant will be called upon, and will risk exposure if they do not comply.

[quote]For example, unlike a classic plea bargain, informant deals lack finality because an informant’s obligations are ongoing. Written co-operation agreements often extend a defendant’s obligations into perpetuity, while informal, unwritten agreements last as long as the police or prosecutor wishes to use that informant.[/quote]

To understand how the game works, we will review three case studies. These are just a few of the many that I came across when reading the stories on the wall. It’s a continued pattern of set up on unsuspecting pigeons, and hardened Informants who will do what they need to do to stay out of jail.

http://www.november.org/thewall/wall/wall.html

Before we review the case studies I am going to again remind you of some statistics.

http://www.aclu.org/images/asset_upload_file744_30623.pdf

[quote] as many as fifty percent of African American males in some cities – are in contact with the criminal justice system and therefore potentially under pressure to snitch. By relying heavily on snitching, particularly in drug-related cases, law enforcement officials create large numbers of informants who remain at large in the community, engaging in criminal activities while under pressure to provide information about others. These snitches are a communal liability: they increase crime and threaten social organization, interpersonal relationships, and socio-legal norms in their home communities, even as they are tolerated or under-punished by law enforcement because they are useful.[/quote]

[quote]The uncoordinated, widespread use of informants in the United States by thousands of different police departments and various federal agencies does not of course, amount to the focused, purposeful political mission of the Stasi. But if anywhere near eight percent of the male population in inner city communities is snitching, that figure meets or surpasses Stasi level of between one and ten percent of the total population as informers.[/quote]

http://november.org/stayinfo/breaking08/HoffmanCase.html

[quote]If things had gone according to plan, you never would have heard of 23-year-old Rachel Hoffman. She would have just been another confidential informant, one of more than an estimated 100,000 in the United States who work with police to send someone else to jail.[/quote]

These figures do not include people who are informers via work, school, or community group programs. When we take into consideration numbers such as that, we are looking at an epidemic that is worst than what happened in East Germany. Keep in mind that in addition to all this, there will also be 800,000 Terrorism Liaison Officers added to the Informant population in the United States. These figures should wake up America and other cities to the dangers of what is happening in various societies.

The Game

To understand the game you might want to picture it in the sense of how a disease spreads, you start with on carrier and that person infects one person right after another. Some of those carriers will go on to infect others. Some will be dormant and not infect anyone. You might also want to think of the movie lifeforce, where one has the constant need to feed on one person after another, then those victims need to feed on others. You can have a very sick and infested city in a short space of time if such an infection goes unchecked.

The game is one of the Informant being placed primarily back in society, but this could also happen in jail, where an informant via lies, deceit, entrapment or some other methods set’s up another person to take a fall. That person then come in contact with the criminal justice system, they can then choose to become informants themselves, or refusing to do so, will spend lengthy spaces of time in prison. This game is primarily enacted via drugs, but that’s not the extent of it. Shoplifting is another example. I see this used with the teenaged informants, setting up their friends to steal from the stores, so that they in turn can become snitches.

Theft, drugs, stolen cars, any crime that someone can make a deal with police to become informants, they can be released back into society and are a danger to the rest of society. This is not to say that all Informants are horrible people, many just did not want to be in jail, some others are a true danger to society, nearly all are under pressure by the government to produce other Informants, and that obligation is never ending, some are allowed to lay dormant, till they can be of use.

http://november.org/stayinfo/breaking08/FL-Hoffman6.html

[quote]In Hoffman’s case, it was the work of another informer that led to her own work for the police.

On April 15, an informer told Tallahassee police that Hoffman had sold marijuana in the past but hadn’t done so recently, according to police records.

At the time, Hoffman, 23, was in a pretrial drug diversion program because of charges of possession of marijuana and resisting arrest in February 2007. To stay in the program, she had to stay out of trouble.

Two days after police got the informer’s tip, a Tallahassee police officer stopped Hoffman as she was getting into her car
[/quote]

http://www.mapinc.org/images/Hoffman.jpg

Rachael Hoffman then went on to become an Informant. She first tried to set up a close friend and when that failed, the close friend helped her find the dealers who she tried to buy drugs from on behalf of the police. The sting went wrong and she was killed. Had this gone successfully, those drug dealers if they agreed to become informants might have been released back into society as Informants and the cycle would have continued. It’s a frightening cycle that has become more widespread than can be imagined.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/snitch/

Case number 2.

Joey Settembrino was a young 18 year old, just about to go off to college.

He was set up by an Informant. The Informant was a close friend of his. He use to spend his weekends at the Informants house.

[quote]He was a very good friend. I had known the guy for many years. We had gone out every weekend, fishing on his boat, hydrosliding, skiing. I was very shocked; it was very unexpected. It’s not something you expect from friends.[/quote]

In an Informants society, it’s what you expect from just about everyone and it makes people suspicious and closed off. This is what happened in East Germany once the population became aware of what was happening. In America many Americans are not aware that these types of games are being played. In these cases the targets were encouraged and did get into illegal activities, however that is not always the case, and many times innocent people who had nothing to do with illegal activities are still caught up in these games and convicted on the testimony of Informants.

[quote]He wanted me to go back to the house where I got the acid from and get something else. They wanted me to wear a wire and they wanted me to go back there … to buy some other type of drug, no matter what it was, whatever he had in the house, so they could set him up. Just a chain reaction, one gets to one, one gets the other and they just keep going. I told him that I couldn’t do that, that I didn’t get the drugs from that house. At that time I was really confused. I was shocked, and I told him that I couldn’t do anything for him. But he kept trying, he kept threatening, talking about a lot of time. “You’re going to do 25 years. You’re going to be in prison your whole life.” … He really tried to scare me. But I told him I couldn’t do anything for him … . [Eventually] they went back to the house in which I got it from, they arrested the other guy, my friend [who I bought the acid from]. And he’s now doing a 10-year sentence along with me.
[/quote]

Joey said it best. This is like a chain reaction that just keeps going and going. One get’s one, then another and another and another. Those in turn get others and the cycle continues. Remember it’s not just drugs, and it’s not just the guilty that are being caught up in this game. If we review cases of Gang Stalking, we hear of men who thought that a woman had entered their life for the sole purpose of setting them up to look like a rapist or something else.

There are stories of targets being framed or other set up’s, and there are targets that do turn informant and then go back into society and try to harm other targets. This is happening in ever sector of society. Rachel, Joey and even Clarence were all going off to college, or had finished college when they were caught up in these stings.

Joey refused to become a snitch and thus spent 10 years in jail. His friend that set him up, who had been caught for drugs himself, was back on the streets, selling drugs, and setting up at least 11 or 12 others in the first year that Joey was in jail.

[quote]
Do you know why they wanted you?

I’ve asked that question, I’ve asked myself that a thousand times, “Why me? Why did he set me up?” …
[/quote]

In this game that is happening, I would say that they want just about everyone. They will get some people via community programs to be Informants, some via their places of employment, or community programs. Now the people who are informants via community programs and other legit means might not play the game of setting people up directly, but they are still part of the game, and they still work hand in hand with these others that are playing by a different set of rules. Many might not be aware of who they are working hand in hand with. At the end of the day, they all work for the state, government and all the orders come from the same sources.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/snitch/cases/aaron.html

Clearance is in jail because he introduced two parties that wanted to buy or sell drugs to each other. He had never been involved with drugs before, but one day his cousin called him up and asked him if he could find someone to buy drugs from. He said he knew some people and thought that they might be involved in dealing, he would check into it.

Clearances case is interesting because all the other parties who turned Informant received less time than he did. He does not know why his cousin and the others turned against him and lied, or why the prosecutor seemed intent on punishing him because he would not snitch and become an Informant.

[quote]What was it like having your friends testify against you?

Well, we’re sitting in the courtroom. These guys that I knew all my life came up, and they said [stuff] about me that wasn’t true, and they hurt me. It really truly hurt me, Robert and James really hurt me ’cause James is my first cousin. I looked up to him all my life. Robert was supposed to be my best friend at the time. We grew up together from playing Pop ball all the way up to high school ball together, and I couldn’t believe that they would sit there, in front of me … and say the things that they said about me … . [The] only thing I could say was it wasn’t true. But nobody believed me … . You had to have a fall guy, and I was that person.
[/quote]

It should be noted that the others involved all had prior drug convictions. Which means if they were out on the street and able to set him up, they were likely already Informants. He doesn’t know why they turned on him, but it’s possible that this might have been the idea from the get go. The assumption being that he would turn snitch and then be in a prime candidate on the college campus, a pawn to be used to set up other pawns, because that is how the game works.

[quote]Why did he do it?

Well, I had a opportunity to talk to James one time … . He said, “Man, I’m sorry, man.” I say, “James, why you do me like that?” He say, “Because I had no choice.” I said, “What you mean you have no choice in the matter?” He say “Because Miss Griffin say she didn’t want Bob to try your case.” She say if [he] didn’t cooperate and do what she told him to do, that she was going to hurt him worse in his case … . He say, “Well, the prosecutor Miss Griffin said if I don’t do it she going to put me in prison for the rest of my life … . I got to do what I got to do.”
[/quote]

He stats that the prosecutor pulled his cousin aside and when his cousin went back on the stand, his cousin lied. This is not the first time scenarios like this have happened, it can only be imagined what these prosecutors or handlers have on these Informants to make them sell out their own friends, and family.

[quote]And the real drug dealers are out —

On the street now. And probably doing the same thing they were doing before they went in. I just don’t understand.
[/quote]

He also does not understand, but if you review enough of these cases, you start to see a pattern and you start to understand, this is how the game works, and yes they are probably back on on the street looking for the next pigeon to set up, and try to turn them into informants.

It reminds me of something a forum member once told me. This guy said that he was set up because he met this woman online, who he dated only to discover that she was married. Her husband got mad and that’s why he thought he was set up.

The person on my forum pointed out that he had met the woman via some co-workers who introduced him to the website where he located this woman. The person on my forum suggested that he was probably profiled and set up by the co-workers who sent him to the site, knowing he would met this woman. The idea is that these games and set up’s take place long before the victim is aware that they are part of a game.

The Global outlook.

Targets of Gang Stalking complain that even when they leave countries such as the U.K., Canada, U.S. that the stalking continues. That is understandable we have seen muli-governmental corporation in other investigations.

What is not understandable and the most frightening sector of this is that various targets have moved to a variety of countries and they all report the same thing, Informants that are able to follow them 24/7.

This suggest that these Informant networks are getting global in nature. They are popping up in areas that are unexpected, and if this trend continues we will have a global surveillance society.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/04/israelandthepalestinians.middleeast1/print

[quote]Middle East: Israel’s secret police pressuring sick Gazans to spy for them, says report· Treatment only offered to would-be informants
· Patients allowed to cross the border drops sharply[/quote]

The same situation is happening in Iraq where they previously had family structures that might have prevented Informant networks from spreading as rapidly. The country will be rebuilt and the Informant structure will be a part of it.

Why would a global surveillance society be necessary?

I will not speculate. I will however say that based on research many societies in history that had a dictator, tyrant, or despot who came to power and who wanted to pull off an unpopular agenda’s such as Hitlers Germany, or Stasi East Germany, employed an army of Informants. It’s the most effective way that a society can control, monitor and subdue the inhabitants.

Since history has shown us that these informant networks are often needed to move forward tyrannical agendas, then can it be assumed that if we could slow down or stop the chain reaction of the Informant movement, we might be able to stop some of the corruption that we are seeing in many areas of society?

Stopping the Chain Reaction.

To stop the Informant infection people need to be aware that there is a lethal chain reaction happening in many parts of society. They need the understanding of how the game is played, and awareness of how far spread and how far reaching it is.

In America prison system reform could go a long way towards fixing the system that has become corrupt. Then prosecutors would not be as dependent on the testimonies of Informants and the power could start to shift back.

The family structure. Communities with less stable family structures are more vulnerable to this system.

People need to be aware that these entrapment’s are happening at every level of society, ever profession in society, thus why it goes all the way up to the top.

If people are unaware, they will not realise the various ways that people can become entrapped, including using someone that you are in a personal association with, or who you just “accidentally” meet. Someone you have a business relationship with.

Some people they will use their own greed and stupidity against them. Other will be a deliberate trap, others will be framed and will have committed no crime. Not being aware of how this system works, many will quietly accept off the record deals, and thus become indebted to the state, able to be used at will. Remember this is happening at all levels of society. Rich, poor, black, white, male, female.

If you have a parent, grandparent that was a snitch, Informant, they might try to go after the next generation.

Your friends, family, co-workers, anyone that is an Informant not by choice but by force, can be a liability to an innocent person.

The problem is more widespread that many realise, and what’s even worst is the silence that surrounds this problem in society. Till it’s talked about, discussed, and exposed it will continue to infect society, and have far reaching and unimaginable consequences, not just for those caught up in the game, but for the many unsuspecting victims, targets, or pigeons yet to come. This is not just happening at local levels. Targets have moved to various countries around the globe and encounter the same type of surveillance network.

We must stop this chain reaction. Awareness and exposure are key.

Happy Holidays.

gangstalking
http://www.articlesbase.com/news-and-society-articles/chain-reaction-695386.html

February 27, 2010

Oceanside, California: Sun, Surf, and San Diego

Offering sandy beaches, entertaining amusements, and a relaxing atmosphere that is in sharp contrast to nearby San Diego, Oceanside is the perfect vacation destination for anyone who wants it all away from the hustle and bustle of the city. While still close enough to enjoy everything that San Diego has to offer, this quaint California community is brimming with activities to keep you coming back year after year.

Oceanside, as it name suggests, is a waterfront haven where you can enjoy recreational activities beyond belief along three-and-a-half miles of white sandy beaches. Swimming, surfing, body boarding, sunbathing, sand volleyball, and rollerblading are just a few of the outdoor pursuits waiting for you along this clean, soft stretch of sand. With so much to see and do, the most difficult part of your day may be deciding on which of its lovely beaches you should lay down your towel.

The largest of Oceanside’s Pacific wonders, Harbor Beach is the perfect starting point for any inshore or offshore adventure. Beach bums will appreciate all of the space at their disposal, while those who want to explore outwards can head over to the nearby Oceanside Harbor and book a whale watching or deep-sea fishing excursion. For those who are relaxing near the Oceanside Pier, Pier View North offers a quiet and calm beach atmosphere compared to Pier View South, which is the most popular beach in Oceanside with its surfing, body surfing, and body boarding contests and proximity to the events of the Oceanside Pier Amphitheater.

Beyond the beaches, Oceanside is teeming with sights and attractions that will have you wondering how you never visited this California beauty before. At the Oceanside Harbor, fine dining and charming shops and boutiques are the perfect respite from the sandy shore, while the Oceanside Pier is the perfect resting spot for a glorious sunset with only the Pacific Ocean in sight. Active pursuits are also available away from the water on the several stunning golf courses that dot the area, including the Emerald Isle Golf Course, Oceanside Golf Course, and the Center City Golf Course.

As the most historically significant and picturesque attraction in the area, a stop by the Mission San Luis Rey de Francia should be near the top of every itinerary. The mission, founded in 1798, features an impressive combination of Spanish, Mexican, and Moorish influences that is architecturally stunning in person. Other facets of history can be found around Oceanside at the Buena Vista Audubon Society Nature Center, where natural history blossoms among the native flora and fauna, and at the California Surf Museum, which seeks to preserve artifacts and memorabilia related to this popular ocean sport.

While the local attractions provide insight into the influences and priorities of this community, the nearby attractions of San Diego offer entertainment and excitement that is simply beyond compare. Only a short, forty-minute drive away, the city features world-famous amusements such as the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park along with new favorites like Legoland, which has rides, shows, and attractions that appeal to visitors of all ages. If you have never been or it has been years since your last visit, be sure to check out SeaWorld for its exhilarating marine shows, complete with Shamu, and various zoological displays.

With something to satisfy the tastes of every visitor, your Oceanside getaway will be filled with smiles and cheers as you roam the banks of this coastal retreat. While you know that your time outdoors will be filled with endless activities and attractions, don’t forget about occupying your time indoors with a vacation home rental. Oceanside vacation rentals can keep the laughter going with their game rooms, media rooms, and plenty of space for a family game night. Put cramped and unwelcoming hotel rooms in the past and enjoy the convenience, space, and amenities that an Oceanside rental has to offer for your dream vacation in this seaside paradise.

Jen W.
http://www.articlesbase.com/destinations-articles/oceanside-california-sun-surf-and-san-diego-104332.html

Chain Reaction

After researching much of the information regarding the Informant system, I believe this is at the heart of much of the corruption that we are seeing in our society. In our justice systems and in our communities. I believe this system is enslaving large portions of society. I also believe that there are many of us that were and are blissfully unaware of what is happening and will remain so until it is too late.

There is a chain reaction that is happening in society that if left unchecked has the potential to infect and destroy the very core of society that we have all known and depended on. That is of course the snitching infection. I call it that, because there is no other way to describe some of the events that I have read about while doing research into the Informant system.

While researching this phenomenon I have come across people who one minute seemed like average decent persons, and the next minute after being caught up in the Snitching/Informant system were willing to sell their very mothers down the drain to keep themselves free. This is not going to be the case for every Informant, but it’s the case with too many that are a part of this system.

Once let loose back into society many will continue with a life of crime. others will continue with what I call the game.

The Game

The game is one of set up’s and betrayal where the Informant will try to set someone up for a fall. They will choose a target and the unsuspecting target will get caught up in a scheme of some kind, eventually be arrested, they do not necessarily have to have committed a crime, and then the informant will testify against the person they entrapped, or other informants will. Once this new person is caught up in the game, should they be turned informant then the cycle continues once again.

I don’t know how many Informants are a part of this game that is ongoing in society, but I suspect that the many are, and all of them once they decide to become informants are owned by the system, and their handlers. That means anytime the government wants or needs a favor guess who they will call upon? Do you begin to see the makings of a corrupt society? Remember they can call upon these informants years later after these informants have been let loose. Many of these Informants will also go onto have careers, and even become contributing members of society, but they are still owned by the state. A lot of these Informant deals are kept off the records, meaning that the person is owned by a handler, but there might not be an official record of it, but when that handler needs a favor, that Informant will be called upon, and will risk exposure if they do not comply.

[quote]For example, unlike a classic plea bargain, informant deals lack finality because an informant’s obligations are ongoing. Written co-operation agreements often extend a defendant’s obligations into perpetuity, while informal, unwritten agreements last as long as the police or prosecutor wishes to use that informant.[/quote]

To understand how the game works, we will review three case studies. These are just a few of the many that I came across when reading the stories on the wall. It’s a continued pattern of set up on unsuspecting pigeons, and hardened Informants who will do what they need to do to stay out of jail.

http://www.november.org/thewall/wall/wall.html

Before we review the case studies I am going to again remind you of some statistics.

http://www.aclu.org/images/asset_upload_file744_30623.pdf

[quote] as many as fifty percent of African American males in some cities – are in contact with the criminal justice system and therefore potentially under pressure to snitch. By relying heavily on snitching, particularly in drug-related cases, law enforcement officials create large numbers of informants who remain at large in the community, engaging in criminal activities while under pressure to provide information about others. These snitches are a communal liability: they increase crime and threaten social organization, interpersonal relationships, and socio-legal norms in their home communities, even as they are tolerated or under-punished by law enforcement because they are useful.[/quote]

[quote]The uncoordinated, widespread use of informants in the United States by thousands of different police departments and various federal agencies does not of course, amount to the focused, purposeful political mission of the Stasi. But if anywhere near eight percent of the male population in inner city communities is snitching, that figure meets or surpasses Stasi level of between one and ten percent of the total population as informers.[/quote]

http://november.org/stayinfo/breaking08/HoffmanCase.html

[quote]If things had gone according to plan, you never would have heard of 23-year-old Rachel Hoffman. She would have just been another confidential informant, one of more than an estimated 100,000 in the United States who work with police to send someone else to jail.[/quote]

These figures do not include people who are informers via work, school, or community group programs. When we take into consideration numbers such as that, we are looking at an epidemic that is worst than what happened in East Germany. Keep in mind that in addition to all this, there will also be 800,000 Terrorism Liaison Officers added to the Informant population in the United States. These figures should wake up America and other cities to the dangers of what is happening in various societies.

The Game

To understand the game you might want to picture it in the sense of how a disease spreads, you start with on carrier and that person infects one person right after another. Some of those carriers will go on to infect others. Some will be dormant and not infect anyone. You might also want to think of the movie lifeforce, where one has the constant need to feed on one person after another, then those victims need to feed on others. You can have a very sick and infested city in a short space of time if such an infection goes unchecked.

The game is one of the Informant being placed primarily back in society, but this could also happen in jail, where an informant via lies, deceit, entrapment or some other methods set’s up another person to take a fall. That person then come in contact with the criminal justice system, they can then choose to become informants themselves, or refusing to do so, will spend lengthy spaces of time in prison. This game is primarily enacted via drugs, but that’s not the extent of it. Shoplifting is another example. I see this used with the teenaged informants, setting up their friends to steal from the stores, so that they in turn can become snitches.

Theft, drugs, stolen cars, any crime that someone can make a deal with police to become informants, they can be released back into society and are a danger to the rest of society. This is not to say that all Informants are horrible people, many just did not want to be in jail, some others are a true danger to society, nearly all are under pressure by the government to produce other Informants, and that obligation is never ending, some are allowed to lay dormant, till they can be of use.

http://november.org/stayinfo/breaking08/FL-Hoffman6.html

[quote]In Hoffman’s case, it was the work of another informer that led to her own work for the police.

On April 15, an informer told Tallahassee police that Hoffman had sold marijuana in the past but hadn’t done so recently, according to police records.

At the time, Hoffman, 23, was in a pretrial drug diversion program because of charges of possession of marijuana and resisting arrest in February 2007. To stay in the program, she had to stay out of trouble.

Two days after police got the informer’s tip, a Tallahassee police officer stopped Hoffman as she was getting into her car
[/quote]

http://www.mapinc.org/images/Hoffman.jpg

Rachael Hoffman then went on to become an Informant. She first tried to set up a close friend and when that failed, the close friend helped her find the dealers who she tried to buy drugs from on behalf of the police. The sting went wrong and she was killed. Had this gone successfully, those drug dealers if they agreed to become informants might have been released back into society as Informants and the cycle would have continued. It’s a frightening cycle that has become more widespread than can be imagined.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/snitch/

Case number 2.

Joey Settembrino was a young 18 year old, just about to go off to college.

He was set up by an Informant. The Informant was a close friend of his. He use to spend his weekends at the Informants house.

[quote]He was a very good friend. I had known the guy for many years. We had gone out every weekend, fishing on his boat, hydrosliding, skiing. I was very shocked; it was very unexpected. It’s not something you expect from friends.[/quote]

In an Informants society, it’s what you expect from just about everyone and it makes people suspicious and closed off. This is what happened in East Germany once the population became aware of what was happening. In America many Americans are not aware that these types of games are being played. In these cases the targets were encouraged and did get into illegal activities, however that is not always the case, and many times innocent people who had nothing to do with illegal activities are still caught up in these games and convicted on the testimony of Informants.

[quote]He wanted me to go back to the house where I got the acid from and get something else. They wanted me to wear a wire and they wanted me to go back there … to buy some other type of drug, no matter what it was, whatever he had in the house, so they could set him up. Just a chain reaction, one gets to one, one gets the other and they just keep going. I told him that I couldn’t do that, that I didn’t get the drugs from that house. At that time I was really confused. I was shocked, and I told him that I couldn’t do anything for him. But he kept trying, he kept threatening, talking about a lot of time. “You’re going to do 25 years. You’re going to be in prison your whole life.” … He really tried to scare me. But I told him I couldn’t do anything for him … . [Eventually] they went back to the house in which I got it from, they arrested the other guy, my friend [who I bought the acid from]. And he’s now doing a 10-year sentence along with me.
[/quote]

Joey said it best. This is like a chain reaction that just keeps going and going. One get’s one, then another and another and another. Those in turn get others and the cycle continues. Remember it’s not just drugs, and it’s not just the guilty that are being caught up in this game. If we review cases of Gang Stalking, we hear of men who thought that a woman had entered their life for the sole purpose of setting them up to look like a rapist or something else.

There are stories of targets being framed or other set up’s, and there are targets that do turn informant and then go back into society and try to harm other targets. This is happening in ever sector of society. Rachel, Joey and even Clarence were all going off to college, or had finished college when they were caught up in these stings.

Joey refused to become a snitch and thus spent 10 years in jail. His friend that set him up, who had been caught for drugs himself, was back on the streets, selling drugs, and setting up at least 11 or 12 others in the first year that Joey was in jail.

[quote]
Do you know why they wanted you?

I’ve asked that question, I’ve asked myself that a thousand times, “Why me? Why did he set me up?” …
[/quote]

In this game that is happening, I would say that they want just about everyone. They will get some people via community programs to be Informants, some via their places of employment, or community programs. Now the people who are informants via community programs and other legit means might not play the game of setting people up directly, but they are still part of the game, and they still work hand in hand with these others that are playing by a different set of rules. Many might not be aware of who they are working hand in hand with. At the end of the day, they all work for the state, government and all the orders come from the same sources.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/snitch/cases/aaron.html

Clearance is in jail because he introduced two parties that wanted to buy or sell drugs to each other. He had never been involved with drugs before, but one day his cousin called him up and asked him if he could find someone to buy drugs from. He said he knew some people and thought that they might be involved in dealing, he would check into it.

Clearances case is interesting because all the other parties who turned Informant received less time than he did. He does not know why his cousin and the others turned against him and lied, or why the prosecutor seemed intent on punishing him because he would not snitch and become an Informant.

[quote]What was it like having your friends testify against you?

Well, we’re sitting in the courtroom. These guys that I knew all my life came up, and they said [stuff] about me that wasn’t true, and they hurt me. It really truly hurt me, Robert and James really hurt me ’cause James is my first cousin. I looked up to him all my life. Robert was supposed to be my best friend at the time. We grew up together from playing Pop ball all the way up to high school ball together, and I couldn’t believe that they would sit there, in front of me … and say the things that they said about me … . [The] only thing I could say was it wasn’t true. But nobody believed me … . You had to have a fall guy, and I was that person.
[/quote]

It should be noted that the others involved all had prior drug convictions. Which means if they were out on the street and able to set him up, they were likely already Informants. He doesn’t know why they turned on him, but it’s possible that this might have been the idea from the get go. The assumption being that he would turn snitch and then be in a prime candidate on the college campus, a pawn to be used to set up other pawns, because that is how the game works.

[quote]Why did he do it?

Well, I had a opportunity to talk to James one time … . He said, “Man, I’m sorry, man.” I say, “James, why you do me like that?” He say, “Because I had no choice.” I said, “What you mean you have no choice in the matter?” He say “Because Miss Griffin say she didn’t want Bob to try your case.” She say if [he] didn’t cooperate and do what she told him to do, that she was going to hurt him worse in his case … . He say, “Well, the prosecutor Miss Griffin said if I don’t do it she going to put me in prison for the rest of my life … . I got to do what I got to do.”
[/quote]

He stats that the prosecutor pulled his cousin aside and when his cousin went back on the stand, his cousin lied. This is not the first time scenarios like this have happened, it can only be imagined what these prosecutors or handlers have on these Informants to make them sell out their own friends, and family.

[quote]And the real drug dealers are out —

On the street now. And probably doing the same thing they were doing before they went in. I just don’t understand.
[/quote]

He also does not understand, but if you review enough of these cases, you start to see a pattern and you start to understand, this is how the game works, and yes they are probably back on on the street looking for the next pigeon to set up, and try to turn them into informants.

It reminds me of something a forum member once told me. This guy said that he was set up because he met this woman online, who he dated only to discover that she was married. Her husband got mad and that’s why he thought he was set up.

The person on my forum pointed out that he had met the woman via some co-workers who introduced him to the website where he located this woman. The person on my forum suggested that he was probably profiled and set up by the co-workers who sent him to the site, knowing he would met this woman. The idea is that these games and set up’s take place long before the victim is aware that they are part of a game.

The Global outlook.

Targets of Gang Stalking complain that even when they leave countries such as the U.K., Canada, U.S. that the stalking continues. That is understandable we have seen muli-governmental corporation in other investigations.

What is not understandable and the most frightening sector of this is that various targets have moved to a variety of countries and they all report the same thing, Informants that are able to follow them 24/7.

This suggest that these Informant networks are getting global in nature. They are popping up in areas that are unexpected, and if this trend continues we will have a global surveillance society.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/04/israelandthepalestinians.middleeast1/print

[quote]Middle East: Israel’s secret police pressuring sick Gazans to spy for them, says report· Treatment only offered to would-be informants
· Patients allowed to cross the border drops sharply[/quote]

The same situation is happening in Iraq where they previously had family structures that might have prevented Informant networks from spreading as rapidly. The country will be rebuilt and the Informant structure will be a part of it.

Why would a global surveillance society be necessary?

I will not speculate. I will however say that based on research many societies in history that had a dictator, tyrant, or despot who came to power and who wanted to pull off an unpopular agenda’s such as Hitlers Germany, or Stasi East Germany, employed an army of Informants. It’s the most effective way that a society can control, monitor and subdue the inhabitants.

Since history has shown us that these informant networks are often needed to move forward tyrannical agendas, then can it be assumed that if we could slow down or stop the chain reaction of the Informant movement, we might be able to stop some of the corruption that we are seeing in many areas of society?

Stopping the Chain Reaction.

To stop the Informant infection people need to be aware that there is a lethal chain reaction happening in many parts of society. They need the understanding of how the game is played, and awareness of how far spread and how far reaching it is.

In America prison system reform could go a long way towards fixing the system that has become corrupt. Then prosecutors would not be as dependent on the testimonies of Informants and the power could start to shift back.

The family structure. Communities with less stable family structures are more vulnerable to this system.

People need to be aware that these entrapment’s are happening at every level of society, ever profession in society, thus why it goes all the way up to the top.

If people are unaware, they will not realise the various ways that people can become entrapped, including using someone that you are in a personal association with, or who you just “accidentally” meet. Someone you have a business relationship with.

Some people they will use their own greed and stupidity against them. Other will be a deliberate trap, others will be framed and will have committed no crime. Not being aware of how this system works, many will quietly accept off the record deals, and thus become indebted to the state, able to be used at will. Remember this is happening at all levels of society. Rich, poor, black, white, male, female.

If you have a parent, grandparent that was a snitch, Informant, they might try to go after the next generation.

Your friends, family, co-workers, anyone that is an Informant not by choice but by force, can be a liability to an innocent person.

The problem is more widespread that many realise, and what’s even worst is the silence that surrounds this problem in society. Till it’s talked about, discussed, and exposed it will continue to infect society, and have far reaching and unimaginable consequences, not just for those caught up in the game, but for the many unsuspecting victims, targets, or pigeons yet to come. This is not just happening at local levels. Targets have moved to various countries around the globe and encounter the same type of surveillance network.

We must stop this chain reaction. Awareness and exposure are key.

Happy Holidays.

gangstalking
http://www.articlesbase.com/news-and-society-articles/chain-reaction-695386.html

Nintendo Wii Fit Starter Bundle Review: Does Wii Fit Work for Me?

You’ve heard so much about Wii Fit, and many of you might have the question on your mind “Does Wii Fit Work?” I bought my Nintendo Wii Fit Starter Bundle online three months ago. During the past three months, I’ve been playing the Wii Fit Starter Bundle on regular basis. So I’d be glad to share my Wii Fit workout experience with you.

What’s  in the Nintendo Wii Fit Starter Bundle?
I placed an order online and received my Wii Fit Starter Bundle in the mail three days later. I couldn’t contain my excitement while opening the package. The package included my long-awaited Wii Fit game and Balance Board. I already got my Wii game console earlier this year along with all the necessary accessories such as the Wii remotes and nunchuck, so I was ready to start playing Wii Fit right away.

Exercises included in the Wii Fit Starter Bundle
There are over 40 different types of training activities offered by Wii Fit, including traditional exercises such as step aerobics, jogging, as well as modern stress busters such as Yoga and meditation. You can also choose  other fund exercises such as Hula Hoops, Snowboarding and rhythm boxing. The exercises offered by Wii Fit are so diverse that every member of your family will find their favorite ones no matter how old or physically active they are.

The pressure-sensitive balance board that comes with the Wii Fit Starter Bundle can hold up to a maximum of 300 pounds. Since quite a few of the Wii Fit games are based on player’s balance of her body, this is where the balance board comes in. Similar to a step aerobics board in appearance, the Wii Fit Balance Board can also measure player’s performance as well as weight, which alongside the height, age and gender determine the player’s Body Mass Index (BMI).

My Workout experience with Wii Fit Starter Bundle
I set up my Wii Fit system as soon as I got the bundle. Firstly, I entered basic personal data such as height, age and gender as instructed by Wii console. The machine calculated my BMI and my fitness level shortly. After my profile creation was complete, I was ready to start getting a taste of Wii Fit.

I am always a fan of Strength Training. So I started with muscle-toning exercises such as Leg lift, Squat, Lunge and more. Wii Fit offered Push-up challenge and it was quite fun. I also played Yoga with the Wii balance board. I have been practicing Yoga for quite a while, so I had no problem in catching up with Yoga poses included in the Wii Fit, such as Cobra, Bridge, Spinal Twist, Shoulder Stand, Warrior and more. It was actually quite interesting to play Yoga with Wii Fit.

My favorite exercise so far is Hula Hoop. It was quite challenging to keep the hoops in the air in the beginning. After a couple of days’ training, I learned how to balance myself. After that, keeping all the hoops in the air while catching some more was really enjoyable. And it was a great workout too.

Does Wii Fit Work for me?
I have been playing with Wii Fit for 40 minutes a day, 3 days per week, during the past three months. Here is the result I’d like to share with you: I lost 4 pounds so far and dropped from size 8 to size 6. I eat like usual during these three months. So I think Wii Fit does work for me, and I will keep exercising and shaping up with Wii Fit.

Will Wii Fit work for you?
Many of you might be on the fence asking “Will Wii Fit work for me?” My answer is “Yes, it will. As long as you do it right and do it regularly.” Don’t get me wrong, Wii Fit  is not going to make you lose weight if you eat excessively and doing 10 minutes a day on Wii Fit. You have to watch your lifestyle and diet too. If you exercise with Wii Fit regularly with a healthy diet, you will be happy to see the result 3 months later just as I did.

Wii Fit is like a home gym membership to some extent. However it is much more fun, and provides more motivations to get people started, especially for those who don’t have time hitting the gym every other day, or just simply don’t like go to the gym. Wii Fit turns the exercises into a fun experience. And there are so many activities included in the Wii Fit game that you wouldn’t feel bored at all.

To sum up, Wii Fit works for me, and it will work for you as long as you manage your expectation and keep a long-time commitment. WiiConsoleDeals.com is a specialized Wii for sale site that lists up to the minute deals on the Wii consoles, Wii Fit and other popular Wii games and accessories. Be sure to try this website when shopping for Wii Fit bundle.

Wilson Marks
http://www.articlesbase.com/video-games-articles/nintendo-wii-fit-starter-bundle-review-does-wii-fit-work-for-me-694099.html

February 20, 2010

Surf Travel to South Africa

Arriving in Cape Town is over whelming, the first thing you notice is the warmth and friendly attitude to you the surfer.  This country has been through so much in the past 30 years and it has always been my dream to set foot on its soil to surf the glorious waves that caress its shores daily. South Africa is blessed with some of the best and most consistent surf the world has to offer. Couple this with the mild climate and you have a surfing paradise. During the South African winter the coastline is supplied with almost endless groundswell and offshore winds due to the constant flow of cold front activity in the southern Atlantic.  So as a surfer arriving from a rainy Oregon to find warmth and amazing surf is a dream come true.

The tour I was on, involved sessions at numerous South African premier surf spots which include Jeffrey’s Bay, Seal Point, Victoria Bay, Bruce’s Beauties and as well as many other spots that “crank” in winter. Dylan collected me after arrival and we were all packed up to head off along the coast.  South African surfers are always so stoked it is amazing and Dylan was no acceptation to that rule and assured me that he had a thorough knowledge of surfing in the area and that he was our tour guide.  Furthermore he practically guaranteed me that I will get to the respective spots when they are at their best, he just fell short in advising me he had arranged the swell as well.

As we arrived at the lodge on the outskirts of town I was greeted by the other surfers on the tour who had arrived a day or two earlier.  Dylan whispered in my ear and ensured me with an eager smile that the tour remains personal and that by limiting the number of people on each tour guarantees we all get a great time. Like all South African’s he is proud of the countries surf and then could not refrain from telling me yet again for the 5th time that he would ensure I surfed as many African barrels as possible. Umm…. I went to bed with that thought. My second day started with Dylan taking the tour to a place at Muzuimbrug, an ideal spot he assured me to get acquainted to African Waves. ‘Muzies’ as it is known, is renowned for its rolling and very consistent A-Frame waves and endless stretch of beach.  Whilst Dylan provided surf lessons for some learners on the tour I paddled out the back to enjoy some glass morning surf.
 
After a hearty lunch we set off on an orientation tour of the stunning Cape Peninsula, Dylan believed this would help us get our bearing on the land and we also had a visit to the Cape Point Nature reserve as well as Cape Towns more famous tourist sights including a visit to boulders beach where wild penguins happily play.

The morning of day 3 was an important one for me personally as I could not wait to set out on our first port of call which was a 65-meter bungee at Gouritz. This is optional on the tour but it’s highly recommended to get you stoked and ready for the adventure that lies ahead and I was game for it. If you plan on doing the worlds highest one later in the trip, I suggest you do this one first to get a feel for it! I did not opt for the higher…

Along the way we stopped at Mossel Bay for a surf session, there was a selection of 3 breaks to choose from, Inner and Outer Pool as well as Ding Dangs. Depending on the conditions and your standard the surf guides will take you to the one with most zest, and they selected one just fine for me.

Inner Pool’s wave breaks very close to famed outer Pool off a section of rocks, walls up when at its best and is usually surfed when Outers is flat. Outer Pool Gets large and challenging in solid winter swell but is usually surfed when clean and orderly in light westerly winds. Outer offers a cooking right hand reef break with a solid wall and a long ride. Ding Dang’s a fun hotdog wave that works when winter swell wraps around cape St Blaise.

After the surf, we set off on the road again, the most beautiful scenery as we enter the ‘Garden Route’ is breath taking and most of us all sighed with disbelief at the views and the panorama that was unrolling ahead of us. Depending on the time of year, apparently the guides can surprise the group and dive for some crayfish (Cape Rock lobster) along the way for the evening dinner, this was not the case for my tour but I gather it can be the norm.

It’s up early to get the best swell the next morning and we all opted to head for a spot called Buffalo Bay Point – a very similar wave to Bruce’s Beauties that too me was going to be the highlight of the tour and was to come so I took this as a trial event.  The point can get superlative in the right conditions by all accounts and before leaving the US I had heard great reports of the conditions that can be found here so was please to see a perfect 3ft day.

That evening we checked into another local surf lodge, and zipped out for and evening surf! We headed off to a place I had dreamed of since first seeing the movie Endless Summer – Bruce’s Beauties – it breaks a lot more often than is thought of and is by know means a gentle long boarders paradise. When cooking, Bruce’s is a screaming right hand point that freight trains along a jagged line of rocks. “Get ready for mean gaping barrels” Dylan shouted as he disappeared into the water, leaving the rest of us half changed, running and falling every other step!  It was just like a clip from the movie here I was about to hit the surf of Endless Summer.

The next day I found it very difficult to get up to be honest, three great days of epic surf and with another few more to comes I just could not cope… my body was feeling the flight and the perfect surf of the night before.  So rather than surf I just joined the tour to watch the rest of the group under a go some lessons on the beach and sat back enjoying the wild environment that seemed as if Portland and US Airports was just a forgotten memory.  I could not believe that only 90+ hours ago I was crammed into a bus in Portland with a huge longboard knocking everyone that moved.  Now I lay head back on the sand listening to the sounds of sea birds and knowing that I am totally at peace and having the best surf trip in my life.  Sure I have surfed some amazing spots but to surf a spot I have seen over a thousand time son video and then to actually enjoy it going off better than in the film was beyond even my wildest thoughts of surfing in South Africa.

After a few more days of touring and surfing spots such as Boneyards, Supertubes, Salad bowls, J-Bay, Tubes, Point and Albatross it was time to start to head back in the direction of the Cape.  Everyone on the tour had become exhausted and tired but we were now a travelling surf family too tired to talk but desperate for one more last surf before the Cape and we were not disappointed as slowly we drove towards Buffalo Bay again and it was just as we left it, perfect……

As we drove in to Cape Town the next day Dylan turned to us all and said “How about Sky diving, or Paragliding? – We can even arrange a shark dive if you wish!” – in a great chorus we all said “shut up man… we are exhausted!”  The one thing you can say about South African’s they are a great friendly bunch and the stoke of surfing runs deep in there veins.

The beauty of the tour I think was summed up by the people on it, from 6 surfers who were learning to surf for the first time and having lessons daily to the rest of us who ranged from beginner to advanced.  We all surfed well and all experienced the conditions first hand.  We all had our own experiences and that is something all of us will take away and is our surf memory – an amazing surf trip.

I travelled with Xoxxi ( http://www.xoxxisurf.com ) which is a surf brand run by regular surfers for regular surfers and they were very helpful in this unique travel surfing experience.  You can also visit the South African tourism website at ( http://www.southafrica.net ) for other information on visiting the country.  You may also like to purchase a book, and I would recommend Surfing in South Africa, By Steve Pike (ISBN: 1919833153).

Shannon Burke
http://www.articlesbase.com/destinations-articles/surf-travel-to-south-africa-738170.html

"the Inner Game of Health and Fitness" Part 1

” The Inner Game Of Health And Fitness” Part 1

“There is an Inner Game to Everything said W. Timothy Gallwey. He should know, Gallwey has written several books on ” Inner Game” playing. The most popular are The Inner game of Tennis, The Inner Game of Golf, and The Inner game of Skiing. My personal favorite is the one he co-authored with Bary Green, The Inner Game Of Music.

There’s an inner game of Your self- Image when it comes to your Health And Fitness too, and it plays a major role in developing Your Wellness Vision. Let me prove it to you by applying the Inner Game principles to Health and Fitness.

Self One: The Belittler

When you’ve decided and attempted to approach a weight-loss program, diet, or tried to incorporate healthier lifestyle changes in the past and discovered  a little voice in your head judging your plan? You might hear it right now. It’s the voice that tells you your plan is good or lousy (usually the latter). You may be used to this well-intended unseen companion that you don’t know he’s there in your head. But he’s there, Believe me. And it’s the inner Belittler called self one in The Inner Game that stops you from exercise, eating, and living fully to enjoy your recreational hobbies, sports, and fitness, etc. Your health and fitness should be approached with ease, flow, and add value and purpose to your life. Don’t let self one the not so good buddy prevent you from exploring whats possible for you. The better you is there you just need to discover it my friend. Go for it take the leap and move towards the better you when it comes to your physical, spiritual, intellectual, and emotional self. Do that which you were born to be and live with joy!

We will explore Self Two: The Master in this two part series of “The Inner Game of Health And Fitness” Bye for now and keep those thoughts Focused on all that you are becoming that is good.

Your Friend In Health & Fitness,

Natalie Pyles

Fitness & Nutrition Expert, Author & Speaker

Natalie Pyles
http://www.articlesbase.com/wellness-articles/quotthe-inner-game-of-health-and-fitnessquot-part-1-683980.html

Wakeboarding Equipment – The Future of Sport is Extreme!

People have been playing games and participating in sport, probably since the beginning of time. It is true perhaps that early sport may have been very primitive and a far cry from events we now see but the concept of competing, either as individuals or in teams has been around forever!

The first recorded history of the Olympic Games dates back to 776 BC. In those days there was only one event, the 192 metre dash. I don’t know why they didn’t keep that one in!

There is much debate as to what exactly is the crucial factor when deciding what is sport and what isn’t and this debate rumbles ever more furiously on when it comes to what are now considered to be extreme sports.

For example why is snowboarding considered to be “extreme” and skiing generally not? I mean, they both involve hurtling down near vertical slopes of ice on bits of manufactured plastic or carbon fibre!

Despite these quandaries, extreme sport has literally taken off in the last couple of decades and there are no signs that this trend is slowing down. The growth of the sports is almost as extreme as the events themselves!

Video game culture has raised the profile too, with hosts of snowboarding, skateboarding and even surfing and wakeboard games. Snowboarding also made its debut in the 2008 Olympics in China, further evidence of its increasing popularity.

Of course, with new “things” come new marketing opportunities and it is becoming more and more common to see specialist extreme sports shops and stores on your local high street; smaller stores and large emporiums too are springing up, supplying all your wakeboarding equipment and climbing gear amongst lots of other exciting stuff!

The internet has surely helped to increase the exposure of a lot of the extreme sports, some of which are now practically household names, such as snowboarding, skateboarding and climbing, while others still have a bit of work to do. A quick search in one of the internet search engines for the sport you are looking for, is very likely to throw up thousands, if not, millions of results for your desired search!

Along with all the news and gossip from these sporting worlds, there are also a host of online stores, where, here too, you can order your new snowboarding equipment and extreme clothing.

 

spidergoose

Extreme Sports

Extreme Sports

Nobody can deny that the newest crazes with kids are the extreme sports. The phenomenon has reached all the way down to kids as young as early elementary school. Is it a problem, or is it a blessing? Much of it depends on whom you ask, but a deeper look will shed a little bit of light on the entire matter.

Why Choose Extreme Sports

The TV in your living room is starting to collect dust and burn less electricity while the video game system sits in the corner doing the same. It is exactly what you may have wanted all along, but it does mean that your child is likely deep into the fun that is extreme sports. Don’t let the name fool you, extreme sports can be used to describe a number of activities, but for your child, it is likely BMX biking, skateboarding, or trickblading (tricks on roller blades specially made for the job).

Trickblader

Essentially, a trickblader will use a special type of roller blades that have smaller thicker wheels, wider boots, and what is called a grind plate that allows them to slide across surfaces when so desired. The blades are made so that participants may perform many of the same tricks that skateboarders do, only now you will see them on roller blades, more or less.

BMX Bikers

BMX bikers are a different sport altogether. These are special bikes with pegs on the wheels for tricks, pads on the places where impact will most likely occur, and no front brakes. The bike is made for racing and tricks, but primarily to be used on dirt or certain types of urban setups.

Skateboarding

As for skateboarding, it is the sport probably most closely linked to extreme sports. For quite some time now, boarders have been hitting half pipes, grinding, and grabbing their board. Though you may associate the sport as a boy sport, many more girls are starting to get involved in these extreme sports and are having a great deal of success along the way.

Extreme Sports Advise

Go watch your kid working on his new extreme sports might just scare you. The first time you see your child “getting air” off of a ramp or pipe, you will be clinching with each landing. The important thing, though, is just to make sure they have the right equipment and they are as safe as with any other sport. In fact, one national safety organization performed a study and found that more injuries per participant occur in hockey, football, basketball, and soccer than in skateboarding. So you can breathe a little easier.

One important thing you can do is to make sure your child is wearing the right kind of safety equipment. Helmets, elbow pads, and kneepads are musts for the sake of safety. Most skate parks, in fact, will require kids to wear such protection before they are allowed to ride on the property. Falls are a part of the sport, but with proper protection your child will be in no more danger than on the football field or basketball court.

One problem that extreme sport kids have is finding a place to practice their new love. Many parks no longer allow extreme sports in the area, but the children need places to jump, grind, and try out new tricks. One solution that many cities have adopted is to erect extreme sport skate parks. In these facilities, ramps, half pipes, and even stairs and rails are provided so that kids can jump, grind, and get air all they want in an area free of traffic and pedestrians. This makes it safer, and in many ways more fun for the kids overall.

Summary

Future of Extreme sports are the wave of the future. Though you may not always understand these new sports your kids are into, they are still active and healthy sports. Competition is alive, but they may be perfected without 9 others or even one other kid around. A trip to the skate park alone can end in the perfection of new trick or technique. The idea is to just support your kids and allow them to compete how they want to. Get them the right safety gear and the right facilities and before you know it you may just have a world -class competitor on your hands.

For more articles related to this subject and others please visit ExtremeSports.info

XTRA INFO

January 31, 2010

It’s Tough Trying to Start an Online Business

Four years ago, very suddenly and unexpectedly, I became a single parent of three elementary school age children.

The day it happened I knew immediately that the changes to occur in my life would reach far beyond just the care and upbringing of my children. For one thing, I was employed at a job that required my presence between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. for five nights a week. I couldn’t leave my children alone all night and the cost of having them babysat overnight was beyond my means. Not only that, but the schedule did not allow me time to give them the attention I wanted to give them.

Well, I had a little knowledge of the Internet at the time as I had a short time before purchased my first computer. To be perfectly honest though, my children had more computer literacy than I. Meanwhile, I have a situation to address—(1) to maintain an income (2) to become a stay at home parent. The solution I decided was to start a work from home business. During my previous surfing sessions I had seen all the advertisements begging for people to start a work from home venture at absolutely no cost; what an opportunity, what could be easier than this. Surely, I thought, this is the answer to my prayer. So into the water I jumped.

My very first try at affiliate marketing was with Referralware about four years ago. I signed up, got the affiliate website, read their instructions (which didn’t tell me HOW to do anything), went to some free classified ad sites and started posting. I posted and posted and posted for a couple of weeks and never got even one hit. All the while I am seeing sites wanting to reveal “secrets” that will make me rich and famous. Now, I felt for sure, there was something about this Internet game that I don’t know and I trusted several sources to help me out and reveal these “secrets” to me. After all, I was only trying to support my family, and it certainly seemed to be enough room for one more home business.

This process of testing and eliminating affiliate programs, joining and dropping out of matrix after matrix, reading marketing ebook after ebook, trying free and paid ad resources went on for month after month into a couple of years. I had a few token successes during that period (once I made $140.00) but it was never anything steady.

I am the type of person that when I make up my mind to do something, I am going to do it. I became determined that I was going to generate an online income, and still I knew inside of me, there was something I couldn’t see. I always felt like I was blind to some very obvious facts and that if I could only see my blind side then I would be on my way. Folks, I mean to tell you that over a period of a couple of years I tried every method known to internet marketing. I visited forums, I wrote articles,

I bought and read ebooks, I subscribed to ezine after ezine, I paid money for resources, I joined free and paid affiliate programs, I had my own classified ad site, my own FFA page, tried PPC, regular SE submission; I mean the WHOLE nine yards. Still nothing happened but some occassional success.

I decided to take a break, not quit, take a break. I laid off for about six months. I mean I stopped cold turkey; no surfing, no online bill paying, nothing on the computer for about six months. I realized that for one thing, I had been trying too hard. I was definitely absorbed in it. I was on the computer anywhere from 8-12 hours a day, sometimes even longer. I was using Pageswirl and clicking up credits in 20 TE’s daily, I had my own website and trying to promote several different affiliate and networking programs all at the same time. I needed a break and I took a break. Quitting wasn’t in my mind, but taking that break was a very good decision.

I came back refreshed. I knew what didn’t work and had an entirely new viewpoint.

I had decided to get off the beaten path. One thing that causes online failure is that too many of us are trying to market the same things to each other. I decided I had to catch people at the door. Once they were inside, the hustlers would get them, sell them on some garbage then they can’t be persuaded to use the best product on the market no matter what.

Finally, I found a product that was delivering. The big difference between Life Empowered and so many other online marketing programs is LE outlines a course of action, gives a plan you can start working that will lead to definite results. I knew I had found something. From there I soon discovered other workable programs and just as important, I now know how to take the principles learned in LE and apply them universally.

Folks, finally, I make some money online. It hasn’t been easy, I am not getting rich but I am not going broke either. I have learned something. I feel good about my accomplishments to this point in time. I feel good about my future with my home business. Internet marketing is no longer a frustrating mystery to me. You can use any program on this blog and it will work to your advantage. I will not attack other programs or any so called gurus programs. Just because they didn’t work for me does not mean they will not work for everyone. But whatever I offer up here, I can and do vouch for from my own personal experience.

Online marketing is tough. Get good guidance. Get right guidance.

Earnestworker
http://www.articlesbase.com/entrepreneurship-articles/its-tough-trying-to-start-an-online-business-92584.html