Silogo net

There are five different stages in the second language acquisition process:

1) The Silent Period
2) The Early Production Period
3) The Speech Emergence Period
4) The Intermediate Production Period
5) The Advanced Production Period

Even though there is wealth of research on these different stages, out of these five periods, probably the most misunderstood, ignored or even unknown both by teachers and students alike is the first, the Silent Period, which will be the focus of our article today.

What is the Silent Period?

The first stage of the language acquisition process is called “The Silent Period” simply because the students aren’t doing much talking yet. In some learners this period may be shorter or longer, ranging between 2 to 6 months, though it may take much longer too, depending on the exposure to the foreign language that the learner has.

For example, a foreigner living abroad and surrounded by a new language all day may have a shorter silent period than a student in his home country who attends a bilingual school in which a second language is taught for four or five hours a day. In turn, this student’s silent period may be considerably shorter than that of a learner studying a second language for just two hours a week. So it becomes clear that generalizing how long this period may last is nearly impossible because it depends on many personal and individual variables that come into play.

The main characteristic of this stage is that after some initial exposure to the language, the learner is able to understand much more than s/he can produce. You can easily see this in two-year-old babies too! You can speak to them normally and they can definitely understand whatever you say. However, even if they wanted to say exactly what you said, they would not be able to. They may use some of your words but they would find it impossible to express their ideas in a similarly organized way, in spite of the fact that they may understand every single word we said.

This goes hand in hand with the fact that comprehension preceded production. We will always be able to understand much more than we can produce. For example, in spite of knowing little or nothing about economics, accounting and marketing, when I watch or read news reports on those fields, I can get a pretty good and accurate idea of what those reports are about. However, if someone asked me to explain what the reports said, I would surely resort to general language and simpler explanations to describe what the experts stated using specific jargon and technical analysis.

In other words, at the level of comprehension, I could manage to understand everything, but at the level of production I may not able to express everything I heard in exactly the same way. Nevertheless, with more exposure on those topics, and if they became meaningful to me and part of my everyday reality, after a while I would be able to start to use that specific jargon as part of my everyday vocabulary. In this example, the stretch of time between my initial exposure to the topic, maybe the first time I heard a report on those topics and the time when I could talk about it freely without jargon or any language-related problems could be considered my silent period in the field.

I want to highlight here that I am stretching the linguists’ definition of this period a little bit while saying this. Linguists refer specifically to the time when a person starts to acquire the language through exposure to it, understands a lot but is unable to express his or her ideas yet. When they talk about the “Silent Period” they do not imply that it refers to the acquisition of language at any stage of the second language acquisition process as I do. This is my humble opinion after several years of working with second language learners. Again, this is something that I have personally noticed that I feel could be perfectly applied to language learners at any stage of their learning as shown in the previous example.

As we have just seen when it comes to the first contact between a language learner with a second language this takes a new dimension, of course. For a long time they may be unable to utter a single word and that is perfectly fine and it is part and parcel of the language acquisition process. What is so peculiar about this period is that it has the special ability to make adult students anxious and drive teachers absolutely crazy! This is by far the most difficult period both for teachers and students alike.

One of the main reasons why I decided to write this article was to remind teachers of this crucial stage in second language acquisition and to make students aware of its existence so as not to place a heavy burden on themselves. By knowing this simple fact both teachers and learners can share the joy of teaching and learning without the stress associated with the feeling that they are not reaching their goals.

On occasions, the teacher’s lack of knowledge on these kinds of issues can produce unintentional disastrous results on their students’ self-esteem. How common it is for those of us who specialize in teaching methodologies to meet disappointed or even angry teachers complaining about their students’ lack of progress.

“We’ve been working on the Present Tense for over two months now. We’ve been doing drills, lots of repetitions, we’ve created real-life situations to make the language come to life and yet, they can produce little or nothing!”

“How come they not learn after doing this for more than three weeks!”

My reply in most cases is the same: “Just give them more time.”

As times goes by, provided that our students are in a truly communicative setting, they will start to produce what they cannot do right now.

The widespread ignorance of this stage in the language acquisition process can create very unwanted situations. As a Colombian saying goes: “la ignorancia es atrevida.”
Lacking an exact English idiom, or al least not knowing one myself, I will proceed to explain its meaning. The saying basically says that “ignorance is rude and causes us to do stupid things.”

On one occasion, while working in a pretty nice school in the US teaching ESL (English as a Second Language) to a child from Mexico, I got a call from my supervisor. She was extremely concerned as the principal of the school I was working at had called her to complain about my skills as a teacher as my student “had not been making any progress at all” since she started to receive my services. Even though this same principal had sat in on one of my classes and even written a report that said that my work was “above average,” she seriously doubted that my teaching approach really worked. After all, although the lesson had been fun and provided plenty of communicative opportunities for students to put the language to use, she had not seen any drills, repetitions, gap filling exercises, and grammar rules had never been presented to my group of “seven-year-olders.” So, in her opinion, it was only natural this student could not do or say much in English. The funny thing was…. this student has been in the US for less than two months and had been receiving ESL services for less than a month and a half!!!!

What is more, unlike the idea this principal had, she had made ENORMOUS progress. She could already understand most greetings and basic classroom directives; she could understand several types of questions on different everyday topics. She could even understand many things that people told her to do and basic facts! However, when it came to talking, she could just say one or two greetings and produce “yes” or “no” replies. Does this mean she had not made any progress? Does this means she had not learned anything? Not in the least! On the contrary, she was way advanced in her initial stage of second language acquisition and very soon afterwards she entered the early production period. Plain and simple, she was going through her silent period.

When I talked to the principal and explained to her, as politely as possible, what the silent period was and how much progress this girl had made, she could not help blushing and sighing with relief at the idea that “we had not been wasting our time!”

Once more, by knowing this simple fact we can relax, enjoy what we are doing without the frustrating feeling that we are getting nowhere. Students can also enjoy the freedom of knowing that sooner or later they will be able to put into practice whatever they are learning now, given the right language setting (For more info on the right language setting, please read my other articles: “Are you in a Really Communicative Second Language Classroom?,” Making the Most out of Your Second Language Acquisition Program,” and “Second Language Acquisition in Adult Learners – Parts 1 and 2.”)

If we are “masters and commanders” of our class, as it may happen if you have your own language school or if you have the freedom to do as you please, just knowing this simple fact can give you a whole different perspective of your work. Nevertheless, if you are working for someone who demands quick and immediate results, the best piece of advice I could give you is to do your own research on this topic; read as much as you can and be prepared to account for whatever you do with your students. Talk to your supervisor, peers, students or whoever is demanding results now and simply explain to them what the wealth of research on this issue shows. More often than not, the light that knowledge projects will dissipate the darkness that surrounds ignorance. Not only will they understand what you mean but they will also appreciate your efforts to make your classes more enjoyable and stress-free.

Julio Foppoli is a teacher of English as a Second Language, teacher of Spanish as a Second Language. He is also the creator and owner of http://www.esaudio.net/Spanish/online_classes.html, an online educational website with a technological edge, specialized in the teaching of Spanish as second language via audio-conference to native speakers of English from all over the world.

The website offers free listening comprehension activities with Spanish from all of the Spanish speaking world.

There has been a big obsession for laptops lately. But take note if you want the most up to date tech than you need to come up with some patience as there could be component shortages. In fact if anything has held back demand or shipments of laptops then its been shortages of parts. The technology is developing in all directions simultaneously too.

There seems to be a lot more selection and availability of gaming laptops these days. Because of the growing production and fast shifts it means important parts are lower in price than before. With the introduction of dual core cpus, laptop computers are worthy of gaming. A few of the problems like heat and noise still are present to a point but hardly in the mainstream systems. The cases are also fairly thin. Sure nobody is disagreeing that there is a speed difference between notebooks and desktop computers in terms of gaming however this should always exist. It will be interesting to see what gaming notebooks come out in the future and how portable they can manufacture them.

There are always a couple of people that require a notebook custom built because they need to use it for specialised work. Memory and hard disks are typically high performance branded parts in custom laptops which enthusiats users like. In vast number cases you can ask for all the primary parts you desire and this is most suited to games players, professional and hardcore users. The computers found in retail outlets are typically prebuilt based standard, mass market users and well not everyone is mediocore now are they? This is the purpose as to why custom laptops exist. High levels of customer service and support can also be found when getting custom built laptops. This would be a major attractor to a couple niche groups.

Next gen laptop computers do seem like a tantalising option. The extremely cheap umpc group seems to be producing all the exciting at this time. I don’t think anyone thought they would be so trendy. Buyers require laptops that are feather light yet also big enough to be workable and simple to use. Stronger housing needed for such laptops are still too pricey. Consumer trends signal that gaming laptops will get more thinner in the next couple of years. Every year we see new innovations so who’s guessing what we’ll see next.

If you are after cheap gaming laptops check them out here.

Past NFL Draft Picks – Hit or Miss


As much as the Mel Kipers of the world try to convince us otherwise, the NFL Draft is a highly inexact science. Need proof? Just look at some of the prominent Draft Day hit and misses from the last decade. And these aren’t obscure fourth rounders; each player listed below was selected in the first 10 picks of the first round.

1995 Draft

Hit: 3. Houston Oilers – Steve McNair, QB, Alcorn State
“Air” McNair has been the foundation of the Oilers/Titans franchise and was named co-MVP in 2003. He also led the Titans to Super Bowl XXXIV, commanding one of the greatest last-second drives in Super Bowl history – only to come up one yard short against the Rams.
Miss: 1.Cincinnati Bengals – Ki-Jana Carter, RB, Penn State
Missed entire rookie year after suffering a knee injury in preseason. Rushed for only 1,144 yards and 20 touchdowns over 57 games with the Bengals, Redskins and Saints.

1996 Draft
Hit: 4. Baltimore Ravens – Jonathan Ogden, LT, UCLA
Under the direction of Ozzie Newsome, the Ravens drafted the team’s two cornerstones in 1996, taking Ogden at No. 4 and then Miami linebacker Ray Lewis at No. 26 overall.
Miss: 6. St. Louis Rams – Lawrence Phillips, RB, Nebraska
In 35 games with the Rams, Dolphins and 49ers, Phillips rushed for 1,453 yards, on 3.4 yards per carry, and 14 touchdowns. Out of the NFL since 1999, Phillips has had successful stints in the CFL and NFL Europe.

1997 Draft
Hit: 1. St. Louis Rams – Orlando Pace, LT, Ohio State
Won Super Bowl XXXIV and was an integral part of three MVP awards (Kurt Warner in ‘99 and ‘01, Marshall Faulk in ‘00).
Miss: 9. Arizona Cardinals – Tommy Knight, CB, Iowa
In 73 games, Knight accumulated only three interceptions and 2.5 sacks with the Cardinals, Ravens and Rams.

1998 Draft
Hit: 1.Indianaplois Colts – Peyton Manning, QB, Tennessee
Named MVP in 2004 and co-MVP in 2003, Manning now owns the single-season NFL records for touchdown passes (49) and passer rating (121.1) after a brilliant 2004 season.
Miss: 2.San Diego Chargers – Ryan Leaf, QB, Washington State
Leaf played in 25 games with the Chargers, Cowboys and Seahawks, finishing his career with 3,666 passing yards, 48.8 completion percentage, 14 touchdowns, 36 interceptions and a 50.0 passer rating.

1999 Draft
Hit: 2. Philadelphia Eagle – Donovan McNabb, QB, Syracuse
Was booed on draft day by Philly fans who wanted the Eagles to draft Texas running back Ricky Williams. Has since led the Eagles to four consecutive NFC Championship Games and Super Bowl XXXIX last year.
Miss: 3. Cincinnati Bengals – Akili Smith, QB, Oregon
Drafted ahead of UFC quarterback Daunte Culpepper (No.11). In 22 games, Smith passed for 2,212 yards, five touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He will get another shot in the NFL after signing with Tampa Bay in
February. He spent time this spring playing in NFL Europe.

2000 Draft
Hit: 5. Baltimore Ravens – Jamel Lewis, RB, Tennessee

In 2003, Lewis joined O.J. Simpson, Eric Dickerson, Barry Sanders and Terrell Davis as only the fifth running back in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season.
Miss: 1. Cleveland Browns – Courtney Brown, DE, Penn State
After drafting Kentucky quarterback Tim Couch with the No.1 overall pick in ‘99, the Browns drafted Brown No.1 overall in ‘00. Did not
live up to his surname )Paul, Jim, ect.) in Cleveland, recording 17 sacks in 47 games over 5 seasons. Is now a member of the Denver Broncos.

2001 Draft
Hit: 5. San Diego Chargers – LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, TCU
The Chargers passed up a chance to draft Viginia
Tech quarterback Michael Vick, trading with Atlanta to acquire Tomlinson, quarterback Drew Brees and kick returner Tim Dwight. In only 4 seasons, L.T. has 5,899 rushing yards, 2,022 receiving yards and 60 total touchdowns.
Miss: 3. Cleveland Browns – Gerard Warren, DT, Florida
Though Warren produced 16.5 sacks in 60 games over four seasons, he was not worth the price tag (or the No.3 overall pick) and followed the rest of the Browns defensive front to Denver this offseason.

2002 Draft
Hit: 2. Carolina Panthers – Julius Peppers, DE, North Carolina
In only 44 games over 3 seasons, Peppers has 30 sacks, 12 forced fumbles, three interceptions and two defensive touchdowns. He also helped lead the Panthers to Super Bowl XXXVIII.
Miss: 6. Kansas City Chiefs – Ryan Sims, DT, North Carolina
Peppers college teammate was the first defensive tackle selected – ahead of Tennessee’s duo of John Henderson (No.9) and Albert Haynesworth (No.15). Has record 5 sacks in 37 games.

2003 Draft
Hit: 10. Baltimore Ravens – Terrell Suggs, LB, Arizona State
A classic case of over-analyzing measurables rather than game tape. Suggs was labeled a ‘tweener and fell to the Ravens, where he has 22.5 sacks and 7 forced fumbles in 32 games over two seasons.
Miss: 6. New Orleans Saints – Johnathan Sullivan, DT, Georgia
In 21 games over two seasons, Sullivan has only 1.5 sacks and one forced fumble for the inconsistent Saints.

2004 Draft
Hit: 10. Houston Texans – Dunta Robinson, CB, South Carolina
A tremendous playmaker, Robinson recorded six interceptions for 146 yard (24.3 yards per return) and three sacks in his rookie season.
Miss: 6. Cleveland Browns – Kellen Winslow II, TE, Miami
Played in two games as a rookie before breaking his leg. Was involved in a motorcycle accident the May, putting his 2005 season – and possibly his career – in jeopardy.

Author of Article

Eric Schumann
Age: 25
Date of Article: September 08, 2005

Visit American Sports Outlet for Sports Information and Sports Merchandise.

In this day and age, you need to use audiovisual media to get attention. Whether you are creating a simple presentation or a full on advertising campaign, knowing what audiovisual media are and how to maximize them to serve your needs will definitely make you stand out.

What exactly does the term “audiovisual” mean? You see audiovisual technology at work everywhere – in entertainment, in school, in corporate presentations, etc. The term “audiovisual” actually refers to the technology of combing visual output (such as a moving video, a photograph, or slides) with sound for the purpose of conveying information and ideas. Also called “multimedia output,” audiovisual presentations have taken many forms and are continuously evolving as technology progresses. It is mostly used in advertising, entertainment, and, on a smaller scale, in educational training programs and group presentations. It has also found its way into contemporary art. A visit to a contemporary art museum will show you that it’s not uncommon anymore to see talking paintings or short video clips with sounds on display.

There are advantages to using audiovisual media. Audiovisual presentations appeal to two of the most-used senses – sight and hearing – to produce the best effect on the audience. Unlike “passive” information media such as purely visual aids (like photographs or charts) or purely auditory channels (like voiceovers), audiovisual presentations give emphasis, clarify and reinforce messages, multiply the audience’s understanding of the information being presented, and generate more interest.

In most cases, the use of audiovisual media creates more impact than other forms. Studies show that audiovisual presentations, when well done, increase audience retention. Average people generally remember what they both see and hear, as opposed to what they only see or only hear. In fact, people retain only ten percent of information from an oral presentation, only thirty-five percent from a visual presentation, but a staggering sixty-five percent from an audiovisual presentation.

Audio Visual provides detailed information on Audio Visual, Audio Visual Equipment, Audio Visual Rentals, Audio Visual Presentations and more. Audio Visual is affiliated with Alpha Numeric Pagers.

-Side impact air bags

-DVD Navigation

-OnStar

-XM satellite radio

-Friction contact on the road is larger

-Drivetrain can withstand more horsepower

-Brakes are heavier

-Lighter engine

-Lighter exterior

-5″ shorter But longer wheelbase

-Open grill in front

“A Corvette is not about transportation, it’s about inspiring and fulfilling dreams”

The new Corvette was decided to boast a performance level of the current Z06 model. Chevrolet wanted the base model to be as powerful as their current 400 hp top of the line Z06. Along with this added horsepower, they wanted speed. Comfortable top speed in the 180 mph range. The easiest way to accomplish this was through reducing drag. But there were some problems. The new back tires were wider and the front has an open grill. That kills your drag coefficient in the wind tunnel testing. Also, the decision was made to go with integrated headlamps that were so small; they weren’t even available for the team to use in the design. They had to be made new. The functional rear spoiler integrates the third brake light and there is a diffuser that directs air past the exhaust tips. The car was shortened by 5″ increasing the chances of drag-induced turbulence at the end of the car. But not everything was negative. The car was narrower and had lower ground clearance. The engineers not only tested this design extensively (almost 500 hours in the wind tunnel), they tested several models to come out with the current rendition.

Weight also needed to be shed to gain additional performance. Using more aluminum in the body structure was the biggest move GM made to reduce weight. The car had new aluminum parts to brace the main frame to improve crash worthiness. Also, the side impact beams were changed to aluminum instead of steel. The latching mechanism in doors was changed to an electronic version, which sheds weight, but also was new innovative technology. I thought they just added the new latches because they were real cool. The body panels were also changed to a different type of material. Fenders are made from different material than the bumpers and that’s different from the hood. GM looked at 5 different types of plastic composites. The main panels are made out of a polyester sheet-molding compound that is reinforced with fiberglass. The 15% smaller new hood is 35% lighter, but 40% stiffer. The neat thing about all this technical analysis is that they made the car lighter, shorter, but stiffer.

Let me tell you about the glass. The rear glass is pre-curved, as you know. But the area behind the mirror is flatter. This eliminates distortion from hot and cold days. The side mirrors also were redesigned to reduce wind noise. They look pretty much the same, but the team spent long hours in the wind tunnel just tweaking the side mirrors. The other neat feature with the glass is the roof panel. The removable roof panel is polycarbonate, thermoset for the painted tops or transparent. It’s the same tooling to make the panels, just different materials.

There’s more to making the corvette fast and fun. That part is the engine. I’ll explain some neat things the team did on this new LS2 engine in my next article.

Stuart Simpson
http://www.corvette-links.com

Bond together the two of everybody’s dominating interests and what you’ll get is a vogue we know as a sportsbook betting web location. What could be more creative… Fancy a gathering of enthusiasts cheering over a given favored local sports club, and all the time antes will be set alongside the clamor. Keen to catch more of the enjoyment, spectators will regularly aspire to augur who will make it the forthcoming race. Put together, all of this eventually evolves into a nice little race called sportsbook betting web location.

Agreed it might easily seem to be dependency forming, though in fact sports wagering is essentially just diverting and to team up with one’s fellow sports devotees. Here, you can risk a a trivial amount of silver and all the same have an ultra cool time. Looking further, here are a number of guidelines to get you going sports wagering. To wager, you will drop by at a sportsbook betting web location, that’s to say a place which accepts sportsbook betting web location. In the U.S., we currently have four states where to do sports wagering in a legitimate manner, but inofficially you can attempt it practically anywhere assuming that you find a bookie AND you’re of legal age. Included among the games you’ll be able to bet on are pro and, obviously, college league basketball and football, pro baseball, pro hockey, and, obviously, wagers on both dog and horse racing. You’ll have a choice of risking some money on the complete results of a game or fight, when a given party will be vanquished, and even whether a coin toss in a game or fight will come down either heads or tails.

NCAA Basketball Betting

The bookmakers count on number to assist you decide which sports club you trust will make it. There’s the chances, i.e. specific points leverage assigned to the weaker competitor that is expected to go under by x number points. Evidently, this describes the odds maker’s fashion of offering objective stakes for a Sports Book. Thus, a gambler will have a choice of risking some money on a contestor that is expected to go under and and all the same make money on the wager assuming that the competitor is actually defeated by x number of points. It stands to reason that there are so many varying types of antes: straight bets, parlays i.e. combined antes on several track-and-field events, and so on, the straight being the most prevalent in sports wagering.

Why don’t you give it a shot, and entertain yourself at one fell swoop… But see to it that you won’t get seized and deplete your complete pension plan on a fancy… Otherwise you will end up feeling sorry till the end of your days…

Maybe you play mostly chords on you ukulele? Do you know that you can play melodies with the help of ukulele tab? Let’s play Tom Dooley!

Here you have the lyrics to the first verse:

Hang down your head, Tom Dooley
Hang down your head and cry
Hang down your head, Tom Dooley
Poor boy you’re bound to die

You don’t have to know sheet music notation to play. Instead we will use a form of tablature.

Tablature is a special form of musical notation that will show you how to place your fingers in order to play a melody on your ukulele. This notation is also called ukulele tab.

On your ukulele you have four strings. The one with the highest pitch is called the first string and is usually tuned to an A.

When you play on your ukulele you will have the first strings nearest your feet.

Before you start to play Tom Dooley let’s take a look at the ukulele tab notation. What does the following tab mean?

01

In this type of ukulele tab this means that you play the first open string. An open string is a string you play without pressing down a left hand finger. One more example:

32

The numbers indicate that you shall press down the third fret on the second string.

Now it’s time to play the first part of Tom Dooley. Here is the lyrics and corresponding ukulele tab:

Hang down your head, Tom Dooley

03 03 03 23 12 01 01

Remember, the first digit tells you which fret to press down and the second which string. Here comes the next ukulele tab:

Hang down your head and cry

03 03 03 23 12 32

This type of ukulele tab doesn’t tell you the length of the notes but you will probably find that out by yourself as you already know the melody.

Let’s move on!

Hang down your head, Tom Dooley

03 03 03 23 12 32 32

You can use your right hand thumb to play the notes. What about your left hand?

Of course you can play all notes with your left hand index finger. However in the long run you will probably find it easier to play melodies with more of your left hand fingers.

I suggest that you use your left hand index finger to press down the notes on the first fret, your middle finger for the second fret and your ring finger for the notes on the third fret.

Let’s continue with the last ukulele tab:

Poor boy you’re bound to die

32 32 01 12 23 12

This ukulele tab will also work on a guitar as the first three strings are tuned in the same way on a guitar.

Try to memorize the melody by practicing the ukulele tab one line at a time!

Well, now you can play Tom Dooley on your ukulele so now it’s time to play for your friends!

If you have a friend who owns another ukulele and can play chords you can play the melody together with the following two chords:

F major: 24 03 12 01

C7: 04 03 02 11

Start with F until you come to the word cry. When you sing cry change to the chord C7 and play it until you come to the word die where you change back to F again.

It is always nicer to play with friends, isn’t it!

Peter Edvinsson is a musician, composer and music teacher. Visit his site Capotasto Music and download your free sheet music and ukulele tab at http://www.capotastomusic.com.

In the last article I talked to you about knowing the difference between the two types of injuries in cheerleading. Now we are going to focus on the preventable injuries type. We all know what these types are. However, how do we prevent these injuries from occurring?

The first step is to know your team. This is hands down the best rule of thumb when talking about safety. Most people do not take enough time in analyzing their team and teammates. For example, do you assess your teams current skill level and ability? Do you know exactly who your strong spotters (the people who insure the safety of the participant) are? Because you should know the answers to these questions. Without this knowledge you are doomed to have preventable injuries happen.

Let us start out by talking about skill level. Most teams out there want to hit those higher level skills. Afterall, we are all here to perform right. However, you have to know your teams skill level as well as your own. For example, if you can do hands/elevator level stunts, your next step is to do extension/full level stunts. You would not go right into doing liberties before you can do extensions/fulls. Every stunt level has it’s progression. Or in other words, there is a specific path to follow before you can get into higher level stunting. Assess your teams skill level and your own. Then make a plan of action to reach those higher level skills.

Now that you understand skill levels, you need to know your stunts. Most people think that knowing a stunt simply means the ability to see and do it. However, that is only half the battle. In reality you also need to know where a stunt tends to fall as well as the proper techniques behind it.

Firstly, knowing where a stunt tends to fall is essential. By knowing this information prior to doing the stunt, you can save numerous preventable injuries.

Secondly, know how the stunt should be performed. This eliminates all of the second guessing and poor posture. Second guessing will only lead into doubt; which leads to loss of focus. You must be 100 percent focused while stunting. On the other hand, poor posture leads into muscle and joint injuries (more on that later). You should know very aspect of a stunt before you go to perform it.

For more info visit http://www.cheerlogic.com, or send an email to cheerlogic@cheerlogic.com

Paul Hopkins has been cheerleading for over seven years. During this time he has been a part of teams at the high school, college, and professional levels. On top of that he has taught numerous clinics and privates to cheerleaders of all ages; including Pro team members. Some of his awards include a 24th place at partner stunt nationals. Paul also is a Certified Fitness Trainer through the I.S.S.A. (International Sports Sciences Association).

Windsor Castle is understood to be the biggest occupied castles around today and the eldest in nonstop occupation (more than nine hundred years). It is 1 of Queen Elizabeth’s 3 royal homes, & is frequently thought to be her outright most desired home. The Royal flag flies above the Round Tower of Windsor Castle when Queen Elizabeth 2nd is in palace – yet, at other times, the Union Jack flag flies in its position.

Samuel Pepys once mentioned the Castle to be “the solitary most loving castle in the world.” That was considered in sixteen-sixty-six & the comparable can be said today. Visit Windsor Castle UK today with Enjoy England.

Windsor Castle Captivating History:

The beginning of Windsor can be found lying in the early 7th century Saxon hamlet of Windlesora, where the recent day dwellings of Old Windsor is. The settlement of Windsor is more correctly well-known as the “New Windsor” – the phrase “new” being referenced in a strictly loose sense!

Windsor Castle was at first put up by the famed William the Conqueror, on account of his assault of England in 1066. The original frame was constructed from timber with sol fortifications. The Castle held a clear strategic location on a tall hill just above the River Thames, and was a fraction of a circle of strongholds surrounding the Capital, with the Tower of London, one day’s trip away, at its hub.

The Castle was re-erected in stone, & grew in significance during the years. Later on Henry II constructed the Round Tower & the original stone outer wall. Following the English Civil War, the Castle’s primary function became that of a royal residence. Windsor Castle has remained mostly unbothered from the early nineteenth century, apart from the reconstruction job following the horribly fire in 1992.

Wines taste best served at the right temperature. From 7C for non vintage sparkling to 18C for vintage port. Different types of wines need to be served at different temperatures. Wine coolers serve the purpose of chilling your wine to the right temperature.

A wine cooler is any type of utensil or equipment used to cool the wine. These may be small table top units that rapidly cool a single bottle or hand held totes used to carry chilled wine. Wine coolers may also be as elaborate as large refrigerator style units that store dozens of bottles at selected temperatures. Wine coolers are usually made of neoprene, vinyl or double-walled glass, plastic, metal or any insulated material that assists to keep the wine chilled.

Table top units are useful for obtaining the correct wine serving temperature especially in warmer climates. Hand held totes are used for carrying and keeping bottles cold for picnics or parties but these keep wine chilled for a limited amount of time ranging from 1 to 3 hours. These hold single bottles or as many as three bottles of wine.

The large refrigerated units come in different types, sizes, styles and functions. These types of wine coolers are useful for those who do not have access to a wine cellar, as temperature and humidity conditions can be replicated. These can maintain temperatures at a designated level and also at precise levels so wines are continually kept chilled to the desired degree. With developments in technology, wine coolers have also come of age. Modern day wine coolers do not only control temperature, cooling and circulation but are also able to read bar coding of wine bottles enabling precise controls of elements related to the coding. Some wine coolers also have separate chambers with separate temperature controls so that different types of wines can be stored in the same wine cooler.

While choosing a wine cooler, features like volume, number of shelves, capacity, dimensions and energy efficiency are to be kept in mind. Coolers with extra features like light, glass doors and the opening of the door to both left and right are added advantages. Digital or electronic controls gain over dial controls, as temperatures can be set precisely.

Various brands are available with different functionalities with prices ranging from $350 to over $2000. Table top coolers are useful for domestic purposes while the large refrigerated units are ideally suited to bars, restaurants or uses where high turnover of products is expected.

Rory H. Hawkins writes about wine coolers and other interesting topics. For more information on wine refrigeration visit us today.