Sports

Professional style as a hobbyist

When I started boxing, I had a textbook on fan posture and style; hands up, left hand about six inches from chin, fairly upright stance, and active defense with a focus on “cover and counter” rhythm. It wasn’t long before my coach took me aside and told me this was not going to work. It made me bring my hands to my chin, square myself a bit, and start working on my head movement with immediate counterattacks and punches as the opponent struck. Did you know you loved Mike Tyson? Who knows, I’m sure I gave it away at some point in my training. This ‘new’ Peekaboo style took me to a new level in the gym. I felt like he had a style of his own (of course this wasn’t true), I figured it was Mike Tyson, slipping and countering, and knocking out the guys!

Style is one thing, skill is another, and the ability to execute your style is something else. It didn’t take me long to realize that I didn’t have the punching power of Mike Tyson, most guys don’t, even the pros. After a lot of beatings in the first 6 months in the gym, I started to get into my rhythm and style, and in my first fight it was like a white Mike Tyson, I rocked, moved, and came forward with heavy punches. Not everything was glory, he was gassed at the end of the second round of all the aggression. I won that fight, mainly because of solid defense and the ability to throw clean shots when it was my turn to shoot, I didn’t knock out my opponent and it wasn’t the Mike Tyson-style performance that I envisioned. Which brings me to the purpose of this post, a reader writes in:

… I also noticed that at the amateur level, everyone learns to box in the traditional way. However, I really like the unpredictability of Floyd Mayweather’s style or Sergio Martinez’s ambush style. I think a lot of his success has more to do with his unorthodox style than his natural ability.

What do you think about fighting like the aforementioned fighters? Sergio and Roy Jones Jr. often drop their hand, but it seems to work for them. I don’t have astonishing speed, but would certain exercises or repetition help me achieve similar work styles at the amateur level? “

There are a couple of things to keep in mind with any type of style:

1) Your style is how you put each piece of your boxing repertoire into action. To keep it basic, one guy likes to catch the jab and counter, the other likes to slide the jab and counter. This is the beginning of the style. Boxing is about position, technique, patterns, and rhythm. You can emulate Roy Jones or Mayweather, but it will always be you with your own style, this can be good or bad. Take what you learn and make it yours, remember that you are trying to win and good fighters do whatever it takes to win. Style is secondary to winning. Just look at how Mayweather changed his style right after Mosley hit him in the second round of their fight.

2) Fight based on your competitive field. Most of the best professional boxers started with a traditional amateur style. This is because amateur play is based on hitting connections and judges do not like fighters who deviate from the amateur style template. They think you’re “showing off” when you drop your hands. I’ve never seen a guy drop his hands in the fans’ victory against an even opponent, the judges just won’t score for him. In the amateur game you have to play for the judges, you can lower your hands a little and work with an evasive style, but I wouldn’t go too far from this, unless you know that you can clean up your opponent.

3) Dropping your hands has its purpose. The main reasons for dropping your left hand into a Philadelphia shell position or dropping both hands and being cautious are; first, you can move your head faster based on the distribution of weight across your body, second, you can see the punches a little more easily, third, you can rotate your shoulder to set up counterattacks, and fourth, you can throw punches from outside your opponents line of vision. If you are going to drop one or both hands, make sure you can back off with real technique.

4) The best way to develop any style is to take a chance in combat and practice what you are trying to achieve. You have to take risks if you want to improve and not depend on what works all the time. You have to put your ego aside and risk losing a round or two to try something new, that’s the best way to learn.

5) Understand that distance and pace are critical to your boxing style. Take a look at Mayweather, who likes to shoot and pick opponents apart from the outside, controls the distance and mentally paralyzes his opponents. Look at Pacquiao moving well from side to side, shaking his head and coming in with quick combos and moving a bit only to get in with a second set of combos. Look at Manuel Márquez, who has a deft, measured backlash as he waits for you to create the opening, and look at Víctor Ortiz holding you back with punches and forced starts.

All in all, your style will come down to your mindset, your level of proficiency with each technique, and your ability to put pieces together. Practice the techniques until you master them and work your new style in combat, take risks during combat.

Tours Travel

Tell the truth: many words catch us

“Where there are many words, sin is not absent.”

Proverbs 10:19

CAN IT BE RELATED TO frustration in the reflection of having heard something exaggerated to make it sound more attractive or sensational? Why are we doing this? Children do it all the time. Adults do it. Is it because we are trying to gain more acceptance? Is it because we need the attention? Is it because we have unmet needs within us? However, the reality is that our credibility (and truth) suffers when we fall into the trap of telling a half-truth.

The quoted proverb points directly to the effects of talking too much: if we talk too much, we are more like to lie. We need to understand that although lies hurt others, they also hurt ourselves. We suffer the inevitable loss of credibility, if you really count among your peer group. The truth is that sometimes some groups appreciate the falsehood; although they are not the objective of this discussion. This advice is aimed at those who want, and see the need, to speak more truth.

Anyone who is serious about becoming wise must argue that talking too much is cheating, and that building and maintaining credibility is paramount. I once read that for every sixty things we say, one is a lie, a lie, an omission, or an exaggeration, which means that we inevitably lie at some point or another. The same writer (Bill Hybels) suggested that it was a good idea to limit conversations to fifty-nine or less.

The idea is that if you want to be more honest and, as a result, have more integrity and better credibility, you simply have to say less. We need to be more cautious in what we say; more self-controlled; more discreet. I don’t know about you, but listening to an indiscreet and careless speech makes me angry from the inside, because I see a lack of care in the speaker, the lack of care is a lack of love.

Anyone who considers himself a spiritual being should not act carelessly; it goes against spirituality. If you want to be more spiritual and find it difficult to limit or control your speech, what should you do?

If you feel susceptible to this type of weakness, talking too much, and lacking the self-control to limit your speech, perhaps you need to study the principles of prudence and discretion? I have defined precaution simply as “Control of what goes in or out of the mouth”. (While this may be too simplistic a definition, it works for me.) Would it be true that for the many who lack control over their words, there are the same people who lack control over their words? what Y how much they eat? I wonder if there would be any correlation. Caution is self-control; is to live wise.

Proverbs also tell us other effects of wise behavior. The prudent person ignores an insult, keeps his knowledge to himself, acts outside of knowledge (which are established facts), reflects on his ways (and steps), crowns himself with knowledge, takes refuge in the face of danger, be silent in times of trouble, and listen to correction.

The final part of the proverb quoted above reads, “… but he [or she] who bites his tongue is wise. “There are many positive effects of speaking less and telling only the truth. The biggest and most positive effect is that you will become wiser and more demanding. Without even thinking about it, which is how it should be.

And when you think about it, talking less brings more peace and tranquility to your soul, as there is less pressure on you to please others. We don’t need to please others in order to feel better inside; they just like loving them.

Reference: Hybels, B., Making life work: putting God’s wisdom into practice (InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1998), p. 88f.

© Steve J. Wickham, 2007.

Arts Entertainments

Sensational Sherri Martell

On June 15, 2007, WWE.com announced that “sensational” Sherri Martel had passed away at the age of 49. He had passed away that morning at his mother’s residence in Birmingham, Alabama. Martell is added to the growing list of wrestling personalities to die at a young age.

Sherri Russell, born February 8, 1958, Sherri Martell, as she would be known, debuted in 1980 after training with The Fabulous Moolah. Martell got her first break when she joined the AWA and at the 1985 Superclash she claimed her version of the women’s title when she beat Candi Devine. She went on to have another three reigns as the AWA Women’s Champion.

In July 1987 Martel made his WWE debut and defeated The Fabulous Moolah. As Sherri Martell still held the AWA title (which she lost three days later), she is the only wrestler of either gender to hold the world title in 2 major promotions at the same time. The sensational Sherri went on to reign for 15 months before losing the title to Rockin ‘Robin. During the reign she also played the role of The Honky Tonk Man’s valet, Peggy Sue.

The sensational Sherri teamed up with Randy Savage and sparred with Hulk Hogan and Elizabeth, whom Sherri had her most memorable career segments, including Elizabeth’s haircut at Summerslam 89. At Wrestlemania 7, Savage lost a final match against Ultimate Warrior and Martell. attacked Savage but herself was attacked by Elizabeth.

After a brief alliance with Ted DiBiase, Martell joined forces with Shawn Michaels. During a segment with Michaels and his ex-partner Marty Jannetty, Jannetty struck Martell in the face with a mirror when Michaels placed her in front of him. Upon his return, several months later, he sided with Jannetty against Michaels, but when Jannetty left, Martell was left without a partner. She accompanied Michaels’ different rivals to the ring until Wrestlemania 9, where when she accompanied Tatanka for his fight with Michaels, she met Luna Vachon and the two women got into a fight. During his fight with Vachon he made several appearances for the USWA. Shortly after Martell left WWE.

After a brief stint at SMW and NWA, Martell appeared on ECW and guided Shane Douglas to the ECW title. She was involved in the classic triple threat between Douglas, Terry Funk and Sabu before leaving for WCW.

Martell changed his ring name to Sensuous Sherri and joined Ric Flair in his fights with Sting and Hulk Hogan. When Flair lost a retirement game to Hogan, she teamed up with Steve Austin, but just before he was injured and released. After a brief absence, she was paired with the Harlem Heat and became known as Sister Sherri.

Martell showed up at ECW for a fight in which she was the valet to Shane Douglas and Brian Pillman in a fight against Ron Simmons and Too Cold Scorpio Martell was piloted by Douglas after she crossed the team. In WCW he was about to lead the team of William Regal and Jean Paul Levesque (Triple H) when Levesque accepted an offer from WWE, so Martell was left in charge of Harlem Heat.

At Clash of Champions XXXI, the Harlem Heat and Martel defeated Bunkhouse Buck, Dick Slater and Col. Robert Parker (11:01) when Martel pinned Parker. Martel hit his head on the carpet and suddenly fell in love with Parker. In Clash of Champions XXXII, Martel and Paker were to get married, but Madusa interrupted the wedding. She and Martel participated in a catfight, and then fought in the first women’s match on WCW Monday Nitro on January 29, 1996. Shortly after defeating Col. Robert Parker at WCW World War Three, Martell left WCW.

After a brief stint on the independent circuit, he returned to WCW, but it was a short and unsuccessful stint. He appeared in WWE in 2005 at an angle to help promote the feud between Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle, which ended with Angle applying his ankle. In 2006 she was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and made several appearances on TNA.

Many of today’s divas would do well to watch Sherri’s career and learn something, as she is undoubtedly one of the greatest female wrestling personalities of all time. Sherri Martell leaves behind a son. She will be sadly missed.

Technology

Apple Watch and Health: Role of Applications and Closer Connections with the Patient

The Apple Watch and health marketing It may sound incongruous when you imagine the common uses of Apple’s latest invention. However, as with all mobile devices, it is the perfect device to capture patient attention when consumers use smartphones and tablets to quickly find information. You may have heard skeptics say that wearables will be relegated to monitoring our heart rate or blood pressure while doing cardiovascular exercise. No one said it should stop there, and the potential of wearable devices in healthcare marketing is an open book, even for plastic surgeons.

Everything is already in place on the Apple Watch to convincingly market your plastic surgery practice to new or existing patients. At the same time, it also has a new device to facilitate communication with new or current patients to help provide what they normally look for in cosmetic surgery.

What elements of the Apple Watch could help you better connect with your potential or future patients? With as many tools out there, you still have to think about screen width and how well viewers see your marketing content.

The role of apps on the Apple Watch

Using apps on the Apple Watch is a common activity just as much as it is on smartphones. While it has a smaller screen on the Apple Watch, many people track their health in specialized apps. However, how many apps have you seen on the device that provide insider information on different conditions?

The potential here for medical practices creating apps that track or provide educational information is very revealing. Creating an app for your own plastic surgery practice has the same potential to provide information and reveal what patients want.

In this case, you could create a tracker that tracks what people prefer when it comes to plastic surgery procedures. By accumulating this information, you have a real-time way of determining what types of procedures are the most popular and what types of results patients are demanding.

You should also provide information in your application about each procedure and what it entails. As with all applications, the easier it is to use, the better. This could happen through an easy search box that allows people to find what they want done (in layman’s terms) leading to a quick video or summary on what’s involved.

Better connectivity with patients

The Apple Watch already has a tool called HealthKit (it also integrates with Apple’s ResearchKit) that allows you to share information about health applications with your local health provider. While most of these features are for people with chronic illnesses, don’t rule out other possibilities. It is important to stay connected with your current patients as much as you can to get updates on the new plastic surgery procedures you offer or information on new techniques.

By providing you with an option to have a patient’s health information automatically sent to you from an app, it helps you better serve your patients. See this as a new way to create customer personas where you collect existing data to form the perfect image of the patient you need to serve.

Since some health problems require plastic surgery, the app you created above could send you information on how a particular plastic surgery procedure would help the patient in question. As a result, your prospective patient would realize the value of HealthKit in sharing information, even if everyone needs an opt-out option.

Share information for better research

USA Today recently mentioned how developers are working on applications that automatically submit health information to medical organizations with the intention of improving medical research. While the health information above can help your patients right away, let them know that the information you collect helps you in your research as well.

When you understand what patients need, you can work to investigate new techniques that enable innovations that you might not otherwise achieve without more detailed data.

Home Kitchen

HGTV Home Improvement Lessons "More for your money" Part 1 of 2

Have you seen the new HGTV show called “Bang for your Buck”? The goal is for two experts, a real estate agent and a designer, to compare three renovations of the same space, within the same city, all with the same budget, to see who got the most out of their investment. By chance I saw the one that just aired, which compared three $ 65,000 kitchen renovations in the city of Phoenix, Arizona. Given that my husband and I underwent a major kitchen renovation just 3 years ago and nearly double the national average, this story was particularly interesting to me.

I LOVED the first renovation. It was beautiful! In fact, his kitchen reminded me a lot of mine. They went with dark walnut cabinets, contrasting white quartz countertops, dark wood floors (much wanted, but too practical to get), and high-end stainless steel appliances. They sacrificed a kitchen-diner space for a bar that offered more storage space and better suited their lifestyle. At first glance, you won’t see anything wrong with this until you start to assess where the house was located, etc.

EXPERTS: This is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath mid-level home with a great “wow”; they greatly improved for the neighborhood.

HOMEOWNERS: There is no such thing as over-improvement. We don’t want to spend as much as everyone else because when it comes time to sell, our home remains the same as everyone else’s.

ALICE: In real estate, there is excessive improvement, “YES” your ultimate goal is to get back all the money you invested in selling the house. Spending the same amount as everyone else does NOT necessarily mean that you will get the same results. Obviously, these 3 reforms are a perfect example. They each spent $ 65,000 and got completely different results. This couple has great taste and even if they spent 50% less, in all likelihood they would have achieved fabulous results. They could definitely have achieved a similar look for less.

EXPERTS: Removing the eat-in kitchen from a bar was not a good idea.

OWNERS: They didn’t need two spaces to eat; They wanted more storage space and a bar for entertaining.

ALICE: I agree that not having a eat-in kitchen could hurt them when it comes to reselling because, judging by the specs, it looks like a beginner-friendly family neighborhood and not having a eat-in kitchen would not be suitable for families with children. Because they are a young couple without children, they have not considered it a problem. Ultimately, since the house is so beautiful, I think buyers would forgive it and just make the necessary adjustments.

EXPERTS: The glass mosaic backsplash was a bit of a concern, too much of a compromise.

OWNERS: That was our personality. People worry too much about neutrality and forget about their personal lifestyle. If you are going to live in a house for 5 years, make it yours.

ALICE: I agree with the owners. Sometimes neutral is taken so literally and to the extreme that you end up with a box of vanilla = BORING! My own glass mosaic tile backsplash gets compliments all the time.

EXPERTS: The stainless steel appliances – built in refrigerator and oven were all top of the line; They have the best cuisine in the neighborhood, but people won’t want to pay for it.

HOWEVER: This is how we want to live in our kitchen. That’s what worked for us. We know we spent more, but that’s what we wanted and it was our waste.

ALICE: I totally agree with the owners again. I also created my “dream” kitchen to some degree, knowing that it is the best kitchen in the neighborhood. Will we recoup our investment? In this market, NO. When the market went up, YES. In time, MAYBE. Regardless, this is what I wanted and I wouldn’t have been content with less. In that, he was already cutting back to try to keep the budget as low as possible. My most regret is not spending the money on heated floors. Trust me, during the colder months my husband and I kick each other every day! Again, as long as the owners agree to have spent more for personal enjoyment and not necessarily for resale value, they will be fine.

LESSONS LEARNED: Don’t over-enhance your area. Consider using alternative materials to save money, but don’t sacrifice your own wishes and desires for the sake of reselling. You should personalize your home to suit your lifestyle and taste, provided you understand that you may not get all the money you spend, and that some extreme customizations need to be changed when it comes time to sell.

Stay tuned for Part 2, where I address the lessons learned from the other two renovations.

Auto

Electric Vehicle Challenges for Wide Adoption

It’s fun to watch a Tesla Car slide down the road and know it’s fully electric, yet the industry has a long way to go before electric cars can compete on consumer price, before mainstream adoption is fully feasible. . Believe me when I tell you that I’m not against EVs, it’s just that I see a lot of challenges: cost, weight, subsidies, efficiencies, range, charging infrastructure, etc. And I shudder when I hear people explain how to pave that proverbial ‘road to hell’ with Good Intentions Paving Company LLC. Okay, let’s talk, shall we?

Here are five points about the future of electric vehicles and the real challenges facing the industry:

1). Current battery weight: batteries for electric vehicles significantly increase the weight of cars; Proponents say it’s okay because the new lightweight materials will keep the weight down. True, but if those lightweight materials can do that, they can also do it with gasoline, diesel, natural gas, hydrogen, or steam cars. Which means more competition, at 100 mpg because due to the low weight it is now a huge selling point.

two). End of Life Battery Disposal: Where do all these batteries with chemicals that are not so good for the environment go? Defenders say; It’s not that important. Still, if old cell phones are considered hazardous waste in part because of the batteries inside them, car batteries, which are much larger and have large amounts of material, are even more problematic.

3). Slow growth: Electric vehicles currently represent such a small percentage of the total to us that they are not making any real difference in the use of fossil fuels, so if that is the goal, it will take decades to achieve and will need massive government intervention. The government hasn’t intervened enough in free markets lately (healthcare, biofuels, for example) and how has it worked for us?

4). Electric Vehicle Refunds: When the government grants rebates, we all end up paying higher taxes. If electric vehicles cost an average of $ 10,000 more and we grant rebates, we are subsidizing one sector over another, picking and picking winners. It is wiser to allow the EV industry to climb on and find ways to lower prices to compete.

5). Electric vehicles are quiet – Proponents say that’s a good thing. But, say that to the kid or rider who didn’t hear them coming and got crushed. Some EVs now have “sound” to alert people of approach, and you can choose the sound you like best from several options. That’s good, but it negates the concept and / or benefits of such serenity associated with EVs. Sound requires power too, ask any car sound system audio installer, a second battery or batteries are often added for larger systems.

The electric vehicle industry will have to solve these challenges before consumers have full acceptance or before electric vehicles can supplant the cars we drive today. Please consider this.

Digital Marketing

Benefits of Live Streaming Culinary Skills on Social Media Platforms

Live streaming has become a new disruptive frontier in the world of content sharing. Live streaming events allow multiple people from around the world to connect and watch an event in real time. In the past, the ability to connect with a large audience in real time was reserved only and especially for the big brands and those who had the money to afford it. However, in recent times more and more streaming platforms have emerged that make it possible for more and more people to get involved in live streaming at little or no cost. Millennials in general digest most of their content from their mobile phones and are largely big fans of live streaming.

Cooking connects people in many ways. The process of creating food from mere ingredients has been a concept that has excited many for years, many people are passionate and ardent fans of cooking shows, and more and more people are developing an interest in streaming video streaming of your favorite cooking shows online. The rise of live streaming has opened a new frontier for exploring cooking shows. Here are some of the benefits of cooking skills from livestream on social media:

Drive engagement in real time

One of the main disadvantages of simply making a video and posting it online is the fact that while the video is running, there is little to no audience engagement. It’s really about creating what you ‘THINK’ the audience will like, posting it online and hoping they will. However, when you broadcast culinary skills on social media, you have the advantage of being able to interact directly with your audience. During most livestream cooking shows, there is usually a comment section that allows the audience to make observations and contributions while classes are going on, as opposed to simply uploading a video online. When culinary skills are streamed online, you give your audience an interactive experience where they are not only digesting a video, but have something to say about how the video is being created.

More focus

The live streaming cooking skills give the viewer a kind of urgency. One blink and you could miss an important detail mentioned by the chef, a little distraction and you could get lost when the chef put in his ‘secret ingredient’. Most people who watch the cooking live stream tend to be more focused and less prone to being distracted, this makes it easier to convey every bit of information shared in the video to the audience.

Real time monitoring

Most streaming platforms allow you to monitor engagement, there is usually a place that gives you information on how many people are watching that live stream at the time and if there is an increase or decrease in viewers. When you are Live streaming events Being able to monitor audience movements can help you gain better insights into audience behavior.

Leverage on multiple platforms

A few years ago, if you wanted to broadcast a show live on multiple channels at the same time, you would have had to pay a lot of money to do it. However, with the advent of live streaming on social media, you can now broadcast your culinary skills across multiple platforms and reach more people than you would if you had broadcast on a single platform.

There has been a massive increase in the number of chefs, cooks and even ordinary people who have taken to social media to show off their culinary skills, the benefits are numerous and worth the price paid to be able to reach so many people.

Business

Symptoms of fraud

Fraud Symptom Categories

1. Internal control problems: material weakness

The first thing to remember when looking at internal controls is the fraud triangle. Without the three elements of opportunity, pressure, and rationalization, fraud is less likely to occur. By creating controls that prevent these elements or detect them in a timely manner after they occur, managers can effectively monitor compliance.

Specific internal control problems derive from the structure of the organization. Examples of symptoms of control deficiencies include the lack of the following: segregation of duties, independent verification, proper authorization, physical safeguards, override of the implemented system, and adequate documentation.

2. Analytical irregularities

These symptoms are unusual ratios of current financial statements that are compared to previous years. Analytical tests identify those transactions that are extreme cases and fall outside the normal distribution of values. Common examples include: inventory shortages, the use of too many receivables credits, or the existence of new suppliers.

3. Accounting abnormalities

Symptoms of accounting problems include problems with faulty journal entries, missing or fraudulent source documents, and incorrect general ledger balances. The journal entries that are manipulated by clever scammers tend to be expense accounts. To balance the accounting equation, they must spend an amount equal to what they stole. Source documents can have all kinds of problems because they are often supplier invoices that can be manipulated by those with direct access. It is important to keep all original copies and verify with customers / suppliers using confirmations. Lastly, general ledger problems arise when there is a mismatch of general ledger balances that do not match the master file or each individual ledger balance that is not reconciled. Either way, it is a sign of an incomplete fraud scheme.

4. Extravagant lifestyle and / or unusual behavior

Lifestyle changes are often the easiest symptoms to spot. Although it is difficult to access bank records, investment records, and information on tax returns; Ownership records, UCC filings, and other records are easy to check for assets that have been purchased or links that have been removed. Unusual behavior is seen through an individual’s recognizable behavior pattern in trying to cope with stress. Your guilt leads to fear, fear leads to stress, and stress leads to behavior changes.

5. Suggestions and complaints

These are considered symptoms rather than evidence because they are often unwarranted. Despite their failure, they can be of great help when those in the best position to detect fraud step up.

-co-workers, managers and other employees are often in the best position to detect fraud at the stage of the act of theft

– company accountants and even coworkers are probably in the best position to detect fraud in cover-up

-co-workers, friends and managers are also in a better position to detect conversion fraud

Since this is the case, it is important that companies maintain a whistleblower protection program or keep an anonymous fraud hotline open. Detection and communication offer the best protection against fraud.

Relationship

How to learn to speak English on your own

Today’s youth (as well as students of all ages) are equipped with more tools than ever to learn English. In the 1980s, students relied on private lessons, printed books, and language learning tapes to improve their English language skills. Now there are many more opportunities online to listen to authentic native English speakers and practice with activities such as multiple-choice exercises. Many of these activities are free, while others have a cost. Whereas students in the past had to travel the world to practice authentic language in a real-world context, now students use apps, text messages, FaceTime, Skype, Google Hangouts, and more to practice their language skills. All one needs is a good internet connection, a computer, and an Android or iPad to get started.

First of all, one should not forget the importance of reading literature in the language being studied, no matter what the language is. Kindle, Barnes and Noble, and other vendors offer an excellent selection of downloadable books. Many prefer PDF books that can be stored in the iBooks app on their iPads or Android. Most experts agree that the best English writers and speakers are those who have taken the time to read extensively in various genres, including but not limited to romance, literary fiction, mystery, fantasy, science fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Writers of great books tend to exemplify the best of English, so the digital book should not be overlooked as a valuable tool in a world that tends to provide the quick gratification of acquiring knowledge through online programs.

With that said, it’s good to know that there are so many apps and websites for students who want to learn English on their own, even as a means to outperform their peers at school or work (or to score high on a test. ). One of those valuable sites to acquire English is Udemy. Udemy offers courses of all kinds in the English language. Most of the teachers are native English speakers or second language speakers with a high level of proficiency. By taking a Udemy course, the student develops a vocabulary specific to a field of specialization. Another excellent site is The Great Courses, a site where you can purchase a Great Professors digital course and stream it in an online digital locker. The Great Courses site offers quite long English courses with a wide range of subjects, especially in literature and philosophy. Otherwise, an advanced student of English could supplement their studies with excellent lectures given on TED.com or with free courses offered through universities on the Coursera website.

There is something for people of all language levels, from beginners to advanced professionals. There are programs to address the needs of each learning style. No matter how young or old they are, everyone benefits from websites originally created for public and private schools. Students and teachers find a large number of downloadable worksheets and puzzles, as well as downloadable English books on these sites. Many of these learning sites are backed by the products they advertise and sell. The products of these sponsors add value because they tend to be related to the acquisition of English.

It would be impossible to provide a list of all the sites available in the digital world. New sites emerge all the time when creative people design original means to teach languages ​​online. Rather than learning in one place with a limited methodology, students benefit from exposure to a variety of teaching techniques, strategies, activities, and games. Here is a list of some of my favorite sites that I have used in my experience as an English teacher. Not all of these sites meet the needs of all students, so students must choose from these sites and more:

  • Englishgrammar.org

  • Wall Street’s “English Anytime”

  • Learnamericanenglishonline.com

  • usalearns.org

  • Learnenglish.britishcouncil.org

  • bbc.co.UK

  • Busuu.com

  • Merriam-Webster Dictionary – Official Site

  • Oxforddictionaries.com

  • eslbase.com

  • ESL.partyland.com

  • Khancademy.org

  • Lynda.com

  • Duolingo.com

  • iteslj.org/questions/

  • better-english.com

  • ESLvideo.com

  • kidslearningville.com

  • studyenglishtoday.net

  • pinkmonkey.com

  • brighthub.com

  • usingenglish.com

  • livinglanguage.com

  • ets.org/toefl

  • rosettastone.com

  • English-at-home.com

  • learningEnglish.voanews.com

  • https://www.youtube.com/user/VideoLearnEnglish

  • talkEnglish.com

  • YouTube.com (lessons, music, movies, and more)

  • abaEnglish.com

  • abcfastphonics.com

  • free-phonics-worksheets.com

  • kizphonics.com

At Kiz Phonics, students find valuable examples of the pronunciation of sounds in English. Note that this site is American, but there are equivalent sites with pronunciation from England, Canada, and other English-speaking countries. Adult learners will benefit as much from hearing pronunciation examples on a kid-friendly website as well as children, as phonetics apply to all ages. It is wise to focus on the wide range of vowel sounds spoken by English speakers because most second language speakers are initially unaware of how each vowel makes so many sounds depending on the surrounding letters.

For unfamiliar words, I would turn to the online Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the online Oxford Dictionary, or a general “word of the day” email list that one can sign up to receive daily messages with new vocabulary. Even a native speaker may not know all the words one receives in word emails every day. Students should pay close attention to the etymologies of words. Year etymology it is an explanation of where a word came from and possibly how it changed in both form and sound over a long period of time. Studying word origins makes a challenging language like English even more fun because it links the language to historical origins and to various cultures.

When considering the meaning of words, it is still wise to evaluate a word used in context. English vocabulary is planted in an environment that enables the English learner to understand the intended meaning. There are sites, including sites with dictionaries, that explain the differences between homonyms, homophones, synonyms, and rhyming words. One such site is RhymeZone.com. The Rhyme Zone also provides a valuable thesaurus that will allow students to understand the nuances of the English language.

ABA English offers a natural way to learn English by watching movies related to real life. One of my former adult students from Italy commented that this site was nice and that it made learning English seem like less work than learning in the classroom. ABA English offers a trial period so that anyone can try the program and benefit from its videos for free. If students prefer to advance in the program, they can enroll in Premium services. Otherwise, students may prefer to watch free YouTube videos about English language and sing along with some YouTube music videos with printed lyrics for singers. Singing allows students to practice the flow of sounds naturally.

Wall Street English offers exciting social clubs. Students go to one of its centers (centers) to participate in fabulous activities that address popular culture, trends, marketing, business, advertising, and even the arts. It can be a lot of fun making friends at a Wall Street social event. Wall Street also offers an exciting online “Village” also known as “English Anytime” for motivated students who need to know English for success at work, school and in the workforce. Wall Street English combines the best of classroom teaching with online teaching at a very reasonable and affordable price.

For serious ESL and TEFL students who want to explore English stories in detail, there is Pink Monkey.com, a site with a huge collection of literary summaries written in English. These summaries will help students better understand their literary studies or choose books they would like to read. Both Cliffs and Spark Notes are similar American sites for students with literary leanings of the great English language.

Last but not least, ABCmouse.com, for a small fee, teaches kids activities that come straight from the classroom. One finds thousands of activities within the reach of children. Students click anywhere and are directed to an activity so students never run out of activities. For children of all ages, Reading Bear will teach 1,200 vocabulary items in 50 presentations that cover all the rules of English phonics for free.

As you can see, no matter where one has studied English in the past or where one currently studies English alone or in a classroom, there are many things that the student can study online to improve reading, writing, listening and speaking. . English through websites and apps. Students will find a variety of activities ranging from elementary basic phonics to college-level presentations on sites like Udemy and TED.com. No matter where you have come from in your English studies, you must take responsibility for your own learning. A single teacher cannot provide students with all the knowledge they need because a teacher’s knowledge is limited and comes from only one point of view, no matter how good the teacher is. Therefore, students should not blame their teachers for what they do not know when there are so many opportunities to explore English on the Internet. Students should always use research as a means to better understand words, phrases, and idioms. It is still the responsibility of the student to try to cover all facets of the language, especially when there are so many interesting opportunities!

Gaming

Classic Game Review: Reforging 88

REFORGER ’88 reflects the same kind of careful research and exciting game theory that Gary Grigsby’s pastime awaits after games like Guadalcanal Campaign, Carrier Force, Objective Kursk, and War in Russia. In this simulation, a hypothetical invasion of Fulda Gap by Warsaw Pact forces with the primary objective of securing the Rhein Main Air Force Base near Frankfurt, US and West German forces must fight in a holding action against Soviet and East German aggressors to bring the superior replacement ability of NATO forces to take its toll on the Communists. The game can be described as a great tactical warfare in the sense that the player is concerned with unit-to-unit battle where terrain and objective selection is vital for success, but where the player must also be concerned with general assignments. supply, air superiority and / or targeting and air reconnaissance normally reserved for strategic decision makers.

Therefore, the game has an excellent combination of two levels of decision making in which many games opt for a strategic or tactical level. In solo mode, the player is limited to playing with NATO forces. Of course, this must necessarily limit your appeal to the aggressive player who wants to take on a computer opponent. In the two-player version, the game runs smoothly and is friendly enough to allow an exciting game to be played in an afternoon. Grigsby wastes little programming time on superfluous “whistles and bells” like unnecessary title pages and graphics. Instead, it offers useful features like “automatic movement tank”. This feature allows supply depots to reach the front lines very quickly, limiting the need for the player to try and find the best route to the front. Once the depot has stopped near the front lines, the player can maneuver it to supply the units he most needs to supply. However, the presentation of the game could have been improved if the coated maps had been printed with the map coordinates. The game could have been sped up considerably with that little addition.

As with most of Grigsby’s ground ops games, supply is a huge factor. Out-of-supply units are not only practically defenseless, but also unable to move. It’s not nice to be an easy target when five or more Warsaw Pact units surround you. The successful player will read the supply rules carefully and make a significant effort to enter within the two hexes required to supply all of his units.

The second most important factor in winning the game is the Air Mission Assignment Phase. The most important mission is “air superiority”. No matter how many combat points the player can place in a “ground attack,” he will lose an inappropriate number of aircraft if the enemy’s “air superiority” is significantly greater than his own. I have found the NATO player to be prudent when using all of their F-15 and F-16 Falcons, as well as most Tornados, in “air superiority” missions, so that the Phantoms, F-111,

The A-10, PAH-LS and AH-64 will have a reasonable chance of survival. This suggested assignment has the advantage of using each of the aircraft according to their strongest combat point values ​​(except for the Tornados which have a better ground attack rating but are desperately needed to counter “air superiority” of the Warsaw Pact because its 9 CP is the third highest in “air superiority” missions. Then, just when a player thinks they have the mechanics of the game in hand, they must learn to be alert to two very important advantages of the Pact of Warsaw, paratroopers and chemical warfare.On paratroopers, see Strategically Speaking from CGW 5.2 In chemical warfare, the Warsaw Pact must have strategic objectives in mind, as the doubling of the effectiveness of airstrikes and bombings is reduced by half when used against a battle group that has previously experienced a chemical attack. So, it is foolish to use chemical warfare so early in the day. l game that its strategic value and demoralizing effect are not available when NATO’s defensive strategy. orcas dig. One last short hint is in order. Unlike some games (and ours, actual battles) where the same piece of land, hill or block is taken and retaken numerous times, NATO’s defensive objective means that once the Warsaw Pact forces enter a city hex, NATO forces can never retake it.

Therefore, it is vital that the NATO player meet the enemy before the city hex attacks. This way, the NATO player can retreat to the city if defeated and take full advantage of the effects of the city’s defensive terrain.

REFORGER ’88 is an excellent game that uses a fluid and easy-to-use system that is satisfying to play from the initial boot to the last battle turn. It is the product of an incredible amount of research and even a reading of the weapons systems list makes some of the Pentagon’s budget considerations seem clearer. The game is intended for a large amount of playtime and a long lifespan.