Posts Tagged ‘politics’
Traditional Bows
Archery is as old as Old Nick. The oldest bows to have been found date back to about 2000 BC and bows are almost definitely older than that. Archery is so old that no-one knows where or when the bow and arrow was developed. It has always been utilized in hunting and warfare. Buddhist monks in the Far East have utilized archery in their martial arts regimes for centuries as well.
Archery is even now being used by some tribes around the world for hunting purposes and many millions of ordinary people practice archery for recreation. Buddhist monks still utilize it in their meditation techniques. There are essentially three types of archery recognized: primitive, traditional and modern archery.
Traditional archery includes such bows as the longbow and the recurve bow. Bows of both types have been discovered dating back to 2000 BC. It appears that the longbow was more common in northern Europe and the recurve bow was more widespread in southern Europe and east from there all the way to Japan.
The modern compound bow can achieve a heavy draw weight by expending relatively little physical strength compared to traditional bows by the use of a set of pulleys or cams, but still a lot of people prefer to use traditional bows. People appear to want to get back to the root of archery.
Longbows are very basic implements, traditionally made from one piece of yew or ash. Recurve bows could also be made from one piece of wood, but more often, the tips would be made from wood and horn or bone. Remember that the tips of a recurve bow face to the front when the bow is unstrung.
Because of the recurved tips, a recurve bow is more powerful than a longbow weight for weight or inch for inch, but recurve bows are normally quite short, so the standard longbow is much more formidable than the typical recurve bow.
However, both types of bow require quite an amount of physical strength to draw them to full power and hold that draw to take aim.
This cycle of drawing and holding without quivering or trembling requires a lot of strength and concentration, which usually has to be acquired. It can take years of practice to master traditional archery. The British longbow men of the 14 th and 15 th centuries trained all their lives.
In fact, Henry VIII made it law that all English and Welsh men had to practice with a longbow at the butts every Sunday shooting at targets at a minimum of 220 yards away. Nowadays, 90 metres (100 yards) is about the furthest archers shoot. It would often take ten years to become this skillful, but some archers could shoot an arrow 400 yards and more.
In order to cast an arrow that far, traditional longbows used in warfare had a draw weight of between 160 and 180 lbs, which would send a three ounce, armour-piercing arrow about 300 yards. Not many men could pull a bow like that these days These days, a typical draw weight for a longbow would be 100 lbs and for a recurve something over 60 lbs.
Owen Jones, the author of this article writes on various subjects, but is presently involved with archery bows for sale. If you would like to know more or for special deals, please go to our website at Kids Archery Set.
Free Energy Home Generator – Which One is Right For You?
Free energy is the new solution to today’s energy dilemmas. New studies and a better understanding to energy and its physics have opened new doors to easier solutions of these problems. Free energy has had to overcome many obstacles but today it is a popular topic for the press, gaining much attention.
Everyone, except the huge power companies who are banking on the people’s dependence with the energy and power that they produce, seem to be so thrilled about this revolutionary discovery.
Free energy generators create the much needed power by using natural resources such as solar, wind, geothermal and magnetic energy. But which one is right for you?
Magnetic free energy is created by the natural polarity of magnets. This type of free energy can abundantly supply an infinite source of energy to your home. Solar energy may not be the better solution even though it is more effectively understood.
Magnetic energy home generators are motors that use natural polarity fields of magnets to supply an abundant source of energy to your home. Magnets are polarized and it is the natural occurrence of the two opposite poles that repulse those with the same poles. This act of repulsion induces the continuous motion of energy restoration. What all this means is that this form of generator can run indefinitely by itself on just its initial charge alone.
Magnets are naturally polarized that cause opposite poles to repulse with those of the same poles. Put in another way, the natural repulsion of the poles induces perpetual motion by magnetic forces which then power the generator. This initial charge can indefinitely power your home for free.
Magnetic free energy is definitely the right choice to make when deciding upon which free energy source to use. There are many benefits when opting for a free energy home generator, the money you will save should be enough to capture your attention.
To get started on your first magnetic free energy home generator you may want to look online for D-I-Y (do it yourself) magnetic generators that can be easily downloaded through e-books. It doesn’t matter if you are technically inclined because these downloads provide very simple instructions that are designed to engineer at all and any technical level.
Want to find out more about Free energy, then visit Denetor Ectellion’s site on how to choose the best renewable energy for your needs.
The Ancient Roots of Barry, South Wales: Part 1.
Much of what we know or have supposed about Barry and the Vale of Glamorgan, in which it is situated has been gleaned from the buildings found there, many of which have been badly neglected for too long. There are also legendary stories, such as that of Joseph of Arimathea, who traded tin in Glastonbury, just across the channel and who was one of the first missionaries to this part of the country.
It is a widely-held traditional belief that the father of Caractacus took him to Rome where they both converted to Christianity. They later returned to the Vale of Glamorgan with the missionary Bran The Blessed. It is also well-known that Christianity had gained much popular belief in the Vale by the early fourth century and that several bishops on the Council of Rome were from the area.
One of the oldest shrines in the vicinity is St. Baruch’s Church on Barry Island, but it is also in very poor condition. Barry Island was one of the most important monastic retreats of the period in south Wales. Steep and Flat Holm islands in the Bristol Channel were also highly significant in this regard. Another very important part of the puzzle was St. Illtyd’s Seminary in Llantwit Major which had 2,200 students.
Porthkerry Point jutted out into the sea almost certainly further out than it is today and a castle was constructed there on the site of an ancient Roman fortress and naval dockyard. Many deer and wolf bones have been found between Barry and Sully, indicating the presence of these animals in great numbers. Arrowheads, flints, bone needles and coins have also been found.
Barry Island was first called ‘Baruch’s Island’, as far as we know, after Saint Baruch. St. Baruch had been found on one of the beeches, washed up dead in 700 AD. He is known to have drowned when returning from Flat Holm, which was commonly used as a retreat by religious people over Lent.
He and Gwelches had been disciples of St. Cadoc at the time. On their return to the island, they realized that they had left their enchiridion (religious manual) behind and St. Cadoc made them go back and get it. They never returned alive. St. Baruchs most famous disciple, St. Illtyd was educated there.
Barry Island has had its name changed several times over the centuries. It was once called ‘Island of the Saints’ and ‘Insular of Peiros’, after St. Peiro, who was St. Illtyd’s successor at the seminary at Llantwit Major. He was also St. Samson’s luminary. There was also a St. Doeninas, who was abbot of a nearby abbey on Friars’ Point.
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US Holidays And Holy Days
Congress and the president have designated ten days as federal holidays. Being ‘federal’, these holidays theoretically only pertain to federal employees and residents of the District of Columbia, although they are so widely observed that they can be thought of as national holidays.
Officially, it is up to each individual state to designate public holidays. If the holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the Friday before or the Monday after is given in lieu to make a long weekend.
New Year’s Day (January 1) – celebrating the New Year dates back to pre-Christian times, when rites were performed to attempt to ensure the return of Spring.
Martin Luther King Jnr. Day (third Monday in January) – before he was shot dead in 1968, Martin Luther King Jnr. was the foremost civil rights leader of the 1950’s and 1960’s. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. Congress set this day aside to celebrate his life and achievements in 1983.
Washington’s Birthday (third Monday in February) – initially it was commemorated on Washington’s actual birthday, the 22nd of February, but it was moved in 1971 to make a long weekend. It is sometimes known as Presidents’ Day, because it is near Lincoln’s birthday on the 12th February.
Memorial Day (last Monday in May) – also known as Decoration Day, it honours soldiers fallen in battle.It originates from the Civil War and is customarily marked by parades and services.
Independence Day (4th July) – this, the most significant US holiday, marks the 1776 signing of the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. It was first celebrated in 1777 and is marked by fireworks, parades and speeches.
Labor Day (first Monday in September) – this, the idea of Peter J. McGuire, the president of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, was adopted in 1894 to celebrate American workers.
Columbus Day (second Monday in October) – Christopher Columbus and his crew landed in the Bahamas on Oct 12th 1492. It was first commemorated in 1792, although it was not officially adopted until 1909. It is a cause of special pride to Italian-Americans, who claim the Genoan voyager as their own.
Veterans Day (Nov 11th) – or Armistice Day marks the end of the First World War on Nov 11th 1918. It was made a legal holiday in 1938, but its name was changed in 1954 to honour all American veteran soldiers.
Thanksgiving Day (fourth Thursday in November) – it was first commemorated in Plymouth County, Massachusetts in 1621, the year in which the Pilgrims landed in the New World to give thanks for the new harvest and the new land they had colonized. President Lincoln proclaimed it a holiday in 1863.
Christmas Day (December 25th) – Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with Franklin Covey planner refillss If you have an interest in calendars, organizers or promotional calendars, please go over to our website now at Promotional Desk Calendars
Unique Wedding Rings
The practice of giving and wearing a wedding ring dates back thousands of years. A wedding ring represents fidelity and love between two people and are given on the day of a couple joining forces. Before the time that the skill of how to work metal became widely known, people used such things as plants, grass and even hair to ‘tie the knot’, which is what I think a wedding ring stands for.
These days a normal wedding ring might be made from precious metals such as gold, titanium, platinum or even white gold. Women’s wedding rings often hold a diamond, although sapphires are rapidly becoming more prevalent. Men’s wedding rings are often just a simple band of gold. There are many distinctive styles of wedding rings, but the most popular for men is definitely the plain gold band.
For those who want something a bit more flamboyant, there are plenty of examples on the market. A man might want a more ostentatious wedding ring, because it is often the only piece of jewellery that a man wears. Some alternatives to the plain band of gold are the Celtic Knot and the Claddagh gold rings.
It is essential for men’s wedding rings to be made from a robust alloy of gold. Most men do manual labour of one sort or another, even if it is only gardening, so it is a lot to ask of a pure gold wedding ring to last thirty or forty years.
A 14 or 18 carat gold ring will probably do it, but a 22 carat ring would not. It would simply wear away because it is too pure and therefore too soft. Platinum or titanium are much harder, although most people prefer gold.
In most countries convention dictates that people wear their wedding ring on their left hand, although in a couple of countries such as Germany, Russia and Norway, people wear their wedding ring on the right hand.
Some couples would rather have a unique wedding ring and that is not so difficult to achieve as it might first appear to be. The easiest way to personalize your ring is to have an inscription like names and a date engraved on it.
Another way, would be to buy a precious stone separately and have the jeweller set it into the ring for you. The best alternative though is to find a jeweller you can trust and have him or her make up a pair of matching rings to your own design. I have done that and it is not a lot more expensive than a good ring.
Wearing matching wedding rings is a remarkable experience. People see that your ring is ’something different’ and many people ask, where you got them from. It all goes to help make that special day memorable for ever.
Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with theCeltic Knot wedding ring. If you have an interest in wedding rings too, please go to our website now at White Gold Claddagh Ring