Lower your ebay postage costs, by buying 'unfranked' stamps on ebay.
Just search 'unfranked' on ebay.co.uk and you will find an array of reuseable stamps!
Saturday, August 21, 2010
GLASS CATFISH A GUIDE TO KEEPING AND FEEDING
The glass Catfish, sometimes known as the ghost fish (Kryptopterus bicirrhis) is an intresting addition to the freshwater tropical aquarium, preferring to be kept in groups of 8 or more, they prefer to have open swimming areas as well as planted areas in which to seek shelter.
The fish origionate from Sumatra, Java and Borneo and search for their food during daylight hours, in captivity they prefer to eat live food such a bloodworm, and daphnia. Newly hatched brine shrimp are an excellent, nutricianaloption for these and many other community fish. If such live food is not readily avaliable the glass catfish will soon take to quality dried foods such as freeze dried and flaked varietys.
These unique fish are full of character and will always be a discussion point being completely transparent, allowing anyone viewing the tank to see the internal "workings" of these fish. Their spinal colum, ribs, brains, stomachs and swim bladders are all clearly visable.
These fish will grow to a maximum of 8 - 10 cm in the aquarium, prefering a PH of 6 - 7.5, a temperature of 24 - 28oC and a hardness of 1 - 16 dH
How to Strengthen your Kicks for Martial Arts
I'm going to show you a kicking drill that is great for your legs.
This will give you more powerful kicks, higher kicks, faster kicks, and
better balance. All of which are essential for a well-rounded martial
artist.This drill doesn't take very long to do; and could even
be done right when you wake up or right before you go to bed. It
really doesn't matter when you do this exercise; just make sure you are
doing it every day.For this exercise, you are going to be going
through a series of slow kicks with each leg. You will do one leg and
then the other. Make sure to follow proper form on all of the kicks.Each
kick routine will be going through a series of steps. There will be a
starting position and an extended position. The motion from starting
to the extended position should be done very slowly.While
performing these kick routines, keep your guard up so you are always
ready to defend yourself. This is a good idea when practicing any
martial arts drills or movements.Proper form is essential to
allowing this exercise give you the greatest benefits. Make sure you
are following all the tips in the steps listed below.If you
find yourself losing your balance, find a wall or a staff to help you
keep your balance. Do not lean on the wall or staff as that will be
counter productive and not allow you to get the full benefits from
these exercises.If you would like more instruction on martial arts, check out thesemartial arts tutorials.Step 1: Front KickYou will start by bringing your knee up as high as you can in front of you.Hold this position for a slow count of five seconds (one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand, etc).After you are done holding this position, start to slowly extend your leg while keeping your knee in the same position.While extending your leg, try to keep your knee in the same position. This will give you the most strain on your quads.The full extension of your leg wont occur until after another slow five second count.Hold your leg straight out and in a fully extended front kick for another slow five second count.After you are done holding your kick, bring it back to your starting position in another slow five second count. Step 2: Side KickYou should already have your knee up as high as you can in front of you from step 1.Hold this position for a slow count of five seconds.Start to extend your leg to the side into a side-kick for a slow count of five seconds.Make sure to keep your kicking foot parallel to the ground.Do NOT stick out your butt to perform the side kick in order to get more height. Make sure to keep your upper body straight over your pivot foot; do NOT lean for the kick.Use only your leg muscles to raise the height of your kick. From
your head, through your shoulders, and to your heal of your pivot foot,
there should be a straight line. Make sure your kick is also in this
straight line. If you are not sure, watch yourself in the mirror to
make sure your entire body is in line.Another way to
ensure you have this form is to put your butt and shoulders up against
a wall and perform the kick perpendicular to the wall. This will keep
you inline with the wall.When you are extending your leg,
make sure your heal is following the line of your body; as your heal is
what you will be striking with for your side kick.You will
most likely not be able to kick very high; do not worry about this as
you are strengthening your legs. The most important thing is proper
form; this will let you get the most out of this exercise.Hold your side kick out for a slow five second count.Slowly bring your kick back in the same path it went out on for another slow five second count.Step 3: Back KickYou should already have your knee up as high as you can in front of you from step 2.Hold this position for a slow count of five seconds.Slowly extend your leg behind you into a back kick position for a slow count of five seconds.Hold your back kick for a slow five second count.Your leg should be fully extended and straight with your heel pointing up and your toes down.You will really feel this in your butt and lower back. Try to keep your kick up as high as you can without leaning much. You will have to lean a little to fully extend your leg.Slowly bring your kick back in the same path it went out on for another slow five second count.Step 4: Roundhouse KickYou should already have your knee up as high as you can in front of you from step 3.An
alternate way to start this is to move your kicking leg to the side of
your body. This will allow you to pivot around and have more of a
circular motion. I would recommend practicing both starting positions.
With the starting position in front of you, this will conceal
your kick more to your opponent as it will look just like a front kick.Hold this position for a slow count of five seconds.You are going to slowly pivot on your pivot foot 180 degrees while slowly performing a roundhouse kick.Make sure to keep your knee up as you did in your front kick.After your pivot foot is done moving, the heel should be pointing towards your target.While you are pivoting, your hips will naturally pivot which will allow your leg to extend into a roundhouse.Hold your roundhouse kick for a slow five second count.When
you strike with your roundhouse, practice using the ball of your foot.
Then make sure your foot is perpendicular to the floor.Slowly bring your kick back in the same path it went out on for another slow five second count.All in OneNow let's bring all these steps together. This will give you a better feel for how the whole drill will come together.Method 1:One
way to perform this exercise is to run through all 4 steps on one leg
and then alternating legs. Perform this whole sequence at least 3
times (3 sets). You may want to try it this way until you get all the
steps down and can balance yourself more easily through them all on one
leg.Method 2:Once you feel comfortable with method 1, it's
time to add more repetitions to each step. This time, you will perform
each step a minimum of 5 times before moving to the next step. Perform
all four steps on one leg before moving to the next leg. Perform this
whole sequence at least 3 times (3 sets).ConclusionDo not rush through your kicks. Make sure to use the full count for the extension and retraction of your kicks.When
you are going through these exercises, try not to let your kicking leg
touch the ground until you are ready to move onto the next leg. This
will improve your balance very quickly so you'll be able to go through
all of the steps without falling.For better results, make sure
you are doing a proper warm-up before starting this drill. After you
are done with your workout, you should be stretching out your body to
loosen up your muscles.You should start seeing better results in your kicks very quickly if you are following these drills.If you liked this guide, please check out my otherMartial Arts Guides on eBay and let me know what you think.Need any Martial Arts supplies? Check out myMartial Arts Supply Store.
This will give you more powerful kicks, higher kicks, faster kicks, and
better balance. All of which are essential for a well-rounded martial
artist.This drill doesn't take very long to do; and could even
be done right when you wake up or right before you go to bed. It
really doesn't matter when you do this exercise; just make sure you are
doing it every day.For this exercise, you are going to be going
through a series of slow kicks with each leg. You will do one leg and
then the other. Make sure to follow proper form on all of the kicks.Each
kick routine will be going through a series of steps. There will be a
starting position and an extended position. The motion from starting
to the extended position should be done very slowly.While
performing these kick routines, keep your guard up so you are always
ready to defend yourself. This is a good idea when practicing any
martial arts drills or movements.Proper form is essential to
allowing this exercise give you the greatest benefits. Make sure you
are following all the tips in the steps listed below.If you
find yourself losing your balance, find a wall or a staff to help you
keep your balance. Do not lean on the wall or staff as that will be
counter productive and not allow you to get the full benefits from
these exercises.If you would like more instruction on martial arts, check out thesemartial arts tutorials.Step 1: Front KickYou will start by bringing your knee up as high as you can in front of you.Hold this position for a slow count of five seconds (one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand, etc).After you are done holding this position, start to slowly extend your leg while keeping your knee in the same position.While extending your leg, try to keep your knee in the same position. This will give you the most strain on your quads.The full extension of your leg wont occur until after another slow five second count.Hold your leg straight out and in a fully extended front kick for another slow five second count.After you are done holding your kick, bring it back to your starting position in another slow five second count. Step 2: Side KickYou should already have your knee up as high as you can in front of you from step 1.Hold this position for a slow count of five seconds.Start to extend your leg to the side into a side-kick for a slow count of five seconds.Make sure to keep your kicking foot parallel to the ground.Do NOT stick out your butt to perform the side kick in order to get more height. Make sure to keep your upper body straight over your pivot foot; do NOT lean for the kick.Use only your leg muscles to raise the height of your kick. From
your head, through your shoulders, and to your heal of your pivot foot,
there should be a straight line. Make sure your kick is also in this
straight line. If you are not sure, watch yourself in the mirror to
make sure your entire body is in line.Another way to
ensure you have this form is to put your butt and shoulders up against
a wall and perform the kick perpendicular to the wall. This will keep
you inline with the wall.When you are extending your leg,
make sure your heal is following the line of your body; as your heal is
what you will be striking with for your side kick.You will
most likely not be able to kick very high; do not worry about this as
you are strengthening your legs. The most important thing is proper
form; this will let you get the most out of this exercise.Hold your side kick out for a slow five second count.Slowly bring your kick back in the same path it went out on for another slow five second count.Step 3: Back KickYou should already have your knee up as high as you can in front of you from step 2.Hold this position for a slow count of five seconds.Slowly extend your leg behind you into a back kick position for a slow count of five seconds.Hold your back kick for a slow five second count.Your leg should be fully extended and straight with your heel pointing up and your toes down.You will really feel this in your butt and lower back. Try to keep your kick up as high as you can without leaning much. You will have to lean a little to fully extend your leg.Slowly bring your kick back in the same path it went out on for another slow five second count.Step 4: Roundhouse KickYou should already have your knee up as high as you can in front of you from step 3.An
alternate way to start this is to move your kicking leg to the side of
your body. This will allow you to pivot around and have more of a
circular motion. I would recommend practicing both starting positions.
With the starting position in front of you, this will conceal
your kick more to your opponent as it will look just like a front kick.Hold this position for a slow count of five seconds.You are going to slowly pivot on your pivot foot 180 degrees while slowly performing a roundhouse kick.Make sure to keep your knee up as you did in your front kick.After your pivot foot is done moving, the heel should be pointing towards your target.While you are pivoting, your hips will naturally pivot which will allow your leg to extend into a roundhouse.Hold your roundhouse kick for a slow five second count.When
you strike with your roundhouse, practice using the ball of your foot.
Then make sure your foot is perpendicular to the floor.Slowly bring your kick back in the same path it went out on for another slow five second count.All in OneNow let's bring all these steps together. This will give you a better feel for how the whole drill will come together.Method 1:One
way to perform this exercise is to run through all 4 steps on one leg
and then alternating legs. Perform this whole sequence at least 3
times (3 sets). You may want to try it this way until you get all the
steps down and can balance yourself more easily through them all on one
leg.Method 2:Once you feel comfortable with method 1, it's
time to add more repetitions to each step. This time, you will perform
each step a minimum of 5 times before moving to the next step. Perform
all four steps on one leg before moving to the next leg. Perform this
whole sequence at least 3 times (3 sets).ConclusionDo not rush through your kicks. Make sure to use the full count for the extension and retraction of your kicks.When
you are going through these exercises, try not to let your kicking leg
touch the ground until you are ready to move onto the next leg. This
will improve your balance very quickly so you'll be able to go through
all of the steps without falling.For better results, make sure
you are doing a proper warm-up before starting this drill. After you
are done with your workout, you should be stretching out your body to
loosen up your muscles.You should start seeing better results in your kicks very quickly if you are following these drills.If you liked this guide, please check out my otherMartial Arts Guides on eBay and let me know what you think.Need any Martial Arts supplies? Check out myMartial Arts Supply Store.
Faith Shoes Store Card
I love Faith Shoes Who doesn't
Instore one day they asked me if i would like a store card? with money off vouchers i could use that day.
Well i was a bit reluctant as i don't normaly have store or credit cards, so i said eventually said yes.
Brilliant i got 10 off my new shoes so only had to pay 55, the statement came in for 55 20 for card insurance protection.
I sent off a cheque for 55, the next statement came in i had a late payment fee of 20 and the card protection 20 service charge?????
Thought they had made an error so sent off 20, my account should have been clear.
I then bought a pair of shoes in the sale 25 so next month the statement came in 20 late payment fee 25 for the sale shoes. then another late payment fee of 20 so altogether 65.
I rang creative financial services (faith card) they had not got my cheque, then lots of hassling on the phone from them.
I mean5 phonecals in 2 days, i went to the bank and the cheque had been cashed.
Payments don't show up on all their systems so you get hassling phonecalls when they already have your money.
Then sadly my dad died suddenly so i was late sending a payment, they rang, i explained they removed a further 20 they had added.
Are you all following this.
Then another late payment fee of 20 was added because a cheque i had sent didn't clear their system in time.
You have to send cheques 14 days before your payment is due because it takes at least 10 days to clear their payment process
Mad isn't it??????
So have sent a letter asking for all the late payment charges they have added to my account,
The Late Payments exceeds the amount i have spent on shoes!!!!!!
So i am in the process of they remove the charges or i take them to the small claims court.
In the meantime they will charge me another 20 because i refuse to pay excessive charges
So unless you want lots of hassle avoid Faith Cards at all costs.
hope this helps someone avoid this mistake
Creative Financial Services, have now credited my account with the full ammount they charged me,
I will never use a faith card again,
Anyone else experiencing problems with them? contact me and i will send you copies of the letters i used.
Just need to send me a SAE,
quad bikes
Further to my recent mail regarding a quad bike i purchased from this lot on 26/06/2006at a cost of 620.00 and havebeen contactedby fun4bratz2play via email which i understand is linked to bikes2_ultd and repsols.co.uk stating they intend to reslove the situation.
I have 2 addresses as Vishal Dhingra, Chigwell, Essex IG7 5AS and PO box 2254, Woodford Green, Essex, IG8 5WR.
I have contacted trading standards and have compiled a case to forward to the police. My only suggestion is to get all of your information together and build a case. Contact trading standards and the police.
The Truth about Free Sky on you PC
Alot of Ebayers have been conned into buying "Free Sky on you PC", why is this a con? because it is not possible I myself have researched into this and cannot find any evidence to suggest this is possible only facts stating it is not.
If you are considering buying Satellite TV on your PC shop around ask alot of questions. For example is it a piece of software or just a notepad document full of dead links. I have talked to alot of ebayers who have spent from 99p to 20.00 for what they believe to be Free TV Software but turned out to be a ebook full of links to websites (who also ask for money) and dead links. What some sellers forget is that these links need to be updated as they can easily die.
Myself and partner sellSatellite TV on your PC Software which we developed from the ground upwards and update regulary. I am not using this as an advert for my product but as a guide for ebayers and many have told me that they have paid high prices for out of date ebooks when promised software.
You can tell that an ebook such as the Free TV on you PC is being sold by so many ebayers, you can tell this by the way that their auction is layed out, alot of them are identical.
Always look at the small print, the auctions tend to start off offering Free TV Software but when you scroll down to the bottom of the listing the small print states its just an ebook.
Their offering free football viewing, can they back this up? ask them
Always check feedback, they may have excellent feedback rating but have you ever sat and read through it. Most ebayers do not want to receive negative feedback so sometimes even tho we are not entirely happy with the product we leave positive. But sometimes the positive feedback actually states their dislike to the product for example you get what you pay for.
My advice is find a few sellers who are selling Free TV Software ask what they can offer that no one else can and why theirs is the best. Dont rush into buying it do the research and dont end up like other ebayers who have been conned into buying something that is not what it says.
Before buying anything off ebay always make sure you know exactly what you are purchasing, ask as many questions as you want untill you are totally satisfied that you are purchasing what is being advertised in the listing and not some out of date ebook that has been doing the round for months.
Making a Best Offer
Hi there,
Just thought I'd share some thoughts on how to make aBest Offer on a Buy It Now item...
I have sold a fair fewitems over the last few months where I haveinvitedbuyers to make Best Offers. This is a great selling tool, and also a great way for buyers to get a bargain.
As a rule of thumb, I usually refuse offers that aremore than 10% lower than the Buy It Now price (but not always ;-) asI always aim to set my prices fairly
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