The Karate Myth – 3 Common Myths About Martial Arts Training That Can Get You Killed on the Street!

Did you know that most adults quit martial arts training during their first 100 days? When asked why they quit, the number 1 answer was, “the lack of realistic self defense training!”But, how is this possible? After all, isn’t the reason you learn a martial art is so you can defend and survive against an attack in a real self defense situation?In this article, I want to talk about some of the myths and false-beliefs that make up what I call, “The Karate-Myth.” Because, it is these beliefs, assumptions, and illusions about the martial arts – and the people who teach them – that can put you in even more danger!Myth #1 – A Black Belt means you can defend yourself. Just like a college degree, this false belief focuses on the symbol of knowledge, rather than the ability to produce results. A black belt, or whatever belt, sash, patch or certificate is being used to measure rank and progress in a particular system, is just that – a symbol of progress through a syllabus of skills and training material.In the case of my own Warrior Concepts Mastery System, any particular rank, just as with a college degree, says that the student has the necessary tools and knowledge. However, it will be up to that person to be able to put that knowledge and those skills to proper use in a real-world situation – it is the student’s responsibility to “make it work.”As a side note, please remember that it is easy for anyone to go online, or into a martial arts supply store, and purchase a black belt. The point here is that the ability is not contained in some magical “black belt.” Ability is reflected in the thought, words, and actions of the person who possesses them – regardless of whether or not a belt is ever worn!Myth #2 – All martial arts were designed for self defense. Again, here is another false-belief that is born of assumption, not research. There are many schools of martial arts that have absolutely nothing to do with combat.In fact, the martial arts action star, Jackie Chan, attained his skills in just such a school. In his autobiography, he tells of how his father took him to this school, which focused on producing martial arts actors and stunt men.And, even if a particular martial art was initially developed for combat, there is no guarantee that it was not “watered-down” over time and converted into a system for meditation, fitness, or any of a dozen other non-combative purposes.Myth #3 – All martial arts instructors can teach you how to defend yourself. This is probably THE most dangerous assumption of them all. Because, even if the person has achieved the rank of black belt (see my comment about buying one above), and he or she studied a combat-oriented system of martial arts……this is still no guarantee that this person knows what it’s like in a real attack situation.There is a belief that trophies and tournament fighting is the best way to test your self defense skills. I completely disagree. In fact, the very system of rules and “fairness” that exists in any sport, including boxing, mixed martial arts and UFC fights, and martial arts tournaments, runs contrary to the reality of “no-rules” on the street!The black belt around a martial arts instructor’s waist is a sign of his progress and rank – the amount of information he or she possess and can share with you. It does not represent the experience – the real-world knowledge they earned in the “school of hard-knocks.”While it is true that there are charlatans out there who are misrepresenting themselves. And, there are countless schools of martial arts advertising “self-defense” in their ads and store-fronts.But, it can be our own misconceptions and self-imposed assumptions that prevent us from checking them out and insuring that what you are learning is indeed what you will need to win!

Top Entertainment Magazines

Photos of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s baby were sold to People magazine for $4.1 million recently. Yes. You read that correctly, $4.1 million. What is our fascination with celebrity? Is it the larger than life movie stars? Is it the glamorous lives they lead? How is it people can name every character from Grey’s Anatomy but come up empty when asked to name their state senators?It’s because we are obsessed with celebrity. We need entertainment scoop and there isn’t a shortage in finding it. The E! Network dedicates itself to nothing but entertainment. Searches result in countless pages on your inquired subject. There certainly isn’t a shortage of magazines on it either. Supermarket stands sell them. Bookstores sell them. You can also subscribe to these magazines online. Websites such as Mags For Less offer a variety of entertainment magazines to choose from.Here is a partial list and brief description of the top selling entertainment magazine subscriptions in the U.S.:

People Magazine – A weekly magazine focusing on celebrity and human interest stories. People Magazine is best known for its yearly special issue which names its “50 Most Beautiful People” and the “The Best and Worst Dressed” of the year. The magazine chooses to cover stories about the people who are causing the news and who are caught up in it, or deserve to be in it. Their mantra is to cover people and not issues.

Entertainment Weekly – Entertainment Weekly’s primary concentration is on entertainment media, targeting a more general audience, particularly young people and women. The magazine features celebrities on the cover and addresses topics such as TV ratings, movie grosses, production costs, concert ticket sales, ad budgets, and in-depth articles about scheduling, producers, etc.

Premiere – Premiere Magazine is for the people out there who REALLY love movies. The magazine covers everything you want to know about movie watching and movie making. Some of the features include interviews, profiles, and behind the scene looks at soon to be released movies.

National Enquirer – Find out what’s going on the lives of the big starts and other Hollywood celebrities. Inquiring minds want to know. The National Enquirer prints all the gossip you can’t get from your typical newspaper.

Star Magazine – Every week Star Magazine covers the latest celebrity news from Hollywood to Buckingham Palace. Weekly features include horoscopes, puzzles, advice, and the latest celebrity fashion trends.

Rolling Stone – Rolling Stone is THE music magazine of music magazines. It features cutting edge music reviews, in-depth interviews, provocative photos, and award-winning features. The magazine also covers political and social examinations of the world today and how these issues affect the reader.

Vanity Fair -Vanity Fair focuses of literature, art, fashion, politics, and personality. It’s devoted to readers who are interested in contemporary society and culture. Features include photo essays and interviews with leaders in the entertainment industry with book, film, and music reviews.

US Weekly – Gives a revealing insider’s look at all the trends and personalities important to the entertainment

As you can see, entertainment magazines are in no shortage. From the latest scoop on Tom Cruise to a behind the scenes feature on Peter Jackson’s new movie, your appetite for celebrity can be quenched in the magazine of your choice.

How to Get a Business Loan

Business loans help business owners expand their business. Sometimes this can be done by expanding inventory, introducing new products or simply hiring more staff in the end it all cost money. Both small and large financial institutions extend loans (business loans) to business owners that fit their criteria. Now I won’t lie to you securing a business loan can be quite a task unless you have the proper blueprints laid out and know how to approach the lender.Unsecured Loan – This is a very popular type of business loan which is generally extended to business owners who have really good history (credit history) or an established business. Collateral is often needed when applying for these loans. Depending on your history and conditions it’s possible to obtain loans that range anywhere from $300-$20,000 within a few minutesSecure an Unsecured Business LoanAn unsecured business loan is very easy to obtain if your business have been established for at least 2 years and or your business is proven to be profitable. This says a lot to financial institutions. Your personal credit score has to be between 680 and 700 and you can’t have any record of bankruptcy within a 4 year time frame. It’s best to not have one on record at all. Late payments will hurt you so it’s best if you have none of these and your business bank account will also expedite the approval process.Secured Loans – The Typical ApproachNow with secured loans collateral must be given to the lending institution. The benefit with these type of loans is the ability to negotiate longer repayment terms and approval of much larger amounts. The typical range is $25,000- $1,000,000. There are some loans that will enable the borrower to take out a loan for a period extending 30 years. In this case the borrower can then pay at a fixed rate of interest or a flexible interest rate.Secured Business Loans- CriteriaThese are a must have if you plan of applying for a secured business loan or any kind of loan.
Before you even think about applying make sure you have the bullet info below covered!• Business Plan -You must have one doesn’t matter if you have legit collateral or not the lender will turn you down if you don’t have a proper sound business plan. They need to know where this money will be going towards/how its going to be used and how you plan on paying you loan back to them.
• Are You Honest and Pay Taxes -This is also something that speaks louder than you will. This tells the lenders how honest you are and it shows a stream of income which will backup how much the business earns.
• Projections – So the business plan looks good, it’s glowing the question that always comes up “what do you plan to do if your business yields results” so you better have a back up plan to save you grits. This question will be asked so be prepared!
• Are You Good With Money – Your credit history speaks much louder than you ever can so if you have a lot of dings in your credit report make sure you get all of this taken care of. It’s that vital it can make or break the decision.Last, make sure you research more than 5 financial institutions half of a % can save you hundreds of thousands of dollars in the long run.

Business Loans: Excellent Opportunity to Expand Your Business

Are you interested to borrow suitable monetary backing? Want to expand your business in a great way? Wish to execute planned business projects as soon as possible? You can now easily arrange capital for your important business projects by simply opting for business loans. These loans prove to be an ideal financial solution for business owners that help them to raise good amount of funds for meeting business related expenses in an efficient way.New Business Loans can be derived in both secured and unsecured ways. The secured business loans will be provided if you put any of your valuable assets as a security to the lender against the loan. The more will be the value of security pledged the more will be the loan amount. These loans let you avail huge finance for longer repayment duration. Due to the presence of security, these loans may come up with a bit higher rates of interest.On the other hand, unsecured business loans are not bound with any security deposit. This means you need not have to pledge any security to the lender against the loan. This can be a good option for tenants and non-homeowners. Those homeowners who don’t want to put their precious asset at risk can consider these loans for fulfilling their business dreams. These loans help you to entail suitable finance till the flexible time period. There is comparatively higher interest rate charged against these loans, due to the absence of security deposit.Thanks to the extremely popular and proficient online mode you can now easily apply for these loans in a hassle free manner. Online several eminent lenders are associated with different loan quotes. Compare their offered loan quotations in a very careful manner for obtaining best loan deal at an inexpensive rate.The amount accessed with New Business Loans help you to satisfy any of your business related requirements such as purchasing raw material, arranging an important business tour, buying a land for office, payment of employees salary, buy machinery and other equipments and so on.Therefore, you can now smartly fulfill their vital business projects in an efficient manner with business loans.Business loans could be a remarkable financial option for the business class people that help them to arrange good amount of finance for expanding their business in a great way. With borrowed amount they can wonderfully fulfill their business related expenses in an effective way.