The Table Saw – Heart of Any Fine Woodworking Shop

There are many things you will want to consider before purchasing a new table saw for your shop. There are three main types of table saws: (1) the lightweight, inexpensive and portable contractor’s saw, (2) the cabinet saw, so-named because it has an enclosed cabinet as opposed to open base and (3) the new breed of so-called “Hybrid” table saws which fill the price gap between contractor’s saws and cabinet saws. This discussion will be only concern cabinet saws because, in my experience, nothing less will do for a shop that produces fine woodworking. Smaller saws lack both the accuracy and capacity of cabinet saws.

The table saw is the heart of your shop. You will use it more than any other machine and its accuracy and capacity will determine the quality and size of what you will be able to produce. This is akin to picking someone to marry: Ideally, it’s for life and you will have to live with your decision for a long time to come. Therefore, rushing into purchasing the first table saw you see, without doing your homework, is like a quickie Las Vegas marriage, always a gamble.

There are many things you should consider before you should consider before investing your hard-earned dollars in any particular machine. As I have said again and again, any woodworking machine you buy should be just slightly more capable than what you will demand of it now or what you imagine you would likely to demand of it in the future. While price is important, affordability should not be the sole determining factor in your purchasing decision. If you can’t afford the saw you need, wait until you can. Don’t saddle yourself with a table saw that may drive you crazy every day of your life. Take a few moments to consider what you really need and which machine will best fill the bill for you.

I’d like to take a minute to talk about the features that you should be looking for and what these features will mean to you after you unpack and set up your new table saw. These features include: motor horsepower, blade size, trunnion construction, tabletop flatness, tabletop size, arbor size and arbor bearings, sawdust extraction, ease of operation including raising, lowering and tilting the blade, tilt of the blade (left or right), the necessity of a magnetic switch and the importance of its location, ease of access to the interior of the cabinet, accuracy and ease of operation of the fence, the amount of rip space to the right and the left of the blade, safety features and table saw mobility around the shop. In addition to the table saw itself, you may want to construct an outfeed table around the back of the saw, if space permits. We’ll talk about that, as well.

MOTOR HORSEPOWER

Motor horsepower and blade size are closely related. The larger the blade, the more horsepower you will need to cut, at full blade height, through a piece of wood. Too much power is never a problem. Too little power can cause the saw to bind, slow down and even stop in the middle of a cut. This is not good, nor is it safe.

The smallest motor I would even consider for a 10-inch saw would be 3 horsepower. For a 12″ to 14″ saw it would be 5HP and for a 14″ to 16″ saw, I’d like 7.5 HP. You will also need to consider if the saw motor is single or three phase. Three phase motors use electricity a bit more efficiently. If you don’t have three phase power at your location, however, you will either have to buy single phase or purchase and install a phase converter large enough for your saw motor. Most saw motors use 230 or 460 VAC power, so make sure you have available in your shop the voltage your saw will require. Three phase motors can run on 208 to 220 volts or higher, depending on the motor.

THE TRUNNION

The trunnion is the mechanism inside the cabinet which is responsible for both raising and lowering the blade and tilting the blade for bevel cuts. It is controlled from the outside of the saw by two separate wheels or cranks: one for raising and lowering the blade (usually found on the front of the cabinet) and the other for tilting the blade (either left or right, depending on the saw) which is usually, but not always, located on the side of the cabinet.

The trunnion determines the accuracy of your cuts so you want to be sure that it is well built and accurately machined. The saw blade must always be exactly where you need it to be. Furthermore, the trunnion must be easy to operate. It should not require Superman to raise or tilt the blade. As time goes on, you may find that it is harder to turn the wheels or cranks that operate the trunnion. This is usually because of sawdust contamination of the gears and/or lack of lubrication. Some better saws have ways of eliminating sawdust from the cabinet into an external dust port before it can get into the gears. Other saws come with self-cleaning gear teeth.

TABLE FLATNESS AND SIZE

One table saw manufacturer I know believes in “aging” its cast iron machine table tops before milling them flat. The tops are cast and then left outside in a “bone yard” to bend, bow, warp and twist in the sun and rain for a year or so. Then, they are brought inside where all the rust is removed and the table top is ground absolutely flat and polished to sheen. The theory is that the metal needs to settle into a place where all post-casting movement has ceased and that the table should not be ground flat before this is done. Otherwise, the table may move out of absolute flatness after it is part of your new table saw and that it not at all desirable. Why? Because the flatness of your table saw top will determine the accuracy of your cuts. Be sure to check your new table saw for table flatness with a straightedge on or before delivery and afterwards from time to time. Lay the rule across the table top at all angles and check for daylight under the rule or rocking of the straightedge on the table top.

The size of the cast iron table saw top is also important: the larger the better. When you are sawing large objects, you want as much flat table surface as you need to support the work piece flat to the blade for accuracy. Larger table size is usually accomplished by attaching cast-iron table wings to the edge of the main table. These wings must be as flat as the table and the seam they create must be aligned so that the top of the wing is flush to the table saw table along its entire length.

ARBOR SIZE AND ARBOR BEARINGS

The saw blade is mounted on an arbor with an arbor nut and the arbor is turned by the motor usually via pulleys and 1 to 3 V-belts. The arbor is mounted into the trunnion inside two or more arbor bearings. These should be sealed from dust for obvious reasons. The size of the arbor determines the size of the hole in the middle of the saw blade. This is usually 5/8″ for a 10″ blade and 1″ or larger for blades larger than that. The strength and alignment of the arbor and the bearings which support it determine the accuracy and smoothness of the table saw. Vibration and noise should be kept to a minimum and the saw blade should be straight in the table from front to back at all elevations and bevel angles.

BLADE TILT

Most table saw trunnions are made to tilt either left or right (but not both) to a maximum of 45 degrees from vertical. If you have a choice, and you usually do, never buy a right-tilt saw for the following reason. A right-tilt saw tilts the blade towards the fence and can pinch a work piece into the fence, causing a jam or, worse, a kickback just as the cut is finishing. Further, on a right-tilt saw, the blade is tilting towards the fence and could cut into and ruin it if the fence were to be inadvertently moved too close to the spinning blade. A left-tilt saw tilts away from the fence and instead of pinching the work piece, allows it to rise vertically slightly, if need be.

KICKBACK AND PERSONAL SAFETY

There is a rule that says, “Never stand directly behind a horse or a table saw.” Sooner or later every table saw operator will do something stupid that causes a kickback. If the operator makes it a practice to avoid standing where the kickback will occur behind the blade, he or she will probably avoid the severe injury that can be inflicted by a flying piece of wood striking the face, neck, chest or arms of the woodworker.

There are many hold-down and anti-kickback devices on the market. Some are good and some are a hazard in themselves. I had a large metal combination hold-down and anti-kickback device get caught in the saw blade, ripped off the fence to which it was clamped and flung into a plate glass door behind the saw. I heard it go whistling past my right ear. It missed me because I was standing, as always, well to the left of the saw blade.

Woodworking can be a dangerous business. Always use a push stick or similar device. Fingers are not replaceable. Never try to rip narrow strips next to the fence. Instead, cut them off of the left side of the work piece. In this case, you would stand to the right of the blade. In short, think ahead about the possible complications of what you are about to do, keep your eyes wide open (wearing goggles, of course) and keep your wits about you at all times.

Another important safety device is the magnetic switch. This device protects you after an electrical power failure. If the power fails and you have a regular switch, the saw will come back on when the power comes back on. If you were to be near the blade at the time, this could be disastrous. A magnetic switch will not allow the saw to start again until you press the button. The location of the switch is also important. It should be right out front where it can be quickly accessed by a hand, foot or knee in the event of an emergency. The off button should be wide, red in color and should extend outside of the switch box like a mushroom for fast access.

SAWDUST EXTRACTION

My ideal would be to never have a speck of dust reach the gears of my table saw trunnion and that all sawdust would be sucked away from the saw blade and out of the machine as soon as it was made. I would never need to clean out sawdust from inside the saw cabinet and the trunnion would always operate smoothly and easily. While I don’t expect to ever see my dream fully realized, there are saws on the market today that closely approach this level of efficiency in sawdust extraction.

Some saws shield the blade in a casing underneath the saw table and suck the dust out directly from there. Others slant the floor of the saw cabinet towards a dust collection port. Many just allow the sawdust to accumulate on the floor under the saw until you clean it out. You will always have some cleaning of the interior to do. Perhaps you won’t wait until the sawdust has totally encased the trunnion gears packing itself up to the bottom of the table top. You will need to connect the saw to a dust collector through its dust port. The suction of the dust collector should be about 350 CFM for a 10″ saw and more for a larger saw.

CABINET ACCESS

At least one, but preferably two or more access doors should be provided leading into the cabinet of the table saw. The one you will use most often will be for cleaning out the interior of sawdust. Another should give easy access to the motor, trunnion and belts for adjustment and repair. Many saws provide a removable access panel instead of a second door. That’s fine for occasional motor, arbor, belt and trunnion access but you will want the sawdust door to open and close easily.

THE FENCE

The saw should come with a Biesemeyer or similar type fence included in the purchase price. This type of fence locks and aligns itself to a rectangular tube attached to the front of the saw table when you press down on a handle. Fence accuracy and ease of operation will be important every time you touch your table saw and so a cheap fence is no bargain. The fence will probably read measurements along a stick-on measuring tape on the top of the front fence rail tube. You will need to carefully adjust the fence for accuracy. Instructions of how to do this should come with the set-up instructions for the saw.

The fence must be aligned so that the front of the blade and the rear of the blade are exactly the same distance from the fence at all settings. Once you have ascertained that the blade and fence are parallel to each other, you must cut some test boards to accurately set the fence to the scale. Set the fence to exactly 2″ on the measuring scale. Rip a test board and measure it. Adjust the fence to the scale by moving the viewer’s hairline left or right. Rip more boards until you have exact accuracy. The viewer through which you see the tape should be strong in magnification.

RIP CAPACITY

Your new saw must have a rip capacity equal or wider than the widest thing you will ever want to rip. Usually, a cabinet saw will have a rip capacity of around 30 inches or 50 inches. A large rip capacity to the right of the blade will require an extension table to support work wider than the cast iron table. Many times, this extension table is included with the saw or, alternatively, you can easily build you own. The fence must have a tube or rail long enough to achieve the maximum with you want to rip.

If you consider that a sheet of plywood measures 48″ in width, I would think that you might want to opt for a 50-inch rip as opposed to the slightly less expensive 30″ rip capacity. You might want to rip off only one inch from that sheet of plywood and, while doing that, you will want the plywood to be fully supported. You might want to crosscut a sheet of plywood into two 48″ pieces. You also should consider the rip space to the left of the blade: The wider, the better. Sometimes, you might want to accomplish tasks that require the fence to be put over to the left side of the blade.

TABLE SAW MOBILITY

Some shops are small enough to require that all machines be able to roll around on the floor. The theory is that you pull out only the machine you are using at the time. In planning your shop, you should decide if your space requirements will mean that everything has to roll, some machines but not others have to roll or all machines can remain in their own positions permanently. Many cabinet saws offer the optional extra of some sort of mobility device. In the case of a table saw, you don’t want it rolling around while you are pushing lumber through it and so the wheels must retract enabling the saw to rest on its cabinet base on the floor.

Some of the nicer table saws have the caster wheels permanently mounted inside the cabinet so they are never seen and are never in the way. A foot pedal controls raising the saw up into the mobility position and then lowering it back down onto the floor. If your table saw does not have this feature, after-market mobility bases can be purchased as needed.

BUILDING AN OUTFEED TABLE

The ideal solution is to have enough shop space so that you will never have to move your saw around at all. In this situation, you can construct an outfeed table to support large work pieces and long lumber as they leave the back edge of the table saw table. Ideally, depending on space available, you should build this outfeed table so that it extends eight feet or more in back of the blade. You can use the space underneath the table for lumber storage and/or drawer space. The table can also serve as a work bench for the construction of large cabinets and tables. You can use it for pipe clamp glue-ups and spray painting layout, as well.

Needless to say, the table must be exactly the same height as the top of the table saw table and you may need to extend the slots for the miter gauge into the beginning of the top of the outfeed table. If your saw extension table extends 50 inches or so to the right of the blade, so should your outfeed table and it should extend along the entire back edge of the table saw to the left of the blade. The saw should ideally be oriented so that you can bring long lumber through the shop door and directly onto the saw table without having to turn a corner.

If you keep what you have read here in mind, you should be able to find a machine that is perfect for your needs. Remember, cheap price guarantees neither satisfaction nor success.

For similar woodcraft articles and impartial tool reviews, see our web site: http://www.PerfectWoodworking.com and my blog: [http://www.FineWoodworkingTools.Blogspot.com]

Bob Gillespie

Woodworker

(C) 2010 Robert M Gillespie, Jr.

Travel Pre And Post Internet

Travel Pre Internet:

I’ve been travelling for over 40 years – by thumb in my early days, by boots in the Scouts, a Lambretta came next and then my first old banger followed by newer old bangers to the beaches of the Costa Brava.

My thumb, boots, bikes and bangers took me all over Europe and the UK before finding that a charter flight to Spain on an old ‘Connie’ could get me to the beaches and bars a lot quicker and allow more time to enjoy the local travel opportunities by horse and cart and the occasional bus and train.

‘Go West and Prosper’ seemed to be a good idea so instead of taking an 8 hour flight I took an 8 day transatlantic crossing from Tilbury to Montreal on the Stephan Batory of Polish Ocean Lines ensuring that jet lag did not trouble my travel plans. Some years later I crossed the pond again on a ship but this time it was 5 times bigger and I travelled in style on the QE2 and dined in the Queen’s Grill somewhat removed from my earlier experience. I highly recommend ocean voyages but cannot see myself on one of the modern cruise ships going from port to port with constant line-ups to get on and off to buy t-shirts. However, I have done 10 Windjammers and a Star Clipper cruise in the Caribbean which were all memorable (let’s hope Windjammer Barefoot Cruises recover from their woes). But I digress.

I had read that Canada is a spectacular country, from sea to shining sea, and my entrance into the St. Lawrence River to Montreal and then heading west in an old Econoline van from the Great Lakes, across the Prairies to the Rocky Mountains before ending up whale watching off of the Pacific Coast of Vancouver Island was a trip of wonder to a bloke from London. Today the scenery is still spectacular and the best way to go is still by road so rent or buy a car, motorhome or motorbike, take the train or tour bus but remember the maps, a fly rod, good boots and take your time.

My favorite part of Canada / USA for adventure travel has to be Northern BC / Alaska, to hike the Chilkoot Trail in the steps of the goldseekers of 1898. The Northwest Territories to canoe the Nahannie River and the Yukon to drive from Dawson City to Chicken, Alaska. If you like the outdoors and can put up with a few bugs, cast a fly and scale a few hills or drive on endless dirt roads sharing the space with moose, caribou, elk, bears and eagles, then these are the places to put on your list. The pleasures and experiences in driving to Inuvik on the Dempster Highway or to Prudhoe Bay on the Dalton Highway or even the Canol Road can only be felt by doing them. I would have mentioned the Alaska Highway but now it is an easy drive unlike the aforementioned.

Today the costs of driving these distances may mean that sharing the journey with others is required, but RVing or simply vanning and camping is a great way to see beyond the horizon. Some enroute adventures now need to be booked in advance whereas when I hiked Denali and the Chilkoot Pass it was just a case of turning up, registering with the local ranger office and heading on out. A little more forward planning is needed for today’s traveller and cost considerations of lengthy flights or drives have to somehow be countered with more careful planning. In the days of reasonable gas prices I would not even consider the driving or flying costs and have driven to Key West from the northwest coast, down the west coast to the Baja and to the west coast from New York. I once even flew my 1946 Fleet taildragger from the Pacific to the Atlantic and back using around 5 gallons an hour of avgas. Before the oil and credit crisis I drove from Rio de Janeiro to Lima, down to Tierra del Fuego and back to Rio covering over 15,000 miles of spectacular scenery and with no consideration about the cost of gas. South America should be on your itinerary too! Some other memorable drives that may now require a mortgage with the gas companies include London to The Nordkapp, Norway, Skippers Canyon in New Zealand and the loneliness of the far north of Australia and the amazing coast of Western Australia stopping by at Monkey Mia and Wave Rock.

We tend to forget that the real cost of travelling is often less today than over the 40 years of my travels. In 1977 my round-trip airfare from Canada to Australia cost over $1700 in 1977 dollars so today it is far cheaper to fly, even with the airlines gouging for fuel, extra baggage, no service and no pleasure. The ‘Big Mac’ method of price comparison as developed by The Economist newspaper gives us a good gauge for most expenditures of today compared to yesterday but my $1500 cost to get a private pilots licence in the 1970’s seems cheap by comparison to today, but obviously not when using this Big Mac principle. Other travel costs are also far cheaper today but this should not mean that travellers should disregard the many methods of saving costs that can then be put to extended or improved travel experiences

Travel Post-Internet:

In my 40 years of travel I have had to use travel agents to make even the simplest of reservations and buy tickets, not even thinking to ask them if they had “been there, done that?” It was just a case of there being no other options to buying travel. Now we have unlimited choices and can seek out better travel agents, better prices, better selections and information about anywhere in the world for our travels – without even leaving home.

The Internet now gives travellers ideas and options of Where to go, When to go, Why to go, What to do, Who to book with and How to save money and offset costs. We can search and find experts for every travel option. If we are comfortable with the Internet we no longer have to go to a travel agent to make reservations and buy tickets except to book with some of the larger travel companies that still produce glossy brochures and offer all inclusive packages or tours that only sell through the agency system. The Internet also allows those of us who are smart enough to know when to seek out a top travel agent with knowledge, experience and expertise (KEE skills) of destinations and activities about where to find them. There is no longer any need to only use our local agents when we can find one somewhere else in the world. When we do not need ‘the knowledge’ and can do it ourselves we simply surf the web so that we can book directly with tour and travel operators wherever we have decided to go.

Some travel agents operate their own tours, some are both wholesale and retail, some limit consumer selection by only selling their ‘preferred’ suppliers and some have professional consultants with years of experience invested in gaining knowledge, experience and expertise and are worth their weight in gold to the savvy traveller. Beware though, as some are also called destination specialists and some of these designations merely require the agent to take a rudimentary test offered by tourism offices, destination marketing groups or even tour operators and in my opinion can harm the reputation of the travel industry. A specialist is not necessarily an expert.

Travel is probably the most used commercial aspect of the Internet and if retail agents want to harness this exciting medium to offer ‘the knowledge’ and their ‘kee’ skills to a global audience, not just their local community, they must embrace the changes that are happening. Travellers now have the ability to seek answers to the 5 W’s of travel and the important ‘How to’ save money and offset costs by having information just a click away.

And then it occurred to me that even internet travel prices often include a commission element even when sold directly to the consumer. If we book directly with operators we should not have to pay full retail prices as we are doing for ourselves what a retail agent would normally do for us. A dilemma for the operator is that to show a both a retail and a cost price option could deter many agents from selling the services as travellers could use an agent for free advice and book directly with the operator to get a ‘net of commission’ price. Obviously this two tier pricing is not often available but travellers who do not need advice should also not be penalized by retail pricing. A new way had to be found and I think I have found it!

The need for fairer fare prices is why I developed the Top Travel Voucher program at The Top Travel Club and I even found a dot com for it. All travel selections on the site are at ‘net of commission’ prices for members who handle there own travel arrangements directly with the operators linked on the club website using our voucher program.

I am inviting travel operators from around the world to join this program, from B&B’s, Motels, Hotels, Luxury Lodges, Eco Resorts, Beach Resorts and Tour and Adventure Operators who want to promote their products and services to travellers who are comfortable with direct bookings and reservations.

I am also inviting Travel Agents with knowledge, experience and expertise of destinations and activities to showcase their skills to a global audience of travellers and to the members of this new travel club. I am leery of ‘specialist agents’ and only want experts to showcase their services.

This opportunity is available to the travel trade at no cost except for them to offer net, wholesale or outlet prices to club members and visitors to the website using top travel vouchers. I believe this program offers fairer fare prices to direct-booking travellers. The operator would normally be paying commission anyway but now travellers get the savings because they make their own arrangements.

The Top Travel Club opened in mid-April 2008 offering thousands of top travel vouchers for travel in over 70 countries with around 150 travel operators onboard. Every week we add more travel operators with more choices for members. Currently you can get savings on accommodations, adventure travel, boat charters, culinary tours, hike, bike and dive tours, auto and RV rentals fishing lodges and guides, safaris, vacation rentals, single travel, women only and dude ranches. Members get the vouchers free of charge by paying an annual membership fee and non-members can buy the vouchers on the internet at Top Travel Sites at deeply discounted prices to the face-value. The future growth will include restaurants, travel clothing, travel insurance and the opportunity to access air ticket consolidators who want to deal directly with consumers.

The way I have travelled and the way I see travel is that consumers should have unlimited access to every travel opportunity with the ability to do their own due diligence or to find a professional who can offer quality advice and services at fair prices, and to find all of this without needing endless hours of searching.

To find out more about the new way of cost offsets for travel please go to The Top Travel Club and my apologies for some of the spelling (traveller / traveler) but that is what I was taught. As long as we all understand the meaning, vive le difference!

Contact: nomad@toptravelsites.com

A UK Chartered Accountant with over 40yrs of international travel and over 25yrs in the travel industry. Editor of http://www.thetravelinsider.net and developer of the TopTravelVoucher service at http://www.toptravelsites.com and http://thetoptravelclub.com

Sales, Server & Technical base: Carlsbad, California Contact: nidalap14@hotmail.com skype: nidalap14

What is a Bali Bead?

You have heard the term no doubt, but what exactly is a “Bali Bead”? The answer may seem apparent – any bead from Bali should fit the bill. In fact, the term is more specific. It traditionally refers to hand made, sterling silver beads from Bali, Indonesia.

Bali is a tiny tropical island amidst the vast Indonesian archipelago. An island of Hindus in a country with the largest Muslim population in the world, Bali is the cultural repository of a rich heritage. This heritage includes a tradition of metal smithing that dates back thousands of years and reached a pinnacle during the Majapahit Dynasty of the 14th and 15th century. When Islam swept through the islands of Indonesia, Hindu artisans fled to Bali, where to this day, they continue to practice their craft.

Although the Balinese traditionally wear only high karat gold jewelry, in the 1970’s they began to work in silver for the export market and quickly achieved a global reputation for intricate designs in granulation and wire work. Extremely reasonable prices assured their success. From the onset, however, issues of authenticity and quality control have plagued the business.

With the rising popularity of Bali beads, unscrupulous businessmen have entered the market, making it difficult for customers to navigate through a sea of potential suppliers. There are even businesses that advertise “Bali Beads” made in Turkey or India. In this instance, they are usually referring to a style- silver colored beads with intricate patterns against a contrasting background- but the terminology can also be intentionally deceptive. These beads are often of low or zero content silver. They may be low grade silver polished to a high finish for the temporary look of sterling. Alternatively, some companies cast base metal or even plastic, both of which can be silver plated to great effect. Other manufacturers make molds of handmade beads and cast them. A great deal of the detail and texture is lost in this process but the untrained eye can be easily misled.

Unfortunately, plenty of authentic Balinese beads are also made from silver of questionable purity. To earn the label ‘sterling silver’ beads must be a minimum of.925 silver. In order to achieve this level consistently, it is necessary to begin with an even higher level of silver since a certain degree of contamination is unavoidable in handmade products. Many smiths are reluctant to incur this additional expense. The temptation to dilute the silver proves irresistible to many smiths, especially if they are pressured to cut prices.

When I decided to begin producing Balinese beads and findings over a decade ago, there were very few silver smiths making beads. After importing Balinese handicrafts and jewelry for several years, I was well aware of the challenges I would face. These challenges included bringing production in on time, meeting design requirements with precision and assuring consistent quality. Building my own production facility became an indispensable part of my business plan.

With a closed shop we are able to closely monitor production and intervene before problems become crises. By providing meals, we assure that our smiths are well nourished (hungry people don’t do good work). By paying a fair wage we assure that our employees have a vested interest in seeing the company succeed. By employing women on an equal footing with men, we do our part to empower women in a culture where they are traditionally subservient to men. Some of these issues seem tangential to quality, but they all add up to a key concept – pride in product.

Many problems with silver quality have simple explanations. Poor quality tools lead to poor quality beads and many smiths can’t afford or don’t have access to modern tools. The same can be said of supplies, everything from the blackening solution that gives Bali beads their high contrast, to polishing compounds, to simple things like sand paper, come in varying grades. Proper tables, torches, lighting and ventilation, all of these contribute to the quality of the finished product.

There are certain components, like pin backs and earring posts that should actually be machine made in order to ensure consistency and reliability. At our facility, we regularly import state of the art supplies and equipment to assist in production. This policy is part of a conscious effort to use technology to enhance traditional craftsmanship rather than supplant it.

Even the highest quality silver, supplies and equipment don’t guarantee results. We have a whole department dedicated to quality control where beads are examined one by one for their finish, detail, size and shape. Routine testing is also necessary to assure that smiths aren’t tempted to pocket sterling silver and substitute a lower grade.

Beyond technical quality, design integrity adds another dimension to any discussion of Bali beads. There is a small core of designs that have become accepted as generic Bali beads. Apart from these, imagination is the only limiting factor in creating exciting new designs. At Nina Designs, we invest considerable time and energy creating innovative new designs. Since most of us come from a jewelry background, we design each new collection of beads with matching findings like clasps and earring tops. This approach allows designers to create whole lines of jewelry based on one of the many different motif themes found in our catalog. We respond to the relentless pace of the fashion world by offering new bead collections every six months. This allows our clients to give their jewelry lines a fresh, updated look every season.

Unfortunately, many vendors of Bali beads simply graze on what they find available in the streets of Celuk, the primary silver producing village in Bali. They buy generic designs or knock-offs of other people’s work. At best, this approach leads to a boring selection, at worst it violates copyright laws. In practical terms there are other potential complications. When designs are copied out of context they usually morph into caricatures of the original model. I have seen toggle clasps where the bars don’t fit through the loops and obvious copies of my designs where the carefully arranged patterns have become blobs of random shapes.

So, how do you tell a genuine, high quality Bali bead from a lemon? Rule one: Know your supplier. Is the company well established? Do they have a catalog or showroom? Do they have their own production facility? Are they committed to paying fair wages? Do they use imported supplies? Do they provide smiths with imported equipment? Do they create their own designs?

If a company meets these criteria they will have a higher overhead, and therefore higher prices, but the company is much more likely to stand by their product. Gypsy traders with low overhead can undercut established businesses but they are difficult to hold accountable for shoddy products.

Reasonable people can disagree on how much a high quality sterling silver Bali bead should cost. For many, Bali beads are a commodity, bought and sold by the gram. The gram pricing is very competitive, putting pressure on smiths and wholesalers to cut corners and make fraudulent claims. At Nina Designs we treat each bead as a miniature work of art. As such, we buy and sell them individually, giving both the bead and the silver smith the respect they deserve. In turn, we offer our clients the highest quality beads.

Nina Cooper has 25 years of experience in the jewelry industry. Her company, Nina Designs creates and markets exclusive sterling silver charms, pendants and jewelry findings. Her mission is to inspire jewelry designers around the world. Visit her Website for FREE How To Videos and FREE Design Ideas.

The Value of Concrete Countertops

Customization Increases Aesthetic Appeal and Real Estate Investment for Homeowners

From top-dollar homes in the San Francisco Bay Area to sprawling mountain homes in the Colorado Rockies, discriminating homeowners are demanding custom designs and finishes in their kitchens. In particular, they are looking to express their individuality and distinct design preferences with the fast-growing design material of choice — concrete.

In fact, concrete countertops have become somewhat of a

status symbol for kitchens, rivaling granite and other high-

end countertop surface options. Consumer Reports Magazine

(August 2004) ranked concrete highest for its “customization” and “exclusivity” among high-end kitchen countertops.

As a custom product, the amount of time and craftsmanship required to produce concrete countertops places them as the most labor-intensive and priciest among leading countertop materials.

However, concrete countertops are becoming more accessible for those on a modest budget. The latest do-it-yourself (DIY) trend to captivate homeowners and builders is building your own concrete countertop. This phenomenon has gained popularity largely due to Cheng’s best-selling book Concrete Countertops: Design, Forms, and Finishes for the New Kitchen and Bath (Taunton Press, 2002). According to Cheng, there is little monetary investment in making concrete countertops, yet the creative gains of working with concrete are plentiful.

THE SHOWSTOPPER

Increasingly, homeowners are moving away from the monotonous, manufactured look of traditional countertop surfaces and choosing concrete for its earthy, timeless appeal. Plus, the options for personalizing concrete countertops are endless: one can color, polish, stamp and stain concrete or imbed personal objects like stones, seashells and fossils into the countertop’s surface, adding sentiment and character. Functional features such as drain boards, soap dishes, and trivets can also be incorporated to suit the homeowners’ own needs and lifestyle.

Concrete is slowly becoming demystified as characteristically cold and industrial. In contrary, this age-old material is warm and surprisingly tactile; people cannot help but touch their smooth, polished surfaces. Real estate agent Joy Rasmussen, who has recently sold her mountain home — a short-term investment property in Steamboat Springs, CO — recounts her visitors’ experiences with concrete: “When I had open houses, visitors gravitated to the concrete countertops — many people around here have never seen them”.

Joy’s 2,265 sq. ft. mountain home was custom build by her husband, Ken Otterman, along with KJ Otterman, president of Classic Special Custom Homes. They built pour-in-place concrete counters for the home’s kitchen and three bathrooms by using Concrete Countertops as their guide. The sand-colored concrete countertops were polished smooth, then paired with natural slate of varying colors — like charcoal, rust and gold tones — that forms the backsplashes in the kitchen and baths. As a design accent, small rectangular slate tiles were added to

the rim of the bathroom sinks, which provided a unique detail to the custom vanities.

When Joy and Ken decided to sell their house, their investment in concrete countertops proved its value. “We were able to list the house $20,000 over market value, and had no problems selling it,” comments Joy, while discussing the long list of upgrades throughout their house, including knotty pine solid doors, natural slate wall accents and hardwood floors. “The concrete countertops were easily the most unique and impressive of all the finishes. I believe they were a huge part in

adding value to the home. Around here, all you see in homes are granite countertops –and I really think homebuyers are getting quite numb with granite.”

“Concrete countertops are a unique offering to homebuyers who see the same finishes used in house after house they visit,” explains Joy, offering her observation as a seasoned realtor. “Having concrete countertops almost gives you bragging rights — you have something different from your neighbors.”

BREAKING THE MOLD

Another advantage of concrete is its adaptability in either modern or traditional settings, especially when coupled with other materials like varied metals, wood or stone. “Concrete adds so many [possibilities] to stone, and the combination with slate, which is hugely popular here, gives the mountain homes an overall warm, natural touch,” says Joy.

Joy and Ken have since built a much larger home (4,000 sq. ft.) that offers expansive views of the Steamboat Ski Resort and is meant to serve as a long-term investment for the couple. They’ve also expanded their list of custom finishes, including hand-troweled walls, elegant oil-rubbed bronze hardware, knotty pine doors that arch at the top, cabinets in a natural, knotty alder, and their favorite — concrete kitchen countertops.

Unlike in their previous home, KJ and his specialty crew poured charcoal-colored countertops using the pre-cast method in the unfinished basement of the new home. Before pouring the concrete, they sprinkled an array of semi-precious stones in the mold including Leopardskin, Moonstone, Mother-of-Pearl and Turquoise. After the surface was ground and lightly polished, the finished result was an impressive blend of colors, “By far, the Mother-of-Pearl was the most incredible,” says Joy.

The L-shaped concrete countertop has a rough, rustic stone appearance, complementing its rugged country surroundings. An integral drain board and trivets provides function and added interest to the concrete countertop. Natural slate backsplashes, distinct wall accents, and a butcher block countertop at the kitchen island all resonate with the traditional warmth and earthiness of the concrete countertops.

Joy and Ken’s respective backgrounds in real estate and custom homebuilding, and as investment homebuyers, have helped them realize that concrete countertops can add tremendous aesthetic and financial value to a home. Concrete’s customization and “show-stopping” appeal is like no other countertop surface. Cheng is a proponent of emotional aesthetics and building homes that capture these emotions, as in the case of Joy and Ken Otterman. Cheng concludes: “People really want differentiation, something personal, something custom – and concrete can do that for them.”

For more information about concrete countertops please visit: http://www.ConcreteExchange.com/

Deborah Meyer works as Marketing Assistant for Cheng Design, a Berkeley-based interior design company headed by award-winning designer and author Fu-Tung Cheng. Deborah’s work includes writing press releases for Cheng Design and Cheng Concrete Exchange, with a focus on do-it-yourself stories of the company?s customers.

You Might Be a Car Nut if

If you met me on the street you would think I’m a pretty normal guy, and in most aspects that would be true. However, I am a sick person; I suffer from an incurable disease: I am a car nut.

There are a number of ways to determine if you are afflicted by this disease. Below I have listed some ways to tell if you are a car nut. I have highlighted the ones I am guilty of.

You might be a car nut if:

1. You have owned more cars than years you have been driving. Example: I have been driving for 9 years and have owned 15 cars.

2. You own 3-4 cars at a time, and 2 of them don’t run.

3. You attend car events of all kinds: car shows, races, truck shows, etc. You even attend events for cars you don’t even like, just because it is related to cars.

4. You own the most extensive collection of toy cars anyone has ever seen. I’m talking matchbox cars, model cars, die cast cars, etc.

5. You spend more quality time with your car than your girlfriend/wife.

6. You get into a fight with your girlfriend/wife and instead of making you sleep on the couch she takes away your detailing supplies.

7. When you buy a new house, you are only concerned with the size of the garage.

8. You attend auto shows even when you’re not looking to buy a car.

9. You know the 0-60 times of all of your cars and their closest 5 competitors.

10. The engine compartment of your car is clean enough to eat off.

11. You have trained your girlfriend/wife on spotting different models of cars and what modifications they have on them.

12. On road trips, you always challenge yourself to get their faster than the last time.

13. Your garage holds more cars than your house has bedrooms.

14. You have enough spare parts to build another car.

15. You have car parts in your cubicle at work.

16. You ask your future wife if you can register at AutoZone, Napa and Advance Auto.

17. The reading material in your bathroom is all car magazines, car and racing catalogs and a few books written by famous drivers.

18. Your family brings a couch into the garage so they can spend some time with you.

19. You can’t stand anyone telling you how to drive, you are the best!

20. You always want to change something on your car to make it handle better.

21. You spend more time polishing your car then you do bathing.

22. You spend more on insurance premiums than food.

23. You know the 0-60 and ¼ mile times of your lawn mower and want to improve them.

24. After you tell your girlfriend/wife where you want to go on vacation, she asks “Why is there a car show or race there?”

25. You have auto parts store on your speed dial.

26. When someone asks where you went to school you reply “Skip Barber.”

27. Your email or screen name refers to your car and not you.

28. You sit in your car in a dark garage and make car noises and shift and practice your heel toe shifting.

29. You look at the purchase of tools as a long term investment.

30. You have a separate drawer for garage clothes.

This is just a small list of ways to determine if you are an addict. I have grown up a car nut, being raised by one, my father. It is like a bug and once you are bitten there is no remedy to get rid of it. You can try to pick other hobbies and jobs, but in the end it will always come down to cars. So the best thing to do is just give in, admit you have a problem, then say the hell with it and go enjoy that car!

Jason Helferich is the President/CEO of Street Style Customs in Cincinnati, Ohio. The company specializes in aftermarket performance parts for many cars and trucks.

http://www.streetstylecustoms.com

What Is the Alabama Rig? How Is It Used? What Fishing Rod Should I Choose?

When times are tough, folks in the United States don’t just sit back and rest on their laurels… they go fishing. When fishing is slow, those same Americans allow natural innovation and ingenuity to take hold of their thoughts and that’s when those world-class ideas hit you “like a ton of bricks.” Whether that angler’s thoughts have wandered to “the next best boat cup holder,” “a lure adjustment to get to the right depth or have the right wiggle, bobble, splash or other subdued action,” or “just another technical approach on how that angler is going to fill the live well with their targeted game-fish”… it just happens. That same angler comes up with a new idea, approach, or technique that not only makes common sense… but fantastic fishing-sense! The newest fishing lure to hit the water, the Alabama Rig, is no different because to fish one just makes sense.

Recently, this new fishing lure has stormed not only the fishing scene, ranging from the avid recreational angler to bass fishing tournament pro circuits, but the fishing industry as well. So what is this “magic” fishing lure and how has it changed the way we think about fishing? The now infamous “Alabama Rig”- a simple spinner-bait-like fishing rig that provides multiple lures simultaneously to would-be game-fish. Some will argue that the Alabama Rig is just a modification of an old, very well know saltwater tool, the Umbrella Rig. Though,for the most part, true, however, the application is new to most fresh water anglers.

In the simplest of descriptions, the Alabama Rig (or sometimes referred to as the “A-Rig”) is the bass fisherman’s means to present an artificial school of bait-fish to their prey. There are generally two styles of these lures: 1) 3-wire set-ups, and 4-wire set-ups. In general, the A-Rig has wire arms (3 or 4 depending on the particular lure you’re using) extending from a central post, with each arm and central post designed to mount separate lures. The center of the wire arms is a molded lure head and a straight wire extends back from it and holds another lure. Each arm (or wire) may be bent to varying angles and each has a simple swivel to attach the lure. When properly assembled, the Alabama Rig resembles a school of bait-fish and let me tell you, so far has proven a sure-fire weapon in the tackle arsenal of serious anglers.

Whether fishing for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, striped-bass, wipers, or other game-fish, the resemblance of shad or a school of bait-fish has placed the A-Rig in a class of lures that stands all by themselves. Before this innovation, species such as bass, have always received lure presentations of single lures: top water tackle, spinner-baits, crank-baits, swim baits, etc. For the first time in the freshwater angling world, multiple lure presentations are now available due to the simple, yet effective design of the American ingenuity provided in the Alabama Rig.

So what type of fishing rod is required to cast one of these new contraptions and how do you fish an A-Rig? For starters, you’re going to need a heavier outfit to cast the Alabama Rig. It’s not the weight of the rig (approximately 3/8 ounces with no lures), but depending on the size and weight of the individual lures, can weigh in upwards of 3+ ounces (or the equivalent of a large, West Coast swim bait or muskie lure). So if you’re accustomed to fishing a lighter rod, better hit the gym and bulk up those casting muscles, or better yet, just be sure your armed with a fishing rod designed for casting (and retrieving) this particular lure. So again, what type of rod will I need? Well, it depends on the lures your throwing, the water you are covering, and the technique your using, but a good place to find the right rod for you is to design the perfect Alabama Rig custom fishing rod.

In general terms, you’re going to need a 7-8 foot fishing rod that is at least medium heavy power and with rod action in the moderate to fast action. Your rod blank and rod hardware should be capable of handling anywhere between 20-65 pound braided line and you’re going to require a fishing reel that can support the additional torque and load of the retrieve (at least a 6:4:1 ratio). Choose a higher ratio reel for faster retrieves (like a 7:1:1) and be sure to select a reel that is nice and smooth so as not to tangle you’re the individual baits in mid-air. Braided line is better designed to handle the intricacies of the Alabama Rig to include: casting, retrieval, hook set, as well as fighting and landing your fish. Braid has less stretch, is more durable, and overall more responsive to the conditions you will encounter when using this particular fishing lure. Additionally, using a heavier braided line will allow you to retrieve you’re A-Rig in the event that you get hung up (because they are not cheap and the lure itself starts out in the $25 range and go up in price depending on the price of the lures your place on your rig).

It is important when rigging the bait to keep the baits as close together as possible without getting them tangled, unless of course you intend to “spread out” your particular presentation of schooling bait-fish or shad. Some anglers use the Alabama Rig as their “search” bait much like a spinner-bait is used to seek out schooling or suspended fish in open water while other anglers prefer to aim their rig at precise targets. They will fan-cast to points, piles, humps, and other aquatic cover in a technique similar to that of using a crank-bait. Still, other anglers will cast shallow, varying depth with their rig to where they believe the fish are hunkered down. A common presentation technique for this innovative tackle design is to cast out, count the amount of time it takes to reach bottom, and then retrieve. If a fish doesn’t strike the baits, then subtract a second from your count on the next drop-down to depth and retrieve. Repeat until either you catch a fish or conclude that you have covered that particular column and area of water. This tactic works well on deep drop-off points and submerged mounds or humps. Also, when fishing swim baits or jigs on your A-Rig, you can vary the weight of the jig heads to make it sink faster or slower as well as changing the retrieve speed to either sustain or descend your school of bait-fish in the water column. Ultimately, your presentation will depend on the where you believe the fish to be located and thus, how deep, shallow, slow, or fast you want to fish.

If you need a starting point to hone your individual equipment for your new tackle and fishing skills, here are a few performance fishing rod ideas for your next Alabama Rigged fishing rod:

Shallow Water.

– 7’3″ / Medium Heavy, Fast / 12-25 lb / 3/8-1 1/4 oz

– 7’4″ / Heavy, Fast / 14-25 lb / 3/8-1 1/2 oz

– 7’3″ / Magnum Heavy, Fast / 14-30 lb / 3/8-2 oz

Deep Water / Light Lure.

– 7’6″ / Magnum Medium, Moderate / 12-25 lb / 1/2 – 3 oz

– 7’6″ / Medium Heavy, Moderate Fast / 12-25 lb / 3/8-1 1/4 oz

– 7’6″ / Medium Heavy, Moderate / 12-25 lb / 1/2-3 oz

Deep Water / Heavy Lure.

– 7’10” / Heavy, Fast / 14-30 lb / 1-4 oz

– 7’11” / Heavy, Moderate Fast / 12-25 lb / 1/2-2 oz

– 7’11” / Heavy, Moderate Fast / 14-30 lb / 1/2-2 oz

Note: these are but a few recommendations as there are literally thousands of rod blanks to choose from in the fishing tackle and equipment industry.

A few additional points to consider when selecting the right rod for your Alabama Rig fishing rod as follows.

Choose a fishing rod that is “right-sized” for you – too heavy and you’ll be miserable on the water and sore the next day… too light and you’ll never get the results you’re seeking (casting distance, accuracy, hook set leverage, control for fighting and landing the fish, etc.).

Be prepared to have several Alabama Rig fishing rods on the deck of your boat – there is no panacea rig or A-rig rod that will work in every situation. A good rule of thumb is to plan for a heavier rig and rod set-up for deeper water/heavier lure presentations and one that is downsized for shallow water presentations.

Invest in the “right-sized, right-performance” fishing equipment and tackle… you’re fishing a fishing lure that costs upwards of $30 dollars, with braided line that will cost $30-40 dollars a spool, using an expensive spinning or bait-casting reel (maybe hundreds of dollars?)… so invest in the best performance fishing rod possible… and that will most likely be the fishing rod option that provides you the most confidence.

This lure is new. The techniques are new to freshwater anglers. There is no “perfect” presentation. So find “what” works for you. Practice your style and become an expert at your technique. Grow confidence in your Alabama Rig and how you fish your rig.

Begin fishing your new A-Rig on water you know routinely produces good “numbers of fish.” After a few successes, begin testing your presentation and honing your skill. Once you gain some comfort and confidence, you’ll be landing those “lunker” largemouth bass in no time!

Also, be sure that your Alabama Rig fishing rod has hardware that can handle the meanest of braided fishing lines. We recommend premium ceramic guide rings on either casting or spinning guides (such as titanium nitride, nanoplasma, nanolite, silicon carbide, and other high-grade ceramic materials). Why? Simply stated, premium hardware which is technologically advanced is second to none in as much as the unique quad-leg design of casting guides, the braced design of spinning guides, and the heavy-duty design of micro rod guides, all of which are engineered to sustain incredible forces (both static and dynamic shock loads). Additionally, we recommend the these types of fishing rod guides because they leverage additional engineering advances to include: nano-technological polishing, ring-locked rod guide rings (which is a double press of the inset guide ring into a solid frame rod guide, super friction-free ceramics, and load-supporting rod guide leg design.

Be wary of the number of guides, the guide set-up, and the guide spacing on your A-Rig rod; pay attention to the guide ring material (hardloy, alconite, and other light or thin ceramics as these choices tend to allow for a groove to form in the guide rings under line tension and while other inferior materials and ring design fail under dynamic loads created on this heavier tackle set-up); know how your fishing rod is designed, balanced, and tuned because every detail counts when working your Alabama Rig. Sure, there’s certain to be a rush of rod manufacturers that will readily hand you over an “over-powered, over-priced, and under-performance” fishing rod which they claim will be just “perfect” for you and how you fish your Alabama Rig, but if you’re spending the time and money to learn this new fishing technique then we ask the simple question, “Why wouldn’t you want to use a fishing rod designed specifically for your individual technique, style, and is custom-fit to you?” A custom rod design will meet your individual specifications and guarantee your performance custom fishing rod for life!

Regardless of your intended use, your decision will be based on your personal experience, as there is no “perfect” location to fish your Alabama Rig or tackle-specific set-up; there are just too many applications for the A-Rig to name them all, many of which have yet to be discovered by you. Just remember, no one fishes the way you fish, where you fish, has your technique, style, or knows your specific angling requirements.

At Cajun Custom Rods, we assist anglers to design the performance, custom fishing rod of their dreams, for their specific fishing style and per their specifications. Once designed via our Build Your Rod webpage (you visually design your own performance, custom fishing rod), you can purchase your design and then we get to work, leveraging our rod-building experience to handcraft your customized, performance Alabama Rig fishing rod. At Cajun Custom Rods, we provide you the “freedom of choice” with over 5000 fishing rod components available for your next Alabama Rig custom fishing rod design. At Cajun Custom Rods, we’re serious about fishing and especially about fishing with the right performance custom fishing rod.

“Experience the Cajun Custom Rod difference… one custom rod at a time.”

Jaesen Yerger
Cajun Custom Rods
Web: http://www.cajuncustomrods.com
Email: info@cajuncustomrods.com
Phone: (904)-738-0301

Wholesale Gold Jewelry Trading Guide for Entrepreneurs

For those of you who are thinking about selling gold jewelry, it is crucial that you understand fully how to determine the price for gold jewelry. Not only this can help you to tell a good deal from a bad one, it also helps to analyze your competitors and understand the market better before you make any investment.

Gold price

The most important part of wholesale gold jewelry trading is to understand the breakdown of the cost of a piece of gold jewelry. Let’s say the current good price is $500 per ounce. To calculate the cost of gold for a piece of 14 karat gold jewelry that weighs 3 gram without any stones, we first divide the price per ounce by 31.5, to get the price per gram, which is $15.87. This is the price of pure gold. To convert this to 14K gold, knowing that there are 24 karats in pure gold, we divide $15.87 by 24 and multiply the result by 14. The price per gram for 14k gold is roughly $9.26. Therefore, the total cost of the gold for a 3 gram ring would be $27.78.

Labor Cost

Another major part of the cost for a piece of gold jewelry is the cost for labor, especially for pieces set with precious stones. Gold jewelry generally requires some filing and polishing after it is cast out of the mold. The labor cost can sometime be as high as $2 per gram, depending on the origin of the jewelry and the style. In addition, the cost of setting any stones on a gold jewelry can be over one dollar per stone. Certain advanced setting such as channel set and invisible set cost even more because of the high level of craftsmanship required.

Markup of Competitors

A good way to analyze if a certain style of gold jewelry is profitable and beneficial for a business is to understand your competitors’ prices. Since you already know how to calculate roughly the cost of a piece of jewelry, and therefore the price that you can get it, buy looking at the markups of your competitors, you may get an idea of how severe the competition is. For instance, if the competitors are marking up the jewelry three times of the cost, the competitiveness of that style is not really that high. On the other, if everyone has the same pricing and the markup is 50% above the cost, the style might have already saturated the market.

Volume trading

Another angle of looking at the pricing issue is that when the competitors are marking up at a low margin, the item is probably accepted by a lot of consumers. The justification behind it is that when the profit per piece is low, and people are trading them actively, there probably is a high demand for it. On short, the higher the profit margin, the low the volume of sales and the low the profit margin, the higher could be the volume of sales. Another point that is worth noting is that the volume theory also applies to jewelry vendors. If you buy in large quantity, pricing should go down automatically. Therefore, running a successfully business involves getting the balance between all the factors within the resources and infrastructure you have such as employees and capital.

Closeout Jewelry

Since jewelry business is highly time-sensitive, styles that were once popular several months ago may not sell at all couple months later. Therefore, when buying gold jewelry wholesale, you should estimate the monthly sales and stock according to the sale volume. For example, you may want to stock a certain style for two months worth of stock and restock it when it runs out in order to minimize the closeout items in the inventory, which is sometimes referred to as inventory shrinkage.

By understanding the market and your competitors, you can reduce the mistakes during your entrepreneurial endeavor, thus increase the chance of succeeding tremendously.

Scott Murff got his MBA from MIT business school and currently is the marketing manager in 14K gold earrings that specializes in wholesale gold jewelry including gold and cubic zirconia body jewelry.

What is Circumcision Really All About?

Researching, early childhood trauma, i typed in C-I-R-C-U-M-C-I-S-I-O-N into my Internet browser, and found so much information, I could have read for hours, and days, and months — and eventually I did read for years.

I found there were many theories about how and why genital mutilation began but nobody knew for sure if any of them were true. Primitive people all over the globe have been practiced body modifications of every description, including genital cutting, for thousands of years.

As part of my inquiry, before I went to sleep one night I asked to know how circumcision began. In the middle of the night I saw a vivid vignette unfold, as if a television was sitting at the foot of my bed.

Two people appeared in the dream: an old man and a baby. The old man was crazy drunk and wanted to play with the baby’s penis. Since a foreskin will retract and pull the penis into the body when it is cold and also when its owner is afraid, the old man could not access the baby’s penis. This enraged him. He pulled out his knife and cut the baby’s foreskin off.

From “The Rape of the Phallus” by Dr. William Keith C. Morgan in the Journal of the American Medical Association, July 1965:

“Why is the operation of circumcision practiced? One might as well attempt to explain the rites of voodoo!… it is part of an ancient rite practiced by many primitive tribes whereby the young male and less frequently the young female, gives proof of his or her ability to endure pain. If they pass the test with fortitude, they are then accepted into the tribe as fully developed adults with attendant privileges. Thus in this respect the operation is similar to many of the tattoos and scars produced by burning, piercing or incising that are accepted as routine cosmetic procedures by these peoples.

“Second, in many primitive African tribes circumcision is performed to reduce libido. This mutilating practice is generally performed on women to keep them faithful to their husbands. Male infant circumcision is practiced by all Semitic races, Jew and Arab alike, and has been exported by them to all parts of the world and to most races. It will perhaps be a cause of surprise to those of Semitic origin to find that the Australian aborigine has practiced circumcision for as long, if not longer, and for the same basic reason as his more civilized brethren.”

Well, so much for modern and medical and upscale, logical and rational. Cutting off genitals is primal, primitive, base, emotional stuff.

The age chosen for circumcision varies according to the culture. The western, English-speaking world, which has followed the Judaic model, cuts the child at birth or a few days after. Other cultures wait until the boy is somewhat more grounded, around age five or twelve.

Some “coming of age” rituals during teen years involve not only genital mutilation but also haircutting, knocking out teeth, finger amputation, tattooing, scarring, and a variety of other quaint tribal markings. Some think the “coming of age” ritual is a message to the younger men in the family or tribe: “Our women are beginning to like you! Stay away from them! The women belong to us!”

You can read circumcision facts and myths from around the world and through the ages in Circumcision: A History of the World’s Most Controversial Surgery by David Gollaher.

But why, given that neither the New Testament, the Book of Mormon nor any national medical organization in the world encourages the practice does circumcision have such a strong foothold in the supposedly civilized, modern, predominately Christian, United States of America?

Dear reader, make sure you are sitting down, because this is something many people find difficult to believe – but it’s true! – circumcision began in the USA as a way to keep children from – egads! – touching themselves! – masturbating! Read these stirring words from the New Orleans Medical Journal in 1855…

Neither the plague, nor war, nor small pox, not a crowd of similar evils have resulted more disastrously for humanity, than the habit of masturbation: it is the destroying element of civilized society.

The last witch had been burned in the late 1700s as the evil spirit theory of disease was actively being discredited. But the evil spirit theory was soon replaced by the masturbation theory. Masturbation, doctors proclaimed, could make you crazy or physically ill – it could even kill you. You had to be saved from your evil ways – for your own good.

The witch hunt turned to an obsession for uncovering and punishing private sexual behavior, self-pleasuring.

“Over this period there was truly a remarkable upsurge in what can only be termed comic-book sadism. The advocacy of these bizarre [anti-masturbation] therapies was not confined to eccentrics. By about 1880 the individual who might wish for unconscious reasons to tie, chain, or infibulate sexually active children… to adorn them with grotesque appliances, encase them in plaster of Paris, leather or rubber, to frighten or even castrate them, could find humane and respectable medical authority for doing so in good conscience. Masturbational insanity was now real enough… it was affecting the medical profession.” – Alex Comfort

Pain was considered to be a good thing in the war against pleasure…

“In cases of masturbation we must, I believe, break the habit by inducing such a condition of the parts as will cause too much local suffering to allow of the practice to be continued. For this purpose, if the prepuce is long, we may circumcise the male patient with present and probably with future advantages; the operation, too, should not be performed under chloroform, so that the pain experienced may be associated with the habit we wish to eradicate.” – Athol A. W. Johnson, The Lancet, April 1860

When masturbation was thought to be the cause of all disease, doctors were under the spell of opinion-based medicine. They argued among themselves whether the masturbation theory of disease was to be blamed on loss of body fluids or from the shock of orgasm. Nobody bothered to test the theories surrounding masturbation and circumcision. No one has yet to research the long-term effects of circumcision. The U.S. is still working hard to replace opinion-based medicine with evidence-based medicine. Statistics mislead. The real story is in the numbers.

Numbers say that a lot of boys have been unnecessarily cut. Fortunately, I was savvy when it came to statistics — I knew how they can be used to mislead, so a 50% reduction in UTIs translates to: where there used to be two UTIs in a hundred boys, now there is one. 100% of one is one and two of two. But two UTIs in a hundred boys means that millions of boys have been cut who would never have had a UTI! You could safely say that out of 100 boys who are cut, all are cut unnecessarily. Why? Because while those two little boys had a UTI, five little girls got UTIs and doctors used antibiotics for the little girls – and therefore doctors could have used antibiotics instead of cutting the boys.

Only six boys in 10,000 are circumcised in Europe for medical reasons. European doctors explain to boys how to stretch the skin if it is too tight; antibiotics are used for infections. In Europe and other intact cultures, cutting genital tissue is thought of as a drastic measure, bad medical practice.

Here in the USA, circumcision was sold to parents as a way to end the cause of all disease, which was purported to have been masturbation. Now we read a study that said the less men between the ages of 20 and 50 masturbate, the more likely they are to develop prostate cancer. Masturbation helps clear out the tiny little tubes in the male reproductive system, it said.

I wondered if present-day parents should be concerned if their children don’t masturbate enough. Will doctors of the future recommend more masturbation so boys will be healthier?

“Son, you’re looking a little sickly! Go to your room, and don’t come out until you have had at least one healthy orgasm!”

“Aw, mom, do I have to? I wanted to do my math homework!”

And the irony is, now that studies have been performed, we find that loss of genital tissue results in more masturbation. Yes, the fact is, circumcised men masturbate far more than intact men – 40% more often. Are they trying to make up for in quantity what they are lacking in quality of experience?

What about loving family relationships in adulthood? How might loss of sensual tissue affect that? One man cut after adulthood said the difference between cut and intact sex is like the difference between black and white, or color TV. Something vital is missing. Could the loss of the foreskin affect the bonding process? Could loss of the foreskin be the cause of so much sexual dissatisfaction and infidelity? When something is missing, do people reach out to new partners, hoping that someone new will be the one who really “does it” for them?

Reducing the physical equipment reduces the sensual experience and sexual satisfaction, yet nature’s demand for reproduction burns as hot in the cut and the intact. With the loss of natural parts and skin, achieving the deepest levels of sensual contentment is thwarted… so a vicious cycle is established. Less skin means sexual frustration – the big itch is inadequately scratched. This surely accounts for the difference in desire among circumcised men and intact women.

People who don’t get the nutrients their bodies require to work well, crave food. People who don’t get the sensual satisfaction their bodies require, crave sex. It’s just the way it works. We naturally will try to make up for quality with quantity. Deficiency leads to obsession. Genital cutting creates sensual deficiency and sexual obsession.

The masturbation-as-cause-of-all-disease theory was bogus and the circumcision “cure” backfired. We now have a nation filled with people who are sexually frustrated and sexually obsessed. And yet circumcision persists.

We are meant to enjoy full-body orgasms, but when cut, we do not have them. The partners of circumcised people are also deprived of their full ration of pleasure and satisfaction.

Tens of thousands of delicate nerve endings are cut off with every foreskin. And some men spend months or even years stretching the skin and restoring the foreskin. Some attain excellent results that doctors cannot distinguish from natural foreskins. The restored function can be anywhere from 80 to 90% that of a natural, intact man. When a man restores his foreskin, he finds his rhythm of desire begins to more closely resemble his mate’s.

Some have called circumcision, “the cure desperately in search of a disease”.

Why the persistent sales pitch? Why do the same circumcision enthusiasts move from one claim to another? Why? Who is invested in what?

There is a predictable cycle: A claim is made for the health advantages of circumcision. The claim turns out to be untrue. Like a smoke and mirrors magic show, another claim arises to take its place. And that has been the pattern around the circumcision phenomenon for many years now.

Psychologist and author Alice Miller wrote, “What eventually happens to the person who was mutilated as a child? As a rule, children who were once injured will later injure their own children, maintaining that their behavior does no harm because their own loving parents did the same.”

Circumcision makes circumcisers. Circumcision makes people who are obsessed with sexuality, babies’ genitals, cutting of flesh, and the shedding of blood. Trauma sets us up for acting out the trauma, repetition compulsion.

Could it be that the act of circumcising is an addiction of sorts? For some, it must carry quite a charge. There are people who have blood fetishes, people who have tissue fetishes, people who get off on torturing others, people who like to fondle children’s genitals. Put them all together and circumcision surely is an ideal job for some.

And it’s not easy to give up addictions. There are no circumciser detox centers, no “Circumcisionists Anonymous” meetings. It’s unlikely circumcision clamps and knives will be easy to pry out of the hands of those who want to continue. It is an extremely emotional subject. I was shocked to read that some doctors who were surveyed said that even if it was made illegal, they would continue to circumcise. Now that’s hard core.

So I went public. I had booth at an outdoor celebration. “Circumcision is my religion,” screamed one kindly grandmother at me. Thumbs down for my Save the Males sign from one very nicely dressed and coiffed elderly lady. “You don’t know how hard I had to work to get my grandson circumcised!” spat a third.

Adults defending circumcision rather than protecting children – this truly perplexed me.

In the interest of human rights, I think it is time for circumcision to be examined with a microscope that can see beneath the surface of emotional arguments. When we are so deeply mired in anything we can’t see clearly. We need a mirror.

Westerners look askance at the ritual mutilations of the body performed in exotic tribes, but they justify their own ritual mutilations as medically appropriate. Europeans sneer at the Maasai custom of lengthening the ear lobes, but they have their own noses bobbed and their faces lifted.

“Americans are horrified at the Arunta practice of subincision (slitting the penis on the ventral side) or the Sudanese tradition of infibulation (excising much of the female genitals and sewing up the vagina), but they stand with few other modern nations in clinging to a ritual that is no less “barbaric” and no more “hygienic”, routine circumcision.” – Karen Ericksen Paige

Look at babies’ faces before and after circumcision. Before, they look peaceful, content, happy. After, their faces look dismayed, betrayed. Listen to their cries.

When I was studying the subject, research had still not been performed on the long-term effects of circumcision on the infant, the bonding process with mom, the psychology of the circumcised baby, the boy and man he becomes, his relationships, the quality of life.

In England, circumcision ended abruptly after a few facts were provided to the medical boards. Europeans seem to do quite well with their natural, sexy, relaxed bodies.

But it’s as if the U.S. is under a spell, in a trance. It can’t see itself objectively. Americans are prudish and yet are inundated with sex wherever they look in the media. Even Disney films titillate.

Circumcised doctors imagine the natural penis to be a birth defect. “I can do something about that for you!” doctors say, as if natural anatomy is a condition that needs fixing.

Is circumcision really good for babies? No. Does anybody know for sure that circumcision has ever saved anyone’s life? No. Does anybody know for sure that being intact has led to anyone’s death? No. Has circumcision killed? Yes. Has it deprived? Yes, deprivation is a sure thing, 100% of the time.

Some men say every circumcision is a botched circumcision. Every circumcision maims.

So, as I read and read, it seemed to me that circumcision was a cosmetic, elective procedure, never beneficial and inevitably harmful… unless the owner had gangrene of the foreskin.

How good of an idea can it be to traumatize infants for the sake of cosmetic genital surgery? How good of an idea can it be to deprive anyone of natural body parts and natural sensation?

We owe it to our children to examine the circumcision subject carefully. It’s important we put on our thinking caps and be objective, not just argue to be “clever” or “right”, or to “win”.

Each time objective reality checks prove that circumcision claims are false, the circumcision promotion machine moves on, like a huge monster that eats foreskins for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

What could be the motivation? Who does circumcision profit? Well, there are doctor and hospital fees. I heard once a pediatric urologist complain that people who speak up and tell their stories are “scaring patients away” from circumcision.

A retired doctor-preacher man once told me he didn’t like doing circumcisions, but, “If I didn’t do them, someone else would get the money.” He looked rather shocked after he said those words.

Medicine is a business and circumcision has been big business in the USA for a century or more.

There are circumcision tools and instruments and equipment to sell. What about the commercial uses of the amputated skin? At one time there was at least one business that made and sold goods made from foreskins. One can only imagine how they obtained the foreskins… many colors, many sizes… we can only speculate. From a very odd catalog:

Introducing MANLY ARTS of Ohio, purveyors of circumcision memorabilia. MANLY ARTS specializes in providing a channel for those historians, researchers and collectors who are involved in the development of the “manhood movement” as it has been expressed in literature, research, graphics, objects and cultural practice. Foreskin Quarterly #7 (Winter 1987), pages 20-21.

Item 61. Wallet, actually made from human foreskins. Supple and imminently serviceable. Comprised of fourteen skins ranging from 3″ by 5 1/4″ to infant 1 1/2″ by 2″, the wallet contains eight compartments and is sewn together with leather thread. Of such a commanding appearance that viewers will have to ask what the material is. After that, it’s up to you. Beautiful brownish patina on the outside; the inside composed of checkerboard alternating Caucasian and Black skins. $1,000.

Item 62. Woven finger ring made from actual human foreskin. Braided, and done so by twisting: the skin was apparently not cut longitudinally during its removal. Thus there is no joint between the two ends, because there are no ends. A beautiful piece of engineering, much like a Chinese puzzle. Beautiful mahogany patina with honey-colored highlights. Would fit the middle finger of the average man. $500.

Item 63. Small (9″) pair of lamp shades made from human foreskins. Mounted on solid brass cast and polished bases. Excellent form and design. The foreskins are Caucasian, Black, Olive, Oriental and Indian and are used in a regular pattern. The mellow light shed by the foreskins produces an enviable atmosphere of calm and romance. $2,500 the pair.

Item 64. Beautiful vest made entirely of human foreskins, lined in emerald green moire. The foreskins are used as squares alternating with small diamonds of much darker skin. The seven buttons are solid gold and each is stamped “Tiffany and Co.” $5,200.

Item 65. Gentleman’s pinkie ring made from human foreskin. In constructing this item, the inner and outer layer of prepuce were left in their original relative positions, so the ring is double thickness. This may have been the product of a re-circumcision, as the forward edge retains a distinct pattern of suture marks which had healed. Being a double thickness, small circular holes have been placed in the outer skin and cat’s eye stones inserted which contrast handsomely to the honey-brown color of the ring. The width being only 1/2″ contributes to the theory that the ring was produced by a second circumcision. $375.

Item 66. This is an outrageous item. A large and long human foreskin has been expertly tanned to provide all the suppleness and softness of the intact version. It is connected to a sulcus ring of silver with cabochons of lapis lazuli so that the wearers looks as if he were an uncircumcised male wearing only a sulcus ring (granted that the ring is worn above and not beneath the prepuce). The skin is connected to the ring with a dozen silver rivets; not recommended for use in masturbation or intercourse, rather obviously. But a hekkuva decoration for those special parties. $225.

Babies’ genitals are used in expensive beauty creams. Stem cell research is performed with foreskin tissue. Flattening out football-field-sized sheets of very expensive artificial skin containing – yes! – infant foreskin.

“Just one foreskin per football field! We promise! And it was donated from the owner of the company’s son! – Honest!”

European and Japanese men do not suffer from foreskin problems. Europe and Japan score high up on World Health Organization charts – the USA is 37th. No national medical association in the world – even in the United States – endorses circumcision. Even our own American Medical Association (AMA) and American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP) do not accept the health and hygiene claims. And yet circumcision myths keep on going and going and going… like the Energizer bunny.

Doctors? Poor doctors. In the past they created such a successful demand for circumcision that now they are trapped. Even though they claim they don’t want to perform circumcisions, they claim they must! Bloodthirsty parents insist! After all, medicine is a business and the customer is always right.

And so, cosmetic surgery on healthy infant penises continues.

I wonder what doctors would say if a parent insisted they cut off a baby’s nose? Or an ear? Or an eyelid? Would they do it? If the parent insisted? Why? Why not?

A cruel beast circumcision is – for all involved, but especially for the brand new visitor to the planet, the guest of honor, the baby.

No child has ever voluntarily chosen to go under the knife. Every child resists. Babies have to be held down, strapped down, restrained. Babies fight circumcision. Children do not want to be circumcised. And yet, when they have children, the circumcised will pass it down…

Pshew! Time for me to take a breath.

That was an interesting bit of reading and research. Such an emotional issue. Even for me, though it appears – so far, anyway – that I’m just an innocent bystander!

And now I have even more questions.

Did God really tell us to circumcise our babies? Or is it possible we are living under the tyranny of an ancient superstition?

Have we all been duped? Everyone? Everyone medical? Everyone religious? By tricksters from the past?

Do we really need blood rituals and tribal markings? Now? In the 21st Century?

Is circumcision at the root of man’s inhumanity to man? Early childhood trauma? Power-over? Powerlessness?

We have a big trash can of historical mistakes: stonings, crucifixions, holocausts, routine tonsillectomies, appendectomies, mammograms, and bleeding with leeches.

It’s certain that someday circumcision will take its place among those others. I’m already embarrassed for the doctors and nurses and rabbis who have done it to babies. Surely it goes against their best intentions, their highest value, which is to do no harm to any living thing, especially I am sure they do not wish to harm a baby.

Perhaps all it will take is one tiny voice that says “The emperor has no clothes,” like the courageous doctor who said to a classroom of nurses, “There is absolutely no medical reason for doing this.”

Patricia Robinett ( http://www.patriciarobinett.com ) is a Clinical Hypnotherapist in private practice in Eugene, Oregon. She is the author of several books, including “The Rape of Innocence: Female genital mutilation and circumcision in the USA”, and “Knowledge: The Essence of World Scriptures”, both available at createspace.com amazon.com.

Woman to Woman: Unleashing Your “Everyday Sensuality”

Sensuality is the foundation for enduring human sexuality, a combination of the senses – touch, smell, sight, taste and sound…as well as internal energies and inner knowledge – that awaken in a person to fan the flames of passion for life and lovemaking. What does it really mean “everyday sensuality?” When one – man or woman – has unresolved tensions, arguments or hurt, it’s difficult to be in touch with your spiritual and physical self. Stop for just a moment and close your eyes – can you feel your fingertips? Are you aware of your body, the press of fabric against skin, any ache or pain, perhaps the brush of hair against the nape of your neck? Is your inner self experiencing feelings of awareness and gratitude? Are you going on frenetic energy today, a combination of to do list and caffeine? Everyday sensuality is easily defined as being aware of yourself and the world around you, in a powerful and self appreciative manner. Let’s explore this idea, and how it relates to your inner sex goddess. She is in there waiting for you to let her out, ladies! I am going to teach you’re a few easy centering exercises in this article and the next that will help you with self-awareness. Men, if you’re peeking in, you can use these too.

First, let’s clear the air. The majority response to the first article in this series was from women who didn’t feel that they had any sexy in them to speak of. We’re all going to be unique, and there is no right or wrong. You be the very best you, your man will love you for it. For those who are uncomfortable with the topic…that is okay. This is safe space. We’re talking about both the internal and external art intimate lovemaking in the context of our relationships here….and I might be a little graphic for you, but it’s intended to help enrich your relationship with that one person that you love with all you are. If you don’t feel that way about your mate anymore, maybe this will help. My goal is that you consider this a pathway – one of many – to feel more confident, appreciative and fulfilled in the life you lead.

So to the brass tacks: I don’t look like a movie star, either. Western culture has “hornswaggled” us, as my grandmother would have said. Those women that you see in the movies, with the perfect thighs and breasts – who are all a size two or less? They’re paid – handsomely – to be that iconic picture. You don’t want that life….working out for hours on end, constantly being on a diet, subject to no privacy and every tabloid in the world hounding you. They have an army of highly paid professional image makers to dupe you into thinking its real – they don’t look like that in the early morning light. Yes, we envy their thighs, but be yourself! I am 100% woman, and really proud of it.

That being said, let’s start the bravest way I know.

Take a look at yourself, totally naked, in a full length mirror. I want you to look for the good, not to hold yourself up to the latest starlet. See that you are unique and beautiful!
Don’t criticize…no flinching. You’re amazing.
Look deeply into your own eyes and say “I love you, just like you are. You are beautiful. You are confident. You are the only one of your kind.” Can you do that?

Ladies, I’m a mom – and I have the stretch marks to prove it. I started out this way a few months back when I was in such deep, profound depression that I had to come back to my feet and find a way to love myself again. So I stood there, eyes still swollen from crying and said “I love you.” I could barely mouth the words. Looking myself in the eye I made a commitment to not give up on the person that I no longer was sure of – me. I needed to love myself in a balanced, holistic way. How?

I joined a gym, found a trainer who cares, and set to work.
Tanning helped me relax, and increased my confidence.
I listened to Anthony Robbins as I worked out, and music that built me up.
I worked on affirmations, learned yoga and began to meditate.
I let the pain go, forgave myself and all hurt or harm, and remember nothing but love.

In that process of forgiveness, I became once again the powerful, self-confident woman who God created me to be – sure, intelligent, calm and confident and infinitely sensual. I love life…do you feel that way? Do you want to?

Today, I do know my inner sex goddess – she was always part of me, but now I can own that sexuality, that sensuality without giving all my personal power away. I still need the man I love like a crazy person – I’ve loved him with every cell of my being from the first moment we kissed (a remarkable memory!) but I am a whole and complete person first, all on my own. Any clingy and manipulative thoughts have melted away into self confidence and stability. That’s new. I am proud of my newly toned and tanned body not because of any image I’m trying to live up to, but because I like the way it feels on me. Did it change things? I like the way that my love spends hours fantasizing about some risqué rendezvous in which my favorite rhinestone encrusted heels wind up wound around his neck and his waist at the same time! I love the intimacy that comes with a simple smile, or the text messages that drive him wild. I love that I’m in his head, in his heart and in his spirit – he’s really into us. More than you needed to know, but here is my point – it’s the confidence that I have in myself that oozes out of every pore in my body, that surrounds me like a glow – and people notice it without thinking “wow, there is something about her…..” Being promiscuous isn’t the point – I am in love, big time, with one man…and he knows it! You can have that with your man, too…and the number of years you’ve been together can be totally irrelevant.

Everyday Sensuality

Being a sex goddess is about being comfortable and healthful in your own skin. It asks that you feel a balanced and real love for your physical and spiritual self. If you don’t love yourself, if you don’t respect your body, your choices…no one else can. I’ve said it before and you will hear it all the time…the first person that you must love to be in any relationship is yourself.

If you’re reading this article, perhaps your one of the hundreds of thousands of women who thinks to themselves – “I can’t be a sex goddess – I’m just me.” We need to understand what we mean by “sex goddess”…I will be the first person to admit that I understand feeling like more of an ugly duckling than a sensual being, but that has changed forever now that I understand a basic truth – my sensual nature is part of everything I was made to be. The balance of my personal power is held in that unique female, powerful energy that was placed inside me by what can only be called Divine love – I am a woman. What could possibly be more important than being the sex goddess of my love’s fantasies, and my own? This is the man that my world was destined to be joined with, the one that I cannot live without. I can lose myself in the blue of his eyes, on in the way that he’s so beautifully tall and able to wrap protective arms around me and calm any internal storm.

Being a sensual person doesn’t require the presence of my beloved. It begins and echoes through the person that is me. The greatest question that I received in response to “Inner goddess” was one of disbelief that an ordinary woman could feel like a priceless wonder of energy and love. A friend questioned the reality of spending hours in tantra like massage with her man, mainly because she was unclear on the point of it all. So let’s start with the reason for researching what makes an everyday person fill with the energy of a sex goddess.

Understanding Self

First, you as a woman have both female and male energy in you. You’re a perfectly designed balance of particles, infused with tons of energy that you may or may not tap into each day. When we aren’t in touch with the person that we really are – for whatever reason (we’ll talk about those in a few) then we basically release that energy into nothingness. If you’re dragging in at the end of the work or home day, uninspired, wanting to nuke a TV dinner instead of something that you really can live on, you’re drained. The chances of feeling powerful and passionate rank pretty low on your scale when you’re sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Here is the trick of it all…you don’t have to feel that way. Change your state. Change your thought process. Releasing that whole and vital you that is repressed inside of you will empower you to bring your energy back inside yourself, to prioritize and clean your world of clutter – both emotional and physical. Your inner goddess is just a really snazzy way to talk about what psych people call “self actualization.” It’s seeking the highest and most healthy version of you. You were created to be a sensual, vital, intelligent, whole woman.

First, get a good night’s sleep, the rise just thirty minutes earlier than everyone else in your world.
Find a quiet comfortable place to sit and in comfortable, preferably natural light, sit with your legs crossed in front you, back straight, hands limp on bent knees.
Focus your mind only on your breathing, deeply though the nose, out through the lips. Quiet the mind and begin to affirm yourself. “I am grateful. I am grateful for….” And begin to come aware of what in your person (mental or physical) that you are really grateful for.
No cheating – no thinking about work, kinds or even the love of your life – just you. Be incredibly grateful. Be incredibly curious. Give yourself the blessing of ten simple minutes of peace.
Center your mind, and be aware of your body. Can you feel your arms, fingers, breasts, knees and toes? Are you aware of the air touching your skin?
After five to ten minutes of affirmations, gently raise your arms above your head and stretch toward the sky. Breathe in on the upward, hold the stretch, and then out through your mouth in the downward until your fingers brush the floor.
Feel the straightness of your spine – and do sit up straight. Pick something outside of yourself that you are grateful for. I say “I am grateful to God, for my life, for my living. I am grateful for my health, for the chance to experience the journey of this day. I am grateful for my husband, for our friendship and love. I am grateful for my children…” I start with the most internal and then wind slowly out, allowing the feeling of gratitude to flow through me to every cell of my person. I have a friend that does this affirmation of gratefulness as she runs in the morning. Another does it in her study for prayer time. We all have one thing in common – we’re all aware of that energy in us that we bring inside ourselves every morning by being focused and clear.

Mindfulness

Spend this day being mindful of everything that you do. Things to do:

Be aware of the world around you. Lose the busy and the cell phone in the ear and really look around you. Take a walk at lunch, or spend some time at a window. What do you see?
Mindfulness is a chance to be completely tuned in and focused on what is happening in your world in the present moment rather than being in the past or in the future of “to-do.” Focus on right this minute.
What did you eat today, and was it really good for you? Did you enjoy clean water or juice, did you taste fresh ingredients…avoid the life ending chemicals of the drive through window. Think green, whole foods and rich dense cheese or lean meats, even dark, rich chocolate…be kind to your body.
What does your body feel like right now? How is the air touching you? What do you hear, what do you see…what do you smell? What are the people around you doing?
Be aware of your thoughts, and their negative or positive energy. Instead of dwelling on anything, imagine that you cast it into a clear bubble and watch the thought drift away from you. Do not allow a thought to control you, but be mindful of your own reaction to your emotions. If you have problems getting your mind to settle down try this simple technique. Deep breath, close your eyes. Roll your eyes to the top of your head like you’re looking out of the top of your skull and hold them there for a moment. Exhale. Relax your eyes. Repeat if necessary. You eyes will be downcast when you are thinking about something really hard, accessing memories…by breaking that cycle, your brain takes a break from the obsessive need to think.

What did you learn in your day of mindfulness? When you ate, did you experience every bite; notice the textures, the aroma, and the feel of your food? Did you savor the experience or find yourself rushing? When you walked outside, did you notice the sky, the sun or clouds, the wildlife? When you talked with people did you hold their gaze, notice their eyes, smile and notice how they react? Did you really listen, be attentive? Drench yourself in the energy around you, the positive energy that is life. Look at the miracle of the human race and be amazed, curious, kind. You’re on your way, sex goddess. Life lesson: being aware of life allows you to actually appreciate life…not endure it.

Sensuality of Self

Being mindful of the world is a big step in the right direction – and being intimately sensual with yourself is another. Consider these great suggestions for your everyday sensual life.

Shower with fragrant lotion based soaps that stimulate your senses. Take your time in the water, and really exfoliate your skin. Use a great smelling shampoo and conditioner, and take time to massage every part of your scalp with the soap. Be aware of the feeling of the water and the later against your skin.
Before you’re totally dry from the shower, use moisturizing lotion or baby oil on your naked skin. Remember to really touch those areas on the elbow, the knees, the feet…and don’t forget those private areas that need your attention too!
Cover your hands and feet with thick lotion or petroleum jelly and wear gloves/socks for fifteen to twenty minutes.
Indulge in the “paws and claws” or a manicure/pedicure each month – and if that is out of reach for you, grab your favorite color of polish (clear if nothing else) and a nail file. Smooth the rough edges, scrub the nails clean, and consider using a cut lemon wedge on your nails for a natural shine.
Get a massage once every few weeks, allowing yourself to experience the total relaxation of touch without sexual communion. They can be expensive, but check into a package deal, or look for a school of massage somewhere near you. If that’s a no go, arrange with your lover to exchange massage for the purpose of relaxation…it’s a wonderful way to build anticipation. I’ve become an excellent masseuse.
Try something that you’ve ever done. For me, I admit to being a lover of rock climbing (we have an indoor facility and the college offers a special year pass for $30) and zip lining. I’m not above scheduling lunch dates for climbing with friends or the hubster. I’m off to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee in the next few weeks for a massive zip line adventure. It’s amazing to feel the wind in your face, to experience the adrenaline, to laugh and be totally free.
Take a bath at least once a week. Do it right…pamper yourself! Imagine rich, creamy bubbles towering over a steamy tub. Make your own bath concoctions with a cup of milk, a splash of baby oil, and a dash of your favorite perfume. Light some candles and relax back into the water…of make it a tub for two if you’re so fortunate. A bottle of wine, soft music and total relaxation. Be aware of your body, how your skin feels and how you breathe.
Invest in a yoga DVD or take a class. Yoga is amazing for balance and self confidence!
Indulge in fantasy. Don’t be afraid to send your lover that text or IM that says…I am thinking about last night…or tonight…or whatever makes you both smile. Let your mind wander to the touch, the smell, the taste of your beloved. Notice how it makes you feel.

Once you start on this path, you will notice that you’ll become creative all on your own. There is no right or wrong way, and there is no pressure for you to perform or finish by a certain date. The point for all of us is this: finding real love in this world is really tough to do. Don’t let it slip away. We live in a society where relationships have become more about obligation and duty than a truly intimate connection…and if you have someone who is deeply embedded in your heart, you’re among the fortunate. You deserve to be deeply and truly in love with your mate – and to have that love that you dream of for yourself as well. It all begins in you, and with your own honest love of yourself. Imagine your connection to your love as a strong thread of pure light that goes from your heart into their heart, no matter if your standing next to each other or if you’re across the world. It doesn’t matter if your in harmony or separated. Imagine that light carries all the positive love that you have to that person, and then return it to you in peace and in joy. Let yourself feel the wash of love and positive energy that your connection brings. If you’re upset with your love in any way, see those tendrils of gray or dark in your connection, identify them and then set them free in forgiveness. To form such a connection is a truly inspired thing – it’s the essence of being mated as souls – romantically called soulmates.

So, deep breath, pick up your own pen and write out what you want in life. Draw all of your energy into yourself and simply breathe. You love, and you are loved. It’s a great place to start – and if you’re not in a relationship at this moment, I still include you – you love yourself first. The person of your dreams will be attracted to you when they see you shine. Never set a goal without taking immediate action on it….if you’re in love, tell that person that you love them, right now! Don’t wait another minute to begin the most sensual adventure of your lifetime…there is no time like now! Be that inner sex goddess with confidence….everything that you need is inside of you!

Next time: Rituals and Foreplay

Alison is a writer focusing on life, love (and all that comes with it), wellness and mental health. You can follow her blog at http://www.todayshealthyminute.com for new articles and other resources.

How to Choose the Best Bathroom Taps for Your Bathroom

If you are considering redecorating your bathroom or perhaps even renovating or remodelling it completely then choosing the correct taps is very important. The overall style and feel of your bathroom can be greatly influenced by the taps you choose. In fact to update and rejuvenate the whole look of your bathroom you may be able to simply change the taps. If you are lucky enough to have original Victorian or Edwardian taps or perhaps even original antique French taps it may be possible to have them restored.

Some people LOVE traditional bathrooms and wouldn’t want anything else. Certainly the trend does seem to favour this style at the moment. You may prefer a more modern bathroom tap or if your bathroom would look good with large Art Deco taps. Some people like to have their bath taps match exactly their basin taps. This is not always possible if you are installing original antique taps. Quite simply the matching pair of either bath taps or basin taps may have been damaged or destroyed some time ago. If you are fortunate to find a matching pair of antique taps they are well worth installing them into your bathroom.

There are also several different styles of spout for both bath taps and basin taps. The bath tap can have one spout with 2 handles or 2 spouts with 2 handles. Similarly with the basin taps. Or off course there is the Bath Shower Mixer tap which although typically a very traditional style, compliments any bathroom and does save on plumbing fixtures.

Fortunately, whatever your style, an eclectic approach tends to work very well. A traditional Edwardian or Victorian cast iron roll top bath looks fantastic with original Antique Taps or modern Deck Mounted Pillar taps. Similarly a modern square bath that may otherwise look quite ordinary can look stunning with lovely original large Victorian bath taps or even reproduction Victorian Shower Mixer Bath Taps. Art Deco taps look great on these baths as well. Most of the time you can get away with mixing and matching modern & traditional taps, baths, tiles, decor etc. The only exception could possibly be an Art Deco style bathroom suit. Although you can put Art Deco bath taps or basin taps on a typically modern suite it doesn’t always work the other way around. Some Art Deco styles are okay. They can look good with a modern wall mounted bath filler (taps with 2 handles to control water flow). The typical Art Deco skirted bath however really needs to have matching Art Deco style bath and basin taps and matching decor to pull the whole look off well.

Before you even look at the different styles there are a few things you do need to know.

The majority of bathroom taps are made from brass which can then be metal plated or enameled. They can be plated with high gloss or matte finishes such as chrome, nickel, polished brass, pewter, silk steel and antique gold. Nickel plating is becoming more popular as this provides the traditional look for a traditional Edwardian or Victorian bathroom. These taps are not necessarily cheap. The style and finish are also important and part of what you will pay for.

More expensive bathroom taps are made of solid stainless steel, which can be polished to a high shine or brushed to create a low sheen finish. Although these are considerable more expensive, they are more hard-wearing than their cheaper alternatives which will eventually lose their finish.

The brass taps, if they have been chrome or nickel plated, should take years to lose their finish. Having the bathroom taps re-chromed or Nickel plated is an option and the finish looks fantastic. The replating in chrome, nickel, antique gold etc can be done to both original antique bathroom taps and fairly modern bathroom taps. You would just need to get your plumber to remove the taps and have them sent to a specialist. You would need to weigh up whether the additional expense of purchasing solid stainless steel taps was worth it.

Antique taps are often in a polished brass finish. This means you will need to polish your bath and basin taps fairly regularly to ensure they look good. If you are lucky enough to have a cast iron plunger bath with a brass plunger and bath taps then having the plunger and taps polished makes the whole bathroom looks sensational and definitely produces the “WOW” factor. They do look great when this is done and a lot of people prefer to keep this finish and undertake the additional cleaning that would otherwise not be required if you installed modern bathroom taps. Frequently people choose to have their antique taps Nickel or Chrome plated. They look fantastic once done and the bath taps are so much easier to keep looking pristine.

Your budget will probably be the determining factor in which taps you do choose to install in your bathroom. As it is unlikely you will renovate or update your bathroom again soon after doing so. If your budget allows it may be wise to invest in the best taps possible for your bathroom.

What the tap is made from is not the only important factor.

If you are ripping your bathroom out and completely remodeling it then your options are not limited at all. You can install deck mounted bath taps where none existed before if the desire and funds suffice. However if you are replacing existing bathroom taps you will need to look at what is already there as this may limit you. You may love the look of a wall mounted concealed filler but if you do not have the plumbing it is not going to work and you may be better looking at another style completely.

You should also check with your plumber who is installing your taps for you if you have enough water pressure to deal with the requirements of the taps you wish to install. If the pressure required is higher than normal bath taps most supplier will say so in their literature.

Generally speaking, single lever mixer taps require high water pressure, while pillar taps and fillers can function with low pressure.

Once you know this you can get on with the job of choosing and purchasing your taps. Then off course there are the accessories.

Teresa Kane

For help choosing your bathroom taps or advice on resurfacing your suite contact: http://www.thebathbusiness.co.uk