Imagine for a moment, that you are flying along a road out on your yearly motorcycle road trip. You have 250 miles to go before you stop for the night, and you see a thunderstorm rolling in. As it looms closer you begin to wonder what to do. A contributing factor in all of this is that you forgot to pack your rain gear. Should you pull over and wait out the storm? Or ride on through to your next stop, and tough it out. You decide to for the latter, and end up spending the rest of your trip miserable, because you have gotten a cold mixed with a sinus infection. If only you had packed your motorcycle rain gear.

The miracles of modern textiles could have saved you the trouble and hassle of a cold. Quality motorcycle rain suits are made from an advanced waterproof technology, 600 Denier nylon. They will have several pockets with full enclosed flaps and Velcro, and even an inner pocket to keep your wallet nice and dry.

With numerous styles and colors to choose from, you can find one that matches your tastes, and still have a comfortable fit. You can purchase a rain suit in either a one piece style or two piece style. The legs should have Velcro and zippers to accommodate the wearing of boots, and the sleeves should have Velcro and zippers as well to help facilitate the wearing of a leather jacket. There should also be a durable heat resistant inner leg lining to protect the rain suit from becoming melted due to high engine and exhaust temperatures. Finding a motorcycle rain suit that has reflective material is also important. This helps to ensure that other drivers see you in bad weather.

When riding in the rain remember to take it slower than normal. Try to keep the turns to a minimum, as you only have two wheels touching the ground, and a condition called hydroplaning can occur very much easier than in a passenger vehicle. Hydroplaning occurs when the water underneath a tire causes the tire to actually float on the water, causing the tire to loose traction and stability. Be sure to observe the amount of rain on the road, as even a couple of inches of rain can cause hydroplaning.

Finally when you arrive at your destination, be sure to treat all of your leather products with a good polish and leather preserver like, Skidmore's Biker Motorcycle Edition Leather Cream that helps preserve and restore a soft durable quality to the leather. The best time to do this actually is after every rainy ride, or at least once a month.

Whatever the weather that you are riding in, always be sure to stay safe, and have fun. The art of motorcycle riding can be dangerous, but you can help keep it safe if you follow the rules of the road. Be sure to help out your fellow bikers, and always wear head protection.

Forum- http://womenselfesteem.proboards29.com

There is nothing like checking your email only to find out that your inbox is swamped with unsolicited message from people you do not know. No you're not interested to buy dog food, beauty products, slimming pills, plants, or software! But still, you get these irritating emails.

Spam, this tiny four letter word has annoyed millions of people around the world.

What is spam anyway? Spam also called unsolicited commercial email (UCE), unsolicited bulk email (UBE) or junk mail, is unwanted email sent to multiple people usually for the purpose of advertisement.

Spam has produced negative effects aside from annoying people. Apparently, it is a waste of time to sort through tons of email while trying to figure out which email is valid and which is spam. Oftentimes you missed out those important messages just because you thought they were spam. Spam has also the potential to spread virus, pornography, and scams.

It is not only individuals who are affected by spam. Large companies and other businesses are suffering as well.

Many companies have already filed lawsuits against spammers who send spam and claim that they are from those companies, when in fact they are not and were just sent to cause turmoil and ruin the companies' reputation.

The NCSA and Bank of America released a study called "Online Fraud report" and it showed that 87 percent of its respondents were confident that they could distinguish real emails from fraudulent emails. It turned out that 60 percent failed to identify the legitimate emails. This only shows that the spam problem has become even worse. Most people could not even recognize legit emails from spam.

Receiving spam is indeed such a hassle for people and for businesses.

You may be wondering how these spammers found your email address. With the existing technology available today, you should not be surprised to find that spammers use a lot of techniques for them to obtain other people's email addresses. They could get email addresses from DNS listings, Usenet postings, or web pages, they also could guess common names at popular domains, or use programs called web spiders to search for email addresses on the web So how do you get rid of spam? Unfortunately, there is no 100 percent solution to this problem. You may try anti spam software or spam filters but this will only reduce the number of spam that you receive but will not totally eliminate them.

Another thing that you can do is to click that unsubscribe link, usually found at the bottom of email spam.

As I told you earlier, some spammers acquire email addresses through guessing common names at popular domains so it would be wise to set up an email account that is hard to guess. Use a different email when signing up with forums, mailing lists, chat rooms, news groups, and registering with websites.

Aside from email spam, a new range of spam has recently emerged. Spammers have found new ways on how they could get those spams to people. The new target of spammers are news groups, forum groups, instant messaging, online game communities, blogs, and even guest books.

With spam rising progressively, it is really important that you understand its nature and protect yourself through learning more on how you can get rid of it. Spam can waste your time, energy, and money so it would really be wise that you know how to block those annoying messages.

All Rights Reserved. You may reprint this content as long as it remains unchanged and the links are intact.

Forum- http://womenselfesteem.proboards29.com

Why are there so many women haunted by a low self-esteem ?

I have shared many thoughts through out my articles on feelings, jealousy, worries, fears, and self-esteem. Every day I receive mail from all over the world from women suffering from a lack of inner power to get through the day, due to a low self-esteem. It does not only affect their relationships at home, it also follows them into their work place, where they are being suffocated from a lack of confidence.
In the work place the power of self-esteem needs to be high so that ones confidence can guide them through actions such as: important decision making, dealings with an opposite sex boss, office politics, other staff members trying to gain on your efforts, talking to clients or customers on the phone or in person, dealing with rejection regarding your work, and even things as simple as fitting into the social side of your job (making friends). People deal with this everyday, and when they are suffering inside, their power of self-esteem is definitely very low. Then they still have to deal with the rest of their day. It's no wonder the corner bar looks like a nice hide-away.
There are two parts to the meaning of the power of self-esteem:

1: self-acceptance, which is an appreciation of ones worth as a human being.

2: self-confidence, the knowing that you are competent enough to use your gifts to their fullest.

To have the power of self-esteem, one must be able to feel both emotions in a positive manner.
Through ones life, they have learned through negative experiences to doubt themselves, to fear criticism and ridicule. They have also learned to cut themselves down at a glance of someone else they deem to be richer, prettier, or smarter. They eventually lose the power of self-esteem.
We can run through our past, over and over and over again. We can bang our heads on the wall, we can create eating disorders in ourselves, we can cut up our bodies just to feel something, or we can even turn away from everyone we love and cherish for fear they may just find that one tiny keyhole to unlock our self-pity trap we are in. We can do just about anything to not find the strength to gain back the power of self-esteem. It is after all the easy road to take, is it not? To fail, to cry out for sympathy, to get attention, even if it is the wrong attention. I have learned one very important thing in all my work through helping women gain the power of self-esteem, no matter how many times you see someone prettier, skinnier, richer, taller, smarter, happier, better spoken, or with a colgate smile you envy, the sun will come up tomorrow with or without you. Your worries and self-pity caused by your weakness to control the power of self-esteem that is inside of you. It is waiting to be used as the gift that you were born with. You can spend hours hurting and suffering inside because you are not, or cannot be who you think you should have been. You must stop allowing yourself to feel threatened by the world. When your mind feels threatened, it will automatically react to protect you. This is where your thoughts and your actions collide. Confusion becomes part of your thinking now and this is when the negative emotions take over fast and furious. Into the pit, you go.
The ability to shift your focus to positive mental thoughts during stress is the most important link needed to escape any emotional trap we fall into. The power of self-esteem is all about your first thought and how you deal with it. It is at that split second that you have to decide to think positively or just plain toss it out of your head. Tossing negative thoughts is something I have mentioned before,"HABITS".Your goal is to offset the mind-body reaction to the stresses we are constantly forced to deal with through society. The power of self-esteem can be gained if you really want it. I know that I have filled my website and my articles with everything from A-Z on steps to get you there.
Women are still in constant belief that only over weight woman, or not so pretty woman (by society`s standards) are at risk of losing the power of self-esteem.
Again I repeat this over and over, please read ,"Why Do Pretty Girls Cry". It's all there. I speak of the pretty girls, and society`s way of convincing you that only ugly girls cry. I know that is a harsh statement, but I am trying to get through to every person on earth that the power of self-esteem is in each and everyone of us. We are all born with it. Yes we all have our reasons for our weaknesses. OK, now that we know that, lets move on. How can we fight off the negative thoughts that bring us down? Through my thoughts in my website and blogs, you can educate yourself and learn to improve your thinking habits. It is possible, but not easy at all. That is the reason so many of you fail to gain the power of self-esteem. You have no consistent learning strength. You fear anything that takes time and dedication.
Then why is it that you will search endlessly through every search engine for ways to get you through this hell you are in, pay a nonsensical amount of money to a therapist to tell you what you already know, cut yourself, or make your body suffer through eating disorders, not to mention put yourself and your friends in so much turmoil over your inability to create better mind over matter habits? Can you see what I see there? I see that you do have the power of self-esteem. You do have the patience, the will and the strength to shine. You do not need to worry about anything. You choose to worry and you allow the negative thoughts. Ask yourself the next time you feel threatened, "If I do not stop this negative thought, will it change who I am, or make me that of which I envy?" NOT and NO!!!!! Please realize this, only you are suffering in that pit. Only you are losing out on all the smiles that life has right at your reach. You are in control of your happiness. You can toss off all those comments or remarks. You can turn your back on someones else's weakness or problems that may cause you to feel less than who you really are. Let them suffer in their own stupidity. No one can threaten you, but you. Do this also when you feel the challenge of negative versus positive thinking:

BREATHE DEEPLY

IDENTIFY THE NEGATIVE

NOW THINK THE POSITIVE

ACT UPON IT

BREATHE AGAIN DEEPLY

PAT YOURSELF FOR WINNING THAT WAR

NOW SMILE

YOU NOW HAVE, "THE POWER OF SELF-ESTEEM!

Trust me here, the more you create this habit, my friends, the easier it becomes. Like anything else worth having in life, it is not going to come easy, but it does come and it is oh so sweet!!!!!!

*********************************

"You cannot stop the birds of sorrow from flying over your head,

but you can stop them from building their nests in your hair."

-Chinese Proverb

Dorothy Lafrinere
Owner/Operator
Website- http://www.womensselfesteem.com
Weblog- http://www.justblogme.com/Dorothy
Forum- http://womenselfesteem.proboards29.com

A few evenings ago, some friends and I decided to watch the latest Star Wars film, Return of the Sith. This film got me thinking about a concept that is key to much of the hypnotherapy that I do, and is an excellent example of how not to lead one's life.

Much of what makes the Star Wars story so alluring is the puzzling change that occurs in Anakin Skywalker. How is it that a man can turn from supremely good to the embodiment of evil? We're led to love Anakin the Jedi and hate the same man, only a few days later. It is both puzzling and troubling. What is even more puzzling (and perhaps troubling) is that, on the surface, it seems that Anakin's love for Padmé is what leads him, ultimately, to the dark side.

This is an excellent example of the way the Jung claims that the human shadow works. The shadow, according to Jung, is a huge portion of our personality that we disown. We disavow it, and lock it away. Once it is locked away, it becomes destructive. We can see this in many ways: a person who denies something about themselves turns to self-destructive behaviors such as excessive drinking, or even worse, becomes violent. It is commonly accepted that many anti-social behaviors have their roots in a person's inner conflict.

Anakin's inner conflict is severe. He lives like a Jedi-which is, more or less, a monastic life. So many of the other Jedi do this very well-and Anakin fails. He fails the moment he starts to let his shadow express itself. What has been locked up for so long has grown vicious, and now consumes and destroys him. The image of Anakin locked into the hood of Darth Vader shows that he has really become consumed; he shadow has gotten loose; all that is good about him has been destroyed.

There is a lesson to be learned from this; and it's a lesson that goes back thousands of years. There are parts of us that we, or society, don't like. We have instincts, desires and urges that are, in some ways, unacceptable. It is only natural that we should try to repress them-by doing so we can be accepted by those around us. Unfortunately, when we oppress what we don't like about ourselves, it causes problems. It is the root of many neuroses and other problems in our lives. The solution to this problem seems simple and is a monumental task: we must strive to make ourselves whole. That means, when we feel an urge to do something unacceptable, we must step back and examine that urge. We have to figure out what is at the root of that urge, and we have to integrate it into our lives in a positive way. We must understand that we are good-and that applies to everything about us. Something that has been shoved aside and allowed to become bitter and vicious is simply a natural part of us gone bad, and it is incumbent upon us to address that. In order to live good, healthy and happy lives, we have to embrace our dark side.

If Anakin Skywalker (and the Jedi) were to embrace the Dark Side in a healthy way, they would be more powerful than ever. They would feel emotions-love, anger, fear, and hate-and all of those emotions would be in proper perspective. Additionally, they would have access to the power that all of these emotions affords their adversaries, the Sith. Keeping the ill effects of some human emotions at bay does not help the Jedi at all; it just leads to dramatic outbursts of those same emotions. The lesson here is simple and very important: embrace your dark side in a healthy way, and you will be happier and more powerful.

Art theft is an ancient and complicated crime. When you look at the some of the most famous cases of art thefts in history, you see thoroughly planned operations that involve art dealers, art fakers, mobsters, ransoms, and millions of dollars. Here you can read about some of the most famous cases of art theft in the history.

The First Theft:
The first documented case of art theft was in 1473, when two panels of altarpiece of the Last Judgment by the Dutch painter Hans Memling were stolen. While the triptych was being transported by ship from the Netherlands to Florence, the ship was attacked by pirates who took it to the Gdansk cathedral in Poland. Nowadays, the piece is shown at the National Museum in Gdansk where it was recently moved from the Basilica of the Assumption.

The Most Famous Theft:
The most famous story of art theft involves one of the most famous paintings in the world and one of the most famous artists in history as a suspect. In the night of August 21, 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen out of the Louver. Soon after, Pablo Picasso was arrested and questioned by the police, but was released quickly.

It took about two years until the mystery was solved by the Parisian police. It turned out that the 30×21 inch painting was taken by one of the museum employees by the name of Vincenzo Peruggia, who simply carried it hidden under his coat. Nevertheless, Peruggia did not work alone. The crime was carefully conducted by a notorious con man, Eduardo de Valfierno, who was sent by an art faker who intended to make copies and sell them as if they were the original painting.

While Yves Chaudron, the art faker, was busy creating copies for the famous masterpiece, Mona Lisa was still hidden at Peruggias apartment. After two years in which Peruggia did not hear from Chaudron, he tried to make the best out of his stolen good. Eventually, Peruggia was caught by the police while trying to sell the painting to an art dealer from Florence, Italy. The Mona Lisa was returned to the Louver in 1913. The Biggest Theft in the USA:
The biggest art theft in United States took place at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. On the night of March 18, 1990, a group of thieves wearing police uniforms broke into the museum and took thirteen paintings whose collective value was estimated at around 300 million dollars. The thieves took two paintings and one print by Rembrandt, and works of Vermeer, Manet, Degas, Govaert Flinck, as well as a French and a Chinese artifact.

As of yet, none of the paintings have been found and the case is still unsolved. According to recent rumors, the FBI are investigating the possibility that the Boston Mob along with French art dealers are connected to the crime.

The Scream:
The painting by Edvard Munchs, The Scream, is probably the most sought after painting by art thieves in history. It has been stolen twice and was only recently recovered. In 1994, during the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, The Scream was stolen from an Oslo gallery by two thieves who broke through an open window, set off the alarm and left a note saying: thanks for the poor security.

Three months later, the holders of the painting approached the Norwegian Government with an offer: 1 million dollars ransom for Edvard Munchs The Scream. The Government turned down the offer, but the Norwegian police collaborated with the British Police and the Getty Museum to organize a sting operation that brought back the painting to where it belongs.

Ten years later, The Scream was stolen again from the Munch Museum. This time, the robbers used a gun and took another of Munchs painting with them. While Museum officials waiting for the thieves to request ransom money, rumors claimed that both paintings were burned to conceal evidence. Eventually, the Norwegian police discovered the two paintings on August 31, 2006 but the facts on how they were recovered are not known yet.