When you think of buying used car online, only think of it as researching about the car in question and browsing through online listings so that you can talk to the owner and see the car in person. This is meant by ‘buy a used car’ online. Now this brings us to look at some safety tips that you may consider while shopping for used car.

See the car in person. If you check out the car on the internet, decide that it’s good enough for you and your family. Next step should be pick up the phone or contact the owner or dealer and set up an appointment to see the vehicle in person. By doing this, you are making sure that the vehicle does exist and the money you are spending is on a quality product. So, make sure to conduct a search online, contact the person and meet in person.

Price too good to be true. Usually if a car is advertised at a much lower price than expected, that’s red flag. It’s always better to do some research. Look up the vehicles book value using online resources and find out what it is actually worth. You can also ask the owner for pricing it so low.

Location of the seller matters. If you live in USA and find the car that is located internationally, do not pursue. These types of offers are mostly scams or fraudulent. If you end up making any transactions with sellers located outside of the country you are in, it is all the more difficult to resolve disputes with such sellers.

Get the car thoroughly inspected. When you make an appointment to see the car, make sure to set up an appointment for inspection as well. It is very important that a technician inspects the vehicle you wish to buy in order to eliminate the hassles faced later on when the car starts showing signs of wear off.

Don’t send cash or money order in mail. Even if you think the purchase is not expensive and you are being asked to send in $350 in cash to reserve your vehicle, don’t take the bait. This is one of the oldest online scams. The seller usually receives the money and claims the cash or money order never arrived. Always make sure to pay by check to the private car seller or dealership. It is the best and safe methods to make the payments.

1. Learn firemaking. Practice in your yard if you have to, but try to start that fire with one match. Try it the next time it’s raining too.

2. Learn to pitch a tent. Do it wrong and the rain will come in, or the the wind will tear the seams. Tents should be pitched tight, and you should be able to set your tent up in a few minutes.

3. Learn how to stay warm. Practice camping in the yard, to see how blocking the wind, wearing a hat, and eating fatty foods before sleeping can keep you warmer.

4. Learn to cook over a fire. It’s not as easy as it seems. Block the wind, cover the pan, keep the fire small and concentrated. Practice, and time yourself. Faster is better in a jam, and it’s always possible your stove will break.

5. Learn about edible plants. Knowing how to identify cattails and three or four wild edible berries can make a trip more enjoyable, especially if you ever lose your food to a bear.

6. Learn how to walk. Learning how to pace yourself and how to move comfortably over rocky terrain means you’ll be less tired, and less likely to twist an ankle.

7. Learn about animals. Can you tell if a bear is “bluff charging” or stalking you? If it’s the latter, playing dead will make you a bear’s supper. Hint: lots of noise usually means he just wants to frighten you, but you need to read up on this one.

8. Learn to watch the sky. Is that a lightning storm coming or not? It might be useful to know when you’re on that ridge. Learn the basics of predicting weather, and you’ll be a lot safer.

9. Learn basic first aid. Can you recognize the symptoms of hypothermia? Do you know how to properly treat blisters? Good things to know.

10. Learn navigation. Maps don’t help if you don’t know how to use them. The same is true for compasses

You don’t need to be an expert in wilderness survival to enjoy a safe hiking trip. It can help to know a little more though. Use the backpacking skills list above, and learn something new.

So, you might be wondering how a skill that is commonly depicted as a fighting tool can actually reduce stress…  Some of these common images of martial arts aren’t completely accurate.  The cartoons, video games and movies showing martial arts as a fighting tool are only showing you one small facet of the art.   The skills necessary for training martial arts can teach you how to balance your mind and body and give you the confidence you need to face the stressful events in your life.

HOW DO YOU DO IT?

One of the techniques used to create this balance is using breathing and meditation techniques to help you connect and control your mind and body.  There are different types of meditation: sitting, standing, kneeling and moving.  Find the position that works best for you.  Here’s how to start.

1.    Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.

2.    Breathe deeply.  To make sure you’re breathing deeply enough, put your hand on your stomach.  If your stomach isn’t pushing out as you breath in, you’re not breathing deeply enough. Try to pull the air all the way to your navel before you let it out.

3.    When you breathe out, keep your tongue on the roof of your mouth.  This keeps helps minimize your saliva and swallowing.

In the Chinese way of thinking, breathing like this is completing a path:  The mouth is a gate and the tongue on the roof of the mouth allows your vital energy called “Qi” or “Chi” (both pronounced “chee”) to circulate throughout your body.  Chi is what helps your mind and body connect.

After you’ve gotten the physical aspects of breathing down, you can start counting your breaths – this is a form of meditation that many experts teach during stress management courses.  Start short and work your way up.

1.    Begin with a count of 4 as you breathe in and a count of 6 as you breathe out.

2.    As you go along, extend the in and out until you can get a count of 6 as you breathe in and up to 24-30 as you breathe out.  Just remember that you want a short, deep breath in and a slow, long breath out.

WHY DOES IT WORK?

This mind and body connection through breathing works because stress is a mental state that manifests itself as a physical symptom in your body.  This physical symptom then acts as a trigger to tell you to do something about it.  As you become more aware of your body, you’ll be able to notice the “trigger” before it becomes something unbearable such as a severe neck problem or a migraine headache.  Once you notice your trigger, you can stop and do something about it such as practicing a breathing technique.  For example, I used to get stress-induced migraines that would leave me out of commission for a whole day.  Now, I’ve come to realize that it actually starts in my lower back as a small thing.  If I let it go, it works its way up to my head.  Now, when I noticed this trigger in my back, I stop and do my breathing.  It allows the issue to surface so I can deal with it and I don’t have to deal with a migraine.

We all have those moments from time to time when we experience stress (some more frequently than others).  The overall benefits of training martial arts for the mind and body (including self-awareness, self confidence, focus, concentration and physical conditioning) all lead to reducing that stress.  You owe it to yourself to start relieving the stress in your life with the skills taught through martial arts.  The best place to find these skills is at a fine martial arts school.  Why not give it a try?  You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.  To make it even easier, I’ll help you get started.  Just contact me and I’ll send you my free report on how to pick a martial arts school.

Sincerely,
Robert Jones
Master Instructor
The Academy of Kempo Martial Arts

P.S.  My 3 studios are located in Lynnwood, Kent, and Bellevue, Washington.  If you live near one of those locations, please contact me.

Need some help coming up with fun ideas for party food?  If so, there are more than a few things that you can do.  Here are some great ideas.

Add more choices.  Instead of just burgers and hot dogs, why not cook up some shrimp, crab or even lobster?  You can add chicken, fish and steaks to the menu.  Yes, you can cook all of this right on your grill (with the help of a side burner in some cases) and still enjoy the grilling atmosphere that the 4th is all about.

Dress up dessert.  How about a cake that is in the shape of an American flag?  For red stripes, go with strawberries in rows.  For the stars, add enough blueberries to make them shine through.  Frost the cake white and decorate.  This is a great way to make a special treat.

Don’t forget the drinks.  You can make various types of drinks special by just adding in flavored ice cubes, in blue and red, of course.  To make them, add strawberry and blueberry flavoring to the ice cube trays.  Or, just use the right colored Kool-Aid to make it work.  Drop them into drinks for a festive yet fun way to add to your food celebration.

You can add virtually any side dish, any dessert and any type of appetizer to your menu and find those that will love it.  The only rules to consider about food for the 4th is that it should be something that does not require fine china, something that can handle being out in the sun and something that is all about fun eating.  You can come up with your own fun menu of foods, but don’t forget that some will want the traditional fare nonetheless.

A lot of people take business transition decisions only when they are faced with an irrecoverable problem such as the diagnosis of a chronic disease. At such a time, the question of who will take over their business hits them hard in the face and they end up taking a lot of wrong decisions.

Your business is extremely important to you. You have nurtured it and grown it and now it is important to you that someone in your family takes it over when you are no more. However, it is important also that you should make the transition process easier for them.

You have to decide whom you want to give your business to. If you will have several survivors this is a crucial decision to make. If you were to leave abruptly without nominating someone as the future owner of your business, you may leave them bickering and quarreling for their share in what each one of them thinks is rightfully theirs.

Another thing that you have to do is to leave the person you have nominated enough liquidity so that they can run the business. Good business transition planning makes sure of that. It shouldn’t happen that this person has to take out a loan to run the business, which eventually proves unprofitable to them and they sell it outside the family.

So, when there is still time, you need to get in touch with a business transition attorney and tell them of your planning. Let them know how you want things to continue when you won’t be around anymore and you may be able to rest in peace in quite a literal sense.