So I stumble on two books. One is $19.99 and one is $19.95. I am about to go to Disney World with 2 kids, my wife and my in-laws (Yeah me) – I was not about to let $20 bucks stand in the way of possible so I bit the bullet and brought the first book. After 2 hrs. of reading through it, and looking up stuff on the internet, I decided to buy the other one.

The first book was written by Beth Haworth, who is a former Disney World cast member. Who better to know the ins and outs of Disney? Not only is Beth a travel author, but she has seen first hand all of the subtle traps that the park creates to get you to spend the most for everything.

See NEWS footage as NBC Reviews Beth’s Book here.

TIP #1

Avoid the Disney Land/Sea vacation packages that include a cruise plus a stay at Walt Disney World. Bargain-shop the cruise and resort stays separately. You’ll have far greater choice and flexibility, too.

TIP #2

We also learned the importance of teaming up and splitting the male activities and the female activities. Getting my wife and daughter reservations to the Disney Girls Perfectly Princess Tea Party at the Grand Floridian was huge and wouldn’t have been possible without the Travel Guide.

It is really difficult sometimes to plan ahead and have to work your schedule around the ADRs you can get. I’m thankful for tools like touring plans that help me figure out the crowd schedule in advance so I don’t have to go to the busiest parks and deal with long lines just for my ADRs.

The 2nd book is written from a different point of view but no less helpful. This book breaks down ADR (Advanced Dinner Reservations). With the help of these two books we were able to make the best meal plans online months in advance – the best thing ever. We saw many families getting turned away from restaurants that were at capacity. Disney isn’t magical when your kids get turned away from Minnie and Mickey.

We planned all these meals in advance:

• Sunday Dec 5: 1:30pm Chefs de France; 6:35pm Shutters at CBR
• Monday Dec 6: 3:45pm Sci-Fi with my sister; 9pm Wishes Dessert Party
• Tuesday Dec 7: maybe Pizzafari for lunch; Trails Ends 4:30pm
• Wednesday Dec 8: 11:30am LTT; 6:45pm Yachtsman
• Thursday Dec 9: counter service somewhere; Cape May Cafe 6:35p,
• Friday Dec 10: Beaches and Cream; 7:15pm Hacienda
• Saturday Dec 11: Crystal Palace 10:15am; Chef Mickeys 6:30pm
• Sunday Dec 12: counter service for lunch somewhere; WCC 5pm for the family; ohana 5pm for me and my Disney family
• Monday Dec 13: 7:30am Cape May Cafe.

I know it looks like overkill but trust me…..it’s necessary.

The other huge trip saver was all the tips on riding the best rides in a quarter of the time.

I think this book was essential while we were at the park the other book was important for planning the trip.

TIP #3

Through strategic use of the Fast Pass and arriving at the park early, you can stay one step ahead of the crowds and the unwashed masses sweating in line. If you go during peak season when crowds and heat are at their worst, then you are screwed anyway but this book should help a little. Do yourself a favor, pull the kids out of school for a week in the winter and enjoy 75 degrees and no lines.

You can get both books here – and Best of All, They both come with Money Back Guarantees. If you don’t save –then

you get your money back!!

]]> http://www.justmho.com/disney-world-secrets/feed/ 0 http://www.justmho.com/teaching-crossover-dribble-made-easy/ http://www.justmho.com/teaching-crossover-dribble-made-easy/#comments Wed, 29 Dec 2010 23:52:49 +0000 JMH Oliver III http://www.justmho.com/?p=340 For those who know me, know that I am full time on the internet which leaves me plenty of time to enjoy life.  One of my passions is basketball, and since I suck, I coach.   And of course, as soon as I see a product that I love, I must share.

This is a product that has helped me coach without coaching.  I just turn on the laptop and let these young guys go at it.  The best part is, the system is brand new so I guarantee other coaches are not using it yet.

This product is for anyone wanting to learn or teaching crossover dribble drills.  It’s full of basketball crossover dribbling moves, combinations and scoring tactics.

The key to success for any basketball player is the ability to consistently create space between him and his defender so he can shoot or drive to rim. Look at every great player in the NBA; they can all breakdown their defender at will. If you want to develop this ability too then there’s nothing better to help you accomplish this then the Crossover Machine video training program.

Crossover Machine is a step by step video training program in which you’ll learn the 13 most effective crossover moves in the game of basketball. The program was created by John Ewing a former college point guard who has helped hundred of basketball players around the world improve their game.

In the program John starts out by teaching you the basic crossovers that you need to master first. After that you’ll learn the double crossovers which are deadly combo crossovers that combine two of the basic crossovers into a whole new move. Then the program ends by teaching you the advanced crossover moves. Included in the advanced crossover moves is one crossover called the master crossover and it’s the deadliest crossover in the game of basketball because you can literally drop a defender to the ground every time you use it.

Everything in the program is step by step and John teaches you everything through High Definition video so it’s really easy to follow and understand everything in Crossover Machine. You also get to see in game-examples of every move and technique so that makes it even easier to understand everything in the program.

BONUS MATERIAL

Crossover Machine also comes with 2 amazing bonuses that are the best bonuses I’ve ever seen in any product anywhere. The first bonus is a training video called Unstoppable Finishing Moves. In that video John teaches you some really effective finishing moves that you can use to finish at the rim against any shot blocker. Everything in that training video is step by step and it also includes HD footage to make everything easy to understand.

The third bonus is called Secrets To Great 1on1 Defense and it’s an audio CD in which John interviews Coach Darrick Rizzo who’s the #1 defensive expert in the world. This was my favorite bonus and I would have paid twice the price of Crossover Machine to get access to this interview alone. Coach Rizzo is famous because back when he was in high school he played against Kobe Bryant and held him to 8 points which was Kobe’s lowest scoring game ever.

In the interview coach Rizzo starts by taking you back to that game when he had to guard Kobe and he teaches you the mindset he had going into a game where he was going to defend the best high school player in the world. After that, coach Rizzo explains what techniques he used to lockdown Kobe during that game and how you can also use them to lockdown any offensive player you play against.

Crossover Machine on its own is a great product but with the 2 bonuses, this is probably the best package I’ve seen in the basketball training industry. Crossover Machine will teach you how to blow by any defender, Unstoppable Finishing Moves will teach you the moves that you need to finish at the rim once you’ve blown by your defender and Secrets To Great 1on1 Defense will teach you the defensive skills you need to become a complete player who can score and play defense.

Crossover Machine is just right for learning or teaching basketball crossover dribbling moves, combinations and scoring tactics. If you want to take your game to the next level then click here.

He gave me the company credit card, and I went to town doing what I do best,  finding the “BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK”.

Hence we have the Ridgid R84082.

Jumping online I start my research – and it all comes down to this video.  Everything else was just icing on the cake.

Really, how can you top that?

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:
The Ridgid Jobsite Radio R84082  has a number of other features that no other model includes, most notably, a 30 pin connector dock for direct connection to an iPod. This dock not only charges your iPod, but it also lets you navigate through a playlist from the radio’s control panel. This reduced the chance of getting dust or moisture into the well protected MP3-player compartment.



This is also the only model in our test with a remote! Can you believe that? We could stick this puppy up on a shelf and never have to touch it or worrying about knocking it over etc.  The remote is good up to about 25 ft. The Ridgid Jobsite Radio R84082 has a metal plate for attaching a longer antenna which we made from a scrap of electrical wire. The rubber covered battery compartment did allow some water and dust to get to the battery pack but the iPod compartment stayed clean and dry through all of our working conditions.

After I showed Johnny the video, he actually let me perform my own little drop test from a 4 foot construction table, held over my head (probably 12 feet) onto a durable interlocking mat, and it dropped no problem. More importantly, it worked after it was dropped; all of the electronic components were fully functional.

CONS:
The biggest con of this radio is it’s inability to charge battery packs. For the most part, it is easy to operate, though the latch on the front is fussy and the remote is difficult to slide into it’s holding slot on the side of the radio (but at least it has one) . The roll cage, which surrounds the radio and holds it in position with a compressed number grommets, took a beating in our drop tests. The good news is that the roll cage was designed to sacrifice itself to protect the electronics and can be put back together again after a nasty fall. The bad news is that this reassembly takes some patience.

SUMMARY:
The quality of this radio is undeniable. It is the only model that includes a remote and allows for external control of an iPod. The iPod Compartment also stayed clean and dry, and it never opened once in our drop tests. The only real weak points are the rubber covered battery compartment and this model’s inability to charge batteries.

Am I wrong?

If you have purchased this item based on my review,

LET THE READERS KNOW

HOW GOOD ( OR BAD) I AM

First of all Crush Any State Lottery is an easy to follow system developed by a so called professional gambler Chris Malcolm.  My first thought was, “if you are making Millions then why are you trying to sell a damn eBook”.  My second thought was, “Hmmm Interesting”

(Pictured Above are the Actual Tickets I brought)

Going to his Chris Malcolm’s website you see the normal sales pitch stuff, but the thing that grabs my attention is the money back guarantee, so you figure, you can’t really go wrong, not to mention you pay thru Paypal, and they don’t fool around with getting money back.

SEE, I DO PAY!!

YOU CAN BUY THIS SYSTEM HERE

The system is delivered in a series of e-books.  I must say they are all written well and easy to follow.  These are actual books with Table of Contents and structure.  Alhtough there is some filler in there, all in all it was very impressive.

HERE’S WHAT YOU GET

HERE’S THE SALES PAGE TO THE SYSTEM!

HERE’S WHERE THINGS GET CRAZY! – NOVEMBER 23, 2010

First I legitimately purchase the book.  I purchase all the items that I review.  Simple enough. I read through the Pick 3 strategy and mathematically I see exactly what he has done.

HERE IS WHERE I AGREE WITH THE SYSTEM
He has got a system where it gets you down to a 30% chance of winning the pick 3.  Without revealing too many details, you basically narrow down the possibilities of doubles and triples and come up with a 1 in 3 scenario.  THIS IS ROCK SOLID.  100% based on math, statistics and data; this is information that every lottery player should have available and use daily.  This information, all in one place is worth $47 alone.

HERE IS WHERE I DISAGREE
The next part I was not sold on at all.  He suggest some trending techniques, again which I don’t want to elaborate on, but I disagreed with his theory.  I see how it works emotionally but not mathematically, but I was evaluating the effectiveness of the system, not trying to rewrite it.

So I understood the Pick 3 strategy & the Pick 4 and I was off to play the lottery.  This is actually my first time playing the pick 3 and pick 4; I usually only play the Mega Millions and that’s only once in awhile.

HOW MUCH DOES THIS COST ME?

According to the Pick 3 system I could spend $18 but I should spend $36 which would give me money plenty of money for the next day.  The Pick 4 requires me to only spend $5.00 per day so that’s a no brainer.

$36 Pick 3 Tickets (36 tickets total)

$5 Pick 4 Tickets (5 tickets total)

$1 Mega Millions (for myself :0)

$47 for the Ebook.

TOTAL = $88

I actually forget all about it, with Thanksgiving coming up and don’t end up checking until the next day.

Holy #$%@!! I hit the Pick 3 & the Pick 4

Two winners!!

It’s so hard to believe but here are the results for the Connecticut Lottery You have to plug in the dates of the tickets.  (November 23rd, 2010)

I just stood there in my kitchen looking at the results like and idiot.

WINNINGS:

• Pick 3 Six Way Box = $83.00

• Pick4 = 24 Way Box = $208.00

TOTAL AFTER FIRST DAY USING THE SYSTEM = $291 PROFIT = $203

I can say how much I don’t agree with the complete system, but I have to admit win I see money.  I’m retiring from playing the lottery, but this system officially Amazed me….but that’s Just My Humble Opinion!

P.S. – The scratch off strategies made a lot of sense – I might dabble a little.

You can get Chris Malcolm’s System here. Good Luck

UPDATE: For slightly more – you can buy the software that will do the picking based on Chris Malcolm’s theories here.  Thanks Kristine for the information. 

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JUMP TO A SECTION
PROS      CONS      VIDEOS      PHOTOS
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As a somewhat experienced although far from professional photographer, I know that one bag never does the trick.  I have went on exhibitions with all types of bags before.  I used waist belts, vests, backpacks and this bag is the closest to becoming an all in one.  Especially if you do not carry a lot of gear.

Although not a unique concept, Lowepro gets the “sling” affect correct. The sling bag allows you to get the camera out of the bag without taking the bag of your shoulders.

That bag is built for utility and comfort.  The strap that comes across your chest is very well padded, and what people don’t know, is that the bag comes with an extra strap that can be used for extra support.  This is stored in the bottom of the bag, and can be pulled out whenever you need.

So the best part is that it actually does, what it’s designed to do!  To get to your gear you just swivel the bag to your chest.  From that position the bag actually opens away from you so it’s super easy to reach in and grab anything you need.  As can be seen in the video below, there are two buckles on each side of the zippers to prevent the bag from opening too wide.  It’s like someone actually tested it, had their stuff fall out and then fixed it so it wouldn’t happen.  Imagine that!

I carry this bag at least five days per week fully loaded and besides a little dirt, it’s just as good as new.  When I go, I go fully loaded: Camera, two extra lenses, flash, flash remote, a couple difusers, tons of extra batteries, a tripod, and many other little accessories.

The bag also comes with an all-weather cover that is top notch.  I had to use this in torrential storms and everything stayed dry.  Even a piece of paper with an address and phone number I had written on it in ink, stayed completely dry.

I encourage you to pick up some lowepro sliplock attachments that can fit to the outside of the bag. With one or two, you can pretty much carry anything you could ever need for a day of shooting

PROS

-The sling works, you are quick and efficient access without removing your bag.

-You can attach your camera to the outside of the bag to free up pockets if needed.

-Compartments are changeable with velcro partitions.

-The all-weather nylon cover is compartmentalized and you never even know it’s there, but when you need it, it’s instantly available.

CONS

No locks or secure fasteners for the zippers. I used a mini d-ring and was able to hold the three main zippers securely. Simple but effective.

-Wish there were a mesh bag on the outside for water bottles or items to be stuffed in quickly without having to zip/unzip.

-The bag can simply carry too much weight for one puny strap. One strap will really dig into your shoulder and it’s not designed to swap sides. Having two straps to enable heavy loads and allow the slingshot option to swap sides would be perfect.

Conclusion:

This bag is well worth the money.  The shots you will get by just being able to swivel, unzip  shoot will be priceless.  In short this is a well designed, well built, essential bag for any photographer.

VIDEOS

Regular User Review

Professional Review

LowePro Review

 

PHOTOS

Am I wrong?

If you have purchased this item based on my review,

LET THE READERS KNOW

HOW GOOD ( OR BAD) I AM

Want to cut to the chase?

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JUMP TO A SECTION
PROS CONS VIDEOS PHOTOS
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After the popularity of my first review, I was actually requested to review this item by 2 different readers. So I figured why not?

FYI- Half of the review sites authors, don’t ever actually use the product – NOT COOL!!!

Carbs be damned, I would be baking some bread. It’s been 6 weeks now, and I think I have baked enough loaves to provide an adequate assessment. The best part of this review is that I already owned a bread maker so I actually had something solid and reliable to compare the Panasonic SD-YD25 to.

When we are reviewing cookware, there are only a few factors that we really need to consider:
• Can it cook what it’s supposed to cook and how well?
• How easy is it to clean?
• How long will it last?
• Is it worth the price?
Is there anything else we really care about?

Right away I went to Amazon – you just can’t beat the price with Free Shipping!
As you can see from the picture this is how my package arrived. Nicely bundled and 4 business days after I pressed he “Payment” button. Once I unpacked it I was ready to make some bread.

SIZE:
This thing is a beast. Compared to my previous bread maker it’s huge because it has a 2.5 lbs loaf capacity. You need just under 14″ of width and height, and 10″ of depth on your counter to support this beast.

After it’s unpacked and plugged in, you enter the ingredients per the recipe book, and voila! You have your bread.
There are a lot of complaints online regarding the long hour or so at the start of the baking process where you put the ingredients in and nothing is happening. This is actually the unit bringing the ingredients up to temperature before mixing. It does so without using electricity unlike the Zojirushi. My old bread machine required me to have the water at a certain temp. If I got it wrong the bread didn’t turn out. This machine takes the guess work out of making bread exactly what a busy person who wants homemade bread needs.

The second complaint that I read repeatedly on line was the yeast dispenser being two small. My previous breadmaker didn’t even have one, but the Panasonic has a sweet one. For the record: THE YEAST DISPENSER ROCKS!! The complaint was that it only held a “teaspoon” of yeast. This was not the case at all. I was easily able to put in a packet of yeast with no problems. Maybe there was a previous version of the Panasonic SD-YD25 that had this issue, but not mine!

Once I started baking there were two things that immediately jumped out at me. First, it was so much quieter then my previous model, and second, it did not jump all over the place. Ahhh…technology.

The first bread I made was a standard Wheat loaf. I made about 3 loaves of this. The 2nd and 3rd loaves were great, because I decided to use fresh ingredients and it made all the difference in the world.
Then I decided to experiment with the “French Bread” setting. The bread came out just like the Bread at the Macaroni Grill. Ohhh la la! So needless to say, I made a few more of those.
The only crappy loaves I made were when I tried to do my own thing and veer off the path of the recipe booklet. I’m just not that good. Getting the loafs out of the pan were no trouble at all, they just slipped out. I hate the little hole you get in the bottom of your loaf but that is unavoidable and I think happens in every bread maker.

CLEAN UP
Clean up was super easy, there must be some hi tech coating because the loaves slip right out, and I actually wipe it out with some Windex and Papertowels and it looks new as can be every single time. For some reason I’ve been using Windex for everything lately.

There are also a lot of complaints about it taking really long to cook….I say to that, “It’s #$% bread!”. It’s supposed to take long. Set it, and forget it. It’s got a timer for crying out loud. Is there really a difference between bread taking 4 hours to cook and 5 hours? Set the timer and come home to, wake up to, or watch TV to a fresh loaf.

PROS

• Super easy to use, set up, follow the recipes etc.
• Yeast Dispenser rocks!!
• Super easy to clean
• Big and durable
• Great value for the money
• Quiet for the size
• All bread features seem to be effective (I never tested the pizza setting) My previous machine had setting, but I couldn’t even tell the difference. The sandwich setting on this machine was so good, I had to slap my mamma!
.

CONS

• There is no cycle flexibility. To clarify, you can not invent your own cycle times or custom mixing and baking recipes, everything is hard coated. Period, end of story. If you change your mind halfway through a cycle, for instance, Whole wheat to French, there is no turning back. Even if you unplug the unit, you still can’t break the cycle. That was frustrating, but part of that was me being stupid.

• There is no viewing window – To that I say, “WTF”. Could it be that hard to add a viewing window?
• Shape of the bread – You end up making these huge vertical loafs. To get a horizontal loaf it’s got to be a mini. I realize it’s the shape of the bread pan, which allows huge loafs, but I’m logging this as an official Con.

TIPS

Buy a digital scale. It makes following all the recipes that much easier.

Wheat Gluten – Buy some vital wheat gluten from the grocery store and add a TBS to your all purpose flour, it turns it into “bread machine flour”, and it works perfectly.

Make ‘bread packets’ – measure all your dry ingredients for your favorite bread and keep them in zip lock baggies. Then when you go to make bread, just grab a pack, dump it in, add water, oil and yeast and press start.

Use Olive Oil rather than butter it tastes better and keeps longer.

VIDEOS

Pictures & Videos Always help you see Just What you are Buying.

It appears that I will be trying to shoot my own quick videos from now on. Everything on Youtube is just musical Montages of pictures. People Really? Buy.com had the best video, everything else is a waste of time!!

PHOTOS

- (Some of the Same ones Found in the Lazy Montages and Some of my own)

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LET THE READERS KNOW

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The reason the Baby Bjorn company can charge so much for this travel crib and not even provide a blanket for the mattress (yep, that’s true), is because no other crib can do what this one does. These Swedish guys make more then candy fish.  They have done their homework.  They know their babies!!

TRAVELING WITH THE BABY & THE  TRAVEL CRIB LIGHT
It’s a “Travel” crib so the ability to assemble, disassemble, pick up and go are key features. Their biggest competitor is the Pack and Play – that everyone seems to have, and it weighs a whopping 28 lbs!. Whooah fatty!! The Baby Bjorn Travel Crib Light lives up to its name weighing in at a feathery 11 lbs, which includes the weight of the carry case! You are paying for Engineering my friends.

Now this isn’t necessarily a complaint but more of a wish. The case is too big to store as carry on luggage on flights. This is a shame only because the Travel Light crib is perfect to set up and drop the baby in anywhere!. At the airport: Pop it open, dump the baby in. At Grandma’s : Pop it open, dump the baby in. At the hotel: Pop it open, dump the baby in. You get the idea.

STABILITY & SAFETY
I have to say, when you look at a Pack and Play, and a Travel Crib Light side by side, the pack in play looks so much “more”.

It looks more decorative, sturdier and simply luxurious.  Well that’s why everyone has them.  People who don’t’ actually have to set them up and carry them; buy them as baby shower gifts for the people who do.  The person, who has actually had to travel with a crib, selects the Baby Bjorn because they know the deal!

Those other models are all show and no go.  The Baby Bjorn is engineered so that the mattress rests on the floor. This is genius.  It eliminates the worry of tipping over.  We had a terrorizing 2 year old walking around grabbing everything he could get his chubby little fingers on and he could not topple or even tip the travel crib.  These guys at Baby Bjorn are professionals, so without all the fu-fu that makes the other travel light cribs way a ton, they manage to keep things covered for safety and even waterproof the mattress just in case “somebody” has an accident.

Flaring Legs

There are some complaints about the flaring legs, and the adults tripping over them, but they are flared just in case your little one falls while in the crib, they will not hit any hard objects. The crib also has mesh sides, so you can get your “peek on” from across the room.

Baby Bjorn Travel Crib ASSEMBLY

Here is where the competition is blown away. The Travel light crib can literally set up,  without reading any directions in less than a minute. Honest to goodness. We have video proof! The pack n play video clip is so long, it almost couldn’t fit on Youtube!

The first video is the best because it mimics an actual everyday scenario. Note the Baby Bjorn clip is only 45 seconds!!

Here is another cheesy little video – it does a great job at illustrating how easy it is to travel with the Baby Bjorn!

If you are staying in a hotel, or at the in-laws, the Baby Bjorn Travel Light Crib can be set up and taken down daily without even thinking. There is no chance of putting something together wrong, or losing any pieces. The wife doesn’t have to drag the hubby off the couch to assemble it, and the husband doesn’t have any excuses not to get it ready when it’s time. This is by far the strongest selling point of this project. The more you have experienced other travel cribs, the more you will appreciate the ease of execution of the Baby Bjorn Travel Light Crib.

CONS:
• No shoulder strap for the carry bag – That would be the cats ass, if it had a shoulder strap. …..I’m just saying.
• Bending Over – You bend over just a little more then the travel cribs that don’t sit the mattresses on the floor.
• No Mattress Sheet – The darn thing doesn’t even come with a Sheet for the mattress. That’s $38 extra. It makes you feel just a little aggravated. You say to yourself, “Dude, I just spent $250 and can’t even get a sheet?” or even better, “They don’t give a sheet”.

As a consolation, you can use the Khoala Baby Travel crib sheet from Babies R Us. $12 bucks! It’s been recommended repeatedly on line for use.

DETAILS, DETAILS, DETAILS
• Manufacturer’s Age: Birth – 3 years
• Height/length/width
- when transported: 19″ x 23,5″ x 5.5″ (49 x 60 x 14 cm)
- when assembled: 5.5″ x 45″ x 31.5″ (60 x 115 x 80 cm)
• Mattress: 60 x 105 cm
• Crib fabric: 35% Cotton, 65% Polyester
• Mesh: 100% Polyester
• Base fabric: 100% Polyester

• Bottom surface of mattress cover: 100″ Polyester
• Top surface of mattress cover: 50% Polyester 50%, (PU) Polyeretan

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PRODUCT PHOTO GALLERY