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Nominated for 17 Emmys in its short four-year run, Soap premiered in the Fall of 1977 as one of the most controversial shows in American television history (and all before a single episode ever aired). The show was opposed by many groups who thought its subject matter would be too mature for a prime-time audience. But Soap never overstepped its bounds, and the show became an instant smash hit with its brilliant and satirical spoofs of classic daytime programming. Sporting an all-star cast and talented producers, the show spawned successful spin-off Benson in 1979, a series that launched Robert Guillaume’s career to a whole new level…

Set in suburban Connecticut, Soap follows the lives of two sisters – Jessica Tate (Katherine Helmond), a wealthy yet dim elitist, and Mary Campbell (Cathryn Damon), a housewife in a more traditional blue-collar atmosphere. But regardless of their social station in life, neither woman manages to escape the scandal and intrigue surrounding a typical soap opera family. Jessica’s daughter Corrine (Diana Canova) is smitten with a priest, yet they are both having an affair with the same tennis pro. Meanwhile, Jessica and her husband Chester (Robert Mandan) incessantly cheat on one another. As for the other side of the family, Mary’s husband Burt (Richard Mulligan) is certifiably insane, her son Danny (Ted Wass) is a mobster, stepson Jodie (Billy Crystal) is an out-of-the-closet homosexual, and all of them are caught up in a family filled with promiscuous infidelities and quite possibly murder! Throw in the insubordinate and sarcastic Tate butler Benson (Guillaume), and Soap holds its own as one of the funniest sitcoms in TV history…

The Soap DVD features a number of hilarious episodes including the series premiere in which the audience learns the background of the two differing, yet similar, families. Jessica overhears Chester making plans to meet his mistress just before she meets her own lover, a local tennis pro named Peter. Jessica leaves Peter just before Corinne arrives for a lesson of her own… Meanwhile, the Campbells are beset by a rift between Danny and Burt, and Burt reveals to Mary that his inability to perform in the bedroom is a result of guilt from having killed her first husband… Other notable episodes from Season 1 include Episode 4 in which Jessica and Corrine encounter each other in Peter’s apartment, and Episode 25 in which Charles Lefkowitz (Sorrell Booke of Dukes of Hazzard fame) orders Danny to marry Elaine or else he will kill the entire Campbell family…

Below is a list of episodes included on the Soap (Season 1) DVD:

Episode 1 (Episode 1) Air Date: 09-13-1977
Episode 2 (Episode 2) Air Date: 09-20-1977
Episode 3 (Episode 3) Air Date: 09-27-1977
Episode 4 (Episode 4) Air Date: 10-04-1977
Episode 5 (Episode 5) Air Date: 10-04-1977
Episode 6 (Episode 6) Air Date: 10-25-1977
Episode 7 (Episode 7) Air Date: 11-01-1977
Episode 8 (Episode Air Date: 11-08-1977
Episode 9 (Episode 9) Air Date: 11-15-1977
Episode 10 (Episode 10) Air Date: 11-22-1977
Episode 11 (Episode 11) Air Date: 11-29-1977
Episode 12 (Episode 12) Air Date: 12-06-1977
Episode 13 (Episode 13) Air Date: 12-13-1977
Episode 14 (Episode 14) Air Date: 12-27-1977
Episode 15 (Episode 15) Air Date: 01-03-1978
Episode 16 (Episode 16) Air Date: 01-10-1978
Episode 17 (Episode 17) Air Date: 01-17-1978
Episode 18 (Episode 18) Air Date: 01-24-1978
Episode 19 (Episode 19) Air Date: 02-07-1978
Episode 20 (Episode 20) Air Date: 02-14-1978
Episode 21 (Episode 21) Air Date: 02-21-1978
Episode 22 (Episode 22) Air Date: 02-28-1978
Episode 23 (Episode 23) Air Date: 03-14-1978
Episode 24 (Episode 24) Air Date: 03-21-1978
Episode 25 (Episode 25) Air Date: 03-28-1978

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of the Soap (DVD).

Far too many people who are training in the martial arts or in a self-defense program – including police and security personnel by-the-way – take for granted that all they have to do is learn a few tricks and that’s it. When, according to the reality and nature of self-defense, no technique that you’ve learned in a martial arts or self-defense class is perfect in-and-of-itself for the unique situation and circumstances that you will find yourself in when you need it. And…

…that’s okay.

What’s important to learn is this…

…these techniques that everyone hold up as the “holy symbols of their style,”…

…were just passed down from past-generation masters as “examples” anyway!

After you’ve been training for a significant while with a focus on being able to handle a real-world self-defense situation, rather than merely memorizing a preset string of moves for your next belt, what you’ll find is that…

…in your attempt to defend yourself in a given situation and against a unique assailant with his own ‘favorite’ techniques and attack-methods, you will actually be stringing several basic moves together in a moment-to-moment, spontaneous flow. The trick is to know your techniques so well that you can do this in what appears to be an effortless flow from one technqiue or skill to the next.

Just as I pointed out in “The Karate-Myth” there are certain critical pieces missing from the vast majority of training programs. And, it is those key elements that MUST be managed during a physical altercation if you are to walk away with most of you intact.

So, if you really want to be able to use what you’ve learned in a real-world self-defense situation…

…then you must be able to give up your attachment to your “perfect techniques.”

Remember: The only people who believe that any given technique or skill is “perfect” or “unbeatable,” has not been around long enough, or…

…has deluded themselves into believing that training in class, or competing in a tournament, is somehow equivelant to the all-out, adrenalin-triggering, overwhelm that makes you feel like your heart will explode in your chest during the “real thing.”

Jeffrey M. Miller is the founder and director of Warrior Concepts International in Sunbury, Pennsylvania. He is the author of the “Foundations of Self-Defense Mastery” eCourse, which is available free of charge to subscribers of his self defense newsletter. You can subscribe to the newsletter at: http://www.warrior-concepts-online.com/newsletter-subscribe-self-defense.html He is also the creator of the EDR: Non-Martial Arts Defensive Training Program, author of the book, “The Karate-Myth” as-well-as the powerful, “Danger Prevention Tactics” video. Additional information is available by visiting http://www.warrior-concepts-online.com

It hardly takes much convincing to conclude that having blinding speed of punches or bone-cracking power in kicks are the most desireable assets for Martial Artists to posess. Remember Miyamoto Musashi stated in his famous text “A Book of Five Rings” that one ultimate goal of the warrior is to learn to end the fight with a single blow! That’s exactly where speed & power come in! The idea is to make them as specific as possible so as to achieve the most applicable results. In this article we will attempt to explore some of the best methods available to get those results.

Economy of Motion. Basically the more you practice your peticular techniques, the more your nervous system becomes familiar & you naturally get faster. Its a really good idea to use mirrors because you can self-coach so to say & strip away wasted movements as well as learn to utilize power centers (like the hips & legs). For example you can immediately make your punch will be twice as powerful by springing off the slightly bent legs when you execute it. Think of your body akin to a coiled up snake about to strike!

Think SPEED! Sounds simple but when you start thinking you are fast you will actually start moving faster. Get over any preconceived mental limitations you may have. The other aspect of this notion is to keep the thought of speed on the forefront of your mind. As you train to do those skills you wish to be faster & stronger at make a conscious effort to do them with your best speed & power efforts! Time yourself. Count down how many strikes or roundhouses you can land on a target or heavy bag in a 10 second period. Seek to improve your numbers every session.

Overspeed methods A.K.A. Forcing faster muscle memory! The abridged version goes like this:You have an innate speed at which muscles can fire off & move any given limb. Factors like motor unit recruitment, neural efficiency/capacity, & strength ratios effect this. What we are going to do is teach the nervous system to coordinate movement & build muscle memory at faster speeds! To speed up punches wrap a tubular resistance band or even bungee cord around your wrists and anchor the other end or have a partner stretch it out. Now release & throw the arm into motion with the added speed. Relax the opposing muscles to avoid any “braking” effects. The same proceedure can be performed on kicks by binding the band to the foot.10-20 reps 2 times aweek will be enough to develop noticeable results.

Specific drills to build power. Much can be done with a simple medicineball & even bodyweight outside of what you are already familiar with. Here are some to get started on:

Power absorbtion exercises:How the theory works is that you can’t create more power than you can absorb. So it only makes sense to start here before we start “jumping” into plyometrics! For upperbody power, drop push-ups are king! Assume a position upright but on your knees with both arms at chest level slightly more than shoulder width apart bend aprox 90, now drop to your hands without hesitation and forcefully contract when the hands touch the floor as to limit the amount of arm bend. The higher the “drop” the more force is absorbed, thus the more power potential to develop. The same concept is easily adapted to the lowerbody by doing drops from a 4′-5′ surface landing in a 1/4 squat. For pulling power, hold yourself at the top of a pull up position & fall to “catch” yourself about 1/2 through the pull ups range of motion.You’ll find after performing as little as 10 reps each you’ll be plenty sore! Its a good idea to work these 4-8 weeks, 2 times a week before progressing to the next phase…

Plyometric Kung Fu:Okay to begin lets start with punching/pushing power. Clapping push-ups work great but I feel the need to mention that the idea is to “bounce” off of each rep. Not just get the clap in! In fact forget the clap, just repetitively hop off the floor from this position. Its the fast reaction off the landing that matters so focus on that. One idea that will work good on the legs is to depth jump right into a kick. Peticularly a jump-kick! Now these are good starters…ready to leave elementary onto High School? Get a partner & medicineball (start with light ball, please!). Have him Throw it (throw, not toss) at you. The first step its to rebound it as soon as it touches your hands. Next level of progress is to actually strike the oncoming ball out of the air with a chop, punch, palm, & even any various kicks you desire to build power onto.

This drill works some serious plyo-power into your martial arts! Start with a light 3 lb. ball & slow throws gradually working up to faster throws & heavier balls.Obviosly the further you are able to displace the ball/target the more power you have gained(Like a baseball batter). Kind of works as a measuring devise as well. For you solo practitioners get a bouncy type med-ball & react off the rebound of a wall throw. Please exercise caution as this last one is alot more difficult than it sounds & takes some serious getting used to.The great thing is you can build accuracy at the same time you get faster & more powerful techniques. Lastly plyometrics like these are intense, so only work out with them 2 times a week.

Mark learned plyometrics as well as other modalities of training as a professional & collegiate gymnastics instructor.He started w/ the city of Ormond Beach, Fl. USA Gymnastics has there own certs & credentials & training programs for levels of qualified instructors. As He climbed in Instructor status he moved on to coach at larger facilities with even more advanced gymnasts.
Mr. Sias now is a Firefighter/Paramedic which allows him much free time to study advances in exercise science. Currently, he works with large group clinicals,charging per-head fees to cheerleading squads & local highschool basketball/volleyball teams.Before getting into this niche he has had the opportunity to do some private 1 on 1 vertical jump-specific training with a handful community college players (almost by accident)with very great results. Some of which have stepped up to Division 1 schools.

More recently he’s had the opportunity consult with a new NBA trainer who’s working on a problem player.
Mr. Sias also frequently consults other trainers across the U.S

A fine front door is not only a delight to see but an impressive addition to your home.
You drive by or walk by some fine vintage homes. A main focal point is always that impressive front-door. These doors are usually canvasses of superior craftsmentship and graceful mouldings.

You always ponder as to where the owners found such a regal door to frame the entraceway into their home.

An antique door can instantly add mellow hues and dcorative carvings to any home. They also have a rich patina of color that adds to the ambivance.

You can also have vintage doors on the inside of your home, leading to a dining room, the master bedroom, or any other focal point in your home.

Expensive – yes and no. They are expensive in their exquisite details, with hardwoods and sometimes decorative glass inserts. Most cities and towns demolish buildings to add super modern structures to a demanding world. These buildings can include churches, banks, heritage homes, etc. The offcasts of these buildings are referred to as salvage. The monetary value is what you place in it, and the benefits are years of service and beauty for your home.

A slight problem – what if the door you love just doesn’t fit where you want it? Talk to a carpenter or check with home supply stores. They can give you tips, and tools to make sure that your “found” dor will be “as tight as a bug in a rug.” Even if years of paint are added to the fine architecture of your door, paint can be removed and fine finishes are available at all hardware stores. The advantages – beautiful ironwork, stained glass or leaded glass insets that let the sunshine dance on your foyer floor, and impressive trims and lines.

A little more work than a mass-manufactured door – but well worth it. Next time you enter through your front door – consider the possibilities and ENJOY! ©Arleen M. Kaptur 2003 February

About the Author

Author of numerous novels, cookbooks, and articles in both magazines, and on the internet. Simple rustic living – life is good! Websites: http://www.arleenssite.com http://www.Arleens-RusticLiving.com http://www.webspawner.com/users/rusticliving/ http://topica.com/lists/simpleliving

Getting your website up and running is hard enough. After spending hours getting the HTML code just right and trying to make sure that you provide a great user experience, the last thing you want to do is change everything around in order to get your site ranked higher on the search engines. Follow these tips from the beginning and you’ll see the benefits.

1) Not changing the title tag from page to page. A lot of people realize the importance of the title tag. But few sites change the title tag from page to page. If you have a large site with a lot of different pages targeting different keywords, then change the title tag to reflect the keywords of the particular page. Keeping the title tag the same throughout the site may optimize the site as a whole, but you are limiting the amount of search terms that you can use. The shorter the title the better, you don’t want to get caught stuffing the title tag with too many terms. Just change it from page to page.

2) Not using a H1 tag. Use a H1 tag. Really. No, it’s no 1996, but search engine bots love the H1 tag. They view it as “hey, this is so important, it’s in the H1 tag.” Everybody got carried away with putting neat graphics and flash on their site and have neglected this tag. In fact a lot of sites use a graphical banner where their H1 should be. While these certainly look good, search engine bots can’t read graphics, they are just bots. Use the H1 tag and use your keywords in it. It will help the visiting Search Engine bot determine what your site or page is about.

3) Using “Home” as a link text. Everyone uses “home” as the text to link back to their index page. However, this might not be the best choice. After all, it is a link. We all know how important links are in search engine rankings. When you use the word “home”, the search engine bot will chalk up another point to “home” for your site. Why not use a keyword as this text? If your site is about hubcaps…why not use “hubcaps” for the link text? This will help you in that it a)adds a link within your site using “hubcaps” and b) help the search engine bot figure out a little better what your site has to offer.

You may reproduce this article on your website. We would appreciate a link back to our site lawyer
listings from you. This article may not be altered and links should be kept live.

Richard Martin is a contributing writer at http://www.business-lawyer-corporate.com . The site is a collection of business lawyer listings.

VoIP makes a great option for business because you can save
money. Many providers offer special packages strictly for
business use. Different products are available such as fax lines
and call forwarding.

When shopping for a service, you will need to take a few factors
into account. This includes whether or not you want your
provider to also service your internet connection, or if your
computers will be on a network. Here is a compiled list of
potential service providers to help you find the best package to
suit your business needs.

Vonage offers two packages for their small business
customers. The Small Business Basic plan is $39.99 and allows
for 1500 minutes of calling anywhere in the U.S., Canada, and
Puerto Rico. The Small Business Unlimited package is $49.99 and
includes unlimited calling to those places. Check out their
website (www.vonage.com) for
information on their additional features and international
calling rates.

Verizon has a lot of options for business. They can
accommodate small, medium, and large businesses. Their rates
vary based on situation and location, so it is best to visit
their site (www.verizon.com) to find the
options that are right for you. You can also specify packages
that include Verizon DSL and VoIP.

Lingo’s business packages start at $49.95 a month for
unlimited calling to the US, Canada, Western Europe, and any
phones within the Lingo system. Service also includes a free fax
line and other features such as three-way calling. They offer
your first month free as a trial. Simply cancel if you are
unhappy with their service. For more information browse their
site at www.lingo.com.

Sprint also offers VoIP options for business. They offer
options for businesses including home offices, small business,
medium businesses, and full scale enterprises. Check out their
options and packages at www.sprint.com/business
.