Crossbow - The History of the Crossbow

A crossbow is a modified bow and arrow system. The bow sits sideways on a frame and the limbs can be pulled back mechanically by a trigger. Because of its riffle like body, the shooter can carefully aim short arrows. This type of bow is extremely accurate because it can be held in its loaded position longer than other types of bows. In addition, the bow is capable of traveling extremely long distances. It is said that the bow has a range of 380 yards. They are also perfect for those who aren't strong enough to efficiently pull back other bows.

The origins of the crossbow can be traced back to 600 BC in ancient China. Although 600 BC is said to be the time these bows were invented, there are remains said to be from 5th centaury China. The ancient Chinese people used crossbows against each other in times of warfare. During the reign of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the bow was used as a weapon and toy. During the Han dynasty, the bow became the main weapon used in battle. The ancient Chinese utilized the bows during infantry and cavalry engagements. It was during this time the repeating cross bow was also developed.

The crossbow was also used during the Middle Ages. William the Conqueror brought use of the weapon back to England in 1066. Back then the bow had a wooden stock that was coated with glue or garnish. Wood, iron or steel constructed the 2 or 3 foot bow. The strings were made of hemp and soaked in glue to protect against moisture. The string was drawn back by pulling a level or winding a crank. Little skill or training was required to use the weapon. Because an untrained man could easily take the life of a knife in plated armor, the bow became regarded as an inhumane weapon. Despite this, it was widely used during battle. Because of constant invasions from foreigners, leaders happily handed their citizens crossbows. The bow was deadly and could be used by the young, elderly, and weak to defend themselves and their country.

Today, it is rare to see a crossbow used in warfare. Although the bow is powerful, possesses a long range, and requires little training, armies have opted for more powerful killing machines. Sniper rifles and other types of guns can kill greater amounts of people at a faster rate. Despite this, the crossbow is still around. Instead of killing others, people are now using the bow to hunt animals.

What Makes a Gourmet Coffee

Before the advent of sophisticated coffee shops, people will only be offered either one of these- black coffee or white coffee. And these two later evolved into decaf and brewed. But with the aging of time, people have learned to create and recreate a plethora of coffee choices that went anywhere from fruits selections to choices of creamy and chocolaty flavors.

Since the discovery of coffee by a goatherd who happens to see his flock "dancing" after having eaten coffee beans, no other beverage has rivaled coffee with its aroma and irresistible taste. Since then, coffee has become a social and household drink that has went over innumerable breakfast nooks, coffee shops and yes, coffee mugs. It is then only important to note that man's appreciation of coffee hasn't faltered since it was first drank and innovations are still being made just to diversify our choices of coffee needs.

Gourmet coffee has obviously produced some of the best tasting coffee blends and flavors in the world. Well, you can just imagine how many variations have already been made since gourmet coffee shops have met their bloom.

There are practically hundreds of gourmet coffee selections which range from strong flavors to lighter ones. And as we have already mentioned earlier, these flavors can be hidden through using fruit flavors and other condiments such as cinnamon, mint and citrus.

Columbian coffee for example is characterized by a strong aroma and taste. This is the favorite among coffee lovers who want to make their coffees strong and simple. But, if you want to experiment on flavors, you may also try those labeled under varieties such as hazelnut, cookies and cream, toasted almond and French vanilla.

Seasonal gourmet coffee varieties can also provide an experience like no other. Normally, seasonal varieties cater the main ingredient associated with the occasion. A good example is the Pumpkin spice that provides the festive feeling of the entrance of holidays. This resembles the taste of pumpkin pie.

So where would you find gourmet coffee? Well, the obvious answer to that are the coffee shops. But it can also be found in doughnut shops and other restaurants that offer coffee selections.

FAQ - Why Obtain a Trademark?

It is not necessary to register a trademark in order to do business. A limited common law protection is automatically attached when a trademark is used in commerce. However, federal registration has several advantages, including notice to the public of the registrant's claim of ownership of the mark, a legal presumption of ownership nationwide, and the exclusive right to use the mark on or in connection with the goods or services set forth in the registration.

Trademark v. Domain Name If you register a domain that is in conflict with a trademark, you may lose rights to the domain.

Advantages of Federal Registration 1. Constructive notice nationwide of the trademark owner's claim. 2. Evidence of ownership of the trademark. 3. Jurisdiction of federal courts may be invoked. 4. Registration can be used as a basis for obtaining registration in foreign countries. 5. Registration may be filed with U.S. Customs Service to prevent importation of infringing foreign goods.

(TM) v. ® You may use the symbol "TM" (or "SM" for service marks) suffixed to your trademark before a trademark registration is granted. The federal registration symbol may be used once the mark is actually registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Even though an application is pending, the registration symbol may not be used before the mark has actually become registered. The federal registration symbol should only be used on goods or services that are the subject of the federal trademark registration. Several foreign countries use the letter R enclosed within a circle to indicate that a mark is registered in that country. Use of the symbol by the holder of a foreign registration may be proper.

Trademark Searches Before you register a domain or start using a mark on products, it is a good idea to order a search report from a trademark search firm. Imagine having to recall products and/or reprint product labels due to a trademark infringement action by the owner of another trademark because your trademark infringes the other trademark.

Common Law Rights Federal registration is not required to establish rights in a trademark. Common law rights arise from actual use of a mark. Generally, the first to either use a mark in commerce or file an intent to use application with the Patent and Trademark Office has the ultimate right to use and registration.

Does Filing a Trademark Application Guarantee Registration? Filing a trademark application does not guarantee a registration. After the application is filed, a USPTO examiner performs a trademark search and reviews your application in view of the existing and pending registrations and other evidence. Among other things, the registration may be denied if your proposed mark is descriptive, generic, similar to other marks or is likely to cause confusion in the marketplace.

What happens after a Trademark Application is Filed? The application is reviewed by the Trademark Office and if there are grounds for rejection, an office action is sent to the applicant. The Applicant then must respond to the office action. If no grounds for rejection are found, the registration is granted.

What is Descriptiveness? If a mark describes, either directly or indirectly, the product or service on which the mark is used, then the mark is considered "descriptive." Descriptiveness is a ground for the rejection of the registration. However, a descriptive mark that has been in use for a long period of time may be registered. Further, even if a "text" mark may not be registered due to descriptiveness, it may still be possible to register a distinctive logo that depicts the same "text."

Patent v. Trademark In some cases, a distinctive design may also be patentable. A design patent may be filed to protect the ornamental design of an object.

Can rights a Trademark be Sold? In general, yes. An exclusive or non-exclusive assignment may effectuate full or partial rights in a trademark. However, the assignor (i.e., the seller) must also transfer the goodwill associated with the trademark. Further, since intent-to-use (ITU) trademarks have no goodwill associated with them (because they have not yet been used in commerce), ITUs may not be assigned.

In-Use Marks v. Intent-to-Use Marks There are two types of trademark applications. If a mark is already in use in commerce, the application for the registration would lead to the registration of the mark, if no ground of rejection if found. However, if the application for registration is based on an "intent to use," the registration will take place only after the applicant begin actual use of the mark in commerce. A proof of actual use in commerce must be submitted within a certain period of time after allowance.

Why use an Attorney for TM filings? There is no requirement that a trademark application be filed by an attorney. However, a attorney may provide valuable counseling as to the likelihood of registration. Some marks may not be registrable and an attorney should be able to provide an early input as to this fact before you pay filing fees and make other investments to use the mark in commerce.

How to Protect a Mark? Now that your mark is registered, you should start protecting it. First, you must start using the symbol ® with the mark to give notice to the world that the mark is a registered mark. Second, on product packaging and other places where you use the mark, print the mark so that it stands out and distinguishable from the surrounding text/graphics. Never use the mark as a verb or a noun. Be careful when you license the mark because acts of licensees with regards to the usage of the mark may also have detrimental affect on the mark.

Abandonment A registered mark may be considered abandoned and ceased to be registered, among other things, due to non use for a number of years.

Most Common Reasons for Patient Dissatisfaction after Breast Augmentation?

The number one complaint after surgery is that patients regret that they didn't have larger implants. This arises from the fact that when trying on implants before surgery, women are either shy or have not gotten used to having larger breasts. To avoid this, I recommend that you choose the largest implant size that you can feel comfortable with.

The second most common reason for dissatisfaction is that women feel that once they get breast implants they should instantaneously be ready for the swim suit, with the "Perfect New Breasts"! Obviously, it takes weeks to months for implants to settle, swelling to subside, and breast tissue to accommodate the new implant. Therefore, be patient.

A third very common reason for dissatisfaction is having unreasonable expectations. Most women quickly forget the shape of the breasts that they had before their augmentation, just several weeks ago. The aesthetic outcome of Breast Augmentation greatly depends on what your breasts looked like before surgery. For example, if you had significant breast asymmetry, tubular breasts, or extensive sagging beforehand, surgery would not be able to give you "perfect breasts", but only breasts that are better looking than where you started.

To avoid being dissatisfied with your breast augmentation surgery, do your homework and communicate with your plastic surgeon before your surgery. You need to have all your questions answered to your satisfaction and also make sure that you get a feel that your surgeon really understands what you need and you understand what your surgeon is telling you about potential outcomes and the limitations of your surgery.

The Symptoms And Types Of Hypertension

Hypertension has several symptoms, high blood pressure Systemic, arterial hypertension or hypertensive heart disease but the commonest variety of hypertension is know as essential hypertension. Strangely enough there is no part of the world that hypertension is completely absent, hypertension is a medical condition that tends to favour some people more than others, this is the reason there are several names for the illness in different parts of the world .

It's more popular among the elite class and the socialites of our present world, it is even on debate that it should be considered a symptoms complex and not a disease state. The proponents say it is too common to be classified as a disease since it is even without any specific symptoms of its own yet it herald some detrimental disorder such as kidney failure or nerve paralysis, so many regards it as a symptom of a bigger disorder.

But I think illness incapacitate and annihilate. And hypertension can stylishly perform both of these tasks and it will do them very accurately too. To me illness are treated with drugs and high blood pressure is known to respond to several drugs. Arterial hypertension or systemic hypertension is the common type. It affects the heart and the general blood circulation. The unpopular hypertension is in various categories. This type affects organs and tissues of the body they have no direct link with high performance of the heart itself . A good example is the type which affect the lungs and the blood flows to the airway . This is called 'pulmonary hypertension' [pulmo is latin word for the lungs]

There are some other unpopular types of hypertension too and they include ocular hypertension which means that the eyeball structure are under an increased influence of tension from the fluids bathing them .

This results is some degree of visual disturbance or even blindness. A good evidence of ocular hypertension is the illness of the eye called glaucoma. Another beautiful subgroups of the unpopular variety of hypertension is the one which afflicts the liver. The liver may be diseased and it may be working under an increased pressure . This means that blood flow is greatly impeded and its general workability is impaired . This type of hypertension is called portal hypertension. It is a notable killer among alcoholics hepatitis.

There is post traumatic hypertension too and it is high blood pressure which is sequel to an accident, often a near fatal one . Also there is high blood pressure arising from defective ductless gland function. It is referred to as hypertension of endocrine origin . Some other variant do exist of the popular class of arterial hypertension and they include the unstable blood pressure disorder such as labile hypertension and paroxysmal hypertension , but there are other two not well know subgroups of the popular arterial high blood pressure disorder that must be mentioned .

They are the arterial hypertensive heart disorder caused solely by pregnancy or that which has been corrected by surgery, these high blood pressure states are respectively called pregnancy induced hypertension [PH] and surgically correctable hypertension.

Get a Deeper Voice For Instant Credibility

When you get a deeper voice, strange worlds open up. Often it is very frustrating for millions of American men, who suffer this affliction, to have a squeaky or high pitched voice. This is not a permanent thing, because most sufferers report, that often in the mornings, they do get a nice timber and resonance. However as the day wears on, the squeakiness and embarrassingly high pitch returns.

The key to a crisp deep voice and the credibility you get from possessing the power to sound like that is consistency. A permanent deep crisp voice is what most men want. It is little consolation for most men with this problem that their voice is comfortably deep and commanding in the mornings or the occasional morning. In fact, most of the positives and credibility you are ascribed by others is completely wiped out and neutralized after a few squeaky sentences.

People simply seem to warm to a man with a deep crisp voice. There is a tendency to trust easily and the voices sound confirms that trust with every syllable. Conversely, a man with a squeaky or inconsistent voice suffers the judgment and assessment of others as being weak, or even untrustworthy.

This plays a big role when applying for jobs or applying for a bank loan for a house. Business dealings run smoother and in your way when your voice is deep crisp and smooth. Getting a deep voice is crucial for most men. There are many avenues that can be taken, from singing lessons to speech therapy, however they all take quite a while... years of commitment and dutiful practice to achieve satisfactory results.

Industries Pioneered by Immigrants Prove America Still World's Center For Opportunity

My first job after service in the Marine Corps was with the Revlon Cosmetic Company. Revlon was founded by the iconic business man and fashion arbiter of the day, Charles Revson. The business in the 1940's, 1950's and 1960's was totally identified with Mr. Revson; his lavish lifestyle, marriages, famous temper and hugely successful product launches were regularly trumpeted by the business press of the day.

Charles Revson was a visionary. He was exceedingly difficult to work for, almost impossible to please and volcanic in his temperament. And yet, his employees were amazingly loyal and to this day there is a fraternity of old colleagues who stay in touch and regularly reminisce about the old days working for the "Old Man". As tough as he was to work for, he was nevertheless exceedingly generous to those who could stick it out and help build his dream franchise.

Revlon was the first cosmetic conglomerate, completely dominating the fine department store sales channel. Etherea, Bill Blass, Norell, Charlie, Ultima II and the eponymous Revlon brands sold briskly to fashionable women all over the world. In those days you could not find Revlon products in drug stores or mass merchandisers. Mr. Revson preached the trilogy for his product's placement: space, location, and demonstration. This meant premium position in prime department store real estate with a well-trained beauty advisor ready to assist consumers.

Mr. Revson was a second-generation Jewish immigrant. He was one of many such immigrants (first or second generation) that created the modern cosmetic industry. Helena Rubenstein, George Barrie (Faberge), Francois Coty, Germaine Monteil, and Max Factor all launched cosmetic brands that enjoyed great international success. Amazingly, after the death of each of these pioneers, their Companies suffered from a lack of entrepreneurial creativity and suffered dramatic declines.

Each of these visionary entrepreneurs found in America the ingredients to create a stew that could only be cooked in this country. The opportunity to succeed, or fail, with creativity, hard work, courage and the ability to recognize and leverage market opportunities was, and is, uniquely American. Mr. Revson often said that he could never have created such an enterprise in his family's native Poland and loved and revered America until the day he died.

The movie business greatly parallels the developmental history of the cosmetic industry. Sam Goldwyn, Harry Cohn, the Warner Brothers, Carl Laemmle and Mack Sennett came to this country with nothing and built the great studios, developed the star system and created product distribution channels that are largely still used today. These creative giants made major contributions to America by entertaining fans, promoting the star system, and generating thousands of jobs and support industries where none had previously existed.

Today, we see many instances where immigrants have found this country to provide the perfect amalgam of resources, talent, technical support and educational opportunity to base and launch a new enterprise. Sun Microsystems, JDS Uniphase, Google and Yahoo are just a smattering of famous tech company names that owe their existence in part to an immigrant founder. Biotechnology, medical technologies, engineering, finance and banking are industries that are heavily populated with successful entrepreneurs from Asia, Europe and Israel. America, and the world, is a better place for their contributions.

Immigrants, both legally and illegally, make super human efforts to get to America, and for a great reason. This is still the land of opportunity for those willing to work, take risk and pursue their goals and dreams. Polls tell us that Americans are dispirited, the country is on the wrong track and needs a new direction. As an American, I am embarrassed. Just being born in this country is a winning lottery ticket. People all over the world know this and many will do anything, even risk their lives, to get inside our borders.

Chinese immigrants have created a wonderful tradition of successfully building laundry and restaurant businesses in America. Koreans are amazingly prosperous green grocers. Vietnamese own thousands of independent liquor stores. The Cambodian immigrants dominate the doughnut shop business on the West Coast. Pakistani immigrants own a significant percentage of the convenience stores in the country. Indian ownership of roadside inns and hotels at virtually every highway interchange is famously detailed. Mexican owned Mexican restaurants are everywhere and native Americans flock to them.

These immigrant groups come to this country for the obvious opportunity that exists every day and every where. Opportunity that native Americans claim no longer exists. These immigrants network, work long hours, plan, learn an industry and save the seed money necessary to bootstrap their start-up businesses. The same steps that Charles Revson, Isaac Singer, Levi Strauss, Sam Goldwyn and countless other immigrant entrepreneurs took to launch their enterprises are now being undertaken by this new wave of immigrant entrepreneurs, and it could only be accomplished in America.

The immigrant presence in America, their participation in our economy and their enjoyment of the freedoms unique to America validate the fertility of our economic system. They also greatly benefit all of us by their enterprising efforts. There has never been a better time to be an entrepreneur and never a better place than America in 2008. Now we need native Americans to realize that the glass is way more than half full. Immigrants already know this.

Multiple Sclerosis - How Can MS Affect The Body?

Multiple sclerosis is a progressive, debilitating disease. It is an unpredictable disease of the nervous system that disrupts communication between the brain and other parts of the body. It is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system (which is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves). Multiple sclerosis is not a fatal disease. It is a potentially debilitating disease in which your body's immune system eats away at the protective sheath or myelin that covers the nerves. Multiple sclerosis is a progressive, debilitating disease. It is a disease that affects the transmission of nerve impulses in the central nervous system. It is the most common neurological disorder among adults involving central nervous system dysfunction. This interferes with the communication between your brain and the rest of your body. When the myelin is destroyed, nerve messages are sent more slowly and less efficiently.

Most people experience their first symptoms of MS between 18 - 45 years of age. About 400,000 Americans have MS. The symptoms may mysteriously occur and then disappear. Symptoms may be mild, such as numbness in the limbs, or severe, such as paralysis or loss of vision. Still, MS symptoms can negatively affect quality of life.

Its effects can range from relatively mild in most cases to somewhat disabling to devastating. It's natural course is unpredictable. The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS are unpredictable and vary from one person to another. Except in rare cases of severe disease, most people with multiple sclerosis have a normal or near-normal life span and usually die from the same conditions (heart disease, cancer) that affect the general population. In severe cases, a person who has MS may lose the ability to write, speak, or walk. Ultimately, this may result in deterioration of the nerves themselves, a process that's not reversible. Most people with MS will be able to continue to walk and function at their work for many years after their diagnosis. Some people are minimally affected by the disease while others experience rapid progress to total disability. It is difficult to predict how multiple sclerosis will progress in any one person.

The vast majority of patients with multiple sclerosis are mildly affected, but in the worst cases, multiple sclerosis can render a person unable to write, speak, or walk. The factors associated with the mildest course of MS are being female, having the relapsing-remitting form, having the first symptoms at a younger age, having longer periods of remission between relapses, and initial symptoms of decreased sensation or vision rather than of weakness or incoordination. A physician can diagnose multiple sclerosis in some patients soon after the illness begins. The condition tends to be more common in white women and people who live in temperate climates. Multiple sclerosis is a central nervous system disorder affecting the brain, spinal cord and optic nerve. It is a chronic, generally lifelong autoimmune disorder that affects women at nearly double the rate of men. It is a complicated disease, and the onset of symptoms cannot be predicted accurately - not even close. Some victims experience mild symptoms and some victims experience extreme symptoms. Multiple sclerosis is a disabling disease that affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S. annually.

Blood Pressure Medications

Choosing blood pressure medications - This is the biggest dilemma one faces while going through high blood pressure disease. Most of the time your dilemma will be solved by your doctor, his expertise of disease and knowledge of your medical condition will decide what medication is suited best for your body. According to National High Blood Pressure Education Program has recommended established guidelines for high blood pressure. This is a coalition of doctors, professionals, and voluntary organizations and government.

The information about medication mentioned here may differ from what your doctor has advised you. This depend what level of high blood pressure you are having and in what medical condition you are in. There are people with other diseases apart from high blood pressure, in such cases it gets more complicated and this needs to be treated with combination multiple drugs.

Pre-Hypertension (120/80 - 139/89)

This is the stage when one starts developing high blood pressure. There are no major sign, which will tell you that you are having high blood pressure. If this remains undetected, this has chance of growing into high blood pressure. Undetected high blood pressure is dangerous situation and can lead to heart failure and kidney failure.

At this stage with changes in lifestyle focusing on eating and exercise can reduce high blood pressure. Ensure you are in touch with your doctor; proper diet plan and changes in lifestyle will help you in lowering high blood pressure.

Changes needed in your lifestyle are as follows:

1. Low intake of salt and sodium in your diet.

2. Stop smoking.

3. Eat lots of vegetables, fruits and low fat diary products.

4. Excess weight in your body does no good to you; it puts more pressure on heart to pump blood into vessels. Maintain healthy weight.

5. Daily exercise is needed for 30 minutes and more. In the beginning you can break this exercise into 2 or 3 parts spread across the day. There can be many ways you can do exercise, starting with simple brisk walk, dog walking, swimming, light exercise running etc. Please take doctor's advice before doing any active exercise.

6. Stop alcohol drinks, no good to your health.

In case you have other diseases along with prehypertension, you might need medication; your doctor will be in better position to advise you about medication.

High blood pressure (140/90 to 159/99)

Stage 1 of diseases

Once your blood pressure numbers are between 140/90 and 159/89 you have progressed from prehypertension to stage 1 high blood pressure. I both numbers (top - systolic and bottom - diastolic) are high or in this range leads to stage 1 of high blood pressure.

At this point your doctor may recommend you trying diuretics. The diuretics are also called water pills. The objective of diuretics is to flush excess water and sodium from the body. The lowering of excess water and sodium helps in lowering the blood pressure and with major changes in lifestyle will help in reducing blood pressure.

Doctor will recommend you medication and changes in lifestyle to control your blood pressure. Depending upon medical condition you might need only diuretic medication with changes in lifestyle to control your blood pressure.

Blood Pressure Drugs:

Calcium Channel Blockers - The goal of the drug is to prevent calcium going into heart and blood vessel, which causes cells to relax and lowers blood pressure.

Beta Blockers - This drug helps in reducing nerve signal to heart and blood vessel, which in turn helps in lowering blood pressure.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme - This drug helps blood vessel to relax and helps blood vessel not to narrow. This drug is also helpful in reducing blood pressure.

Your doctor may recommend you one of these medications to bring down blood pressure. There can be other complications such as one suffering from diabetes etc. In such situation a combination of drug is needed to reduce blood pressure.

High blood pressure (160/100 to Above)

Stage 2 of diseases

Now if your blood pressure numbers are falling in the range of 160/100 and above, this is alarming situation. You now are in stage 2 category. At this point your doctor will prescribe you couple of medications to quickly reduce high blood pressure. Even in this case your doctor will start medication with diuretics to flush out excess water and sodium from the body. Keeping your high blood pressure number in view, your doctor will prescribe you more medication to lower blood pressure.

Blood Pressure Drugs:

Beta Blocker - This drug helps in reducing nerve signal to heart and blood vessel, lowering stress on heart helps lowering blood pressure.

ACE inhibitor - This drug helps blood vessel from getting narrow, which lowers pressure on heart and lowers blood pressure.

Calcium Channel Blocker - The drug prevents calcium going into heart and blood vessel. This helps cells to relax and which in turn lowers blood pressure.

Angiotensin II receptor blocker - This medication helps in widening blood vessel and stops hormone called angiotensin from affecting blood vessels.

At such higher elevation blood pressure can cause kidney failure and heart stroke problems. In stage 2 hypertension, aggressive treatment and strong discipline for lifestyle in needed to lower blood pressure.

Take control of your medical situation by consulting doctor in early stages and bringing changes in your lifestyle. The medication and changes in lifestyle go hand in hand; strong discipline will surely lower blood pressure. Lastly monitor your blood pressure, at least 2-3 times a day. Do not depend entirely on this blood monitoring equipment and at no point discard visit to Doctor. Your doctor is best to judge your medical situation. The statistics have shown that a combination of good drugs and changes in lifestyle have helped patient to lower blood pressure.