The Gambler's Toolbox

August 24th, 2010 by bryan

Why choose Buenos Aires?  Because it is the capital of Argentina?  Because it has more than 4 million people and is one of the biggest cities in the world?  Or maybe it’s the lure of the tango that is drawing you in or tales of the best steaks in the world that have you salivating.  Whatever it was that originally piqued your interest in this grand city, one thing has remained certain for years: once your arrive, you will never want to leave.

It has been said that arriving in Buenos Aires is like jumping onto a moving train.  The vibe throughout the entire city is one of energy; a rhythm that creates the sensation of adventure that time and time again leaves travelers wanting more. 

A person can spend months in Buenos Aires and never see the entire city.  Neighborhoods like La Boca deliver Buenos Aires’ explosive personality bursting with color and dancing in the streets; Recoleta offers wide Green spaces, fine dining and upscale shopping; Palermo Hollywood is loaded with nighttime action and daytime art; San Telmo is one of the oldest parts of the city with cobble-stoned streets, cafés on every corner and weekend markets; Belgrano provides a quieter space in the city perfect for daytime strolls and people watching.  As you can see, BA neighborhoods differ greatly from one another; this is just another reason why the city as a whole is so unique.

There is not a bad time of the year to visit Buenos Aires.  Come in the Spring and take advantage of the outdoor markets and sidewalk entertainment; come in the Winter and cozy up to the city´s thriving café culture or dance all night in the bariloches; come in the Fall to visit the theater and explore the city’s museums or come in the Summer and experience long summer nights South American-style.    

 For whatever the reason you choose to visit Buenos Aires, taking some time to learn the language is a must.  Did you know that Spanish is the official language of 21 countries with more than 400 million native speakers world wide?  There is not a better place to learn Spanish than at Íbero Spanish School www.iberospanish.com.  We are an internationally and nationally recognized school offering intimate class sizes and professional educators trained to teach Spanish as a second language.  Many of our professors have had years of experience teaching here at Íbero and have had dramatic results with our students.  “We have created a wide range of Spanish programs and eight books, one per level of Spanish, which align perfectly with our system of evaluation and instruction” says Florencia Bozzano, Director of Íbero and Founder.

Our courses are unique because we provide our own, self-published line of textbooks.  In other words, the professors´ teaching styles match the textbooks used in class to create a smooth and specialized learning process for each individual student. 

The school itself is located in the heart of the city.  We are blocks away from the city´s famous and impressive Obelisk, and 5 blocks from 3 of the city´s major avenues: Avenida Corrientes, Avenida de Mayo and the famous Avenida de 9 de Julio.  We offer comfortable classrooms; an inviting lobby with Internet and beverages, friendly and available staff to answer your questions and a sunny roof terrace to relax and chat with your classmates.  Because we are so centrally located, when you study here at Íbero Spanish School, you walk through the doors at the end of the day right into the action of the city.  Can you imagine a more exciting and memorable way to learn Spanish? 

www.iberospanish.com

info@iberospanish.com

August 24th, 2010 by bryan

Apple’s design sense has always been splendid; the iPhone 3G doesn’t break conformity. The first time you look at it; you’ll think iPod Touch on a high-fat diet. It’s better looking than its predecessor (the iPhone 2G). The black model we received was beautifully finished; thankfully the rear resists normal smudging and scratches. It’s not a very thick device but feels large to hold; although with a 3.5-inch screen this isn’t exactly a design flaw. Build quality is excellent. Quality of buttons and switches on the device are top-class. Even the SIM tray fits flush; attention to detailing is very good. The buttons on the sides, top and the headphone jack are chromed, and the black bezel and chrome trim add further visual appeal. Apple’s menu system is excellent with the single main menu button being perfectly functional. The 3G’s appeal lies in its blatantly simple and usable interface and the sheer joy and funkiness of a touch and finger swipe navigation system that works flawlessly. The proximity sensor and low-light sensor work flawlessly. The iPhone menus work well, but the on-screen keypad is a little small and you will make a few incorrect key taps for a month or so, which won’t please SMS junkies. The phones number pad is huge though; and you’d be a clod to goof up dialling numbers. SMS’ sent and received to and from a single number show up as a single entry with the last message exchanged as a preview; the rest of the messages are displayed in small green conversation boxes that become visible on selecting the relevant entry; a novel concept that takes getting used to. There is still no way to delete or select multiple messages. For some, the text entry box may also appear too small for practical use. If you try to edit a message after typing it out; the inbuilt magnifier helps as it magnifies the spot where your finger touches, but cursor navigation within the text body remains a tricky affair. You also cannot save a typed out SMS as a draft, and the inbuilt email option allows you to save multiple email IDs and password information for uick use; though the on-screen keyboard raises its ugly head again to spoil the party. Its Safari web browser is very basic — no support for Java or Flash. Copy/Pasting is also not supported — a serious omission. We also noticed that the touch interface works with fingers only, not a stylus or fingernails — ladies beware. If you think you can get a Bluetooth keyboard to make up for the on-screen keyboard, think again; the iPhone’s Bluetooth works with headsets only — no keyboard, and no file transfers. The bundled GPS and Google Maps work well in tandem — better than Nokia Maps. Apple’s inbuilt scheduler and cheap calnedar printing work well; as good as any PDA. A lot of games come preinstalled, but there’s no serious office application with document and spreadsheet support. Some of these applications slow down the phone — big time; though for the most part it’s fairly responsive. The iPhone is a decent phone when it comes to signal quality — it’s a little behind Nokia’s best Mobile Phones in this regard. Voice quality is pretty good but the volume is a little low. Sadly the loudspeakers’ quality is very bad — like a cheap CDMA unit — and a lot of distortion occurs when a voice call is put on loudspeaker. The headset looks like Apple’s earbud headphones but incorporates a small microphone unit that is compact enough to be easily missed. Voice quality on this handsfree unit is absolutely top notch; and the volume level is fantastic. The claimed battery talk time is ten hours; not true, we measured this to be more like five hours. MP3 quality is very good; no other Mobile Phone comes close. It has a gorgeous screen for video. Just make sure to ditch the bundled earplugs for music. Eight or 16 GB of inbuilt storage is enough for most; if it isn’t, you should remember that expansion is not an option. The camera is a mediocre 2 megapixels, and isn’t this phone’s forte — you can’t even record video! Sadly, the Apple iPhone 3G only comes as part of a service provider’s scheme — you cannot buy it unless you’re an Airtel or Vodafone customer. Our device was p

August 23rd, 2010 by bryan

Here we will discuss the best exercise to get rid of cellulite.  The fact that you’re looking for exercises to get rid of cellulite shows you’re on the right track.  Far too many women rely on scammy cellulite creams which don’t do anything to solve the problem.  Highly targeted exercise is by far the best way to get rid of cellulite.  Ask your doctor if you don’t believe me.  In this article, I’ll show you which exercise is the most effective way to get rid of cellulite, and why.

First of all, “cellulite” is just a word.  It’s a made up term to describe the orange peel look many women have on their thighs and butt.  Many marketers claim its a collection of toxins, excess water treatment for hemodialysis, or poor circulation.  This is all totally false.  Several clinical studies have shown its identical to any other fat.

The reason exercise is the best way to get rid of cellulite is because it helps to tone the muscles and skin in the problem areas.  Fat is very soft, and it bulges through the connective tissue under the skin.  Muscle is much harder and holds the skin taught.  It also helps increase metabolism and burn fat even while at rest.  In combination with some specific dietary changes, it can regulate harmful hormones, and tighten the skin in the problem areas as well.

Rather than relying on cardio exercises like running and biking, you should focus on resistance training.  Resistance training targets the specific muscles under the cellulite fat.  It also burns more fat than cardio and can improve body composition.  A highly targeted resistance training program will outperform a cardio program any day.  Plus, while it does burn fat and calories, it also tones and tightens your thighs and butt, which is always a plus.

The best exercise to get rid of cellulite will depend on your specific problem areas.  Women suffer from cellulite in different spots, so there will be different exercises that will be most effective.  A complete cellulite reduction program can be found HERE.