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Steele's Stuff (simple enough)

Febuary 16 2007 ... Louisiana Ranks dead last ! It is all around us, we see it, breathe it, and live it everyday; we are residents of the tradition rich and culturally diverse state of Louisiana. Speaking on behalf of my family, friends, and myself, I can say without doubt that the vast majority of us love living here. However, it is ironic that the very state we are so prideful of ranks near the bottom of the list in education, roadways, increased population, murders and in people below the poverty line. In 2005, the most recent date that a study of this type was presented, Louisiana ranked number two in the nation for people below the poverty line according to the United States Census Bureau. Louisiana had a population of 19.8 percent that was below the poverty line. The only state that had a larger percentage below the poverty line was Mississippi with 21.3 percent. After observing that Louisiana ranks number two in poverty among the rest of the nation, we must analyze the unemployment rate in Louisiana. Louisiana also ranks low in unemployed citizens and is number two according to the same study. Along with poverty comes depression, and with depression, crime rates increase drastically. Louisiana ranked number one in murders and violent crimes in 2005. Statistically, 17 out of 100,000 people will have a chance of being murdered this year in Louisiana. This equates to one murder for every 5882 people every year! These are very surprising, scary, and morbid numbers for many Louisiana residents. Sadly though, these numbers are even larger since hurricane Katrina. So the burning question is “What causes poverty, which leads to depression, then leads to a contributing factor for a high crime rate?” The answer lies in our education system. We rank number 47 in the country for people who have a bachelor’s degree or better. Only 19.7 percent of all Louisiana residents have this degree or better. Compared to our neighbors to the west, Texas at 36.3 percent; there is something we are not doing correct. Perhaps we are not paying our teachers enough, we rank only 45 in teacher pay average in the country, or perhaps ethnicity is part to blame since only 66.1% of Louisiana is Caucasian. There are many possible causes for our low education levels, but if Louisiana does not fix its education system one may see a lot more poverty, as well as a lot more crime. As more poverty and more crime enter our state, more people are saying goodbye to Louisiana. We rank last in population increase from 2000 to 2005. Louisiana lost 4.4% of its total population in only 5 years. These numbers are currently even higher from the effects of Hurricane Katrina. Losing population is very negative because we also lose valuable tax money those people could have generated to fix our roads and highways, improve our education and teacher pay, and/or make our police force more stable and stronger. Louisiana’s sales tax is the highest in the nation, but we rank near last in home and property tax. It seems as if we don’t mind paying a large sales tax because it is small and only gradually adds up, but one lump sum payments of home or property tax scares us. The public consensus in Louisiana is that taxes are the enemy because they take our money. What many people don’t realize is that the very thing that we complain most about is possibly the only thing that can help us. Most of our problems, near inadequate education, low grade highways and roads, large crime rates, and high unemployment rates, can all be solved simply by investing more money into our state. We can do this by voting on laws to add certain taxes in our state. I don’t think anyone enjoys having money taken out from our hard earned pay checks every month, but I also don’t believe that anyone enjoys driving on bumpy roads everyday. We truly live in a great state; we have a heritage unlike any other place in the world. We know how to have fun and we have a very diverse and unique culture. With everyone doing there part, we can make Louisiana a more beautiful and more enjoyable place to live or visit for everyone!

WAR ON IRAQ

BY:Steele J Tortorich 10/18/03 The current war with Iraq was not only necessary for the well being of the United States, but was also inevitable. If the war with Iraq did not occur now, it would occur in a later period of time at a higher magnitude of what it is today. Let’s face it, Iraq did not have a good economy, and Saddam Hussein was not doing much to help his country. There was also the threat of Hussein possibly hiding illegal weapons from the United Nations. George Bush knew what road Hussein and his country was going down, and he also knew where that road would lead. If American troops did not go into Iraq, the problems they have now would of only grew, and those problems would have been much harder to fix. There is a great deal of controversy on the number of soldiers that we should bring to Iraq. Some people say there are to many soldiers there, others say there are not enough. The way to predict the right amount of soldiers to send depends on the number of Iraqi troops and the strength of those troops. It is wiser to send more troops opposed to not enough troops because bringing fewer troops will cause them to be out numbered and will result in more deaths and casualties. Many people are opposed to the way President George Bush is handling the situation in Iraq, but the truth is he is doing everything that he sent troops in the country to do. The Presidents plan was to search for illegal weapons, free the Iraqi’s, and rebuild the nation with a new form of government. We have already freed Iraqi’s from Saddam Hussein and are currently in the rebuilding stage of the President’s plan, but unfortunately we have not found any weapons of mass destruction. It has been said that Hussein may have hidden the weapons but this is not a sure fact. Because of the fact that we did not find weapons of mass destruction many people are angry that we are funding this war. They feel as if they are throwing away money. So, I ask you this question, " How much money is a human life worth?" The answer is simple, All of it. Nothing materialistic is worth more than a human life. With out proper funding all of our troops will suffer greatly and the rebuilding stage will take much longer. It’s appalling that some of the people in this country will not stand by their countries choices, but rather complain about the decisions made with out having another decent plan. America had every right to step on Iraqi soil and fight this war. We learned in World War II that if there is a conflict in one part of the World it would also effect you in some way eventually along the line. Without fighting this war Iraq’s problems would soon spread to another neighboring country then it would happen to a country connected with them, this would keep happening until it finally effected the United States, the whole world. Currently we are in the rebuilding stage of Iraq. Once again there is a controversy of the number of soldiers that should be in the country. We should keep enough soldiers there to keep the nations people civilized, but also as conditions begin to get better we should take a few soldiers back and continue to do this until conditions are unobtrusive. Although the president’s plan is not completely finished, in the future I see a stronger country both economically and intellectually.

MISSION MOON

By:Steele J Tortorich Summer of 2004 Unfinished Chapter 1
Jimmy! Jim!, wake up its already 7:30 and your late for school !, said mother. The bed felt so warm and cozy that i didn't even want to move an inch, but somehow I managed to get myself out from under the covers and on to the ground. I knew i had to rush because school starts at 8:00 and it usally takes me 20 min. to get dressed and another 10 min. to get to school. So, I dashed into the bathroom as fast as a half asleep person could. I took a quick glance at the clock which read 7:32 and brushed my teeth in 2 min. flat. After this i ran back in my room and pulled on my jeans, which had several holes in them as a result of last weeks fishing trip i went on with my dad. My dad worked as a fisherman and every so often i would go to the dock with him and help him catch fish. Next, I slipped on my favorite shirt. Not only was this my favorite shirt but also my lucky shirt, every where ive worn this shirt something lucky had happened to me. My shirt was orange with blue stripes running across it. I took a quick glance in the mirror and i seemed to look decent. I could hear my Mom yelling down stairs for me to hurry up, so i threw my shoes onto my feet, grabbed my bookbag, ran down the stairs and i was out the door. When i reached the door I ran to my mothers car and hopped in. When the car started i heard the radio shout "Good Morning Mayfield, Florida ! It's 7:40 and the temperature is a beautiful 76 degrees." I took a sigh of relief because I knew i would definitly make it to school on time. School was nearly over now, only 3 days left until summer vacation. My sister, Sarah, is graduating this year with top honors in her class at Mayfield high school. Sarah is "the perfect one". She looks like your typical Miss perfect, shes tall, has blonde hair, and is very skinny. Now don't forget after school we have to go to your sisters graduation it starts at 6:00, mother said. Yeah, yeah i know, i said ungreatfully. She always wins all of the awards why don't they just mail them to our house so we won't have to take the trouble of carring them?, i said laughing. Jimmy Michael Taylor!, you should be very proud of your sister's accopliments, not every family has a top graduating daughter in there family. I know i know, i said. For as far back as i can remember i always thought that Sarah was the favorite out of the two of us. She would always get praised extra when she did something good, as for myself i would never get as much regonignition as i thought i should, at least not as much as her. Well Jimmy, said mother, you made it to school on time, i hope you have a wonderful day and i'll pick you up at 3:00 right here. Ok, thanks mom. Finally I made it to school at 7:51. I was so excited that i would be a 6th grader for only 3 more days. When i walked through the gates of MayField Middle School i saw my best friend Ron also just arriving at school so i went catch up with him. Ron was a tall lankey kid with short brown hair who is a very tough and adventurous kid. I remember last summer when me and Ron went skateboarding, although he's not as good of a skater as I am, he was never afraid to do any trick that i attempted. He fell a bunch of times but he got back up like nothing had happened. Most guys would of quit after just falling once or twice, but not Ron he stook with it and now he is just as good as me. Hey Ron. Hey Jim whats up? Can you belive we only have 3 more days left until summer? i said. Yeah i know Jim, i can't wait until i can sleep past 7 o clock and skate board all day, Wow! its going to be awsome, Ron exclaimed. RINGGG! The bell rang for homeroom so me and Ron hurried off to class. The day at school went by slower then usual, and to make matters worse the school lunch was extra disgusting today. It was Watery Mashed potatoes with a piece of mystery meat. It scares me how the mystery meat tastes different every week so i decided to skip the meat and settle for its evil side kick, the watery mashed potatoes. Me and Ron sat together at the lunch table and talked about what each of us were going to do this summer. After the bell rang for us to go back to class, me and Ron walked to Mr.Harpers Georgraphy class. I sat through 3 hours of classes just day dreaming about the summer and all the fun i would be having and hoping the teacher wouldnt call on me to answer a question because i wasnt paying much attention. Luckly i was never called on, it must of been because i was wearing my lucky shirt. The bell rang for us to leave school so i was on my way out. I sat on the bench and waited for my mom. It now said 3:20 on my watch and most of the kids had left the school by now, I guess she is running late today, I thought to myself. As i was sitting down i seen a man dressed in a black suit. He was short, had black hair, appeared to be in his 30's and he seemed to be looking at me. I found it kind of strange that such a wealthy looking man would be staring at me in such a strange way but i was more concerned about where my mom was, so i didnt worry much about him. I waited for a few more minuites until finally she pulled up. I opened the car door and got in. Im so sorry Jim, mother said, your dad called and said his truck wasnt working so i had to go pick him up at the dock and bring him back home. No problem mom i wasnt waiting very long anyway, I said. Well thats good honey, mother said. My dad drove the same truck since he was in high school, it was an old, rusty, fish smelling, blue 1979 Ford. My dad called it old faithful, but all of us, including Dad knew it was time to get a new one. On the way back home I noticed a white limozein which appeared to be following us, but i kept it to myself and didnt tell Mom. The limo followed us until we pulled into our drive way. When i got out of the car to look for the limo it vanished mysteriously. That was the last i saw of it. Chapter 2
I kept thinking about the man in the suit that i saw at school and the limozein that followed up home. I couldn't help but think that the two were somehow connected to each other. I tried to forget about the strange occurances, I told myself that they were just coincidences. When Mom and I walked in the house Dad was sitting on the couch watching TV, while Sarah was stressing out about how she looked in her graduation gown. Mom!, do i look alright?, sarah asked panicing. I have never seen a more beautiful sight in my life, Mom said. Don't you agree steve? Yeah honey, Dad said not paying much attention. Dad was more focused on the TV. Hey yall come see this, Dad said excited. We all gathered around the TV. It was an advertisement for a new reality TV show called "Mission Moon". There picking two families to live on the Moon for 2 months and compete for cash and prizes, Dad said. The Moon? Me Mom and sarah asked surprised together. Yeah, isn't that amazing, Dad exclaimed. No way, Scientist don't know yet if the Moon is even safe for a family to live on for 2 months, sarah said certain. They must know something if they are doing a show about it, i said. I guess your right Jim, but it still seems dangerous, sarah said. If they can put a man on the Moon i don't see why they can't put a family on the Moon the same way, Dad said. After that we put the topic to rest and talked to Sarah about her graduation. By the time we all finished talking it was 4:30. We decided it would be best if Dad, Mom, and I got dressed now so we would have enough time to make it to her graduation at 6. So I ran up stairs to my room and put on a blue button down shirt with a pair of tan pants. When i was done putting on my clothes, i went to the bathroom to comb my hair. My hair was Dark brown and very wavy, I didn't like my hair much but i suppose it is better then being bald. After I combed my hair, I slipped on my dress socks and my dress shoes. I was fully dressed and ready now, so i decided to go downstairs and watch TV until Mom and Dad were ready to leave. When i went down i seen Sarah in the bathroom combing her hair. I sat there watching her for about 5 minuites, she might of combed her hair nearly a thousand times,but it still looked the same to me. After a while i got tired of watching her stress out about her hair, so i turned on the TV. I flipped through all the channels three times but nothing good was on. Mom and Dad finally walked out of there room ready. Dad wore a sports coat with a pair of black pants. Mom wore a pretty purple dress, the same one she wore to most special occasions. Sarah are you ready for your big day, Dad asked. I-II think ssso Daddy, she said stuttering somewhat. Now honey i know you are nervous but you are going to look great out there, and just remember we are all so proud of you, Mom said. Thanks Mom and Dad yall are truely the best parents anyone could ever have. Before i could hear anymore of there conversation i had gone outside to wait in Mom's car. She always sucked up to them like that. I wonder if my parents knew she was sucking up to them or did they think she actually meant the things she sayed? I love my parents and i think that they are wonderful, but i don't tell them that they are the best parents anyone could ever have everyday! Maybe i should start sucking up then i could be the favorite. Not long after i got in the car, Mom, Dad, and Sarah got in the car. Dad drove, Mom sat on the passenger side, and Sarah and I sat in the back seats. Dad started the car, we buckled our seat belts, then we were on our way to Mayfield High School for Sarah's Graduation. Chapter 3
The ride to Mayfield High School was much longer than the ride to Mayfield Middle School, not to mention much more boring. For most of the ride there we didn't talk much, we all had different things on our minds. Dad was thinking about how he was going to fix his truck, Mom was thinking about Sarah's graduation, Sarah was thinking about how she looked in her gown, and i was thinking about how bored i would be for the next hour or so at the graduation. We were about half way to Mayfield High School. Suddenly, a limozein pulled out onto the highway from a side rode. From what i saw the limo was white with black tented windows, the same as the limo i seen earlier today. I knew now that this was no coincidence. This limo was really following us, but why ? I couldn't keep it to myself no longer, I had to tell someone. Dad, why do you think that limozein is following us? i asked. Well Jim, I'm not really sure, maybe they are from out of town and are going to the graduation, Dad said. Bingo! , that must of been it, I thought to myself. He wasn't following us after all, they were just going to the same place we were, the graduation. After about 30 min. of driving we finally made it to Mayfield High School. Dad was right after all, the limo pulled into the parking lot. We got out of the car; Me, Mom, and Dad entered the auditorium, while Sarah went off with her classmates. I wanted to see the people who got out of the limo, but by the time i seen the limozein door open we had already entered the auditorium.

2+2+2=6 Pack Abs By: Steele J. Tortorich 8/20/04 Before you begin reading this article you must be prepared to work hard to get the results you want, if you are not willing to do this stop reading and press your back button. If you continued reading and are ready to work hard to get great results then anticipate bussing your "abs" for the results you want, one abdominal section at a time. Are you ready for great abs?Are you ready to transform your keg into something you can show off ? If the answer to these questions are yes then this article is for you. When most people are asked which part of there body they would like to make more defined chances are abs will be one of the main concerns named. Contrary to what some people belive EVERYONE has abs, the goal is losing the body fat to make the abs more visible and/or strengthening the abdominal muscles to get the look you want. Most people belive that a simple 150 crunches a day will give you quick abs...WRONG. First of all regular crunches target mainly your upper abs, and usually people have fat to lose in there mid section to even make there abs noticeable. To start off there are 3 main parts of the abdominal area. Upper Abs Lower Abs Obliques Targeting each part of your abs with different exercises is 100 times more effective then just doing regular crunches. Targeting one part of your Abs at different times is a lot easier and works a lot better then going about doing all three at once, this enables your abs to receive a longer resting period and will make your abdominal section appear more defined. Imagine you are baking cakes, Ask your self what is easier , baking one cake each day or three cakes each day ? One cake right? If you bake three cakes each day you will be tired of baking (unless you just enjoy baking cakes). The same goes with abs or any other body part for that matter. Abs recover quickly from a workout but they still require some rest to gain results. Now that you have a better understanding of your abdominal lets get down to business. Here are a few basic exercises (but not all) that will target each section of your abdominal area and a brief description of each. First the Upper abs UPPER ABS Basic Crunch (You should know this but incase someone doesn't, lie on your back with your knees bent your hands should be on the back of your head, using your upper abs your chest bone should be aimed toward your belly button then slowly lower yourself to the same position that you started out with) Next the Lower abs LOWER ABS Reverse Crunch (The name says it all instead of bringing your head and upper body up to your legs you are bringing your legs up to your upper body) Hip ups (You are on the floor with your legs straight up, you roll your legs until they are over your chest and finally over your head then you slowly bring them back to starting position) Finally the Obliques OBLIQUES Side Crunch (Lay on your back with your knees bent as if u were about to do a crunch, keep your knees together and let them fall to your right and make sure your head and chest are facing upward. Crunch towards the side that your legs are on with your head in an up position , turn your legs the other way to work your other obliques) Now that you know what excersises to use to work your abs the next thing you need to know is when, how often, and which abs to work on which days. --Here is an example abdominal routine that you can add to your current workout. (The cardio is added for those who have body fat to lose.) Monday Reverse crunches 3 sets of 15 Hip ups 3 sets of 15 20 Min. cardio at 65% of full effort (Doing this in the morning on an empty stomach will give you best results) Tuesday Basic Crunch 3 sets of 30 20 Min. cardio at 65% Wednesday Side crunch 3 sets of 20 for each side 20 Min. on cardio at 70% Thursday 20 Min cardio at 70% Friday Reverse Crunch 2 sets of 10 Hip ups 1 set of 15 Basic crunch 3 sets of 10 Side crunch 3 sets of 10 Saturday & Sunday - off Along with this workout be sure to be on a healthy diet that does not exceed your daily calorie needs. Staying away from large amounts of refined breads and grains will also help. If you work hard and follow my instructions there is no doubt that you will have great abs in no time. Have a question ??? E-mail me at steeleforreal@yahoo.com or AIM DisturbingIrving .

Learning the basics(unfinished)By:Steele J Tortorich 1/1/05 So i guess if you are reading this you are a newbie to the workout world.... no problem, we all need to start somewhere just be happy u started here. Here i will tell you everything u need to know to start you on the rode to building lean muscle mass and to start transforming your body into something you can show off to the opposite sex. Lets start with a few basic concepts that you will need to understand to build up that muscle.
1.Muscles take time to recover- Put simply, if your muscles do not get enough rest you will not get good results. Furthermore you should not workout the same body part more then once or twice a week (with the exception of abs).

2.Find an adequate nutrition plan- Everyones body is different and there is no "miricle diet" to be on to gain muscle or to accomplish any goal for that matter. You need to see what works for you specifically, but some helpful tips to gain muscle would be to; consume a gram of protein per pound of body weight per day, eat 5-7 small meals a day opposed to the traditional 3 meals a day, take a multivitamin, and take a whey protein supplement immediatly after your workout.

3.Get a spotter- A spotter can do wonders for any lifter, no only do they motivate you to lift more but they also reduce the risk of getting injured. Just be sure to get a spotter that is just as motivated to workout as much as you are.

Here's a basic workout split to follow (be sure to set the weight heavy or light enough to get the necessary number of repetitions needed for the particular exercise,this may take some experimentation.) Monday (Chest and triceps) Bench press 3 sets of 8-10 Tricep pushdowns 2 sets of 10-12 MoRe To cOmE SoOn Last Updated:1/3/05 Add 50 pounds to your max bench in 10 weeks with this easy program click here! -------IGNORE THIS BELOW------- The Knights Templar was a military Religious Order, basically they were monks that fought as there vow of chastity. They were founded in the year 1119AD, there goal was to protect Christian pilgrims visiting the Holy Land and to protect the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. The knights Templar were first established in Scotland by King David I. Their main head quarters in Scotland was at Maryculter in Kincardine-shire, which was founded by Walter Bisset in 1221AD. The Temple is a definite indication of their presence and influence in an area. In the 14th century the knights Templar were so powerful and wealthy they had become almost like Europe's bank, before this time there secondary name was The Poor Knights of Christ. Due to this they were thought to have become heretics and King Philip 4th of France induced Pope Clement 5th at Avignon in southern France to expel them in 1307. King Robert 1st of Scots, known as The Bruce, offered them safety in return for support in his struggle with England. Although primary source material has not been found, there is strong evidence that it was the knights Templar who led the charge of Sma' folk at Bannockburn and it was the Knights in cavalry charge, with their trade mark white crosses on their shields, rather than the Sma' folk that led the English troops to stop fighting and run in terror. If they were coming in only when Scottish victory seemed likely there was some major deal with Bruce. King Edward 2nd of England took away all their property in England in 1315AD, another strong indication that they were at Bannockburn. From Bannockburn until the Reformation in 1560AD they acted as parish clergy in many of Scottish parishes including in the collegiate church called Rosslyn Chapel. They also acted as parish clergy at Inchinnan in Renfrewshire and several of them are buried at the Renfrew end of the runway of the present Glasgow Airport where All Hallows Church of Scotland had to be torn down when the runway was built, because it was in the direct flight path. Several Templar tombstones were removed at that time to the replacement church which is St Conval's Church of Scotland, Inchinnan, and are in the Church grounds. KNIGHTS TEMPLAR By:Steele Tortorich When most people think of knights of the mid evil times things that may come to mind are; heroic men serving there king, country, and God, superior people that were looked up to and well respected by all in the castle, or a knights many amors which were used to protect himself from injuries during battle. Knights played a significant role in protecting their castle from other knights trying to conquer them. Protecting the castle required knights to fight barbaricly against one another, this type of fighting is nearly impossible to survive without protective armor to insure the knights safety. For a knight to be able to serve his king some type of armor would be needed to provide safety for the knight and to reduce injuries in battle, more injuries in battle means less time protecting the castle, resulting in the kingdom falling apart because no one would be effectively defending the castle. This is why a knights Templar was so vital to the success of both the knight and the castle. Knight's armor went through many changes throughout the mid evil times. In the 1100's, many knights used an armor called mail. Mail is described as very little chains linked together to make one big suit of armor. These suits took on average about five to seven years to make. These suits also took a lot of money to make, the wealthier the knight the better armor he would receive. The mail itself weighed about twenty to thirty pounds for only the chest, arms, and back. When the knights were in battle the mail guarded mainly arrows but was not very effective for anything else, because of this armorers made plate armor. Plate armor was only used in the sensitive parts that could not take as many hard blows. Those suits lasted until the 1400's and then they started to make full body suites out of plate armor. There were two main types of helmets, some that covered the face and some that did not. Many helmets had decorations on them. Along with knights, horses had to wear armor too. The horses wore the armor around their neck and head. Knights had to wear padded doublet, tied with satin and strips around their knees to keep it from rubbing. On average, it took a squire an hour to put on a full suit of armor. It is very obvious that a knights Templar played a large roll in the safety and the effectiveness of the knight. Without knights Templar the mid evil times would have had much bloodier battles and would have appeared more gruesome then it already was at that time. Our Commitment to You At TYT.COM, We Commit To Giving Our Clients (You!) The Best Service Possible. We Hope That You Will Be Just As Excited About Our Service As We Are To Offer It To You. However, If For Any Reason You Are Not 100% Completely Satisfied With The Text Your Trainer Service, We Will Gladly Refund Your Money*. 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