Shaping Your Bonsai - Wiring and Anchoring Techniques

An important part of the art of Bonsai is guiding the tree into the desired shape. If you follow the traditional Japanese style of Bonsai you will try to create a tree like one that can be found in nature, but you may exaggerate some of the elements for style purposes.

You will have to know what you want your tree to look like before you can start shaping it. You should be able create an image in your mind of exactly how you want your tree to appear. Once you have decided on the style and shape there are several methods used to guide your bonsai into the shape you desire.

Two very common and basic methods of shaping the tree are wiring and anchoring.

Wiring

When you wire a tree you use a metal wire to hold a section of the tree into the shape that you want. Wiring has the advantage of training the tree to the desired shape quicker than most other methods.

Since it is softer aluminum wire is used to wire most branches. When using aluminum wire you will need to use a thicker wire to hold the branch in place. The thicker wire is less likely to cut into the bark, which greatly reduces the risk of scarring. When training heavier branches or changing the shape of the trunk a stronger wire will be needed. In this case you will probably need to use copper or even steel wire.

To wire a branch you simply wrap the branch with wire and then gently bend it into the position that you want. You leave the wire in place to hold the branch until it is capable of holding that shape unassisted. Once you wire a branch you will need to watch it closely to be sure that the branch has not thickened to the point that the wire is cutting into the bark. You need to be especially vigilant with deciduous trees because they tend to thicken in spurts.

You should always start your wire on thicker branches and work your way up to the thinner ones.

Your wiring job will be more stable if you use one wire to wire two branches.

If you notice your wire getting tight remove it to avoid scarring. If the branch still will not stay in position you can re-wrap it to accommodate its new size. Anchoring

Frequently a branch that is several years old will be too thick, in this case wiring the branch will not be very effective. For branches like this anchoring will probably work better. Anchoring works by pulling the branch into the position you want and keeping it there.

You start by looping a wire or string over the branch you want to anchor. Any place that the string or wire touches the tree you will need to protect the bark by covering the wire or string with a soft rubber tube. The other end is secured to the container or another branch to hold the limb in the position you want. If you secure it to another branch be sure to use the protective tubing on this end as well, you also need to be sure that you do not pull the anchor limb out of it's position.

Everything you want to know about Bonsai Trees and Bonsai Plant
Visit our Bonsai Blog

Electricity is Human Thinking

Ever walk past your TV, radio or computer and feel a sense of identity and family? But they are inanimate, nonhuman and man-made, right?

Every thought, feelings and action in Homo sapiens originates from the electrical signals emitted by our brain cell circuits. An EEG created by Hans Berger, German scientist, measures your brainwaves (cycles per second (Hz).

Remember that your brain communicates with each cell of your body through electrical impulses (hormones, enzymes and neuropeptides). Further, we believe Consciousness is electrically producing mental-imagery in the occipital lobe and precuneous of your brain.

Google EMG (muscle electricity) and EKG (heart electricity).

Our commonality with our computer, TV, video game player, and telephone is in the use of electricity and electromagnetic fields as a source of energy.

Google Robert O. Becker, M.D. author of The Body Electric. There is scientific research on the use of weak electric currents to regenerate muscles and bones.

What is it

Electricity is the movement of a charge down a wire. In our neurons (nerve cells) the electric signal moves in the form of an Action-Potential. Inside the nerve cells is a negative charge produced by nano pumps moving charged Ions out of our cells.

We are constantly involved in polarizing and depolarizing Ions through Gates in our nerve membranes causing our muscle contractions for locomotion. Impulses are sent electrically from the Brain to all parts of the body through these Action Potentials by signaling our Central Nervous System.

Membranes have two types of proteins: Ion channels for Sodium (Na) outside the cell, and Potassium (K) inside the cell. When the nerve cell receives a stimulus, it opens some of its Ion channels. The second protein is called Transporters. ATP transports chemical energy within the cells for Metabolism.

Prove it

EEG (Electroencephalogram), EKG (Electrocardiogram), and EMG (Electromyogram) waves are methods to measure electric currents associated with electrical activity in your brain, heart and muscles from the outside.

No Alpha, Beta, Theta, Delta and Gamma cycles per second (Hz) registering in your brain and you are EEG history.

Measure it

(V) is for Voltage, (I) for Current, and R is for Resistance. Voltage is measured in volts, current in Amps, and resistance in Ohms. Electric power is measured in Watts.

Make it

Electrical energy in your nervous system is produced by chemical gradients across the membrane of the cells. We are very electrical. Your body and brain require and produce 10 watts of electricity 24/7 or else. Our fuel to produce life is glucose and oxygen.

Pineal and Pituitary

Two glands are exceptionally sensitive to light and electricity, the Pineal and the Pituitary. Your Pineal gland controls the chemical neurotransmitters of electrical impulses in the synapse of nerve cells. It runs both the Melatonin and Serotonin hormones.

Melatonin is involved in biorhythms and is activated by the amount of light received by your retina. Serotonin controls mood, emotion, sleep and appetite.

The Pituitary gland is called the master-gland because it releases hormones to regulate the mind and body through the other endocrine glands.

Finally, Mitochondria are a part of each cell producing energy for metabolism. It has its own DNA from your maternal genes, independent of the DNA in the cell nucleus. It creates energy in the form of ATP.

Mitochondria makes ATP through two chemical reactions: the citric acid cycle, converting carbohydrates and fatty acids into ATP and the other combining hydrogen and oxygen into more ATP.

Endwords

Nanoelectricity is a new field researched by Panasonic nanotechnology in Kyoto, Japan. The goal is to produce Bio-Nano fuel cells or human batteries. It is an attempt to strip the electrons from human blood glucose in the way we get energy from food.

How about converting the energy produced by your feet in walking to assist your heart to avoid going into overdrive?

Speed reading, is learning to read and remember three-books, articles and reports in the time others can hardly finish one. Is this a valuable competitive edge to move you to the fast lane?

Did you know Speed Reading is a right-brain dominant, psycho-motor skill?

Are you prepared to believe Alzheimers Disease is electrical at its core? We suggest you use it or lose it, meaning you must produce continuous learning activity to oil the electrical wheels (circuits) of your brain. But only if you wish to live cognitively into your nineties.

See ya,

Author of Speed Learning for Professionals, published by Barron's; partner of Evelyn Wood, creator of speed reading, graduating two million, including the White House staffs of four U.S. Presidents.

Interviewed by the Wall Street Journal and fortune Magazine for major articles.

http://www.speedlearning.org
hbw@speedlearning.org

Electric Horseman Are Getting Attention

 Another flyer came in my mailbox yesterday about a horse show. After quickly glancing at it, I threw it in the pile of magazines and "stuff" to be read at a later date.

I'm sure the content was carefully thought out to provide the information about the show classes and the printer spent time balancing the copy so that it was pleasing to the eye. It was printed on quality stock and had a mailing label neatly attached. It was mailed well in advance of the show date.

I spent little time looking at it because it was in living black and white and was just, yawn, boring. Don't misunderstand, printed black and white promotional material conveys the message adequately, if you can get my attention to read it.

Get my attention. That is a challenge for all people in business today. How do we get our customers' and prospects' attention?

Don't try to sell using "The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet" programming when the customer expects "Desperate Housewives".

Try putting some wow in your marketing for your: lesson program, training clinics, horses for sale, summer riding camp, horse show, Pony Club event by using an electronic approach. Gather e-mail addresses and start a newsletter like this one to stay in contact with your group. Add photos of last year's event to your horse show flyer. We love to see our pictures. Add links to your newsletter to your website for more information.

Remember that black and white flyer on my pile? If that flyer had come to me electronically, I would have been able to click on links to:

a website to see photos of the past event
read more information about the show including testimonials of past show participants
see a photo of the stabling available
mapquest to see how far away the show is
see availability for overnight lodging
read about the food available at the show and about the best place for dinner that serves tired, slightly horsey smelling diners
download an entry form in pdf format
have someone call me or answer a question via e-mail
read a list of vendors at the show
know who the farrier and vet on call are
You get the idea. Going electronic with your business marketing will give your business or event the excitement it needs to stand out from the hypnotic effect of black and white printed marketing. If you are trying to attract customers with Ozzie Nelson's three page manual on marketing maybe it's time to create a new buzz with colored fonts, e-mailed announcements, color photographs, a website with more information.

How can I help? Shout, call or e-mail me. Just DON'T write me a letter. Neither of us has time for that any more.
Doug Emerson helps Professional Horseman create more profit in less time. Free newsletter subscription at http://www.ProfitableHorseman.com

Electrical Jobs: Electrician Jobs

Without electricians, you would not be able to read this article on your computer in your home or apartment cooled by the air-conditioning system. Electricians are the people who install, connect, test, and maintain electrical systems for a large of purposes such as lighting, climate control, security, and communications. Most electricians tend to specialize either in construction or in maintenance work, even though an increasing number of electricians can do both. For electricians specialized in construction work, it mainly consists of installing wiring systems into newly built houses, businesses, and factories. But it consists also in rewiring or upgrading existing electrical systems as needed. For electricians specialized in maintenance work, it consists mainly in maintaining and upgrading existing electrical systems or repairing electrical equipment.

But maintenance work can vary greatly depending on where the electrician is employed. For instance, an electrician who works in a residential area will not to the same maintenance work than an electrician employed in a factory. The electricians specialized in residential work perform a large array of electrical work for homeowners including rewiring a home, replacing a broken fuse box, installing new lighting and other electric household items. As for electricians specialized in factory work, they will have to repair motors, transformers, generators, and electronic controllers on machine tools and industrial robots.

How to become an electrician? In order to become an electrician, you will have to complete an apprenticeship electrician program typically lasting 4 to 5 years. During this apprentice electrician program, students alternate between on-the-job training with related classroom instruction. Most apprenticeship electrician programs are sponsored by union organizations. After the completion of the apprenticeship electrician programs, you can either specialize in maintenance or construction work, or do both.

In the U.S., there were about 656,000 electricians in 2004 including two-thirds of wage and salary workers specialized in the construction work and the balance worked as maintenance electricians in other industries. Besides prospects for electrical engineers are very good since jobs are expected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations through 2014.

? 2006 ElectricJob

Electric Job can help you find electrical jobs, engineering jobs, and utility jobs and all jobs in the electrical jobs and engineering jobs industry. Electrical jobs, engineering jobs, electrician jobs, lineman jobs, power jobs, energy jobs, utility jobs, careers, and employment search.

When Do You Need an Electrician?

Just what do you need an electrician for? Well, most people think that you only need an electrician when you are constructing a new home, but this is simply not the case. In fact, if you have anything in your home that has to do with electricity and it needs repairs, it is far better to call in an electrician and to get them to fix it for you. If you make a mistake while trying to fix your own wiring and the like, such an error can be quite costly to you. Thus, when it comes time to repair or upgrade the wiring in your home, it is time to call an electrician.

Electricians go to school and learn everything they need to so that your wiring is correctly installed in your home. Newer homes must undergo inspection, as do those that have had recent additions. If the wiring is not correctly placed, you can run into increased financial costs to fix errors. This is where relying on a professional to do the work for you comes in handy. If you have a professional that knows all the ins and outs of installing electrical wire and breaker boxes, you are far better off then if you attempt such things on your own.

You can find a professional by using your local yellow pages. Or, if you prefer, you can find a professional that can handle your electrical wiring issues on the Internet. Conversely, you can even find a professional that can help you via word of mouth. Just as long as you realize the importance of hiring a professional in the first place. Don't play fix it yourself if you have no clue as to what you are doing. It can be quite dangerous to install electrical wiring incorrectly.

So just what does an electrician handle? Well, that depends on the type of electrician you have called on! An electrician can work on homes or cars, on electrical wiring or the wiring of security systems. It all depends on what their focus is. An electrician can usually read a blueprint and is often found working on construction sites, the sites of new homes, the sites in which people are making additions to their home and the like.

There are a variety of electrician associations that can help you locate and identify a quality electrician. An electrician is specially licensed to handle whatever area of electrical work they perform. At least, most of them are. Not every electrician requires a license. Nevertheless, when you do hire an electrician you should ask if they have a license and who issued it to them. There is nothing wrong with you checking the credentials of any electrician you are planning on hiring. What the license proves is that they have met the state mandated study hours and curriculum so that they can do the job right for you. You can never be too careful and checking the credentials of anyone you hire is always a prudent move.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Electricians