Ninjas were mercenaries of feudal Japan. They were covert agents specializing in unorthodox arts of war. Ninja functions included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination. Stories have shown Ninjas to have legendary abilities such as invisibility, walking on water and control over natural elements. It is difficult to determine whether stories are true or a product of the imagination.

Ninjas purportedly wore a suit of armor. If ever they did it was usually black colored. They were also armed with a variety of tools and weaponry. Ropes and grappling hooks were common. These were usually worn on the belt together with Ninja swords.

My son is so enamored of anything prehistoric when he was still a little boy. He had a toy chest filled with toy dinosaurs and lots of books about dinosaurs. I was no longer surprised when he told me he wanted a big dinosaur replica to display in his room when he was in his teens. He continued with his interests until he entered college.

Now, my son is an accomplished archeologist who has joined teams that have been digging in places like Egypt and South America. When he’s not on one of those trips, he teaches at the nearby university and gets to visit me and his dad once in a while. I always tease him that instead of bringing me trinkets from his many trips, he should bring home a woman he could finally settle down with.

Many people are interested in replicas of war. Being around civil war replicas make them feel that they are reliving history. It is one thing to read about past events; it is another to be able to actually see and feel things of the past. Civil war replicas will include guns, swords and even civil war money. They may be purchased from stores dedicated to selling replicas.

Even fabrics of different past periods are being replicated for costumers. These include fabrics of the civil War Era, Da Game indigos and the Fur Trade Era. Someone interested in these collectibles will enjoy browsing through catalogues of articles for sale. He will enjoy viewing Civil War pistols, rifles, swords, flags, equipment, uniform accessories and more. Collecting these items keep history alive.

I conduct seminars on proper infant care for first-time mothers. I’ve observed that some of soon-to-be-moms don’t take my instructions seriously. They would fumble with the baby dolls during diaper changing or feeding. Some even drop their “babies” and pick them up like one would pick up any toy.

When a friend showed me her daughter’s doll, I was so surprised that it looked like a real baby! So I bought a couple of realistic baby dolls online and tested them on my students. I have found out that the women who get to practice on those two dolls seem to be more careful than the others. So I replaced all the other dolls last week with realistic ones and the results were fantastic!

Over the years, the use of pewter mugs among beer drinkers has dwindled. This is because pewter is made of materials that are not exactly good for health reasons. Pewter is a mixture of metals and malleable alloy, majority of which is tin. Some of these metals are included in the formula to increase the hardness level. Lead is part of the formula, making it a health risk. Glass barware is more commonly found now.

Pewter beer mugs are still being sought after by collectors. Pewter collectors are passionate with their hobby and will go to great lengths to find not only pewter beer mugs but other antique pewter pieces. Depending on their tastes and resources they have the choice of collecting antique or modern pewter pieces. Pewter items are being used to decorate homes. Pewter beer steins or tankards are commonly displayed on bookshelves and display cabinets.

The Crusades consisted of a series of Holy Wars launched by the Christians against the Muslims. The war between the Christians and the Muslims centered around Jerusalem. The City of Jerusalem was significant to the Christian religion. When it was taken by the Turks and 3000 Christians were massacred, it started a chain of events which started the Crusades. The Crusades started in 1095 when Pope Claremont preached the First Crusade at the Council of Claremont. The Pope’s preaching led to thousands immediately affixing the cross to their garments.

The crusader sword was a superb fighting weapon used during these wars. It had a flat blade with two narrow fullers running down the blade. The fuller made the blade stronger and yet light for the knight to carry. The crusader sword was the symbol of heroism and the Christian faith. It was believed that the personal courage, strength and renown of a knight could be absorbed by his sword, and that subsequent possession of a great warrior’s sword would bestow the same distinction on a new owner of the sword.

There are symbols that evoke danger, might and fear. These symbols and icons are recognized worldwide. The dragon is always seen as fierce and dangerous. The cross is a pious symbol of strength, peace and courage. The cross is regarded as one of the most powerful symbols in history. When you combine the two symbols, the result could be a mosaic cross dragon which transcends culture and religion.

The mosaic cross dragon is an unusual combination. The dragon is often times associated with Asian themes. The cross on the other hand is the most recognizable religious symbol. The mosaic cross dragon is a unique symbol of strength and might. It could be given as a gift to someone whom you consider to be of strong faith.

You’ve always loved war movies. You don’t know that you have just developed a liking for it or it was your dad who influenced you to become a fan. You used to watch countless war movies with your father during Saturdays as a young lad. And now that you have grown up, the fascination is still there. You are still one big fan.

Of course with your fascination, you have collected different kinds of war memorabilia. You have a huge collection of old flags. You also have some soldier uniforms that you bought from your travels in other parts of the world. Of course your most valuable collection among these is your guns. And one of these is an authentic Swiss K31. This is one great collection that you are really proud of.

Most students at Florida State love to watch Seminoles games. We also like holding victory parties when teams win championship games. My friend’s brother is one of the football star players and he often attends the gatherings that our group holds. We always have fun during these parties.

We usually do barbecues in my friend’s spacious backyard. The two grills on the patio have Florida State Seminoles grill covers. They are a well-to-do family and they even have a swimming pool that adds more fun. It’s nice to hang out there when we don’t have classes during weekends.

I moved to LA in 1980. I was fortunate enough to be there during the Showtime Era. Imagine Magic, Kareem, James Worthy, Norm Nixon, Jamaal Wilkes and Kurt Rambis in one team. They’re amazing. Of course the superstars of that team are Kareem and Magic. That’s the reason why I have both basketball cards. It allows me to collect the great players of the game. The Ervin Johnson basketball card is my favorite.

The Ervin Johnson basketball card is a collector’s item. It is not worth very much today, but hopefully someday. Even if it doesn’t appreciate, I still love it. Any basketball card collection worth his mettle should have this card. He is considered one of the best, if not the best, Laker who ever played. No disrespect to Jerry West.