Skateboarding Has Its Benefits
Skateboarding is gaining popularity in many places around the world. Children, teens, and young adults alike are all becoming fascinated with the sport. Skateboarding parks are being built in many cities and towns around the world and kids are trading traditional sports like baseball or soccer for time spent enjoying the extreme activit of skateboarding.
Most people have a picture in their minds of the kinds of people that enjoy skateboarding, and their pictures are not always pleasant. Skateboarding is usually reserved for teens and young adults that haven't quite connected with other people or activities and who are looking for a place of identity. And while in some ways this is true for people who love skateboarding, isn't this what we love about so many of the sports and activities we choose to participate in? We love to try new and sometimes extreme things and we love to be identified with a group of people who all enjoy similiar things.
Skateboarding, like many other sports and activities, has its benefits. For starters, skateboarding gets people off the couch and outside being active. We all know that inactivity is one of the most dangerous lifestyles to adopt. I'd suggest that a teen or young adult who spends hour after hour doing hobbies that are inactive is actually in more danger than a teen or young adult doing an extreme activity like skateboarding. Children who begin skateboarding at an early age learn to love physical activity and will often enjoy the health benefits of that activity for years to come.
Skateboarding is also a great way for kids and teens to make friends and connect with people with similar interests. Everyone knows that a good friend isn't easy to come by, and that is why it is great for kids to enjoy a safe and healthy activity like skateboarding because it helps them improve social and relational skills greatly. Not every kid is cut out to play the sports that our mainstream culture glorifies, and choosing skateboarding instead can be a great alternative for many kids.
For the most part, skateboarding is an inexpensive hobby to enjoy. Beginners usually can start with an inexpensive and simple board to learn skateboarding. Grabbing a skateboard and a few pads is really all a kid needs to begin learning skateboarding. Parents will love that their children can get involved in something fun and active that doesn't cost tons of money.
So forget the picture of skateboarding you've always had and allow your children to get involved in an activity that will promote health, friendships, and identity. And plus, the more time your children are outside practicing skateboarding the more quiet time you can enjoy without them!
01 Dec 2008
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Though skateboards were around in the early 50's and 60's and actually very widely used back then they weren't well made and so eventually died out. The early ones were basically just milk crates with roller skate wheels and maybe a handle. More like a scooter. The wheels were the big problem, being mostly of clay, and resulted in lots of accidents from slipping or breaking and causing a fall. Even with better boards the wheels still created difficulty, and the sport pretty well died out in the mid-60's.
It wasn't until the 1970's that Frank Nasworthy, a surfer, developed a wheel made from urethane and then added precision bearings, and bolted them to a good quality board. The sport took off again.
The first skateboard parks from that time were mainly empty pools but lots of great moves and jumps were developed during that time, including the famous "ollie", a no hands aerial. Accidents and then the ever-increasing liability insurance killed the sport a second time and by the 1980's most of the parks had closed down.
In the 1990's the sport regained popularity and though it has had some fluctuations since it has mainly grown and developed over the past few decades.
Over the years I've often heard it said that this sport wouldn't last. It was just a fad. But it has developed from an activity into a relevant sport and now is widely followed around the world. The focus on tricks and jumps, great artwork on boards, clothing lines, shoes, skateboard posters, and even music has enhanced the image.
Throughout these years there have been increases in the quality of boards and wheels but mainly the concept didn't change much, until now. Coming up are some radical new designs. The S-Board is a board that twists in the middle and has only a single front and single rear wheel. The ride is apparently very much like snowboarding.
Then there's the Australian Bushpig, motorized skateboard (sort of), that does 20mph. Gotta get me one of those.
And the ultimate so far? That has to be Danny Way and his jump over the Great Wall of China. I wonder if his jump could be seen from space? hmmmm.
01 Dec 2008
Setting The Date Of Your Party
One of the most important first tasks you have planning your party is setting the date. Setting the best possible date sounds easier than it is. Before you make your decision, there are many events and other important dates to consider. Your party is only as good as the people you invite, so you need to make sure you come up with a date that works for most of them.
You have to invite your guest early enough to make sure they have enough time to prepare. Make sure you invite people at least three or four weeks prior to the party. If you call somebody a day before the party, they may not be able to attend due to other engagements. Also, inviting people to a party is considered rude. Someone invited the last minute may think, you invited him or her so late to avoid having him or her at the party.
You should give your guest enough time, and you should give yourself enough time too. You need to make sure you have time to prepare. Because there are so many components to plan a great party, be sure to give yourself enough time. Before setting the date for your party, you should consider your friends and family members’ schedules. Birthdays, graduations, vacations, and other events may prevent people important to you attend your party.
It is best not to schedule your party on a Holiday, unless your party is related to the Holiday itself. It makes sense to schedule a big barbeque party for the 4th of July. But if you think people you plan to invite to the party will be out of town on your chosen date, you should reconsider the date of the party.
The food is an essential part of any party, so carefully consider it. Try to arrange more than one kind of food, so your guest will have more than one option. Remember, what you like may not be equally popular with your guest. It doesn’t hurt to ask a few of the invited guest to see what kind of food they like.
01 Dec 2008
Setting Up A Home Woodwork Or Model Shop - A Step By Step Guide
Planning is the secret to a successful home workshop. More and more people are setting up a woodworking or model engineering shop, either in their basement or garage.
The first step is to make sure your location is dry. You may need to make repairs to your garage roof, windows or door. If you are planning on using your basement then you will need to waterproof it, so that damp and the corrosion and rot it causes do not become issues.
Your next step is to provide water and electricity supplies. You need to have hand washing facilities if you are going to keep your job clean. An electricity supply suitable for running your machine tools is essential. These tools will be permanently wired in. You will also need lots of switched electric sockets about three feet from the floor. These will be used for plug in tools.
The number of lights will need to be increased. Three fluorescent fittings will be enough for most home workshops. The glare free ones are better, but you may need to fit four of these. Be sure to fit them above your drill, saw and lathe.
You will need to consider the location for your machine tools. These need to be away from the door and back onto a wall. This reduces the possibility of someone walking round the back and being hurt.
You need to install a dust extraction system, especially for wood and plastic work. This will remove potentially harmful sawdust from your machining areas and collect it for disposal.
Choosing your tools and workbench are the final issues.
A few solid wood traditional woodworking benches are the best choice. These will last for years and are solidly built to last for years.
A lathe is the absolutely essential tool for home model makers and woodworking businesses.
It is essentially a device for reshaping square cross-section timber, metal or plastic into a circular cross-section piece of finished material. This is achieved by holding the material to be worked between 2 plates and spinning it. As the material spins someone holds a sharp tool against it, shaving off some of the material. Round table and chair legs are produced using lathes.
Lathes come in different specifications, designed for different intensities of use. The home model maker will clearly need a much lower spec lathe than the timber company making tables. Specification differences include the output of the motor, the distance between centers (the clamping plates), stands and chuck size.
It is possible to buy second-hand lathes without too much difficulty and someone starting out, either in home model making or in a home-based business should probably consider this option first.
The band saw has become the preferred power saw for most woodworkers. It has a long band of steel as the blade that travels around two or three wheels. The band comes in various widths and it is possible to use a narrow width band saw blade for scroll-work and irregular shapes.
Timber mills use very large band saws for ripping lumber; they are preferred over circular saws for ripping because they result in less waste.
Resaws are large band saws that are optimized for a narrow kerf, and therefore low waste. The blade is wide usually between 2 and 3 inches. They are primarily used for cutting wood along its thickness, to produce a veneer.
Home woodworkers can purchase a range of band saws suitable for use in the basement or garage workshop.
01 Dec 2008
Shaquille O’Neal Miami Heat Star
Born on March 6, 1972, Shaquille O’Neal stands 7'1" tall and weighs 325 lbs. He attended college at Louisiana State and currently plays for the NBA’s Miami Heat. During his collegiate years, O’Neal thrived at basketball. Among his many recognitions, Shaq, as he is often referred, was named as college basketball’s Player of the Year by the Associated Press and became the first Louisiana State University athlete to be named Southeastern Conference Athlete of the Year. After his junior year, Shaquille O’Neal left college in an effort to become an early entry candidate in the NBA Draft.
During his 14 year career in the NBA, Shaquille O’Neal has received many honors and achieved amazing feats as one of the most popular players in the league. During his rookie year in the 1992-1993 season, Shaquille O’Neal was named as the NBA Rookie of the Year and was added to the NBA All-Rookie First Team after an impressive 23.4 points per game average. In 1994, he was a member of the World Championship team in Toronto and proudly played with the U.S. Olympic team, which won a gold medal, in 1996.
Several years and many points later, Shaquille O’Neal received the 1999-2000 IBM Award, which was concluded by a computerized rating that assessed a player’s contribution to the team. During the 2000 NBA All-Star Game, Shaq tallied 22 points and nine rebounds, which earned him the title of Co-MVP. Shaq is a nine-time All-Star selection, a two-time NBA All Defensive Second Team selection, a two-time All-NBA Second Team selection, three-time All-NBA Third Team selection and a four-time All-NBA First Team selection. As voted by the media, Shaquille O’Neal was named the 1999-2000 Most Valuable Player. Additionally, he was chosen as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996.
In addition to his popularity on the court, Shaquille O’Neal has made a terrific name for himself outside of basketball. He and wife, Shaunie, have three sons and two daughters. He received a business degree from Louisiana State University in 2000 and received a masters degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix in 2005. His autobiography was released in 2001 and, since then, he has authored two books. He owns a record label and clothing line and has sold more than one million copies of his own debut album. Shaq is one of the NBA’s most active players in the community and has founded his own organization, known as Real Model Foundation. He has been a national spokesman for Reading Is Fundamental, Inc. and regularly participates in visits through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. His services to the community are many and his fans are forever reminded that inside of this powerhouse athlete beats the heart of a true humanitarian.
Fans who would like to request a signed photo or simply send Shaquille O’Neal their best wishes are urged to do so in care of his NBA franchise team. If you are requesting an autograph, be sure to include a SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope) along with your request. Letters and requests should be mailed to:
01 Dec 2008
Shopping For Sports Fan Gear On The Internet
In the 21st century, millions of people from around the world are turning to the Internet each and every day to shop. Indeed, at this point in time, it is hard to find a product or service that is not now available to consumers on the Internet and World Wide Web. If you are in the market for different types of sports fan gear, you will want to take the time to explore what is available to you in this regard on the Internet and World Wide Web. There are a number of definite benefits that can be realized by shopping for these products on the Net. These benefits will be explored generally for you in this short article.
One of the most important and significant benefits of shopping for sports fan gear on the Internet is convenience. As with the purchase of so many other products and services in this day and age, the Internet allows a person to make the purchase of sports fan gear any time of the day or night. Therefore, even if you are inclined to do some Internet shopping in the middle of the night, you can purchase those kinds of sports fan gear that you might be looking for -- literally at any time.
In addition to being convenient, another of the benefits to shopping for sports fan gear on the Internet and World Wide Web is selection. Again, as with so many products and services in this day and age, the Internet is home to a significant number of websites that specialize in the sale of sports fan gear -- for sporting fans of all types. These sites offer products in support of professional teams, college teams and even individual athletes of different types.
Finally, one of the most significant benefits associated with shopping for sports fan gear on the Internet is price. By spending a bit of time surfing around the Internet and World Wide Web, you will be able to find some significant bargains when it comes to sports fan gear online.
As an aside, while you are online, you will want to make sure that you visit the website established by favorite sports team or teams. These websites offer a wide array of products of all types. At times, these sites even offer these products for sale at discounted prices, prices that can save you a good deal of money.
01 Dec 2008
Every time a poker player sits down to play the cash game, whether it is in a Las Vegas casino, at home, or at an online poker room, a decision must be made on how much money or chips they want to bring to the table. Most card rooms will have a minimum buy-in amount, and certain games might have a maximum. When players decide to purchase the minimum, or only a small amount of chips (nicknamed 'short money'), it is considered to be an indication of weakness and a 'tell' on the players ability or recent fortune.
Players that start the game with a short chip stack are often considered by the others to be scared of losing, and consequently must play cards with a poor poker strategy. It has been obersved that players not expecting to win often use a short-buy to limit their losses on playing mistakes, while good players maximize their potential wins by having a big stack at the table. The 'short money' image of weakness holds true much more at no-limit games over other forms of poker.
Strategically, aggressive betting, semi-bluffing and blind stealing is usually considered correct strategy at no-limit games, and short stacks simply don't have the amunition to make those bigger bets needed. Big stacks can make the occasional bluff with the confidence of staying in action if it goes wrong, and can use their calling ability to deter small stacks from risking a bluff against them. Using a big pile of chips as a psychological tool to induce or prevents bets from weaker opponents can be a very successfull strategy when done properly, and good players will immediately recognize anyone not able to do the same as a potential target.
Your own mind-set should be considered when purchasing chips at a table as well. For example, a player that buys-in for $20, loses it, re-buys for $20, loses again and put another $20 on the table, will likely be in a much worse position mentally then a player that simply started with $140 and now has $100 on the table. These sense of losing multiple times will put players on tilt and make them lose focus much more than being down on chips 'temporarily'.
Occasionally short money players are actually good players that are broke for reasons outside of the game, and other times a small stack that is seen may not have necessarily started that way earlier in the day. Although these incidents aren't an indication of the players' ability, it may at least be a tell on their current state of mind. A player facing problems away from the game never seems to play their best poker and players on a bad run, no matter how good they can be, often go on tilt and play differently or poorly when loosing.
The 'short money' tell is one of the few behavioural tells that seems to hold true online as well as in real life, however it seems to have more accuracy in actual brick and mortar casinos. Winning players should be looking to exploit any players presenting this remarkably reliable tell, mostly by raising and betting aggressively against these small stacks. It is important to avoid this situation yourself by consistently sitting down with one of the larger stacks at the table and remaining adequately funded for any poker game you play.
01 Dec 2008
Should you use weights when you go to the gym
In any gym, you are going to find that the main features are two things: weights and weight machines. This is because weight training is such an important part of going to the gym: it is one of the most energy-burning kinds of exercise you can do, and it builds strength and muscle. If you go to the gym and don’t lift any weights, then you might as well have not gone at all.
The simplest way to weight train is to simply get the weights and lift them up, crouching down, picking up the weight, and then trying to lean back and unbend your knees to get back to a starting position. While this is simple, you can keep on making it more difficult forever simply by adding more weights to your pole – it is not difficult to make a weight that even the world’s strongest man couldn’t lift.
However, this kind of exercise tends to only exercise the same few muscles of your body over and over again. To make sure that you build muscles and get stronger all over, it is better to use weight machines.
Weight machines work in all sorts of different ways, but generally use either fluid or springs to create the illusion of weight, and then a system of wheels and pulleys to bring that weight to you. These materials create resistance without necessarily needing large weights, so you can set the difficulty of using the machine to artificially create weight level you want.
Each different weight machine is designed to train a different set of muscles in your body, which means that doing them all in a circuit will give you an all-over workout. Even if you find one machine particularly difficult, you shouldn’t leave it out, as doing this will create a weak point in your muscles that could be dangerous for you.
01 Dec 2008
Since when we don’t see a triple play
Last Sunday the Chicago White Sox made the first triple play in the majors in more than a year, in the sixth inning of the game, winning 9-7 over the Minnesota Twins.
Some of the Chicago players worked very hard for the team as Jermaine Dye and A.J Pierzynski; the baseball team had been outscored 18-5 in two losses to start the four-game series.
With a 9-7 defeat, it seemed like the Twins were concentrated in the match when Nick Punto led off with a bunt single and Shannon Stewart walked. With the team's best hitter, and one of the AL's best bunters, at the plate in Luis Castillo, the Twins tried to move the runners over.
Punto and Stewart took off at the pitch, but Castillo made a bunt down the first-base line. White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko charged in and made a shoestring grasp then turned and threw to Tadahito Iguchi at first to get Stewart. Iguchi then fired to Juan Uribe to get Punto at second base.
But, all the Minnesota team efforts where just a waste of time because something unexpected and wonderful happened that night for the White Sox.
It was the first AL triple play since July 7, 2004, when the White Sox did it against the Angels. The Twins were tripled up for the first time since Sept. 8, 1996, also against the Angels. And in 2005 the St. Louis Cardinals made a triple play on May 5th against the San Diego Padres
01 Dec 2008
Skate Board – A Hobby Turn Serious
Skateboard shed its transport equipment image of the late 40s and 50s to become what it is today, the recreational tool. The early skateboard championships were ‘soap box derbies’ held in cities during that era of crude skateboards, which sometimes used to double up as surf boards too.
Skateboards as Sports Gear
With mass production becoming a reality in the 1960s skateboards underwent a lot of transformation for better; from solid wood or metals to plywood for decks, flat no shape to concavity, clay composite steel wheels to polyurethane made ones and finally single action trucks (axles) to aluminum constructed two part trucks. There is so much more in the safety, comfort and durability departments that you need to look into when buying skateboards.
Well, how do these things help? At first, the question may strike an irrelevant chord, but not so when you see the difference. Just taste this for samples: Without that innovative concavity would it have been possible for those champion skateboarders to takeoff from flat ground? Forget that for a minute, speeding along the streets wouldn’t have been a reality but for the grip tapes now you find on the decks, which prevent you from slipping even as you takeoff.
Did you know, what helped easy turning at such high speeds? Of course you do your skillful ‘foot work’ but the rubber cushion in between the two part truck flexes when you turn by front foot while pressing by the back foot. It is this flexibility that gives you additional turn which was harder in older skateboards.
Skateboard Ramps
If you are not on the streets you are skateboarding on the ramps. Ramps are carpentry constructions made in plywood. As you are aware, there are just as many ramp plans as you like and the simplest one is the obvious bank plan (flat plan), half pipe, quarter pipe, pyramid plans etc, all of which are named after their shapes.
Then you have the ‘launcher’ ramp for the lion hearted guys and girls. Skateboarding over this launches you into the skies vertically. If you don’t want to fly, you still have an option that interests you. You can ride the walls with two identical ramps placed at a distance apart.
Skateboarding Championships
Championships have encouraged many aspirants to take-up the sport and excel there. Television coverage has catapulted skateboarding to top youth sport. The most famous competition are them all is the annual X-Game Skateboard Championships. Skateboarders from all around the world take part this is event to gain recognition and fame, not to mention lucrative sponsorships and turn this one time hobby to a serious career path.
01 Dec 2008