Sunday, February 28, 2010

How to Control Emotions During a Bowling Game

It's pretty common to see bowlers emotional at games especially when most of their pins get struck from the first time. The disadvantage that many people overlook is that they let their emotions take over in games and they would eventually work against you. The key to all games is to calm down and to let your reactions be a response to the entire game's success and not just a couple of pins which might give you over-confidence and later causing you to perform poorly.

People often react very differently even if they experience the same event. For example, when someone strikes on their first hit, you could have such possible scenarios: "I need to focus on my target and keep scoring well" or "I can now rejoice as I have almost all the skills needed" (a case of over confidence). The key difference between the two reactions is that the first is proactive, the second is likely to cause a negative repercussion. Eventually you need to start asking yourself how to bowl a better game and improve your bowling score.

Just like many react positively or negatively to success situations, some may react negatively on a loss situation. Some people are tempted to have anger out-bursts in public where they would totally lose control and become de-motivated if they could not hit a pin as they started off or when they are trying the hook ball bowling method and the ball doesn't go the way they want. The matter of fact is that you need to bottle your emotions and control yourself (as much as you could) so you could keep performing well (if you had a good start) or perform better (if you were not doing so well at the beginning).

Control, in both situations needs to start right from the beginning; before you even start the game. Having in mind that this is a mere sport and you are coming here to practice, become better at the game. And simply having fun will probably have you all less tense from the start. Importantly stop paying too much attention to the score sheet all the time and counting it up. You are not in a mathematics class so why let have this affect your score? Have a mindset that you are here to improve - whether you are a beginner or a pro-bowler.

So, you tried the hook ball bowling method and the ball did not go the way you wanted it to. Ask yourself where you have done (usually with your physical posture) that lead the ball to deviate in direction. Importantly, how to bowl like this consistently. In such you would be building on yourself to improve your score and apply the correct bowling tips and techniques you previously acquired efficiently.
So the final rules of controlling your game emotions are:

1- Set your target way ahead of time (before even going to the game)
2- Be ready to adjust your techniques and accept losses on the game floor
3- Do not be over-emotional and modify your targets when you're in the game

Hope you have a great game.




Want to learn how to bowl? Sick of not performing consistently on the bowling alley? Discover the best bowling techniques among professional bowlers that no amateur ever learns on their own with the Bowling Tips site.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Giants Win In Motown - Let Lions Stick Around

This was one of those victories that you can chalk up as ugly. The Giants prevailed in the game 16 - 10, however the offense gave the Lions way too many chances, and in a big game against a good team (like we saw a week ago against the Cowboys), the better teams will take advantage of those mistakes and make you pay.

Twice, deep in Lions territory with the Giants ready to strike for some points, the offense put the ball on the ground, giving the Lions explosive offense a chance to get right back into it. Mistakes, that fortunately for Big Blue, did not hurt them.

In the post game press conference, Manning says, "I think we're doing a good job finding ways to win. It comes in different forms and different ways. But we stick together and guys stepped up at the right time. We had some big plays today. We still have things we can fix. But we're finding ways to win, and that's what's important."

The reason it didn't hurt them is that the Giants defense, unlike a week ago, came up huge, including two enormous turnovers near the end of the game, when the offense couldn't seem to move the ball an inch.

Anchored by the veteran Michael Strahan, who looks like he is 10 years younger, and on his way to yet another pro bowl, the defense was stellar. They limited the Lions to 10 points, 7 of which came in the last 6 minutes of the ball game. With no help from their offense, the Giants defense had to play well and create turnovers, which turned out to be the key to the game.

Michael Strahan said, "Hopefully, we can get another run going. Today was just the start of that. When you play a team that's 6-3,
and to win - trust me, you can't beat that. It's a great thing."

A big game indeed, however, as shown before, the Giants have no trouble beating the lower tier teams in the NFL. Even though the defense played great, it did leave a huge question, where in the world was Osi Umenyiora. In a game where he could have really shined, he was nonexistent.

According to Umenyiora, "We know we had to win this game. It was in the NFC and Detroit was playing very well. Most importantly, everybody's been saying we're struggling in the second half, so we needed to come back and win this football game."

However not all was chipper on the defensive side of the ball as Kiwianuka went down with what looks like a season ending injury. A loss that will surely hurt the defense's pass rush. Along with that, running back Brandon Jacobs hobbled off the field. According to Giants.com, "Kiwanuka fractured his fibula in the first quarter and Jacobs hurt his hamstring in the third. Kiwanuka is likely out for the season, while Jacobs' status will be updated this week. "

There is no question this is a huge win for the Giants, but there is also no question, that this team, in order to have any chance at beating an upper echelon team, is going to have to put a complete game together, to be taken seriously.




Michael C. Podlesny is the co-host of the Big Blue Review, a weekly podcast featuring the latest news on The New York Giants. The podcast can be downloaded from Michael's blog at http://bigbluereviewpodcast.blogspot.com/

Friday, February 26, 2010

Trent Green - The New Fin in Town

As the Miami Dolphins gear up for the start of the 2007 NFL season, they find themselves with a new fin in town: Trent Green. The former Kansas City Quarterback was traded to the Dolphins on June 5, 2007. In return, the Dolphins give the Chiefs a conditional fifth round draft pick in next year's NFL draft: if Trent Green, who suffered a severe concussion keeping him out for half of the season last year, plays more than 70 percent of offensive downs, Miami will render the Chiefs a fourth round draft pick instead of a fifth.

Trent Green is now ready to put the Kansas City Chiefs, his concussion, and last season in the past; he has gladly traded in his tomahawk for water wings.

Born on July 9, 1970, Green is a product of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. After playing quarterback for Indiana University, he was taken by the San Diego Chargers in the 1993 draft. From here, he bounced around, playing as an NFL backup and in the Canadian Football League. In 1998, he not only found himself starting for the Washing Redskins, but he also found himself turning into a true player. Unfortunately, after signing on to start for the St. Louis Rams, Green was hurt in a preseason game. He was out for the season and returned, the next year, as a backup again. An injury to Kurt Warner, however, allowed Green to reclaim the starting position, helping the Rams make the playoffs. At the end of the season, Green left St. Louis for Kansas City.

In 2003, Trent Green emerged as a star, throwing for over 4,000 yards, 24 touchdowns, and only 12 interceptions. He also was elected to his first Pro Bowl. During the next two years, Green turned out equally solid seasons: throwing for 4,591 yards, 27 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2004 and 4,010 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in 2005. With his third 4,010 yard performance, Green joined an elite group of quarterbacks who have thrown for over 4,000 yards for three consecutive seasons. This group is limited to Drew Bledsoe, Peyton Manning, Dan Marino, Warren Moon, and Brett Favre.

In 2006, Green's rise to stardom was drastically halted when he suffered a very severe concussion in the first game of the season. This concussion caused him to lose consciousness and stopped the game for fifteen long minutes while medics were consulted. After being cleared by doctors and coaches, Green reclaimed his starting position in mid-November. Unfortunately, he just didn't seem the same and his play was mediocre. Now, he has a chance to start fresh with a new season and a new team.

At almost 37, Green isn't the Dolphin's quarterback of the future. But, he brings with him years of experience and a desire for a few more moments in the sun. He's a solid passer, a smart player, and familiar with Cam Cameron's coaching style. With all of these attributes and Miami's receiving corps, corps that are stronger than Kansas City's, there is no telling what can happen.




Jennifer Jordan is a senior editor for www.milleniumlimo.com . An avid sports fan, she likes the Miami Dolphins but her heart belongs to the Denver Broncos.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Meditation - Uses of Singing Meditation Bowl

Also known as Himalayan bowl or cup gong, a singing bowl, is a musical instrument used in Buddhist meditation and are traditionally played in monasteries by Buddhist monks. Singing meditation bowls were historically made in Tibet, Nepal, India, China, Japan, and Korea, and.

The singing meditation bowl is made of metal, and may include precious metals such as silver and gold; while other can have a metallic makeup which includes copper, tin, zinc, lead, iron, and nickel. Commonly used singing meditation bowls are an alloy of different metals.

Singing meditation bowls are played by hitting, striking, or slowly rubbing or stirring a wooden striker or mallet within or on the top of the outer surface of the bowl. The bowl produces a continuous harmonic sound when struck correctly. This sound is said to be relaxing and good for chakra, a form of meditation. The singing meditation bowl has been adopted by various other forms of meditation and is also used for yoga, healing, sound massage, sound therapy and chakra balancing.

Singing meditation bowls come in different shapes, sizes, designs, colors, carvings and crafting. Some can be found with various religious themes and symbols like the Tibetan mantra chant of Om Mani padme hum, dragon carvings, mandala carvings, Buddhist religious symbols, among others. The art of making traditional bowls is now considered a lost art and most old bowls contain very little or no ornamentation at all.

The bowls are mostly hand made, and fall into two categories: the hand-hammered (beaten) singing bowl, mostly used in Nepal and India and manufactured in the traditional processes; and the colored, carved and crafted bowl, which are popular for gifts, decorations, and souvenir items, mostly coming from the Himalayan region.

Today, singing meditation bowls have become very popular, so much so that even people who don't really meditate display it for its ornamental value. They can't really be blamed as this singing meditation bowls come in such fascinating and exquisite designs. However, for people who use the singing meditation bowl for a much higher purpose, like meditating, see it as symbolic of human spirituality, representing human spirit as a vessel containing only the limiting nature of who and what we are.

The outward appearance of a singing meditation bowl represents our constantly changing nature; from one moment to the next we are never the same even as events and interactions cause deeply influence these changes within us. While some events may lead to a complete upheaval in our lives, others may just create a subtle ripple that is forgotten as soon as it occurs.

Whether or not we use them for them for meditation, a singing meditation bowl is timeless symbol of human spirituality and the frailty of the human nature.




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Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Fantasy Football 1-Week Frenzy Forecast

Just when you think you have this whole fantasy football thing figured out, last week happens. How else do you explain Tom Brady going from playing at a Super Bowl level to playing at a Pop Warner level, or Vincent Jackson breaking the hearts of every fantasy enthusiast who put him in their lineups? Alas, we are still here to do our part to help you put together the best lineup possible.

Quarterbacks 1

1) Peyton Manning (vs. Tennessee): Manning has a great match-up this week against the Titans, who he beat for 36 completions, 309 yards and three touchdowns back in Week 5, and who are second to last in pass defense and passing scores allowed. And yes, we know they've won their past five games, but in that time they've faced three teams currently in the bottom half of the league in passing offense and one team playing with a backup quarterback.

2) Tom Brady (@ Miami): A total of 237 passing yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions last week are shocking totals for Brady, especially considering that he was in the midst of a string of five consecutive 300-yard passing games. But a bounce back this week is very possible against a Miami pass defense that is 23rd in the league, and one that he threw for 310 yards and one score against in Week 9.

3) Drew Brees (@ Washington): Although no one can be blamed for using Brees this week, match-ups matter, and Washington has the No. 1 pass defense in the NFL. Only three opposing quarterbacks have thrown for 200 yards against the Redskins this season, and it's happened just once over their last eight games. And it's not as if Brees is immune to quality pass defenses - three times this season he's been held to fewer than 200 passing yards.

4) Matt Schaub (@ Jacksonville): Schaub is a great choice in any fantasy football scoring format, but considering the amount of completions he racks up, he's an especially good option in this one. He's third in the league in overall completions, and has at least 25 in each of his last four games. Jacksonville is 26th in the league in pass defense, and only six teams have allowed more touchdown passes than they have. In his last meeting with the Jags, back in Week 3, Schaub threw for 300 yards with three scores.

5) Philip Rivers (@ Cleveland): Rivers is quietly putting together a very good season, and has an impressive three-game stretch going where he hasn't thrown an interception and has completed at least 75 percent of his passes. Cleveland's horrible pass defense shouldn't offer him a great challenge.

6) Kurt Warner (vs. Minnesota): Though there's optimism surrounding his chances to play this week (concussion), and his match-up is a solid one, there's always a chance he doesn't play at all or gets knocked out of the competition.

Quarterbacks 2

1) Brett Favre (@ Arizona): Favre has been nothing short of remarkable this season, with an unheard of 8:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio (24 touchdown throws, three interceptions). Over his last four games, he has thrown 12 touchdowns and hasn't thrown an interception. Against the Cardinals, he should be golden; only three teams allow more passing yards per game than they do.

2) Aaron Rodgers (vs. Baltimore): Rodgers has thrown 14 touchdowns over his last six games, and just three interceptions, and all of those picks came in one contest. In his last two contests he's thrown for over 340 yards in each, and he's completed at least 25 passes in each of his last three games. Baltimore is in the top half of the league in pass defense, but they're not so imposing that you shouldn't consider using Rodgers.

3) Donovan McNabb (@ Atlanta): McNabb has had some very ordinary games of late, and over his last five contests, he's thrown six touchdowns and five interceptions. Though McNabb could very likely be without top receiver DeSean Jackson, he's still a solid option this week because his opponent, Atlanta, is putrid against the pass, ranking 27th in the league in that category and 22nd in passing touchdowns given up.

4) Carson Palmer (vs. Detroit): Palmer isn't putting up numbers like we've seen him do in the past, and in fact hasn't completed more than 20 passes in his last five games, but he's playing Detroit this week. The same Detroit that is dead last in pass defense, and who has allowed more touchdown passes than any team in the NFL.

5) Tony Romo (@ NY Giants): Romo has had a solid season overall, and is seventh in the league in passing yards, ahead of the likes of Brett Favre and Kurt Warner. Yet he hasn't completed more than 20 passes in either of his last two games, and the last time he faced the Giants, he threw for a season-low 127 yards with three interceptions and one score.

6) Ben Roethlisberger (vs. Oakland): Big Ben will suit up this week after sitting out last week's contest against the Ravens with concussion symptoms. This led to some controversy, at least within the Steelers' locker room, but that has since died down. Roethlisberger does have a tough individual match-up this week against Oakland, however; only four teams have allowed fewer touchdown passes than they have.

Quarterbacks 3

1) Joe Flacco (@ Green Bay): IFlacco seemed to have been mired in a slump in Weeks 8-11. He threw for over 200 yards just once in those games, and tossed just one touchdown and three interceptions. But he rallied last week, throwing for nearly 300 yards with one score and no picks, and though his opponent this week, the Packers, are sixth in the NFL in pass defense, only three teams have allowed more touchdown passes than they have.

2) Jay Cutler (vs. St. Louis): Since interceptions aren't a worry in this scoring format, Cutler's transgressions in that area needn't play a role in deciding whether to put him in your lineup, especially against a soft pass defense like the Rams possess. But his confidence does seem to be wavering, and he hasn't thrown for even 175 yards in either of his past two games, and in his past three games he's thrown a total of two touchdowns and eight picks.

3) Vince Young (@ Indianapolis): Young was simply spectacular last week, but don't let that cloud your judgment for his game at Indy this week. He was facing an atrocious pass defense in the Cardinals last week, and the Colts are a much more formidable foe, especially with Young playing on the road. Also, only the Jets have given up fewer touchdown passes than they have.

4) Matt Cassel (vs. Denver): After a truly mediocre start, Cassel seems to have found his footing a bit. He's thrown for 215 or more yards in three of his last four contests, along with five touchdowns and two interceptions during that time. It should also be noted that he'll give you at least a few points running the ball - he's had at least four rushing attempts in seven of his 10 games this year.

5) Matt Hasselbeck (vs. San Francisco): Fantasy football players are justifiably baffled by Hasselbeck, who went from throwing for 315 yards against Arizona three weeks ago to accumulating just 102 passing yards last week against the Rams. He's at home against the 49ers this week, and San Francisco is just 28th in the NFL in pass defense, but it's too difficult to trust Hasselbeck.

6) David Garrard (vs. Houston): Garrard simply doesn't thrown enough touchdowns to be a viable fantasy football option; among the 24 NFL quarterbacks with at least 280 pass attempts, he is tied with Jake Delhomme for the fewest touchdown passes, having thrown only eight.

Quarterbacks 4

1) Kyle Orton (@ Kansas City): Orton's season has been solid, if unspectacular. He's thrown for more than 250 yards just once this season, and over his last five games has just three touchdown passes, but you can't ignore who his opponent is this week - only two other teams allow more passing yards per game than the Chiefs.

2) Alex Smith (@ Seattle): Smith's career has been resurrected this season, and fantasy football enthusiasts have taken note. They should again this week as he matches up with the Seahawks, a team that is 25th in the league in pass defense and 27th in passing scores allowed.

3) Eli Manning (vs. Dallas): The last time Manning went up against the Cowboys, he blistered them for 330 yards and two scores, though you should take into account that that game was played back in Week 2. Manning is highly inconsistent and is also playing on a bad foot, so while his match-up is solid, can you really count on him?

4) Jason Campbell (@ Philadelphia): Campbell hasn't been a great quarterback this season, but his numbers haven't been atrocious, either. He's thrown for at least one touchdown in all but three games this year, and the last time he faced Philly, he had a season-high 29 completions, along with 284 yards and two scores.

5) Josh Freeman (@ Carolina): Freeman is getting plenty of accolades, and he's performed admirably in a couple games, but you'll probably want to avoid him this week. The Panthers have the No. 3 pass defense in the league, and are ninth in passing scores allowed.

6) Brady Quinn (vs. San Diego): Simply ignore Quinn.

Running Backs 1

1) Chris Johnson (@ Indianapolis): Johnson has been on a run that's as remarkable as anything the NFL or fantasy football has seen in some time. In his last six games, he's averaged 155 rushing yards on 23 carries (6.7 ypc), just over one touchdown (he has seven total in that span), and close to three receptions and 30 receiving yards per game.

2) Adrian Peterson (@ Arizona): Despite having only three games with at least 100 rushing yards, Peterson is still playing very well. He has 12 touchdowns in 11 games, and has already established a career-high with 27 receptions. Arizona has been killed on the ground of late, giving up 115 or more yards to an individual runner in four of their past five games.

3) Maurice Jones-Drew (vs. Houston): MJD has scored three rushing touchdowns in a game on two occasions this season, and one of them happened to be against the Texans, back in Week 3. He also caught four passes in that contest, one of seven times he's had at least that many receptions in a game. He's always an excellent option.

4) Rashard Mendenhall (vs. Oakland): No team has allowed more rushing yards to opposing running backs than the Raiders have, and only two teams have allowed opposing backs to score more touchdowns.

5) Steven Jackson (@ Chicago): Like Philip Rivers at quarterback, Jackson is quietly having an excellent season, though you can hardly blame anyone for not noticing that Jackson is the NFL's second-leading rusher because he's on a team that has won just one game. Nonetheless, he's always valuable in this scoring format not only because of the yards he piles up, but because of the amount of touches he receives.

6) Frank Gore (@ Seattle): Gore is always solid, but compared to the rest of this group, he doesn't get enough touches. He's carried the ball more than 16 times just twice all season, and has just 92 rushing yards over his past two games.

Running Backs 2

1) DeAngelo Williams (vs. Tampa Bay): Before last week's 40-yard performance, Williams had been averaging 127 yards over his previous six games. But he should come back with aplomb this week against a Tampa team that is 30th in the league in run defense, and against whom Williams had 152 yards and two scores against in Week 6.

2) Ray Rice (@ Green Bay): Over his last eight games, Rice has run for at least 70 yards six times (with one 69-yard effort), and has caught fewer than five passes just once. With receptions being three points each, that kind of production is highly valuable.

3) Ricky Williams (vs. New England): Williams has at least 20 carries, 100 yards and one touchdown in each of his three games since taking over for the injured Ronnie Brown in Miami. New England is tied for fewest rushing scores allowed, having given up just three all season, but one of the backs who found the end zone against them happened to be Williams.

4) Knowshon Moreno (@ Kansas City): Moreno has run for at least 80 yards in each of his past three games, and has a fantastic match-up this week against the Chiefs, who are 27th against the run and 22nd in rushing scores allowed.

5) Cedric Benson (vs. Detroit): Benson has missed two contests with a hip injury, but he's supposed to be back in the starting lineup this week. But Larry Johnson did a solid job filling in last week, and they may not want to overdo it with Benson this week.

6) Joseph Addai (vs. Tennessee): Addai simply is not putting up the numbers the other backs in this group have been; he's only run for 70 or more yards once all season, and has not carried the ball more than 20 times in any game.

Running Backs 3

1) LaDainian Tomlinson (@ Cleveland): Tomlinson has scored five times in his last three games, making up for otherwise ordinary numbers. He's not catching the ball like he used to (three receptions over his last five games), and he's run for at least 75 yards just once this year. But only three teams have allowed more rushing yards than the Browns, and only two teams have given up more rushing scores to opposing running backs.

2) Matt Forte (vs. St. Louis): Only the Bills have allowed more rushing scores to opposing running backs than St. Louis has, and if this were last season, Forte would be No. 1 on this list. As it is, he's struggling mightily this year running the ball. One thing that should be considered in this scoring format - he has averaged over five receptions per game in his last four contests.

3) Laurence Maroney (@ Miami): Over his last six games, Maroney has scored eight times, accounting for all of his touchdowns this season. Unfortunately, he also has lost a fumble in three consecutive games, and any more could mean fewer carries for him.

4) Kevin Smith (@ Cincinnati): Smith hasn't gained 70 or more rushing yards in eight games, and the Bengals are the No. 3-ranked rush defense in the league. The only thing saving him from being ranked last on this list is his ability to catch the ball.

5) Ryan Grant (vs. Baltimore): No doubt Grant has had a solid year, but a lot of things are working against him - Baltimore is seventh in run defense and allows the fewest yards per carry in the league, he doesn't catch the ball with regularity, and he sat out a practice this week with a stinger.

6) Tim Hightower (vs. Minnesota): Not only is Hightower going to lose more and more playing time to Beanie Wells, but he's going up against the team that is second in the NFL in run defense, and the team that is tied in allowing the fewest rushing scores in the league.

Running Backs 4

1) LeSean McCoy (@ Atlanta): Brian Westbrook remains out, and DeSean Jackson is likely to be sidelined as well, leaving McCoy to be an even bigger piece of the puzzle this week. Atlanta's defense is sub-par in every area, and they are just 23rd in the league against the run. Something else to note - only one team has given up more receiving touchdowns to running backs than the Falcons have.

2) Jamaal Charles (vs. Denver): Charles has scored a rushing or receiving touchdown in each of his last three games since taking over after Larry Johnson was cut. He's an explosive player who makes things happen, and now that he's getting an opportunity, he's making the most of it.

3) Cadillac Williams (@ Carolina): The Caddy has a very good match-up against the 26th-ranked Panthers run defense, and it is one he gained 77 yards and scored a touchdown against back in Week 6, but he's also done very little since then. He hasn't rushed for even 60 yards in his past five games, or run for over 3.7 yards per carry.

4) Pierre Thomas (@ Washington): If only he were the clear-cut No. 1. As it is, he shares time with a couple other running backs, and though he's productive with the carries he does get, he really doesn't get enough looks to put up the big numbers he might be able to elsewhere.

5) Steve Slaton (@ Jacksonville): The Texans are still having trust issues with Slaton due to his previous fumbleitis, and he's dealing with a neck malady, so we'll have to see how many touches he gets, and until then, it's not safe to trust him.

6) Beanie Wells (vs. Minnesota): Leave Wells on the bench against one of the best run defenses in the NFL.

Wide Receivers 1

1) Wes Welker (@ Miami): With only six catches for 32 yards, Welker had his worst game of the season last week. He'll right the ship this week against a Miami team that he burned for nine catches and 84 yards in Week 9. Welker leads the NFL in catches, even though he missed two weeks, and with receptions at three points each, you can't go wrong using him.

2) Reggie Wayne (vs. Tennessee): The man with the second-most catches this season is Wayne, and his match-up is beautiful. No team has allowed opposing wideouts to catch more passes or score more touchdowns, and they've also allowed opposing receivers to accumulate the second-most receiving yards (by one yard). Wayne had six catches for 60 yards and one score against the Titans in Week 5.

3) Andre Johnson (@ Jacksonville): Only three teams have given up more receiving yards and receiving scores than the Jaguars have, and Johnson is the perfect person to exploit that weakness. He had four catches for 86 yards against them back in Week 3.

4) Randy Moss (@ Miami): Moss leads the league in receiving yards, but you wouldn't know that by the way he's played the last two weeks. He's accumulated only 101 yards combined in those two games, though a reprieve could very much be in the works this week - he blistered the Dolphins for 147 yards on six receptions (including one touchdown) when he first met them in Week 9.

5) Chad Ochocinco (vs. Detroit): The Ocho has stunk over his last five games, with no more than five receptions in any of them, and not one contest of even 70 receiving yards. Yet he plays the Lions this week, and he can easily fatten up on them - they're dead last in pass defense and have passing touchdowns allowed.

6) Larry Fitzgerald (vs. Minnesota): If Kurt Warner plays, Fitzgerald should be moved up in the rankings, but if noodle-armed Matt Leinart goes again, there are too many other receivers in this group to choose from who have Pro Bowl quarterbacks throwing to them.

Wide Receivers 2

1) Vincent Jackson (@ Cleveland): Jackson's disappearance over the last three games has been troubling. He hasn't scored since in that time, and he's accumulated a total of seven catches and 93 yards. But he has to bust out of it at some point, and it would be no shock if he did so against the terrifically awful Browns.

2) Mike Sims-Walker (vs. Houston): Three times in his past five games, Sims-Walker has accumulated fewer than 50 receiving yards, but he has scored three times in that span, easing the pain that was inflicted by his lack of yards. In his last game against the Texans, in Week 3, he had six catches for 81 yards.

3)Roddy White (vs. Philadelphia): White has not been as productive this season as he was last year in terms of yardage, and if he hadn't been scoring so many touchdowns, he would be a real disappointment. Yet he does have seven on the season, and he scored last week for the first time in three games.

4) Marques Colston (@ Washington): Colston caught one of Drew Brees' five touchdown passes last week, which was one of his four receptions and 121 yards. It was his first score in three weeks, but don't be too confident he can repeat that feat this week. The Redskins have allowed the second-fewest catches by opposing wide receivers.

5) Anquan Boldin (vs. Minnesota): Boldin is, surprisingly, not among the top-25 players in receiving yards, and possibly even more surprisingly, has just two touchdown catches this season. He was starting to play better before Kurt Warner went out, and if Warner does play this week, Boldin is a much more viable option than if the weak left arm of Matt Leinart has to play.

6) Steve Smith (CAR) (vs. Tampa Bay): He had one reception for five yards last week. Five yards! Jake Delhomme is likely out, and though that's probably a good thing in the long run, it means the Panthers will simply rely more on the running game than usual this week.

Wide Receivers 3

1) Brandon Marshall (@ Kansas City): Just four teams have allowed more yards to opposing wide receivers than the Chiefs have, and Marshall typically destroys soft defenses. In two games against the Chiefs last season, he had 18 catches for 168 yards and three touchdowns.

2) Steve Smith (NYG) (vs. Dallas): After a bit of a three-game lull, Smith is back to catching oodles of passes. He's amassed seven or more receptions in three of his last four games, and has 65 or more yards in four of his last five games. And the last time he faced Dallas, he went ballistic, scoring once on one of his 10 receptions for 134 yards.

3) Santonio Holmes (vs. Oakland): Holmes finally did something that his fantasy owners have been waiting for since Week 1 - he scored his second touchdown of the season last week! Holmes has actually been playing very well of late, and that finally paid off. He has had at least six receptions and 74 receiving yards in each of his last four games.

4) Pierre Garcon (vs. Tennessee): Garcon is clearly the No. 2 man behind Reggie Wayne on the wideout depth chart in Indy. He had five receptions for 63 yards and one touchdown last week, and has at least 50 receiving yards in each of his last five games.

5) Robert Meachem (@ Washington): What hurts Meachem in this scoring format are his lack of receptions. And he also has a tough match-up this week, going up against the No. 1-ranked pass defense of the Redskins.

6) T.J. Houshmandzadeh (vs. San Francisco): If he can't get it done against the Rams, who can he get it done against? He's been a fantasy football bust all season.

Wide Receivers 4

1) Sidney Rice (@ Arizona): Of the top 15 players in terms of receiving yards, only Miles Austin is averaging more yards per reception than Rice's 17.2, a number that has catapulted Rice to third in the league in receiving yards despite just 56 receptions.

2) Derrick Mason (@ Green Bay): Mason has now had three very productive games in a row after his seven-catch, 62-yard, one touchdown performance last week against the Steelers. His opponent this week, the Packers, are sixth in the league in pass defense, but have also allowed more touchdown passes than all but three other teams.

3) Nate Burleson (vs. San Francisco): Burleson came up very short last week against the Rams, a team he should have torched. He managed just four receptions for 46 yards against a bad pass defense, and he failed to score for the sixth straight game. Burleson has a solid match-up against the 49ers, who are 28th in the NFL in pass defense.

4) Hines Ward (vs. Oakland): Ward apologized after being critical of Ben Roethlisberger last week after Big Ben didn't play due to a concussion. He insists there are no lingering hard feelings among the two, which is good, because that means Ward can go back to being one of the most productive wideouts in the NFL.

5) Santana Moss (@ Philadelphia): He's far too unreliable. There are much better options in this group.

6) Braylon Edwards (@ Buffalo): Edwards should not be used.

Wide Receivers 5

1) Calvin Johnson (@ Cincinnati): If you're going to take a chance on Megatron, now is as good a time as ever. He only caught two passes for 10 yards last week, but he did score a touchdown for the second straight week, and also has at least five receptions in five of the nine games he's played this season.

2) Percy Harvin (@ Arizona): Harvin's best game as a pro came last week, as he caught a touchdown for the second week in a row while setting career-highs in receptions (six), receiving yards (101) and rushing yards (45). Against the Cardinals' 30th-ranked pass defense, more career-highs are possible.

3) Donald Driver (vs. Baltimore): Driver tore up the Lions on Thanksgiving and has had a nice layoff since then to rest his 34-year-old body. He's only caught fewer than four passes in a game just one time this season, and has scored in three of his last six contests.

4) Devin Hester (vs. St. Louis): Hester is in a big-time slump, and although the Rams can break any offensive player out of their malaise, his inconsistency should be worrisome. Hester has only 86 receiving yards in his last three games.

5) Donnie Avery (@ Chicago): Avery plays in an inconsistent offense with a quarterback that is named Kyle Boller. Probably best to avoid him.

6) Greg Jennings (vs. Baltimore): He's being outplayed by his teammate, the far more consistent Donald Driver.

Tight Ends 1

1) Tony Gonzalez (vs. Philadelphia): No team has allowed opposing tight ends to catch more passes than Philly has, and only one team has allowed more receiving yards and touchdowns to players at that position. Even with Matt Ryan sidelined, Gonzalez should not be penalized.

2) Dallas Clark (vs. Tennessee): Clark, who has caught a touchdown in two straight games, last played the Titans in Week 5, a game in which he caught nine passes for 77 yards. He's caught seven or more passes in seven of his 11 games this season, and that can add up to huge points in this scoring format.

3) Antonio Gates (@ Cleveland): Only six teams have allowed more touchdown passes to opposing tight ends then Cleveland, and Gates recently broke out of a funk last week against the Chiefs, catching seven balls for 118 yards and two scores.

4) Vernon Davis (@ Seattle): When Alex Smith made the transition to starting quarterback, he undoubtedly wanted to get his tight end involved. That's most certainly happened, as Davis has had at least one touchdown reception or 100 receiving yards (or both) in all but one of the six games the 49ers have played since Smith took over.

5) Jason Witten (@ NY Giants): Witten had his first 100-yard game of the season last week, and it was a long time coming for the preseason No. 1 fantasy football tight end. He has been consistent in catching the ball this season, catching exactly five passes in each of his last three games, and he doesn't have fewer than four receptions in any contest this year.

6) Visanthe Shiancoe (@ Arizona): Over his last eight games, Shiancoe has scored seven times. That's a great number, but within the context of this group of tight ends, he's not the top option on his team the way the other players here are.

Tight Ends 2

1) Brent Celek (@ Atlanta): Celek just signed a $33 million extension, and is certainly facing the right opponent in which to do prove he deserves that contract. Atlanta has allowed opposing tight ends to catch more passes than all but four other squads, and only three teams have allowed opposing tight ends to gain more receiving yards.

2) Greg Olsen (vs. St. Louis): Olsen is a solid play each week due to the fact that the Bears have a dearth of options at the receiver position, and the Rams have certainly been beaten by opposing tight ends before.

3) Kellen Winslow (@ Carolina): Winslow managed only 29 yards on three receptions the last time he squared off against the Panthers, but with rookie quarterback Josh Freeman at the helm, the situation is different this time around.

4) Zach Miller (Oakland Raiders): Bruce Gradkowski has really been beneficial to Miller - after little production over most of the season, he's combined for 10 receptions and 136 yards the last two weeks.

5) John Carlson (vs. San Francisco): With six catches for 46 yards in Week 2, one of Carlson's most productive games of the season came against San Francisco. That statistic alone should tell you how disappointing he's been this season.

6) Heath Miller (vs. Oakland): Despite how bad Oakland is, they completely shut down opposing tight ends - they are one of just two teams not to have allowed a touchdown reception by someone at that position.



Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Carolina Panthers - How the Carolina Panthers Made History

The Carolina Panthers is based in Charlotte, North Carolina and is a member of the National Football League (NFL), representing both North and South Carolina. They are one of the four teams playing in the South Division of the National Football Conference (NFC). The Panthers began playing as 1995 NFL expansion teams, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Panthers uniforms are colored black, blue and silver. They play at the Ericsson Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.

A lucky start

Merely two years since the team was instituted, they won in their division and qualified to compete at the playoffs in the 1996 season. Never had any other expansion NFL team were able to achieve success that early. The year before, they won seven games-the most number of wins by an expansion team. Panthers owner and founder Jerry Richardson was awarded a new NFL franchise in 1993, the first one after 1976 (when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks were given a franchise).

The worst season

The 2001 NFL season was a disaster for the Carolina Panthers. In fact, it was their worst year. They would go down in history for having the most consecutive losses in NFL record, losing 15 straight games and finishing with a 1-15 record. Two seasons later, under the wing of head coach John Fox, they were able to reverse their fortunes and finished the regular season with an 11-5 record. They continued on to the playoffs after winning the South Division Title of the National Football Conference and went on to compete at the Super Bowl XXXVIII against the New England Patriots. They could have won that season but four seconds on the clock, their chances of winning were undone by the Patriots' Adam Vinatieri who kicked a 41-yard field goal leading to the Panthers' defeat.

A close call

Dom Capers, former Pittsburgh Steelers Assistant coach, was the Panthers' first head coach. In their first season in 1995, they lost their first five games but recovered pretty well during their last 11 games, winning seven games in all, thanks to Panthers receivers Willie Green and Mark Carrier. The Panthers defeated the San Francisco 49ers, which was the defending league champion during that time-again, the first ever instance in NFL history for an expansion team. In 1996, the Panthers proved its professional status yet again by winning 12 games in the NFL and getting the North Western Division Title in the NFC. At that time, the Panthers had put together an impenetrable team including running back Anthony Johnson and quarterback Kerry Collins; Pro Bowl linebackers Lamar Lathon, Kevin Greene, and Sam Mills, which made up the the second-best defense in the NFC; Placekicker John Kasay who converted 37 field goals on a league record; and league's top kickoff returner Michale Bates who averaged 30.2 yards per return. Dom Capers was named coach of the year. After defeating the Dallas Cowboys during the playoffs, the Panthers lost to the Green Bay Packers who went on to become that season's Super Bowl Champions.




Rick Grantham is an avid sports fan. Most of Rick's articles focus on sports gear. Many articles are related to mlb gear and other sports related topics. Rick is a contributing author to BooYah Village

Monday, February 22, 2010

Why Does OPEC Control Our Economy With Its Fuel Production Control?

OPEC is Crude:

Crude oil prices ($127.00 Aug 01, 2008) are determined by global supply and demand conditions in International markets. The production policies of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries or (OPEC) help determine global supply availability and these policies have an important influence on World oil prices. OPEC attempts to maintain the oil prices by restricting oil production. With OPEC's ability to restrict production, which depends on prevailing market conditions, the degree of co-operation from non-OPEC oil producing countries, and its own resources. Crude oils command different prices because they vary in quality. The value of the products that can be made varies from crude to crude. Crude oils are different depending on the location of the drilling.

Where Does My Gasoline Come From?

The United States consumes about 21 million barrels (882 million gallons) of petroleum products each day. Almost half of this is in the form of gasoline which is used in over 210 million motor vehicles traveling over 7 billion miles per day. WOW now that is alot of fuel. Most gasoline is made from crude oil, formed from the remains of plants and animals that lived hundreds of millions of years ago. These remains were covered with layers of sediment over time. With extreme pressure and high temperatures over millions of years, these remains became the mix of liquid hydrocarbons (an organic chemical compound of hydrogen and carbon) that we call crude oil. Refineries break down these hydrocarbons into different products. These "refined products" include gasoline, diesel fuel, heating oil, jet fuel, liquefied petroleum gases, residual fuel oil, and many other products. The most basic refining process separates crude oil into its various components. Crude oil is heated and put into a distillation column where different hydrocarbon components are boiled off and recovered as they condense at different temperatures. The molecular structure of the input is further changed in processes using heat and pressure as well as catalysts that increase the rate of reactions without being consumed themselves. The characteristics of the gasoline produced depend on the type of crude oil that is used and the setup of the refinery where it is produced.

Gasoline characteristics are also affected by other ingredients that may be blended into it, such as ethanol. Most of the fuel ethanol added to gasoline is made from corn grown in the United States. The gasoline performance must meet industry standards and environmental regulations that vary by location. In 2007 U.S. refineries produced 90 percent of the gasoline used in the United States. Although the United States is the world's third largest crude oil producer, less than 35% of the crude oil used by U.S. refineries was produced in the United States. About 48% of our net petroleum imports were from countries in the Western Hemisphere, 18% from the Persian Gulf, 22% from Africa, and 12% from other regions.

In conclusion with OPEC controlling our production of oil globally; if they decide that we have a supply and demand issue of crude they put a squeeze on production, weather it is more or less, which ends up controlling our economy. If the US would put more restrictions on the price of crude oil, then most Americans would not be in their current travel or commuting situation. Fuel prices control our economy.




John Fagan is a top internet marketer who works with industry leaders from around the world. He has a passion for helping others achieve their goals, dreams and aspirations. To learn more about John Fagan and his team Click Here

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Trading Chris Chambers - Rebuilding for the Future

Winless thus far in the season, it's pretty obvious the Miami Dolphins aren't going to win this year's Super Bowl. Now, sure, you could argue that the Dolphins can win their remaining ten games, make the playoffs and - in grand underdog fashion - claw their way to the championship. They would win, in a word, swimmingly.

But, realistically, their season is over. Not only is Trent Green hurt, but Chris Chambers is gone. With no one to throw it and no one to catch it, the game of football is hard to play.

The decision to trade Chambers was reported last week, months after rumors speculated this very thing. In exchange for him, the Miami Dolphins acquire San Diego's second round pick in the 2008 draft.

It just might be a win-win for both teams.

On the Chargers end, they have been in need of a star receiver for quite some time. With Eric Parker on injured reserve with a broken toe, San Diego opponents focus most of their energy on two people: Antonio Gates and LaDainian Tomlinson. With Chambers in the mix, they'll now have to focus on three.

Speed, versatility, perseverance, and play-making ability, Chris Chambers will be a nice addition to the Charger's offense. He will also take some pressure off of Phillip Rivers: the more prime targets a quarterback has, the better they perform.

As he joins the Chargers, Chambers will be reunited with Norv Turner, the man who served as the Dolphin's offensive coordinator during the 2002-2003 season. This means he will fall into a similar offense, making his acclimation particularly smooth.

On the Dolphins end, Chambers wasn't having a horrible year - with 415 yards under his belt - but he was touchdownless, a truth that can be more attributed to Miami's depravity than Chamber's talent. His greatest season came in 2005 when he caught 82 passes for 1,118 yards, and eleven touchdowns. He was also voted to the Pro Bowl.

As he departs, Ted Ginn, Jr., Miami's number one pick in this year's draft, will be put in the spotlight. With only three receptions this year, he will ultimately see many more throws come his way. Miami is looking toward the future: Ginn may as well start to be seasoned.

Next year, Miami will have to decide who to take with their acquired draft pick. They might take a quarterback, or they might try to reestablish their once dominant defense.

Whatever they do, one things for sure: as of right now, there's no where to go but up.




Jennifer Jordan is a senior editor for www.milleniumlimo.com. An avid sports fan, she likes the Miami Dolphins but her heart belongs to the Denver Broncos.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

The Jason Taylor Dilemma

Now, I'm not one to spread rumors. Wait, what am I saying? I'm totally one to spread rumors. It's just my rumors usually involve stories of who lost their job or who is dating who but not admitting it. My rumors rarely involve sports, unless, of course, you count who did what in only a football jersey.

But, every once in a while, I hear a sports rumor that is too juicy to keep canned. This week's rumor involves Jason Taylor.

For anyone who is not a football fan, let me first say, "WHY NOT?" and then clarify that Jason Taylor plays defensive end for the Miami Dolphins. Not only has he been elected to the Pro Bowl several times, but Taylor was also named the 2006 Defensive Player of the Year. A seasoned veteran, Taylor shows no sign of slowing down: last season was one of his most productive yet. Oh, he's also the best player on the Dolphins. That tidbit will be important; try to remember it.

With his stats, his leadership, and his obvious skill, a team would be crazy to trade him. Crazy, or just Miami.

Taylor is the fixture of Miami's defense, a defense that includes another star in Zach Thomas. But, even with Taylor and Thomas, the Dolphins aren't dominating. At 0-3, they are doing just the opposite.

And so, enter the rumor.

According to a writer from the Miami Herald, the Dolphins should consider trading Taylor. Yep: TRADING HIM.

Whoa there Miami fans, I'm not the one who suggested it. In fact, if you ask me, it's a bit insane to trade any great leader and great player. It's insane.

Or is it ingenius?

Miami isn't going to be Super Bowl champions anytime soon, they just don’t have enough assets to go far in the playoffs. Jason Taylor, however, could be their greatest bargaining chip. Trading him for a 2008 first round draft pick and a couple others adds one more brick on to Miami's road to recovery.

The pros of this deal are simple: Miami would chalk this year up to a rebuilding season, get additional draft picks, and prepare to turn things around in 2008. Jason Taylor, depending on where he went, might also get a chance to win a Super Bowl, one of the only things missing from his prestigious career.

The cons of this deal are simple too: Miami would lose its best player and an already hurting defense would suddenly be much worse. Draft picks are also not guarantees; just because a player is exceptional in college, doesn't mean they will be great in the NFL (ahem, right Ryan Leaf?).

So, what should Miami do? They haven't asked me (well maybe they have, I haven't checked my messages yet today) but I would suggest they ask Taylor. He has played for the Dolphins his whole career and he may have loyalty to that team. He's had highs, lows, and played side-by-side with his brother-in-law. In another defense, he might not be the shining star he's used to being.

Or, he may be ready to go. Fearing that he will be the Dan Marino of defense and never hold the Lombardi trophy in his hands, he may be ready to see what contending teams want him.

With the trade deadline quickly approaching, the choice needs to be made soon. Taylor either flies the coop or remains swimming with the fishes.

As a man who has done a lot for the Miami Dolphins, Taylor should get the final call. It ought to be his decision to take a knee on the Dolphin's organization or, even if the outcome looks grim, go for it on fourth and long.




Jennifer Jordan is a senior editor for http://www.milleniumlimo.com. An avid sports fan, she likes the Miami Dolphins but her heart belongs to the Denver Broncos.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Will the Oakland Raiders Make the NFL Playoffs Next Season?

Although JaMarcus Russell didn't get a lot of playing time last season, you have to think that the Oakland Raiders are a lot better than they were with an offensive threat like Russell taking the snaps.

Last season, it was painfully obvious that the Raiders really had no chance of getting to the post season even with the AFC West being as bad as it was, but with the little time that their first pick got in on the action, you could tell times were a changing for fans of the Silver & Black.

In the off season, the Raiders, believe it or not, made some pretty prominent changes to make the team much better for the up coming season like signing both wide receiver Javon Walker and corner DeAngelo Hall. With these two Pro Bowl type football players, the Raiders have upgraded both on defense and on offense.

Personally, I think the Raiders biggest problem last season was scoring points. They had a decent defense as they always seem to have, but when it came to the offensive side of the ball, they were for the lack of a better word, useless, but with JaMarcus taking all the majority of the snaps, Justin Fargas becoming a better running back in terms of efficiency, Javon Walker being a down field threat and DeAngelo Hall shutting down Pro Bowl wide receivers, the Raiders a damn good chance of at least getting the Wild Card next season.

Not to mention, the Raiders have another high pick in the NFL Draft this year with the #4 pick in the first round, which gives the Raiders a good chance of getting Arkansas running back phenom Darren McFadden. With McFadden in the mix for the Raiders, we can start talking snatching the AFC West from the San Diego Chargers.




Get all the latest Oakland Raiders news, highlights, rumors and more at my blog Raidernation4Life

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

I Talk with Herman the Hermit: How to Tell if You are Atheistic?

Folks are always having their faith shaken.

They look at the typhoons, ulcers, bedbug bites, wars, pestilence, and television and say, “God would not put up with all this crap.”

I decided to have a chat with Herman Volker Hilton. I heard that the famous hermit was thinking about becoming an atheist and worth looking for. I figured that I could sell any article that came from the interview to Confirmed and Nearly Confirmed Atheists Magazine.

In fact it was the editor of that magazine, Peter Moses Isaac Aaron Greenburg, who gave me Herman’s whereabouts.

Before I left the editor’s office he said, “Whatever you do, don’t tell him I sent you and don’t ask him for one of his beers either. He’s on Baker Island.”

I looked in the CIA’s World Fact Book to see exactly where the atoll was. It’s halfway between Hawaii and Australia. I thought, That should be easy to find.

Baker Island is uninhabited since they stopped mining the bat poop, or guano as they say in New Mexico. It’s a wildlife refuge operated by the Department of the Interior. (It’s just like the U.S. Government to have the Department of the Interior stick its nose into the Department of the Exterior’s business.)

The Island gets a couple of official visits each year. The Coast Guard and the Department of Interior take turns.

When I got to Baker Island, I found Herman stark naked sitting on a log looking out over the Pacific. His fine red beard was down to his belly, so I figured he’d been there for a while.

He was smoking a corncob pipe and seven bottles of Sam Adams® were cooling in a tub of ice next to him, each bottle within easy reach.

Herman wasn’t expecting Taylor Jones, the hack writer, despite the fact that I can show up anywhere that sparks my interest.

He looked up at me with those steel blue eyes and said, “Who in all of God’s creations are you? Where did you come from?
Wherever that is, GO BACK!”

I apologized: “Sorry to have startled you, Herman. I hope you didn’t spill too much beer.”

“There are only two of us on this godforsaken atoll. Who introduced us?”

I was glad that Herman the Hermit had a sense of humor. I decided it was best to lie and said, “I decided to canoe over here from Howland Island. I’m doing a story on Amelia Gerhardt. I though I might find her aircraft here.” I decided it better not to mention the editor of Confirmed and Nearly Confirmed Atheists Magazine.

He stood up and pointed back towards the abandoned airstrip. “Look in the brush back there.”

I was ecstatic.

He had found her airplane!

I would be famous if I could get back to civilization with color photographs.

I snapped a couple of shots of Herman with my trusty C-3® camera and ran and ran and ran.

Then I looked and looked and looked. I heard a gasoline engine and found that it ran an electrical generator hooked to a refrigerator. I looked in and the fridge was nearly full of Sam Adams®. I didn't dare snitch a beer. I took a bottle of water.
Finally, I decided that I needed more information to find the plane. I walked back in the white-hot, blazing sun to find Herman.

When I found him, he was fishing in the surf. He said, “I figured you would be hungry when you get back. Grab a piece of fish off that hot rock. Don’t mess with my beer. I see you've already stolen a bottle of my water.”

I sat on my haunches. I learned to do that during the Korean War. You could tell how long a G.I. had been in Korea by how low on his haunches he could sit. The Koreans could put their butts all the way down to the ground. I make it about half way on these old knees.

I drank the water and ate the fish and said, “Couldn’t find it?”

He said, “Find what?”

“Amelia’s airplane. You said to look—”

“Did I tell you that I had seen the airplane?”

“No.”

“Did I tell you that the airplane was in the bushes by the airstrip?”

“Well, no. But you said—“

He had a big fish on and didn’t say anything until he had pulled the flipping thing up on the beach. He went crazy. He said, “That’s a new personal best!

I said, “It’s what?” He hadn’t been away as long as I though he had.

He ignored my comment and gutted the fish. I knew he had jived me about the personal best thing.

Herman studied the stomach contents of the fish with great detail and said, “Look! The famine is going to end.”

I said, “That’s good news. What famine? You learned that from looking at fish guts?”

“Our famine! We have fish to eat.”

I gave him my best look of credulous despair.

He said, “You were assuming again! You’d think you would learn something after almost dieing of heat prostration tramping around on this godforsaken island in this white-hot, tropical sun.”

I decided to try to at least salvage my original article idea. I said, “Looks like a storm is brewing. I’ve got a friend that says that God causes storms, war, and pestilence.”

He said, “What storm? What has a storm to do with war and pestilence?”

He had me there.

There was no storm brewing.

Now he was suspicious. That’s when he said, “You can blame God for storms and pestilence if you want to, but what good will it do you? It’s better to learn what really causes storms and pestilence just like it is good to know what causes smallpox and polio. Then you can do something about it."

I had to agree so I nodded my head. He said, “As for war, like television, that can only be blamed on man.”

Well, I didn’t have an article. Herman had mentioned God three times. But I was determined to do something of great significance for God and mankind. Herman had inspired me.

The human gnome project is completed.

I decided to look for life on Europa. When I got home, I would call Xrytspet from Fanton in G10009845788899990766.

Pop! There was Xrytspet. She said, "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get off this godforsaken atoll with its white-hot, tropical sun."




John T. Jones, Ph.D. (tjbooks@hotmail.com), a retired college professor and business executive, Former editor of an international engineering magazine. To learn more about Wealthy Affiliate University go to his info site. If you desire a flagpole to Fly Old Glory, go to the business site.

More info: http://www.InternetBusinessToolCenter.com

Business web site: http://www.AAAFlagpoles.com

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

The Basic Bowling Terms

Knowing how to bowl does not simply depend on practicing how to roll the bowling ball down the lane. As a well-back grounded bowler, it is good to know some (if not most) of the basic bowling terms. When beginner bowlers decide to skip this step, many aspects of the game may look confusing to them. It is true that you might acquire many more terms when you actually practice the game, however not knowing what a spare or a foul line is on your first game can be a grave gap.

There are tens if not hundreds of bowling terms out there. So how do you choose which one to learn first and which one to leave for later? The words that you need to first concentrate on are the ones related to the basic equipment and to basic scoring. While many people know what a bowling lane, bowling bowl and strike is some are not aware that a strike can only be done on the bowler's first ball. Hence if you knock down all the pins on your second ball, that would not be called a strike but a spare.

After you warm up, hold your bowling ball with your fingers and approach the lane. You need to know that the line at which you need to stop is called the foul line which can cause you to be disqualified - if you crossed it. After you do throw the ball as a first timer and if the ball goes off course, it will fall into the side "gutter" and that would be called a gutter ball.

To bowl, you need to understand the terminologies used in bowling techniques. For example, straight bowling is the bowling technique also referred to as point and shoot bowling which most if not all beginners resort to when they learn how to bowl. On the other hand, pro bowlers throw hook balls when they throw the bowling ball in a straight lane until it reaches a point where it curves and hooks back to knock down all the ten pins. Hook ball bowling is one of the most popular bowling techniques and hook ball bowling needs a lot of effort from the bowler because the bowler needs to use the proper grip and make the proper swing as he releases. Top-spin bowling is another terminology referring to one of the hard available bowling techniques through which the bowler is supposed to place his right arm right above the head level and have his wrist bent.

Other common bowling terminologies which we still have not discussed are: frame (which is one tenth part of a game), box (also referred to a single frame on the scoring card), dead ball (a ball not counter, like a gutter ball or a foul ball), double (two consecutive strikes), mark (a strike or spare), string (several strikes in a row), and turkey (specifically three strikes in a row).

Finally, you need to keep in mind that just like many other sports, bowling has a lot of slang bowling terms which can be directly caught off the bowling game one of which is apple (referring to the bowling ball). So, knowing how to bowl is not just about rolling the bowling ball down the alley, but also about being familiar with basic bowling terms.




Want to learn how to bowl? Sick of not performing consistently on the bowling alley? Discover the best bowling tips and techniques among professional bowlers that no amateur ever learns on their own with The Bowling Tips.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Famous Quotes by Knute Rockne During Football's Annual Bowl Season

College football's annual bowl season is full of surprises and spectacular moments. Famous coaches have had some memorable remarks about American's most popular sport, and here are some of them by legendary Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne, who many consider to be the best of the best.

Knute Rockne's head coaching record in college football was second to none, and his won-loss percentage is better than any other college or pro coach ever.

In 13 years with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Rockne's regular season won-loss percentage was 90% (105-12-5), his winning percentage among all games was 86%, and he led Notre Dame to 6 national championships, winning titles in 1919 (9-0), 1920 (9-0), 1924 (10-0), 1927 (7-1-1), 1929 (9-0) and 1930 (10-0). Five of his 6 national championships came from undefeated teams.

Along the way he coached the immortal George "Gipper" Gipp, whose multiple skills lifted Notre Dame to national fame, and the "Four Horsemen" backfield of Harry Stuhldreher, Don Miller, Jim Crowley and Elmer Layden that led the Fighting Irish to a 28-2 record.

While covering a Notre Dame football game, sportswriter Grantland Rice penned the famous opening story line-"Outlined against a blue-gray October sky, the Four Horsemen rode again"-that has become legend in sports history.

Rockne's influence on the game of football was immense. He is credited with helping popularize the forward pass, initiating intersectional rivalries, building a national schedule, and instituting the "Rockne Shift", a backfield T formation that quickly shifted into a box formation to the right or left as the ball was snapped.

He was also the first coach to realize the market potential of football as an entertainment medium and openly promoted Notre Dame football by courting the media for free advertising so Notre Dame's football program would be financially successful.

Knute Rockne was a Norwegian immigrant who graduated magna cum laude from Notre Dame in 1914, played end for the Fighting Irish that defeated the highly-ranked Army team for the first time in 1913, and was a graduate assistant in chemistry before eventually becoming Notre Dame's head coach in 1918. A Protestant, he converted to Catholicism later in life.

Following his undefeated, 6th national championship team in 1930, Rockne died at age 43 as a passenger in a tragic Fokker airplane accident that would help revolutionize the transportation business and lead to the all-metal Boeing 247 aircraft. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951 as a charter member.

Here are some of Knute Rockne's best known quotes:

"Four years of football are calculated to breed in the average man more of the ingredients of success in life than almost any academic course he takes."

"At home we're the hosts, and I never liked the idea of being embarrassed in front of our friends."

"On the road we're somebody else's guests - and we play in a way that they're not going to forget we visited them."

"We count on winning. And if we lose, don't beef. And the best way to prevent beefing is - don't lose."

"Let's win one for the Gipper."

"I've found that prayers work best when you have big players."

"It isn't necessary to see a good tackle. You can hear it."

"One loss is good for the soul, too many losses is not good for the coach."

"Show me a good and gracious loser and I'll show you a failure."

"Yes, I know that you feel you are not strong enough. That's what the enemy thinks too. But we're gonna fool them."

"The secret is to work less as individuals and more as a team. As a coach, I play not my eleven best, but my best eleven."

"One man practicing sportsmanship is better than a hundred teaching it."

"Most men, when they think they are thinking, are merely rearranging their prejudices."

Copyright © 2008 Ed Bagley




Ed Bagley's Blog Publishes Original Articles with Analysis and Commentary on 5 Subjects: Sports, Movie Reviews, Lessons in Life, Jobs and Careers, and Internet Marketing. My intention is to inform, educate, delight and motivate you the reader.

Read my other articles on football, including "Famous Quotes by Vince Lombardi During Football's Annual Bowl Season". "How to Predict When Teams Are Overrated and Due for an Unexpected Loss", "The Sagarin Ratings: What They Are, How to Read Them and What to Do With Them" and my 14 consecutive weekly wrap-up articles on the 2007 College Football Season.

Find my Blog at:
http://www.edbagleyblog.com
http://www.edbagleyblog.com/Sports.html

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Used Police Cars

A police car, police cruiser, squad car, radio car, or patrol car is a vehicle used by police forces in the United States to patrol and temporarily detain and transport individual criminal suspects. The use of police cars has basically replaced the ritual of officers or constables "walking a beat" in most jurisdictions. Supporters of community policing have also asked police departments to persuade officers to spend less time in their vehicles and more time walking the streets and intermingling with the community.

Used police cars refer to second-hand cars purchased by the police department in order to economize on the expenses required in purchasing a brand new car. It is a known fact that a police car needs to possess a standard set of requirements as the job of a police officer involves a lot of risks and dangers. These cars need to possess speed, power, and sturdiness, as police officers are often required to pursue criminals or offenders in such cars. To purchase such cars, the department is required to shell out a lot of money. As such, many departments prefer purchasing used police cars.

Police cars are usually normal cars, which are upgraded with a police package generally offered by the manufacturers themselves. The police package often alters the car in order to facilitate greater durability, speed, and capability for high mileage driving. It is also required to support the use of the electronic equipment used by police officers on patrol. These changes are made to improve performance and to increase the car's longevity, which usually lasts from 7 to 12 years.

Very often used police cars may be auctioned off to the general public after they have been used to the maximum possible extent by the police departments. Generally, a few modifications are made before transferring the actual title of ownership to ordinary citizens. This may include removal of performance enhancers, police sirens, and stickers bearing police insignia.




Police provides detailed information on Police, Police Departments, Police Equipment, Police Stations and more. Police is affiliated with Free Public Record Searches.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Coming Up With A Cheap Fancy Dress Party Outfit

Fancy dress parties are a blast, but they can also cause a lot of stress. Not only do you have to come up with a clever costume idea, but if you have to stick to a budget it's that much harder.

Costume ideas don't have to be expensive though, even if you're not an expert seamstress. The real trick with fancy dress is being creative and having a bit of a laugh with it. There's no need to break the bank on costly rented getups, just be clever.

Try going as a prominent celebrity or political figure. One clever fancy dresser donned a suit, a cowboy hat and a gas can. He was instantly transformed into George Bush. Or, you can take the easy way out and be as simple as possible; one funny lady wore all white with two yellow dots on her chest. She was a pair of eggs, easy side up of course.

If the party deadline is looming and your budget is tight, remember that the trick is to work with what's in your closet or cheaply available at your local thrift store. There's no need to be elaborate if you're also being original.

Another inexpensive way to spice up a fancy dress costume is makeup. Cheap and easy, the right makeup can take a carefully planned costume to the next level. Whether it's carefully applied zombie blood or an elaborate butterfly design, your costume will come alive for the price of a few tubes of face paint.

You can even make your own homemade face paint if you're ambitious. All it takes is 2 parts corn starch, 1 part cold cream, 1 part water and some food coloring and you've got easy-to-apply , non-toxic makeup. One of my favorite face paint costume ideas was the bald man who went as an eight-ball. He threw on a black turtleneck, slathered himself in black makeup and he was instantly recognizable. The whole costume took maybe ten minutes to throw together.

Fancy Dress parties aren't about who spent the most money or who has the best tailor, they're about having fun and showing off your originality and creative costume ideas to your friends. So, relax, put away the wallet, take a look around your own closet and you'll come up with something in no time. If anything beats a stunning costume, it's stunning costume that was cheap!




Looking for a fancy dress costume? Visit http://www.www-fancy-dress.com/

Friday, February 12, 2010

Print Media Financial Crisis - What is the Net Affect on the Quality and Integrity of News Reporting

The print media is under serious strain financially, as more and more people are getting their information on the web and in doing so they are spending more time there. This means advertisers are not getting the same bang for their buck and they too are migrating to the web to advertise. This is good news for Google's stock, which is well over $600 now, will continue to do well.

The bad news is that newspapers will have to cut costs. This means laying off people, consolidating and for some even bankruptcy. Perhaps you have already noticed the changes; the news is shallow, uneventful, filler and AP stuff. This is because fewer reporters are available and that means less first hand knowledge. Many newspapers are re-printing articles from the web, giving us second or third hand news or regurgitating old stuff.

They say you can only believe half of what you read in the newspapers, now one has to wonder if the integrity will drop below 40% along with the obvious continual deterioration of the quality of news. How bad is the net hammering on the newspaper and print media. We see many trade journals have quit business along with many popular magazines. Even TV advertising has dropped although political election seasons do tend to give them a little breathing room.

For the first time our citizens are spending more time on the Internet than on TV and it is obvious that they rely on the net to get their information and this is having a huge affect on the print media. "More major newspapers are under the gun, and on the brink of financial ruin" stated one Online Think Tank. Sincerely, Lance.




"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is an online writer in retirement.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Top 10 All-Time NFL QBs

Tom Brady and Peyton Manning ... Peyton Manning and Tom Brady ... in whichever order, they are the biggest stories for the 2008 NFL season ... as they have been for quite a while.

In fact, in these two guys, we are seeing the greatest pro quarterbacks of all time.

Their similarities are striking ... both are dominating, durable 6-foot-5 athletes with laser arms and the versatility to go deep, hit the sideline route or find the open short receiver under pressure at the last millisecond. Both have led their teams to Super Bowls; their teams would be losers without them. Above all, they are actually quarterbacks ... that means instead of being the coach's robot as is the case for almost every other team today, they go to the line of scrimmage and call the play. What a concept.

I rate them 1a and 1b all-time. The rest of my top 10:

3 -- Steve Young. It might surprise some to see him this high, yet he rates as the most powerful all-around threat at his position ever. With his 4.5 speed and 205 pounds his running ability equaled that of many halfbacks; he rushed for an amazing 537 yards in 1992. As a passer, he led the league in TD passes four times for the 49ers and was the leading passer in four consecutive seasons. More than the stats, his long passes to Jerry Rice were beautiful ... always perfectly in stride.

4 -- Joe Montana. Four Super Bowl wins and three Super Bowl MVPs with San Francisco provide convincing evidence. He led the NFL in completion percentage five times and set a record with a 112.4 QB rating in 1989.

5 -- Johnny Unitas. From the late 1950s into the early 1970s, the Colts ranked as one of the premier NFL teams, and Unitas was their unquestioned leader. He threw a TD pass in 47 straight games and ended his career as NFL leader in passes attempted (5,186), yards gained (40,239) and TD passes (290).

6 -- Terry Bradshaw. He may have a goofy demeanor as a TV commentator but on the field, he proved his greatness by guiding Pittsburgh to four Super Bowl titles.

7 -- John Elway. He'll be remembered for leading the Broncos to back-to-back Super Bowl crowns ... a rare and difficult feat ... and taking them on 47 game-winning or tying drives in the fourth quarter ... a clutch player.

8 -- Dan Marino. He used a strong arm and quick release to set many NFL records for the Dolphins, including most attempts, most completions, most yards and most TDs.

9 -- Otto Graham. He took the Browns to three titles, throwing for four TD passes in the 1950 game, three in 1954's and two in 1955's.

10 -- Sammy Baugh. OK, we're going way way back but Baugh was the first great NFL QB. He threw 187 TD passes for the Redskins and as a two-way player, he amassed 31 career interceptions and averaged 45.1 yards as a punter. Does that make him a three-way player?

Among today's quarterbacks, maybe Ben Roethlisberger could join this list someday ... he's dominant when he's on. Coming out of college, it seemed Vince Young could, too ... but no way yet. Joe Namath (injuries curtailed him), Roger Staubach (got late start), Sonny Jurgenson (what a passer) and Bart Starr (what a leader) rank as our honorable mentions.




Gerry Storch is editor and administrator of http://www.ourblook.com a political discussion/media analysis website that fills the gap between a blog and a book. In his journalism days, he was sports editor of Gannett News Service.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Brawn Over Brains - Philip Rivers, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Toughness In Pro Sports

Picture this scenario: two secretaries get hired by a well-known law firm, and work there for several years. One (let's call him Phil) is somewhat of an underachiever, and is notorious for his surly attitude. The other (let's call him LT) represents the firm with class and dignity, and is the most efficient worker they've ever had. One day, they both come down with injuries while typing. Phil has a torn ligament in his wrist, while LT is in the early stages of developing carpal tunnel syndrome. They both need time off, but the firm's biggest client goes on trial in one week. Phil decides to fight through his tremendous pain, because the person who would take over his work (William E. Volek) isn't trusted by anybody in the firm. LT takes the necessary time off, comforted by the fact that his replacement is infinitely better than Phil's, and can help the company get through its busy time. After the trial, everyone hails Phil's courage, even though the damage in his wrist is so severe that he might not be able to work when they next need him. LT is condemned for his choice, even though he decreased his risk of suffering a long-term injury by getting adequate rest. Despite the fact that LT is an all-time great secretary, and had only called in sick once before in his career, he will forever be remembered for failing to come through in that one week, and his years of hard work become tainted in the process.

Seems kind of rough, no? How many of us would do what LT did, and make sure to avoid long-term injury in order to continue earning a good living for their family? This situation came to fruition this past Sunday in the AFC Championship Game, when San Diego's future Hall-of-Fame running back, LaDainian Tomlinson, carried the ball only twice against New England due to a sprained medial collateral ligament in his knee. Their inconsistent quarterback, Philip Rivers, played the whole game with a completely torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee, and actually had preliminary surgery six days before in a last ditch effort to play. It's possible that he won't be back in time for their next training camp, as recovery time for this injury can last up to eight months. As expected, Rivers has been universally hailed for his courage, while Tomlinson has been lambasted by fans and media members alike. The obvious question that emerges is this: why do we expect so much from pro athletes? In no other area of life would we debate this dilemma. If you have an injury, and it's going to affect your production, you take time off to heal. Case closed. However, if you play pro sports, and especially pro football, it isn't enough to just be good at your job. You also have to have a level of toughness that's acceptable to not only your teammates, but to the millions of people on their couches who watch and criticize what you do.

We as fans always expect a superhuman effort from our athletes. We demand it, since they charge us so much for tickets, and especially since the athletes get paid such ludicrous amounts of money. So this past Sunday, everyone wanted to see the Chargers play the Patriots with their full complement of starters. We wanted LaDainian to tough it out, since his presence would have made the game better. The problem is that there are plenty of instances when athletes did risk it all, and never were the same again. We always seem to forget that Bill Walton felt such pressure to play through injury that he went against his personal beliefs in the '78 playoffs and took pain killers in order to deal with his foot problems. We also seem to forget that over the next five years, he missed 3 full seasons, and played in only 14 and 33 games in the other two. We also forget that NFL players are more prone to depression, arthritis, and an assortment of other mental and physical problems when their careers are over, because they take risks similar to the one Rivers took. So while I respect Rivers' toughness, I can't use his decision as a reason to fault Tomlinson. Because there is no right or wrong way to deal with this dilemma. If Rivers felt like the risk was worth it, and LaDainian didn't, then who are we to tell them otherwise? Only one thing is certain - next year, if LaDainian continues to break records, while Rivers struggles to make it back from his injury, people will finally acknowledge the complexity of this issue, which isn't as clear-cut as it's currently being presented.




Christopher E. Smith, http://xenfulmusings.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Brett Favre Football Jerseys - Another All-Time Record

In his 17 years in the NFL, Brett Favre has broken a lot of records, including most touchdown passes, most passing yards, most passing attempts, most passing completions, most wins by a starting quarterback, most consecutive starts, and most NFL MVP awards, just to name a few.

But, Brett Favre has broken yet another record - one that seems to have flown under the radar, for the most part. This was a record that he broke OFF the field.

League officials from the NFL have announced that Brett Favre football jerseys are now the all-time best selling jerseys in the history of the game. More #4 Brett Favre football jerseys have been sold than any other jersey for any player, including NFL greats such as Joe Montana, John Elway, Dan Marino, or Johnny Unitas.

What makes this record even more amazing is that Favre managed to break this record while playing in the NFL's smallest market. It could be said that football jersey sales are the greatest measure of fan popularity, because fans vote for their favorites with their wallets. In any case, this record is certainly evident of the fact that Brett Favre's appeal is wide-spread among the NFL fan base. He couldn't have set the all-time jersey sales record by only selling jerseys in Green Bay. It just isn't big enough, even with multiple jerseys being purchased by the same person.

That's right - many fans own several Brett Favre football jerseys, as there are many to pick from. There are home jerseys, away jerseys, throwback jerseys, pro-bowl jerseys, game-used jerseys, autographed jerseys, youth jerseys, women's jerseys, pink jerseys, and yellow sparkle jerseys. There are even Brett Favre football jerseys for your dog and your baby, so no one feels left out.

You may get left out, though, if you don't act fast. According to Reebok, the official outfitter of the NFL, Brett Favre football jerseys are so popular that they are selling at a 96% increase over the 2006 numbers. By comparison, Peyton Manning's jersey sales were up 29% and Tom Brady's were up 57% over the same period of time.




Mike Smith owns http://www.Favre4Sale.com, a Brett Favre fan and memorabilia site. He specializes in Brett Favre merchandise, including jerseys, autographs, helmets, footballs, cards, photos, game-used items, and other Brett Favre gear. He also features the latest in Brett Favre news, videos, articles, pictures, bio info, and retirement information. Visit his site to get your Brett Favre football jerseys today: http://www.Favre4Sale.com

Copyright 2008 Mike Smith

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Heel Pain and Obesity: The Chicken or the Egg?

A new survey has found that heel pain caused by plantar fasciitis, a problem affecting almost a third of people who are overweight, often limits exercise and therefore makes it difficult for people to lose weight. The survey of 381 adult Americans, conducted by Heeling Solutions LLC, (www.heelingsolutions.com) found that 90% of people with heel pain who exercise at least 1 to 2 times per week report that heel pain limits their physical activity. The survey also found that 69% of people reporting heel pain were interested in losing weight, as compared to 58% of the general public.

Plantar fasciitis is the most common type of heel pain and is an example of a physical condition that can prevent or derail a weight loss program. It usually strikes people when they are increasing the amount of physical activity that they do. Be it a runner training for a marathon, a weekend warrior at a weekend tennis game, or an obese person starting to exercise. The change in the amount of stress put on the heel and foot can lead to plantar fasciitis. This can be especially devastating for overweight people who often develop plantar fasciitis as they begin to see progress in their attempt to lose weight.

“It strikes people of all ages and levels of physical activity,” says David Nader, an exercise physiologist and advisor to Heeling Solutions, a company focused on helping patients and their doctors resolve heel pain through education and non-invasive techniques. Plantar fasciitis does not discriminate; even pro-athletes in excellent shape get it. For example Minnesota Vikings receiver Randy Moss, who missed last years Pro Bowl, because of plantar fasciitis, or the Pistons Rasheed Wallace, one of this years key players in the NBA finals, who battled plantar fasciitis since late in the 2004 season.

Though in most cases heel problems are not directly causing obesity, it is clear that resolving heel pain is important to staying healthy and losing weight for a large number of people.

“Some diseases like arthritis, tend to greatly reduce a person ability to exercise, and there is little that one can do about them, however, there are others like plantar fasciitis where that need not be the case,” according to Dr. Jeffrey Peterson, physician with the Northern California Institute of Sports Medicine, “Most people can recover from plantar fasciitis using conservative means, which can really make a difference in helping people lose the weight.”

Many people needlessly suffer from heel pain for years before they do anything about it. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, it is estimated that 2 million people seek treatment for plantar fasciitis every year in the United States, and it is believed that there are several million more who go untreated and suffer needlessly. In most cases the longer a person waits to seek treatment the longer it will take to get rid of it.

If your heel hurts and it is limiting your ability to exercise, its time to get diagnosed and get on the road to recovery.




Daniel Marein-Efron is a former plantar fasciitis sufferer and President of Heeling Solutions LLC http://www.heelingsolutions.com . Mr. Marein-Efron has been involved with a variety of entrepreneurial businesses through his consulting company DMEX Consulting LLC.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Bowling - The Grand Game of the Century - Being a PRO

Most people know bowling. Everyone has played the sport or had seen one. But what people don't know perhaps is there are several versions of bowling games, each of them equally entertaining in their own right.

To categorize the existing bowling games, it falls under two types. Knock-down types includes ten-pin, nine-pin and five-pin, which the main game objective is knocking down a number of pins in a least number of rolls. Target types involve determining a target and getting a ball as close to the target by either throwing or rolling the ball.

Of the bowling games variants, there are several, and they are:

The Ten-pin
Ten-pin is the most played bowling variant around the world. An estimate of 100 million people plays bowling which is the highest estimate for any sport except soccer, and a majority 80% plays exclusively ten-pins. In fact, corporate entrepreneurs like the AMF Bowling made colossal profits when they introduced the fully automatic pinsetter to the gaming public. As the name implies, this game uses ten pins, a ten pin alley, and a bowling ball.

The Nine-Pin
The nine-pin, also called as Skittles, is most standard version of the sport. This game is often played in pubs and bars. It is a country sport that is very popular in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and some particular regions of the British Isles. Skittles are played in a skittle alley, and use a single set of nine pins. The balls are smaller than that of a ten-pin game, but there are other versions that use a round flat wooden discus called as a 'cheese' in place of a ball.

The Five-pin
This 1909 bowling variant is a spin off from the nine-pin to offer a chance for casual bowlers to play bowling in a shorter time. By using smaller balls (the size of a fist) the game progresses very fast. The five-pin game also allows the balls to be thrown in a quick succession. This game variant is especially popular in Canada.

Candlepin bowling
Another spin off of the nine-pin game, though this game is mostly confined to parts of the United States. Candlepin bowling has no real differences between the other types of its genre except that it uses more slender pins and during turns, the fallen pins aren't cleared away.

Bowls and Petanque
Bowls, also known as Lawn Bowling or Bocce, is an example of target bowling. It is a precision sport where the objective is to roll the ball (called 'bowls') as close to the 'target' white ball (called 'jack'). Bowls is the most widespread of the bowling target games and is popular in the UK and most parts of Europe.

Petanque is a form of bowls that is very popular in France, particularly in Provence. It is also the mostly played sport in Marseilles. Though not much different from bowls, the only difference would be that Petanque is played with a shortened pitch, and the moving delivery of bowls was changed to a stationary one of Petanque.

Because of the minimal physical activity and the unhurried pace of bowling games, bowling has become a popular participant sport especially for the elderly. But the seemingly unhurried pace of bowling games did still attract scores of young players. In fact, younger crowd dominates professional competition for this sport.




Okoth Lencer,is the author of Bowling times. She runs a blog [http://www.bowlingtimez.blogspot.com] The internet's biggest blog on bowling. For tips and advice join her community.

Friday, February 5, 2010

OJ Simpson Football Jerseys

The West has always been fascinated about football. In America, they call it American football. Europeans dub it as soccer. But whatever it is, football per se is one of the attention-getters in sports arena aside from basketball, wrestling, boxing and softball. Screaming fans are also crazy about football memorabilia, gears and jerseys that have their favorite players' names on. OJ Simpson football jersey is one of the sough-after items among football followers.

Cheering for their most favorite player on field, fans from different states are shopping here and there to get the best deals of football stuff. In the history of American football, does retired running back O.J. Simpson ring the bell? For sure, you'd remember him as the first-ever NFL player to rush beyond 2,000 yards in a season. He was formerly playing for Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers. But even if he's given up his pro-football career, OJ Simpson football jersey collections are still making a big hit.

OJ Simpson football jerseys are sold via online shopping sites as E-bay and Amazon. They vary in sizes and designs. To name a few of them, there's OJ Simpson Signed Autograph Jersey, Simpson Auto Buffalo Bills TB Jersey, Retro 1969 Throwback Jersey, OJ Simpson Signed Authentic Jersey, among others. These jerseys are brand new ones and never been worn. All logos and figures are designed with 100% truly authentic USC football jersey.

Body and sleeve parts of OJ Simpson football jerseys are 100% nylon made and are enhanced by spandex side panels. Football fanatics and their families don't go dilly-dally in purchasing these kinds of jerseys that remind them of their adored player OJ. Others buy them as part of their collections.

Sizes of OJ Simpson football jerseys are of standard American fit that can suit both male and female built. Usually of bigger sizes, however, these jerseys can also be given as giveaways, birthday presents, sports festival tokens, Thanksgiving gift and Christmas souvenir. Others just merely display them at the living room or bedroom as decoration.

Those teenagers and aspiring NFL players wearing OJ Simpson football jerseys are inspired to play football in their most passionate way. They seem inspired to flaunt the OJ power of sportsmanship and dedication to excel on field. These jerseys are also sold in major shopping avenues aside from online stores. They are ensured to be of quality and are not priced too high. You can find discounts if you are just diligent to search and canvass.

OJ Simpson football jerseys have become popular not only among the NFL level of football but also high school and college leagues. As OJ Simpson used to play for the Buffalo or San Francisco, his big fans cheer wearing his jerseys.




Ian Pennington is an accomplished niche website developer and author.

To learn more about football jerseys [http://sportslegendsshop.info/oj-simpson-football-jerseys], please visit Sports Legends Shop [http://sportslegendsshop.info] for current articles and discussions.