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Archive for September 1st, 2010

Spending time with you family is vital for building healthy relationships with each other. Starting spending time with your kids when they are young will
strengthen your relationship, get them physically active, and teach them how to have fun without video games or T.V. The follow are ideas for fun
things to do with your kids out doors that don’t cost much money; if any at all.
1.Walk quietly “like a fox”, and see how close you can get to a rabbit or squirrel.
2.Watch birds and then imitate them, study how birds move differently.
Collect bird feathers and try to find out which type of birds they belong to.
3.Look at different spider webs and see what types of spiders make them. Make your own spider webs at home with cotton gauze.
4.Look for animal signs: tracks, poop, feathers, matted down patches of grass, nibbled plants, scratches in tree bark…
5.Make crayon rubbings of leafs
6.Collect rocks and find out which types they are, and why rocks have different colors.
7.Start a nature art book or scrap book.
8.Make simple bird houses out of milk cartons and watch birds come to eat.
9.Make wind chimes out of things such as sea shells, sticks, etc.
10.Catch smells into jars; such as dirt, grass, sea water and then blind fold each other to see if you can tell what you are smelling. This works good
with things you can find in your house too.
11.Go cloud watching
12.Make a treasure map, seal it in a wine bottle and throw it in the river.
13.Play sports
14.Go on adventurous walks
15.Go swimming in a lake
Or in the winter…
1.Go snowshoeing
2.Have a snow ball fight
3.Make a small ice rink in your back yard with water and packed down snow
4.Go tobogganing
5.Build a snow man
6.Build a snow fort
7.Make ice cream the old fashion way
Put 1 cup of milk or cream, 1 cup of sugar and 1 tsp of vanilla in a small coffee can and seal it with tape. Place this coffee can in a larger coffee can
and fill it with rock salt. Seal this can with tape as well. Go out side and kick the can around in the snow for twenty minutes to half an hour, open the
cans and you will have ice cream! (just make sure no salt gets into the small can)
As you can see there are tons of fun things to do out doors with your kids and family no matter what the weather is. Doing some of these activities
can also be fun for parents and remind them of their own childhood. So get dressed and get ready to have a good time.
Source: http://www.articlecircle.com

Golf would be much easier, if every shot were from a nice flat spot in the fairway. Part of being a good golfer, is not only having a perfect shot from a
flat lie in the fairway, but having a nice shot at any lie. Hitting a golf ball from a different lie, requires slight changes in the “normal” golf swing.
Hitting on a Downhill Lie
If the ball is on a hill sloping downwards, first you must consider playing a different club than you normally would from this same distance. Playing
from a downhill lie will cause the ball to ball travel further, so play a club down. In other words, use a more lofted club.
Also, you will want to change where the ball is placed at address. Line up, so the ball is farther back in your stance than normal. In order to judge how
far back to place the ball; take a normal practice swing, and note where the club makes contact with the ground. Line up so that the ball is where your
club made contact with the ground. Finally, you will want to put a slightly greater amount of weight on the front foot than the back.
Hitting on an Uphill Lie
If the surface from which you are playing is sloping upwards, again consider playing a different club than you would from this distance on a flat lie.
This time, play a club up; meaning use a club with less loft. This is because the uphill lie causes the ball to have a higher trajectory, therefore not
traveling as far.
This time, at address, the ball should be placed more forward in your stance, than if you were hitting from a flat surface. Again, take note of where the
club makes contact with the ground when taking a practice swing, and use this to judge where to place the ball. As far as weight distribution is
concerned: place slightly more weight on the back foot for the uphill lie.
Hitting with the Ball Above Your Feet
When the ball is located above your feet, it will have a tendency to travel on a right to left trajectory. In order to compensate for the ball being above
your feet, first choke down on the club. Then, make sure to aim right of the target, as the ball will travel left of where it is aimed.
Hitting with the Ball Below Your Feet
With the ball below your feet, you may feel slightly awkward at address, because of having to reach down to line up to the ball. In order to alleviate
some of this awkwardness, bend your knees, and try not to be reaching for the ball. In this case, the ball will travel on a left to right trajectory, so aim
to the left of the target.
Remember, in hitting from different lies, your swing mechanics will all be the same; do not attempt to change the rhythm or actual path of your swing.
The changes that will be made in order to compensate for these different lies involve changing your position at set up, not the swing itself.
Source: http://www.articlecircle.com

Interest in fantasy football is growing by leaps and bounds. If you are interested in owning a fantasy football team, one of the most important decisions
you will need to make will be in regards to the type of league you should join. There are many different types of fantasy football leagues and it is
important to make the right decision. Read on for tips to help you understand the different types of teams and decide which one is right for you.
The most popular type of leagues are the standard draft leagues. These types of leagues are begun with teams in which the players are selected in a
serpentine style of draft. Lineups can then be selected by the owners on a weekly basis. This is usually based on the number of players per position as
allowed by league rules. There are actually two different types of standard draft leagues. These are total points and head to head. The difference
between the two is that with a head to head league each team is matched up against a different team each week. The team that receives the most
points is recorded as the winning team. Teams with the best records at the end of the season play in playoff games at the end of the season in order
for a final champion to be determined. With a total points league, wins and losses are not tracked. Instead, points are accumulated on a continual
basis. Standings are then determined according to the total points of the teams. At the end of the regular season, the teams with the highest number of
total points meet for playoff games.
The auction draft league can also be comprised of either a total points system or a head to head system. Unlike the standard draft league; however,
the auction draft league utilizes owners who have an amount of money that is predetermined that they can bid on for players to complete their rosters.
With the dynasty league, players are on the same roster from one season to the next unless they are released or they are traded. Drafts are held for
rookies only after the first season.
Keeper leagues combine some of the features between dynasty leagues and standard draft leagues. A draft is held before the beginning of every
regular season in order for many of the players to be drafted; however, owners can keep a select number of players from the prior season.
IDP leagues use defensive players in an individual manner rather than in defensive units. This type of league can be a bit harder to organize for the
owners because it means more thought will usually need to be given to filling the other positions.
A survivor leagues uses just about any kind of draft you wish; however, they most commonly use auction or standard style drafts. The main difference
between this type of league and all of the other leagues is that each week one team is eliminated based on who scores the least number of points.

Before heading out to catch some bass, take a look at these 20 important bass fishing tips.
1. Fish slowly, providing better action and enabling the fish to have ample eye contact.
2. When the bite seems to slow down, you should slow also down. Work methodically until you find the fish.
3. Always be aware of your weather forecast. Wind, storms, and lightening kill. Safety comes first.
4. If wet feet bother you on rainy days, try a pair of GORE-TEX sox. They are waterproof and can be worn in any shoe or boot.
5. Be alert and watchful. Fish give away their presence 90% of the time through baitfish fleeing; surface action; or vegetation movement.
6.Always look in a bass’ mouth before releasing it. Most of the time, when fighting a lure in his jaw, a bass will try to throw up whatever is in his
stomach. You may be able to determine what prey the fish are actively feeding on and choose a lure/presentation to duplicate it.
7.Set the hook on a fish by feel rather than by sight.
8. Regularly check your knot for weakness and hook for sharpness.
9. Bass are not that smart. A swivel does not affect the action of a lure in a negative way and fish don’t really care about it. Use one anytime there is
the potential for line twist.
10. If you are using small hooks, don’t jerk hard on the hookset; just tighten up the slack with the rod and reel faster.
11. Check your line just above the lure frequently when fishing crankbaits around rocks, gravel, stumps, and other hard obstructions. They can quickly
fray your line.
12. Bass normally respond best to an erratic retrieve and a lot of motion. Keep that lure in front of the fish as long as you can.
13. Hold your rod tip down and to the side for better feel, keeping the angle between rod and line at around 90 degrees.
14. Black buzz baits seem to produce more strikes than bright colors.
15. Since the bass’s metabolism is high, use large crankbaits in warm and hot weather. Switch to smaller baits when the water is cooler.
16. Use a wire cross-locking snap when fishing crank plugs. It allows you to change lures quickly and enables the bait to vibrate more freely.
17. If you notice feeding fish and baitfish movement, the predators are actively after the prey. Switch to a fast moving crankbait and burn it through the
area of activity.
18. Protect your eyes with a good pair of plastic polarized sunglasses. They will protect you from the sun’s rays and also provide a shield against a
snagged slip sinker or lure flying back when pulled loose.
19. Keep baits fresh and airtight with a food vacuum sealer. You can also store hooks and other terminal tackle this way.
20. Store small quantities of hooks with a few grains of rice and they will never rust.
Using these tips will help you increase your bass catch!

If you’ve been following the news lately, no doubt you’ve heard about the new MLB drug testing policy. While you may have heard about the policy you
might not understand the specific implications of the policy and how it may affect your favorite players and teams.
The new policy was brought about by threat of legislation from Congress. Under the policy tougher penalties for steroid use are implemented. Under
the new policy the players are to be tested during their spring training along with at least one additional test during the regular season as well as being
subject to random testing throughout the regular season.
Under the previous policy, penalties were much less severe. For example, for a first offense a player would be subject to a 10-day suspension and
then 30 days for a second offense. A third offense would rate a 60 day suspension. The new policy calls for a 50 game suspension for the first offense
and a 100 game offense for the second offense. For a third offense the player will receive a lifetime ban. Additionally, after the first offense the player
will be subjected to amphetamines testing as well as steroid testing. This is the first time the problem of amphetamine use will have been addressed
by a policy with MLB. Under the old policy a player could not receive a lifetime ban until he had been hit with at least a fifth offense.
Under the previous policy testing was also conducted on a much less frequent basis. Testing was conducted at the beginning of spring training with
no additional testing through the regular season other than random testing. Under this policy, it was quite possible for a player to only be tested once
from the beginning of spring training throughout the regular season.
The policy stipulated that players who tested positive for steroid the year prior to the new policy taking affect would be treated as first time offenders
under the new policy if they should test positive again.
It should be noted that in the event a player is banned for life after a third offense under the new policy, a player can apply for permission to return to
the game two years after receiving the ban. An independent arbitrator can be assigned for the purpose of reviewing the Commissioner’s decision in
this instance.
The policy also takes a stab at possession of illegal steroid use in addition to use of illegal steroids. Players convicted for the possession of illegal
steroids are subject to a 60-80 game suspension for the first offense and 120 games to one year for a second offense. A lifetime ban is on the table for
a third offense. Players who are convicted of steroid distribution face tougher suspensions for the first offense and are subject to a lifetime ban after
the first offense.
Penalties for amphetamine use are slightly less severe than for steroid use. Mandatory follow-up testing is dictated for the first offense with a 25 game
suspension for the second offense. An 80 game suspension will be given for the third positive test and at the fourth offense the penalty is left up to the
Commissioner, which could include a lifetime ban.
Source: http://www.articlecircle.com