How to Watch Sports in the 21st Century

The 17 Best Sports Shows of the 21st Century, So Far - News WWC

I am the biggest sports fan you’ve never met. I make time for the NFL, college football, college basketball, NBA and NHL playoffs, baseball, European soccer, major tournaments in golf and tennis, IndyCar racing and more. Chances are good that if there’s a game on TV, I’m either watching it or recording it.

My friends ask me all the time, “How do you watch so much sports?” They are amazed at how much I watch sports since I am married, have a newborn baby, work 3 jobs (1 full-time and 2 part-time) and go to college full-time.

Realizing that fewer people than ever before actually watch sporting events, I figured it was time to share some of my secrets with you. As a sports fan, you need to know how to cram as much sports as possible into your spare time without shirking your responsibilities to work and family.

You need three things to maximize your sports watching into your modern schedule. First is a good TV. It doesn’t have to be an HD TV or a 126-inch TV; it just needs to work.

The second thing you need is a good package of TV channels. You need all the networks, of course, plus all of the ESPN’s. You will want Versus for those NHL playoff games, and all of the NBC’s to catch all of the Olympic coverage. USA, TNT and TBS occasionally cover very important games, and because sports is getting more expensive for networks to buy, they are passing more events off to these cable networks.

The third and final thing you need is a DVR player. This is required. No sports fan should go without DVR.

It will not be hard to show you why DVR’s are essential. Remember the last NFL game you saw that wasn’t the Super Bowl? The amount of commercials during NFL games is outrageous. The same goes for March Madness, the NBA, MLB on Fox…What am I saying? Commercials are in abundance everywhere.

When you watch the NFL, you need to be able to save time by fast forwarding commercials and the halftime show. If you do this, an NFL game should take about 90 minutes to watch.

When you watch baseball, you can fast forward between half-innings and during coaching trips to the mound. A baseball game takes about 2 hours.

When you watch basketball, you can fast forward halftime and free throws. Just hit that 30-second button to skip ahead. You don’t actually need to watch the free throws until the last couple of minutes. A basketball game takes about an hour.

For every sporting event, there are commercials and other non-essential things to fast forward.

This is what I do. For example, the Masters coverage started at 2:30 on Sunday afternoon. I started watching at 4:00. By the end of the broadcast, I was caught up to live viewing and I didn’t lose that 90 minute block of time to unimportant stuff like advertisements.

Remember these things the next time you watch sports. If you are truly a fan of the games, you will love me for how much time in your life I have saved you.

No, no…No thanks needed. Just use that time and spend it with your family or friends.…

Opening a Sandwich Shop – How to Start a Sub Shop

Starting a sub shop is not a cheap investment, but with a realistic business plan, a delicious menu and the zeal to succeed it can be a path to a rewarding business venture. According to the National Restaurant Association, America’s restaurant industry is the second largest private-sector employer in the country.

Essentially, a sub shop is an eatery that, different from a traditional restaurant, provides quick and healthy meals to people on the go. Although business start up plans vary depending on the type and scale of the business being started, there are a few general steps you can take when starting a sub shop.

Step 1

 

Write a business plan giving the reasons for starting the business and what sets your business apart from other competitors. Include your business goals and objectives.

Step 2

Find a suitable location to set up your sub shop. Suitable locations include busy urban areas like malls and colleges where many people visit. Ensure the location is easily accessible and it has ample parking space.

Step 3

Obtain a business license and permit. Visit a government health inspection office and apply for a license to operate a food and beverage business. Apply for a business permit from your local municipality office.

Step 4

Purchase the equipment and furniture you will need for your sub shop, including chairs, tables, refrigerators and stoves.

Step 5

Make sure to establish a relationship with the people who will supply food ingredients like meat, bread and cheese for your business on a regular basis.This will ensure that you never run out of food supplies

Step 6

Set up the business. Arrange the furniture in the sub shop with the help of a few people, including tables and chairs. Perform interior decorations to make the business premises attractive.

Step 7

Now it is time to hire competent staff that will help you run the sub shop, including cooks, waiters and cashiers. You can start with only a small staff and gradually employ more staff as your business grows.

Step 8

Advertise your sub shop in local print and broadcast media like radio and newspaper. Distribute flyers and coupons with your menu in your neighborhood.

Step 9

Start an opening promotion to encourage people to try your sub shop. Offer a buy-one-get-one-free promotion to draw attention to your business. You should begin to see regular customers on a daily basis.

Remember that you can always purchase a sub shop franchise if you do not want to go it alone when starting a sub shop. Sub shop empires like Subway offer franchising that come with name recognition, branding, marketing, uniforms, decorations and a food supplier.…

Hit by a Freight Train

All the books out there on pregnancy week by week, baby development week by week, but there's no after delivery week by week for us new moms! Why doesn't anyone tell you that after you give birth you feel like you've been hit by a freight train? Not for a day or even a week, but months!

Giving birth is a crazy experience that no one can prepare you for! That feeling of contractions, knowing you are going to meet that little miracle that's been inside you all those months, that gets you through it all! But what happens after the baby is out? This is what everyone seems to forget to tell you about. Yes, you have that miracle on your chest but that doesn't mean lied is all fine and dandy.

After giving birth you are in pain and are bleeding, a lot! You don't bleed for a few days but for weeks. Just when you think the bleeding has stopped it appears again after a leisurely walk you made yourself take to get out of the house! You sometimes feel like you can't walk from the couch to the bathroom without feeling so much pressure and pain that you could scream (not to mention the pain of actually going to the bathroom).

Around week 9 or 10 your body, minus that extra weight and leaking boobs, seems to be back to normal. By this time you are so sleep deprived that you might be hallucinating that you're body is actually back to normal!

For any new moms or moms to be, if you want more advice, information or insight on this topic give my article some love and I'll put together another article!…

The Toshiba Qosimo G45 Laptop Computer – Product Review

There are many things to consider when you purchase a laptop. It is important to make sure the laptop meets your needs or you are going to want to buy another one right away. When you find the right fit for you it will last you for years. The Toshiba Qosimo G45 laptop has many features you might consider. The Toshiba Qosimo G45 is surprisingly comparable to some of the other high end laptops on the market. It is right up there with the Lenovo ThinkPad X61 (top of the line), the Dell Inspiron 1720, and the HP dv2500t. I think some people might be leery of the new name but his laptop gets top notes as a screaming machine. Although this laptop is comparable to some of the other Intel T7500s it is not the better choice.

This Toshiba has an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor (2.20 GHz, 800MHz, 4MB L2), the Mobile Intel chip set, and the Intel Wireless WiFi link. In addition, it has the Bluetooth 2.0. This laptop comes with an installed 2 GB of memory and can be upgraded to 4GB. There is an integrated webcam with speakers and a microphone also. Now you can video conference without the hassle of setting up a camera and microphone.

The Qosmio comes with a 17" widescreen, glossy, LCD, which is perfect for working. I like this size better than the smaller screens you can barely see your applications. The graphics look amazing on this screen with a 512 MB nVidia GeForce GO 8600m GT graphics card. There are also a ton of ports on this laptop which include a FireWire (which means you can download movies from your DVR player, an S-Video, VGA, HDMI, two headphones, microphone, and five USB ports.

The overall look and feel of the Qosmio is fabulous. It looks very flashy with the glossy black cover and shiny screen. The palm rest is glossy also and the dials are chrome. The LEDs light up with a bright blue which illuminate all of the soft media buttons also. If you don't like these lights they can be disabled.

One thing you might consider with this laptop is the frame build. For the price of a laptop like this you would expect an alloy frame to be of top quality. If you hang the laptop over the edge of the table as you type, resting your wrists naturally, you will notice the frame bend slightly. It bends close to a quarter inch or more, which makes this a less durable model than some of the other laptops on the market made by Toshiba.

I absolutely must mention the speakers on this laptop because they are some of the highest quality speakers I have heard integrated in a laptop in a long time. The Bass is very clear and defined, midrange and high is very accurate also. You can get the volume level very loud before you begin to hear any distortion at all. You might chuckle when the plastic case of the laptop begins to rattle when you turn the bass up.

As a writer I have to say the keyboard on this laptop is very comfortable. The keys feel solid and supported unlike other laptops. When you type it doesn't require much pressure for the key presses to be recognized. This allows you to keep your wrists free as you type so you have to worry less about carpal tunnel. In addition, the typing is not as loud as the Compaq keyboard models.

This laptop is comfortable for writing and has excellent graphics with a big glossy screen. This model is perfect for someone who doesn't have a lot of high end video needs that are going to work the processor. It has many great features to it and definitely great for listening to music. However, the cheap casing on this laptop forces me to give it a 'no' for purchasing.…

Ode to a Hairbrush

Oh lovely hairbrush,

You make me look cool.

My hair is just right.

I’m the King of my school.

Without you hairbrush,

I’d be a terrible sight.

My social life would be a big zero,

And I’d be so uptight.

Your bristles are strong.

You’re comfortable and sleek.

You make me feel strong

When I’d otherwise feel meek.

A toast to you hairbrush

You have a wonderful heart.

Thank you dear hairbrush

For giving me such a fine part.…

How to Start Your Own Street Hockey League

If your local fields are always being used for organized sports like Little League, football or soccer, it is time to look to
alternative ways to have fun outside. Street Hockey is a fast-paced and exciting game that will entertain for hours and recreate some of the action seen in the NHL. It only takes a little time to set up, a group of people and a lot of fun.

Items Needed

Goals, sticks, ball/puck, players, spray paint and a street. Most of the hockey gear can be found at big box stores like Target, Wal-Mart or a sporting goods store like Dick's Sporting Goods. Check yard sales and flea markets to find ued hockey sticks that will work fine for playing.

Location is the key to having your street hockey league work out. The best place is a side street or small one way road because you want to worry about getting past other players not cars. Also look for the flattest surface; you do not want one team going uphill as the other goes down the whole time.

Goals are easily found at retailers like Wal-Mart and Target, but if you are trying to save a little money, then buy some plastic piping at Home Depot, a cheap net, and build it yourself. Sticks can also be found at many retailers along with Rollerblades and all of the proper safety gear.

Using a puck or ball depends on what you like. Balls can go smoother and make for a faster pace, but hard hits may require you to skate all the way down the street to retrieve it. Pucks are fun and are more authentic to how NHL
players play on the ice.

Set up the goal. Simply place the goals out on the street about 25 to 30 yards apart and you'll have your area set up. To get more technical, use white or orange spray paint to create goalie boxes, face-off lines and other areas like a
penalty box.

Once everything is set up, you are ready to play. The most important thing is to avoid getting in the way of traffic, so as soon as a car is seen or heard, have the goalies pull the goals off to the side. The when the car is gone, simply have a face-off and restart the action.

Face-offs can be conducted by an on-looker dropping the puck or ball in or by having two players slap the sticks three times and going for the ball after the third time. This is street hockey, so bending of the rules is allowed.

Have Fun. Most important, just remember to have fun. This is not the NHL, so do not take it so seriously, and make sure to wear all of the safety gear to avoid injuries.

Police may prevent you from playing on your street due to neighborhood complaints, so make sure it is okay with your
neighbors and ask them what the best hours to play are.

If you have enough players, you can set up multiple teams and run a small tournament. When other teams are not playing, assign a few of the players as referees so the game is played fairly.

Official Street Hockey Rules: http://www.streethockeyking.com/rules.html

 …

Classic Cars and Car Shows

There are some people who start restoration on an old car. And then after he or she is finished they will enter them into car shows for cash or trophies. Classic cars are supposed to be twenty-five years or older. When people restore a vehicle they can even sell them for a nice profit. However, there are those people who restore the cars for sentimental reasons as well.

Classic cars can be of any make or model. In addition, there are books and other ways of knowing how exactly the restoration of that specific car or truck should be.

Sometimes restoring a car or truck can get costly because of the various things that might have to be done to it. For example, if it is a ragtop and that is torn then you are going to have to have someone with experience in that field come and fix it.

If it is a vehicle that needs to be completely restored from the interior to the exterior and a new paint job, these are areas that are definitely going to take a bit of funding. For some individuals the restoration of a car takes years and is somewhat like a hobby.

In all fairness, how long it takes to restore a vehicle is really up to the owner and how many hours at a time he or she wants to put into the restoration.

On the other hand, there are those people who have the money and the means to send the car or truck out and have it professionally restored. When restoring it is important to remember that you want it to look exactly like it did coming off the show room floor. It could be the leather interior or the gearshift on the column, the ragtop, right down to the original color. And once the job is complete and the vehicle is returned to the owner it should look as though it really did come off of the showroom floor.

Amazingly, there are kits even to build old cars and they look as if they have been the product of a complete restoration, although keep in mind these kits can get expensive and building the classic car is going to be very time consuming too.

When people have restored classic cars and want to place them in car shows they will literally travel for miles to one car show to another. This is all due to the pride they actually have in the car or truck. The owner of the classic car will sometimes be selling the car however you can be sure it won't be cheap. Car shows are all over the place and some people will go to every one. While others simply wait until the car show is in their area.…

New Music – the Naked and Famous

The Naked And Famous - Sunseeker (Official Video) - YouTube

When I’m driving, I set my radio to scan because I’m not a “top 40” fanatic and I always like to hear new voices. On this particular day, I quickly stopped the scan when I hit on a local college station and heard the breathy, come hither voices in a song called The Sun. It had me twitching in my seat and getting those crazy looks from other drivers. (The whole town knows I’m crazy so it doesn’t bother me anymore.)

As soon as I was home, I logged onto the Internet to find out more about the music and the voices responsible for The Sun. Imagine my surprise when my search found the website and I realized that the band responsible for igniting my interest was another New Zealand offering. Those of you who regularly read my articles know that I am a fan of The Black Seeds, a New Zealand band I stumbled across on C-net. New Zealand has mothered yet another band that fate, in its unfathomable wisdom, has brought to my attention – The Naked and Famous.

In cruising around the Internet, I have found comments from others stating that The Naked and Famous sound is similar to Nine Inch Nails, Radio Head and The XX. I can’t say that I agree, but I’ve only had a small sampling. I find the sound of The Sun a bit techno trance, but that’s my opinion and nothing negative is meant by it because I like some techno trance. The Naked and Famous group’s lyrics and sound in The Sun are edgy and you might expect a rather ‘shocking’ appearance for the group. I was reminded that book covers are often deceiving when I saw their photos. They look like the kids down the street! But the photography and their poses did hint at something hidden–a dark side. I love a mystery.

According to the official The Naked and Famous website, only two songs,Young Blood and Punching in a Dream, are available in the United States on iTunes. I tried to find them on Rhapsody, but they were not there. I did find The Naked and Famous live performance of The Sun on Youtube.com posted by tnafofficial. If you just want to hear the song, I found it posted on Driftwood. You can find The Naked and Famous on Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Tumblr. Check out the blub about them at wearenotarockband.wordpress.com. Give The Naked and Famous a listen. You might be surprised.

(Also see my article The Black Seeds – Great Contemporary Reggae Music.)

 …

Digital Photography Tips and Pointers for the Beginner

Click and destroy is a common theme with digital photography. Take a ton of shots and hope that at least one of them will jump off the screen and sing.

It's fun and easy to take digital photographs– there's an opinion for you. It is really easy to aim a camera or cell phone and shoot a picture worthy of posting somewhere online, but to do it in a way that makes someone else say, "wow, excellent shot, wish I could do that," is much harder. I have been taking pictures for a long time and I have learned a lot as I've gone along on this journey with my camera, yet I still manage to take nearly as many duds as delights. But that is what the delete button is for, to eliminate those horrible shots forever.

My secret to getting that interesting and beautiful shot? I place myself in the correct spot to get the angle I want and then I aim at my subject, focus, stop breathing to avoid shaking the camera and deliberately move the view-finder a bit to the right or left. This puts the subject slightly off-center and creates a new focal point.

The shakiness factor can be overcome by using a tripod, but I personally find this to be less spontaneous and much less convenient than carrying around just a camera. Besides, it can take several minutes to set up the tripod properly and adjust everything to the right height. By that time, your once-in-a-lifetime hummingbird closeup is long gone. Professional photographers tend to take a while to set up their photos. They set the tripod just so and wait for the perfect light, and perfect cloud formations. If a blue jay gets in the way of the shot, it's the red velvet on the cake, as long as it doesn't spoil the planned scene. I hold my breath while taking the shot for the simple reason that breathing creates movement and movement is fatal to capturing clear photos with a digital camera. For shots that aren't going anywhere, such as still lifes or portraits, the tripod is the way to go.

I'm here to say that sometimes it's the unplanned that adds to the amateur photographer's chances of creating that ideal shot.

I look around and see what is happening. If there is anything at all going on in view of my camera, there's a potential picture there. One prime example is the day that I walked outside without the camera and had to tip-toe back inside to get it when I discovered a winter tree covered with sparrows, looking for all the world like chirping leaves. Lucky for me, the birds stayed put while I did that and for several minutes thereafter while I clicked pictures. These things happen and the digital photographer needs to be prepared at all times.

To me, it's important to shoot the kinds of pictures that interest me the most.

If 5,000 pictures of Fluffy the cat in various appealing poses is what I'm into then so be it. Fluffy is what I'll focus on if it works for me and if it doesn't, then I'll find a new subject to shoot or choose a new angle on the old one. However, new angles should be kept as simple as possible just in case Fluffy doesn't like suddenly having a camera lens shoved up her nose and reacts with a clawed demonstration of her feelings. I find that it is easy to go too far with the dramatic "art" shots.

My rule is this: If I want a sideways picture, I turn the camera all the way on its side. If I want it horizontal rather than vertical, I leave the camera in its normal position. I don't go for halfway in between.

Overdoing the artsy angles can make it hard to tell what was supposed to be the theme of the picture. Was it the ocean or that half deflated beach ball on the shore? Was it the little girl in a sandy diaper wailing her eyes out because she has a sandy diaper or the big dog apparently trying to "water" the dogwood tree? It can be difficult to tell if the photographer was drunk and lying in a fetal position at the time the picture was taken or if he just likes photos that appear to be almost sideways and close to the horizon.

No fuss, no cuss is what I say.

To sum up, keep it simple and learn the basics of your camera, the ins and outs of digital photography and just have fun with it before you start getting overly creative. Just allow yourself the opportunity to be a poor photographer while you're learning the ropes. That's what the delete button is for and a good digital photographer is one who isn't afraid to use it. Have fun and click away.…

Three Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potato Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits

Many of my favorite childhood memories involve food. For example, I can always recall eating sweet potato soufflé for Thanksgiving or Christmas with my mother and sister. Those who have had this dish can understand why it was always one of my favorites growing up. Comprised primarily of mashed sweet potatoes with melted marshmallows on top, the treat had a unique and slightly tangy taste that I always enjoyed. Despite the fact that I enjoy this dish, however, I didn’t realize how nutritious sweet potatoes are until very recently. Here are three of their health benefits:

  1. Sweet Potatoes Contain Vitamin A.

In their discussion about the health benefits of sweet potatoes, WHFoods notes that the vegetable is a good source of vitamin A. This is important because vitamin A plays a role in maintaining good vision, developing a healthy immune system, and generating cell growth.

  1. Sweet Potatoes are Packed With Calcium.

In noting the health benefits of sweet potatoes, WebMD states that they are packed with calcium. This is important because calcium is used to build bones. Additionally, calcium is also important for muscle function and maintaining a regular heartbeat. Sweet potatoes contain about 68 mg of calcium. (Adults need about 1,000 mg per day.)

  1. Sweet Potatoes Contain Vitamin C.

In discussing the health benefits of sweet potatoes, LiveStrong writer Maria O’Brien notes that the vegetable contains about a third of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C. This is important, because the vitamin works to heal wounds and repair cartilage, bones, and teeth. Additionally, vitamin C plays an integral role in the maintenance and growth of tissues in the body. Finally, the vitamin is an antioxidant capable of fighting free radicals and their degenerative effects on the body.

As made plain by the information listed above, sweet potatoes are a nutritious food to eat. Additionally, they are very delicious! While the sweet potato soufflé I mentioned earlier is one great way to consume them, innumerable other recipes exist. Irrespective of the one you choose, your body will say thank you. Enjoy!…