Wednesday, September 2, 2009

The Army Physical Fitness Test Provides Goals For Excellence

By Sarah Gardner

The members of the Army are undoubtedly some of the most physically fit people anywhere. Soldiers have to be in peak condition so they can meet the needs of their physically demanding jobs. While it is true that certain of the army staff , such as cooks, may not have to meet the same fitness conditions as soliders, the vast majority of army members must be in superior shape. Several times yearly, most army soldiers will have to prove their physical fitness to superiors so that the army knows the members can perform their jobs.

The army physical fitness test is usually administered by some of the officers to others in the army. The army physical fitness test is most demanding because of the responsibilities of each soldier.

The standards for these physical fitness tests are so high because the army is a large group dependent upon it's every member. When one of the members is physically unfit, it can cause the whole team to suffer as a result.

The Army Physical Fitness Test Is Available For Others

Even though the primary objective of the army physical fitness test is to make sure the army members are in good physical condition and to keep individuals at high fitness standards, the major benefits of this test is available for people outside the army. This test is an excellent way to find out if a person is at a high fitness level.

While civilians don't need to attain the goals set by the army, these goals do in fact provide some really good guidelines for staying in shape. It can mean a lot to know that you can meet the strict standards of the army.

The fitness test done by the army is composed of a minimum three parts. A minimum number of push-ups and sit-ups must be performed by each soldier. In addition, a two mile run which has a time limit must also be done. Even though those outside of the army might not be able to achieve the goals initially, these goals can still serve as excellent peak fitness indicators.

The army physical fitness test has different standards for those in different age groups so ordinary people might use the appropriate standards for their age group. Soldiers who are forty years old do not have to meet the same standards as younger soldiers. Although the standards are different for older individuals, the standards are still very demanding.

About the Author:

Home Theaters and Consumer Electronics

By Weston Rice

When you walk into the home theater system area of your local consumer electronics outlet, the multitude of choices are daunting. Everything is gleaming under the fluorescent lights, very new and very shiny, each system seemingly saying "buy me, buy me". Before you get to that point, there are many things you need to understand and realize to help you make the best possible decision for your home and your wallet.

The first thing you need to do is decide what area your home with house your new entertainment theater system. Keep in mind that if you are looking for a large flat screen television around 45 to 55 inches, the best distance for optimal viewing is around 11 to 12 feet. Don't put a 55 inch TV into a smaller room because you will be gravely disappointed and the screen will actually look too sharp and too crisp, believe it or not. However, if you decide you would like a smaller screen, say, 30-40 inches, then it would be ideal for a smaller living room or larger bedroom.

You will have to decide on which kind of TV you want. Plasma and LCD televisions provide the sharpest and clearest pictures. DLP and rear projection televisions can be somewhat less expensive, but a major negative point is the viewing angle. DLP and rear projections don't give a nice picture when viewing from an angle. Also, make sure your target room where the entertainment center is placed has the appropriate angle. This should help you in your decision on with home theater system to purchase.

One other significant aspect is the receiver. Some receivers for entertainment centers have outputs and inputs for a satellite dish and a cable TV hookups, as well as inputs for several kinds of other things, such as media players (VCR and DVD players) and even PC hookups.

Some entertainment centers even have built-in radios, though they are starting to become less common. One of the more modern receivers is the fact that they can play XM radio, though XM sometimes requires addition fees on a monthly basis. With so many choices before you, you will have to evaluate which is going to be the most important for you, as well as which entertainment center you will ultimately decide on. e.g. there very little sense equipping a receiver with XM if you do not have the funds to pay for a monthly subscription.

Leatherman Crunch: A Different Multi-Tool

By Richard D. Stanley

Leatherman is the name the associates itself with multi-tools. Leatherman have innovated tools that are high quality. The Crunch is no exception. The Leatherman Crunch deviates from standard Leatherman designs in which the main tool is not a needle nose pliers. The Crunch is equipped with locking pliers instead. Locking pliers are also known as vice-grips. Leatherman knows the value of vice-grips and offers their version to us with the Crunch. Vice-grips are great. The free up your hand for other tasks.

The Crunch is compact. More so than the Leatherman Wave. The design is well thought out. The Crunch comes apart and it takes a few seconds to put together. The result is a very portable mid-size functional vice-grip. The Crunch feels well built like all Leathermans. It is high quality. The Crunch comes with Leatherman's 25 year warranty. The Crunch looks like it is built to last.

The Crunch has 13 functional tools built in. I will not talk about them all but I will talk about the main tools and the ones you will be using the most. The vice-grips, serrated blade, large flat-head screwdriver, and file are the tools that will see duty the most on the Crunch. The Crunch does not have nearly as much tools as the Wave or Charge but I consider the Crunch a complimentary multi-tool. That may sound strange since to purpose of multi-tools is to fill many roles when needed, but sometimes, it is good to have 2 different multi-tools that have only the tools you need. Some people, like myself, have no need for a corkscrew so I should not carry a multi-tool with things I do not need. It would just add weight.

While the Crunch lacks tools, the main tool makes up for it. Through the function of it's design, I can see how difficult it must be to incorporate many additional tools into the Crunch. For this reason, I am satisfied with the Crunch. I have other multi-tools and the Crunch is very good in comparison. What I did not like was the redundancy. For instance, I have 3 different sizes of flat-head screwdrivers. I do not need all of that. What nice though, the Crunch can be expanded. You can unscrew the adjustment knob all the way to reveal a hex driver slot. This makes for a very handy bit driver. Nice addition to have.

The Crunch is a great complimentary multi-tool. Having something is better than nothing and the Crunch can meet many needs from day to day. The crunch is perfect when coupled with the Victorinox Soldier. While not as complete as a Wave or a Charge, the Crunch can still hold it's own in the sea of multi-tools. You can find the Crunch on sale for about $50.

About the Author:

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Slot Games: A Guide To Winning Big

Looking for a way to have some fun playing a few slot games? Maybe it's about more than just fun, maybe you're in need of some money right now to pay off something important. Let's face it, we all need a little extra money, whatever our situation. It's easy to imagine the good a few hundred, or even a few thousand, dollars could do in our lives. For that matter, think about winning ten thousand dollars and all that it could make possible. Whatever your reason for playing, one thing is for sure: It's always fun to win!

It's a fact that every single day, people are winning big at playing slots. Maybe you're thinking that it couldn't possibly happen for you, but honestly, why couldn't it? If other people can experience that sort of luck, why shouldn't it be your turn now? If you've waiting for it to be your time, maybe that time is now.

Taking the time to educate yourself, not only about the games in particular, but about the system in general, is probably one of the most important things you can do if you're serious about wanting to win money playing slot games. The first step to take, and easily the most essential, is to be sure that the online casino you've chosen is legitimate. You can't be too careful with this decision, so research your choice carefully. It's hard to imagine what would be more disastrous than suddenly discovering that the casino had taken your money run.

Another thing to keep in mind when choosing which casino you're looking into, is its payout history. If a casino has given out a significant amount of money in winnings, then it's typical for these numbers to be prominently advertised and should be easy to discover. You see, casinos like to have these numbers widely known, so that new customers will be more likely to come and play their games. Casinos that are suspiciously silent about their payouts often have a history of few winnings, and it's important to understand that casinos who haven't given out money in the past aren't likely to start anytime soon. Naturally, you'll want to avoid those casinos, as there's no reason to give your money away if you won't be getting anything out of it.

Did you know that it's possible - and perfectly legal - play slots with money that isn't your own? It's true. online casinos often offer their customers some free money to encourage them to play. The best part about this is that if you win, those winnings are entirely your own. You can either keep your winnings or keep playing, whichever you like, there's no obligation. Since it was free money to start with, there's also no risk, and that's great news.

Winning with free money isn't just fun, it actually is one of the keys to winning big when playing the slots. This is how it works: By playing with the free money, you have a certain amount of chance to make some winnings. With those winnings, you can continue to play, and the more you play the better the odds of winning. It's simple probability. So long as the original money was free, you never risked anything of your own, and you have a better chance than you otherwise would have at getting a big pay out. Playing the slots is fun, and with this information you now have, it can also be very rewarding. Have fun!

6 Little Tips For Bettering Your Guitar Playing Skill

By Cindy Claire

The idea of being able to play guitar in front of enthralled audiences may excite many guitar enthusiasts, but most people get stuck after just a few days. When the sore fingers and time crunches set in, all your enthusiasm starts to fade. Does this sound familiar to you? If you happen to be one of those people, don't give up just yet. I am about to share with some great tips to help you overcome the problems in the initial learning stage so that you can eventually fulfill your guitar playing dream.

1. Get To Know Your Guitar Well

Ask yourself what is the name of each part of your guitar and what functions each of them carries? You can hardly imagine yourself become a great player if you are not even familiar with your instrument. So, get started from the users' manual!

2. Get Help From A Guitar Expert Or Guitar Tutorial

You need to get some help. It can be a beginner guitar tutorial, or someone you find from online guitar player's forums. The best type of help is of course from a real guitar expert who can teach you face to face, as you learn much faster that way.

3. Go Beyond Sore Fingers And Aching muscles

Don't give up playing because of this. You'll become used to it with time and regular practice. Your muscles just need to get used to the pressure...it'll help if you put in all your strength to press the strings, at least for the first few days. Try releasing the soreness in your muscles by squeezing the massage balls.

4. Start Off With Open Chords

Learning to play open chords should be your first lesson, and you can move on to playing bar chords later on which is a bit harder. As said, you need to give your muscles some time to adapt to those chords.

5. Practice Makes Perfect

This proverb holds true for whatever you try to achieve in your life. With that being said, practicing guitar repeatedly can be quite boring after some while. To maintain your interest level, it is a good idea to play your favorite songs on your guitar. That way, you will find more fun with learning.

6. Make It A Habit To Tune Your Guitar Correctly

This is a very good habit for guitar players at any level, and will provide you with huge benefits in the long run. Anyway, the music can lose all its charm with just one string wrong, right?

Just remember, learning to play guitar can be boring and frustrating sometimes but you will definitely be a better player if you can stick to it.

About the Author:

Basketball Defensive Drills

By Phil Canter

Have you heard that "Offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships?" I hope so, because it is true. You look at all teams and it holds water. This is because offense might not show up because shots sometimes do not go in, but defense does. Defense is always there for you no matter what if you put the hard work in.

So why are people not practicing defense. It will separate them from your competition. It is because they are either too flashy or do not know how to practice defense. That is what these individual defensive drills will help you with. They will make you the player that your coach loves and always puts on the other teams best offensive player.

Drills to build quickness:

Lines-Jump side to side and back and forth over the half court line or any line with one foot at a time and then both feet at a time. Go as fast as you can. You want little quick jumps.

.Dots- In this drills, make 5 dots. Have 4 in a square and 1 in the middle so that they will look like an x. Do every combo jumping dot to dot on them. Do this with each foot or both feet.

Bounding- This drill trains you to bound on defense and not just run everywhere. Start this drill out on one foot and then jump as far as you can in a random direction an another direction landing on your other foot. Keep on doing this, but only do it for a short period of time. You are wanting to train your muscles to be explosive so go hard for a short amount of time.

Practicing Game Situation

Shuffle- Use the push slide step technique, and never overlap your feet. The push slid step technique is push with one leg, then slide the other one next to it, and then step back to where you started. It is that simple. To do this, go from the end of the lane to the other while staying in your defensive stance. Your defensive stance is having one hand inches from the ground and one hand up in someone face. The one hand up is to be distracting the player ready to block his shot or get a hand in the face while the low hand is being pesky and is the hand preventing the crossover ready to steal the ball and therefore making the playing you are guarding to go the direction you want him to go while making him uncomfortable.

Closing Out- Start out of bounds and put a cone at the free throw line. Imagine the cone as an imaginary person. Run at it and then chop step when you get close with your but down and hands up being ready for the shot and drive. Practice like it is a real game, or you will get burned in a real game.

Ball Shuffle Drill- Pass the ball along the wall while shuffleing. Always stay in your defensive stance while doing this. Remember that for all the defensive drills and you will get a great workout.

About the Author:

Solving Problems on your PS3

By Jack Thompson

The PS3 is one of the best game consoles available on the market today. In an aggressive and competitive market, the console gaming industry has created many innovative gadgets whose graphics beat competitors and that of the most up-to-date computer. Nonetheless, even the PS3 is prone to a few minor problems from time to time.

Like all other appliances and gaming equipment, at one point or the other, you and your gaming experience will experience one or two minor glitches. It does not mean that the PS3 in itself is defective, but merely refers to the nature of all gaming devices. Even if you used other units from other industry leaders, the glitch cannot be avoided altogether at a hundred percent.

Many types of errors can occur in your PS3 gaming that will call for the ability to troubleshoot problems right away. A common problem is lag when playing movies in your game or when using the PS3 as an entertainment center. As well, small disruptions may happen with your gaming console, when you are using it wirelessly through a Bluetooth.

No matter what the issue may be, it is very important that you are able to fix problems on your PS3 by yourself. Dealing with issues that can arise on your PS3 not only means that you can return to your gaming immediately, but save money on repairs as well.

For an inexperienced PS3 user, minor issues with the unit may require going to a local Sony center. There, you can have your gaming console repaired but it will require much effort because you have to travel there, and it is costly to have a technician fix the problem and keeping in mind that the PS3 is considered a gaming financial investment.

There are many ways to tackle a problem with your PS3. A favored method to fixing your PS3 is by using the internet, and reading manuals that help with PS3 repair.

A good benefit of using the internet for troubleshooting your PS3 is that it is cheap and can easily be accessed. There, you can find many public forums for gamer that may address the problem you are experiencing, and give you advice to help you solve it.

The internet is a unique tool that can enable you to communicate with people from all age groups and backgrounds and there you will most likely find a person with the knowledge to help you with your PS3 problems. Keep in mind that PS3 users are considerate to the gaming concerns of other gamers and will aid you with your problems.

In addition to online forums, another way that you can try to fix your PS3 problems is to use manuals that have been created by many expert gamers. You can also go to a local bookstore and purchase a PS3 troubleshooting book.

With do-it-yourself solutions to PS3 problems, you get not only a better understanding of how your unit works - you save up along the way as well.

About the Author: