Posts Tagged ‘hobbies’

Holidays And Holy Days In The USA

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

Congress and the president have selected ten days as federal holidays. Being ‘federal’, these holidays theoretically only apply to federal employees and inhabitants of the District of Columbia, although they are so widely observed that they can be thought of as national holidays.

Legally, it is up to each individual state to select public holidays. If the holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the Friday before or the Monday following is given in lieu to make a long weekend.

New Year’s Day (January 1) – celebrating the New Year dates back to pre-Christian times, when rites were performed to attempt to ensure the return of Spring.

Martin Luther King Jnr. Day (third Monday in January) – before he was shot dead in 1968, Martin Luther King Jnr. was the foremost civil rights leader in the 1950’s and 1960’s. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. Congress set this day aside to commemorate his life and accomplishments in 1983.

Washington’s Birthday (third Monday in February) – initially it was celebrated on Washington’s actual birthday, the 22nd of February, but it was moved in 1971 to make a long weekend. It is occasionally known as Presidents’ Day, because it is close to Lincoln’s birthday on the 12th February.

Memorial Day (last Monday in May) – also called Decoration Day, it honours soldiers fallen in battle.It originates from the Civil War and is traditionally marked by parades and services.

Independence Day (4th July) – this, the most important US holiday, marks the 1776 signing of the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. It was first commemorated in 1777 and is marked by fireworks, parades and speeches.

Labor Day (first Monday in September) – this, the suggestion of Peter J. McGuire, the president of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, was taken up in 1894 to celebrate American workers.

Columbus Day (second Monday in October) – Christopher Columbus and his crew landed in the Bahamas on Oct 12th 1492. It was first commemorated in 1792, although it was not officially recognized until 1909. It is a cause of special pride to Italian-Americans, who claim the Genoan voyager as their own.

Veterans Day (Nov 11th) – or Armistice Day commemorates the end of the First World War on Nov 11th 1918. It was made a legal holiday in 1938, but its name was changed in 1954 to honour all American veteran soldiers.

Thanksgiving Day (fourth Thursday in November) – it was first celebrated in Plymouth County, Massachusetts in 1621, the year in which the Pilgrims landed in the New World to give thanks for the new harvest and the new land they had colonized. President Lincoln made it a holiday in 1863.

Christmas Day (December 25th) – Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with Franklin Covey planner refillss If you have an interest in calendars, organizers or promotional calendars, please go over to our website now at Promotional Desk Calendars

Getting Cinema Quality Sound At Home

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

Do you love going to the movie theater and get lost in the realism that their superior sound systems create? If you do, then I bet you are also one of those people who hates going there, only to have a potentially fantastic evening ruined by irresponsible people talking through the movie or letting their cell phones ring.

I used to love the movie theater, but that was in the time when people respected the rights of others to listen to a movie in silence. There were no crying babies, ringing mobile phones or noisy youths in cinemas and if they got in they were soon kicked out if there was any row.

These days, cinema managers seem to take the easy route of letting these people spoil it for others. Consequently, more and more quiet people are staying at home and the cinemas are getting even noisier. If you are one of the stay-at-homes, but miss the cinema, why not reproduce one in your home?

Build yourself a home cinema with surround sound. You will never be sorry for installing surround sound in your home, because you will be able to play your favourite films, the TV and your music through it. The distinction between surround sound and stereo or even quadraphonics is breath-taking.

Different people have different desires, expectations, funds and even hearing ability, so it is difficult to suggest a system to a mass audience, but there are ways and means for going about the purchase of your own home theater system. A lot of people buy a kit home theater. This is OK, if funds are limited, but you will want to upgrade the screen and the speakers before very long. If you just want to put a home theater in a small spare bedroom and do it quickly and easily, then this approach is for you.

If, however, you want a bit more, then you might prefer to get a bigger screen and make do with the speakers that came with the kit. These can easily be upgraded later. If you want to get everything part by part, you will need a screen, speakers and DVD player. If you would like to play games too, replace the DVD player with an Xbox.

But back to the speakers, whether you are renewing or putting your own system together, the strategy I suggest hold true. Write down the dimensions of your room or better still make a little plan of it to scale. Take this around the shops and malls and try to listen to a few set-ups in a room similar to your own. This could be difficult, but you might be fortunate.

Work out whether you need a 3.1; 4.1; 5.1; 6.1 or even 7.1 set of compatible surround sound speakers. Basically, it all depends on the size of your room, but the shop assistant will be able to show and advise you. As a guideline, a 5.1 surround sound set will be sufficient for most rooms. The figures stand for normal speakers and sub-woofers: ie 5.1 means five normal speakers and one sub-woofer.

The arrangement of the speakers depends on the size and shape of the room and on your personal preference, but the standard layout would be: one speaker the far left and far right of the screen and one underneath it with two more speakers slightly apart from each other at the back of the audience. The sub-woofer can go at the front or the rear.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with wireless home theater systems. If you are interested in a Home Movie Theatre, please click through to our site now.

Golfing Etiquette Essentials

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

Golf is a game of rules and etiquette, and it is very important to know the essentials of golfing etiquette before you go up to the tee to play your first game of golf.

It doesn’t matter whether you are playing on your own, in a twosome or in a foursome, golfing etiquette demands that you must always wait your turn. You must remain aware of the group on the next hole and wait until they are well ahead of you before hitting your ball.

Golfing etiquette also means that it is never correct to “push” the group in front of you. If you are playing with others, wait for your turn to hit the ball; never hit at the same time as another player.

While you wait for your turn to play, go to your ball and determine what golf club you will need to use and how you are going to hit the golf ball with it. This is called “ready golf” and keeps the game moving along. Don’t rush anybody, just be ready for your turn.

Another nice piece of golfing etiquette, especially for beginners is ‘playing through’. For example, if your team is holding up the players behind you, perhaps because you are playing consistently over par or taking a long time to choose your club, let them play through. You would simply wave them through, or if they are not far away from you, just ask them if they would like to play through. You will never make an enemy by doing this!

When someone is taking a shot, you should be standing behind them and you shouldn’t make a sound! It is very distracting to be ready to tee off and just as you pull back, someone decides to jingle coins in their pocket or noisily unwrap a sweet.

Replacing your divots. Say you are on the fairway and you hit the ball and a clod of dirt and grass goes flying, golfing etiquette says you should replace it. On some courses you just put the clod back and step on it to press it down, but on most courses, there is a sand/seed mixture on the course to put into the divot. If your ball makes a deep impression when it lands on the green, you can use your divot tool to repair it.

As soon as you have finished a hole, replace the flag and leave the green as quickly and quietly as possible (there may be another team teeing off at the next hole) so that the next players can play that hole. Add up your score and write it on the scorecard when you get back to your trolley.

Of course, there are many more rules of golfing etiquette, but these simple ones will enable you to get through the course without making anyone annoyed. If we all keep to golfing etiquette we will keep the game dignified, right?

If you are interested in learning more about golfing etiquette, visit our website on Golfing Tips for Beginners for loads of free tips. Grab a totally unique version of this article from the Uber Article Directory

Golfing for Novices: Part Three

Sunday, May 16th, 2010

The term ‘the long game’ refers to your drives (shots off the tee) and fairway shots; that is every shot except the shots you make to actually get onto the green.

For the reason that each hole has a different difficulty level, a different par and different obstructions, saying that you should use your driver on every tee every time would be totally wrong.

This is something that you will learn over time as you learn the various shots you need to make according to the club, the placement of the ball and your personal swing.

As a rule of thumb, the lower the number of the club, the longer and lower your ball will travel through the air. For example, a 4-iron will make the ball travel on a long and low trajectory and will most likely roll when it hits the ground, whereas a 9-iron will give the ball much more loft and it will go less distance both in the air and over the ground.

Don’t the professionals on the television make it look easy? They whack the ball long and straight time after time after time and never slice the ball sending it a sickly eight or nine feet or miss the ball altogether.

A very important part of the game is driving and if you spend many hours at the driving range you will see a big improvement in your distance shots. You should keep using the same club in the experiment to see what works for you if you move the ball forward or backward in your stance. And take a lesson or two from a pro, if possible to learn the proper swing from the beginning.

You need to get to grips with ‘the long game’ as it will ensure that you get to the green in fewer strokes, which will keep your score level and frustration level down. Bear in mind that it takes a long time to learn to be consistent and also always remember: you’re supposed to be having a good time! So go and enjoy yourself.

Are you a rookie to golfing?? We have some great tips for the beginner golfer at Golfing Tips for Beginners This and other unique content ” articles are available with free reprint rights.

How To Enjoy Cooking For Two

Sunday, May 16th, 2010

Whether you are cooking for two for romance or out of obligation, you will discover that there are many resources online and off to help you find the perfect meals for your marvelous twosomes. One thing to bear in mind however is that when cooking for two, it is often better if two are doing the cooking. This permits cooking to become a chance for communication rather than just a duty.

In spite of the fact that there are lots of resources and recipes accessible to those that are cooking for two, there are even more recipes for those cooking for four, especially the traditional recipes that are designed to feed a family of four. These offer an opening to stretch your food budget even further.

By cooking traditional meals for four and eating half of it, you have managed to cook two meals for the time investment of one. It is a good deal for many, but above all for those that do not like the idea of cooking at all.

Young and older couples alike frequently discover that it is as simple and almost the same cost to go to a fast food or other casual restaurant as it is to cook a nice, healthy meal for two at home. The one thing they often forget is that cooking for two can be an interesting way to bring a little romance into the evening.

When cooking for two, you will have as much occasion to be creative as in anything else you do in your life. You have the option of trying appetizing new recipes and the knowledge that if you do not like the meal, you are not throwing away a lot of money.

You can try mixing and matching flavors and textures. You can make works of art on your plate as in nouveau cuisine. Or you can go farmhouse style. Cooking for two opens doors that are not readily available when cooking for larger numbers with more limiting tastes.

Cooking for two is a great way to get your partner involved in the cooking process as well. When cooking for two you can find out the things that you both enjoy and those that are not so interesting to one or the other of you.

Make sure that when you are cooking for two that you encourage an open and honest conversation about the things that you like and dislike about the meals being prepared. This will help you discover things to add to your regular menu as well as the things to avoid making a part of your dinner rotation.

Perhaps the best thing about cooking for two is the fact that you can afford to try special occasion cuisine more often when you are cooking for only two than when you are cooking for a larger crowd. Bring on the steaks and lobster tail. Learn how to make shrimp scampi and fillet mignon. Take the time, when cooking for two, to prepare those dishes that you enjoy most.

Cooking for two is a great way of exploring the culinary universe and exposing your palates to some amazing surprises along the way. The Internet, bookstores, and libraries are filled with books about cooking for two. Take advantage of the opportunity to do just that and you will be amazed at the world of flavors you have been missing out on.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with the Rival Versaware crock pot. If you have an interest in cooking or crock pots, please go over to our website now at Large Crock Pots