The Info Backstage

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is going to honor his father’s birthday at the Talladega Superspeedway by driving a replica of his black No. 3 Chevrolet with white lettering and silver and red stripes. Hoping he will achieve to evoke the feeling that used to go around the track when any driver saw the car on their rearview mirror. Only this time the car will be showing No.8 since his father’s No.3 has not been displayed on the tracks since his death in 2001.

The act is a tribute part of a larger act of greeting at Dale Earnhardt Inc., which is celebrating 3 events Earnhardt’s thursday night induction into the Motorsports Hall of Fame, his overall accomplishments at Talladega and his 55th birthday, which would have been Sunday.

Birthdays bring happier memories, which is why, it is correct to assume, the change of attitude in Earnhart Jr. He was not comfortable last February in the celebration of the anniversary of hthe champion’s death.

What brings drama to the event is that after all, it is Talladega and Daytona where he is more like his father, the two fastest and more dangerous tracks. Dale Earnhardt was the leading man at restrictor-plate racing, especially at Talladega. Junior inherited the skill required to work the draft, he has five victories at Talladega and two at Daytona.

Cathy Jones writes on sports betting and gambling one of the fastest growing online industries and she is one of the top senior article writers for www.envivosports.com
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Playing good golf requires the knowledge and use of every golf club in the bag. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen a golfer leaving their driver in the bag when teeing it up on the tee box. I always ask the same question over and over again, and get the same answer. “Why do you leave the driver in the bag on long golf holes?” “I cannot hit my driver off of the tee box.” Has always been the same response. Typically they duff any other club they choose, but blame it on a bad swing. A bad golf shot with a driver has always been because of the golf club, never the golf swing. Why is that?

It is a matter of confidence. Hitting the driver off the tee box, is no different than hitting any other wood or iron off the tee box. As a matter of fact, the club head is bigger and should be a lot easier to make contact with the golf ball. Golfers, who do not hit their driver off of the tee box, simply have convinced themselves it is too hard to do. They have convinced themselves to a point that any other club selection is the right choice, therefore when a player hits a couple good shots off the tee box with their 3 wood or 2 iron, it justifies leaving the driver in the bag. There will be golf holes with tight fairways, and you will consider anything but a driver off the tee box that is easier to control, but to give up on any one golf club, should never be an option.

Do not give up on the driver. It is not as hard to hit as you think. Take the same golf swing as any other golf club you would choose. Accuracy will come with every other attempt. The only difference with the driver and any other golf club is the set up position in relation to your distance from the ball, because of the length of the golf club. Stand a little further back and take the same golf swing as you would with any other golf club. Practice with different golf ball positions and keep your confidence level high.

For greater confidence, practice hitting the driver off of the fairway without a tee. It will help you reach those long par fives. Practice with the ball positioned in the middle of your stance, and you will soon be lifting them off the fairway. Keep your golf swing as normal as possible. Do not try to scoop the ball off of the fairway. With proper ball positioning in your stance and a good straight arm on the way back and through, the driver clubface will lift it off the fairway as if you had it teed up. Lifting the ball off of the fairway with a driver only requires a good lie and a confident golf swing. It will rise off the fairway like any other fairway wood, but you will get more distance.

Take a little more confidence in your golf swing to the tee box, and it will not matter what golf club you select. Each golf club is as easy as the other. You just need a little more faith in your golf swing.

Learned to play golf as a caddie in the mid sixties and continue to enjoy the game today. Now running a discount tee time site at www.golfanchor.net and a sister site at www.golfanchor.com

Peers allow for boats to hang out close to shore in a safe place. They are attached to the land and go out a certain distance for the holding and security of boats. Building peers is quite an experience and a critical tool in peer building is the jet rod. This is a devise that is gas powered to bring water into a compartment and cause a great deal of pressure to build up and then squirt the water out at high velocity. Peers require solid pilings into the floor of the sea or water source. The pilings can be hammered in with a heavy weight and a crane, but this is not how most are put in. A jet rod has a long area that can be ran along the side of the piling and as the piling goes into the ground the water squirts away the area under the bottom most part and makes room for the piling. As the piling goes down the suction causes the piling to stay tight and secure in the ground and makes it so that it will not go anywhere. Operating a jet rod requires having some muscle on your body, it also takes a lot of energy, so supplementing with Acceletrim before can help. It is a great workout because not only do you have to lift up pilings, you get to operate a jet rod, which can burn hundreds and hundreds of calories off of your body. The jet rod helps build the foundation of the peer, there is so much more to peer building, but the foundation is the first step to building a peer that holds up over time.

Titanium 101… There is a difference

Titanium has taken the world of golf by storm. Manufacturers of some of the world’s top golf clubheads have chosen to use titanium as their chief ingredient in assembling space age, state-of-the-art components. But why is this?

There are many materials as strong if not stronger than titanium. So why is titanium the material of choice? Titanium is not only one of the “hardest” metals known to man but unlike these other hard materials, titanium is extremely lightweight. Because of these weight characteristics, manufacturing advances have enabled clubhead designers to build drivers of ever increasing size while not being inhibited by added clubhead weight.

Three different types of titanium are used in the manufacturing of today’s clubheads: 9-6AL-4V, 15-3-3-3 and SP700. There are 3 characteristics that are used to gauge the quality of each type of titanium. Tensile strength represents the material’s resistance to breaking or cracking. The higher the value the more resistant the clubhead is to cracking. Elongation is the percentage each type of titanium will flex or spring upon impact. The higher the percentage, the more spring each metal will experience. HRC Hardness is fairly self-explanatory, exhibiting values that correspond to the metals hardness. The higher this figure, the less likely the metal will dent or become deformed upon use.

When evaluating the types of titanium and the figures used to do so, clearly noted is the separation between 9-6AL-4V and 15-3-3-3 / SP700. A golfer should avoid the purchase and use of 9-6AL-4V as the minimal cost savings (typically $20 to $40) do not warrant the inferior playing characteristics. As one can surmise, a clubhead made with 9-6AL-4V is much more likely to crack or dent through continued use. In addition, the elongation percentage is not nearly as high as the others mentioned therefore, a golfer would not experience the potential gains in distance/yardage that he/she would if using either of the other titanium’s.

Titanium’s 15-3-3-3 and SP700 offer tradeoffs when considering which may be better to seek when making your next purchase. 15-3-3-3 has the highest tensile strength of the 2 but a smaller elongation percentage. Meanwhile, SP700 still possesses considerable tensile strength but does add a few percentage points in the category of elongation. How does this translate? SP700, through its’ higher elongation figure, can impart more spring upon impact and thus deliver more energy to the golf ball thereby increasing distance.

So what are the trade off’s? Simply putdollars for distance. Though this figure varies widely, the SP700 titanium is typically a bit more expensive than the 15-3-3-3, usually on the order of $20 – $40. This amount is oftentimes minimized by using SP700 strictly in the face of the driver head. Also, the higher one’s clubhead speed, the more realized benefit that could be realized from the increased spring effect of SP700. Golfers with a lower swing speed may not notice substantial yardage gains when comparing the two and therefore may not wish to pay this premium. Truly though, it is hard to go wrong with using either titanium as both offer such incredible playing characteristics, such vast improvements over stainless steel

Please feel free to visit TourPureGolf.com (http://www.tourpuregolf.com), where we’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have regarding clubheads, titanium, golf technology etc. We have a wealth of knowledge obtained from over 20 years of experience in designing and building golf clubs. We specialize in only the best in tour quality golf clubs and equipment and using only the finest in materials. Inferior grades of titanium will never be tolerated with us.

You can visit our website to learn more about our club selection and how selection of clubs can dramatically improve your golf game.

In recent times the most visible public role for Peter Sutherland as chairman of BP PLC was to play host at the company’s yearly meeting. But after a string of oil spills, deadly accidents and an energy-trading scandal at BP, the 60-year-old former rugby player has charged head first into the scrum.

Last year, the Irish politician and prominent banker forced Chief Executive John Browne to publicly commit to his retirement date. After Lord Browne’s shock decision last month to leave a year and a half earlier than planned, Mr. Sutherland must now bolster BP’s image and manage the company’s first executive-suite transition in more than ten years.

Despite soaring oil prices its shares rose only 4.5 per cent in 2006, compared with a 36 per cent rise by Exxon Mobil Corp. and 15 per cent at Royal Dutch Shell PLC. Yesterday, the company announced 4th quarter net income decreased by 22 per cent, in part reflecting lower production and lower natural-gas prices.

BP, in the mean time, faces U.S. criminal probes on multiple fronts — oil spills and corrosion in Alaska; a a refinery explosion in March 2005 which claimed the lives of 15 in Texas; and its energy-trading practices, with federal officials alleging BP traders surreptitiously influenced propane markets in 2004. BP denies manipulating markets and says it is cooperating with investigators on all three inquiries.

Mr. Sutherland’s higher profile also underpins a trend that goes beyond BP: a shift in the boardroom dynamics at many of Europe’s biggest publicly traded companies. The criticism is often leveled that nonexecutive directors leave too much of the decision making to the executives. Now, many companies are moving to strengthen their boards with independent and strong directors.

Until an accounting scandal rocked Shell in 2004, Shell’s British holding company had as its chairman a professor of geology. After the scandal, it hired Jorma Ollila, former chief executive officer of Nokia Corp as chairman. Unilever appointed an outside chairman last month to cap a restructuring at the Anglo-Dutch consumer-goods giant.

Mr. Sutherland’s mission at BP has always been to establish a “robust” and independent board structure he was quoted as saying in a recent interview. After short periods as Ireland’s attorney general and Europe’s competition czar, Peter Sutherland in 1993 was instrumental in taking forward the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade in Geneva. There, he clinched the Uruguay Round, an important trade agreement that set the foundations for today’s World Trade Organization. For a man who has achieved so much it is difficult to forsee where he will find his next challenge.

How can you develop more power in your golf swing? This is probably a question that all of us want an answer to. Most of us go to great lengths to do whatever it takes to get that “power” into our drives off the tee. I think we probably all have some ideas of where 300-yard drives come from, but I want to give you the answers without any “fluff.”

Golf swing power is the result of three specific factors. Two out of the three are much more important, but the third does have a bearing on the outcome of how far you hit that ball.

The first and probably most evident of the three is your swing mechanics. I bet you are not surprised by this one.

The second one is probably the least recognized of the three, but for many is the “key” to longer drives and the category that is given the least amount of attention. Number two is what we term golf strength. This is defined as how well your body is conditioned (i.e. fitness) to swing a golf club with maximum power. Probably the least understood of the three, and maybe the most needed by golfers in general. We will talk more about this later. Let us move on to number three in regards to power for your drives.

Number three is your equipment. Yes, equipment does make a difference in how far you drive the ball. The equipment manufacturers have let this fact be known, and I bet we all have gone to the pro shop probably more than twice to pick up a new driver that claims to give us another 20 yards on every drive. That extra 20 yards might not be down the middle of the fairway, but it will give you an extra 20 yards… could be left, could be right, or could be in the center of the fairway. That all depends on points one and two of this article. Equipment and technological advances have definitely lengthened the distance of our drives. But without better swing mechanics and your body in better golf shape, new technology will not help your game. A bad swing will produce a bad result, regardless of what type of “new” driver you may have just purchased.

Swing Mechanics

I think all of us are aware of how important the mechanics of a swing are when it comes to driving the ball down the fairway. It is essential, if you are over the top with your swing or come inside too much, you’ll see that dreaded slice or snap hook. The drives will be short, too low, too high, left, right, or a combination of these if you are putting bad swings on the ball.

It is essential for a golfer to work on the mechanics of their swing, week in and week out, to improve their game. If it weren’t important why would all these tour players have swing coaches that work with them on a consistent basis? The golf swing is such a finite, mechanically complex movement, that requires constant work to keep it highly efficient and in check.

One of the most common mistakes I see amateurs make is probably a lack of instruction. I see amateurs over and over at the driving ranges, week in and week out, pounding balls without any improvement. This, I feel, is a result of one of two things: 1) a lack of instruction or 2) low levels of golf strength. A lack of instruction leads to the development and ingraining of improper swing mechanics. This only results in slices, hooks, topping the ball, and hitting it fat on the course. And we all know that those types of swings lead to frustration and bad rounds of golf. I would suggest to most anyone to find a good instructor and take lessons on a consistent basis. This can only help your game in the long run. Now moving on the second point of how to achieve powerful drives and that is golf strength.

Golf Strength (Golf Fitness)

Golf strength is a term we use to describe the golf fitness level of an individual pertaining to swinging a club. This is much different than how much you can bench press or squat, which I like to refer to as “weight room strength.” Understand that these two terms, golf strength and weight room strength, are very different. If you do not quite understand the difference, ask yourself one question: How many bodybuilders do you see teeing it up on Tour? The answer to that question is quite obvious, none!

It comes down to this idea: the mechanics of a golf swing require specific levels of flexibility, balance, stability, strength, endurance, and power to perform it efficiently. If your body does not have the required capacities of the aforementioned list, then the result will be? Anyone want to guess? Well, let me give you the answer: a less than optimal and less efficient swing than possible. Essentially, your body supports your swing much like a foundation supports the house you build upon it. I am sure that all of you would choose to build a house on a stone foundation rather than a sand foundation, wouldn’t you? I will say that many of you make a different choice when it comes to your golf swing. I quite often see amateurs developing their swing on a “foundation of sand,” not a good thing to do in my book.

Regardless of how much time you work on your swing mechanics, if your body does not have the “golf strength” to support your swing, you are limiting your potential. I have seen it numerous times, people practicing at the range who struggle, not because of trying to get better, but because their bodies are limiting what they can do with their swing. Quite often I see people with limited flexibility, poor balance capabilities, and low levels of strength and power. The bottom line is that your mechanics will not get better until you fix the body that swings the club!

Up to this point we have discussed the two most important ideas when it comes to power on the golf course. A review of the topics tells us that they are optimal swing mechanics and the proper levels of “golf strength” in the body. One without the other is going to leave you short when it comes to your potential in the game.

Again, I probably see point number two, golf strength, being addressed less often than swing mechanics when you get right down to it. The pros are all aware of the importance of golf strength, why not you?

Equipment

We have come to the final point, and that is equipment. I think the majority of golfers are aware of the technological advances that have occurred in golf equipment over the last 20 years. I mean, think about the ’80’s when we were still playing with woods that actually had wood club heads! Imagine that for a moment, and now we are using drivers with space age faces that shoot the ball off of them at warp speed. In addition, we have to mention the advances in terms of golf balls. How manufacturers design golf balls today makes a difference in how far they travel. What a lot of people do not realize is that the USGA has set standards on how “hot” driver faces can be and how “fast” balls can come off the face of drivers. Most clubs are reaching this limit, and anything past these USGA rules becomes illegal to play. So what does that tell us? 1) Club manufacturers have done a great, and I mean great, job in the advancement of technology, and 2) to increase the distance on your drives you are now going to have to turn to points one and two of this article.

So what does improving your power really come down to?

It comes down to three simple ideas. Number one is improving your golf swing mechanics. Improved mechanics will improve your driving distance. Number two is improving your golf strength. By improving your body as it pertains to the golf swing you will improve your distance off the tee. Finally, equipment does make a difference, if you hit the ball correctly. Best of luck with your game, and if you need additional information stop by our web site www.bioforcegolf.com

Sean Cochran is one of the most recognized golf fitness instructors in the world today. He travels the PGA Tour regularly with 2004 Masters Champion Phil Mickelson. He has made many of his golf tips, golf instruction and golf swing improvement techniques available to amateur golfers on the website http://www.bioforcegolf.com. Check out his manual and DVD, Your Body & Your Swing, on BioForceGolf.com

To conquer the Introduction To Cisco Networking exam, and to begin the process of becoming an expert network troubleshooter, you have to master the OSI model and learn what happens at each of the seven layers.

In this three-part series, we’ll examine each level of the OSI model, paying particular attention to the details that will help you pass the CCNA exams and give you the foundation you need to become a true networking professional.

We’ll start at the top layer, the Application layer.

It won’t surprise you to find that the Application layer is the OSI model layer where most end users have interaction with said applications. Passing the CCNA exam is all in the details, though, and you need to know what happens at the Application layer, as well as the common and not-so-common applications that run at this layer.

The Application layer’s tasks include identifying the remote communication partner, ensuring that the needed resources for communicating with that partner exist, and user authentication. If you’re prompted for authentication, you’re most likely at the Application layer of the OSI model.

Keep that in mind if asked to identify Application layer protocols. I’ve noticed that CCNA candidates tend to identify Telnet as running at the Application layer. That’s an understandable misconception, since the first thing you enter in Telnet is an IP address, and it’s often used to communicate with a router. However, keep in mind that Telnet is an Application layer service, not a Network layer service. You’ve got to authenticate to Telnet to a Cisco router in the first place, remember!

Other common applications that run at Layer 7 are Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP, port 25) and File Transfer Protocol (FTP, port 21).

In short, if an end user is interacting with a program, especially if they’re being prompted for authentication by a program such as Telnet or FTP, they’re working at the Application layer of the OSI model.

Let’s take a look at the Presentation layer.

Layer 6 of the OSI model is the Presentation Layer. While we don’t have a great deal of interaction with this layer, you need to know what happens at this layer to pass your Intro and CCNA exams.

The main purpose of the Presentation Layer is making sure that the communication that will be seen at the Application Layer is presented in the appropriate format.

That’s all well and good, but what does it mean? J Have you ever opened a document with MS Word and gotten screens and screen of garbage? That’s a presentation layer problem – the program being used to open the document is unable to present the data in an appropriate format.

The three major tasks of the Presentation layer:

1. Compatibility with the operating system.

2. Proper encapsulation of data for network transmission.

3. Data Formatting (ASCII, binary)

Encryption and compression of data is also handled at the presentation layer.

Let’s keep working our way down the OSI Model. Next up, the Session Layer!

The Session layer of the OSI model basically acts as the manager for the entire model. Some have called it the PHB (Pointy-Haired Boss) of the OSI model if that helps you remember its role, that’s fine with me!

The Session layer establishes, manages, and tears down connections between applications. The Session layer uses port numbers to keep multiple conversations between two end points separate. You may have heard the term well-known port-numbers before. That term refers to port numbers that are often-used and static in that they use the same port numbers every time. You’ll be expected to know common well-known port numbers to pass your Intro exam, such as 23 for Telnet and 21 for FTP.

That’s about all there is to Layer 5, the Session Layer. From here on out, there’s more you need to know about each layer, and that starts with Layer 4 – the Transport Layer. We’ll take a look at that layer in Part II of this OSI tutorial.

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of free CCNA and CCNP tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages.
For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, “How To Pass The CCNA” and “How To Pass The CCNP”, visit the website and download your free copies. You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam questions every day! Pass the CCNA exam with The Bryant Advantage!

It is widely known that with increased age comes a decrease in flexibility. This is why so many golf fitness programs emphasize stretching and increasing range of motion for senior golfers. It has also been well documented that senior golfers between the ages of 55 and 79 can increase their drive distance and enhance their overall golf performance by engaging in a safe and effective golf conditioning program.

According to a recent study evaluating swing speed, senior golfers reaped great benefits by engaging in regular core stabilization exercises. Senior golfers participated in an 8 week study where they engaged in a core stabilization program several times weekly utilizing tools such as foam rollers, mats, stability balls, medicine balls and elastic cables. The end result was an increase in club head speed of over 6 mph. In real terms, this can yield an increase in drive distance of over 17 yards.

For those senior golfers who are interested in improving their length off the tee while increasing their level of fitness, try these core stabilization exercises.

Glute Bridge

Goal:

This movement is designed to strengthen the glutes as well as improve their firing rate.

Instruction:

• Lie down on the floor on your back

• Bend your knees and place a ball or folded towel between your

• knees

• Place your hands at your side and lift your toes off the ground with heels remaining

• Engage your abdominals and glutes, then slowly lift your hips off the ground

• Don’t let the glutes touch the ground while you perform repetitions

Ball Bridge

Goal:

This movement is designed to strengthen the low back muscles and glutes.

Instruction:

• Lie down on back with your feet on top of the ball

• Point toes towards your shins

• Pull shoulder blades back and down

• Raise glutes up until you are one line from your shoulders to your feet

• Slowly lower your body until hips almost touch the ground, then repeat the lift

Sitting Leg Lift

Goal:

This movement is designed to activate your hip flexor and thigh muscles while stabilizing your abdominals and spine.

Instruction:

• Sit on a Swiss Ball with your feet shoulder width apart

• Rest your hands on each side of the ball

• Tighten your abdominal muscles and maintain a straight spine

• Begin by lifting one leg at a time a few inches off the floor

• Alternate between each leg in a marching motion

• Try to keep the same spine angle and avoid shifting from side to side

Senior golfers still have what it takes to hit the long ball as long as they continue to compensate for the loses they experience through the aging process. Placing an emphasis on core strength, stabilization and flexibility, will keep senior golfers in the game for years to come.

Susan Hill is a CHEK Golf Biomechanic, Sports Nutritionist and President of Fitness for Golf. For exercises targeted to lower your handicap and give you a competitive edge every time you play, then visit www.fitnessforgolf.com

Using a golf fitness video is a great alternative to going to a gym. Just think of the time you’re saving not worrying about what you where or how you look; or driving 20 to 30 minutes to your local gym; and then showering, changing and getting back home.

Golfers are realizing that a golf fitness video is a great shortcut to a better game, quickly. The great thing is…you don’t have to be young or fit to do it. I have golfers who are in their 70’s doing my golf fitness videos.

When you’re researching golf fitness videos, there are several things to keep in mind. There should be easy to follow demonstrations of every golf exercise. This is separate from the workout component of the golf fitness video. You want a menu that is user-friendly and easy to move around to the different sections of the golf fitness video.

But what you are really paying for is the golf fitness workout itself. There should be a component of the golf fitness video that takes you through the entire golf fitness session, from start to finish. This way it’s like having the trainer right in your home.

I have seen hundreds of fitness videos that do not take you through the entire routine. They are pieced together and leave you trying to figure out what to do with it.

Another important point. Watch out for the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. This is not what you want. You want to be lead through a golf fitness routine that is suitable for your current level of fitness, age and abilities.

If your starting point is a little lower, then a golf fitness dvd that is more challenging will only promote you to fail. I’ve seen this time and time again.

On the other hand, if you are an experienced exerciser, you want a golf fitness video that is more challenging than a beginner (novice) one. One that will challenge your core stabilization, balance, coordination and muscular endurance.

Don’t be overwhelmed! But making the right choice will dictate the ultimate success of your program. So make sure to thoroughly read over all the information pertaining to that golf fitness video before you buy it.

About The Author: Mike Pedersen is the featured expert for Golf Magazine’s GolfOnline.com site, one of the top golf fitness experts in the country, author and founder of several cutting-edge online golf fitness sites. Take a look at his just released golf fitness dvds and manual at his golf swing trainer site – Perform Better Golf.

I personally see myself 30 or 40 years from now spending the dawn of my days with my pension check that is (I make sure that my old days care secured) in a big country house back in the province leading a simple but happy rural life. It’s a classic retiree’s dream indeed but not any longer.

Leaving behind the metro life, packing up and moving out to an unsoiled and serene life in the countryside with the sparkling and refreshing ambience of the great outdoors is just for old people saving the twilight of life. But then again that is not the case anymore. A lot of the yuppies and young families alike are now envisioning and marveling at the same thought. Wonder why? Stop pondering about it. Just open your eyes and look closely and I’m pretty sure you already know the reasons it’s just that you are too busy working, partying, making money etc. Getting there aren’t you? Truly there will come a point that you’ll just want to slow things down a bit, appreciate again the different colors of flowers, its sweet scent, listen to your kid’s invigorating laughter, savoring every bite of your good old grandma’s cooking and everything else simple and yet what matters most in your heart.

The overworked, draining and burnt out cry by urban style living of the young generation is now changing in pursuance to the green movement and a much slower tempo of living such as the countryside.