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Since 1960s, career cluster resources have been used as career exploration and planning tools in schools, learning communities, and organizations across the nation. Career Clusters is a system that matches educational and career planning.

Step 1: Identifying Career Cluster Interest Areas

Career clusters are groups of similar occupations and industries. When teachers, counselors, and parents work with teens, college students, and adults, the first step is to complete career cluster assessment. The assessment identifies the highest career cluster areas. Career assessments show teens, college students, and adults rankings from one of the following 16 Interests Areas or Clusters:

1. Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources

2. Architecture & Construction

3. Arts, A/V Technology & Communication

4. Business, Management & Administration

5. Education & Training

6. Finance

7. Government & Public Administration

8. Health Science

9. Hospitality & Tourism

10. Human Services

11. Information Technology

12. Law, Public Safety & Security

13. Manufacturing

14. Marketing, Sales & Service

15. Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics

16. Transportation, Distribution & Logistics

Step 2: Exploring Career Clusters and Related Careers

After pinpointing the highest career clusters, teens, college students, and adults explore the different careers and create education plans. Career cluster tools used in career and educational planning include:

• LISA: A comprehensive career cluster database
• Models
• Brochures
• Pathways
• High school plan of study
• Interest and Skills Areas
• Crosswalks

After completing a career cluster assessment, teens, college students, and adults look at web sites, career models, brochures, pathways, and high school plans. One of the most unique comprehensive career cluster resources is the Louisiana Integrated Skills Assessment (LISA), an Internet program. LISA lets you explore career clusters, careers, abilities, training requirements, and more. There are 3 steps in the LISA program:

STEP 1: Click here to select a Career Cluster

STEP 2: Click here to select a Career Group

STEP 3: Explore Occupations within this Career Group

In Step 1, when you choose a career cluster, you will see a description of the cluster. When you select a career group in Step 2, you see different careers. Finally, in Step 3, you see a wealth of information:

• Job descriptions
• Educational and training requirements
• Crosswalks, for example ONET, DOT, GOE, and other codes
• Abilities
• Knowledge
• Skills
• Tasks
• Work Values
• Labor Market Information

Even though LISA is an awesome program, in classroom or workshop settings, you need printed materials. When using printed materials, the career model is the best place to start. Models provide excellent overviews listing the cluster definitions, sample careers, pathways, knowledge, and skills. Visual models show career clusters, the cluster subgroups, and related careers. Models are an excellent way to introduce career clusters.

For presentations, workshops, and group discussions, the career cluster brochures provide additional information. Adults and teens read about the different careers that are available in each career cluster. Teachers, counselors, and parents use the brochures to solidify adults’ and teens’ potential career or educational decisions. The brochures cover topics such as:

• Definition of career clusters
• Careers
• Career pathways
• Employment outlooks
• Skills
• Credentials

Teachers, counselors, and parents use career pathways for more detailed information. The career pathways are subgroups or areas of concentration within career clusters. Each pathway contains career groups. The career groups have similar academic skills, technical skills, educational requirements, and training requirements. Career pathways are plans of study that outline required secondary courses, post secondary courses, and related careers. The career pathways are essential tools that teachers, counselors, parents, and other adults use to give educational planning advice.

Several web sites feature High School Plans of Study. These study plans show required, elective, and suggested courses for each grade level. The school plans also match the career clusters to related careers, career pathways, and post-secondary options. Teachers, counselors, and parents find that these school plans are guides for selecting the right high school courses to match potential careers. Beyond high school, the Utah System for Higher Education has created a College Major Guide. Parents, teachers, and counselors can use the guide to match college majors to Certificate and Degree Programs.

Additional Resources for Counselors and Teachers

For planning curriculum and educational programs, there are detailed Knowledge and Skills Charts and Cluster Crosswalks. The knowledge and Skills expand upon the information listed on the career cluster models. For each knowledge and skill area, there are performance elements and measurement criteria. Crosswalks show the relationships between career clusters and other career models:

Career clusters build a bridge between education and career planning. Different types of career cluster resources are available: videos, web sites, booklets, brochures, activity sheets, and workbooks. Teachers, counselors, and parents use career cluster resources to successfully complete career and educational planning.

Resources:

American Careers Career Paths, Career Communications, 6701 W. 64th St., Overland, KS 66202, 800-669-7795

Career Click, Illinois Department of Employment Security,33 South State Street, Chicago, IL 60603, (312) 793-5700

CIP Code Index by Career Cluster, Adult & Postsecondary CTE Division, Bureau of Career and Technical Education, 333 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA 17126, (717) 772-0814

Cluster and Career Videos, Career One Stop, U.S. Department of Labor, Frances Perkins Building, 200 Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20210, 866-4-USA-DOL

College Major Guide Utah System for Higher Education, Board of Regents Building, The Gateway, 60 South 400 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84101-1284, (801) 321-7100

Find Careers (Videos), iSeek Solutions, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, Wells Fargo Place, 30 7th St. E., Suite 350, St. Paul, MN 55101-7804

High School Plans of Study, New Hampshire Department of Education, 101 Pleasant Street

Concord, NH 03301-3860, (603) 271-3494

Introduction to Career Clusters, Career Education, Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, P.O. Box 543

Blacklick, OH 43004-0544,

Louisiana Integrated Skills Assessment (LISA), customized Internet version of OSCAR, a product of the Texas Workforce Commission/Career Development Resources, TWC/CDR, Austin, TX 78753

Maryland Career Clusters, Maryland State Department of Education 200 West Baltimore Street Baltimore, MD 21201,

Rhodes Island’s Career Clusters, Rhode Island’s Career Resource Network, 1511 Pontiac Avenue, Cranston, RI 02920, 401-462-8790

School to Career Clusters, State of Connecticut, Department of Labor, Job Bank, 645 South Main Street, Middletown, CT 06457, (860)754-5000

States’ Career Clusters Initiative (SCCI), 1500 W. Seventh Avenue, Stillwater, OK 74074

Career Pathway Plans, Career Cluster, Knowledge and Skills Charts

VTECS Cluster Frameworks, VTECS, 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA, 30033,404-679-4501 ext 543

What are Career Clusters? Career Prospects System, New Mexico Career Resource Network, CAREER TECHNICAL AND WORKFORCE EDUCATION BUREAU (CTWEB), Education Building, 300 Don Gaspar, Santa Fe, NM 87501, (505) 827-6512

Dr. Mary Askew specializes in Holland Codes, career cluster, and transferable skills career tests, websites, and books for adults, high school students, college students, and teens. Find easy to use, yet comprehensive career resources. Move towards your career potentials at http://www.hollandcodes.com Contact Dr. Askew at learning4life@qwest.net

Compared to other sports, there is very little bowling equipment needed for the sport of bowling. Really, all you need are some bowling pins and a bowling ball. Of course, it is much more fun to play the sport if you also have a regulation bowling lane and bowling shoes!

And while you are considering these types of bowling equipment, you might as well bring in the gutters and the pinsetters and the ball returns. And what about bowling ball drill equipment and other bowling equipment?

Here is a list of important bowling equipment:

· Bowling pins – In ten pin bowling (what most Americans refer to simply as “bowling”), you need to have ten bowling pins. These pins are going to be about 15 inches tall, between 3 pounds 4 ounces and 3 pounds 10 ounces, and 4.7 inches round at the widest part – this wide part, the “belly” is where a rolling ball would make contact. The bowling pins are positioned in a perfect triangular shape with a point of the triangle facing directly up the lane.

· Bowling ball – Your bowling ball is a very important piece of bowling equipment. When starting out, most people simply use a house bowling ball, provided by the bowling alley. These house balls are generally made of polyester. Of course, there are other types of bowling balls, as well – urethane, reactive resin, and particle bowling balls. The bowling ball is made up of the core and the coverstock. The majority of bowling balls have three holes drilled in them – one hole each for the middle finger, pointer finger, and thumb – but more holes (up to five) can be in the ball.

· Bowling lane – This “piece of bowling equipment” is 60 feet long, from the front bowling pin to the foul line. It is 3.5 feet wide. Bowling lanes range from oily to slightly more dry – how oily or how dry the lane is changes which bowling ball you want to use and how you use it.

· Bowling shoes – Any avid bowler should own his or her own bowling shoes. As far as bowling equipment goes, bowling shoes are very important – many people will suggest that you buy a good pair of bowling shoes before you even buy a bowling ball! There are right-handed bowling shoes and left-handed ones. Left-handed performance bowling shoes are going to have a braking left foot sole and sliding right foot sole (the opposite is true for right-handed bowling shoes.

· Gutters – The gutter is exactly where you do not want your ball to go – they are not generally a bowler’s favorite piece of bowling equipment. The gutters generally line each side of the lane. They allow the ball to roll into it down alongside the lane and straight to the ball return (without ever coming close enough to the pins to knock them down.) Many bowling alleys have “bumpers” for the lanes, available for beginners and children. The bumpers make it so that the ball has no choice but to roll down and knock the pins over.

· Pinsetters – When bowling alleys were first started, pinsetters were not a piece of bowling equipment, at all – they were humans who would stay at the end of the lanes, setting up the pins as they fell. Today, we have mechanical pinsetters that can set up the pins perfectly.

· Ball returns – Ball returns safely and effectively return bowlers’ balls to them. Because of ball returns, bowlers do not have wait very long at all between rolls.

· Ball drilling equipment – When you go buy your first custom bowling ball, they are going to have bowling ball drill equipment at the shop. This sort of bowling equipment allows the experts to drill holes in a ball, making custom-made for you. There is nothing quite like a ball that fits like a glo

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and sports. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles on bowling, please visit Best Bowling Balls and More.

Buying cat furniture can be a confusing and perhaps exhausting experience. Nothing is more frustrating than to set up a beautiful cat tree only to have your cats completely ignore it! I’ve owned cats all my life, and in this article I’ll try to share some of my expertise and insight with you to help make your decision a bit easier.

There are a number of factors to consider in choosing a cat tree, condo, tower, playground or gym. Here, in no particular order, are some things you’ll want to keep in mind:

• Your cat’s habits and preferences
• Placement and space requirements
• Materials and construction
• Expandability
• Price

What does your cat want?

As a general rule, most cats share certain traits and habits like curiosity, a desire to hide out in a dark, enclosed space and a love of heights – but as every cat owner knows, each kitty is different!

The first thing I’d suggest is to spend a few days paying close attention to your cat’s habits. Where does he usually sleep, hang out or play? What kinds of things does she play with? When you pick her up, does she want to climb up on your shoulders? What kinds of places are you always battling to keep him out of? The answers to these questions should help you decide what kinds of features your cat will appreciate the most.

Features and the kitties who love them:

Kitty Condo: A cat who tends to choose a dark, quiet corner to sleep in will probably want a model with a kitty condo. The same could be said for cats who love to explore shopping bags, boxes, cupboards and other dark, secret places. If your household is one of those busy or hectic ones with kids playing and lots of folks coming and going, kitty might just love the peace and quiet that an enclosed cat condo brings.

Height: Some cats just need to be up high. Some kitties just like to be able to see everything, and some feel more secure up above the reach of the family dog or small children. If your cat is always trying to climb up on your shoulders when you pick her up, or likes to jump up on counters, you might consider getting the tallest cat tree, kitty gym or playground you can. A floor to ceiling tower can be a good solution, and they come in a variety of configurations – some are very simple and take up very little floor space, others can be quite elaborate. There are also a lot of free standing models over 6 feet tall that will satisfy your cat’s need to look down on us poor humans!

Secure Sleeping Spot: Our cat Lucy always sleeps leaned up against something (me, a chair cushion, or the raised lip on her favorite cat perch) – she needs the security of feeling something against her back for her to truly relax. If your cat is like Lucy, you’ll want to be sure that the cat tree or playground you choose has a place to sleep where she’ll feel secure. You might want a sleep tray with raised sides, a curved half moon shaped shelf or a kitty hammock.

Not So Secure Sleeping Spot: Our other cat, George, just sprawls out anywhere – if your cat is like him, he’ll be happy with an open shelf to nap on.

Observation Post: Pretty much every cat likes to keep an eye on things – it’s simply a survival instinct. Make sure the model you choose has a place where your cat will want to spend many hours of the day, whether it’s a flat shelf, kitty hammock, curved shelf or tray. In addition to the style of the observation post, consider the height off the floor and ease of access – especially if your cat is elderly or doesn’t get around as well as he used to.

Kitty Hammocks: We’ve found that most cats love a hammock, although timid cats may need some reassurance at first due to the extra ‘give’ they feel at first when they step on it. Once they get used to it, it may become a favorite ‘hang out’ (sorry – I couldn’t resist!). If your cat is unsure about the hammock at first, put it close to the floor for added peace of mind. As your cat gets used to it you can move it higher if you like.

Play Tubes: Playful cats like tubes or tunnels because they can charge right through them or lie in wait and pounce at unsuspecting passersby – animal or human!

Placement

Even if the cat furniture you choose has all the things your cat loves, if you put it in the wrong place he may completely ignore it. Think about where your cat spends time now – is she a ‘people cat’ who wants to be in the same room as the rest of the family? Is she more of a loner who seeks out quiet spots in unused parts of the house? Does he like to look out the window? (check for nose prints on the glass!)

Years ago we had a fabulous floor to ceiling cat tower with multiple shelves, a kitty condo – the works! The only trouble was that the one place in the house where we had space for it was a room that was hardly ever used. Since our cats like to be with us, they never used the tree, and we ended up donating it to the local humane society. Now we have a smaller cat tree that we keep in the family room where we spend much of our time, and the cats use it every day.

If you can place the tree next to a window there is a much higher likelihood that your cats will use it. A window that opens is best, especially for indoor kitties. The smells and sounds from outdoors will keep them entertained and engaged in the world around them.

Space

Here’s where you start thinking about your needs. How much space are you willing and able to devote to cat furniture, whether it’s a playground, kitty gym or cat tree? Be sure to look at all the dimensions – baseplate size, overall dimensions and height – and actually measure the space you have in mind to make sure it will fit. Many models are modular in design, so you don’t have to put it together exactly as it is pictured. This can give you a bit of flexibility if space is an issue. Look for the phrase ‘modular design’ – not all cat trees have this feature!

Materials and Construction

One of the main considerations here should be how stable and sturdy the cat furniture is. Cats will not use a wobbly or unstable tree. Look for broad bases and bottom heavy designs that will keep it from tipping when your cat jumps up on it.

Wood: Some cat furniture manufacturers use plywood, others use particle board – and they will all swear that the wood they use is the absolute best! The truth is that each has advantages and disadvantages.

Plywood is quite strong because it is made from thin layers of wood and each layer has the grain running in a different direction from the layer above and below. Since the visible surfaces are covered, the manufacturer can use a lower grade of plywood that will have knots showing and may be a bit rough to the touch. So you may have rough exposed wood on the inside roof of a condo or the underside of the baseplate – not really an issue for most folks, but a good thing to know ahead of time.

Particle board is made of small wood chips bonded together by a kind of glue. It is heavier than plywood, so it adds stability to a cat tree, and the surface is much smoother than plywood. It is more likely than plywood to break – sometimes corners will chip off – but under normal use this shouldn’t be a problem.

Coverings: Carpet or fake fur? The debate rages! One thing everyone agrees on is that whatever covering you choose make sure it is not a closed loop carpet or other covering that can catch a claw. I’m sure you’ve seen a cat stretch out and get a claw caught in a bedspread or sofa cushion – in a relaxed setting the cat is usually able to extricate himself, although he may leave a snag in the fabric! Imagine your cat at top speed romping up and down his kitty playground – if the playground is covered in non cut pile carpet (like Berber) and he catches a claw it can cause a serious injury.

Carpet is soft and inviting, but since one of the purposes of cat furniture is to give your kitties a place to sharpen their claws, some folks think carpeted cat furniture just encourages or even trains your cat to sharpen his claws on the carpet on your floor. Personally, I’ve never had that problem, but I know some folks have. If you do choose carpet, make sure it is cut-pile carpet to prevent possible injury from a caught claw. Carpet is secured with staples, which have the potential to stick up and scratch fingers or paws, but well made cat furniture does not usually have this problem.

Fake fur isn’t quite as cushy as carpet, but as long as it is secured with non-toxic glue, there is no possibility of injury from an errant staple. Some manufacturers do staple the fake fur, however, and it is much harder to bury a staple in fake fur than in carpet – if you choose fake fur, make sure that it is glued, not stapled. Like the carpet vs fake fur debate, the staples vs nontoxic glue debate is a heated one. I am of the opinion that as long as the glue is nontoxic and the staples are applied properly glue is best for fake fur and staples are best for carpet. It’s a matter of personal preference as to whether you choose carpet or fur. One nice thing about fake fur is that it is washable – often times models with hammocks are covered in fake fur – check to make sure that the hammock covers zip off so you can throw them in the washing machine.

Sisal Rope: Most experts agree that sisal rope provides an ideal surface for your cat to sharpen her claws. It’s durable, yet it doesn’t ‘catch’ claws the way non cut pile carpet can. Most cats love the feel of it under their paws and will instinctively start scratching when they feel it under foot. All of our cat furniture features sisal rope, some on all poles, some in combination with carpet.

Curved Features: Any curved surface on a cat tree is made of thick cardboard tubes – they are used in construction as molds for making round concrete pillars among other things. They are quite sturdy and should last a long time, but be aware that they are cardboard and will be the weakest part of your kitty gym – especially if they ever get wet. Look for designs that offer extra support to a curved feature – two attachment points is better than one!

Expandability and Flexibility

If you’re anything like me, you get bored with your environment and need to rearrange the furniture now and then. Cats get bored too, and so many of the models we offer are of a modular design which allows you to put them together in more than one way and to add or swap out features later. If this is important to you, be sure to look for the phrase ‘modular design’ – not all models have this feature!

Price and Other Human Concerns

Cat furniture can seem expensive, but it truly is an investment in your cat’s health and happiness. A cat who has a place to burn off energy and take a safe nap is less likely to develop destructive habits like scratching your furniture or relieving himself outside the litterbox. Indoor cats especially need some extra stimulation to keep them from getting bored.

Of course, you are the one who has to decide how much to spend on your cats, but in cat furniture you really do get what you pay for. If your budget is small, you are better off getting a smaller model than a large cheap model. Cheap cat furniture is likely to suffer from poor quality materials and workmanship which will shorten its life. Also, it will probably be wobbly and therefore less appealing to your cats so they may not use it at all. You may get lucky, but in my experience cheap cat furniture is a waste of money.

Aesthetically speaking, your cat couldn’t care less what the cat tree looks like, cats are much more concerned with function, so please yourself in the aesthetics department! And as far as color is concerned, cats’ eyes are optimized for hunting in low light – they don’t really see color. So choose a color that works for you, one that matches your decor or a neutral color that will blend in even if you change your decorating scheme. Some cat owners choose colors to match their cat’s fur so the cat hair won’t show as much, others like a very different color to inspire them to keep the cat tree vacuumed – color is purely a personal decision and will not affect your cat’s enjoyment one way or the other!

I hope I’ve been able to help you sort out some of the maze of decisions that need to be made in choosing the right cat tree for your kitty and for you. Hopefully I haven’t just added to the confusion!

Laura Miller
Tick-n-Thistle Furniture and Fine Art Your one stop shop for cat trees, playgrounds and kitty condos, as well as furniture for kids, grown ups and pets. http://www.ticknthistle.com

Lights! Camera! Action!

Now with our exclusive movie party theme, your birthday child can star in their own movie!

That’s right, with fun kid birthday parties one-of-a-kind movie making adventure, you can turn your child’s birthday party into a movie making party they’ll never forget.

Imagine how excited your birthday child will be when they get to tell all their party guests that everyone is going to be in a movie… Wow! This is going to be super fun.

“The Great Birthday Treasure Hunt” is an original 3 minute mini-movie script exclusively from Fun Kid Birthday Parties and it’s yours absolutely FREE.

And when you order your free movie script we’ll even send you our easy to follow tips on how to put together this super fun one-of-a-kind movie party theme that everyone will love… And you’ll have a great time too!

Movie Party Theme

Everyone has dreamed of starring in a movie… And now your birthday child can star in “The Great Birthday Treasure Hunt” a fun 3 minute movie production.

Movie Party Invitations

Make your invitations into a “Movie Star Contract.” You might write something like this:

Movie Star Contract

“You’re so talented and glamorous that (your family name) Productions would like for you to sign this fun contract to appear in our latest blockbuster movie production titled “The Great Birthday Treasure Hunt.”

We’re celebrating (first and last name of birthday child)’s birthday on (day and date of the party) at our (your family name) Productions movie studios from (start time and end time of your party).

(First and last name of birthday child) will be starring in our movie adventure and wants you to be one of the movie’s co-stars.

“The Great Birthday Treasure Hunt” will be filmed on location in and around our movie studio.

Our movie party theme will include time for autographs, movie games and activities, movie screenings and our studio commissary will be providing delicious movie production treats for our entire cast.

Please sign this Movie Star Contract and call your agent (name of agent to ask for) at (telephone number) to RSVP for your movie star roll in our original movie production.”

The (family name) Productions movie studio is located at (address).

Come dressed as your favorite movie character. (or you can have everyone show up in whatever costume you’d like, western, The Incredibles, Princess, fashion, or whatever theme you want).

Movie Party Theme Decorations

Your decorations can include a director’s chair, a megaphone, scene slate, light cut outs, camera cut outs, studio signs like “Hot Set”. “Birthday Movie Set”, “Hollywood Studio”. .

Movie Party Theme Games And Activities

You can make your movie production your entire party or you can set up some movie related activities and games.

Movie Party Theme, Screen Your Dailies

After you shoot the scenes for your movie, “The Great Birthday Treasure Hunt”, you can screen the raw unedited footage. Your guest will love seeing everything, including all the fun out-takes and bloopers.

Movie Party Theme, Snacks And Refreshments

Movie sets always have lots of snack food nearby for all the actors and crew… Favorites include M & M candies, Gummy Bears, nuts, fruit slices, veggie slices, chips and dips and any other finger snacks your birthday child might like.

Have fun and put a sign on your table that reads “Studio Commissary”.

Kid Movie Party World Premiere

One of the fun things about shooting a movie as a special birthday party is that you can have a second party as well. We’ve done this and everyone loved it!

Once your movie is edited, you’ll want to have your movies “World Premiere.”

Print out some movie ticket invitations, roll out a red carpet, invite the “paparazzi” (photographers) to snap pictures and video as your stars arrive.

Have some popcorn, screen your movie!

Follow your movie’s world premiere with an Academy Awards style party. Hand out awards (special best actor certificates) to all your actors! And let everyone make an acceptance speech. This is a lot of fun. This will be a movie premiere that everyone will remember!

To get you started on this unique, one-of-a-kind movie making adventure, Fun Kid Birthday Parties will send you a copy of our 3 minute movie script, “The Great Birthday Treasure Hunt” absolutely free. And we’ll include our easy to follow tips on how to put together this fun movie production for your birthday child.

To get your free kids movie party script visit us at Fun-Kid-Birthday-Parties.com and fill out the easy form at the bottom of the page.

Mike Dougherty is a movie and television writer, producer, director, video editor and regional Emmy award winning videographer. Most recently as a Hollywood screenwriter “the Long Ride Home” a western movie starring Randy Travis is based on Mike Dougherty’s short script. To get your free kids movie script, visit http://fun-kid-birthday-parties.com/kid-movie-party-theme.html right now

Knowing only a few basic fly fishing knots can help you limit the number of stories you have about “the one that got away…”. Sometimes a fisherman who is rushing to get their line in the water will tie a knot that is simply not strong enough to hold a larger than expected fish. On the other hand, many take the time to tie their best knot but simply do not know enough to tie it properly. Whether the knot is meant to hold the line to the rod or to attach the fly the strength of the fly fishing knot can make all the difference in how your next fishing tale begins.

The arbor knot is one fo the most commonly used fly fishing knots. It is used to secure the fly line to the arbor of the reel. To tie a strong arbor knot you need to wrap the line around the spool and tie an overhand knot around the line. Then tie a second overhand knot a few inches past the first knot.

Lightly wet the line and pull the second knot tight. Hold the spool in one hand and pull the line with tight with the other. The first knot will prevent the line from skipping through the second knot. The end can be trimmed and the reel can be loaded with line. The wet line will provide lubrication and help form tighter fly fishing knots.

Knots for Flies With Bent Eyes

One of the other fly fishing knots used most often is the turle knot, used to attach flies to the line. Pass the lead end of the line through the eye of the fly and then make at least two wraps around the standing line, passing the leading end through the now formed loop, which forms an overhand knot. Once you pull this snug, you can pass the fly through the large remaining loop, tighten it down and trim the extra line. This type of fly fishing knots allows the fly to move more realistically on the water.

One of the keys to tying successful fly fishing knots is to moisten the line with saliva or lake water before tying the knot. This will lubricate the line making it easier to pull taught. When the line dries it will be stronger than a line that was tied dry.

Be careful when tying a thin line. If you pull the knots too tight the line will break. Before casting any line onto water make sure to check the strength of your fly fishing knots by pulling on the line with at least as much pressure as you expect the line to hold.

Tips For The Fly Fishing Beginner

Some useful tips can help you get started as a fly fishing beginner. Fly fishing is an ancient sport dating back to Rome that has risen in popularity in recent years.

Fly Fishing: The Basics

Fly fishing is the sport of catching fish with hand tied lures, known as flies. These flies are often bits of feathers and fake fur, that are wound with brightly colored line to make them look more like real bugs. For the fly fishing beginner, there are numerous kits available that will walk you step by step through the fly tying process, so that you can create your own little works of art. The second thing that the fly fishing beginner needs to have is the right pole. Remember that a true fly rod is longer and heavier than a regular fishing pole. This is due largely to the fact that the fish you will be catching with your fly rod are much larger than the fish caught with regular fishing poles.

If you are a fly fishing beginner, it is probably a good idea to take a few casting classes prior to heading out on your very first fishing expedition. These casting classes will help you to learn the proper technique for allowing the wind to do most of the work for you when you cast your line. Although stronger than normal fishing line, the line used for fly fishing is much lighter. This allows the wind to carry the line further into the body of water where you are fishing, so that you can have an easier time of catching the skittish sport fish.

A guide can be very helpful if you are fly fishing for the very first time. They are trained specially to find the very best places for beginners to fish. They also help beginners develop a fishing technique, which will guide you for the rest of your fishing life. It may seem a bit extravagant to pay someone to teach you to fish, but it is an invaluable investment in a hobby which can serve you well your entire life.

You are starting out on a fabulous journey as a fly fisher. Most important of all, enjoy the experience and make sure your next catch doesn’t turn into “the one that got away!”

Rich Evans – The Fly Fishing Expert

Learn What EXPERT Fly Fishermen Know About Fly Fishing

[http://www.flyfishing-knots.com]

The television is great at making you believe whatever the television wants you to think.  The television can make you act like a macho man or some badass from your favorite television show.  The 5 ways the television can influence you are:

1.  Ever wanted to be a talking parrot for you favorite news station on television?  Simply watch the news people on television enough and you will be parroting the exact lines of the people on the news who you listened to.

2.  Watch the show your favorite badass is in and emulate what he/she does on television in real life.  In no time, you will accept the values of that person on television as your own.

3.  Want to rave and talk about your favorite sports team(s) that appear on television?  Simply turn on the television and in no time, you will know more than enough about that team that appeared on television to tell your friends about what you are talking about on television.

4.  Do you like playing video games on your television?  The news is one way, but videos games are a surefire fun way to make yourself think how the characters on your television think.  It is common fact that people emulate what they see on television, and your no different.  Besides, video games put your television to good use, unlike some other television programs people watch.

5.  If the television was so hazardous, the authorities would have banned television long ago.  They did not, so the television is safe for everyone, from the television news media watching adults to the avid teens who use the television to play their favorite television-based video games.  No direction to go to?  Just let the television decide what to eat, let the television choose who to like and let the television choose what your listening to.

By the way, did you know that this article is a satire(I am joking around this time)

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Fly fishing being regarded a normal fishing sport in the whole of America, more and more angler (s) all over are showing interest in various fly fishing resources, including tips, techniques and tales from ones who have mastered the art with their lures and fishing baits. Most anglers interested in fly fishing sports intend to know and follow a ‘step-by-step” method that will significantly increase their casting distance. Most of them want to learn quickly how to cast more accurately, so that they can drop their fly right in front of the fish’s mouth. That is not all. Even a good fly caster may be looking to go to the next level and learn more of the advanced casting techniques. To assure an angler interested in fly fishing, it must be mentioned here that with the right instructor, you don’t have to worry about stiff breezes or feel intimidated by other fly anglers on the river. There may be an umpteen number of questions that you would like you ask regarding your dealing with the fly cast, typically if you are an angler new to the sport of fly fishing, one who finds making a decent cast difficult at best.

However, it still remains true today that despite the importance of the cast, the average fly-fisher angler gives less thought to it than to purchasing new fishing bait (s) for himself. Probably, many of them think fly-fishers need no casting instruction at all. Confining themselves to the easiest fisheries, and doing almost everything wrong and still catching a dozen trout from a small stream makes them over-confident of their fishing capabilities. But one must remember here that fly fishing in a small local lake is quite different from doing it in a spring creek, just as catching a thousand bluegills with your fishing bait on a blind cast is a hell lot different from successfully sight fishing for bonefish. For this, the answer is: practice for days, months and years. For fly fishing is like another skilful sport that can be mastered with a lot of time, and of course, a hell lot of effort on your part. If an angler fly fishes long enough and truly embraces the challenge of the sport rather than the fantasy of the game, he will eventually find himself amidst a favorable situation for fly fishing.

Fly casting is the most important skill in fly-fishing. It is perhaps the only skill you cannot do without. As a matter-of-fact, a successful fly-fisher angler need not know how to dress flies, tie knots, rig equipment, or even how to find fish, as he can always hire a guide to take care of all that. But a successful fly-fisher must be able to present a fly to a fish. However, it is a startling fact that in spite of its importance, relatively a very few fly-fishers ever attempt to learn how to cast a fly rod in a formal or methodical way. The beginning of learning how to fly cast is even more important than choosing your lures and fishing bait (s). The best way to accomplish this, according to experts is to use an 8.5 or 9-foot rod that is balanced with a 5- or 6-weight floating weight-forward or triangle taper fly line. According to experts in fly fishing, the fly line should be rigged with a 9-foot tapered monofilament leader, to the end of which is tied a small tuft of fluorescent package yarn. While fly casting, anglers may wish to use a bit heavier outfit, such as an 8- or 9-weight rod, to allow them handle a longer line a bit easier.

As for the important fly fishing kits for an angler, it is recommended that you are equipped with the proper trolling flies, trolling fly kits, jigs and fishing bait used to catch Salmon and Trout or other fish in the Great Lakes or Ocean. Custom fishing rods, including custom casting, spincast, and fly rods act as other necessary equipment in fly fishing sports. All these Fly fishing equipment are there for use to make your fly tying and fishing vacations memorable!

Fly fishing equipment – fly-fishing tackle, fly fishing rods, fly reels, fly fishing Gear, fly rods and fishing … … tackle Flyrods – Fly fishing equipment fly tying supplies and accessories. … ©1978-2007 The Fly Shop® …http://www.flyshop.com

Fly Fishing With Ross Purnell Online flyfishing entertainment, education, industry information center, and e-zine. Category: Shopping > Fly Fishing flyfishing.about.com

Flyfishing.com Fishing information resource. Category: Fly Fishing http://www.flyfishing.com

Auto repair scams and a dishonest auto repair shop are so easy to find.

First a few facts I dug up about auto repair rip-offs.

The Consumer Federation of America states, auto repair rip-offs are consistently one of the top five most

frequently reported consumer complaints. National figures indicate $20 billion is spent annually on unnecessary or faulty auto repairs.

The California Bureau of Automotive Repair receives around 25,000 auto repair complaints a year.

With that said, I have personally seen so many different ways to rip people off in the auto repair business that it is hard to pick out the most common scams because each auto repair shop has its favorite.

So I will concentrate on the most common scams and rip offs that I have seen and heard about in my 23-year career as a certified master technician in the automotive service retail business.

To get started on the most common scams we have to talk about a few different rip offs as related to the common brake job. Brake job scams are so popular that whole franchise businesses have been built around them and specialize in just doing brake jobs.

These companies have recognized the pure profit potential from performing brake service. Auto repair Brake scams are easily sold to the UN educated consumer do to the safety factors involved.

We all no the importance of being able to stop the vehicle in emergency situation.

Once again the auto repair shop uses this to their advantage and sells you unneeded services in the name of safety.

The most offten used brake service scam is the complete brake system overhaul. I will use a specific example to show you how this works. You go into a auto repair chain store to have your brakes checked. Maybe you heard some brake squeal or brake noise that concerned you.

So you bring your 1999 Chevy blazer that has 75,000 miles on it to an auto repair shop to have the brakes checked. The shop could do a standard brake job or a hang and turn as we call it. A hang and turn is replacing the brake pads and resurfacing the rotors. This service would retail for around $110.00 but the

auto repair shop would prefer to make more. So they recommend a brake system overhaul.

The brake system overhaul will mean different things to different auto repair shops. In most cases they are

talking about overhauling the brake calipers by replacing the seals in the calipers.

A caliper seal kit is very cheap in parts cost and very high in labor costs. The seal kit usually has about 3 or 4 rubber seals in it and cost the shop about $3.00

They then charge you $20.00 for the kit and another 2.0 hours per caliper to install the seals. But here is the scam part.

The caliper seals are internal and it’s hard to verify that they were actually replaced. The outer seal known as the dust seal is usually the only seal that will get replaced during this unneeded service.

The mechanic then throws away the remainder of the brand new seals. The shop usually includes a brake system flush in this service, which I will attack in a moment.

The first auto repair issue to address is do we really need a caliper overhaul. In most cases no we don’t. Why is this true? The manufacturers make fantastic calipers from the factory. The reason being it is an extremely important safety related part.

The manufacture must be sure their vehicle meets stopping distance requirements. They must also be sure that the calipers are over engineered to last for the life of the vehicle. The manufacture cannot afford to go to court for lawsuits on brake system failures.

Now with this being said do calipers ever need to be overhauled? Yes on rare cases this is the case. But

there are warning signs that the service is required. The Number one sign that a caliper is failing is a

strong brake pull.

To explain, this is when the vehicle pulls right or left during braking only.

The harder you brake the harder it pulls to one side. This is because a caliper is binding on one side or the

other. Equal braking force is not be applied. Tell tale sign # 2 is if the red brake warning light is illuminated on the dash. This can indicate the brake fluid is low and may be caused by a brake fluid leak from a caliper.

In any case the way the caliper service should be addressed by the auto repair shop is to replace both front calipers at the same time. I do not trust the individual mechanic to overhaul my calipers.

I would rather replace both front calipers with either new or remanufactured calipers.

This way you are assured you have reliable calipers installed. Some remanufactured calipers come loaded with new brake pads and now you have new calipers and brake pads that the auto repair mechanic can just bolt on.

This requires very little skill from the mechanic and makes for a very reliable auto repair.

Most auto repair shops will do this if requested.If they are not willing to do the repair the right way this should raise a red flag in your mind and moving the vehicle to another shop would be best. Remember That an educated consumer is the auto repair shop’s worst nightmare.

Mark Gittelman Is an ASE Certified Master Technician with 23 Years of front Line experience in the auto repair business. His Web site http://www.certifiedmastertech.com was created to help auto repair shop customers avoid rip-offs and scams. His new book A Mechanics Secrets Revealed is a shocking and in-depth look into the auto repair world. This new book is a powerful tool to help you fight against the dishonest auto repair shop. Visit the free blog spot at http://certifiedmastertech.blogspot.com/