This article is intended as a 5-minute explanation of the types of legal guns currently available to United States citizens. I hope to provide a basic understanding for those new to or just interested in the definitions of basic weapon types.

For this article, I am not going to include exotic, military, illegal, homemade, or prototype weapons. This basically boils down to 3 categories: pistols, rifles, and shotguns. First, however, there are some terms that apply to all three types. I’ll cover them first.

Single action refers to pulling the trigger firing a round after the gun is cocked, either manually or by recoil gas from a previously fired round.

Double action refers to being able to cock and fire the gun with a single trigger pull.

All of the weapons below are available in single or double action. Semi-autos are also available in double/single action. Which means the first pull of the trigger is double action and all subsequent pulls are single action.

We have individual shots, which are usually bolt action, lever action or break action, and are fed with ammunition manually, by tube or clip. Revolvers and semi-automatic weapons automatically load the next round to be fired on the next trigger pull. Ammunition is kept in the cylinder or fed by tube or clip. The words clip and magazine mean the same thing.

Pistols:

The term pistol refers to handguns that do not use stocks. These range in size from derringers to sub-compact, compact, full-size, and specialty weapons. There are single shot, revolvers and semi-automatic, and they feed ammunition manually, by cylinder or clip. All types are available in a wide range of calibers. Pistols are generally designed for targets less than 100 yards away.

rifles:

This refers to weapons with a buttstock and a barrel longer than 16 inches. Rifles are designed to accurately shoot farther than pistols. Over 100 yards, a skilled shooter with the right equipment could accurately shoot 1,000 yards or more. Rifles can be bolt-action, lever-action, or semi-automatic, and bullets are fed manually, by tube, or clip. Rifles also have a wide range of calibers available.

shotguns:

Shotguns fall into the rifle category in size, but they fire a pellet-filled projectile instead of a bullet. Projectiles vary in caliber and power and can contain a single bullet or hundreds of pellets. Shotguns are available in breakaway, bolt-action, pump and semi-automatic versions, with manually, tube or clip-fed cartridges. Shotguns are designed to fire a shot pattern over a short distance.

Machine guns are also worth mentioning. That is, a fully automatic weapon that fires more than one round for each time the trigger is pulled. These are not available to the public without a broad license.

Another honorable mention is Assault Weapons. This is just a name that many people unfamiliar with guns associate with fully automatic weapons. While the military version usually is, the civilian versions are not. “Assault rifle” simply refers to a military-looking weapon. It has nothing to do with function or capacity.

I hope this has been informative. I will discuss, in more detail, each of these weapon types, their respective functionality and uses, calibers, ammunition, and accessories in future articles.

Be save

Goodbye, Sallie Mae! Today, my husband and I reached our goal of paying off my $79,000 in student loans in less than a year and a half after graduating from my master’s degree.

My husband and I graduated last May, me with my master’s degree and my husband with his second bachelor’s degree. After our two graduations, when we started our new careers last summer, we came up with a plan to pay off my student loans quickly that worked very well for us. Some close friends have asked us about our story and any advice we have for them as they pay off their student loans. Below are our tips (compiled by both of us) for those in each phase of the college loan financing/repayment process based on our personal experience. We’ll start with those who are currently paying off loans and go back to our advice for those who are still in college and then back to our advice for high school students who are making plans for college.

To recent college grads now paying down debt:

MAKE A PLAN AND STICK TO IT.

We know it’s tempting to jump on the bandwagon and graduate from college feeling like you ‘deserve’ a new car or some other expensive pat on the back as a reward for finishing college. Do not do this! Make a decision to be one of the few people who decide to get out of debt after graduation instead of going deeper into debt. Plus, getting that new car will be so much more enjoyable when you buy it with cash instead of adding to the mountain of debt. Trust us, it’s possible to pay off your student loans soon after graduation if you have a good plan and don’t need to have the income of a rocket scientist or neurosurgeon to do it.

PRETEND THAT PART OF YOUR INCOME DOESN’T EVEN EXIST.

Couples: If you are married, live on only one of your incomes. Literally pretend only one of you is working and use the other person’s income solely to pay off loans. After graduating last year, we created a separate account for each of our direct deposit paychecks from each of our jobs. One of our accounts has both of our debit cards set up (ie the joint account we both use to pay bills and buy things). The entire other account was immediately emptied to the Department of Education each time an employer direct deposit was made. Don’t even let your designated loan payment money go into your debit account so you won’t be tempted to make poor decisions. Don’t even give yourself the option of spending your designated loan money on other things. You’ve been living without a full-time professional salary through college, so there’s no reason you can’t continue to live on less money after graduation—at least long enough for your student loans to go away. THEN, you can reward yourself, AFTER you’ve earned it. Then, once your student loans run out, think about all the things you can do with that second person’s income you’ve gotten used to not using. You can save all those checks now to buy a car outright, make a big down payment on a house, etc.

Single: If you’re single, you obviously can’t put your entire paycheck into loans, but you CAN choose to live economically. Get a roommate, eat at home, skip shopping, and make it your sole mission to get rid of your student loans/debt. Pretending to make less than you really do and budgeting bills with only a portion of your paychecks are still key factors in making this plan work. It’s basically the same concept as our advice for couples (living on only a fraction of what you really earn), just on a smaller scale.

To Current College Students:

LIVE LIKE THE POOR COLLEGE STUDENT YOU ARE.

You’re not rich just because you have a ton of student loan money available at your fingertips. For those of you who are currently college students, learn from our mistakes and get as few loans as possible to survive. It is possible to live without going out to eat every meal and without buying iPads and Christmas presents with student loans or credits. Take the time to educate yourself about money instead of naively signing on the dotted line every year and living off student loans without a second thought. Make good decisions now and you will benefit from them later.

How do we know this?

Tiffany’s story:

I graduated high school valedictorian, had a perfect GPA, got a 31 on my ACT, and basically received a 4-year full tuition waiver scholarship from OSU along with several other individual scholarships. But here’s the kicker: Despite all of this, I still took out almost the maximum amount of student loans each semester for books (well, this part was legit), room and board (also legit), and shopping, eating out every day , etc. (not so smart). And the scariest part is, if you had asked me at one point how many loans I currently had or what the grand total was, I couldn’t have even told you a ballpark number. I was completely clueless. I mean it’s all fake money and free anyway, right? Or at least it seems that way until you graduate and have to start paying it back. After completing my bachelor’s degree in four years, I entered the speech pathology graduate program, bringing my total to six years living on student loans. Okay, time for the happy ending… Now, at 25 and just 1.5 years after graduating, I have ALL $79,000 of my loans paid off, a master’s degree that is fully PAID for, and a rewarding career that I love. I may have over-borrowed, but at least I chose a career with a good job outlook, so I was *able to pay off my loans on time, which brings us to our next piece of advice… .

CHOOSE A PRACTICAL DEGREE.

Probably the best advice we have for today’s college students is to choose a degree program that will earn you a living. Unless you are independently wealthy and money is not an issue, a degree in fashion, music, art, history, or the like is probably not practical. Gone are the days of going to college for the “experience” and the concept that simply having a college degree will help you get a job. Don’t get us wrong, you should still pursue these interests as HOBBIES. But, if you’re taking out loans/debt to pay for a college degree, at least make sure it’s a good investment. Search job prospects for the career of your choice, look up information on salaries, etc. Don’t graduate with thousands of dollars in debt and work in a restaurant because you can’t get a job in a field you love. This is an expensive mistake. Life isn’t all about money, but you don’t want to spend your life struggling with money either. Do your research and choose a career that you enjoy and that also has a good job outlook. Then do hobbies that you also enjoy.

How do we know this?

Eric’s story:

I’m a violinist and I majored in music my first two years of college. I didn’t have much guidance in choosing a major, and like so many other freshmen, I only majored in what I liked to do for fun: music. Unless you’re that rare wunderkind, music really isn’t a viable career option, especially in this geographic area. A couple of years into my college career after wasting a few semesters and a few thousand dollars from my parents (sorry guys), I had this epiphany and then went into a period of indecision and ended up changing majors multiple times. I eventually settled on a degree in business administration. This was a much more practical choice; however, even a general business degree in today’s world is often too broad. There are very few employers looking for new college graduates with a general business degree. Employers look for candidates with specific skills or certifications who are qualified to fill a specific need or role. I worked for two years at random jobs that barely paid anything with my business administration degree while Tiff was still in school before deciding to go back to school and get a second degree in MIS (management information systems). This was a more targeted degree program that actually taught me business skills and prepared me to enter the workforce in my area right after graduation. Even before graduating with this second degree, I accepted an amazing job offer at my preferred employer, starting right after graduation. Now, I have worked at Phillips 66 for a year and a half as a Citrix Analyst, I love my job and my company, and I still play violin at the local symphony as a HOBBY.

To current high school students planning to go to college:

FOCUS MORE ON STANDARDIZED TESTING THAN GRADING.

Don’t believe what they tell you about grades/GPA. They won’t give you a free ride to college. What will get you the most scholarship money is your PSAT and ACT scores. And if you are a minority, better than better! (Eric is proud of the fact that he *almost* got $40,000 in scholarships just because he’s 1/4 Pacific Islander.) But seriously, we suggest worrying less about grades and spending more time on these tests. A student with only C’s and a high PSAT score feels good compared to a student with only A’s with average standardized test scores. Focus more on these tests than on grades, which won’t help you as much in the long run. Note: This statement refers to high school grades and should not be confused with college grades, which actually do matter, especially if you are preparing to apply to a competitive graduate program after college or apply for positions at preferred employers who are choosing from several qualified candidates. In college, it’s important to set yourself apart with your grades. In high school, make studying for the PSAT and ACT your priority. Once you’re in college, your high school grades don’t matter anymore.

APPLY FOR EVERY TYPE OF FINANCIAL AID AVAILABLE.

Sign up for every scholarship, tuition waiver, and grant you can find. It never hurts to try, and free money is free money. A scholarship of $500 for a single semester may seem like a drop in the ocean when looking at the grand total, but every little bit helps!

Ultimately, money is like anything else in life. Be smart, do your research, and make good decisions, and you CAN be successful. And it’s never too late to start making better decisions with your money. If you have an impractical degree with no decent chance of landing a good job in the near future, go back to school and make it count this time. If you’re only paying the minimum payments on your loans and basically just paying interest each month and nothing for the actual principal, make a better plan today to move forward. Whatever phase of this process you find yourself in, it is never too late to turn it around and emerge victorious.

Good luck!

Maybe you’ve been playing fantasy sports for a while and have been asked to play in your first trusted group. Or maybe you are completely new to fantasy sports games. In any case, a trust fund is actually quite an interesting way to bet on games. We say “bet” because you’re picking a team to win each of the games each week, even though you’re not actually placing a bet.

The game is quite simple. In a standard trust pool, you’re asked to pick the winners of every NFL competition for the week (yes, all 16 games; less during bye weeks). It then weights each selection with a number of confidence points between 1 and 16 (the higher the better). You cannot reuse a number and must use all numbers. When the team you chose to win actually wins, you get the points you assigned to that game.

Scoring and payouts

So how do scoring and payouts work? Many pools will charge an entrance fee. That fee is collected from all entrants and distributed in the form of weekly and/or seasonal prizes. The weekly winner is the person whose coin yields the most points from correct selections (as close to 136 points as possible). Those rankings are tabulated throughout the season to determine the rankings within your league. You can win a week to earn money, and you can also earn the total score for the season.

This type of prize structure means that even novices can compete with the experts. Even a novice using the “animal strategy” can pick the best during any given week. (The “animal strategy” involves picking the winner as if it were a cage battle in the wild. For example, in a game that pits the Chicago Bears against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Bears win every time. Of course, this strategy has some pitfalls: see “Detroit Lions” or at the other extreme, “Arizona Cardinals”).

Variable League Settings

A good fantasy sports site will allow pool commissioners to choose from a wide variety of customizable settings. Below, we’ll cover some of the more common league options. You’ll want to weigh the options and cost between some of the providers. There are some good websites that offer free trusted funds. You just have to do a search for them.

Trust pools generally allow each team owner to discard a certain number of bad week picks per season (for example, your lowest 2 weeks out of 16 weeks). These are often referred to as “Fall Weeks”. This feature lets him forget about the week he was out of town and didn’t read, and helps lift his spirits after an unusually bad week.

Another common option is not to rank the weekly outright winners, but to rank the winners against the spread. This more difficult option requires that if the Broncos – Raiders differential is 6 points (in favor of the Broncos in this case), you would have to choose whether the Broncos will win by 6 or more, or win by less than 6. d then assign points trust that selection as you would a normal group.

Finally, does your group allow the use of “auto pick” when the owner doesn’t make picks for the week? Automatic selections allow the computer to use its default decision-making system, such as choosing all the favorites, ranked in descending order by point range. If your group closes out the opportunity to make picks at the start of the first game and you’re busy sleeping off Saturday night drinks, at least you’re playing that week.

victorious

If you’ve read this far, you deserve some tips on how to earn your trust pool. Beyond the obvious (which is making sure to allocate points based on your confidence), every player in the league you trust should know the main factors that affect winning in the NFL: injuries, weather, home field advantage, matchups between equipment and training. Matchups Going through all this information for each game can be tedious for non-NFL addicts, but there are plenty of websites and experts that will offer predictions for each game. These websites are worth checking out if you don’t have time to do the research yourself.

Good luck!

WEEK 8 REVIEW

this week the Kansas City Chiefs steal the spotlight Denver Broncos with another win keeping the undefeated season alive and clinging to the lead in the AFC West Division. Tea bosses defeated the cleveland browns 23-17 to keep the streak alive.

The Dallas Cowboys took a chance to win Sunday’s game against Detroit Lions and opened the door with only 45 seconds left. Matthew Stafford he moved the ball with ease and put the lions in scoring position at the 1-yard line. confused Cowboy The defense left the middle open and Staffordinstead of spiking the ball to stop the clock, he quickly flicked the ball and dove headfirst over the middle, scoring the game-winning touchdown and narrowly outscoring the dallas cowboys 31-30. The Individual Effort Award goes to Calvin Johnson who caught 14 passes for a career-high 329 receiving yards in a single game, just 7 yards short of Anderson’s pinball machine He has 336 receiving yards in a single game.

Tea Denver Broncos regained some momentum going into its bye week, which comes at a good time with Peyton Manning been a bit beat up in the last few weeks. The lost of ryanclady it shows when the rush comes from the left side but the team is working hard to protect their leader. Tea broncos surpassed his average scoring of 42 points per game so far this season by 3 points in his Week 8 victory over the washington redskins 45-21. The game marked by mike shanahan first return to the Mile High City since he was Coach and a brief tribute was given before the game, which was a very nice gesture for a Coach who has attended 5 Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos and won 2 Super Bowls with John Elway Y Terrell Davis as MVP in consecutive years. With the Denver Broncos explosive start to the season Peyton Manning he’s compiling record-setting offensive numbers while utilizing all of his available weapons on the field. When the broncos return from their Rest Week, they face each other within their Division with a match against san diego chargers who have been playing well and then a match against the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs. Two key games in the AFC West Division that Denver Broncos need to win

SCORES OF THE WHOLE LEAGUE

• Kansas City Chiefs won over him cleveland browns 23-17 and remains the only undefeated team going 8-0 on the season
• New York Giants Beat the philadelphia eagles 15-7
• Detroit Lions narrowly defeated dallas cowboys 31-30
• new england patriots Beat the miami dolphins 27-17
• new orleans saints easily defeat the buffalo bills 35-17
• San Francisco 49ers worked the jacksonville jaguars 42-10
• Cincinnati Bengals Beat the new york jets 49-9
• Oakland Raiders defeated the pittsburgh steelmen 21-18
• Denver Broncos Beat the washington redskins 45-21

WEEK 8 HIGHLIGHTS

• Calvin Johnson he had a monster game in week 8, catching 14 passes for 329 yards and 1 touchdown, which catapulted him to the top of the receiving yards list for the 2013 NFL season with 821 yards.
• drew brees breaks the 2,000-yard mark for the season completing passes for 331 total yards with 5 Touchdowns.
• joseph brown kicked 5 field goals in the New York Giants 15-7 victory over him philadelphia eagles.
• Andy Dalton He threw for 325 yards and 5 touchdowns.
• Peyton Manning He threw 4 more Touchdowns which led him to 29 Passing Touchdowns and 2,919 Passing Yards this season leading the league in both categories. Peyton Manning is 7 touchdowns ahead of drew brees who has thrown 19 Touchdowns this season.
• Wes Welker he had another good game with 81 receiving yards and caught 1 touchdown pass bringing his total for 2013 to 9 touchdowns which leads the league at the halfway point of the 2013 NFL season.
• jordy nelson he recorded 123 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns.
• Matthew Stafford He threw for 488 yards and 1 Touchdown along with 1 Rushing Touchdown to win the game.
• andre ellington He accumulated 154 receiving yards and 1 Touchdown.
• Cincinnati Bengals The defense had 4 sacks, 2 interceptions and scored 2 touchdowns.
• joseph gordon he recorded 132 receiving yards and 1 Touchdown.
• Knowshon Moreno he rushed for 43 yards and caught passes for 89 yards and 1 touchdown.

Wes Welker he caught 1 touchdown in week 8 and still leads the league in 2013 with 9 receiving touchdowns. Following closely is the teammate july thomas with 8 receiving touchdowns in the year. Further down the list is Thomas Demaryous at 6 touchdowns and eric decker at 3 representing 26 of by Peyton Manning 29 touchdown passes through week 8 of the 2013 NFL season. Knowshon Moreno leads the league with 8 touchdowns per run adding to the dominance of the Denver Broncos are showing this season so far.

QUARTERBACK LEADERS – WEEK 8 PLAYERS IN MOTION

• Eli Manning he passed John Hadl to #23 for career passing yards behind steve berg.
• ben roethlisberger passed John Brodie to take slot #33 for career passing yards behind brand brunell. Roethlisberger also threw 1 Touchdown in Week 8 and tied with phil simms at #32 with 199 Running Pass Touchdowns.
• Carson Palmer moved past Steve McNair to #35 for career passing yards behind John Brody. He also threw 2 Touchdowns and passed Ken Anderson in a tie with phil simms Y ben roethlisberger ranked 32nd with 199 touchdowns.
• Tom Brady moved past Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton in slot #3 with 343 Running Pass Touchdowns behind Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino.
• drew brees threw 5 touchdown passes in week 8 and passed Fran Tarkenton for #3 tied with Tom Brady behind Dan Marino for Running Pass Touchdowns.
• Tony Romo threw for 3 touchdowns and moved up 2 places to #35 in passing bob greise Y stable ken for Running Pass Touchdowns.

RUNNING LEADERS – WEEK 8 PLAYERS ON THE MOVE

• frank gore continues to have a good season and moved up 2 places to 30th in the Career Rushing Yards list passing Hall of Fame runner Earl Campbell Y shaun alexander. blood also scored 2 Touchdowns moving up to #32 tied with jamal lewis Y mike alstott. she moved past Ernest Byner, roger craig, Curt Warner Y Steve Jackson about him rushing touchdown ready.
• adrian peterson moved past earl campbell to #32 behind shaun alexander. He also had 1 Touchdown in Week 8 passing ottis anderson in a tie at #13 with Corey Dillon in 82 Touchdowns.

WIDE RECEIVER LEADERS – WEEK 8 PLAYERS ON THE MOVE

• Larry Fitzgerald moved past gary clark to #30 behind joey galloway with 10,833 Career receiving yards. Fitzgerald caught 1 touchdown on Sunday and passed it powell art in slot #14 for Career receiving touchdowns.
• Anquan Boldin moved into a tie with stanley morgan at #32 with 10,716 Career receiving yards.
• santana moss attached to the Top 40 career receiving yards list behind eric molds with 9,949 yards and is on pace to top 10,000 receiving yards this season.
• Calvin Johnsonin addition to his personal best of 329 receiving yards in Week 8, he caught 1 Touchdown and moved up to #32 tied with fast mic, Pete Pihos Hall of Fame, billy howton, anthony freeman Y donald driver for Career receiving touchdowns.

The Masters, held each year at the Augusta National Golf Club, is one of the sporting events with the longest tradition. It dates back to 1934 and was originally called the Augusta National Invitation Tournament. The name was changed to “The Masters” five years later, despite protests from Bobby Jones.

The course

Unlike the other Majors, The Masters takes place on the same course every year: Augusta National, the brainchild of the legendary Bobby Jones.

After his playing career, Jones began thinking about building a golf course. He was looking for a place where he could play without being harassed and the opportunity to realize his vision of the ultimate golf experience.

In 1931, he found available land in Augusta, Georgia. He was immediately drawn to the possibilities of the old tree nursery and hired the best architect in the game, Dr. Alister Mackenzie, to help him with the design. Together, the two set out to design a course that anyone could enjoy, regardless of skill level, and where on every shot, players would be faced with a multitude of decisions.

The club opened in 1933. A year later, Augusta’s first National Invitation Tournament was held.

the green jacket

Each year, the winner of the Masters Tournament receives a Green Jacket to commemorate their victory.

Members of the private club have been wearing green jackets at the tournament since 1937. (Although the original jackets were deemed too hot to wear.) Members purchased their jackets from the Brooks Uniform Company in New York.

The first green jacket awarded to a player was presented to Sam Sneed in 1949. It signified his one-year membership at the ultra-exclusive Augusta National Golf Club.

Masters winners must return the jacket to Augusta the following year, where it is kept and made available to players when they visit. Some past winners, such as Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, have become actual members of the club and are presumably allowed permanent possession of their jackets.

Since 1954, the club has awarded crystals for various achievements, such as the low round, holes in one, and eagles. Jack Nicklaus holds a record 61 Masters glass pieces.

The Champions Dinner

Officially known as the Masters Club, the Master’s Champions dinner tradition was instituted in 1952 by Ben Hogan.

Since then, every year, the winner of the previous Master tournament has organized a dinner for the previous champions. The event usually takes place on the Tuesday before the tournament. The winner chooses the menu and pays for the food.

The menu has been interesting. In 1988, Tiger Woods eats cheeseburgers and milkshakes. Sandy Lyle, on the other hand, had haggis.

honorary holders

The first balls off the tee at the Masters are hit by “honorary starters,” a tradition that began in 1963. The first honorary starters were Jock Hutchison and Fred McLeod, two men with ties to Augusta National.

Hutchison won two major championships in his golf career: the 1920 PGA and the 1921 Open Championship. He was also the winner of the inaugural PGA Senior Championship (1937), held in Augusta; he won that event again in 1947. he started until 1973.

McLeod was a founding member of the Senior PGA, playing in the first four Masters. McLeod started until 1976.

Gene Sarazen served from 1981 until his death in 1999. Byron Nelson served during the same period. Sam Snead served from 1984 to 2002.

There has been no honorary incumbent since Sneed’s death. Rumor has it that Augusta is waiting until Arnold Palmer is available.

pimento cheese sandwiches

What hot dogs are to baseball, the bell pepper sandwich is to the Augusta Masters. There are eight types of sandwiches sold at the Master’s, but the Pimento Cheese is the one to get. Although the exact recipe is a secret similar to Coca-Cola’s secret formula, it is made from pimento cheese and lots of it on white bread.

Lifetime exemptions for winners

Bobby Jones thought of the Masters as a gathering of his friends, so he extended a lifetime exemption from the tournament to past winners. Most stopped playing when they felt they were no longer competitive. However, others have continued to play even though they can no longer play. In 2002, Masters president Hootie Johnson sent letters to previous champions, asking them to reconsider their participation. That move caused a firestorm of controversy and resulted in Johnson rescinding his request. Previous players can only start if they intend to play at least 36 holes.

the crow’s nest

The Crow’s Nest is the 1,200 square foot room in the dome of the clubhouse that is available to amateur players in the Tournament. The room is divided into four cubicles, three with single beds and one with a double bed. There is also a living room. Fans eat in the clubhouse during the week.

Azaleas and Magnolia Lane

August National sits on the site of a former tree nursery and is graced with azaleas, magnolias, and an incredible variety of other trees. Azaleas bloom in that part of the country around the same time the tournament is taking place.

Magnolia Lane is the 330-yard driveway that leads to the clubhouse, which is lined with 61 ancient magnolia trees.

The Butler’s Cabin and Eisenhower’s Cabin

The butler’s booth is used by the CBS broadcast staff for interviews and the introduction of Green Jacket. It was first used in 1965.

The Eisenhower Cabin was built in 1953 for the use of President Eisenhower, who liked the club so much that he visited it 45 times, twenty-nine while he was in office. He had become a member in 1948. The cabin is apparently certified by the US Secret Service.

There are a total of ten cabins on the grounds, although the term “cabin” is loosely applied, as they are much better equipped than average.

the caddies

Until 1983, players were required to use club-provided caddies. Since then, they have been allowed to bring their own bag carriers, but must still dress in the traditional August caddy uniform: white overalls and green hats. Several Augusta caddies have become minor celebrities, most notably “Iron Man” Avery, who caddyed for all four of Palmer’s Masters wins.

For more information on the best of golf, visit http://www.golfblogger.com

The comings from our own Solar System come shrieking into the bright light and molten heat of the inner regions, fleeing from their birthplace in a frigid and dark domain far, far away. In this eerie region of perpetual cold twilight, the bright, icy comet nuclei of our own Solar System linger as relics of an ancient era when the planets first formed from countless collisions and mergers of frozen chunks of primordial material. called planetesimals–the building blocks of the main planets. But sometimes a comet streaking into our Sun is the icy descendant of a distant star beyond our own. In January 2020, astronomers at the National Astronomical Observatory (NAOJ) in Japan, announced that it has analyzed the paths of a duo of frozen wanderers on their way out of our Solar System and determined that they were most likely born into the family of another star. These findings improve astronomers’ understanding of the outer limits of our Sun’s own family, and beyond.

Not all of the comets we see in our dark night sky travel in tight orbits around our Star. Some soar through our Solar System at impressive speeds before dashing off into space between the stars, never to return. Although it is easy for astronomers to calculate where these comets are headed, determining where they originated is much more difficult.

frozen wanderers

Most comets are small Solar System objects that travel in elongated orbits that take them close to our Star for part of their orbit, and then to the far outer reaches of our Solar System for the rest. Comets are frequently classified according to the length of their orbital periods. The longer the period, the longer the orbit.

The two kinds of comets in the Solar System are short period Y long period.

Short Period Comets: A short period is coming they are generally defined as those that have orbital periods of less than 200 years. These comets normally orbit (more or less) in the plane of the ecliptic in the same direction as the planets. Their orbits often take these frigid wanderers into the realm of the quartet of gas giant outer planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, in aphelion (when they are furthest from our Sun). For example, him aphelion of the famous Halley comet it is just beyond the orbit of the outermost planet, Neptune. Come those who have a aphelia near one of a major planet’s orbits are called its “family”. These “families” are believed to have formed when the planet gravitationally attracted what was originally long period comets in shorter orbits.

At the end of the shortest orbital period, Encke’s Comet sports an orbital period that does not even reach the orbit of the innermost giant planet, the giant Jupiter, and is therefore known as a Encke-type kite. short period comets which have orbital periods of less than 20 years and have low inclinations towards the ecliptic are traditional terms Jupiter Family Comets (JFC). Comets that are similar to Halley cometthat have orbital periods between 20 and 200 years and show inclinations that extend from zero to more than 90 degrees, are called Halley-type comets (HTC).

It is recently discovered, orbiting within the hand asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, they have been designated as a distinct class. These comets orbit in more circular orbits within the asteroid belt.

because your elliptical Orbits often take them close to the quartet of gas giant planets, when they experience additional gravitational perturbations. short period comets tend to have their aphelia coincides with one of the semi-major axes of the giant planet, with the JFC populating the largest group. Kites traveling from the remote control oort cloud–which forms a sphere around our entire Solar System reaching halfway to the nearest star beyond our own–have orbits that are strongly influenced by the gravity of the giant planets as a result of close encounters. The huge planet Jupiter is, of course, the source of the most powerful disturbances. This is because Jupiter has more than twice the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. These disturbances can divert long period comets in shorter orbital periods.

As a result of its observed orbital characteristics, short period comets They are believed to originate from the centaurs and the Kuiper belt/scattered disk. East Registration is populated by icy objects in the transneptunian region. Instead, the origin of long period comets thinks it’s on the remote oort cloud (named after the Dutch astronomer Jan Oort (1900-1992), who hypothesized its existence). A huge population of icy comet-like objects is thought to swarm within these remote regions, in roughly circular orbits around our Sun. Kuiper Belt Objects) or nearby stars (in the case of Oort cloud objects) you can launch one of these howling icy bodies into an elliptical orbit that carries it inward, toward the molten heat of our Sun, and a visible comet is born. In contrast to the predictable return of periodic comets, whose orbits have been well established in previous observations, the appearance of new comets by this mechanism cannot be predicted. When they are flung into the orbit of our Star, being perpetually drawn into its dazzling and turbulent fires, tons of matter are ripped from the comets. This dangerous journey, of course, greatly shortens their “service life”.

long period comets

long period comets sports periods ranging from 200 years to thousands of years. These frozen objects also show highly eccentric orbits. An eccentricity that exceeds 1 when close to perihelion (when a comet is closest to our Sun) does not necessarily indicate that a comet will escape our Solar System.

By definition long period comets they are gravitationally bound to our star. Comets that are dislodged from our Sun’s family have generally been perturbed as a result of a path that has brought them too close to the major planets. As a result, they are no longer considered to have “periods.” The orbits of long period comets take them far beyond the realm of the quartet of giant planets in aphelia, and the plane of their orbits need not be close to the ecliptic. For example, west kite–has long period comet–can have a aphelion distance of almost 70,000 astronomical units (AU), with an orbital period calculated to be about 6 million years. One FOR is equal to the average distance between the Earth and the Sun, which is approximately 93,000,000 miles.

As of 2019, only two comets with an eccentricity significantly greater than 1 have been detected: 1I/’Oumuamua Y 2I/Borisov. This indicates that the two comets originated from beyond our Solar System and are the wandering children of another star. While Oumuamua it showed no optical signs of cometary activity during its journey through the inner Solar System in October 2017, alterations in its path, suggesting outgassing, indicate that it is likely a comet. In contrast, the interstellar comet, 2IBorisov, it has been noted that it displays the gossip eat feature that is characteristic of comets.

In addition to those born in our own Solar System, exocomets circling other stars, have also been detected. Indeed, exocomets they are thought to be common throughout our Milky Way. First exocomet system to be discovered circles to main stream (which burns hydrogen) named star betapictoris. betapictoris it is very young by star standards, being “only” about 20 million years old. eleven such exocomet systems have been detected, as of 2013, by astronomers using the Absorption spectrum which is caused by the large clouds of gas that comets emit when they travel close to their star. For a decade, the Kepler Space Telescope searched for planets and other bodies beyond our Solar System. the first transit exocomets were discovered in February 2018 by a team of professional astronomers and citizen scientists studying the light curves recorded by Kepler. later KeplerThe mission ended in October 2018, a new telescope called tess He took on his mission. As tess was launched, astronomers have used it to discover the transits of exocomets around betapictoris using a light curve obtained from TESS.

If there is a large population of comets flying in the space between the stars, they would travel at speeds of the same order as the relative speeds of stars near our Sun, that is, a few tens of kilometers per second. If these icy wandering children of another star entered our Solar System, they would possess a positive specific orbital energy and would be observed to have hyperbolic trajectories. A rough calculation shows that there could be four hyperbolic comets per century within the orbit of Jupiter, plus or minus one and possibly two orders of magnitude.

Where are you going and where have you been?

Two possible scenarios have been proposed to explain the existence of mysterious outgoing comets. According to the first model, a comet is born in a stable orbit very far from our Sun. Unfortunately, gravitational disturbances with a passing object knock the comet out of its original orbit. The comet then migrates out into the warm, well-lit inner Solar System, where it can be observed before being unceremoniously ejected into interstellar space. In contrast, the second model proposes that a comet is born somewhere far away, perhaps within a completely different planetary system. As the icy wanderer glides through the space between the stars, it happens to enter our own Solar System before continuing on its journey.

Dr. Arika Higuchi and Dr. Elichiro Kokubo in NAOJ calculated the types of trajectories that would normally be expected in each of the two models. The team then compared their calculations with observations of the duo of strange outgoing objects, ‘Oumuamua Y 2I Borisov. The astronomers found that the interstellar origin scenario provided the best match for the trajectories of both unusual comets.

The astronomers also showed that it is possible for gas-giant-sized bodies wandering near our Solar System to destabilize long period comets. According to this scenario, the perturbed comets then launch off in paths similar to those of the two unusual comets. The survey observations have not revealed any gas-giant-sized bodies that could be linked to the mysterious outgoing comet duo. However, more study, both observational and theoretical, of small interstellar objects is needed to better understand the origins of these strange travelers.

July inevitably brings back memories of the All-Star Games, whether it’s heroics on the field or the injustice of players who were snubbed by not being selected. Since almost the beginning of this century, all baseball fans have looked back on the 2002 contest with a sense of regret.

Because both coaches (Joe Torre of the New York Yankees and Bob Brenley of the Arizona Diamondbacks) ran out of players to use, the game was called in the eleventh inning with the score tied at seven. Commissioner Bud Selig was especially upset that the game had been played at Miller Park, home of the Milwaukee Brewers team that he once owned.

He immediately set about making sure there would never be another Midsummer Classic without a winner, and fortunately, that 2002 game remains the only one to end in a draw. Exactly thirty years before that, however, a quick glance at the box score might lead one to assume that the All-Star Game must have ended in a tie.

Neither team managed to get an RBI in the contest, so in the bottom row of the scorecard, the zeroes seem to indicate that the game ended in a scoreless draw. There were probably a lot of those in the 1968 regular season, when pitchers were so dominant that Major League Baseball decided to take the mound down starting the following year.

American League hitters, despite a lineup of the likes of Harmon Killebrew, Mickey Mantle, Brooks Robinson and Carl Yastremski, did not record a single. His offense was limited to three doubles by Tony Oliva of the Minnesota Twins, Don Wert of the Detroit Tigers and Jim Fregosi of the California Angels, none of whom drove in a single run.

When you consider who was on the mound across from them, the lack of offense seems less surprising. Steve Carlton, Bob Gibson, Juan Marichal and Tom Seaver were four of the mighty arms that combined to shut out American League hitters.

Their Senior Circuit opponents proved nearly as unproductive on offense, even though the lineup featured more future Hall of Famers. Willie Mays was in first place, followed by legends like Johnny Bench, Hank Aaron, Ron Santo and Tony Perez.

Even with that cadre of outstanding hitters, NL hitters couldn’t get a single run. With all the blanks in that column, it would be easy to assume that neither team scored.

Two spaces to the left in the scoring box, the run column shows the only difference in the two clubs that day. The NL managed to score a run, when Mays crossed the plate as San Francisco Giants teammate Willie McCovey rebounded on a double play off Boston ace Luis Tiant in the bottom of the first.

After that scant run in the opening inning, pitchers from both teams dominated the offenses. That minimal output represented the lowest-scoring game in All-Star history but, regardless of what the RBI column indicates, it wasn’t a tie.

With the start of the NBA season underway, NBA fans across the country are lining up to play fantasy basketball. The two most popular formats used include seasonal fantasy leagues and daily NBA fantasy contests. Both formats are available online through popular sports sites like Yahoo.com, NBA.com, DraftKings.com and FanDuel.com, among others. Each format requires a different approach, providing something for players of all experience levels.

NBA fantasy leagues

For years, fantasy sports leagues have been run for the benefit of coaches who want to run their own team through the rigors of a full season. While most leagues are played for fun, some league commissioners run leagues with an entry fee and prize money distributed at the end of the season.

The process begins with an organized draft. The most popular draft format is the standard “snake-draft” in which players’ draft position is determined by a random draw. For returning goalkeeping leagues, draft positions may be determined by the coach’s placement in the previous season. In recent years, auction spins have increased in popularity. With this format, each manager is given a budget, which is used to bid on players until their squad is full.

In both formats, each manager must select a full team of players based on the league setup settings. Most leagues have up to 10 starting roster positions plus bench players. Depending on league rules, managers can make player moves either daily or weekly. Scoring is determined by league rules and competition is weekly head-to-head. Towards the end of the season, the teams with the best overall records head to the playoffs, which usually cover the last 2-3 weeks of the NBA regular season.

Daily NBA Fantasy Contests

For managers who like their fast and furious action with cash, popular fantasy sites provide access to daily contests. These daily contests come in a variety of formats that are listed on the website. Managers can choose to compete head-to-head with a smaller group of managers ranging from 2 to 25 contestants. These contests are usually designed and published by one of the contestants, who then opens the entry process to any contestant who wishes to participate based on the contest settings. Entry fees range from $5 to $1,000 per contestant. While some contests are winner-takes-all, contests with more than 10 entrants may offer small consolation prizes. For all contests, the fantasy sports site will charge a fee (usually 10%) to cover administration costs plus winnings.

The other popular format is the sponsored contests provided by the website. These contests usually have thousands of entries with huge guaranteed prize packages on offer for a relatively small entry fee. The greater the participation in these contests, the greater the number of places that will be paid. Prize packages can include big cash prizes, consumables, or prize packages for special events where something like Super Bowl weekend might be at stake. Many times managers can earn a free entry fee by winning smaller satellite contests along the way.

The website provides the contest rules and scoring parameters. Each manager is given a salary cap (normally $50,000) to use when selecting players. Each player who is scheduled to play on a given night will be assigned a salary cap value. Obviously, the better the player, the higher the value. The team structure is usually PG, SG, SF, PF, C, G, F and UTIL player.

Now that you have a general idea of ​​how to play fantasy basketball, it’s time to join the fray. If you choose to play in daily contests, you should remember that many managers have a significant amount of experience, which could put you at a disadvantage. The bottom line is that you should never put more money on the line than you can afford to lose.

When Frank Zaccari’s professional career took his family to Seattle, his personal interest in women’s volleyball sought out an opportunity to get involved with the University of Washington program: the Huskies. In “From the Ashes,” Frank Zaccari discusses in great detail the sequence of events that led to the success of UW volleyball, as noted in the subtitle The Rise of the University of Washington Volleyball Program.

Frank Zaccari was not your typical spectator in what is a spectator sport. From the early days that he took his daughters to the local women’s volleyball competition, he became aware of the dichotomy of skill levels between the institutions involved in the sport. He describes the mismatch of having a PAC-10 team, which is the best volleyball conference in the world, against a mere varsity team as analogous to leading lambs to the slaughter. What makes a team so superior? This question brought Frank Zaccari’s professional problem-solving techniques, used so successfully in business, to life as a sports advocate.

Cleverly and in minute detail specifically geared toward the University of Washington women’s volleyball team, Zaccari begins his description of the philosophies designed to ultimately lead the University of Washington team to championships. One of her theories, titled the Hedgehog Theory, is when the use of new or different tactics results in continued failure, due to not addressing the problem, as excerpted below:

“The fox is a cunning creature, capable of using a myriad of complex strategies to sneak attack the hedgehog… The hedgehog is a more scruffy creature… he spends his days foraging for food and guarding his home. The fox plots and plans a complex series of daily attacks, while the hedgehog focuses solely on what it deems important. When the fox leaps to attack, the hedgehog simply rolls into a perfect little ball. It becomes a sphere of sharp spikes, pointing outward at all the senses directions. The fox is forced to retreat and continues to plan and plot his next failure.”

Frank Zaccari points out that it all starts with having the right leader. Someone able to articulate their vision, inspire the group, have great wisdom in selecting the right people for the right tasks, and always stay focused on the “goal.” This is true in sports, life and business.

“From the Ashes” is written for a niche audience, particularly focused on college women’s volleyball competition. In fact, a generous donation from the book sale will be given to the University of Washington volleyball program. The book is packed with details about the players, coaches, and competition histories of UW events and other teams, so in my opinion, the general public may find this book of parallel interest only if one is a devoted fan. to sports. However, for those involved in college sports, From the Ashes becomes required reading and you can apply the themes, strategies, and suggestions to your own life; I truly believe that you will find that they will help you along your journey to success. As legendary coach Vince Lombardi of the Green Bay Packers football team and Phil Jackson of the LA Lakers basketball team would subscribe to the principles presented in “From the Ashes,” Frank Zaccari contains many words of history, reason, and motivation. in his inspiring book. To all the UW women’s volleyball players, we shout out, “POINT! HUSKIES!”