Equipment Selection

Whether you’re a hobbyist or run a junior varsity basketball team you can find quality basketball products at BPI. Their products range from NBA style glass backboards, to portable goals, basketballs, nets, scoreboards, and storage equipment. Literally anything you will need to play basketball, BPI sells it. I took a look at several of their products lines and found their selection to be quite varied. They offer basketball nets for instance for professionals and also offer a net for playing basketball in your community pool. The backboards range from full glass models used by the NBA and most high schools and colleges, they also have several portable models, and outdoor setups that can be permanently installed. Sure they have variety, but how is their price?

Pricing

I checked out several different product lines and found all the prices to be very competitive. For instance the nets varied in price from about $7.50 to $45. A $7.50 nets you a standard baseline net. If you jump to $45 you’ll get a zinc plated chain net that will literally last forever. A quick comparison of prices on froogle showed that BPI are very competitively priced. After a spin around their website I found that they state they have negotiated preferred pricing which is generally 10% below MSRP. Can’t ask for more than that!

The website is organized really well and is very user friendly. Its simple to add and remove items for your cart and checkout. There is no doubt in my mind I’d order my basketball supplies from BPI.

And nobody, but NOBODY, has cooler toys than James Bond.

Since he exploded onto the movie screen in 1965, the suave super spy has been a front-runner in the toy world. And it makes sense; what other character in film and fiction has an entire secret division of the British Government busy making him ever more amazing gadgets? In his every incarnation, James Bond has
had the coolest gadgets, the sleekest vehicles and the most deadly foes-all perfect to be translated into toys for the want to be spy-and the determined collector. James Bond toys cover a span of nearly fifty years, with each new movie generating its own variations for the determined Bonda-holic to collect.

Hobbyists collect James Bond toys for a wide variety of reasons. Some want to recover a lost favourite-the Bond toys were among the most popular boy’s action lines of the early 1960s. Many are fascinated by the clever vehicles the spy has employed over the years, and collect die cast cars exclusively. Others fix their sights on a particular area-Bond weapons and secret gadgets for example, or Bond games. Still others collect Bond toys as part of a larger Bond collection; there are even a few Bond toys in “spy” museums in
both the United States and the United Kingdom. No matter what part of the James Bond legend excites your collecting interest; there are plenty of great items to go around.

The Original Action (Figure) Hero

A.C. Gilberts James Bond Action Figure with spring-activated gun-firing action and their matching Oddjob figure with spring-activated throwing action started this category off with a bang (literally). Later incarnations in the action figure department included Action Man (GI Joe’s British cousin) starring as 007 in several incarnations, as well as 8″ versions by Mego and Exclusive Premiere’s later six and a half inch versions. Collecting them all can be quite a challenge-the AC Gilbert toys are over 40 years old and many have simply fallen apart with age-finding one with its “shooting action” mechanism and firing cap gun is nearly impossible. And while Exclusive’s line is still readily available, locating all of the “Bond Girl” figures to complete a full run can keep a collector busy for quite a while.

No Ordinary Car

Of course, the most prized bit of Bond-ailia had to be the super spy’s trademark Aston Martin. The Aston has appeared as a battery operated car with bump-n-go action, two model kits, and even as an HO scale racer. But most collectors remember the original diecast cars from Matchbox and Corgi; detailed gems with real working ejector seats, pop out guns and rubber tires. Over the years, dozens of manufacturers have made entries into the Bond motor pool, not only reproducing old favorites like the Aston, but also all the many other cars, planes, boats, submarines, mini-jets, rocket packs, helicopters, motorcycles and even spaceships that have appeared in Bond’s film adventures.

Weapons, Mister Bond, Weapons

In 1965, it was the toy every red blooded boy wanted. A realistic black briefcase packing a sleek shell firing Beretta handgun, silencer, stock and scope-plus secret hidden daggers, 007 passport and code-o-matic decryptor, this is the ultimate prize for a Bond toy collector, and can set you back anywhere from
$6-800.00 But what if the briefcase too big for your mission? For the subtle spy, American Character brought us the James Bond Vapor Paper & Action pen. With vanishing paper, projectile firing pen, a secret whistle and a built in booby trap to boot. While spy gadgets are no longer as big a part of modern day Bond offerings, you can’t really consider yourself a true Bond collector if you don’t have at least one of these.

Your Mission, Agent Double-Oh-Collector

If you’re thinking of starting a collection with wide opportunities for expansion, James Bond may be the secret agent you’re looking for. Starting with readily available die cast cars (like Johnny Lightning’s recent version of the Aston) is an inexpensive way to begin. But be warned, just like every Bond mission, the stakes may mount up, as you discover the many games, action figures, secret gadgets and incredibly cool vehicles that you can add to your collection. Because collecting James Bond is a guaranteed license-to thrill.

About the author

David Leigh is a lifelong fan of 007 since discovering his dad’s old James Bond books at the age of 8, and remains particularly interested in the literary character. As well as contributing to various Bond related websites and forums, he also owns the popular website The James Bond Dossier.

Online casinos offer player generous bonus offers in order to entice players to their casinos. These offers generally release as you play games, but is a great way to increase your backroll and basically double or triple your money. Some of the bonus offers on the Top Casino Directory reach $5000 in some cases but in general you can get several hundred dollars in bonus money.

The Top Casino Directory also offers casino reviews for each of the offers they promote. These reviews are very helpful in determining what types of games are offered and what you can expect from the software and customer service. Its worth perusing these reviews before deciding where to play. It’s likely though you decide where to play based on the bonus money they’ll throw at you on the way in the door.

To get yourself in the mood to play watch a great movie like Casino or Rounders then checkout the Casino Rules and Strategy section of the website to make sure you understand how each game is played and how to win. In this section you’ll learn the rules and strategy for games like video poker, slots, blackjack, roulette, craps, baccarat, and keno.

There are several other sections of this website that will be valuable to you as an online casino patron. The first section I checked out was the free casino games section where you can play many of the games for absolutely free.

Lastly, remember to always gamble responsibly!

Lewis and Clark Trail

Back in the early 1800’s Thomas Jefferson acquired a huge portion of land in the Louisiana purchase. In order to understand just how much land was purchased, Thomas Jefferson sent an explorer, Captain Meriwether Lewis, to make the transcontinental trip. Lewis selected William Clark as his partner and together they trekked across the rugged northwest. What they found was amazing terrain and a country filled with bountiful natural resources beyond anyone’s wildest imagination.

Planning a Trip

If you’re looking to plan a trip along the Lewis and Clark trail you should really check out the Lewis and Clark Trail Roadtrip Planner. This website utilizes Google Maps to provide an interactive interface to fully customize your next road trip.

The trail is easily broken up into sections based on state lines. By simply selecting the area you want to tour you’ll zoom into this section. From there you can select various options like finding national and state parks, historic sites and landmarks. Each of these features are conveniently located on the map with contact info.

If you will be traveling by RV or camping you can easily show all the rv parks and campgrounds within the area. Again they are easily located with full contact information for reference while on your trip.

Aside from these valuable options there are a dozen other options you select such as wildlife refuges, outfitters and guides, rafting and kayak rentals, marinas and boat launches, just to name a few.

This really is a revolutionary way to plan a road trip. You can easily see everything on one simple map to plan your road trip down one of the most history trails in the country.

Cape Hatteras Light house which is called Cape Point, is one of the easiest places to shark fish and rated the best location to shark fish on the east coast due to the sand bars and the guts that run thru them. The sandbar runs off the north side of the point and continues around to the south side. At low tide, it runs out about 500 ft. When I first started out, I had no kayak, and low tide I was able to walk big tuna skirts out on the sand bar and heave over into the third gut, which drops off into about 12-25 ft.of water. I don’t recommend walking the bloody bait out if there are any sharks around. The best shark fishing experience I have had is anywhere from the beginning of June to the end of August and as far as my opinion, set up about 4 hours before dark and fish all night.

The best equipment for this location would be to use a reel that will hold upto 500 yards of 50 lb. test and a heavy action 5-7 foot rod. I generally use a 30 foot, 300 lb. stainless steel liter with a 10/0-14/0 hook(all depending on the size of fish that you are trying to catch), 5 foot up from the hook I use a 14 oz. breakaway sinker. The rip current off of the sandbar when the tides are returning can be a pain. What I mean by breakaway is when I am hooked up the sinker will break loose from the liter line and I am fighting all fish, no dead weight. I use this method for 4-8′ sharks and it has proven to be very productive for me. If your preference is surf casting versus kayaking the bait, then I would use a heavy action 12′ surf rod capable of throwing 6-14 oz. of lead. The reel would have to hold at least 350 yards of 30lb.test and the only surf casting reel that I know of is a diawa 50 sha. It’s got a heavy drag line and is built for duability. The only downfall I have about surf casting is trying to throw a monster chunk of bait, and at Cape Point, the sharks generally run 5-12 feet and it does not take long to spool a surf casting reel. That is why I recommend having your ducks in a row if you are planning to fish Cape Point for sharks. Good luck!

Virginia Beach Shark Fishing

Virginia Beach is one of the main places that I fish in Virginia. I fish a lot off of the piers because beach access is limited in this area. I fished Virgnia Beach Fishing Pier in August of 2008 and it was very productive for monster black tip sharks. It should be mentioned that shark fishing is not permitted off of Virginia Beach Pier, but you can’t help what bites your bait. We landed about 30 out of 40 blacktips. The largest was about 6′ but I didn’t have the equipment to weigh the fish, but I am sure it would have broke the state record. The best fishing spot in Virginia Beach is Little Island Fishing Pier, known as Sandbridge Pier. You have plenty of beach access and that is where the big boys run.

Sandbridge Beach Shark Fishing

Off of Sandbridge beach I would use at least a Shimano 30w LRS which holds 580 yards of 50 lb. mono. and a heavy 5′5″-6′ rod. The best bait that I have used in Virginia beach is live or chunked bluefish and spanish mackeral used the same way. Virginia beach is limited on sandbars in this area but Sandbridge is located on the southern point of Va. beach which is deep water and very swift rip current and sharks love that! July 26th of 2008, I hooked up on a 65lb. Cobia off of Sandbridge pier while penn rigging. The same day, I hooked up on about a 40lb. King Mackerel while penn rigging. The reason I say about 40lbs. is because while reeling the fish to the pier it exploded out of the water, and could not figure out why. Well needless to say, when I got it to the pier, I only had half of a fish and the one half was 20lbs. It was about a 61/2 ft. bull shark that cut this fish in half. All in all, Sandbridge is one of the best places that I have ever fished.

I want to mention scooters for a moment here since these have become extremely popular over the past 5 years, especially with the spike in gas prices. There are several scooters, known as maxi scooters, that are every bit as fast as small motorcycles. Maxi scooters are great for commuters, and you can even get an electric one from Vectrix that plugs into a normal outlet for recharging, but is also capable of reaching highway speeds. Scooters don’t match everyone’s tastes, but for new riders and daily commuting, these can be an economical way to go. If you don’t think today’s scooters are very cool, you can pick up a restored Harley-Davidson scooter on eBay for about the same cost and ride in style while enjoying this cool hobby.

Back to motorcycles. Do you plan to ride on the street, off-road, or a maybe a mix of both? If you plan to ride on the street, and this will be your first motorcycle, skip down to the next paragraph. If you plan to ride off-road only, then it’s a little easier to get started, but you’ll still need some help selecting a motorcycle that is right for you. Dont’ forget that to enjoy dirt bikes, you’ll need a place to ride it. I found out the hard way growing up that most people don’t want dirt bikes riding on their property, even if it is just an old field or woods, because of noise and the fear of injury liability. You’ll eventually end up in trouble if you don’t get the land owner’s permission beforehand. The sales folks in motorcycle shops normally have been in this hobby for a long time and they can help guide you towards a good off road bike to fit you and they usually know of good and legal places where you can take it to ride. There are amateur motocross racing events that just about anyone can participate in regardless of skill level. Motocross racers often pass along their hobby to their kids. Kids can start out on 50cc mini dirt bikes in a special class just for them. A lot of families get their kids involved in the hobby of motocross as a way to build strength and confidence, but also for the family bonding that comes from traveling on weekends to events and camping out together.

If you plan to ride on the street, you’ll need to get a motorcycle license. It’s pretty easy to get a learner’s permit by studying the motorcycle handbook available online or at your local motor vehicle license office and taking the written test. Many states allow you to ride with just a learner’s permit for between 6 months to 18 months before you take your road test to get your actual license. Once you get your permit, the next step is to sign yourself up for a Beginner Rider Course at a community college near you. These courses are very fun and well worth attending since what you learn may save your life. Even if you have some riding experience, it’s a very smart idea to take a refresher course or Experienced Rider Course before you get back out on the streets.

The most popular styles of motorcycles for street are cruisers, sport bikes (some times called crotch rockets), sport touring, and touring. Today there are all sorts of new types of street bikes that don’t fit in any of these traditional classes. You can even get an automatic motorcycle from Honda, Aprilia and Ridley if having to shift gears is one of the reasons that you have avoided having a motorcycle hobby.

If you’re just starting the hobby of motorcycle riding, then buying a good used motorcycle is the way to go. It will take you a while to figure out what type of motorcycle fits your riding style and what level of performance you need from a motorcycle. I recommend searching for motorcycles on eBay because you can quickly locate a lot of different used ones near you by entering in your zip code. You’ll also get a good feel for what used motorcycles cost. From my experience, there are often much better choices for used motorcycles on eBay than you can find at motorcycle shops. Plan on setting aside enough money, maybe $500 for a set of new tires and to replace standard wear items such as a chain and sprockets, oil, coolant, etc.

In addition to getting your motorcycle, you’ll also need to set aside some money for the riding gear that you will need. For some riders, this can be an expensive and addicting part of the hobby. You’ll need to at least get a helmet, jacket, gloves and boots. Helmets come as full-face or open-face, and what you choose is up to you, but make sure it fits properly. That seems simple, but a properly fitting helmet makes a world of difference in terms of safety and your riding comfort. Too loose and the wind will lift it, but too tight will give you a real headache. DOT-approved is the minimum standard. Snell-approved is tougher standard and is good to look for in a helmet. Some folks prefer modular helmets that are full-face, but you can flip up the front. Modular helmets are often a little heavier, a little noisier from the wind, and are usually not Snell-approved. This does not make them a bad choice though, it’s just a personal preference thing.

Don’t plan on wearing a regular jacket for motorcycle riding on the street because regular jackets will usually balloon up from the wind or will flap and distract you. Leather is always a good choice for protecting your own hide from the wind and road, but there are a lot of new durable textile motorcycle jackets that do a great job without overheating you on warm days. Many modern motorcycle jackets come with armor or extra protection at the shoulders and elbows. Remember that it always feels a lot colder when riding a motorcycle, so your jacket will get more use than you might think.

Boots for street bikes should cover your ankle, and should have some sort of reinforcement around the left toe so that a standard shift lever won’t wear through there too quickly. Sneakers don’t offer any protection from hot engine parts and can be slippery on your foot pegs. The laces in sneakers or on boots can get caught on your motorcycle and you’ll end up in big trouble. For off-road riding, anything from a good pair of work boots to a pair of real motocross racing boots will do. Off-road riding often involves tree roots and wet or muddy riding, so make sure you have boots that are ready for that kind of action. Even when off-road riding on hot sunny days, you’ll end up on trails that have big mud puddles and ruts, so this is where good boots will be a plus.

To put aside a budget for your new motorcycle hobby, it’s possible to get started with a decent motorcycle helmet, gloves, boots, and jacket all for about $350 or $400 total, but you’re sure to see nicer gear for more money that will be very tempting. Online stores are usually where you’ll find the best prices for all sorts of motorcycle gear.

Once you get into the motorcycle hobby, you’ll discover that there are loads of motorcycle accessories that you can get to customize your ride. Some accessories are practical, such as heated grips or a motorcycle windshield, but some are just for looking cool, like chrome parts and custom wheels.

How deeply you dive into the motorcycle hobby is up to you, but you don’t have to spend a ton of money to get started. Just about any motorcycle is fun to ride, whether on the streets or off-road. Having the right gear will help you enjoy your new hobby and to do it safely. It’s not about how much money you spend on your gear or your bike, it’s about getting outside and riding and enjoying the freedom, adventure and friendships that this hobby has to offer.

Also check out How to Beatbox, Part 2, which covers both the kick drum and the hi-hat. Of course, you don’t want to stop learning just yet, do you? There are still many sounds you’ll want to learn in order to know how to beatbox properly–and the bass drum is next in line!

The Bass Drum

First, press your lips tightly together. Now, simultaneously close your jaw and push your tongue forward. This will create a pressure which will allow you to make a powerful bass drum sound.

Next, part your lips just enough to allow the sound to escape out the side of your mouth before closing your lips again. Like the other sounds, you’ll want the bass drum to be quick and powerful. Don’t let the air escape too much or else the sound may be too airy or, dare we say, “fart-like.” The bass drum should be short, quick, and powerful.

As a note, if the sound doesn’t sound quite like a bass drum, there are a few things you may be doing wrong. First, try relaxing your lips to see if it will make a difference. If that doesn’t work, try tightening your lips to create more pressure.

There are, of course, other variations to making the bass drum sound, but this is one way to do it. Practice incorporating all of the sounds you’ve learned so far to begin realizing beatboxing as one of your new hobbies.

Good luck!