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Picture yourself catching a curling wave along a long stretch of sandy beach. If you can't imagine doing that, maybe your tastes run more to inline skating, horseback riding or mountain hiking. If you're daring enough, you can try sea kayaking, windsurfing or hang gliding. They're all popular outdoor activities in Los Angeles. Blessed with one of the best locations in the country for those who love active outdoor pursuits, Los Angeles boasts both topographic diversity and a nearly-perfect year-round climate. Mountains, sea and extensive flat areas all meet in the same small region, enabling visitors to choose from a wide range of active outdoor activities during their Los Angeles[..]

Along with the many economic and lifestyle benefits Austin offers its residents, in recent years it has also become a popular location for Hollywood productions. The low cost of filming combined with the numerous historic landmarks and picturesque natural scenery of the Austin area makes it exceptionally attractive for producers seeking that special Texan atmosphere. Abundant local accommodations and Austin's unique and friendly style ensure that these special visitors come back time after time. Some of the most notable productions are found below. Screenwriters and directors Joel and Ethan Coen began their rise to stardom in 1984 with a little film called Blood Simple. Filmed in and[..]

Bringing Art, Music and Culture to Austin On September 19th, Austin artists, musicians, vendors, fashion designers and other creative types will band together to bring the We Make Stuff Festival to Austin. From 7 pm to 12 am, the 21 and older crowd can gain access to a unique arts and crafts festival. This definitely isn't your mother's crafts fair! The Scoot Inn at 1308 E. 4th Street is the place to be for this one of a kind art show, party and festival. The organizers have designed the event to speak to the many facets of creativity in the city. One of the cornerstones of the festival is the music. Local rock bands Hollywood Gossip, Lost Werks and Panjoma will provide entertainment[..]

There are a lot of different toys for young children out nowadays. But when your little one is old enough to toddle about why not get them one of the many children's ride-on-toys, you are sure to find one that will delight them and give them many years of pleasure. There are many benefits to ride on toys, as not only will the child get a lot of enjoyment from using it, they will also without knowing it be improving heir sense of balance that will help them in many other tasks throughout their lives. It has also been proven that children who spend a lot of time playing with their ride on toys as they get older spend a lot more time in activities that will help them to gain and maintain[..]

Shortly after I heard about President Bush's proposal for Pell Grants for low-income children to attend parochial schools, I finished reading More than a Dream: The Christo Rey Story, a inspirational book about the founding of the first Cristo Rey Jesuit high school in Chicago's Pilsen/Little Village neighborhood. More than a Dream is a history of the challenges that Jesuit leaders and Jesuit school alumni faced twelve years ago. Cristo Rey started with a focus on its neighborhood, to educate low income Hispanic high school students while charging their families little to no tuition. Instead of being charged full tuition, students would be required to work one day a week in a corporate[..]

#ffffff;" /> Today's Acapulco Acapulco is probably Mexico's oldest established resort town but, thanks to a recent renaissance, this remarkable town has maintained its status as one of Mexico's top travel destinations and the place to be to enjoy a magnificent Mexico vacation. It's easy to see why Acapulco attracts travelers of all ages. During its endless sunny days, this Pacific coast town offers beaches that are second-to-none. Visitors can enjoy amazing water adventures or lie in the warmth of the sun and soak up the rays in this city that boasts sunshine nearly every day of the year, with average temperatures in the 80s. Delightful! Renovations have made the beaches even more[..]

to do for Valentine’s Day? It comes up every year. If you are trying to think of some places you could go for Valentine's Day then you are in luck. There are, in fact, many different places you could go and many of them will not cost you much money at all. Obviously, the first place most people think of is a fancy restaurant. If you can get a reservation and can afford it, then that is great. This is a tradition that many people love. However, it’s not very creative. Whatever you do, never, ever end up at a fast food chain on Valentine’s Day. Eating at home is a much better choice. Plan a quiet evening at home and a wonderful, romantic meal. You can cook just about[..]

Spring break is a great time to let kids relax and get away from the normal schedule of school but it isn't always a convenient time for families to travel. There are things you can do with kids of any age to make their time off from school fun for the entire family. Don't limit them to playing video games and watching television! Consider some of the following ideas to make spring break a more enjoyable event this year and every year: 1. Go skating. Not many neighborhoods are without a roller skating rink or an ice-skating arena. Skating is a great fitness activity for all ages-- including adults. 2. Have a party or a dance. For the younger ones, a "spring break party" with their[..]

How many days or even hours into summer break is it before you say "I'm bored. There's nothing to do!" Before you roll your eyes and sigh loudly, hoping Mom will get the hint, try this sanity saver: the Boredom Bowl. Choose a fish bowl, hat, or any other container. This will be your Boredom Bowl. Now, try to think of a bunch of summertime activities. What do you love to do on a hot summer day? Write on a piece of paper, fold it and drop it into the Boredom Bowl. It's that simple. What could you do if it's raining or you do something horrid, like break your ankle? Write it down! Think of things that are free, cheap, or even that cost a few bucks. Write each one on a separate piece of[..]

September is the perfect month for your Virgo (or Libra) birthday. The hot, sweltering days of summer are over and the chilly winter months are still a way off. September colors can be rich jewel tones and muted earthy tones. And your fall menu can be a mix of the best of summer and fall. Invitations For your September birthday invitation, pick rich jewel tones. September’s birthstone is the sapphire so start there and add on. If blue is not your color, think Garnet, Emerald or Ruby for an opulent accent. To add depth, pick a contrasting earth tone like a brown, khaki or taupe. If you’re seeing a perfect pattern for your September birthday invitation, pick a leaf pattern or other[..]

During the recent "schools out session", I was reminded how much the kids crave entertainment. No matter what time of year the "Kids Just Wanna Have Fun." And who could blame them? I don't think there are many of us who haven't longed for the carefree, playful days of our youth. I have four of these carefree fun hungry kids. Keeping them entertained on a tight budget is always a challenge. I have discovered over the years that more money doesn't necessarily mean more fun. In fact, some of the simplest, age old activities, seem to feed their fun hungry souls the best. Remember, in the "old days" that is the "very old days". Family gatherings provided a great source of[..]

Well believe it or not historical accounts of skateboarding around the turn of the 1900s are in the record. Although they were mostly made of wooden baskets nailed to a 2 X 4 or plank, these concoctions do make up the precursors to the modern day skateboard. The wheels, which were strapped on generally cam off of roller skates; these were the earliest Skateboards. Of course you can already see the problem with wobbling down a hill and crashing and yes they were dangerous. More than one personal journal tells of broken limbs and skinned up elbows, hands and knees, that's for sure. Indeed by today's standards they also had problems with Friction due to steel wheels and the wooden wheels[..]

Cruises are fun and can be quite luxurious or uniquely adventurous, and since cruises are different that any others, people often wonder what to bring onboard for the trip. In researching an article on what to bring I found many lists of things to pack already on the web. In fact, I found so many lists that it seems that every website has one and they are often different. With so many lists already in print, I wondered how a list of things to leave at home might work. After all, we've all heard that the airlines have banned certain items from being carried onboard, but what about cruise ships? Are there any limitations as to what can be brought on board? I found out cruise lines all have[..]

What will skateboards look like in 15-20 years? Have you ever considered that? Well, in the early 1900s skateboards were literally roller skate wheels strapped to two-by-fours and they were not very safe at all. In the future skateboards will come with Stability Control Systems similar to those required on new SUVs. No more high speed wobbles on hills if your trucks are too lose. But that is not the only cool features that the advanced technology skateboard engineers are considering. One gentleman from the Online Think Tank believes that they will also have Holographic Projection to set up pretend barriers to jump and fellow skateboard riders to try to duplicate their radical moves and[..]

Zakaria Retail skateboards were first marketed in 1958 by Bill and Mark Richards of Dana Point, California. They attached roller skate wheels from the Chicago Roller Skate Company to a plank of wood and sold them in their Val Surf Shops. Finding a nice play to skate is very hard these days, especially with some parks always full of children who are just trying to the same thing. At the same time, some parks do not have the adequate space or are just too crowded to accommodate skateboard ramps. To avoid these problems, one of the best solutions is to create your very own skateboard ramps either at home or in any backyard. To make this possible, follow this simple guide on how to design[..]

Have you ever wondered who, why and how skateboarding was invented? Well, I will give you a little bit of history on the sport of skateboarding. This sport started in the 50's in California when the surfers wanted to bring surfing to the streets. So they got themselves a piece of wood and put some roller skate wheels on the bottom of the board and took surfing to the streets. There is no real proof of who was the true inventor of the skateboard. This has remained a mystery since the first skateboard was used and still remains a mystery. When the surfers brought this new sport to the streets of course this new sport brought a lot of injuries to the surfers who were experimenting with[..]

Hello and welcome back to our short series on auto mechanics tools for the new auto mechanic weekend warrior. In previous articles we have covered the basic tools you should consider buying if you are getting into automotive work and what to look for when buying them. In today's article we are going to talk about creepers. The reason for a discussion on creepers is that often I see guys spend a lot of money on a creeper and get very little benefit out of it. If you don't know what a creeper is, it's just basically a board with casters under it that will allow you to lie on your back and move around easily. If you are one of those fortunate enough to already have some carpentry skills and[..]

There are nearly one hundred different sports that are played around the world. Skateboarding is now considered as being one of the most popular sports of the 21st century. It starts around the year 1950. The history of skateboarding truly begins around the year 1950. It was around this time that some surfers from sunny California decided to take the same idea as surfing only use it on the streets and this turned into the sport of skateboarding. Skateboards were originally made out of these wooden boxes which were connected to roller skate wheels. The first skateboards were actually made of wooden boxes and this was where the actual history of skateboarding began. Over a decade later in[..]

Skateboarding has been around since the 1950s, although no one really knows who invented the very first skateboard. Several people may have developed it at the same time. The wood part of the skateboard is known as the deck, and it has drastically changed over the years. The very first skateboard consisted of a heavy plank of wood attached to a set of roller skate wheels. It has developed into a strong, but rather lightweight design which includes seven to nine layers of wood or fiberglass. The typical price range for a skateboard deck is 30 to 60 dollars depending on which brand is selected. A thin layer of sandpaper like material which is known as grip tape is applied to the top[..]

Kids nowadays.... I remember when I was nine. On weekdays, I would get out of bed and go to school, and when I got home, did my homework, eat, and go back to bed. On weekends, if I wasn't outside playing, I would watch cartoons for most of the day. Not nine-year-old Lim Ding Wen. It seems he is a nine year old prodigy from Singapore that is fluent in six programming languages. Heard enough to make you feel nearly useless? There's more. Young Mr. Wen has created an iPhone drawing game called Doodle Kids, which, as of this writing, has racked up over 4,000 downloads in just two weeks! How do you feel now? Probably not as bad as I do, read on. Lim originally wrote the program for his[..]

Though skateboards were around in the early 50's and 60's and actually very widely used back then they weren't well made and so eventually died out. The early ones were basically just milk crates with roller skate wheels and maybe a handle. More like a scooter. The wheels were the big problem, being mostly of clay, and resulted in lots of accidents from slipping or breaking and causing a fall. Even with better boards the wheels still created difficulty, and the sport pretty well died out in the mid-60's. It wasn't until the 1970's that Frank Nasworthy, a surfer, developed a wheel made from urethane and then added precision bearings, and bolted them to a good quality board. The sport took[..]

The birth of the skateboard has a long and illustrious past from the days when roller skate wheels where attached to planks in the 1950s to the first mass produced skateboard decks, and by mass produced I mean more than 1 at a time, in the late 1960s up until today where thousands of decks, wheels, and trucks are made and purchased every single day. Today skateboarding is more culture than hobby or sport. The evolution of skateboard culture and style has been one of necessity as opposed to fashion. Loose baggy pants allow the rider to have good flexibility while performing tricks or simply riding but comfort is really the selling point. They also have to have plenty of pockets and should[..]

Perhaps you may remember the older suitcases without wheels. If you had the misfortune to have to drag such a suitcase about with you on holiday you may also recall the backache and grunting which accompanied your trip. Fortunately, for many years now, wheeled suitcases have been available to make life much easier. However, simply purchasing or having a suitcase which has wheels is not the end of the story, and it is worthwhile giving consideration to a number of factors, including the size and construction of the wheels, the orientation of the case, the type of handle, and even the way the suitcase is packed, since all of these will greatly influence the effectiveness of the wheels[..]

Are you a little jealous of the fitness level of your running friends? And aren't you just a little annoyed at their amazing energy level and their insistent enthusiasm for running? Don't you sometimes wish that they'd just keep their glowing health and fitness to themselves? Well, now, whether you believe it or not, you can join them on their run. Now, don't go getting too cranky at me, there. Hold up, and I'll tell you how. And No, you don't have to go buy a new pair of running shoes and sweatbands...at least not yet, anyway! But you may choose to later. :) I know you believe that you enjoy the benefits of lounging around in front of the TV and sitting in front of your computer,[..]

The first date is always the hardest. You never know what to do. Most people will choose the old stand-byes, dinner or a movie. Now, for me this is always a great idea. I love movies. I am an avid film buff and I prefer watching a movie to television any day. And, I usually try to find someone who shares my passion for film. Sometimes, I just want to do something different, so here are a few suggestions that can be fun. 1. Theater - Most metropolitan cities have some sort of theater. And, for me it is close to watching a movie. So, I think it is fun and a little different. For the date to be successful, you need to know what your dating partner likes. Drama's can be a little heavy on[..]

Undoubtedly the newest rising star in the field of human powered vehicles, the Trikke scooter never fails to amaze anyone who watches its riders zoom gracefully along. Pedestrians will even stop the Trikke riders in order to satisfy their curiosity. "What makes that thing run?" is the most frequent question. And as soon as someone steps onto the Trikke and experiences its innovative three-point cambering vehicle ("3CV") technology for him/herself, he is usually unable to stop commenting on the Trikke's many benefits. "A revolutionary sports, fun and fitness machine..." "...absolutely addicting..." "...closest thing to skiing on pavement" and "...compact maintenance-free machine that fits[..]

Despite being overdeveloped and lined with beach front cookie-cutter hotels, Clearwater Beach draws visitors because of incredible white-sand beaches, a large fishing fleet , and it's proximity to Tampa and St Petersburg. It's also a prime area for kayaking, shelling, bicycling and sunning yourself on the beach - which just about sums up the local 'tourist attractions.' Unless you count beach volleyball on Clearwater Beach, which is pretty darn good, too. This northernmost barrier island is about 22 miles north of St Pete Beach and 2 miles west of downtown Clearwater (a separate city on the mainland) over the Memorial Causeway (Hwy 60). From here the road south is S Gulfview Blvd and[..]

Goals setting for kids is an important lesson they need to be taught because it helps them to understand how to achieve success realistically. While most children are fully aware of what it means to have an objective, many of them do not know how to go about achieving their aim. Often, as a result, they try to grab what is beyond their reach, expect a fast outcome or do not understand what work is required for them to succeed. To help promote understanding in regard to goals setting for kids, the following are four steps than can be of assistance: 1. Write down the goal - Have the child write down what they wish to achieve and why this accomplishment is important to them. Have them make[..]

When Rollerblade came out with in-line skates, it revolutionized the skating industry on the scale of skating rinks in the 70s. In the 90s, everyone ran out and bought the new skates and hit the streets. Many of these new skaters did not realize that in-line skating is in fact a whole body work out. Therefore, within the first year, and continuing to this day, doctors receive many cases of injuries because of this sport. Most of these injuries are caused and could be avoided by simply warming up before starting. Understanding the Warm Up The purpose of a warm up is to get your body ready for strenuous activity. A normal healthy workout should be made up of three distinct parts: the warm[..]

The pull of professional athleticism is strong for many people. A lot of young men and women dream of making it to the professional league. This has been the truth for basketball, football, baseball, track & field and a whole lot of other sports. With the advent of extreme sports such as aggressive inline skating and skateboarding more and more young adults have joined the ranks of professional athletes; this trend has given rise to many great sporting legends, young and old alike. Now, a new breed of professional athletes is rising, and though they do not the share the same physical athletic prowess of Tony Hawk or Bo Jackson, they are professional athletes none the less. Complete[..]

It's funny how life's little decisions can and often do make a HUGE impact later on down the line. Just this morning, we got an e-mail this morning from a return customer asking if she could hold off on her order of embroidered patches for a few days because her family is moving to Europe and she's planning 7 Girl Scout Camporees to happen before she moves. It made me think about when The Queen and I moved from northern Minnesota to the sunny climes of North Central Florida and what all it took. Fifteen years in the same house, raised 4 kids there and had a little bit of "stuff". Never mind the background planning, logistics of truck rental, the FINANCES of the thing (thanks to all who[..]

e capital city of the U.S. State of Idaho, Boise also serves as the most populous area of Idaho. As part of a landlocked country, Boise is mostly made up of rugged land, with the Boise River as its main source of water. The metropolitan area lies on a relatively flat plain, and is the most populous area in Idaho. Boise may not be the top choice of tourists and vacationers, but the city still boasts of a lot of major attractions and recreational opportunities: - The Boise River is a common destination for those who like to fish, and spend some of their time swimming or rafting. - There are trail systems, like the Boise River Greenbelt, that are great for those who came for extensive[..]

Dating in the winter can be a real downer for some couples but if you're creative and follow these four amazing date ideas you and your date should be thrilled. Don't let the winter doldrums get you down and blue. Instead, use your imagination and these ideas for great dates to help you come up with some amazing dates of your own. 1) Dance lessons. You might feel as though there's no heat outside but that doesn't mean you can't make the dance floor sizzle. If you want to bring a little heat of your own to a cold winter night, dance lessons are a great idea that makes for a great date. Most larger cities have studios and dinner theaters that offer dance lessons to couples. Some will[..]

The vast majority of true rock and roll and blues artists have grown up and lived on the poor side of town. Today, the same rings true, as many of Austin's local musicians can be found just east of IH-35, where the streets are a little tougher and the rent a little easier to pay. It makes sense that several live music venues are found on Red River Street, where downtown Austin and East Austin converge, just one block west of the interstate. Though live music clubs can be found sprinkled around town, Red River hosts eight of them within a few block stretch. The music genres vary slightly on Red River with Rock, and its offshoots, as the primary focus. As opposed to the dueling piano[..]