A large hoofed animal with a long mane, a soft short-haired coat and a long tail; has ruled the hearts of innumerable people since time immemorial. Horses are known to be domesticated since ages. They were kept under a barn or a shed and the compartment was referred to as “horse stall”.

In the ancient period they were used to draw, ride and carry loads. Even some verses of Bible state that King Solomon possessed a fleet of twelve thousand horsemen and owned forty thousand stalls for keeping his horses and magnificent chariots. Hence the history of horse stalls goes back to the times

of King Solomon. In 12^th century, during the Roman times, in London horses

 were kept in large horse stalls and were made to participate in races on public holidays. King Charles one and two; both had the royal patronage of horse racing and owned innumerable horse stalls to shelter their precious horses. The regulated sport trend of horse racing was started by Admiral Rous, who was working as a steward in Jockey Club. In fact it was in late 1965 that the starting stalls were imported by the club.

Gradually the horse riding and horseracing became the utmost passion among elite class. Hence with changing times the overall condition of the horse stalls also elevated. Today you can find a number of companies, which can provide you with an ultimate horse stall.

The sight of children, busy decorating their scarecrows, announce the approaching fall season. Scarecrows are in fact a common feature of many cultures. All around the world, during this season scarecrows can be seen standing proudly in the front porch. Though craft shops are full of scarecrows of all varieties, but encouraging your child to make one using his creativity and skill is a wonderful idea indeed.

To create something new and different is always fun. So why not try to create an unusual scarecrow for this thanksgiving. Children can have a real good time being a little creative and different.

The scarecrow can be made to represent a lawyer, baker, teacher, cook, mechanic, politician, fireman or a butcher. The only thing which is important for this idea is the right kind of attire, so that anyone can easily make out, what your scarecrow represents.

Having a family of scarecrows is also a great idea. Starting from grandpa, your scarecrow family can include grandma, dad, mom, kids and even some pets. It looks really cool and everyone who sees is sure to admire your skill.

Then another thing you can do is have a celebrity scarecrow. You can make your scarecrow resemble to a singer, actor or even a comedian. Imagine having a scarecrow which resembles your favorite Mr. Bean. Your friends and relatives won’t stop appreciating you for this piece of creativity.

Some cool accessories like guitars and drums can provide your scarecrow with a remarkable grandeur. How capturing your scarecrow will look, with the pair of sticks in his hands as if about to play the drums present in front of it.

Then sports are also a nice theme for decorating scarecrows. They can be made to resemble a skier or a cricketer holding a bat.

A newly wedded scarecrow couple can be made by putting together a beautiful scarecrow bride and a handsome scarecrow groom. There are in fact innumerable themes, which can be used to create a marvelous effect. These themes include fairy tales and nursery rhymes.

The scarecrow can be represented historically by adding rural clothing and a horse drawn cart or it can be transformed in a futuristic robot of the year 2080. Your scarecrow can resemble a clown with colorful attire or a cowboy with an impressive hat.

You can make your imagination run wild to make a unique scarecrow. Whatever be your choice the best thing is to start with a T frame. The outline can easily be created with the help of some timber and a little straw or dried grass. Discarded and old pillowcases can be stuffed to get the shape of arms, legs, body and face. A permanent marker can help you in drawing the features of your scarecrow.

You can utilize some other materials like old clothing, newspapers, tins, clay pots, old stockings and all the junk you come across, to make the basic structure of your scarecrow. You may also require some important things like ropes of different shapes and sizes; some buttons and zips; a few safety pins, wires, cardboard, scissors and maybe some Styrofoam.

Once you have gathered all the required stuff, you can let your imagination run wild. Scarecrow making is a combined effort and can require the contribution of the whole family. Even the youngest child can have an active participation is this fun-filled and wonderful family activity.  The endless ideas and a little creativity can do wonders.

The purchasing power of a British Penny may have declined significantly during all these years, but even today the coin sits proudly among the treasures of, almost all coin collectors.

“Penny” is the term used for the lowest value coin in America. But originally, Pennies were very popular among British American colonists. The British Pennies in fact have descended from the coins of Roman times (denarius). The similarity is too prominent to be missed; a Roman pound equals to 240 denarii, whereas a British pound equals to 240 pence.

The British used the abbreviation‘d’ for writing pence. For example if they were to write 5 pence then they would use ‘5d’ instead. The German word ‘pfenning’, as well as the British ‘penny’, both seems to be derived from the same word ‘pennige’, used in Old English.

In 211 BC, when the first Roman denarius came into existence, it was made of silver and weighed somewhere around 4.5 grams. Later King Offa of Merica introduced the British Penny (a thin silver coin), in the beginning of eighth century. It was in fact the in Britain, which was minted for 500 years. The appearance of these coins varied significantly as around 54 mints were involved in the production of British Pennies. With the passage of time even the silver content suffered a variation due to some greedy moneyers (persons involved in the production of coins).

The quality of the penny improved in 1124, the reign of Henry I due to the reduction in the number of mints. Though the purchasing power declined significantly with time, still the production of these coins continued.

Pennies have undergone through many changes from their appearance to their composition, but the fact does not affect the collectors and the hobbyist to include it proudly among their collections. 

Fishing rod reels are a vital part of any fishing gear. The markets are full of different varieties of fishing reel, which differ in style and price. It is practically impossible to succeed in fishing without a good fishing reel.

One may get confused, when it comes to purchase an apt fishing reel. The search can be narrowed down, by knowing the kind of fishing for which the reel is required. If it is required for fly fishing, then according to the need some specific reels can be bought, and for the casting purpose, spinning reels are the best. So in fact the purchase should be based on the kind of fishing, which has to be done using it.

The most expensive, fly casting reels fulfill the purpose of specialized skills, which are needed during fly fishing. They are especially designed in a light weighted pattern so as to provide the user with a smooth and effective cast. These reels are not provided with any kind of gears so that when the handle is turned once, the spool also gets turned simultaneously. A special expertise is needed to handle these dish shaped and narrow reels.

Spinning reels cater to the needs of everyone, starting from a child learning to cast to the most perfect anglers. The beginners should go for closed face reels as they are quite easy to handle. It is extremely easy to operate these reels with the help of a button, which lets the line out. An enclosed case is used to keep the fishing line for such reels. The only disadvantage of using closed face reels is that they are very difficult to clean. The debris, which comes along with the reel, gets trapped in the closed case, causing hindrance with the drag.

If done as a beginner, then better to go for an open faced reel, which has an exposed fishing line having a bail attached to it. This bail can slide over and can easily be held down while casting while the line flies out at the last minute release. These reels come in an infinite variety and most experts have many of them in their collection.

The mounting of the reel is influenced by the kind of fishing for which it is being used. While being used for fly fishing, the reel is mounted at the base of the handle, quite below it. This is done to balance the fishing rod with the help of the reel. While using spinning reel, the reel is placed at the top of the fishing rod. A drag system is also attached to it in order to prevent the line from breaking when the fish is on.

Hence considering the requirement and the budget, the reel can be chosen accordingly.  

Recently, India has been quite eager to stage a Formula One race. The Indian Olympic Association was pleased to receive a letter from the administration of F1 permitting them to bring the race in 2010. But it was not easy for India as the Indian administration was asked to meet several difficult standards which mainly included the financial strategy. Though, the deadline to meet these conditions has been extended, said Mr. Suresh Kalmadi, the president of Indian Olympic Association.

The preparations to host the first Formula One Grand Prix have already been begun. The management has approved of two sites, both situated at the outskirts of Delhi, but the final choice is in the hands of the IOA, being the race promoters. One of the sites is near to the industrial area of Gurgaon and the other is in Greater Noida. The contract for the building of track has not yet been given to any business group and the IOA has invited the Delhi government to intervene in the decision.

Today, India is rated as a rising hi-tech country. The progress of India has been on a considerable elevation by the addition of several vehicle manufacturers. The country has got potential reasons for having Formula One racing, as Formula One is a technology driven sport. The commercial viability of the racing track has to be increased by adding up various industrial parks, special economic zones, etc to it.

An investment of round about Rs350-500 crores is required to set up the whole infrastructure. But the amount is worth investing, as India will become one of those privileged countries who can boast of having Formula One circuits. The best part of having formula one in India is its annual conduct unlike World Cup and Olympics which take place only once in four years.

 The viewership of Formula One was found to exceed majority of sports in the world. The media was surprised to have a huge viewership of around 70 million when Formula One was broadcasted live on Doordarshan. It further rose to 91.3 million when Mr. Ecclestone, Formula One boss, was interviewed live from the race track at Silverstone. The craze of Formula One among the Indians just shows itself.

Narain Karthikevan and Karun Chandok have sparkled and shined for India and have also increased the pride of having Formula One in India. India is sure to overcome all the hurdles which may come in establishing the Formula One racing track. So let us keep our fingers crossed and wait for the BIG event……