In basketball, a technical foul (also informally known as a "T" or a "Tech") is any infraction of the rules penalized as a foul which does not involve physical contact during the course of play between players on the court, or is a foul by a non-player. The most common technical foul is for unsportsmanlike conduct. Technical fouls can be assessed against players, bench personnel, or even the entire team. They (along with their penalties) are more serious than a personal foul, but not as serious as a flagrant foul.
Technical fouls are handled slightly differently under international rules than under the rules used by the various competitions in the United States. First, illegal contact between players on the court is always a personal foul under international rules, whereas in the USA, such contact is (with some exceptions) a technical foul (rather than a personal foul) when the game clock is not running and/or when the ball is dead. Second, in FIBA play, players foul out after five total fouls, both technical and personal. The latter rule is similar to those in use in college, high school, and middle school basketball in the United States. However, in the NBA and WNBA, players are allowed six personal fouls before being disqualified, and technical fouls assessed against them do not count toward this total. However, unsportsmanlike technicals in the NBA carry a fine, its severity depending on the number of technicals the player has already obtained, and players are suspended for varying amounts of time after accumulating fifteen technicals in the regular season or seven in the playoffs.
In most American competitions, ejection of the offender (be he player, coach, or otherwise) is the penalty for being assessed two technical fouls in a game. In addition, any single flagrant technical foul, or a disqualifying foul in FIBA, incurs ejection. FIBA rules do not provide for ejection for any number of non-flagrant technicals against a player; however, two technicals on a coach or a third technical on the bench results in his ejection.
If you thought your commute to work in the winter weather was tough going, spare a thought for the mushers and their dogs who compete in the world's longest dog sledding competition.
Every year, more than 50 teams take place in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska, enduring blizzards, whiteouts and temperatures as low as minus 73 degrees Celsius.
Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race
The course covers 1,688 kilometres and winds from Anchorage to Nome, lasting nine to fifteen days. The world's best mushers and their canines travel from all snowy corners of the world to show their dog sledding prowess in the gruelling competition. In Alaskan communities, to be a winner of the Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race brings celebrity status when warm hugs and mugs of tea, as well as several cold beers, are spread around in celebration.
Last year, 2011, the fastest ever finish was recorded by John Baker with a winning time of eight days, 19 hours and 39 seconds. It's not surprising when he started mushing aged only one! This year saw the youngest person in history to win the race. The 25-year-old Alaskan musher, Dallas Seavey, took first position with a winning time of just over nine days. Born into a family with a great passion for dog sledding, he was brought up with a great respect for the sport - his grandfather was one of the original competitors when it started in the 1970s.
History
Centuries before the arrival of the Europeans, dog sledding was the only means of transportation for the native people Athabaskana and Inupiaq. They used trails that crisscrossed Alaska, some of which make up today's Iditarod Trail.
Between the 1880s and 1920s, when the gold rush reached Nome in Alaska, the trail was being used at its peak, transporting miners and minerals. During winter months, when the normal transportation of steamship became inadequate, those out to seek their fortune turned to the Iditarod Trail, the mushers and their faithful packs of huskies to get them across the hinterland.
The Arrival of the Metal Dog
In the 1960s, snowmobiles overtook dog sledding as the main method of transportation in Alaska and Canada. The machines, often referred to as 'metal dogs', brought the ancient way of sledding to near extinction in rural areas.
The Start of the Race
The race began in 1973 as a way to revive the culture and ensure that it remains a focal point of modern day communities. Initially the race was only 90 kilometres long but, with much persuasion and help from mushers, the race got underway as the 1,688-kilometre trail in 1973.
Are you thinking of exercising in hot weather? When hot weather approaches, you need to take steps to prevent yourself from illness from the heat. It is a good idea for everyone to consult with their physician about outdoor activities during the summer months. For certain health conditions, your doctor might recommend that you exercise indoors on the hottest days.
Talk to your doctor if you suffer from asthma. Excessive heat as well as humidity can make it even more difficult to breathe than usual. Make sure you do not workout outside unless your doctor has given you the go ahead to do so. Otherwise, you will need to look for some indoor activities for the hottest and muggiest days.
You still need to practice safe outdoor exercise even if you are in good health and/or your doctor has given you a thumbs up to keep running, playing basketball or taking part in whatever exercises you enjoy. Listen to your body; if it is telling you that it is too hot to be outside, opt for hitting the gym or some other form of indoor exercise. If you are participating in an outdoor activity and start to feel poorly, stop exercising. Get inside where it is cool and have someone with you for a while to make sure you are simply feeling a little overheated.
Increase your fluid intake if you are going to be exercising when it is hot. You can become dehydrated easily in these conditions especially if you sweat a great deal. Drink a good deal of water before and during your exercise routine. If you feel thirsty, take a few minutes out to drink while you are working out. Staying hydrated can go a long way in keeping you well and is especially important when exercising in hot weather.
Try to exercise when temperatures are at their coolest, early in the mornings or later in the evenings. Avoid exercising during the hottest part of the day.
When there are heat warnings in your local area, do not exercise outside. If people are being advised to only be outside when necessary, you should exercise inside. Find somewhere to exercise where you can be in air conditioning or in a room maintaining healthy and safe temperatures.
Find help if you were or are exercising outside and are feeling extremely unwell. If you feel as if you are having trouble breathing or feel as if you cannot stay awake, get help immediately. Call emergency services or ask that someone call for you to make certain you get the help you need. You should seek medical help if you are feeling extremely dizzy and/or have a headache that is not improving. Other signs of heat related illness can include severe muscle cramping, elevated body temperature, and a decrease in blood pressure, vomiting, fainting and a heart rate that will not go down.
If you have been exercising in hot weather and are unwell, get medical attention. Do not attempt to drive yourself to the emergency room. Have someone with you. Heat stroke and heat exhaustion can happen even if you are trying to stay hydrated and to exercise at a more relaxed rate than usual.
Try to avoid the risks by not exercising outside on the hottest days of the year. Even when it is hot but not scorching, you should stay hydrated, try to find shaded areas to exercise and rest and lower the pace of your exercising a bit. Stay safe when exercising in hot weather by following these tips.
The sea of grass also called - the child of The South Ocean, the Eight Immortals sea, is a located in Weining - western Guizhou Province, China territory of limestone dissolution Lake, with the glorious reputation of "Plateau Pearl", the lake is the largest freshwater natural lake in Guizhou.
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