In A State of Flux: Can The Cowboys Still Win The NFC East?

Joseph Ciringione

After their unexpected victory at NFC East last season, the Dallas Cowboys are generating buzz of a Super Bowl appearance this year. The “Americas Team” faced underwhelming expectations in 2014 but eventually proved their critics wrong by going 12-4 and winning the NFC East, a surprising feat since their last win in 2009.

Now, many fans are expecting great things from the Cowboys this season.

Image source: cowboysblog.dallasnews.com

While I am a huge fan of the team, I believe the Cowboys are still in a stage of transition, I must admit. Despite losing their last four games, however, the playoffs is still a reality for them. The Cowboys debuted strong, beating the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles at 27–26 and 20–10, respectively.

And let’s not forget; the Cowboys still have Tony Romo, who had had a huge impact on their 2014 victory. This year won’t be different from that approach, but I feel like they are still coping after losing DeMarco Murray as part of their supposed roster. Moreover, Greg Hardy and Randy Gregory are still on the team, opening up opportunities for the Cowboys on the defensive side of the field.

Back to reality, the Giants are currently seated on top of the NFC East, but only leading by a point. The Washington Redskins and Eagles are still there only behind one victory, followed by the Cowboys.

Image source: fansided.com

The division has always been inconsistent as records speak for themselves. If the division continues to struggle with stronger wins from one team, this gives the Cowboys more time to get healthier and get closer to putting the team on top.

Joe Ciringione

About the Author

Hello! I'm Joe Ciringione and I love to fish. Join me in my fishing adventures by subscribing to my blog. I'm a hunting aficionado in Providence, Rhode Island. You can usually find me participating in different hunting and fishing tourneys around the state. I am particularly fond of joining organizations that raise money for protecting endangered species.

Joseph Ciringione at the Beach

Joseph Ciringione and family at the beach | Joe Ciringione

Joseph Ciringione, igus

Joseph Ciringione of igus | Joe Ciringione

Joseph Ciringione at the Awards Dinner of the National Football Foundation

Joseph Ciringione at the Awards Dinner of the Emo DiNitto/Rhode Island Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame | Joe Ciringione

The Hunter and Taxidermist's Role in Science and Education

Joseph Ciringione of Providence, RI

The hunter and the taxidermist are common companions, with many trophy hunters sending the skulls, skins, and bones of their quarry to the taxidermist to be crafted into lifelike facsimiles, stereotypically as heads but often as full-body mounts.

Image source: mentalfloss.com

Beyond merely festooning the studies of the gentleman explorer, hunting and taxidermy have together also played an active role in the advancement of our understanding of the natural world. For much of the 19th and 20th centuries, much of what we now know today about animals was drawn from the mounted taxidermy specimens visible in many of the world's museum collections.

In its infancy, the natural science of zoology and its associated fields has largely relied on the hunter, insect collector, and angler to supply them with specimens to broaden humankind's collective knowledge of the animal world. It fell upon the taxidermist to act as a sculptor, immortalizing a specimen in a lifelike mount that could then be displayed, either on its own or in the realistic backdrop of a diorama.

At first glance, science would have doomed many of these creatures to extinction. In truth, many of the advocates of conservation in the era were the scientist-hunters themselves. Extinction was already well-documented in the early 20th century and many of these researchers and artisans expressed a desire to protect the natural environments that the animals they've studied, correctly linking habitat loss (along with genuine overexploitation) as the prime cause of decline.

Image source: io9.com

Although museums no longer set out expeditions to furbish their museums with specimens of large vertebrate animals, they do still benefit from the presence of laboratory specimens. Even today, both sport and subsistence hunters regularly donate pelt and plumage specimens to the zoology departments of natural history museums, bolstering their collections and providing them with ample material for further research.

Joe Ciringione

About the Author

Hello! I'm Joe Ciringione and I love to fish. Join me in my fishing adventures by subscribing to my blog. I'm a hunting aficionado in Providence, Rhode Island. You can usually find me participating in different hunting and fishing tourneys around the state. I am particularly fond of joining organizations that raise money for protecting endangered species.

Joseph Ciringione at the Beach

Joseph Ciringione at the beach | Joe Ciringione

First time VR | Joe Ciringione

Joe Ciringione and Family

Joseph Ciringione and family | As the manager of the energy chain systems division at igus inc., Joe Ciringione of Providence, Rhode Island, oversees all aspects of engineered plastics and high-flex cable products. 

Go Fish: Top Reasons to Start Fishing | Joe Ciringione

Joseph Ciringione | Joe Ciringione studied business and law enforcement as an undergraduate in Warwick, Rhode Island. 

Fishing is not just about sitting around on a boat waiting for a fish to fall for your bait. There's more to the activity than meets the eye, and here are some reasons you should get up off your couch and go fish:  

Social bonding

Whether you go fishing with your family or your friends, fishing is a hobby that helps set for bonding time and relaxed but fun social interaction. Sitting around and waiting for a catch can be an ideal time to catch up with family and friends and enjoy a good laugh.

Image source: ncfga.net

Thrill

To some people, the wait might be boring or uneventful but those who love to fish know of the anticipation and the thrill of waiting patiently for the catch and the excitement of finally getting that fish.

Good health

Fishing is good exercise. Unlike running, it allows for low impact movement and still helping to keep you fit. Besides, breathing fresh air and doing a little hike can contribute to improving your overall physical health.

Image source: wideopenspaces.com

Relaxing

Fishing is mostly a passive activity, allowing your mind to calm down and wander. The fresh air and sunlight can also help your brain relax and focus on a single task.

About the Author

Hello! I'm Joe Ciringione and I love to fish. Join me in my fishing adventures by subscribing to my blog. I'm a hunting aficionado in Providence, Rhode Island. You can usually find me participating in different hunting and fishing tourneys around the state. I am particularly fond of joining organizations that raise money for protecting endangered species.

Home Improvement: Renovating The House With The Children

Home renovation is already difficult as it is – more so when there are children living in the house. The right strategy is needed to ensure that the construction is completed more quickly (which would make everyone happy) and more safely.

Prepare the family early

While children react differently to changes, parents play a huge part in preparing them and making them understand what would be going on. It is in the best interest of every member of the family that the children see that the renovation would result in something positive, even if there are days that could be trying for them.

The children might also have to change some habits they are already used to doing depending on the parts of the house that need to be renovated.

Protect the quality of air

During construction, keeping the quality of the air high should be prioritized as dust and other particulates can cause short- and long-term damage to the health. Necessary measures, such as installing plastic sheeting, sealing vents, and vacuuming during construction, should be taken to protect the children from allergies, asthma, or other illnesses.

Involve the children

It is a great idea to allow the children to be involved in the process. For example, they can help with some construction projects provided they are supervised by adults or by documenting the renovation as it unfolds. But if the renovation proves too hazardous or difficult to handle for the children, they should not be forced to be involved.

Joe Ciringione of Providence, Rhode Island

About the Author

Hello! I'm Joe Ciringione and I love to fish. Join me in my fishing adventures by subscribing to my blog. I'm a hunting aficionado in Providence, Rhode Island. You can usually find me participating in different hunting and fishing tourneys around the state. I am particularly fond of joining organizations that raise money for protecting endangered species.

Off the land: The ins and outs of consuming hunted game

Joseph Ciringione

Not a few curious onlookers ask what hunters actually do with the animals they've shot. While it is no secret that many hunters choose to hunt animals for trophies, hunters dispatch of larger animals by donating their skulls and skins to a scientific institution for research. Most often, however, the hunted animal is prepared and eaten if the animal's in good enough condition.

Hunting game for food is a millennia-old tradition that has been a part of the human tradition since time immemorial. Today, modern hunters continue the tradition of hunting game animals in season to augment their diets, often out of necessity in areas ill-suited for agriculture. Some hunters even choose to forgo buying meat outright in favor of consuming right-sized game that they hunted themselves.

Hunters who eat their quarry often cite the economic incentive of eating game, showing that a good-sized deer or feral hog can hold enough meat to feed two people for an entire year. Moreover, assuming that the meat has been acquired from healthy animals, game and venison may even be healthier than their domestic counterparts.

The hunter with an intrepid palate and sufficient culinary skill can eat a wide assortment of hunted birds and mammals. Wild animals, such as wildfowl and deer, often have the characteristic “gamey” flavor (similar to dark meat) that can be an acquired taste for most casual eaters, requiring additional preparation to enhance its taste. Although most game meat such as venison is slow-cooked, they can be prepared in a variety of ways.

Special care, however, must be made when selecting the beast to cook and serve. Sick and unhealthy animals may harbor diseases, and old animals have tougher flesh than younger ones.

Joe Ciringione

About the Author

Hello! I'm Joe Ciringione and I love to fish. Join me in my fishing adventures by subscribing to my blog. I'm a hunting aficionado in Providence, Rhode Island. You can usually find me participating in different hunting and fishing tourneys around the state. I am particularly fond of joining organizations that raise money for protecting endangered species.

Gazelle Burgers? Game's Role in Sustainable Food Production

Joseph Ciringione of igus

Game meat is usually shredded or ground and turned into sliders, and venison sliders are by no means unfamiliar. Gazelle venison, meanwhile, is not something you would have on the table on a regular basis, that is unless you live near an exotic ranch or in a rural part of Africa. I first heard of the consumption of African wild game in an episode of “Captain Planet and the Planeteers” as a kid. And yes, people can and do eat gazelle meat in these modern times.

Image source: forbes.com

Antelopes such as gazelle, gemsbok, eland, and nilgai provide a particularly flavorful (if unconventional) source of meat. Although usually consumed as a byproduct of game hunting (and many people in African nations continue to hunt them, sometimes unsustainably, for subsistence purposes), they hold a lot of promise as raised livestock. As the Captain Planet episode discussed, actively farming these animals in their countries of origin can actually be an economical and eco-friendly way of producing meat. Research since the 1970s has explored the availability of these animals in food production, and farms across the world have had a number of programs dedicated to studying the best practices surrounding antelope farming.

Unlike cattle, which require specific conditions to thrive, the native antelopes of Africa are superbly adapted to the environment of the region. They can consume a wider variety of locally available forage, require less water, and can have a broader range in more arid regions. Moreover, they are resistant to the illnesses endemic to the region and thus do not need costly medication.

Image source: housewifedownunder.wordpress.com

In addition, raising game animals in ranches also creates a stable captive population of the animals, protecting their numbers and preventing their overexploitation in the wild.

Joe Ciringione

About the Author

Hello! I'm Joe Ciringione and I love to fish. Join me in my fishing adventures by subscribing to my blog. I'm a hunting aficionado in Providence, Rhode Island. You can usually find me participating in different hunting and fishing tourneys around the state. I am particularly fond of joining organizations that raise money for protecting endangered species.