​Based in Illinois, Daniel Ahasic is a community-focused professional who engages as a paramedic and firefighter with the Aurora Fire Department. With a passion for outdoor activities, Daniel Ahasic enjoys wintertime pursuits such as skiing, ice skating, and ice fishing.

One key piece of equipment when fishing on a lake or pond frozen over is the ice-fishing auger. This allows the angler to drill through the ice surface and create a clean hole that enables a fishing line to pass through and is big enough for the catch on the line.

There are several auger types to choose from, including manual types that enable hand drilling through the ice. Portable and lightweight, these durable pieces of equipment require physical exertion to operate but have no issues of power source or noise to contend with.

By contrast, gas-powered augers are noisy and powerful, which risks scaring away the same fish species you are after. Like their quieter propane-powered counterparts, they also require the hauling of bulky liquid fuel containers to the fishing site. One non-manual alternative increasingly utilized by anglers is the electric ice-fishing auger. This is relatively quiet and may be used safely in cabins or fishing shelters. However, it relies on extended battery life to be effective across hours and days of regular use.

​Daniel Ahasic is an Aurora, Illinois paramedic and firefighter who has held positions that help safeguard health in the community for nearly two decades. Daniel Ahasic has an in-depth knowledge of the equipment and techniques used when responding to fires.

For those who confront a situation where the fire starts and expands and have access to a portable extinguisher, a key decision involves fighting the flames or engaging in flight. For those who are not trained in extinguisher use, the simple answer is to opt for flight. Otherwise, the initial question is whether the fire is still in its early stages and has not spread beyond an area in which it can be fully contained.

Keep in mind that fires, in all their manifestations, generate a minimum of odorless, colorless, and toxic carbon monoxide. With other toxic gases potentially present, evacuating when a hazardous material seems to be burning or if the fire is producing heavy smoke makes sense.

Before engaging the extinguisher, also scope out an escape route that seems reliable and unobstructed. When in a confined space, such as a room, ensure you are positioned between the fire and an exit route. If the fire cannot be rapidly extinguished, this door, window, or passageway will provide a ready means of escape.

​Daniel Ahasic is a longtime Illinois paramedic and firefighter who has been a member of the Aurora Fire Department for nearly two decades. An avid photographer, Daniel Ahasic also enjoys metal work projects involving welding in his free time.

Part of fabrication, which is the overarching process of designing, forming, and finishing a metal piece, welding involves joining pieces of two materials that have similar compositions and melting points. The materials utilized in this heat-based process can also include thermoplastics and glass.

With metal-based welding, there are two major processes: solid-state and fusion. The latter first involves the heating of two metal parts, which are then fused into a joined piece through the use of a filler. By contrast, solid-state welding and metal-joining techniques do not utilize any additive.

The most common method used is shielded metal arc welding (SMAW, or stick welding), a fusion technique that employs consumable welding rods as filler. An electric current is also run through the surfaces being joined. The most refined welding process is tungsten inert gas welding (TIG), which employs a non-consumable tungsten electrode in forming the connection between materials.

​Basketball is a game played by two teams made up of five players. In the game, goals are scored by throwing a ball through a netted hoop fixed at each end of the court.

The game first surfaced in Springfield, Massachusetts, during the late 1800s. It was invented as an alternative to more high-impact and dangerous sports such as football by Canadian physical education instructor James Naismith. He created the game to encourage his students at Springfield College to participate in healthy and interesting competitive games.

In creating the game, Naismith came up with 13 guidelines. He described the acceptable methods of moving the ball and what moves were prohibited or considered fouls. After appointing a referee, Naismith outlined the way the game would progress. The game was played in 35 minutes, broken into two 15-minute halves and split by a 5-minute break. Subsequently, his secretary was tasked with typing up the regulations, later tacked onto the bulletin board. After some time, Naismith gathered the gym class and appointed three centers, three forwards, and three guards. To start the game, two of the centers met in the middle of the court while Naismith tossed the ball into the air.

He split his eighteen-student class into two teams, each with nine players, and began teaching them the foundations of his new sport. The game was played by throwing the basketball into the fruit baskets attached to the lower railing of the gym balcony. A janitor was assigned to use a ladder to fetch the ball out of the fruit basket every time a point was scored. As time went on, the game evolved to the point where the bottom of fruit baskets was no longer needed.

In the following years, basketball became popular quickly, and the University of Iowa played against the International YMCA Training School (Springfield College) in what became the very first college game. This was in 1895, and Springfield College won the game 5 to 1.

The year 1898 saw the formation of the premier professional league; however, it was disbanded in 1904. The National Basketball League's initial champions were the Trenton Nationals, quickly followed by the New York Wanderers, Bristol Pile Drivers, and Camden Electrics. Many minor championships were formed at the time, but most of them paled compared to some of the teams that played for money against each other.

Subsequently, in the first international match held in Saint Petersburg in 1909, Mayak Saint Petersburg defeated a YMCA American team. In 1932, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Switzerland, Argentina, Latvia, and Czechoslovakia formed the International Basketball Federation (Fédération Internationale de Basketball Amateur, FIBA) in Geneva. Basketball was included in the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games due to its efforts.

It is important to note that the first all-African American professional team, The Rens, also known as the New York Renaissance or Harlem Renaissance, was formed in 1922. They played in the first World Professional Basketball Tournament in 1939 and emerged as winners. In 1949, the team went their separate ways.

The United States national team won the first Olympic gold medal. Canada finished second in the games, which were held on an outdoor clay court. An official basketball association was formed in America on June 6, 1946; however, the organization partnered with its rival organization National Basketball League and took the name National Basketball Association.

Conclusively, the NBA has taken modern-day basketball to another level as it is now recognized on an international level, with thousands of teams playing the game worldwide. The style of the game keeps changing over time. From fruit baskets to the present-day basketball net, it is undoubtedly a game that will continue to thrive for years to come.

Any type of fishing is a lot of fun. You may fish in freshwater or saltwater, and each style of fishing requires a particular approach. While certain abilities learned in one style of fishing may be applied to another, some are specific to one type of fishing.

One type of fishing is bait fishing. Often known as still fishing, bait fishing is the most fundamental form of fishing. You can bait fish using as little gear as possible, such as a reel, rod, hook, and bait. Bait fishing is a straightforward process of capturing fish from the beach. A boat, a fly fishing rod, or other non-essential equipment is not required. Many wonderful local fishing sites may also be easy to get by. There are ponds, streams, lakes, and rivers all around the country where you may catch fish.

Another kind of fishing is trolling. This is a wonderful technique to use if you have a boat. Instead of throwing a line, you'll pull a fishing line behind a boat in the hopes of catching a fish. The majority of people practice this in freshwater. However, it is the most effective method for catching huge ocean fish. Trolling is effective because it allows you to cover a large region quickly. If no fish eat your bait in one location, you'll soon move on to another, where the fish are more likely to be foolish.

Fly fishing is another type of fishing. It entails catching fish using artificial flies. Many fish will mistake a lure made of feathers or synthetic materials for a fly. Fly fishing differs from bait fishing in terms of technique. To fool the fish into believing the fly is food, it must contact the water gently. Fly fishing requires different equipment than bait fishing.

To begin, you'll need a thicker line. Because the bait's weight helps the hook soar through the air, you may cast your hook a great distance while bait fishing. This will not work with fly fishing since the fly is so light. You won't be able to cast a bait fishing line very far if it has very little weight on end. As a result, you'll need a fly line that's heavier than a standard fishing line and has enough weight to fly through the air without dragging.

A type of fishing worth mentioning is saltwater fishing. In saltwater, bait fishing, fly fishing, and trolling are viable options. Saltwater fly fishing was formerly unpopular, but it grew popular near the end of the twentieth century. You may fish from the coast, a dock, or a boat in the water.

Because saltwater fishing isn't that different from freshwater fishing, it's done using identical gear. However, a fishing line that works well in freshwater may not function well in saltwater. Because saltwater may corrode a line, you'll need one that the water won't affect.

Reel damage is another common effect of fishing in saltwater. Over time, green rust develops on the reel, rendering it useless. Corrosion resistance is possible with the correct materials. You may also prevent saltwater corrosion by doing routine maintenance on your reel.