Above And Beyond Promotion

Posts Tagged ‘America’

About Ming and other dynasties

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349

Summary:
Your with a group of friends. Someone starts into a conversation about sports dynasties and inevitably, New York Yankees are automatically a part and parcel of the very first line. The topic switches to famous coaches and Vince Lombardi pops up on everyone’s list.

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Article Body:
Your with a group of friends. Someone starts into a conversation about sports dynasties and inevitably, New York Yankees are automatically a part and parcel of the very first line. The topic switches to famous coaches and Vince Lombardi pops up on everyone’s list.

Doesn’t matter if it’s the Ming Dynasty of ancient China or a sports dynasty of modern America, a true dynasty dominates. It completely obliterates. It takes unwavering control, choking the life out of all who challenge it for superiority.

If you’re willing to look at it that way, then nothing and nobody can compare with the amazing John Wooden orchestrated dominance the UCLA Bruins held over all comers during a string of 10 NCAA basketball seasons.

As for the Yankees, it’s one thing to say things like, “They’ll always be there” or “They always seem to find a way” doesn’t stack up. The Yanks had to find a way to rule over an eight team league for a pennant or the best another eight had to offer for a series title.

The Bruins started evey season knowing somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 teams were looking to gun them down. Over a dozen years from 1964 to 1975, “the Bruin Era”, only Texas Western near the beginning and N.C. State during the decline, ever managed to pull it off. For an amazing run from ’67 to ’73 UCLA was unstoppable. For those seven years it was about more than just winning the Final Four. It was full season records, dominating the regionals, and rolling right over the unfortunate championship game opposition. No matter who that might have been. The Bruins were merciless.

The John Wooden coached team numbers over those 12 years defy criticism. Only five losses over the course of their seven year championship reign. Four undefeated seasons of 30 and 0 basketball. An 88 game winning streak involving four seasons. 38 straight NCAA tournament victories. And, for seven straight championship finals, not even allowing the opponent a sniff of victory.

There’s about as much chance of these records being toppled as another Ming in China.

Black Youth Vote! National Civic Education Training Tour Promotes Voting In Iowa

Word Count:
544

Summary:
As part of ongoing efforts to motivate young people to engage in the political process, the League of Young Voters Education Fund (LYVEF) recently teamed up with the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation’s (NCBCP) Black Youth Vote! (BYV!) for an innovative civic participation training at North High School in Des Moines, IA. The youth later participated in the Black and Brown Forum Presidential Debate.

Organizers underscored the importance of voting in the Jan. 3,…

Keywords:
Black voter participation,Black electorate,election 2008,iowa primary

Article Body:
As part of ongoing efforts to motivate young people to engage in the political process, the League of Young Voters Education Fund (LYVEF) recently teamed up with the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation’s (NCBCP) Black Youth Vote! (BYV!) for an innovative civic participation training at North High School in Des Moines, IA. The youth later participated in the Black and Brown Forum Presidential Debate.

Organizers underscored the importance of voting in the Jan. 3, 2008 primary even though people of color make up less than six percent of the Iowa population. “We are working diligently to educate young people on the role the primaries play in the political process,” said Rob “Biko” Baker, LYVEF organizing director. “We used edutainment – spoken word and writing exercises – to tie the struggles faced by young adults to the power of the vote.”

“Young people must learn the entire process. From getting youth-oriented issues on the table during the primaries, to holding elected officials accountable once they’re in office,” adds Melanie L. Campbell, executive director and CEO of the NCBCP. “This is one of many trainings we are hosting across the country to educate young people on the importance of voting and teaching them how to mobilize their friends and family around issues important to them.”

Last month Black Youth Vote! hosted a comprehensive training in Washington, DC to prepare state BYV! coordinators to go into their community and galvanize young voters. Nearly 80 youth organizers from across the country engaged in interactive workshops and panel discussions to train them on voter registration, mobilizing young voters, voter protection, and educating the youth on issues impacting their demographic.

“There are a number of issues important to Black youth including the unprecedented levels of African American incarceration, high school expulsion rates, and their economic future,” said Jordan Thierry, BYV! national coordinator. “Black Youth Vote! connects the dots between voting and resolving issues effecting their everyday life.”

“It’s a new day in America. Black youth under 35 represent nearly 50 percent of the Black American electorate,” says Campbell. “Black youth have the power to impact the serious problems confronting the Black community. Their movement was energized with the historic participation of young voters in the 2004 election, followed by the massive demonstration in Jena. Black Youth Vote! is helping to channel that movement energy into the 2008 election cycle,” she adds.

Black Youth Vote!, (www.ncbcp.org) the youth division of the NCBCP, is a national grassroots coalition of organizations and individuals committed to increasing political and civic involvement among Black men and women aged 18-35. Founded in1996, the youth led organization educates young adults about the political process and trains them to identify issues and influence public policy through participation. BYV! has been instrumental reversing the downward spiral among young voters and educating voters who are increasingly disenfranchised from the electoral and legislative process.

The League of Young Voters Education Fund (http://youngvoter.org/iowa) empowers young people nationwide to participate in the democratic process ?with a focus on non-college youth from low-income communities and communities of color. Founded in 2003, LYVEF makes civic engagement relevant by meeting young people where they are, working on issues that affect their lives, and providing them with tools, training, and support to become viable players in the civic process.

Vince Carter NBA Rookie

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520

Summary:
Born on January 26, 1977, Vince Carter graduated from college in North Carolina and now plays the guard position for the New Jersey Nets. One of the most exciting players in the NBA, Carter was chosen in the 1998 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors. After suffering injuries, Vince Carter regained his momentum with the Nets as one of the leading players in the NBA.

Keywords:
Vince, Carter, fan, site, nba, star, basketball

Article Body:
Born on January 26, 1977, Vince Carter graduated from college in North Carolina and now plays the guard position for the New Jersey Nets. One of the most exciting players in the NBA, Carter was chosen in the 1998 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors. After suffering injuries, Vince Carter regained his momentum with the Nets as one of the leading players in the NBA.

Even before entering the NBA, Carter showed promise as an up-and-coming basketball star. While playing as part of the North Carolina Tar Heel team, he averaged 12.3 points per game. During his junior year, Vince Carter was named First Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference, Second Team All-America and became a finalist for the John R. Wooden Award, which is presented to the nation’s best player.

As he entered the NBA, Vince Carter amazed both teammates and opponents with his acrobatic moves on the court. That same year, he received the Schick Rookie of the Year recognition and became the first Toronto Raptors players to be recognized as an NBA Player of the Week. During the 1999-2000 season, Carter was named to the All-NBA Third Team and was again named the NBA Player of the Week. By 2000-2001, Vince Carter was becoming very popular with fans and was also becoming a well-known name in the NBA rankings. That season, he ranked among the NBA leaders in seven different categories.

When the 2001-2002 season rolled around, Carter was thriving. On March 22, however, he announced plans to undergo surgery on an injured left knee. This misfortune caused him to miss the final 14 games of the season. In the 2002-2003 season, Vince Carter averaged 20.6 points during his 43 games. It was this year that he missed a career-high 39 games due to several appearances on the injured list. The following season found Vince Carter receiving the most votes in the NBA All-Star balloting program for the 2004 NBA All-Star Game.

Vince Carter made his mark on the 2004-2005 NBA season, during which he averaged 24.5 points per game and ranked 1st on the team in points. In addition, he was awarded the Eastern Conference Player of the Week and Month and was voted as a starter for the 2005 NBA All-Star Game. Vince Carter has managed to find great success both on an off the court. This married father of one was named on of ‘Sporting News 2004 Good Guys’ in professional sports for his activities away from the court. In July 2003, Carter unveiled a professional-sized basketball court, which was funded by his foundation, in Toronto’s Dixon Park. The court is valued at $130,000 and officially opened with Carter sending the first ball through the hoop. In September 2002, he donated $2.5 million for financing the construction of a new gym at his former high school in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Fans who would like to request a signed photo or simply send Vince Carter their best wishes are urged to do so in care of his NBA franchise team. If you are requesting an autograph, be sure to include a SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope) along with your request. Letters and requests should be mailed to:

Vince Carter
New Jersey Nets
390 Murray Hill Pkwy.
East Rutherford, NJ 07073

Forged Sports Memorabilia

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630

Summary:
There is an ever-growing market in sport memorabilia, and sports-related keepsakes include signed commemorative photos, baseballs, footballs, basketballs, pucks and jerseys. A Google listing of corporations hawking these items produces almost five million business sites! A few of the items on offer cost thousands of dollars.

Where there are so many eager and gullible customers, con artists are sure to show up. A San Diego federal judge who recently sentenced many sports au…

Keywords:
sports memorabilia

Article Body:
There is an ever-growing market in sport memorabilia, and sports-related keepsakes include signed commemorative photos, baseballs, footballs, basketballs, pucks and jerseys. A Google listing of corporations hawking these items produces almost five million business sites! A few of the items on offer cost thousands of dollars.

Where there are so many eager and gullible customers, con artists are sure to show up. A San Diego federal judge who recently sentenced many sports autograph forgers to prison said, “Life, liberty and the pursuit of the national pastime, has been undone”. The prosecution stemmed from an FBI investigation called Operation Bullpen, which closed down a professional criminal organization that forged and sold sports goods enhanced with bogus autographs. Sixty search warrants were served, more than two dozen forgers arrested, and a warehouse with ten million dollars worth of fake merchandise was seized. The ring leaders received three years in prison and loss of assets to the IRS. Both current and faux “antique” items were involved.

Any sports fan who has a signed souvenir would be wise to question its authenticity. Phil Halpren, the assistant federal attorney who worked to prosecute the forgers, stated that fraud is so pervasive in the sports memorabilia market that unless you personally watch as an athlete signs an item, odds are greater than 50 % that it’s forged. Athletes most popular with the public are a hit with forgers, too. Halpren said, “If you see a Mark McGuire signature, it’s almost a guarantee, 99.9%, it’s a forgery.” Certificates of authenticity can be fabricated with as much ease as the collectible item they supposedly validate, so this is no protection.

Vendors are fighting back in an effort to maintain the integrity of the market. Disney, which owns ESPN, will commence next year to auction signed sports memorabilia online. Disney says it will authenticate the signatures with holograms encrypted with the item’s identifying information and tamper-proof package seals, videotaping the entire process.

Sophisticated forgers can even develop holographic seals which appear real to the untrained eye. Even so, the great majority of forgers are amateurs, and usually even a basic anti-forgery system is likely to deter them.

Baseball and football are the most popular sports in America, however some famous hockey players like Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr are popular targets for forgery as well.

With the large selection available, both in stores and on web sites, fans can avoid a lot of fraud by applying common sense. For instance, a baseball autographed by Babe Ruth selling for $500 is obviously a fake, because such a cost is unbelievably low, too low for real market conditons. As well, it pays to know a little bit about the development of baseballs and pens. If you see baseballs supposedly signed in the ’20s and ’30s with Sharpie pens, these items are obviously fake, because these pens weren’t invented yet in that era. To quote Phil Halpren : “I have seen Babe Ruth balls signed on a Bobby Black American League President ball. So, you know, he was president in the early ’80s. That’s impossible to have been done. However someone did it.”

So, while it’s enjoyable to have a peice of sports history to call your own, the motto to follow is : buyer beware. Unless you are a professional trader who knows how to authenticate merchandise, do not acquire an item strictly for its potential resale value, because you can be disappointed by what you sooner or later get back for it. Purchase an item you personally like and intend to keep, and do not spend thousands of dollars. This ensures that you will be happy when you admire your acquisition, without the lingering doubt that you have lost a massive amount of money on something of dubious value.

A Sneaker Evolution

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535

Summary:
Those shoes that you just can’t live without, that you use for working out, doing yard work, walking, running or just hanging out ? the sneaker ? has a fascinating history.

The sneaker has been around since the 1800s when the Industrial Revolution took hold on America and rubber began being produced. Sneakers were once called plimsolls when they were first made in the 1800s as a plain rubber soled shoe. Goodyear, now a tire manufacturer, began as a rubber shoe company and …

Keywords:
sneakers,shoes,clothing

Article Body:
Those shoes that you just can’t live without, that you use for working out, doing yard work, walking, running or just hanging out ? the sneaker ? has a fascinating history.

The sneaker has been around since the 1800s when the Industrial Revolution took hold on America and rubber began being produced. Sneakers were once called plimsolls when they were first made in the 1800s as a plain rubber soled shoe. Goodyear, now a tire manufacturer, began as a rubber shoe company and in 1892 introduced Keds Ò to the world. The word “sneaker” was also introduced to the world about a decade later when an advertising agent gave these rubber soled shoes the name sneakers because the soles were so quiet and didn’t make any noise on any surface.

Converse was the next company to release a sneaker to the world in 1917. They called it the Converse All Star and it was the shoe worn by basketball players. This shoe ? the Converse All Star ? later became the Chuck Taylor All Star and became a necessity to basketball players, kids and others for more than 50 years.

Adi and Rudolph Dassler introduced the first shoe used for tennis, or the tennis shoe, in 1931 and the brand name Adidas was born. Soon after Rudolph Dassler teamed with Puma Schuhfabrik to produce the Puma brand shoe for football.

It took until the 1950s for sneakers to be the preferred footwear of teenagers after James Dean was photographed wearing his jeans and white sneakers. Girls and boys wore their sneakers as a symbol of rebellion.

In 1968 the sneaker giant Nike enters the sneaker scene after Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman partner to create Blue Ribbon Sports shoes which was later changed to Nike after the Greek Goddess of Victory. In 1971 the famous Nike swoosh was bought from a graphic design student for a mere $35! In 1979 Nike created the first Nike Air sole shoe claiming a revolutionary air-cushioning shoe. They introduce the first shoe using this technology called the Nike Tailwind. However, one of the most memorable shoe lines that Nike released was the Air Jordan which hit the markets in 1985.

Since then Nike has captured the athletic shoe market. In 2001 they introduced their Nike Shox advanced support technology. This system uses columns of engineered foam to give runners and athletes superior cushioning and support. This was a new revolution in shoe design.

Nike continued to lead the market in 2003 and acquired Converse, Inc. The Chuck Taylor All Star is reintroduced and is again a fashion staple in the lives of teenagers across the country.

Sneakers have come so far that they are not strictly for athletes anymore. In 2004 Reebok formed a partnership with music professionals to create their Sound and Rhythm line. This was done on an attempt to grow and heighten sales and to recognize the growing popularity of the music industry and it’s effect on today’s youth.

Whether you are a professional athlete, casual athlete, music enthusiast or lover of fashion only, there is sure to be several pairs of sneakers in your wardrobe to fit every facet of your life. But did you ever know that this staple item had such an interesting history behind it?