When News Sounds and Fury Propaganda Infiltrates Major Sports Media Venues

Not long ago, I was at Starbucks talking to a graduate student in broadcast journalism. The gentleman I was talking to loved sports, and rather despised the news. We talked quite a bit about the Olympics, and the various commentary along with how that sporting event was being characterized by the mainstream media. He explained to me that all too often the news of sound and fury, and propaganda infiltrates such major sports media venues, where armchair coaches and political pundits chime in on things they know nothing about. Indeed I agree, as probably you do to, but let's talk about this for second shall we?

My acquaintance said that he didn't trust the news, and didn't want to have anything to do with it. He didn't like the business news, nor did he like the TV news which had disaster of the day somewhere around the globe, or all the negative stuff they put on prime time. He wanted to stay away from that during his career, and as an intern he was working hard in the sports venue, and he liked that quite well. He also noted that many of the local TV stations simply cannot afford the staff levels of before. In broadcast journalism he learned how to give an interview, interview himself, and cover a sporting event without any help.

Often he would go to multiple sporting events in the evening, watching one game until half time, and then going to another. He would set up the camera on a tripod, write it up, do the announcements, prepare the highlights, and then deliver it to prime time TV. He did it all, mostly because the TV station has cut their staff to bare-bones due to budget cuts, as fewer and fewer advertisers are paying the big bucks they once were. Many of the advertisers have gone to the Internet, major cable stations, and divided up their remaining advertising and marketing dollars amongst newspaper, radio, TV, and Internet.

When you are working as a sports media personality the competition is tough, and this gives him the advantage because he is younger and is able to work cheaper, and some of the old-timers are retiring. Nevertheless, he is working three times as hard as they ever did, without the support staff to get it done, as now he has to do it all. Because of all this it allows prime time news casters to make comments about sporting events, and they often get the story wrong. That's always been common for news events let's just hope it doesn't continue in the sports venue. Please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow is the Founder of the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow hopes you've enjoyed today's topic. http://www.worldthinktank.net/ - Have an important subject to discuss, contact Lance. Currently, Mr. Winslow is working on a non-fiction eBook about the Future of Human Sports.

View the original article here

Push Scooters - A Kick for Kids of All Ages

In recent years we have seen a resurgence in the use of kick or push scooters. Once considered a play toy of kids, kick scooters are now being used by college students to move around campus, inner city commuters, kick sport enthusiast and well, kids of all ages.

Along with this resurgence comes a growing competition among kick scooter manufactures. In this article we break down this competition and list our top five scooters on the market today.

Xootr MG Pro - One trip to New York's Central Park and you will quickly see why this scooter makes our list. This is perhaps the number one scooter for adults and kids alike. Strong, durable, flexible and one of the safest scooters out there.

Razor 3.0 and 4.0 - This has become Razor's (an industry leader) transition scooter for those that want to combine usefulness with sport. The 3.0 and 4.0 are attractively priced for kick scooters in this category.

Madd Gear Pro VX2 Team Edition - Made by an Australian manufacturer that is intent on producing the best scooters for the serious enthusiast. The Pro VX2 Team scooter is not your mother's push her way to work scooter. Made with the pro in mind the Pro VX2 comes with a slew of extras. This scooter is durable and tough to stand up to tricks and stunts.

Grit Fluxx Pro Scooter - This is another transition scooter for those looking to move up from beginner to more advanced rider. Produced by another Australian company the Grit Pro is an excellent value for the money, is light weight and extremely strong. Still a little hard to find in the USA, the Grit is sure to see increased riders as new distributors pop up.

The Micro Black - The Micro Black along with its sibling the White are made in Switzerland from the people who bring you the Swiss Army Knife. Perhaps the most comfortable scooter in the five we reviewed, the over sized wheels offer an almost effortless ride. Think maximum ride with minimum effort.

All five of the above mentioned scooters are available at Amazon and you can expect to pay anywhere from $150.00 to $250.00 for these items.

Before you run out and buy your new scooter, take a little time to consider how you plan on using your new toy. Is this a weekend recreation scooter to enjoy with the kids? Are you thinking about kicking your way to work a few days a week? Perhaps you are already an enthusiast and looking to upgrade to a more professional model? Be sure to consider these factors and the specific features of your scooter before you buy.

Hopefully now you are armed and ready to enjoy this new recreation. So get out there and kick some scoot, a sport or casual activity that is enjoyed by kids of all ages.

To learn more about the scooters we profiled here, go to http://www.happyscooterreviews.com/ for a more detailed look at our top five kick scooters.

View the original article here

Pole-Ish Horseshoes Is Not an Ethnic Game - It's for Everyone Who Likes to Have Fun!

It's not all that hard to believe that Pole-ish Horseshoes developed as a dormitory game with a few, quite possibly, beer imbibed students. Far greater exploits have developed from much less. Pole-ish Horsehoes ("PH") is, undeniably, a simple blast to play, at just about every age.

The game is competitive, primarily for outdoors. Using a frisbee, your tossing abilities are key to success in PH so you might want to get in a bit of frisbee practice in advance.

The game concept is to score points by tossing your frisbee at the other team's pole and knocking the wiffle ball enthroned on that pole--off. A win occurs when a score of 21 points is reached.

One of the reasons, this game is such a hit is because it is easy to pack and go; it can be played virtually anywhere-the beach, your backyard, camping and it's a great tailgate pastime during football season. It could even be played indoors but not near Grandma's priceless Ming vases!

Usually played in teams of two each, the game is set up with the end poles spaced 30 feet apart or some other mutually agreed upon distance. A wiffle ball is placed on top of each pole.

Each team takes turns tossing the frisbee; the throwing team is offense and the receiving team is defense. You must stand directly behind your pole when throwing your frisbee.

Defense only has to catch the frisbee and throw it.

Scoring: If the frisbee is thrown and nothing is hit but the other team catches the frisbee, no points are awarded. If the frisbee is thrown, nothing is hit but the receiving team drops the frisbee-offense scores one point.

If offense throws the frisbee, knocks it off the pole and it is not caught, offense get two points. If the defensive team catches both the frisbee and the wiffle ball, no points for the offensive team.

Penalty shots are also award if a frisbee is thrown short of the pole. The rules in play are a lot simpler than they sound.

The real challenge is the precision play required and your ability to toss the frisbee with consistent aim.

After a certain point, you just can't stop laughing. That's the best part about Pole-ish Horseshoes: it has the priceless ability to make you laugh and forget about that bad day at school or the office.

It's definitely an outdoor adventure break that keeps stress in check and reminds you that you definitely need to do 'stuff' like this much more often!

If you have never tried Pole-ish Horseshoes don't miss the chance! You'll never know what you've been missing and fun waits for no one!

View the original article here

Ladder Golf Is Making Headlines on the Late Night Shows!

You've seen it somewhere. Maybe at a Barbecue. Maybe at a park picnic. Perhaps you've seen a number of celebrities trying it on a talk show or late night tv. Wondered about it. Thought it looked like fun but didn't quite get up the nerve to go over and ask, "What game is it that you are playing?"

If there was a ladder and a golf ball attached to a nylon rope, a/k/a bolo, what you were seeing is the increasingly popular game of Ladder Golf a/k/a Bolo Toss.

Played with 2 or more players, a starter line is set up 5 paces from the ladder target. This line is called the 'toss line.'

After a coin toss to determine the starter, the first player tosses 3 bolos. There is no required form to toss so people are making up their own incarnations based upon ever evolving theories of physics, personal co-ordination, or whatever.

The idea, however executed, is to wrap your bolo around a rung of the ladder. Each ladder has three rungs for the taking..

Scoring is determined by the bolos remaining 'hung on the rungs' of the ladder at the end of the round. It's possible to knock a bolo off a rung during the game. Knocking off hanging bolos is highly encouraged in ladder golf.

Only hanging bolos that are 'up there' at the end of the game count for scoring purposes. A game is 21 points, going through overtime with a tie-breaker until someone scores a lead of 2 points. The 2-point rule for winning applies only in overtime play.

Since Ladder Golf is attaining such popular cache, you won't be surprised to learn it has its own rules of etiquette. No comments, humorous, snarky or otherwise, are permitted during play. Touching a tosser is unacceptable. No one approaches the ladder during play.

More about scoring: The top rung of the ladder is worth 3 points, the middle rung is 2 and the bottom is only 1 point. If all three of a player's bolos are hanging from the same rung, they get a bonus point. A bonus point is also awarded for a player who lands a bolo on each rung of the ladder.

Four players can play ladder golf by alternating each round. It is also possible, and frankly, recommended, that you purchase enough bolos so up to 4 players can play individually on the same ladder. In our neighborhood, we use 4 ladders and have multiple sets of bolos and there's a lot of tossing going on at once--all with entirely different 'techniques.

In all, the method of the toss and the challenge of 'ringing it' are so much fun and such a fine departure from everyday work, school, life, that everyone loves to get out there and play. And laugh. And bolo. It's just good fun.

Perfect your bolo toss! What's your technique?

Click ==> here <== to get your bolo toss on! Get in on the fun now!

View the original article here

3 Recommendations for Running Coach and Volunteer Background Checks in Youth Sports

No child should ever have to suffer from sexual abuse, especially while participating in a sports organization that is supposed to be about having fun, making friends and learning new things. While it takes a continued and dedicated effort from sports organizations, coaches, parents, volunteers and the rest of the community at large to protect youth athletes from sexual abuse, volunteer background checks can stop a lot of would-be predators from ever entering a youth sports organization. Here are a few things to consider:

1. All adult volunteers must complete a background check prior to working with any youth sports organization, including criminal history and sex offender registry checks. This includes anyone that might work for the league such as a coach, official, groundskeeper and so forth. Anyone who might have any contact (or opportunity to interact) with the children should be required to complete a background check, no matter how unlikely it seems that they would be a predator. The youth league is ultimately responsible for who is allowed into the organization and it's much better to be extra strict on making sure everyone passes a background check than risk letting even one potential predator slip through the cracks.

2. It's important that the league determines what offenses that could appear during a background check would automatically disqualify a volunteer from being allowed to join the organization. While someone with a history of abuse or violence is easy to disqualify, should people with DUIs on their records be allowed to volunteer? The league needs to decide that. Look at things in black and white; when everyone knows where the line in the sand is it's much easier to create a safe environment for youth athletes. No one should be exempt from this "no go" list, no matter what their qualifications may be.

3. Fingerprint-based screening is often considered the "gold standard" of background checks; however it is not permitted in some states and can be too expensive for many sports organizations to implement even if they do have legal access to it. While the laws from state to state may vary, each organization should make use of the most comprehensive screening available. Keep in mind that different states may have different information on the same person. Someone volunteering in California might have a criminal past in Pennsylvania, but that information might show up in the California state check.

It's important to remember that many instances of child abuse go unreported, so it's possible that even with a thorough volunteer background check the wrong kind of person can be allowed to volunteer for your youth sports organization. This is why all sports organizations should train their employees to recognize the signs and symptoms of sexual abuse in young children. Background checks are a necessary precaution, but there is no end-all solution that can guarantee safety.

SportsSignup's ( http://www.sportssignup.com/ ) mission is to make it easy to manage sports programs and events by providing organizers with an online sport registration system that allows them to automate sport management tasks and allows members to complete registration and purchase team gear from any internet-connected computer.

View the original article here

Are You a Recruit-Worthy Lacrosse Goalie?

For many lacrosse goalies, the idea of being recruited and playing at a top Division 1 school is a dream that starts at a pretty young age. In my opinion, this is normal and shouldn't be discouraged. Great big dreams start as little dreams. You never know where they're going to take you!

When I was in junior high school the top lacrosse teams in the country were Syracuse and Cornell. These were the showcase college teams that everyone was trying to beat. Naturally they got the most press and the most t.v. coverage. So it's natural that I wanted to go there too.

To start, it was just a dream. But that dream helped feed my work ethic, and it was something that I could focus on. "Someday, I'm going to play for Cornell!"

Now along the way I realized that my SAT score probably wasn't going to get me into Cornell. And then I realized that I wasn't really interested in living in Syracuse, New York. But I still wanted to play in college, and I still wanted to be recruited to play at a big time lacrosse school.

Here are four tips to see if you're on your way to becoming a recruitable lacrosse goalie:

Step 1) Make sure you're the best on your team!

This may seem a little obvious. But the point is, you want to set the first stepping stone along the way to reaching your big goal. And that is to be the best on your team. Start here. It's important to start small on the road to the big time.

Step 2) Avoid "Cream of the Crap" Syndrome. AKA, "Top of the Bottom of the Barrell" Syndrome.

Once you have established yourself as the top player on your team, it's time to go on to be the best in your league. Then the best in your state. Then the best in your region, country, and so on.

I see a lot of athletes who think they are fantastic because they are the starter on their team. But they never go out and test the waters and see just how good they really are. That's something I did quite early when I started to play lacrosse. I played in summer leagues, and with college age players to test myself and to see just how good I really was.

My idea was that, if I was the best goalie on the field in enough games that eventually I'd be one of the best goalies around. And if I were one of the best goalies around, I would have to be good enough some day to be recuited, and I was.

Step 3) Know What Schools Your Grades Are Going To Allow You To Go To

Your favorite colors might be Black and Orange. Your dad may be from New Jersey. You may have a tiger as a pet. But if your SAT is 1500 you're probably NOT going to Princeton.

Being recruited and ultimately going to University or College depends on a lot of factors but the number one dream-stealer I see is a bad SAT score.

A bad SAT score, or bad grades in general, may derail your dream completely, or it will just force you to redirect your efforts. So you're not Ivy League material. Not a problem. There are a ton of other schools on the planet for you to go to. Don't sweat it, reload, aim, fire again.

Step 4) Make sure the school you want to go to even needs a goalie!

When I was being recruited there was one school who was after me heavily but they already at 6 goalies at the school! Now I was flattered, but I was a little worried that I was going to be on the bench for three years before I could see the field. Another school that I wanted to go to had six goalies and they didn't really want me.

These situations can change your school plans too. So be flexible. The sport of lacrosse right now is exploding. But the number of Division 1,2, and 3 schools isn't really growing with it. That means less spots for more kids.

Bottom line. Have a dream. Go with it. Let it drive you to work harder and harder than the other lacrosse goalies on the field.

But be flexible. While your dream may be one school, the world may not align so perfectly that it's going to happen for you.

OR, you may find that something better arises for you that you never even expected.

Keep your lacrosse recruiting dream alive by being flexible, always working, and being really good!

Jonathan Edwards is "The Goalie Guru" to thousands of lacrosse goalies, parents and coaches. His website http://www.lacrossegoalietips.com/ is read in over twenty-two countries and you can subscribe to his free lacrosse goalie newsletter there. So for the latest tips and tricks to be the best lacrosse goalie you can be go to http://www.lacrossegoalietips.com/

View the original article here

Flying Remote Control Planes (Part III)

Welcome back to part 3 of this series. Part 1 covered location and pre-flight check lists. Part 2 covered Resources to help you. This article will focus on the next step of learning to fly.

You have an established location and your plane and controls have checked out, and hopefully you have developed a relationship with an individual that can be your coach and keep you from crashing. So what is next? Your instructor may override what I am about to present but encourage them to allow you this experience as it is vital to proceeding to the next step.

Touch-and-Go Landings: Flying a remote controlled plane is very much like flying a real aircraft. The basic concepts apply. One of the first things (after flight school which you have not benefited from) is to practice Touch-and-Go Landing. This involves a maneuver that is common when learning to fly. It involves landing on a runway and taking off again without coming to a full stop. This is important because it gives you the confidence as well as experience to be sure that you are proficient with your air craft as well as proving out all the controls.

This process involves powering down the runway and slightly lifting off the ground. Remember that you must use the trim controls to ensure you plane is not drifting. Correct any issues here first by adjusting your trim or actual linkage. Also remember that if you are at full power (which is not needed for take-off) you may overpower the ability to land softly.

There is another technique known as Stop-and-Go where you lift off, then land and stop your plane. I recommend this approach in the beginning. You will move on to the Touch-and-Go next depending on the length of your runway. Power your plane down the runway and gently bring yourself to a flight mode no more than 4 feet off the ground. Power back on the throttle and gently adjust your aileron and rudder to put yourself in a landing position. Remember that flying the plane is the easy part, the hardest part is landing. This will give you experience that you will need when you come in for a real landing. You need to know the control sensitivity and this exercise will allow you to obtain this touch and relate your plane and controller together. There are always 2 devices that you have to balance. Do not over drive the servos of your plane... Gentle adjustments are the best way to become familiar with your controller and the response of the plane. Hard over adjustments of the controls are the best way to crash. Ensure you have a runway long enough to allow you some margin. If you don't, then you will most likely have to react to a difficult landing. You would be better off in this situation to climb and come back in for another chance.

Back to Touch-and-Go... Some resources that you may use may suggest that this is a step that is not needed; Instructors who favor the use of Touch-and-Go and Touch-and-Stop offer the possibility for you to practice more landings per session. Remember, you can do whatever you want in the air but If you cannot land without damaging your plane then you will end up buying a new plane. (Hopefully from Us)

Part IV in the series will focus on Flight (keep it simple).

Good luck (skill) to you and expect more to follow on this subject.

RC Planes Easy to Fly

Click this link for great products.

View the original article here