All You Ever Wanted to Know About New York Giants - Sports - Basketball

Football is among the most popular sports in America and the New York Giants are a professional football team representing NYC. Read this article to know more about your favorite, the giants.

The New York Giants are a professional American football team placed in East Rutherford, New Jersey and representing metropolitan area of the New York City. The giants are members of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The team plays its home game at Met-life Stadium, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. They are named champions of the NFL.

Team historyThey joined the NFL in 1925, and played their first match against All New Britain on October 4, 1925. They won the match with the score of 26-0 in front of a crowd of 10,000. The team was awarded the NFL title for making best record in the league. The Giants have total 15 Hall of Fame players, including, Frank Gifford, Charlie Conerly, Y. A. Tittle, and Lawrence Taylor. In 1925, Tim Mara, a successful businessman and promoter, purchased the team for $500.

Logos and uniformsSince 1925, the Giants have used numerous uniforms and logos. The "ny", "NY", and GIANTS logos have been featured on the team's uniforms over the past 46 years.

1925 - Blue jersey, white numbers, tan pant.1933 - Red jersey with white numbers, blue cowl, blue chest and red socks.1934 - Blue jersey with blue cuffs white numbers, tan pant and white helmets.1935 - White jersey with blue cowl, blue numbers, gray pant, blue socks and white helmets.1936 - White jersey with blue cowl, blue cuffs, blue pant and white socks. 1942 - Blue jersey with white numbers, gray pant, blue socks and blue helmet. 1950 - Red jersey with white numbers, tan pant, red socks and dark royal blue helmet. 1965 - Blue jersey with white numbers, solid blue socks and white pant. 1975 - Blue jersey with white numbers, white pants and blue socks. Italic uppercase NY logo replaces lowercase NY on helmet.1980 - Blue jersey with white numbers, white pant with contiguous blue-red-blue stripe pattern. White stripe pattern removed from helmet. 1994 - Blue jersey with white numbers outlined in red, white pant with contiguous blue-red-blue stripe pattern. 2000- Blue jersey made slightly darker than previous jerseys. Blue jersey with white numbers without red outline, sleeve stripes removed, neck stripes removed, Giants logo under base of neckline in white, gray pants, solid blue socks and gray face mask. 2005 - NY Logo Replaces GIANTS Logo at Base of Neckline.2012 - The NFL and Nike, unveiled uniforms for all 32 teams. The blue jersey with white numerals and white jersey with red numerals remain the same. For the first time, instead of black color footwear, players will wear same as color of jersey.

Ring of HonorOn October 3, 2010, during halftime of the Giants' game against the Chicago Bears in New York City, they unveiled their own Ring of Honor members. It was launched with 30 original members, including the names, Jessie Armstead, Tiki Barber, Al Blozis, Rosie Brown, Harry Carson, Charlie Conerly, Frank Gifford, Pete Gogolak, Mel Hein, Jim Lee Howell, Sam Huff, Tuffy Leemans, Dick Lynch, Jack Mara, Tim Mara, Wellington Mara, George Martin, Joe Morrison, Steve Owen, Bill Parcells, Andy Robustelli, Phil Simms, Michael Strahan, Ken Strong, Lawrence Taylor, Bob Tisch, Y.A. Tittle, Amani Toomer, Emlen Tunnell and George Young.

NFL MVP award winners

Year Player 1938 Mel Hein 1956 Frank Gifford 1959 Charlie Conerly 1963 Y.A. Tittle 1986 Lawrence Taylor

The New York Giants have always been in the public's eye. Their fans are eagerly waiting to watch this team again in field. The enthusiastic players of this team are going to take the acid test soon. So, what are you waiting for? Buy your tickets in advance to witness the team defeating their opponents.

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Hauser?s vision for Cambridge tech supremacy - Business

Five Cambridge visionaries have formed a new influencer group designed to elevate the UK's premier technology cluster to the level of global exemplar Silicon Valley.Serial entrepreneur and VC Hermann Hauser has been joined by Cambridge Network CEO Claire Ruskin, Professor Lynn Gladden (the university's Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research), Tony Raven - CEO of Cambridge Enterprise, the university's commercialisation arm - and Peter Taylor, CEO of tech design consultancy TTP Group plc.

Dr Hauser said the objective was to ensure that Cambridge as a community - combining corporate and academic interests - raised its game to the greatest possible heights.

He said the Vision Group, as it is informally called, would identify "the missing ingredients" and work towards improvements in the knowledge-based infrastructure.

In an exclusive interview with Business Weekly, Dr Hauser said one clear gap in Cambridge's CV was the lack of several really large companies routinely getting involved in corporate venturing.

He said: "This is definitely one essential that Silicon Valley has that we haven't. We need to drive much better relationships with large companies. It's really important that we improve our track record in corporate venturing.

"We need companies of size to work with smaller enterprises and the university on an ongoing basis. Large pharma companies, such as Pfizer, have set the ball rolling and are beginning to move us forward in this regard.

"I think we will see a lot of exciting spin-outs from their initiative to drive the UK life science agenda from Cambridge. But we need a lot more to follow their example across major industry segments."

Dr Hauser was speaking in support of a Business Weekly campaign to nurture new generations of Cambridge entrepreneurs to protect the long term sustainability of the cluster and maintain its innovation edge.

He revealed that there was buy-in from a whole new breed of serial entrepreneurs who were massively swelling the ranks of Cambridge Angels.

There are so many new angels on the scene that the Cambridge Angels group has been forced to spin out Cambridge Angels II, he disclosed.

Dr Hauser said: "I was at a meeting of Cambridge Angels last night and it's a very active group. One of the problems is that we had so many credible would-be angels wanting to join that we have had to start a new category of associate members. We simply couldn't fit everyone round the table.

"That's an extremely encouraging sign for your campaign, which I support wholeheartedly. Nurturing the next generation of enterprise champions is utterly essential for the health of the Cambridge Tech Cluster going forward. And entrepreneurial success is happening.

"One of the main reasons us old fogeys have such a high profile is that we have been around for such a long time. Now we have people like Billy Boyle of Owlstone building up a reputation for his wider efforts in enterprise and Adam Twiss is one of our most successful younger serial entrepreneurs. There are a number of young Turks coming through and we need to promote them."

Dr Hauser would like to see more woman executives and entrepreneurs in the mix. "There is a clear gender gap and it is a real problem," he told me.

"But it is a problem worldwide. Silicon Valley fares better but not that much better. We need to do all we can to encourage talented women to push for senior roles and help them smash the glass ceiling that most definitely exists. Perhaps it requires an all-round change in attitude.

"There are role models everywhere you look in our major networks - the CEOs of Cambridge Network (Claire Ruskin), Cambridge Wireless (Soraya Jones) and One Nucleus (Harriet Fear) are obvious ones, as is Ruth McKernan, who is heading up Pfizer's regenerative medicine drive in Cambridge. But these exemplars need to be replicated in more of our boardrooms."

Dr Hauser believes that the University is showing a greater willingness to act as a global thought leader and developing a sharper commercial edge on multi-levels of activity.

"Besides Lynn Gladden and Tony Raven's involvement in the new Vision Group, the university's Vice-Chancellor, Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, the Chancellor David Sainsbury, Christoph Loch, director at Judge Business School, and Shai Vyakarnam at CfEL, all take technology seriously. I believe we are about to really start seeing some action at Judge with Christoph at the helm and the work Shai's team is doing at events like Enterprise Tuesday is fantastic."

Dr Hauser said commercial savvy was also being driven further down and across the university to young and budding entrepreneurs. "The students are lucky to have entrepreneurs like Andy Hopper, Chris Lowe, Steve Young and others guiding their star.

"Even the projects and initiatives bubbling away under the surface in the various labs are more commercially focused these days. Look at the solar car initiative in the engineering lab.

"The young students involved have immersed themselves in the project and learned how to organise themselves, to get that car to Australia every two years to race. It's a good discipline for young students and the experience they are gaining all the while means they are not 100 miles away from having a real company."

� See Business Weekly's 'Hall of Fame' of enterprise champions and its best-bet pantheon of the torch bearers of tomorrow

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50 Fun Guitar Quotes For You - Entertainment - Music

If you've played guitar for very long at all, you'll notice that your improvement can often be sporadic and jagged. Sometimes, you find yourself getting exponentially better, improving by leaps and bounds. And other times...you don't feel any improvement for a few days...or a few weeks. When I find myself in these more difficult "plateau periods," I tend to seek inspiration from somewhere to get me over the hump. Sometimes it's as simple as listening to new music, sometimes it's reading or watching an interview with one of my heroes. One thing I started to do was to keep a notebook of quotes from some of my heroes that I could continue to add to whenever I found something that struck a nerve. Here's a list of 50 that I found while leafing through my book of quotes recently. Maybe they can help you through one of your own "plateau periods."

1. "When I hear a great musician, I can feel his life inside the music." - John McLaughlin

2. "I'm not saying a guy shouldn't take lessons ... but if you want to play like the artists, you have to go and get what they're putting on records and take it from there ... " - Grant Green

3. "To be creative and spontaneous, you have to live with imperfection." - John Abercrombie

4. "Charlie Christian showed me a lot, and was a great help, but even then, I realized that if I was going to make it, it was no use copying Charlie." - Barney Kessel

5. "Sight-reading is like playing. It's a question of doing." - Johnny Smith

6. "... don't be afraid to screw up !... one of the key issues to learning is making mistakes ... if you're not making mistakes, you're probably not having a very good time" - Robben Ford

7. "If you assume you haven't learned anything yet, there's no reason your playing can't stay dynamic all your life." - Jerry Garcia

8. "...Everyone has their own sound, and if you're heard enough, folks will come to recognize it. Style however, is a different thing. Try to express your own ideas. It's much more difficult to do, but the rewards are there if you're good enough to pull it off ..." - Chet Atkins

9. "Hear something, then play it, rather than just doing whatever comes under the fingers." - Jim Hall

10. "If you're into what you're playing, that's the most important thing." - James Hetfield

11. "Most beginners want to learn lead because they think it's cool .. consequently, they never really develop good rhythm skills .. since most of a rock guitarists time is spent playing rhythm, it's important to learn to do it well .. learning lead should come after you can play solid backup and have the sound of the chords in your head." - Eddie Van Halen

12. "The greatest teacher is just going out and playing." - George Benson

13. "Being a musician is a given for me--I didn't have much choice in the matter." - Tom Morello

14. "Being able to haul ass all over the fretboard doesn't mean anything if the music's no good." - Jim Heath

15. "That's the cool thing about the guitar--there's always more to learn." - Jim Heath

16. "Don't become so enraptured by certain heroes that your playing is exactly like theirs." - Jimmy Wyble

17. "The most powerful music is music with purpose." - Tom Morello

18. "Aping what you've already done is just so dangerous and unrewarding." - Andy Summers

19. "I just plug in and let go." - Billy Joe Armstrong

20. "If you really love guitar, you're going to spend every waking hour stroking the thing." - Frank Zappa

21. "As long as you're excited about what you're playing, and as long as it comes from your heart, it's going to be great." - John Frusciante

22. "Learn from the masters, learn from your contemporaries. Always try to update yourself." - Jimmy Stewart

23. "All the great guitarists have a spirit--a way they play and don't play." - Eddie Martinez

24. "The song tells me what to play." - Joe Walsh

25. "If you want to work consistently, you have to be a team player." - Russell Malone

26. "You have to be willing to eat--or not eat-- for it. Then you're a musician." - Johnny Copeland

27. "Chord substitution isn't some mysterious religious sect." - Howard Roberts

28. "I decided I would rather have a day job and love music than to play music that made me hate it." - David Torn

29. "I'm sure every pattern has been covered, but it's nice to think you might dwell on some that other people don't." - Richard Thompson

30. "You can end up a legend in your parents' basement." - Joe Walsh

31. "Learn the lick, but learn FROM the lick." - Scott Henderson

32. "A good player can make any guitar sound good." - Michael Bloomfield

33. "Sometimes you want to give up the guitar, you'll hate the guitar. But if you stick with it, you're gonna be rewarded." - Jimi Hendrix

34. "Listening is the key to everything good in music." - Pat Metheny

35. "I came from the last couple of years in a generation where we didn't have a computer around so we didn't waste as much time on the internet as we do now so I had large chunks of time which to devote to doing something." - John Mayer

36. "The guitar is your first wings. It's assigned and designed to unfold your vision and imagination." - Carlos Santana

37."Playing scales is like a boxer skipping rope or punching a bag. It's not the thing in itself; it's preparatory to the activity." - Barney Kessel

38. "Guitarists should be able to pick up the guitar and play music on it for an hour, without a rhythm section or anything." - Joe Pass

39. "I would advise you to keep your overhead down; avoid a major drug habit; play everyday and take it in front of other people. They need to hear it and you need them to hear it." -James Taylor

40. "It's been very important throughout my career that I've met all the guys I've copied, because at each stage they said: 'Don't play like me, play like you.'" - Eric Clapton

41. "Recording is God's way of telling you that you suck." - Bob Brozman

42. "There are no mistakes, save one: the failure to learn from a mistake." - Robert Fripp

43. "If you don't know the blues... there's no point in picking up the guitar and playing rock and roll or any other form of popular music." - Keith Richards

44. "I don't think you can ever do your best. Doing your best is a process of TRYING to do your best." - Townes Van Zandt

45. "I started learning to sing what I liked, to experience it in a visceral way. Then it's inside. Get rid of the neurosis and then you can improvise." - Joe Satriani

46. "I don't think about what other people expect or anything. I mean, I sit and worrying so much about what I'M thinking, I'd go NUTS if I sat around worrying about other people." - Allan Holdsworth

47. "I write the songs first and in most cases teach myself the technique second." - Joe Satriani

48. Nobody loses at guitar if they put in the time. Something good always shows up. It's all consistent with life's big lessons. Patience. Determination. Love. Goals. Finishing a job. Etc. - Ted Greene

49. "Fast is only cool if it's melodic and has substance." - Yngwie J. Malmsteen

50. "Practice with a metronome and a tape recorder, making adjustments to your playing as you go to make it sound more musical. In fact, try to make it sound like the best music you've ever heard, even if it's just a major scale. Why not?" - Wayne Krantz

So there you go. 50 fun guitar quotes for you to make your own, ponder and use to get yourself out of the "plateau period" you may find yourself in. You could use post it notes and put the one you like the best on your bathroom mirror, so you'd see it every morning as you brush you teeth. Maybe just plant them around the house in different places to give yourself a little inspiration from the masters and keep you focused. I have a dry erase board in my practice space that I write them on, to remind myself of why I started this guitar playing journey in the first place. Good luck.

Vreny is private guitar Instructor in LA, CA who is providing Guitar lessons in Los Angeles for beginner to advanced level guitar students. Also learn Beginners guitar lessons in Hollywood at ZOTZinGuitarLessons.com

Five Best Goals Ever: Great Goals at European Championships - Sports

The Netherlands and Van Basten were outstanding throughout Euro 88 but the goal for which the former AC Milan striker will forever be remembered came in the final.

The Dutch were already leading 1-0 through a Ruud Gullit strike in Munich when Arnold Muhren hit a looping cross over the Soviet defence to Van Basten wide on the right.

Van Basten hardly seemed to have an angle to score and most people expected him to attempt to bring the ball under control.

Instead, he twisted and met it full on the volley, displaying excellent technique as he hit a shot that flew past a stunned Rinat Dasaev into the top corner.

The goal secured the Netherlands' first and so far only major tournament success.

Van Basten said: "You know, you need a lot of luck with a shot like that - everything went well. It is one of these things that sometimes just happen.

"I can tell a lot of stories, but it was just a fantastic feeling.

"I have to be happy and thankful that such a moment was given to me and to Holland."Tomas Brolin (Sweden v England, Group match, 1992)

England were infamously dumped out of Euro 92 by hosts Sweden in Stockholm after spurning numerous chances to add to David Platt's early opener.

Jan Eriksson equalised after the interval and Sweden went on to establish a stranglehold which was capped by Brolin's stunning 82nd-minute winner.

Brolin, the star of the team, powered forward and played dazzling one-twos with Klas Ingesson and Martin Dahlin before hitting a first-time shot past Chris Woods.

England were unable to respond and seemed drained as they realised their tournament was coming to an end.

Afterwards, the English press turned on manager Graham Taylor, criticising him for substituting star striker Gary Lineker.

Brolin's reputation in England was later damaged after a forgettable spell at Leeds.

Alan Smith, who replaced Lineker in the game, said: "1-0 up against Sweden, we should have closed them out.

"But we gave away a sloppy goal at the start of the second half and from then on were on the back foot.

"The momentum was all with them and Tomas Brolin scored a great goal to win it."

Paul Gascoigne (England v Scotland, Group match, 1996)

Gascoigne was vilified by the press pre-tournament for his role in the 'dentist's chair' drinking game during England's infamous warm-up tour of Hong Kong.

But he responded in typically brilliant fashion on the field and a stunning strike against Scotland was the obvious highlight.

England led 1-0 thanks to an Alan Shearer header but Scotland were threatening until Gascoigne - then at Rangers - chased a pass into the box on the left and cheekily lifted the ball over Colin Hendry's head.

He followed up and met the ball on the volley as it dropped, firing a low shot past Andy Goram for one of the great Wembley goals.

Not forgetting his media critics, he celebrated by sliding to the ground and urging team-mates to squirt water into his mouth - a re-enactment of the night of debauchery in Hong Kong.

"People often ask me whether that's the best goal I've ever scored - and it was a memorable one," said Gascoigne.

"In terms of what the goal meant, you couldn't beat it. I was playing in Scotland for Rangers at the time, so it was really sweet.

"And to have 70,000-odd fans singing your name is just unbelievable."

Ronnie Whelan (Republic of Ireland v USSR, Group match, 1988)

Jack Charlton's Ireland were not known for their finesse but Whelan showed plenty of it when he struck one of the tournament's great goals in Hannover.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it came from a direct source as Mick McCarthy launched a long throw-in across the edge of the penalty box.

Liverpool midfielder Whelan showed agility and technique as he launched himself and connected with a stunning volley from 18 yards.

It flew into the net and gave the Irish more to cheer after beating England in their opening game.

Manager Charlton said: "It was a tremendous throw from Mick. He didn't launch it into the goalmouth, he actually threw the ball to the edge of the box and Ronnie volleyed it over the top of his head.

"Most goals that you enjoy come as a shock, and I will remember that one for a long time."

Unfortunately, it was not to last for Ireland as Oleh Protasov equalised for the Soviet Union 16 minutes from time.

Ireland were still well placed to qualify but were beaten by the Netherlands in their last group game while the Soviet Union went on to reach the final.Davor Suker (Croatia v Denmark, Group match, 1996)

Croatia embarrassed reigning champions Denmark with an ultimately convincing 3-0 win at Hillsborough, with Suker's sublime chip rounding off their performance.

Suker put his side into the lead from the penalty spot and then created a second for Zvonimir Boban 12 minutes from time after a scare when Brian Laudrup hit the woodwork.

It was no more than Croatia, making their first appearance in a major tournament, deserved and there was still time for Suker to wrap up victory in style.

Denmark's legendary goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel raced upfield for a corner and was left frantically backtracking as Croatia launched a quick counter-attack.

He just about made it back to his goal but it was to no avail as Suker took the ball in his stride on the left and then lifted it up and over the Manchester United star with his left boot.

Suker said: "He [Schmeichel] looks frightening when he is on the goal-line but you have not to be scared. It was one of the most beautiful goals I ever scored."

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WSOP 2012 Tournament - Day 15 Updates - Entertainment - Gambling

Event 17 Pot-Limit Hold'em

The field was star studded this Sunday as the final seventeen players walked through the aisle to their respective seats to play for the $182,793 first place prize and the gold bracelet.

The presence of esteemed faces such as Barry Greenstein, Dan O'Brien, Phil Ivey, Andy Frankenberger, David Benyamine, Scott Fischman and many others upped the competition level.

Cary Katz was the first unfortunate to leave in seventeenth place for $23,876 at the hands of Landfish. The second elimination was of David Benyamine by Alex Venovski. Landfish was in lead all through before he was dispatched by Andy Frankenberger in eleventh place. Ryan Julius belted along next to the exit in tenth position. Ivey led the final nine closely followed by Bevand with over a million chips in count.

Andy Frankenberger shone all through thereafter; he busted Deep in an exciting play of hands that left him in sixth for $84,688. Bevand met the same fate by losing a huge chunk of chips to Andy and finishing in fifth by Ivey for $110,731.

After a few more eliminations, Andy and Ivey sat against each other for the $445,899 prize money, and the gold bracelet. Andy turned down Ivey's game by making him earn $275,559 for the runner-up place and clinched his second WSOP bracelet.

Event 18 Seven Card Razz

The famous Phils: Phil Ivey and Phil Hellmuth were a part of the eighteen eyeing the covetable WSOP gold bracelet.

Scott Clements, Chris "Fox" Wallace, Dan O'Brien and Chris Viox comprised early bust-outs. The final eight set a tough table with seeds such as Brendan Taylor, Hellmuth, Don Zewin and others that differed in chips by a small number.

Hellmuth had all eyes glued to him as he stumbled courageously against Zewin and Cantu. He maintained his lead and eventually notched up the title and his 12th bracelet with Zewin leaving in 2nd place.

Event 19 No-Limit Hold'em

Of the 262 players headed by Jessica Bertrand Hanna, nineteen players left empty handed. Pratik Ghatge opened the money stream for others as his pocket kings could not stand the opposition's ace-queen and he left without a penny.

As the day headed to its final stage, only 19 players qualified into day three of the event. Those who could not make it include Lauren Kling, Jon Aguiar, Issac Haxton, the day opener Jessica Bertrand Hanna, Phil Collins, Collin Moshman, Victor Ramdin and many others. Hanna left in 43rd position for $10,721.

Day three will be led by Gregg Wilkinson with 1,227,000. Other who entered day three in top counts include Patrick Smith with 867,000, Cliff Goldkind with 760,000, Eric Wasserson with 725,000, Adria Balaguer with 697,000.

Event 20 Limit Hold'em

The inaugural pack of 166 players chopped down to 109 that entered the second day and by the end only 18 players cashed.

Those who left before the money bubble burst include Jason Mercier, Greg Mueller, Erick Lindgren, Daniel Negreanu, Jen Harman, Jeff Lisandro, Mori Eskandani, Matt Keikoan, Annie Duke and many others.

Matthew Woodward ended the as the leader on the board ahead of Terrence Chan by a few chips. The persisting seventeen will return for the final round of play on day 3.

Event 21 No-Limit Hold'em

The $1000 buy in event attracted a huge field of 2,779 players which filtered down to a minimal 228 players. The huge entries created a prize pool of over a million dollars. The money bubble burst on the first day itself with some players cashing to their names.

Edward Locke became the chip leader who ended the day with 133,200 chip counts. Lagging by a few in count are Joseph Cappello with 124,000, and Efran Garcia Louzao with 97,800.

Event 22 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball

Only 202 players registered for the $2,500 event which pared down to a good 79 players who will return for day two. The qualifying batch is being led by Shawn Buchanan with 61,800 chips opening Day2.

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Event Updates, Poker Stars Us, Poker Results,

England With New England Jersey at Home Against Belgium - Sports - Soccer

Ball rate 35.1%, passing the number 345 654, passes completed 83.2%, crossing number 15 to 26, shot 5 for 21, Jet is 1 to 7 delegates If you look at these naked data only, I'm afraid it's hard to imagine England and France in the focus of this campaign, gap is so wide that the two teams. But the England with New England Jersey at home against Belgium has assumed a posture of defending in the heats, had 5 victories are 1-0 of pragmatism, perhaps it is not difficult to understand why Hodgson's team into a data transcript so awkward in the wars between Britain and France. But no matter how passive, England in the group stage of the most difficult opponents who gnaw Rob get 1 point, and the tactics become more proficient in front of the bus, from this point of view, behind England in tough draw is quite a positive omen. England last in European Cup finals ring group racing first does not defeated also to dates back to 1996, that once by Alan-Hiller, and Paul-Paul Gascoigne due to, and Steve-Mcmanaman, and David-Heaman, legend star led of three Lion Legion first 1-1 war flat Switzerland, but team eventually hacked broke into the has four strong, and this is England in European Cup finals stage made of history best results one. After watching the war between Britain and France, Alain-Shearer pointed out: "we should be happy for this draw. In international competition, examples abound of an army burning with righteous indignation is bound to win, at the European Championship, England with England Soccer Jersey absolutely with all elements of a mourning soldier. Core suspension, for handsome controversies, major claims, continuous injuries sth Around the England team preparing for the tragedy of the message seems to be all around. The Sun columnist Stephen-Howard even said, this is probably one of the weakest in the history of England. Let alone England poor record in the European Cup, euro 52-year history, outside of England had achieved only four v ictories, the best record is the third, and dates back to 1968. However Germany the picture in the European Cup when the power ranking the top 16, England still ranked 6th, due to player injury in adversity has made the team stronger social cohesion. With old rivals France vs England can group that includes a key battle, Wenger pointed out before the game: "Ukraine host advantage as it can have a chance in the face of France or England win a victory, so if the failure of one of the war between Britain and France, then this team would be almost sure cannot be promoted. "Historical confrontation, England and France 28-fight record of 16 wins in 4-8 occupies a distinct advantage, however the two teams in official matches the total record is difficult to China, all 2 WINS 2-2. And, since 1997, could never beat the old enemies of England, who had won the last 30 years from now. Therefore, his face has 21 games in a row to keep unbeaten France team, Hodgson has every reason to fee l glad for finally achieved a draw.Now England, put the bus in front + tactics of Blitzkrieg attack has no secret, took over the team's temporary Jiao Dou is also a FireWire, Hodgson has to follow Andy Matt in Chelsea posture of a successful resume, and Joe-Hart, Gerrard and Rooney in the high quality of axis also make it draw a tiger with a cat as the model base. Historical experiences have told us that in the contest, such tactics are often able to play an unexpected effect. Former England coach gelanhanmu-Taylor noted that, while a draw is a good result, but we also want to see France in the game get more opportunities, objectively speaking, they have every reason to take away a victory. But in this contest, luck is often very important, players act strictly according to the arrangement of head coach, from the perspective of tactical implementation, we see the positive side. England is to adhere to one of the established game, and ended up hard to get 1. Through France fi rst, does that mean that England with England Football Shirt can take this tactic ultimately hold never lay a Sonia Delaunay Cup? Although the probability is unlikely, but not impossible! Compared to other events, hotbed of the euro seems to be best suited to grow with less, 1992 Denmark fairy tales, 2004 Greece miracle, are typical examples of traditional strong contrast, but both teams successfully cheat codes are conservative tactics and deadly raids. Perhaps this style for the team of the first League out from the world, and some are too low, but for a team suffering from injury, serious lack of break-in, mostly young players of the team, it is a short cut to success recently. You know, assuming Milner Buddhism into, England and even in first beat European Cup winning odds after Spain and Germany France rooster, if luck favors the mustering the character of England, maybe put on stage of European Championship will be the miracle.The article is transferred from /blog

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Five Best Goals Ever: Great Goals at European Championships - Sports - Football

Marco van Basten (Netherlands v USSR, Final, 1988)

The Netherlands and Van Basten were outstanding throughout Euro 88 but the goal for which the former AC Milan striker will forever be remembered came in the final.

The Dutch were already leading 1-0 through a Ruud Gullit strike in Munich when Arnold Muhren hit a looping cross over the Soviet defence to Van Basten wide on the right.

Van Basten hardly seemed to have an angle to score and most people expected him to attempt to bring the ball under control.

Instead, he twisted and met it full on the volley, displaying excellent technique as he hit a shot that flew past a stunned Rinat Dasaev into the top corner.

The goal secured the Netherlands' first and so far only major tournament success.

Van Basten said: "You know, you need a lot of luck with a shot like that - everything went well. It is one of these things that sometimes just happen.

"I can tell a lot of stories, but it was just a fantastic feeling.

"I have to be happy and thankful that such a moment was given to me and to Holland."

Tomas Brolin (Sweden v England, Group match, 1992)

England were infamously dumped out of Euro 92 by hosts Sweden in Stockholm after spurning numerous chances to add to David Platt's early opener.

Jan Eriksson equalised after the interval and Sweden went on to establish a stranglehold which was capped by Brolin's stunning 82nd-minute winner.

Brolin, the star of the team, powered forward and played dazzling one-twos with Klas Ingesson and Martin Dahlin before hitting a first-time shot past Chris Woods.

England were unable to respond and seemed drained as they realised their tournament was coming to an end.

Afterwards, the English press turned on manager Graham Taylor, criticising him for substituting star striker Gary Lineker.

Brolin's reputation in England was later damaged after a forgettable spell at Leeds.

Alan Smith, who replaced Lineker in the game, said: "1-0 up against Sweden, we should have closed them out.

"But we gave away a sloppy goal at the start of the second half and from then on were on the back foot.

"The momentum was all with them and Tomas Brolin scored a great goal to win it."

Paul Gascoigne (England v Scotland, Group match, 1996)

Gascoigne was vilified by the press pre-tournament for his role in the 'dentist's chair' drinking game during England's infamous warm-up tour of Hong Kong.

But he responded in typically brilliant fashion on the field and a stunning strike against Scotland was the obvious highlight.

England led 1-0 thanks to an Alan Shearer header but Scotland were threatening until Gascoigne - then at Rangers - chased a pass into the box on the left and cheekily lifted the ball over Colin Hendry's head.

He followed up and met the ball on the volley as it dropped, firing a low shot past Andy Goram for one of the great Wembley goals.

Not forgetting his media critics, he celebrated by sliding to the ground and urging team-mates to squirt water into his mouth - a re-enactment of the night of debauchery in Hong Kong.

"People often ask me whether that's the best goal I've ever scored - and it was a memorable one," said Gascoigne.

"In terms of what the goal meant, you couldn't beat it. I was playing in Scotland for Rangers at the time, so it was really sweet.

"And to have 70,000-odd fans singing your name is just unbelievable."

Ronnie Whelan (Republic of Ireland v USSR, Group match, 1988)

Jack Charlton's Ireland were not known for their finesse but Whelan showed plenty of it when he struck one of the tournament's great goals in Hannover.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it came from a direct source as Mick McCarthy launched a long throw-in across the edge of the penalty box.

Liverpool midfielder Whelan showed agility and technique as he launched himself and connected with a stunning volley from 18 yards.

It flew into the net and gave the Irish more to cheer after beating England in their opening game.

Manager Charlton said: "It was a tremendous throw from Mick. He didn't launch it into the goalmouth, he actually threw the ball to the edge of the box and Ronnie volleyed it over the top of his head.

"Most goals that you enjoy come as a shock, and I will remember that one for a long time."

Unfortunately, it was not to last for Ireland as Oleh Protasov equalised for the Soviet Union 16 minutes from time.

Ireland were still well placed to qualify but were beaten by the Netherlands in their last group game while the Soviet Union went on to reach the final.

Davor Suker (Croatia v Denmark, Group match, 1996)

Croatia embarrassed reigning champions Denmark with an ultimately convincing 3-0 win at Hillsborough, with Suker's sublime chip rounding off their performance.

Suker put his side into the lead from the penalty spot and then created a second for Zvonimir Boban 12 minutes from time after a scare when Brian Laudrup hit the woodwork.

It was no more than Croatia, making their first appearance in a major tournament, deserved and there was still time for Suker to wrap up victory in style.

Denmark's legendary goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel raced upfield for a corner and was left frantically backtracking as Croatia launched a quick counter-attack.

He just about made it back to his goal but it was to no avail as Suker took the ball in his stride on the left and then lifted it up and over the Manchester United star with his left boot.

Suker said: "He [Schmeichel] looks frightening when he is on the goal-line but you have not to be scared. It was one of the most beautiful goals I ever scored."

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Billy Casper - A Giant Among Golfers - Family - Pregnancy

Billy Casper turned 81 yesterday (June 24th), something that will come as a surprise to those of us who didn't even know he had celebrated his 80th. When Arnold Palmer became an octogenarian in September 2009, Jack Nicklaus made it to 70 in January 2010, and Gary Player completed his first 75 years in November 2010, golf fans from Hualalai to Hoylake to Hirono certainly knew about it. And quite rightly too. This trio of superstars, led of course by the always-entertaining Palmer, did so much to popularize the game worldwide, winning 34 major championships and more than 370 professional titles between them. Casper's comparative lack of fame explained why his anniversary didn't receive nearly the level of attention paid his three contemporaries. But, based on his record, Casper surely deserves better. Casper's list of accomplishments in the game is a long one. In the 1960s, the San Diego native won the same number of PGA Tour events as Nicklaus (33), three more than Palmer, and 25 more than Player. During the 26 years he played the Tour full-time (1955-1981), he won 9.2 percent of the 556 tournaments he started - third in Tour history behind only Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. He won the Tour's Vardon Trophy - awarded to the player with the lowest scoring average - five times, which is one more than Palmer and five more than both Player and Nicklaus (to be fair, Nicklaus never qualified for the award because he played too few rounds to be eligible). Casper's 51 Tour victories rank seventh on the all-time list, ahead of players like Walter Hagen, Tom Watson, Gene Sarazen, and Phil Mickelson. And, as a member of eight winning U.S. Ryder Cup teams, he accumulated 23 points, the most by any American. Had he been represented half as well as Palmer, Nicklaus and Player, whose manager Mark McCormack first labeled them the "Big Three" in 1962, Casper would probably be a darling of the Golf Channel and various golf magazines now, having built highly-successf ul course design and club manufacturing companies, and developed a lucrative business out of the "Billy Casper"-brand buffalo, elk, hippo and bear steaks (Casper began his unconventional diet in 1964 to combat serious environmental allergies). His firm Billy Casper Golf, a golf course owner and management company that operates 125 facilities in 27 states, is the second largest of its type. But that doesn't quite do for Casper what some of the Big Three's business enterprises have done for them. For Casper, a man of great integrity and grace, the lost opportunities actually mean very little, and it's somehow pleasing to know he doesn't bear anyone any grudges. "I don't harbor any animosity at all," he says. "Why would I? I've been very blessed in my life." Shortly after winning the U.S. Open at Winged Foot in 1959, Casper did actually sign on with McCormack's National Sports Management (soon to become International Management Group), which had already inked Palmer and was als o looking to lure Player, Dow Finsterwald, Art Wall and big-hitting Georg Bayer. But Casper stayed with IMG for only a couple of years, choosing to break away with McCormack's former business partner Dick Taylor after becoming a little disillusioned with the way McCormack did business. "Mark had a sort of team mentality," says Casper. "If a client wanted Palmer to appear at a corporate outing, they'd have to take another player in the stable too. I didn't really like that and didn't want to rely on Arnold or have other players relying on me to get off-course income." (It could be argued that McCormack missed a big opportunity, too. With the Beatles on their way to becoming the most successful recording artists ever, how easy might it have been to promote "Golf's Fab Four'"?) Taylor, like McCormack, was very ambitious and established a big-money event called the Carling World Championship. After Casper won it in Toronto in 1967, the tournament lost its audience, however, and closed down. Taylor was soon out of the business, leaving Casper on his own. He joined Ed Barner's Uni-Managers International group (UMI), which also boasted Johnny Miller and Seve Ballesteros among its clients, but the relationship never blossomed like the Big Three's had with McCormack. "Of course things could have turned out very differently had I stayed with Mark," says Casper. "But you live by your decisions. I've had an unbelievable life. I've enjoyed things that are far more important than professional success. Really, I'm very grateful to Mark for what he did for golf. And you know what, I'm getting more recognition nowadays than I ever did before." Casper certainly got his share of the limelight at the U.S. Open in mid-June 2012. Back at the Olympic Club, the scene of his most famous victory - the 1966 U.S. Open where he beat Palmer in a playoff the day after rallying from seven shots down with nine to play - Casper enjoyed a week of functions and outings that inclu ded appearances on the Golf Channel and in the media tent, and a special moment at the trophy presentation when he and 1955 champion Jack Fleck got to stand with newly-crowned champion Webb Simpson. "I had such an amazing week in San Francisco," says Casper a few days after the Open had ended. "To be honest, I didn't really know what to expect before I left for California, but it was all so exciting, and what an honor to be part of the trophy ceremony. Earlier in the week, I got a hug from my good friend Tiger Woods, and I attended a couple of special dinners away from the course. I spent some time in the merchandise tent with Andy Zhang, who is a very impressive young man, and I got to go out to the 11th green and recreate the putt I hit during the playoff in '66. There was a good gallery there, and they didn't want me to leave. It was a lot of fun." On top of all that, Casper also spent a few hours signing copies of his superb autobiography entitled "The Big Three and Me," which he worked on for two years with writers James Parkinson and Lee Benson. "People ask me why it took so long to get 'round to publishing a book like this," he says. "The timing had just never been right. I always wanted to work with a writer who understood both the life of a professional athlete and someone from the Mormon Church of which I've been a member since 1966." When, at last, he found his man/men, Casper would sit for up to four hours at a time reeling off story after story which Benson tape-recorded. "Lee would ask me three or four questions during a typical session and I'd spend the rest of the time talking," says Casper. "Lee said he'd never seen or heard anyone remember things so vividly from so long ago. And he says I come up with stuff at book signings and other events that he's never heard before. So he jokes there's enough material for another book." By now, you've probably begun to appreciate how remarkably sharp-witted and robust Casper is for an 81-y ear-old man, but the truth is you don't know the half of it. At 6 a.m. on the Monday after an exhausting week at the U.S. Open, Casper was on a plane back to Utah where he lives with Shirley, his wife of 59 years (they celebrate 60 years of wedded bliss on June 28th). There, he attended a charity tournament for 140 players, and he was at another 100-plus-player tournament the following day. On the next Wednesday afternoon, he addressed 80 club professionals at a Utah PGA Section seminar, and after three days' rest and relaxation visiting with his youngest granddaughter (one of 34) and her three boys (three of 15 great grandchildren), he was on a plane to Pittsburgh to play in the Grand Champions pro-am at the Constellation Senior Players Championship. In April, a week after attending the Champions Dinner at the Masters - he won his green jacket in 1970, beating friend Gene Littler in a playoff - Casper played in the Demaret Division (age 70 and over) at the Liberty Mutual Le gends of Golf alongside Ken Still. And early in July, he will fly to Monte Carlo where he will board the Crystal Serenity and, for 12 days, give clinics to passengers en route to Lisbon. "I love doing the cruises," says Casper. "I do a couple a year. Last summer we were in Ireland and had Christy O'Connor come on board. It was the highlight of the trip." Casper estimates he's away from home about 150 days a year. "In 2011, I made two international trips and about eight major trips in the U.S. I do get worn out, but I just love meeting people. I'm enjoying life so much now. I don'thave to be so busy, I choose to be busy because I love it." For now, August seems pretty clear (likely to fill up though), but in September Casper will be in the air and on the road again, appearing first at the Junior Ryder Cup at Olympia Fields Country Club in south Chicago, where he will impart his wisdom to 24 of the best young players - male and female - on either side of the Atlantic. He'll th en move 45 miles north to Medinah Country Club and the actual Ryder Cup, where he will be a guest of the PGA of America as a past captain - Casper led the U.S. side to victory in 1979, the first year continental Europeans were part of the contest. "I'm really looking forward to that," he says. "It's become such an exciting event, and this year will be no different. It's going to be a battle and will be extremely close. For the U.S., a lot will depend on how (captain) Davis Love manages his team." Casper believes the role of the captain has changed a good deal in the 33 years since he took control of a team that included Lee Trevino, Hale Irwin, Lanny Wadkins and Larry Nelson. "It's so much bigger now," he says. "And the Europeans are always united. It's tough for the U.S. captain to get his players together regularly and build team unity. That will be one of Davis's biggest tasks." Clearly, even though 17 years have passed since he played a full schedule on the Champions To ur, Casper is acutely aware of what's going on in professional golf. "Oh sure, I keep up with it," he says. "I know Luke is No. 1 in the world. And I know Tiger went back up to number four after winning the Memorial." As for the state of the game, Casper says he likes that it has become truly global and that the PGA Tour has begun playing tournaments in Asia at the end of the official FedEx Cup season. "Golf creates goodwill wherever it is played," he says. On the flip side, however, he feels strongly that the top players don't play often enough. "It took me 14 years to earn a million dollars," he says. "These days, players can make that for winning a single tournament and, while the financial rewards are obviously very nice, they can also have a negative effect as the player who wins a lot of money can lose a little motivation to repeat his success." And, like Palmer, Nicklaus and a number of other players whose opinion golfers respect, Casper believes equipment is having a negative impact on the professional game. "I like what the improvements in technology have done for the average golfer," he says. "Better shafts, balls and club-fitting have helped the average player improve far quicker than he used to be able to. But I think it has changed the way professionals play golf, and not necessarily for the better."Course management, says Casper, has become something of a lost art. If you drive it 300 yards then hit the green with a lofted approach that stops immediately, it doesn't really matter what type of course you're playing, he contends. "One course ends up playing much like another," he adds. "The pros can just fire for pin after pin most of the time. Hogan used to dissect courses. He studied them, hit practice shots into greens from every conceivable angle just to see how the ball would react. "I think the USGA has occasionally gone too far with the U.S. Open set-up, but I think narrower fairways and thicker rough might be the best way to set up a course nowadays. Put the emphasis on finding the fairway, and don't give players the Cheap NFL Jerseys freedom to smash the ball as far as they can and leave themselves a straightforward short-iron to the green. I think par is a good standard, and the Tour should strive to keep it safe." Something that definitely is safe is Billy Casper's place in the list of history's greatest-ever golfers, even if the 1978 Hall of Fame inductee never did receive the recognition a player with his record had every right to expect. Today, he's content, healthy-ish (a recent diagnosis of amyloid cardiomyopathy - which causes undigested proteins to be deposited in his heart and leaves him short of breath at times - obviously hasn't slowed him down much), and enjoying a schedule that includes a little golf, a lot of travel and plenty of charity work with the San Diego Junior Golf Association and his own Youth Foundation. Billy Casper clearly succeeded at the game of golf. But, with an uncommon generosity of spirit and compassion for his fellow man, many will tell you he's done even better at the game of life.

sports

Pearce Names Team GB Squad - Sports - Soccer

Stuart Pearce has selected five Welsh and 13 English players for Great Britain's men's Olympic squad for London 2012.

Pearce has not picked any Scottish or Northern Irish players for the tournament.

The announcement of the squad confirmed that David Beckham has missed out with Ryan Giggs, Craig Bellamy and Micah Richards named as the three over-age players allowed - all the others have to be under-23.

Swansea have three players named, the most of any club - Scott Sinclair, Joe Allen and Neil Taylor, while Tottenham defender Steven Caulker, who has also been included, was on loan at the Liberty Stadium last season.

Chelsea's Daniel Sturridge is also chosen, as is Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey and Manchester United Tom Cleverley. Tottenham's Gareth Bale would have been selected but has been ruled out due to injury.

Pearce said: "It has not been an easy task to finalise my squad for this tournament, and the stature of the competition and uniqueness of the occasion has underlined the importance of every choice I have made.

"With just 18 places it is very different from other international tournaments, the options are limited, but it is the Olympic Games and every player in this squad should be very proud they have a chance to compete for a gold medal on home soil.

"I remember the huge advantage we gained from playing in front of our own fans during Euro 96, and I'm sure with the nation behind us it could be a fantastic tournament for us."

London 2012 will be the first time that Team GB have competed in the men's football competition since the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, where they finished third in their group. Team GB kick off their campaign at Manchester's Old Trafford against Senegal on July 26, play the United Arab Emirates at Wembley on July 29, before their final group fixture against Uruguay at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium on August 1.

Team GB chef de mission Andy Hunt said: "After a 52-year absence from the Olympic Games, it is fantastic to welcome the men's football squad to Team GB for London 2012. Representing your country at the Olympic Games is a very unique, special experience and I am sure this talented and determined group of men's footballers will play a full part as members of Team GB at our home Olympic Games.

"The squad selected possesses a good blend of youth and experience, with 16 of the 18 selected athletes playing their football at the very highest level in the Premier League last season. In Stuart Pearce they have an experienced and passionate manager and I am sure the younger players will learn a lot from their time with Team GB at the Olympic Games.

"Football fans from the across the UK are regarded worldwide as among the most passionate and knowledgeable supporters in the world and this summer offers a unique opportunity to get behind Team GB on home soil. I am confident that this famous vocal support will drive the young players on to produce many memorable and inspirational performances at the Olympic Games this summer."

Squad:

Jack Butland (Birmingham), Jason Steele (Middlesbrough); Ryan Bertrand (Chelsea), Steven Caulker (Tottenham), Craig Dawson (West Brom), Micah Richards (Manchester City), Neil Taylor (Swansea), James Tomkins (West Ham); Joe Allen (Swansea), Tom Cleverley ( Manchester United ), Jack Cork (Southampton), Ryan Giggs (Manchester United), Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal), Danny Rose (Tottenham), Scott Sinclair (Swansea); Craig Bellamy (Liverpool), Marvin Sordell (Bolton), Daniel Sturridge (Chelsea).

Le bilan de l'Euro 2012

maillot de footFussball trikots

How Can You Benefit From The Effects Of Quitting Smoking - Health

Recently, you decided to quit smoking but dread the uphill battle. What are the effects of quitting smoking that you may enjoy? Find one reason in this article to motivate your desire in giving up smoking.

According to American Cancer Society, the first 20 minutes after you stop smoking, your blood pressure and heart rate return to normal. The carbon monoxide level in the blood starts to drop. This improves your circulation. The next 24 hours, the risk of developing heart attack drops. Following 48 hours, you can smell and taste better. The mucus in the lung starts to clear up. After 1 year, your risk of coronary heart disease declines by 50% as compared to a smoker. By 10 years, your risk of dying from lung cancer equals that of non-smokers. Your heart disease becomes non-threatening at the end of 15 years. It will be as though you never smoked before. Stop the effects of toxic chemicals building up in your system by deciding NOW to cease smoking cigarettes.

When you quit smoking, you add more years to your life. In 2002, Donald Taylor, an assistant research professor of Duke University conducted a study on how quitting smoking can affect life expectancy. Surprisingly, he found that when 65-year old female smokers quit, their life expectancy increased to almost four years. Those who give up smoking at 35 years old could live longer by up to eight and one-half years. If you like to know how smoking affects your life span, check this interactive tool at /topic/smoking/motivation/tooldoc/healthwise/popup/calc013;_ylt=AvUr9MU33lh0bVmh7g_q44HCtcUF.

Even though your family members or friends don't smoke, the passive smoking can endanger their health. Experts agree that second hand smoke can cause cancer. A study showed that non-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke faced a higher risk of lung cancer by 18 to 32 percent than those not exposed. The risks increases in proportion to the duration of exposure. Think about it, if you stop smoking now, you can save the lives of your family.

Saving money may be the right kind of motivation for you. Calculate how much you can save in a year. With that savings, reward yourself with something special such as a vacation. Don't let your money go up in smoke.

Being addicted to nicotine puts you out of control of your life. The effect of nicotine binds your freedom. By giving up smoking, you can be free from nicotine. If you smoke heavily, you may need help such as nicotine replacement therapy and Zyban to end your addiction.

Don't pass up these favorable effects of quitting smoking. Find one good reason to say no to tobacco products. Consult your doctor for smoking cessation programs that can help you to get rid of this smoking habit.

Andy Lim, a health enthusiast, writes "How To Give Up Smoking" articles. If you want to quit smoking for good, visit to better understand the consequences of smoking.

Buying Guide for a High End Acoustic Guitar - Entertainment - Music

So you want to buy a really classy high end acoustic guitar but don't want to waste your money without doing some proper research first. If you have, say, 2000 (that's about $4,000) to spend you could pretty much get any brand you like. Even a custom hand made model could be available with this kind of budget.

Generally there are two things to bear in mind - body size and neck size.

The three body sizes to consider are the 000 size (smallish) the dreadnought size, (standard looking acoustic) and jumbo (big). Broadly speaking the larger the body the deeper (or bigger the sound) although choice of woods for the top (where the soundhole is) and the back and sides also is a big variable here.

The choice is down to what sounds good to you but if you finger pick try a cedar (reddish colour) top which will give a slightly softer sound with more mid. Many strummers choose a spruce (light coloured) top which can give a punchier, harder sound. The wood for the back and sides has a bearing too. Many exotic woods can be used but the classic options are rosewood, mahogany and ebony.

The other size consideration is fingerboard width and neck size. Neck size is personal preference. Although I have smaller hands I prefer a fatter neck but if you have small hands and fingers you might prefer a narrower fingerboard width. Just check that it's not too small to comfortably play chords with.

Take your time choosing and play as many models as you can before making a decision. I'd go to a place like Denmark Street in London or Guitar Centre in the US where they have loads of guitars try. Take your time and don't make a snap decision.

As far as brands are concerned these are my thoughts.

Taylor � " all models very easy to play. Try their T5 too which is a hybrid acoustic electric which is especially easy to play particularly if your mainly going to be playing through a PA system.

A friend of mine went to Brook guitars in Devon and was very satisfied. They or any decent custom maker should talk you through body and wood options vs. sound differences. It will take a while to build but if you choose right will last a lifetime.

Another alternative is Avalon guitars in Newtonards near Belfast. These guys are all worship leaders so should understand your needs. Give them a call as although they do lots of off the peg models at dealers they may make something for you (or at least advise you on the phone) for that kind of money. They also used to sell seconds directly from the factory at pretty large discounts so that worth checking because I couldn't tell the difference between a first and a second.

Martin 000 series. This is the standard 'small' guitar so worth looking at as a bench mark.

Mcpherson guitars � " based in Nashville /. I've just got one and they are very, very nice. The sound hole is offset which helps tone and projection and as there are only a handful in the UK at present so this would be a really unique instrument for you. Mcpherson are a boutique maker so they can talk you through options, woods etc. It's a bit like having a tailor made suit and as you order directly from the US the current pound dollar situation gives you a very good guitar for the money. Much better in fact than buying from a retail shop here. For instance, a $4500 (circa 2250) guitar over there would cost you over 4000 pounds here if you ordered through a dealer.

Andy Chamberlain () is co-founder of Musicademy, a music school that produces DVDs, online lessons and practical training in contemporary instruments both in [/downloads_rock_and_pop_guitar.html rock & pop music] and for [ church based musicians]. Go to the website for DVD and online instruction in worship guitar, keyboards, bass, drums and singing.Read the article in

Rays and Red Sox Square Off - Sports - Baseball

One of the most intriguing stories of last years Major League Baseball season was the Tampa Bay Rays.

The perennial doormat of the AL East, the Rays had a season for the ages, beating out perennial division power Boston Red Sox, for last years division titleTampa Bay finished the regular season with a record of 97-65 while Boston finished second with a 95-67. Online sportsbooks had the Rays listed in the MLB future odds as longshots to win anything in 2008.

Boston and Tampa Bay went on to face one another in the AL championship series with the Rays once again prevailing, in seven games, for the AL pennant; the Rays would lose to the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series.

The two teams opened this years regular season with a four-game set at Fenway with one game being postponed and the Rays going 2-1 in the other three games.

Glancing at the standings today, it looks like as if the past is being revisited as Boston is sitting atop the division (tied with Toronto) with a 14-7 record while Tampa Bay is in the basement with a record of 8-14.

Starting today, the two will begin another four-game series, this time at Tampa Bay, with SPORTSBETTING.com listing both teams listed at -110 for tonights game and the Total set at 9.

One of the reasons for the Rays current woes is their home record but while Tampa Bay is 2-5 at Tropicana Field this season, they have been far more profitable when hosting the Boston Red Sox going 13-7 SU and 8-12 O/U in the last 20 games against its division rival.

The BoSox will send Josh Beckett to the mound tonight and while the righty is 11-9 in his last 20 road games, his last six trips to Tampa Bay resulted in a 2-4 record SU and on the Over/Under. However, in Becketts last 10 Thursday road games, he is 7-3.

Meanwhile, the Rays will rely on Matt Garza on the mound tonight.

Garzas home record in the last 20 games, like Beckett on the road, is 11-9 and he is an identical 8-12 O/U record in the same time.

Unlike Beckett, Garza has a winning record at home against the BoSox going 4-0 SU and 1-3 O/U.

The sports betting public are leaning to the Red Sox in this one, as early betting action has 68% of the volume landing on the crew from Beantown.

Game 2 goes Friday with righty Justin Masterson taking the mound for Boston and righty Andy Sonnanstine going for the home team.

When going up against right-handed pitchers, Boston has gone 12-8 in its last 20 games and 7-1 in its last eight.

Tampa Bay on the other hand, is Even Stephen in its last 20 games against right-handers, going 10-10.

Masterson is 7-4 in his last 11 games while Sonnanstine has dropped his last five games in a row and 0-4 on the Over/Under in his last four.

It will be right-hander Tim Wakefields turn in the rotation for Boston on Saturday and ditto for righty Jeff Niemann for Tampa Bay.

Wakefield is 3-4 in his last seven tilts at Tropicana Field and 0-4 in his last four; he has also gone 2-5 on the O/U in his last seven games in Tampa Bay.

Wakefields last eight Saturday games have produced a 6-2 record and 8-straight Overs.

Niemann is 3-3 in his last six and 2-4 on the Over/Under.

The rubber match goes Sunday and it will see Bostons Brad Penny going against Tampa Bays James Shields.

Before signing with the BoSox, Penny pitched in the NL, so he hasnt seen much action against the Rays; his lifetime record against Tampa Bay is 1-2.

Penny isnt a profitable Sunday pitcher either, going 8-12 in his last 20 Sunday road games.

Shields isnt much better against Boston at home either, going 2-5 in his last seven home games against the BoSox and he is 2-9 in his last 11 games against the Sox overall.

While its too early to tell if Boston and Tampa Bay will be battling out for the AL East division, this weekends series should still bring some drama.

Enjoy all the action and be sure to check out all the baseball lines at SPORTSBETTING.com

Kevin Taylor is a veteran handicapper and student of the sports betting world. He has written for several media outlets, focusing on sports, sports betting and online poker.

Taxi (Season 3) DVD Review - Entertainment

With its biting humor and eccentric characters, Taxi is widely lauded as one of the top sitcoms in television history. The brainchild of James L. Brooks, whose golden touch played a role in such hits as The Andy Griffith Show, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and The Simpsons, Taxi continues to entertain and gather generations of new fans through syndicated reruns. With a superb cast and great writers, the show introduced the world to the comedic talents of Hollywood mainstays like Danny DeVito, Tony Danza, Marilu Henner, Christopher Lloyd, and Andy Kaufman.

Taxi follows the daily operations of the Sunshine Cab Company, a New York City taxi service run by tyrannical dispatcher Louie De Palma (Danny DeVito). De Palma's self-centered sarcastic remarks are often dispensed from the safety of his pathetically small office in the corner of the body shop, while various employees like Alex Reiger (Judd Hirsch), Tony Banta (Danza), and Elaine Nardo (Henner) socialize and plot against their common enemy. Add foreign mechanic Latka Gravas (Kaufman) to the mix and all the ingredients are in place for hours of endless laughter. As the characters deal with problems of varying degree in their personal lives, the audience is treated to some of the best comedy ever produced for the small screen.

The Taxi (Season 3) DVD features a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere "Louie's Rival" in which Louie's girlfriend Zena dumps him for a bartender at Mario's. Danny DeVito provides another hilarious performance as the heartless Louie... Other notable episodes include "The Costume Party" in which the gang crashes a luxury yacht party in the hopes of meeting some famous people, and "Bobby and the Critic" in which Bobby happens upon one of the theater critics who recently bashed his performance.

Below is a list of episodes included on the Taxi (Season 3) DVD:

Episode 47 (Louie's Rival) Air Date: 11-19-1980Episode 48 (Tony's Sister and Jim) Air Date: 11-26-1980Episode 49 (Fathers of the Bride) Air Date: 12-03-1980Episode 50 (Elaine's Strange Triangle) Air Date: 12-10-1980Episode 51 (Going Home) Air Date: 12-17-1980Episode 52 (The Ten Percent Solution) Air Date: 01-07-1981Episode 53 (The Call of the Mild) Air Date: 01-21-1981Episode 54 (Latka's Cookies) Air Date: 02-05-1981Episode 55 (Thy Boss's Wife) Air Date: 02-12-1981Episode 56 (The Costume Party) Air Date: 02-19-1981Episode 57 (Elaine's Old Friend) Air Date: 02-26-1981Episode 58 (Out of Commission) Air Date: 03-12-1981Episode 59 (Zen and the Art of Cab Driving) Air Date: 03-19-1981Episode 60 (Louie's Mother) Air Date: 03-26-1981Episode 61 (Bobby's Roommate) Air Date: 04-09-1981Episode 62 (Louie Bumps Into an Old Lady) Air Date: 04-16-1981Episode 63 (Bobby and the Critic) Air Date: 04-30-1981Episode 64 (On the Job: Part 1) Air Date: 05-07-1981Episode 65 (On the Job: Part 2) A ir Date: 05-14-1981Episode 66 (Latka the Playboy) Air Date: 05-21-1981

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of the Taxi (Season 3) DVD.

Antique 'canned laughter' machines will raise a smile at Don Presley Auctions - Hobbies

The calibre of antiques in Don Presley's June 25-26 sale of antiques and fine art is expected to ignite serious bidding, but watch the mood lighten when two circa-1953 American pop-culture icons are presented at the podium: Charles Rolland Douglass's "LaffBox" and the "Jayo Laugher" invented by I Love Lucy's legendary creator/producer Jess Oppenheimer.Each of the trailblazing recording devices is a prototype, developed around the same time and with a similar purpose in mind: to house a library of sounds - specifically "canned" laughter and audience applause - which could be summoned with the tap of a key for use during the taping of TV shows.The thigh-slapping history of the two laugh machines crossed paths earlier this year when Don Presley publicly announced he would be auctioning the "Laffbox" in his May sale.Discovered in a storage locker, the LaffBox was accompanied by a thick, neatly organized binder that documented its origin and use over the years. Based on the con tents of the binder, Presley believed the LaffBox to be unique and publicised it as such.Shortly after news of the LaffBox discovery was made public, Presley was contacted by the late Jess Oppenheimer's son, Gregg Oppenheimer, who informed the auctioneer that his father had invented a laugh machine that possibly pre-dated the LaffBox. It was called the Jayo Laugher.It seems that while Jess Oppenheimer (1913-1988) was developing his Jayo Laugher in 1953, a CBS sound engineer named Charles Douglass (1910-2003) was quietly developing a similar device of his own, which he dubbed the LaffBox.Had Oppenheimer known a competing machine was in the works, he might have placed a greater priority on the completion of his Jayo Laugher, but he did not learn of the LaffBox's existence until reading about it in a newspaper article. At that point, the race was on.As reported in the Dec. 16, 1954 issue of the show business publication Daily Variety, Oppenheimer and Douglass waged a neck-and-n eck battle over which of their devices would receive a critically important U.S. patent.

In the end, the patent went to the Douglass, whose LaffBox was stocked with titters, chuckles and recorded during the taping of I Love Lucy - ironically, the TV show Oppenheimer had created.After Roland was awarded the patent for his LaffBox, Oppenheimer scuttled the Jayo Laugher project. But his ingenious prototype - described as being capable of emitting "yocks ranging from snickers to giggles" to laughs of all lengths and intensity, "plus sundry variations of each" - was retired to the Oppenheimer family archive.Douglass's LaffBox went on to provide taped laughter and applause for more than 20,000 TV shows over several decades to follow, including The Beverly Hillbillies, The Munsters, The Brady Bunch and The Andy Griffith Show."Anyone who has ever watched a comedy show on television has probably heard sounds that came from the LaffBox," said Presley. "Charlie Douglass knew he had something special. He was very secretive about its inner workings and guarded it with his life. He kept it padlocked when it wasn't in use." Douglass traveled throughout the world with his LaffBox, Presley said, running the controls for all types of productions, from sitcoms to telethons, major sports events to beauty pageants.Now the two technological marvels of television history - the original Jayo Laugher and LaffBox - are coming together under one roof, to be auctioned as individual lots on day two of Don Presley's June 25-26 sale.In the case of the Jayo Laugher, it will be giving back to the industry whose pionee rs captured lightning in a jar with the beloved I Love Lucy series.Gregg Oppenheimer and his sister, Jo Oppenheimer Davis, are generously donating the entire proceeds from the sale of Jayo Laugher to the Motion Picture & Television Fund.

This organization was created by early film luminaries including Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith, to provide assistance to members of the entertainment industry who are down on their luck. To ensure every penny goes to the MPTF, Don Presley Auctions is waiving both the auction house commission and the buyer's premium on the sale of the Jayo Laugher.As for the LaffBox, it has already had a successful test run before an auction audience. At his May sale, Presley had bidders laughing - real laughs - as he experimented with the machine. "When someone won a piece, I'd hit the button for applause," Presley said. "If I told a dumb joke and no one laughed, I could hit another button and avoid embarrassment. It's actually an auctioneer's best friend."But all jokes aside, Presley said the two laugh machines are unquestionably important relics of broadcasting history."Canned laughter may be electronic now, but these two mechanical prototypes were p ioneers in their time. Both should be in the Smithsonian or some other museum that has an American pop culture or 20th-century technology collection."The value of antique technology as an alternative investment should not be underestimated either.

For images and more see Paul Fraser Collectibles: your #1 source for global collectibles news

Paul Fraser has been involved in high-end collectibles for over 35 years, selling more than $300m of rare items, including John Lennon's childhood stamp album to the Smithsonian. Paul Fraser Collectibles offers a free high-end collectibles newsletter service with expert opinion and advice

17th Annual Raleigh Convention Center Boat Show - Outdoors - Boating

The 17th annual Raleigh Convention Center Boat Show has delivered on its promise to be the biggest and most exciting edition yet of this fantastic annual event! The show features all boat models and types with all the amenities at incredible price points! Monterey Boats and Chatlee Marine are certainly one if the premier featured craft in the show. On display this year Chatlee is showing a Monterey 194FS and the 214 FS. With the many lines represented and limited space Monterey is please to be represented. As Monterey and Chatlee grow together I hope to see more models represented and a broader representation of the Monterey line up.

Chatlee marine has a rich history in this region, sporting over forty years in the Sanford/Raleigh, North Carolina market bringing boaters and boats together and building memories. Jeff and Robbie Yow are the mind as well as the muscle behind Chatlee Marine today. Daily you will see Jeff and Robbie driving an excellent force of forty-five employees to make boating fun and enjoyable! Their facility located in Sanford, NC is a boat shoppers dream. Multiple indoor showrooms to store and display your new boat and the six acre test lake get consumers up and running safe and comfortably. The service facility with certified techs on staff as well as fiberglass repair Chatlee has it all!

This is the first year this show has had an opportunity to present in the all new Raleigh Convention center and everyone is glad to be there. Clearly this facility brings to Raleigh a much needed venue for just such an event. Earlier in the week this area was hit with an amazing 6"-8" of snow. I am sure there were some difficulties with the dealers moving into their display space but everyone made it and it all looks great! The snow melted just in time and the weather has been perfect, a great time for the whole family. This year the crowds have been excellent. The show opened Friday with good attendance and Chatlee was able to connect a few Monterey boats and their new owners. Saturday in my opinion had to have broken record in attendance. The day didn't stop and the sales team did an outstanding job. Sunday poses to be as strong as Saturday and consumers are still coming out in droves. The consumer base in Raleigh, like Atlanta, seem to be educated and asking excellent q uestions bringing them closer to their buying decisions. We would love to see them all in a new Monterey boat!

Thanks to all the staff at Chatlee and Monterey boats for making it all possible and a special thanks to Jeff and Robbie Yow, Matthew Mabe, Robert Faulk, Andy Kraft, Charlton Richardson, Kipp "K Dog" Thompson, Marc Zimmerman Jeff Osborne, Matt Wicker, Chris Martin, Logan Griffith & Scott Knuth

A Marine Industry professional for Monterey Boats, Williston, FL. A Kirk Lewellen is a Marine Industry professional for Monterey Boats, Williston, FL. Kirk covers the Mid-Atlantic regional sales trerritory for Monterey Boats. Kirk is an avid boater, fisherman, and pilot.

Famous TV Shows About Lawyers and the Legal Process - Pop Culture and Law - Law

The legal profession is an entertainment topic but if the truth be told we're all fascinated by the inner workings of the legal profession and the people who keep the wheel of justice turning in our country. Some of the most famous television attorneys are listed below.

Perry Mason - Who can forget Perry Mason and his amazing secretary, Della Street. Perry Mason got lucky as an attorney because all his clients were innocent and he always managed to elicit a dramatic courtroom confession out of the real culprit at the last minute. This show set the standard for many other interesting shows to follow in its footsteps. As a side note: Perry Mason is still on television today as reruns.

Matlock - Matlock was also one of the older and wiser generation attorneys whose television show followed right in line with Perry Mason in that all his clients were innocent. Andy Griffith cast as Ben Matlock was a stroke of genius. I don't know about you, but I kept waiting for Barney, Opie, and Aunt Bea to show up somewhere and was always disappointed when they didn't.

JAG - JAG is a show about attorneys with a military twist. The handsome Navy Commander Harmon Rabb, worked along side Marine Lieutenant Colonel Sarah MacKenzie. Their cases focused on military cases and Harmon won his cases by straddling that very fine line between legal and illegal.

The Practice - This show gave us Bobby Donnell. Bobby always seemed conflicted about the choices he was forced to make because of his profession. This show also showed the unethical, seedy side of the law.

Ally McBeal - This zany law firm showed the funny side of not only the law, but the lives of the lawyers in the firm. The quirky characters and their loves and losses in life made this show a must see for millions of viewers.

If you would like more information on your legal rights following a birth injury, it is important to speak with skilled car and trucking accident attorneys, motorcycle injury accident attorneys, and personal injury lawyers in New York City.

Wally Singer is a freelance writer living in Brooklyn.

Famous TV Shows About Lawyers and the Legal Process - Law and Entertainment - Law

Whether humorous or serious, legal process TV shows have always had a small place on television. Today, more and more shows include lawyers and their courtroom fights, usually as they try to do what's right for their client and put the bad guy behind bars. TV shows about lawyers range far back, and will no doubt continue to run on television for a long time.

Perry Mason featured Dick Van Dyke as the skillful attorney Perry Mason. Luckily for Mr. Mason, his clients were always innocent, and he did everything in his power to prove their innocence so they could walk free. At the last moment in the show, suddenly the real culprit was revealed, and all was well. Even today, you may still be able to find Perry Mason on a channel playing reruns.

Matlock was slightly similar to Perry Mason, this time featuring Andy Griffith as the intrepid Ben Matlock. Not only was Matlock a lawyer, but he also took the time to seek out ways to prove his clients' innocence (which they always were) and could occasionally find himself in a bit of trouble with the real antagonist of the show. Matlock is another show you might be able to find reruns of on TV.

JAG stands for Judge Advocate General; this television show featured attorneys and cases, but was centered in the military world. JAG ran for ten seasons before finally falling off the air. The military intrigue and courtroom drama kept many people glued to their television sets for this show. Because the cases were military-based, it provided an interesting change from the typical lawyer television show.

Currently you can enjoy lawyers, court battles, and the legal process on most shows that feature policemen and detectives, such as C.S.I. and Law & Order. Both of these shows focus mostly on solving cases, but they also contain lawyers and occasional meetings in the courtroom.

But remember, these TV shows are all sensationalized works of fiction, and most attorneys do not act in such fashions and courtrooms are not always filled with excitement. The real legal process is usually much more mundane.

If you would like more information on your legal rights, it is important to speak with skilled New York City car and trucking accident attorneys, New York City auto accident attorneys, and personal injury lawyers in New York City.

Watch TV Shows Online Free Full Episodes No Downloads - Technology

Whenever you need to look up about a certain topic, or whenever you are doing some research� Whenever you wish to contact your distant relatives or your lover who's overseas� Whenever you are bored and want to play a game online, to listen to music, or to watch movies and TV shows� The internet has always been there helping you out. Here, now, is how to watch TV shows online free full episodes no downloads.

Well, what you have to do first is to look for a website that offers this type of service. Doing so won't be that difficult anyway since there are a number of sites over the World Wide Web that does just that. Some website enable users to stream a video online, and others enable users to download it for later viewing. There are even sites that feature a collection of links for the best sites that let you watch full TV episodes online, including those of old TV shows that have long been forgotten.

Examples of classic TV shows include The Honeymooners, Friends, Full House, Home Improvement, I Love Lucy, I Married Joan, The Addams Family, The Andy Griffith Show, The Muppet Show, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Avengers, Good Times, Hawaii Five-O, Happy Days, Growing Pains, MacGyver, The Love Boat, Seinfeld, and Saved ByThe Bell.

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Be careful, though, in choosing your website because not all websites offer this type of service for free. Others require a minimal fee in order to keep the site running, or some ask for a certain amount as subscription fee. But once you have found a promising website, what you should do next is to visit the site and to try to check which movies or television programs they have in their collection. Click on the title of the television show or shows that you want to watch, and start viewing.

But if you want to watch online TV on a bigger screen, such as that of your Plasma TV, then you may do so by simply connecting your personal computer or laptop to your television. You will need a video cable (S-video cable, HDMI cable, or VGA cable) in order to accomplish this.

Indeed, the World Wide Web has always been an ally when it comes to finding information, communicating with distant friends and relatives, and accessing games and other forms of entertainment such as music and movies. This is how to watch TV shows online free full episodes no downloads.

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Go To Watch TV On The Internet or How To Watch TV On Laptop For The Latest Offers.

Watch Classic TV Shows Online - Satellite Direct Online - Technology

If you are looking for classic TV shows, then the internet is the place to look. The World Wide Web holds a vast collection of movies and television shows from the past, be it an old sitcom from the 1970s, a soap opera from the 1980s, or a late night show in the 1990s. Here, now, is how to watch classic TV shows online.

Somewhere in the World Wide Web is a link that will enable you to watch full TV episodes online, including those of old shows that have long been forgotten. What you should do, then, is to find these links. Look for a website that you can trust and that offers this type of service. There are a number of sites that allow users to stream video or to download it for later viewing. While others require a minimal payment or fee, you can also find some sites that offer the service for free.

Examples of classic TV shows include Father Knows Best, Dear John, Cheers, and Adam-12. If you are specifically looking for classic TV shows from the 1950s, then you can try watching The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, The Honeymooners, I Love Lucy, I Married Joan, Leave It To Beaver, The Lone Ranger, and The Danny Thomas Show. Classic TV shows from the 1960s include The Addams Family, The Andy Griffith Show, The Avengers, Bewitched, Batman, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Gilligan's Island, Green Acres, My Favorite Martian, My Three S ons, Star Trek, and The Twilight Zone.

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As for the 1970s, the list of shows includes All In The Family, The Bob Newhart Show, Charlie's Angels, The Brady Bunch, Good Times, Hawaii Five-O, Happy Days, The Jeffersons, Laverne and Shirley, The Muppet Show, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and Three's Company. Bosom Buddies, The Cosby Show, Dallas, The Dukes of Hazzard, The Facts of Life, Family Ties, The Golden Girls, The Greatest American Hero, Growing Pains, MacGyver, The Love Boat, and Miami Vice are just a few examples of classic TV shows from the 1980s.

The list of TV shows that were popular during the 1990s include The Drew Carey Show, Frasier, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Friends, Full House, Home Improvement, Mad About You, Murphy Brown, Quantum Leap, Saved By The Bell, Seinfeld, and The Wonder Years.

So if you are interested in any one of these shows, then what you should do is to access the World Wide Web and watch classic TV shows online.

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Go To How Can I Watch The Internet On My TV or How To Watch TV From Your Laptop For The Latest Offers.

Publishing For Profits Checklist: Are You Doing These 5 Things?

I am an admitted planner and management tool nut. I have about 7 business planners. I have appointment managers. I have the best books, software, notebooks and planning systems from Franklin Covey, Day Runner and just about anyone else on the market.I have a lot of things to balance -- ministry, family, business, golf ... usually in that order :o) and I need planners and reminders to keep me on track.Emphasis is on the REMINDERS.I even have a software program that sends me emails each day reminding me of important appointments and activities.Reminders are a good thing. Sometimes they jar us back to reality like a bone-shaking tackle by a middle linebacker, but, still, they are a good thing.And publishing this article has been a "good thing" for me. It's been a reminder. A reminder of the important things about publishing.You see, if we're not careful, we get into a "rut" when it comes to publishing, specifically in publishing our NEWSLETTERS. While I am no longer publishi ng an ezine, opting to devote my content to articles, reports and mini-courses, many of my subscribers ARE newsletter publishers.So, I've put together this "checklist" of reminders that I have personally experienced during the past few days as my focus has been refreshed.Ask yourself these 5 questions before publishing your next newsletter issue...1. Are you PASSIONATE? One of the things that has drawn me to blogging is the amazing passion of most bloggers. Those who publish a blog are usually those who just love to talk about their particular interest. It's what they talk about when they are OFFLINE. It's what they think about. It's a part of their lives. And they just want to share it with anyone who is willing to listen.When newsletters "began", that was driving force... passion. And, for many, the passion is still alive. And they'd publish their ezine even if they only had a handful of subscribers who were mostly relatives. Doesn't matter. If someone is willing to listen , they'll talk via a newsletter.The focus isn't on the "numbers" (I.E. How many subscribers do I have on my list) but rather is on the "topic", the thing that they can't seem to get enough of, or give enough of.What about you? Is the passion still there?2. Are you PERSONABLE? Spend enough time here and you'll get to know me. More than what I KNOW as a marketer, you'll learn about what I BELIEVE as a fellow human. You'll also get to know about me and my life. Maybe more than you want to know. You'll learn that I am a committed Christian, that I absolutely love to play golf, I have a wonderful wife and little boy and I can quote just about every episode of the Andy Griffith Show.And, to the great dismay and terror of my buddy Ryan Deiss, I will occasionally eat a potted meat sandwich.See, I told you it might be more than you want to know. :o)The point is this: we're going to connect. Sooner or later, you'll get to know me. And I'll become a part of your life, hopefully as a good, positive source of encouragement and guidance.I don't hide behind a mask. I don't pretend to be something that I'm not. You get the real me. There will be times you love me, there will be times you won't love me as much. But, one thing will be certain, you'll see a real person that you can connect with.More than a publisher, I'm a person.That's what folks want. They don't want a "newsletter publisher" sending them mailings every week. They want a "newsletter person" who will be real with them. Someone who can be personal. Some one they can relate to.Someone like themselves.Will you be that person?3. Are you PROVIDING? Let's be honest here: the only thing that will BRING YOU BACK to a site is whether or not you feel like you have gained something in going there. If you've been educated, you'll be back. If you've been entertained, you'll be back. If you have found something to be beneficial to you, then you'll come back over and over again. And you'll stay as long as you continue to gain something.Newsletters should PROVIDE something to their readers. And that's QUALITY content. That's something that either EDUCATES or ENTERTAINS. Or, preferably, BOTH.As a publisher of a newsletter, do you give of yourself to your readers? More than just trying to get them to buy something or do something... are you doing something for them?4. Are you PROVOCATIVE? Learn this truth right now: the most read newsletters are the ones who are hosted by the most opinionated authors. Those who stand up and share their thou ghts, even when those thoughts are controversial and go against popular opinion will always get attention.I'm not saying "go against the grain" just for the sake of stirring up a hornet's nest. Not saying that at all. I'm just saying "Speak your mind." If you've got something to say, say it. If something's bothering you, get it off your chest. Be authentic. Be real.Don't deliberately try to harm or offend, but don't be afraid to stand up and be counted. Some will agree. Some will disagree. (That's okay... because they are entitled to their opinion too.) But all will READ.The point is this: your newsletter is your mouthpiece. You want to guard it against hurtful words, but you always want it to be honest and forthright, sharing the "truth, whole truth and nothing but the truth" about your passion, whether it's traditional or cutting edge in its opinions.5. Are you PROFITABLE? OK, so not all newsletters are out to produce profits. But, for the sake of this "Publishing for PROF ITS" checklist, let's assume that you ARE trying to make money from your ezine. And let's look at how most profitable newsletters make money (those that ARE trying to produce profits)Here it is in a nutshell: They are money makers, but not money grabbers.Yes, you'll see links to my products on my sites. Yes, you'll see an affiliate link here and there. Yes, I'll try to get you on a list. Yes, sooner or later I'd like you to spend some money with me.There, I said it. It's out in the open. No secret there. I provide you with great content (investing in you) and I hope you'll do more business with me (invest in me) down the road.Now, contrast that with how many newsletters are structured these days (admittedly, some of mine were too): They've got a top sponsor ad trying to get your money. They have a classified ad section trying to get your money. There are ads sprinkled throughout the featured article. The resource box at the bottom of that article leads to another place tryin g to get your money. There is a "review" of a product which is embedded with an affiliate link. There are "recommended resources" plugged in there to get you to buy something. There are special solo mailings coming to you as a list member that are designed to get into your wallet.Get the idea?Now, let me say this, not ALL newsletters are like that. I'm just speaking my mind ... you know, being provocative, expressing my opinion. But, let's be honest, most newsletters that ARE trying to make money tend to be more focused on making money from you as a subscriber than providing useful information to you.The lesson I've learned from the popularity of blogging is that it's time to return to the grass root days of publishing an ezine because you've got passion about a subject and there are interested people who want to read it. Give it to them, sprinkle in a few money-making references, and the profits will come.One of the most profitable newsletter publishers I know of in all of internet marketing was Terry Dean. Want to know how he "bombarded" his subscribers with offers? ONE advertisement per issue. TWO or THREE solo mailings per year.That's it.And that's why he is able to make over $30,000 from ONE of those mailings. He provides GREAT content and FEW offers. And people respond.You come a website for CONTENT. If we stop providing it, or start giving you so many sales pitches that you have a hard time finding it, you'll stop coming around. And rightly so.People subscribe to newsletters for the same reason. They want information. Give it to them and sooner or later most will give you their business. Hide it under a mountain of ads and offers and they'll go elsewhere. And who can blame them.So, those are reminders that I have personally had my mind refreshed to recently. And I think I'll be a better publisher because of it.And I think you will too, if you just ask yourself these five questions before you publish your next ezine.