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Brazil, Indiana ~ Wednesday, July 23, 2008
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Those five magical and colorful rings
Posted Friday, July 18, at 9:21 PM
The Olympics are just a few weeks away, and I can't wait.
There are so many events to watch and I plan to be glued to the television with nearly every free moment I can sneak. One major event of interest this year, at least for me, will be the 400-meter hurdles. A former high school classmate of mine, Kerron Clement, qualified for the team in this event, and I'd say his chances to win a medal are fairly high. In 2005, he broke the indoor world record in the 400-meter sprint with a time of 44.57. The record was previously held for a decade by the man who made gold shoes famous at the 1996 Olympics, Michael Johnson. He finished second during the Olympic qualifiers last month, but looking at his times, he has been very consistent the past few months, and things look bright for him. The other event of interest this year is basketball. The United States Basketball Team has been a disappointment for me in recent years, not because they have lost, but because the players on the team weren't truly team-oriented, and it didn't surprise me that they have lost. The teams from other countries have two qualities that American players have gotten away from the past 10-15 years: the foreign players have a better team concept and, most importantly, their shooting skills far exceed ours. I do question a few of the choices for the team this year. Carmelo Anthony is a distraction and definitely not a team player, Michael Redd is a gunslinger who likes to shoot every time he gets the ball, and Jason Kidd, well, anyone who watched him after his trade to the Dallas Mavericks knows why I don't like that pick. However, I do like the selections of Carlos Boozer, Tayshaun Prince and Deron Williams for two reasons: rebounding and defense. The defensive intensity has really been lacking on the past couple of Olympic basketball teams and these three players in particular will give that added boost to return the gold medal in basketball back to the USA. I enjoy nearly all the events and once the games end, I will be counting down the days until Feb. 12, 2010, when the Winter Games begin in Vancouver, Canada, because curling finally caught my attention a couple of years ago, and I can't wait to see it again.
The true 'Independence Day?' We recently celebrated a holiday that brings about feelings of nationalism, pride and individuality. July 4 is labeled our "Independence Day," but it is not truly our day of independence. In actuality, the true day of independence for the United States is Jan. 14. On that day in 1784, the Treaty of Paris was approved by the Congress of the Confederation, formally ending the American Revolutionary War...
Over the wall and into the fans ...
Fun with words Over time, words can change meaning or even become less "harsh" or "vulgar." Comedian George Carlin, who died during the weekend, was a master of pointing out, and using, the eccentricities of words. His most famous routine was "The seven words you can't say on television."...
Evolution of a delivery boy As I proceed into another year in my life, I see how much it has changed. Particularly in the past two-and-a-half years. I graduated from college in December 2005 hoping to enter "real life" with a decent job in the next few weeks. But I was wrong. Following graduation, I returned home to my job slinging pizzas thinking it would bridge the gap until one of my job prospects panned out...
A possible "solution?" As gas prices rise ever higher, many people are proposing different solutions to bring them back down. But, in my mind, none of them really have legitimate merit. Most of the "solutions," especially the gas tax holiday, would not work because the oil companies will just raise the prices more to compensate for their "loss."...
Lesser of two negatives Taxes can be a tricky thing to figure out. From the comments on our site, there are some people who are baffled as to how their assessed property values have gone down, but the tax rates have gone up. Each entity (schools, county, city, etc.) receives a certain amount of the property taxes, known as a levy, as part of covering their expenses for the year...
Racing mind moving forward I have to admit, my head is spinning. With work keeping me busy, as always, and the price of everything going up, my mind just never seems to quiet down. On top of that, allergy season is kicking me a good one. Itchy eyes and a runny nose have been plaguing me the past few days, which hasn't helped at all...
Professional baseball in Indiana With the professional basketball season nearing its end, and the "boys of summer" starting to get into their grooves, I decided to look into whether Indiana had professional baseball teams in the past. Most baseball fans are aware of the Indianapolis Indians, who are the minor league affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates...
Does every little thing need a complaint? Lighten up people. As time continues to pass, people seem to be looking for something to complain about. Even the smallest of things, like the changing of a logo, gets people up in arms because they think it is racy or offensive. Are we getting to the point where no one is happy unless they are complaining about something?...
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Hot topics The true 'Independence Day?'(2 ~ 5:24 PM, Jul 21)
Those five magical and colorful rings
Over the wall and into the fans
Fun with words
Does every little thing need a complaint?
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