Track & Field: The Other Great Winter Sport

Track & Field is typically known as an outdoor sport and a staple of the Summer Olympics. But in the winter, track and field makes a great transition indoors and keeps its core fan following. The Reggie Lewis Track and Field Center (RLC) in Boston, MA is a top complex of the indoor circuit. High School and professional athletes alike have competed in the facility since its opening in 1995.

I had the opportunity to run at RLC having attended a top public school in the state. It was a most comical event. Not only did I just win the race, I kept running. Past the finish line, around the curve, down the straightaway…I thought the race was still going. Needless to say, everyone in the stands was on their side laughing in hysteria.

But I digress. With the indoor season nearly over, click the shaded space below and see a recent event at the premiere facility—the Men’s 60m Dash at the 2010 Reebok Indoor Games.


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Stormy Weather Market Zealots

The recent snow storms have reminded me of something. They’ve reminded me how important it is to live on the bare necessities. Why? Because having all that you need may still not be enough.

To elaborate, we all know what happens when bad weather is predicted. People run to the market in droves. They’ll get off work early or even car pool to the market. All day there is steady flow of people in and out of the store just to pick up (typically):
• Bread
• Milk (sometimes people who don’t even use milk buy it just in case)
• Toilet Paper

The checkout lines are hellacious, sometimes running the full length of the aisle. Of course after you finally survive the shopping experience, you still have to make it out of the parking lot. Shoppers make it home and feel that they have all they need.

Then the unthinkable happens: the power goes out.

Power is restored sometimes in 5 minutes or 5 hours. But it could also take 5 days or worse. No one thinks about it when they’re in the market but what will you do with all that food. (Most households placed the food outside in the natural freezer.)

Less is definitely more. The benefits:
• Less time at the market and in line
• More money in your pocket (and not thrown out with the food that spoils in the powerless refrigerator)
• An opportunity to be creative in the kitchen with what’s left in your cupboards

So next time a snow storm is predicted, don’t let fear guide you. Just be calm and don’t go to the market…crash at a friend’s house and eat their food!

2010 All-Star Game - NBA: Nothing But All-Stars

The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game was the icing on the cake to a great weekend of events. The game was a premiere event at the brand new Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas. A record number of fans came out in support—over 100,000. Here are the highlights from the game on NBA.com.

Map of Nebraska

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Black History: The Ugly Past with a Beautiful Future

Who thinks about history every day? Most have trouble keeping track of their upcoming schedule, let alone thinking about past appointments. But if we don’t take time every now and then to think about the past, our future is pretty bleak. Without looking back we’ll come to the same hurdles again and again without the answer as to how to get over them.

In recognition of Black History month, here are a few glimpses of the past:
• LIFE magazine covered American history through a lens. Sometimes the lens was clean, while at other times it got dirt in it.
• The HISTORY channel features a segment on civil rights with other interactive elements. Save Our History: Voices of Civil Rights

Black President and all, America still has a long way to go (as well as the world). Let’s start at home first and take it a step at a time.

I once heard someone define insanity as doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result. Looking at the past may be hard, but let’s not go insane.

New Technology: Easier on the Eyes

Amazon’s Kindle and Apple’s iPad tablet highlight a major issue: people need to see!

New technology is REALLY bright! Some devices are so bright they light up a dark room and all while sitting in the palm of your hand.

Yes people need to:
• see text on computers
• read whose calling on their phone
• watch movies and read books

But do people need a spotlight shot it their eyes while doing it. Amazon and Apple answer no with their new devices.

Both devices read easily without glare. The backlighting on the Kindle and iPad provide enough light for the reader without broadcasting that they’ve arrived.

I must admit there was a time when I could watch TV, read computers, see movies. I could do all these things without wearing glasses. These times I refer to as the good-ole-days.

But the time came when I needed a prescription for glasses just to enjoy all these pleasures. Now I’m content just to change the lighting on a document to read it. I know I am not alone in my struggle because of readers of Kindle are increasing (and so are people who wear glasses to see the computer).

One thing that is clear—new technology is turning down the light.

News Flash

Sweet Alexa.com! Today’s segue about website traffic comparing was helpful. I knew there was a way to track it. Now knowing what specific site to use for comparison is great.

Simply:
• Go to the site: http://www.alexa.com/
• Put in anywhere from two to four websites
• Hit list and compare traffic volume

Our demo was pretty revealing too. The number one and two news websites with the highest traffic: CNN and The New York Times. While USA Today and the Washington Post were comparable, the other surprise was MSNBC and Fox News. Both sites had the lowest web traffic overall. I guess they care more about their TV ratings.