Like many of today’s action sports, athletics has its origins in the first Olympic Games in Greece. When you start to investigate who invented athletics, you discover that again, like football, athletics disappeared during the “dark” ages and reappeared with a modern organization during the 19th century.

Since they didn’t have jeeps, tanks, and trucks in the ancient world, soldiers took pride in their athleticism. Running was one of the first competitive sports and it’s also one of today’s favorite games. There is some controversy over when exactly the Olympics began, with a gap in conjecture as early as 776 BC. C. until the 9th or 10th century BC. c.

There was also a gap in the games, during the Middle Ages. In 1896, they were held in Athens again, as the organizers tried to revive the old tradition. A feature of these games was what is now known as a “marathon race”. It was called “marathon” in honor of Pheidippides’ race in 490 BC from the Greek city of Marathon to Sparta. He ran all day to warn his fellow soldiers of the Persian invasions at Marathon. That distance was about 149 miles; today’s races are around 26 miles, considerably shorter. When London hosted the 1908 Olympics, his “marathon” race was 26 miles 385 yards (42.195 kilometers), from the starting point to the stadium.

So if you want to consider who invented athletics, you might want to give Pheidippides that honor. However, bronze tripods were discovered before his career, in the 10th century BC. C., which some believe may have been prizes from earlier games at Olympia. Or, if you want to look at the more sophisticated development of athletics, consider the year 1849, in England, when the Royal Military Academy organized its first athletics competition. Maybe they should get credit for who invented athletics?

The old games were eventually expanded to include more running, boxing, wrestling, and a pentathlon with five running, throwing, and jumping events. In the US, organized track and field events date back to the 1860s. Collegiate and amateur groups were formed here in 1873 and 1888 respectively. Organized sporting events for men grew with the first NCAA national championships in 1921. Women, who had only recently received suffrage in the US, were included in the games in 1928. Making history, in 1952, the Soviet Union he sent his first teams to the Olympics. Fierce competition between the USSR and the US continued throughout the Cold War for the next 30 years. In the standard Olympic tradition, wars are suspended for their duration to allow all countries to participate in peace.

Today’s favorite events include multi-sport competitions in Pentathlon (5 sports), Heptathlon (7), and Decathlon (10). The Athletics Congress (USA) and the International Amateur Athletics Congress determine the sports rules. The games are limited to amateurs; professional athletes may not participate or are prohibited.

The era commonly known as Early Modern Warfare began in the mid-15th century and lasted until the late 18th century. The widespread use of gunpowder along with weapons designed to use it dramatically changed methods of warfare.

China had been using gunpowder for centuries before European countries started using it. Cannons were the first common weapons to use gunpowder. But at the time, all guns that used gunpowder were generally large, very heavy, required many men to deploy, and were unwieldy, to say the least. Cannons first appeared in Europe in the late Middle Ages and their main use was to attack castles. The development of the siege cannon quickly made the use of castles and their high walls obsolete as the main defense. The siege cannon meant that the attacker was now favored to be the ultimate winner of the battle. As a result, the character of the defensive position had to be changed. The high castle walls gave way to sloping walls. These sloped walls would deflect cannon fire and allow the main defense mechanism, the wall itself, to remain intact. Castles with their tall and relatively thin walls became obsolete as a defense tool.

Castles gave way to fortresses. These fortresses were built with thick sloping walls. To defend themselves, the cities had to spend a great deal of money to build the new fortresses. These fortresses, with their ability to withstand cannon fire, brought back the siege as the primary tactic for attacking a position.

A siege is the assault on a city or fortress with the intention of winning through attrition, a more modern term is a blockade. When an attacker could not bring the city or fortress to surrender and realized that a direct frontal attack would not succeed, he resorted to the siege tactic. A siege usually meant that the attackers would surround the objective, be it the city or a fortress with the intention of blocking supplies and provisions from entering the inhabitants.

Common siege tactics were

1. Mining or extraction

Mining or extraction involved digging a tunnel under the walls of the castle or fortress. The mines would have walls reinforced with wood for support. Once completed, the attackers filled the mine with flammable materials and set it on fire. Later, with the use of gunpowder, the mines would be filled with explosives, which meant a much more effective use of “sapping or mining”. The purpose of the excavation or mining was to break down the wall above the mine and allow an entry point for attackers.

2. Artillery bombardment. Using everything imaginable to jump the fortress or castle wall and deal damage.

3. The use of seat motors.

There are many types of seat motors. The general categories are ballista, battering ram, catapult, hellepolis, mangonel, onager, siege tower, and trebuchet.

Ballista – This is a powerful weapon that resembles a giant crossbow. The purpose of the crossbow was to launch heavy arrows. He could shoot the arrows one at a time or in groups. The ballista is also known as a bolt launcher. In earlier times, the Romans used the ballista to shoot large stones, but during the Middle Ages the ballista was modified to shoot arrows, which at the time were known as bolts. The crossbow is believed to have been inspired by early ballistae. The crossbow was made of wood and used animal sinew as a rope or string. Winches were used to pull back (hammer) the ballista.

ballista: The crossbow was a very accurate weapon when shooting bolts (arrows), but accuracy came at the expense of range. The first known use of a ballista was in Italy in 400 BC. C. The catapult was a natural evolution of the ballista.

battery ram: Battering rams are devices used to break through fortification walls or gates. They have been in use since ancient times. The simplest form of a battering ram is a large heavy log carried by several attackers to hit the gate or wall of the fortress or castle. The goal is to do enough damage to the wall or door to allow attackers to enter.

A more efficient design of the ram was to use a wheeled frame to transport it. The ram was suspended by ropes or chains, allowing the ram to be much larger and swing more easily. The sides and roofs of this improved type of ram were sometimes covered with protective materials to prevent fire and to protect attackers.

Some battering rams were not suspended by ropes or chains, but instead sat on rollers. This would allow the ram to gain a much higher speed and thus deal much more damage. The writer Vitruvius described this type of rolling ram as being used by Alexander the Great.

To defend against a battering ram, defenders would either drop obstacles in front of the battering ram or use grappling hooks to immobilize the battering ram or set fire to the battering ram and/or its structure. Another defense was to simply launch an attack at the ram as it approached them.

The use of battering rams dates back to the destruction of Jerusalem and the fall of Rome. They were also used during the Crusades.

Catapult: A catapult is a type of siege engine used to launch a long-range projectile. Catapults were not weapons that attackers carried with them into battle, and were usually built on the spot of battle. They are made of wood and were abundant on most battlefields.

The differentiation of the different types of catapults comes from the way they used to store and release their energy.

The first type of catapult was a variation of the Roman crossbow. These used ropes or animal tendons to launch the objects. The cord or sinew was pulled back under tension and when the tension was released, the energy carried the projectile. So if the catapult stored and released the energy through tension, it is considered a tensional catapult.

Another type of catapult is the torsion catapult. These have an arm with a bucket, cup, or sling to hold the projectile. The force is transferred to the sling through the use of a rope at the other end of the launch arm. These strings are positioned and tightened to “charge” the catapult with torque energy.

Helepolis: This is an ancient type of siege engine and was known as the Taker of Cities. It was invented by Demetrius Poliorcetes for use during the Siege of Salamis in Cyprus.

The shape of the original Helepolis was a tall square tower that stood on four wheels. The helépolis was internally divided into nine different floors. The lower floors had machines used to launch projectiles (large stones). The central section contained catapults to launch darts (large spears). The upper section was used to launch smaller stones and smaller catapults. The hellepolis was manned by two hundred soldiers and was propelled via a large drive belt and wheel inside the hellepolis. The soldiers could propel the hellepolis from the inside without having to take direct fire from the defenders.

Mangonel: This type of siege engine is a type of catapult used to launch projectiles at castle walls. The mangonel could launch projectiles at great distances (1300 feet). This is a much longer distance than the trebuchet, which was invented later. The mangonel was not very accurate and launched the projectiles at a much lower angle than the catapult.

The mangonel was a torsion-arm catapult that used a sling to hold the projectile. Energy was stored by twisting ropes or sinews.

In battle, the mangonels would throw rocks, burning objects, or anything else the attackers could think of. Containers filled with flammable materials were popular and created a large ball of fire on impact.

Onager: The onager is a type of torsion catapult. Torsion energy is stored by twisting the strings. The release of the energy provided a type of kicking action and hence the name onager meaning wild ass.

The construction of the onager was quite simple. It consisted of a frame that remained on the ground. The front of the frame had a solid wood vertical frame attached to it. The vertical frame had a spindle running through it with a single large spoke protruding from it.

In battle, the spoke was pulled down through the use of twisted ropes or lowered with a winch to store the energy. When the energy was released, the bolt violently struck the crossbar of the vertical frame and the projectile was shot forward.

A variation of the onager is the mangonel. The mangonel used a bowl to hold the projectile instead of the sling and was less powerful than the onager.

Headquarters tower: This is a specialized siege engine used to protect attackers as they approach fortress or castle walls. They were often rectangular in shape and sat on four wheels. They were built to a height of about the height of the wall, and sometimes even higher. When built higher than the wall, the siege tower allowed archers to shoot at the castle or fortress.

These were heavy and difficult to maneuver and were usually built on the site of battle. They took a long time to build and were mainly used when all other types of siege tactics had failed, such as mining or direct ladder assault.

Its large size made it an easy target for defending guns on approach.

If the siege tower was successful, the last thing to do was to place planes between the tower and the wall to allow attackers to enter the fortress or castle.

The result of a siege falls into one of four categories:

1. If the defenders repelled the attackers without the help of external forces, the position is considered to have been “held”.

2. If the defenders repelled the attackers with the help of external forces, the position is considered to have been “relieved” or “elevated”.

3. If the attackers manage to take the fortress, castle or town, but the defensive forces manage to escape, the position is considered to have been “evacuated”.

4. If the attackers manage to take the fortress, castle or city and also destroy and/or capture the defenders, the besieged entity is considered to have “fallen”.

Yogi Berra was not only a Hall of Fame catcher for the New York Yankees, but he was also an animated entertainer, to say the least. Berra is a rare social commentator who can assess a situation in a way that you will surely never forget. Yogi once said, “You can see a lot just by looking.”

Many of Yogi’s “observations” are now used in our daily lives. Some of the yogi quotes are:

• “A penny is no longer worth a penny”
• “It’s not over until it’s over.”
• “Half of the lies they tell about me are not true.”
• “How can you think and hit at the same time?”
• “I never said most of the things I said.”

As a catcher, Berra was unmatched during his time. He could jump out of his crouch like a bobcat, converting bunts into double plays and twisting pop-ups into easy outs. From 1957 to 1959 he played 148 games without errors. During that time he managed a record 950 opportunities behind the plate without a single error.

As a hitter, Yogi Berra broke nearly every power record for American League catchers. He drove pitchers crazy with his ability to get big hits off bad pitches outside the strike zone.

The Yankees had some tremendous teams from 1949 to 1955. It was Berra who led the Yankees in each of those seasons. He five times he drove in more than 100 runs in a season. For 10 consecutive years he hit 20 or more home runs. He did all of this without being a strikeout hitter. In one season (in 1950) he had 597 at-bats but only struck out 12 times.

did you know

• Yogi Berra was the second man in Major League history to manage his own son. In 1985, his son Dale Berra became a Yankee.
• He was much admired for his business sense. He invested in everything from bowling alleys to YooHoo during the 1950s. All of his investments made him a rich man.
• Yogi won pennants as coach of the 1964 Yankees and the 1973 New York Mets.

Yogi Berra Timeline Biography

• Born: May 12, 1925 in St. Louis Missouri
• 9 years old: Yogo sold 300 newspapers to help his family.
• Age 15 His friends called him “Yogi” because he looked like a movie character.
• Age 17: Signed by the New York Yankees for $90 per month
• Age 21: Join the Yankees at the end of the 1946 season
• 1952 – Sets AL home run mark for a catcher
• 1955: Wins the third MVP award
• 1958: Catch the entire season with no mistakes

Have you ever wondered why rich and famous people are rich and famous? Is it luck? Talent? Hard work? connections? The truth may seem unbelievable, incomprehensible, unacceptable. The fact is, unequivocally, that those individuals who are rich and famous were destined to be rich and famous from the beginning of their lives. The plan of their destinies was created before they left their mother’s womb.

This may seem strange but it is reality. Each of our lives is dedicated to breathing. As the 20th century saint Jagat Singh states, our present life it is already determined before we are born. What fate has planned for you will happen without any planning on your part. Your destiny will make you act and strive according to its plan. Old age, health, poverty, wealth, sickness, wealth, learning, honor, dishonor, and the time of death are all predetermined while a man is in his mother’s womb, so a wise man never worries, frets or regrets. anything.

Each of our destinies, whether we are rich and famous or not, is contained within the numbers and letters of our full name at birth and our date of birth. These letters and numbers serve as labels for the energy fields that not only comprise who we are as individuals, but also our second-by-second path through life. These destinations can be known with a little study through the ancient science and art of King Numerology.

For example, as is commonly known, Bill Gates is one of the richest men in the world. His immense wealth is clearly defined in his numerology chart through a numerical pattern 1 / 22-4 that represents the individual and the entrepreneur, the “1” manifests in the field of 22-4, a pattern of great wealth. And power. Every second of Gates’ life from birth to death is concentrated in this 1/22-4 number pattern.

Oprah Winfrey’s chart reveals her great business success through a 1/8 number pattern which, like Bill Gates’s numerology chart, is also present throughout her life from cradle to grave. Winfrey also has master communicator number 33-6 dominating her chart, as well as master lover/crafter number 66-3. Her unique and iconic personality is revealed through the Crown Pinnacle of a 55-1 that is generated from the number 3, the numerical code that governs all media, communication and her self-image.

The tragic lives of Marilyn Monroe and Princess Diana are also revealed through their “numbers.” In fact, their numerology charts are quite similar, as one would expect them to be based on the similarity of their lives.

Therefore, when we think of success, especially those extremely wealthy and world famous people, it would be wise to remember that their lives, like ours, are destined. This fact should not only give us pause, but an opportunity to delve deeper into the mysteries and realities of life.

©Richard Andrew King, 2011

“A legacy of money cannot replace a legacy of dignity”

If there were advanced races in the galaxy…even by the standards of Western writers, at some point…they would destroy themselves, if technological advancement far outstrips their own development and spiritual cultivation.

The primacy of spirituality over technology is the key to understanding how Africa achieved what it did.

Knowledge resides in the womb of a rejected people and of a (their) way of life.

Thus, Africa reminds us: “Man, know yourself!”

The first successful flight in history is told with a mix of fiction and true history, science and fantasy in an adventure full of life. “On the Wings of the Wind: The Untold Story of History’s First Flight” by Richard Kigel is brilliantly rendered in pencil and paper. A masterful tale of a collaboration of ingenuity and perseverance: a triumph of the true human spirit represented by the actions of an African American slave and ancestor of the fourth African American female astronaut. Josiah Brantley is the great-great-great-great-grandfather of Dr. Sharon Brantley, a NASA scientist and astronaut.

Josiah Brantley, a slave, flew to freedom from Virginia to Pennsylvania during the 18th century. We have been told many things about the past, most of which have turned out to be untrue…just old lies coming out over and over again. Do you remember the Wright brothers, Wilbur and Orville? Forget it…! The controlling factions of American and European society want us to believe that everything they tell us is true: Black Africans did nothing in this world to accept making more Black Africans. When the truth has been revealed, how man-woman and civilization are deeply and ultimately rooted in and from Africa.

“Ethiopian Bones Calls Man’s Oldest Ancestor.”

Egyptian physician, artist, and aeromodeller Dr. Khalil Messiha rediscovered a model glider or glider dating to the 4th or 3rd century BCE. Aircraft having a distinctive reverse dihedral wing (dihedral, also called: dihedral angle the figure formed by two intersecting planes; the American name for corner; Compare anhedral the upward tilt of an aircraft wing relative to the lateral axis ) – The Saqqara Bird is a bird-shaped artifact made of sycamore wood, discovered during the 1898 excavation of the tomb of Pa-di-Imen at Saqqara, Egypt. It has been dated to approximately 200 BC. C. and is now in the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo. The Saqqara bird has a wingspan of 180 mm (7.1 in) and weighs 39.12 g (1,380 oz).

Dr. Messiha, who has done a study of bird figures, came across a glider model in 1969 when he was looking at a box of bird models in one of the Cairo Museum’s warehouses. Although the people and civilization descended from Africa, the blacks were not the only conquered, subdued and repressed in the world, the Jews were also put to the test, as were many tribal nations on various continents, the conquered seemed to incorporate, instigate, manipulate and practice the path of the conqueror.

Ruth’s Story: “Your Name Is Renée” by Stacy Cretzmeyer tells of a town that was subjected to the living conditions, livelihoods, and horrific experiences of a group of ignored human beings. The Nazis were not the only group of anti-Semites. Anti-Semitism (also spelled antisemitism or antisemitism) is a prejudice or hostility towards Jews, often rooted in hatred of their ethnicity, culture, and/or religion. In its extreme form, it “attributes to the Jews an exceptional position among all other civilizations, defames them as an inferior group, and denies that they are part of the nation(s)” in which they reside. A person who practices anti-Semitism is called an “anti-Semite”. The Jewish people, like American black slaves, were put to the knife: survive and persevere.

America and the world have always been rescued, saved, and resurrected by people of color. One of the many world wars was saved/rescued by African-Americans in a historic rendition of “Miracle at St. Anna” by Mr. James McBride. Another of his works is a tribute to his mother (and family)-“The color of water”. The inspiring tale of a vibrant and incredibly moving story of a struggling woman from the South through the Red Hook Housing Projects of Brooklyn New York. The daughter of a rabbi and the matriarch of the McBride family, Ruth McBride Jordan told her son, “Educate yourself or you’ll be a nobody!”

The true meaning of love, family, pride and resilience is woven into these stories of American history and experience, once again offering a portrait of the unwavering, undeniable insistence and determination of a people and the love of a mother for her. children – the children of GOD!

Manipulative, greedy, domineering, demonizing and fearful groups of people would keep us all in the dark forever if they could, hating, killing and destroying each other, while clandestinely, convincingly and continually plotting to control lives and futures. of others. you and me… and the lives of our children. They would encourage the suppression of the truth by insisting on their truth(s)…it’s in the paper so it must be true! It has been said, “as a child I did childish things… I thought and acted like a child – when I became an adult I left childish things… I thought and acted like an adult.

“It’s not the things you know…it’s the things you know that just aren’t so.”

If you have even a shred of doubt about your true heritage and the heritage of humanity: black, white, Latino, etc. – find out for yourself! Henry “Box” Brown, with the help of Brother William Still and others, made the decision to take the journey to freedom by mailing himself to Philadelphia. We have all heard of Sister Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. I have had the privilege of revisiting and retelling many of these old stories as a docent at one of the stops in Germantown-Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Johnson House at Germantown Avenue and Washington Lane, one of the many stops on the Underground Railroad.

“Black Firsts”: Two Thousand Years of Extraordinary Achievement, by Dr. Jessie Carney Smith, chronicles the efforts of Black First, as the first black astronaut, Mae C. Jamison, along with many other black pioneers in all fields.

“The Black Book” by Middleton Harris compiles a journey through black America…”Between my top and bottom, my right and my left, I hold what I have seen and what I have thought. I am everything I have hated: work without harvest, death without honor, life without land or law”.

“I was there when the angel expelled the ancestor. I was there when the waters consumed the mountains.”

“We don’t know that things can be done, that dreams can be fulfilled, that great achievements can be made, until someone takes the first step and shows the way.”

Take a look at the origin of humanity and the mother of civilization – ancestors, four million years of humanity and the civilizations of the world – the Hebrew civilization… and then tell me who was the first to fly.

Until next time…

Many tourists flock to well-known destinations in Southern California like San Diego, Disneyland, Los Angeles, and Santa Barbara. These are all great places to visit, but if you’re looking for somewhere different that’s a little off the radar, check out the following amazing destinations:

the channel islands

My husband and I have lived in California most of our lives, but somehow we miss these spectacular islands that are classified as one of the United States National Parks. After seeing some awesome photos online, we took a short boat ride to Anacapa Island from Oxnard as part of a weekend anniversary trip.

If you decide to go, be prepared and bring supplies. This trip is for adventurous people in good physical shape. You will have to climb 157 steps to the top of this small rugged island where there is no food, services, water or toilets. Now, I HATE outhouses, but I assure you: the views of the rocky coastline, huge cliffs, and jagged peaks were worth it. You can easily walk around the edge of the island in just a few hours with Inspiration Point, a great reward for your efforts.

We visited in June, when bursts of bright wildflowers covered the tiny island and thousands of adorable seagulls could be found around every corner. Just beware of their protective mothers who will pounce on your head if you get too close.

We returned a couple of years later and visited the larger island of Santa Cruz for an exciting kayak tour of the historic sea caves. On the boat ride we saw a whale and two large schools of dolphins. The waters can be choppy at certain points, but the caves were amazing. This was a once in a lifetime experience.

Some people consider these islands desolate, but if you have an adventurous spirit and love nature, the Channell Islands are considered the Galapagos of North America.

The Huntington Botanical Gardens

This is another awesome place that we haven’t visited for decades. Located in Pasadena, the magnificent property is home to more than a dozen spectacular gardens spread across 120 acres. It’s hard to say which garden is the most stunning, but the Japanese Garden, the Rose Garden and the California Garden are some of my favorites.

We didn’t even get a chance to visit the art galleries. The Huntington Art Gallery houses 18th- and 19th-century British paintings, sculpture and decorative arts, including the famous Blue Boy. And to my embarrassment as a writer, we didn’t visit The Huntington Library, one of the largest and most comprehensive research libraries in the United States.

Next time.

Ventura County Wine Trail

Napa may get all the attention as California wine country, but my husband and I enjoyed savoring our way through the coastal foothills near the seaside town of Ventura. We visited two of the almost 20 wineries and tasting rooms.

You can book one of the many wine tours on offer. However, we decided to get a map and explore on our own. Starting in Ventura at the junction of Highway 1 and Highway 101, we headed up Highway 33 towards Ojai.

Surprises await you on this somewhat lonely but charming road, from the “Smallest Post Office in the USA” to the last place anyone saw James Dean alive. Our favorite find was Old Creek Winery, which felt like returning to a simpler place and time where friendly people and dogs welcomed us. We enjoyed our purchased bottle of wine and a picnic outside at tables enjoying the American view.

By the way, both Ojai and Ventura are worthwhile stops with charming inns, luxurious spas, and bed & breakfasts along with a wide range of outdoor activities. In summer, Ventura Harbor Village is a hive of activity with festivals and live music on the weekends.

lagoon beach

This charming beach town is located halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego. With over 20 different scenic coves, this beach area offers everything from surfing, paddle boarding, snorkeling, kayaking, and whale watching excursions.

Just be careful, the surf can be rough in places. As a teenager, I decided to body surf despite the choppy waters and got wiped out in a huge wave (think of the Beach Boys song: Hehehehehehe, get the hell out!). Actually, I blame the Beach Boys for this whole mishap, as they romanticized this whole surfer girl thing with songs I grew up with, like Surfer Girl. SO your fault.

However, the scenery is unbeatable. Add ultra-chic restaurants and shops and unique art galleries and you get the picture. There’s even a Baby Boomer Club with dances on Saturday nights. Every summer, they host the Laguna Woodstock, where baby boomers party like it’s 1969.

Heisler Park is a good place to start, located just north of the main beach, an easy half-mile walk along a paved path with spectacular views of the coastline and the soothing sound of crashing waves. You can take one of the paths to the beaches and tide pools. Benches, picnic tables and barbecues abound where you can enjoy the magnificent views. My husband and I had a picnic on one of the grassy areas and it was perfect!

Treasure Island Park is another great place, located on the grounds of the five-star Montage Laguna Beach, where the truly wealthy stay. Exquisitely landscaped, several observation benches line the easy-to-walk winding path. Stairs and ramps take you down to the beach, where you can walk through a beautiful rock arch at low tide, find a spot on the sand to sunbathe, and a large tide pool. Also, there are plenty of grassy areas to have a picnic. I would suggest bringing some wine and cheese to enjoy a romantic sunset.

big bear lake

I live in the desert so near Big Bear is a great mountain escape with its beautiful lake and pristine forests. Boating, fishing, and hiking are just some of the activities in this sleepy little town.

Last summer, my husband and I biked around the lake, had a picnic, slid down an alpine slide, went go-karting at speeds up to 30 mph, and took a ride on the panoramic chair for amazing views. After seeing people take the chair lifts to ride mountain bikes on the trails, we put this on our to-do list for next time.

For the adventurous at heart, paragliding and ziplining are also available.

Matador Beach

Looking for a spectacular coastline with white sands, towering cliffs, crashing waves and rugged rock formations in a secluded location?

Look no further than El Matador, located north of Malibu off the winding Pacific Coast Highway. It’s easy to miss the little brown sign pointing to the small parking lot at the trailhead, so be careful between Broad Beach and Decker Canyon Roads. Once you find it, prepare to walk down a 150-foot cliff with the help of some steep stairs.

It’s not for small children or the physically challenged, but if you can get down the steps you’ll be treated to some stunning views. Locals know this beach and you might see some photo shoots, we did!

Fortunately, there is little to do on this small but glorious stretch of beach, so bring a picnic lunch or some wine and find a hidden corner to enjoy the incredibly romantic setting.

round beach

By now, you’ve probably noticed that my husband and I are beach bums. We found this beach by accident while looking for a nearby place to spend the night before flying out of LAX the next morning.

The Redondo Pier is a landmark with panoramic ocean views and water activities including harbor cruises, seasonal whale watching, kayaks, paddleboards and paddle boats. To tell you the truth, we didn’t try any of these, but we loved the views from Tony’s on the Pier, where we enjoyed happy hour!

The pier is also home to a 16-foot great white shark affectionately known as Georgette, on display in a large tank at Shark Attack on the Pier. If you have grandkids with you or are young at heart, you can enjoy the semi-submersible yellow submarine (damn, I have the Beatles song stuck in my head now) to observe the local marine life underwater.

It sure beats staying in an airport hotel if you’re flying into or out of Los Angeles.

catherine island

This island is better known than some of my previous recommendations, but it’s a sentimental favorite. My husband and I honeymooned there 40 years ago and have been back several times. This is a quaint little island with no traffic lights or fast food restaurants. A typical traffic jam involves two golf carts and a bicycle built for two.

On our honeymoon, we happily biked around Avalon, went horseback riding, toured the famous casino, and sunbathed on the small beach. We also took a bus to Two Harbors, the only other town on Catalina Island. Other popular activities include snorkeling, parasailing, fishing, glass-bottom boat rides, rowing, Segway tours, golf, and hiking.

Decades later, we sailed our boat to the island from Long Beach, which turned out to be one wild ride. My husband and adult sons returned again for our open water dives to become scuba certified amidst the famous kelp forests surrounded by the bright orange Garibaldi fish. Next time we visit I want to try the new zip line that is 600ft above sea level with a 1,100ft long run with speeds up to 30mph Wheee!

As you can see, Southern California has so many wonderful places to visit that it’s impossible to list them all. But I hope I’ve given you some ideas to get you started!

The Pittsburgh Steelers are an NFL franchise that encountered three major rivals and all three played in the same division as them. The team’s rivals are the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens. Additionally, the team also has other rivals in postseason games, namely the Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, and Dallas Cowboys. An intrastate rivalry also emerged between the Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles, but they meet only once every four years under scheduling rules.

The rivalry between the Cleveland Browns and the Steelers began in 1950 when they met for the first time. At the start of the rivalry, the Browns had an advantage over the Steelers who were 9-31 at the time. The Steelers went on to lose for 16 straight years. Recently, the Steelers took over the rivalry for the first time with a 17-3 record. It was during this time that the team won ten games in a row. To intensify the rivalry, the former Steelers head coach had coached the Browns earlier in his career.

On the other hand, the Steelers and Baltimore Ravens have a really bitten divisional rivalry evidenced by countless memorable matchups between the two teams. Both teams caused the other’s first loss at home fields. The Pittsburgh Steelers won their first game at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, and three years later the Ravens crushed the Steelers in a game at Heinz Field. The rivalry between the Ravens and the Steelers is like a seesaw winning and losing against each other and serves as a great foil in showing their fans how they can field really strong defenses against each other.

The Cincinnati Bengals date the rivalry with the Steelers to the 1970 season when the merger was completed. The most memorable game of their rivalry occurred in the 2005 AFC Wildcard playoff game when the Steelers posted a win from behind over the Bengals to compete for a Super Bowl title. This particular victory was partly due to the knee injury that the Bengal quarterback experienced and was therefore forced to leave the game.

The rivalry between the Steelers and the New England Patriots began when the latter defeated the Steelers in 2001 at Heinz Field. Later in 2008, the Patriots were accused of videotaping the hand signals of the opposing team’s coaches, adding to the controversy. The rivalry between the Oakland Raiders and the Steelers was at its most heated during the 1970s, while the Cowboys’ began with the team’s first game as a franchise in the 1960s.

As a team, the Pittsburgh Steelers will still have many challenges to face, not only with their current rivals, but also with new and upcoming NFL teams. Although the team has made its mark as one of the most competitive teams in the NFL, they still have to perform at their best to balance all the competitors they play against.

Bullpen catchers are the men in a baseball game who have the responsibility of warming up the relief pitchers in the bullpen. Most of these catchers are anonymous to baseball fans and the sports media, never getting a baseball card with them (even when the mascot sometimes does!), yet they do impact the overall experience at a baseball game. in ways most people don’t recognize. While their primary duty is to warm up relief pitchers during a game, there are plenty of other things bullpen catchers do while serving in what some consider a “clever” role for the team. Here are some things they do to contribute:

• Many teams carry only two catchers, with another fielder being the “emergency” catcher. Ideally, the team manager wants to have all of their backup catchers ready to be used in the event of a pinch hit, pinch run (although there are VERY few catchers that are used as pinch runners!), injury, or simply assisting the pitching coach. evaluate the performance of a pitcher. The bullpen catcher frees up the manager to keep all of his catchers available for use during a game by replacing the need for one of the backup catchers to be in the bullpen.
• Occasionally, the bullpen catcher will be called to duty before a game to catch the opening pitch by the person honored. He is often called in to escort and warm up that person to make sure he makes a decent attempt to throw in front of the crowd.
• During pregame batting practice, the bullpen catcher will share the load with the other catchers from the pitchers’ warmups who need to pitch on their respective “days off.” Each pitching coach gives their pitchers a specific pitching program and routine. It is in these practice sessions that pitchers work on their mechanics and fine-tune their pitches. Other drills include the “Towel Drills”, “Flat Throws”, “Long Throws” and other specific drills for pitchers.
• After working with the pitchers, many bullpen catchers are asked to pitch the remainder of batting practice or work with the hitters on “Flip Toss” or other hitting drills.
• A bullpen catcher, if he’s caught for many years, can also be a de facto “psychologist” in the bullpen. Relief pitchers are stereotyped as crazy, mentally unbalanced, etc. While this isn’t necessarily a true stereotype, though I’ve met my share of some wild men in the bullpen (!), a pitcher’s ability to trust his bullpen catcher’s feedback is an important part of a pitcher who is ready to enter a game. Barry Zito and Houston Street, in an August 2006 article by an MLB.com writer, mention that they rely on their bullpen catcher’s experience to help them prepare (http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/ news/article.jsp?ymd=20060817&content_id=1615561&vkey=news_oak&fext=.jsp&c_id=oak)
• Between innings, if the bullpen is located along the foul lines of the field, it will often warm up one of the outfielders. The outfielders carry two balls between innings, with one being shared between two of the outfielders to keep loose. The other is thrown between the left fielder (or right fielder depending on which side the bullpen is located) and the bullpen catcher to help the outfielder stay loose.
• If a bullpen is located along the foul lines, and one of the other catchers is catching a particular pitcher, the bullpen catcher will stand behind the pitcher to protect him in case a hard line hit into the bullpen. .

A bullpen receiver can also fill multiple roles off the field:

• Provide post-game lessons for the kids when the other players are in the clubhouse.
• Appearing in uniform for various local charity events or events with an emphasis on children.
• Help the team with their marketing efforts, especially at the lower levels of the minor leagues.
• Work with the pitching coach to determine ways to help pitchers improve.
• Help set up the costumes before opening day. Yes, this really happens!
• Assist the General Manager with promotions on and off the field

In all, the bullpen catcher does a lot of unrecognized work. Plus, he sometimes ends up catching (and returning) more pitches and warm-up shots (between pregame practice and in the bullpen) than the starting catcher. If you want to brighten a player’s day, find out who their team’s bullpen catcher is, send them an autograph request, and chances are you’ll get one faster than any other request. And if you meet your team’s bullpen catcher in July, August or September, remember that it may take a few seconds longer for him to raise his arm to shake your hand. All those pitches take their toll!

Here are the next 3 winners of this year’s 2007 college football game results:

Capital One Bowl – Michigan tops Florida, 41-35, ace Lloyd Carr wins his last game

Had the Michigan Wolverines wrapped it up and put it under the tree, outgoing coach Lloyd Carr couldn’t have gotten a better Christmas present from his players as they overcame 4 turnovers to defeat No. 9 Florida , 41-35, in the Capital. A bowl.

The longtime popular Michigan coach announced his retirement after another loss to Ohio State in November. If he hadn’t backed out, they probably would have asked him to leave. Michigan hired Rich Rodriguez, who left his job as head coach at West Virginia to take over Michigan’s famed football program.

The win was huge for the Michigan seniors as they won their first bowl game in 4 attempts. Chad Henne threw for 373 yards and 3 touchdowns and Mike Hart had 129 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns.

The Gators kept the game close thanks to 4 Michigan turnovers and many big plays by second-year Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow and his speedy teammate Percy Harvin. Tebow was playing with a broken bone in his hand that he wasn’t throwing and was under constant blitz pressure, but he was still 17 of 33 for 154 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also rushed for 57 yards and another touchdown.

Harvin had 165 yards on 13 carries (12.6 yards per carry), scored once and also caught 9 passes for another 77 yards and a second touchdown. In the end, it wasn’t enough as Michigan won one for Carr.

The Gators couldn’t convert a fourth-down play at their 25-yard line and KC Lopata’s 41-yard field goal put Michigan ahead 41-35 with just 2:21 remaining. Florida got another shot, but Tebow threw 4 air balls in a row. Both Michigan and Florida finished the season with 9-4 records.

BCS Rose Bowl – Southern California crushes Illinois, 49-17, to make a statement

Pete Carroll and his Southern Cal players are still thinking about the BCS national championship game, but the Trojans will have to wait another year for that to happen. They may have finished 11-2, just like Louisiana State, which will play in the title game, but the Trojans lost at the wrong time to the wrong team: Stanford at home.

In a show of frustration and trepidation, Southern Cal literally stomped on Illinois 49-17 in the BCS Rose Bowl game to make a statement. Freshman running back Joe “Where do you find these guys?” McKnight tore through the Illini defense for 170 yards (125 rushing yards and 45 receiving yards). McKnight’s production was part of the Trojans’ 633 yards of offense.

The outing set a Rose Bowl record and the Trojans’ 49 points tied the record. The blowout game gave Southern Cal 11 wins for an unprecedented sixth straight year. Illinois coach Ron Zook finished the year 9-4, an unrealistic turnaround after a 2-19 record in his first two years at Illinois.

Make no mistake here, Illinois was a 13.5-point underdog going into it. Remember that it was Illinois that handed Ohio State its only loss, 28-21, and the Buckeyes will face LSU in the national championship game. Congratulations to Zook and his players for an amazing year.

BCS Sugar Bowl: Hawaii’s undefeated streak ends as Georgia wins easily, 41-10

The Georgia Bulldogs were furious that they weren’t invited to play in the BCS national championship game, and the Hawaii Warriors were the recipients of their discontent, losing 41-10 when their dream of a perfect season ended in the Sugar Bowl in BCS.

Hawaii entered the game 12-0, the only undefeated team among the 119 NCAA Division 1A schools. They did it with coach June Jones’ run-and-gun offense that averaged more than 46 points per game, junior quarterback Colt Brennan’s arm and some great receivers.

Brennan is the real deal. He has set more NCAA passing records than Carter has liver pills, but nothing seemed to impress Georgia, and especially Marcus Howard, who became the game’s MVP by having 3 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and a deflected ball intercepted by teammate Dannell Ellerbe.

The truth is that Georgia was simply too big, too fast and too strong for the islanders this time.

Howard and his defensive teammates lived in the Hawaii backfield as Brennan was sacked 8 times, threw 3 interceptions and lost 2 fumbles, one of which Georgia recovered for a touchdown. Georgia’s defensive line pushed Hawaii all the way down the field; Brennan was lucky enough to get out of New Orleans alive and well enough to be drafted into the Sunday service in the NFL.

“It was the fastest team I’ve probably ever seen,” Brennan said. To be fair, they wouldn’t have been as quick on the Warriors’ offensive line if they had played better and given Brennan more protection so Hawaii’s offense could be effective.

It was a good but tough game for Hawaii to digest, but the Warriors will live to fight another day. They had to know that their 12-0 record was against much weaker competition than every other BCS team faced. They got away with it in the Western Athletic Conference, even defeating Boise State, which also lost its bowl game to lowly East Carolina 41-38. Even the Washington Huskies, who had a 21-point lead over Hawaii, couldn’t beat the Warriors as their game ended with Hawaii on top.

The citizens of Hawaii fell in love with their Warriors and so they should have. Hawaii had a landmark year. Other teams are now trying to steal June Jones away from Hawaii. It was worth the loss when it is learned that Hawaii expects to make a $4 million payout for her appearance in the BCS Sugar Bowl. For a team whose recruiting budget was $50,000 a year, that’s a lot of money. Hawaii now has the luxury of recruiting talent from the mainland.

June Jones has become an opportunity for some other teams. Her run-and-gun offense has resulted in a 76-41 record (64% winning percentage) in 9 seasons, including this year’s 12-1 mark and her BCS bowl appearance. Jones took over a Hawaii team she didn’t win in 1998 and went 9-4 in her first season. Translation: No need to stay up at night praying for Hawaii’s success; the Warriors and they are doing well, thank you.

(Editor’s note: This is the sixth article in a series on the results of the 2007 bowling game.)

Copyright © 2008 Ed Bagley

Before any stadium or arena can host college tournament games in the United States, there are standards set by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) that must be met. Part of the standards include the lighting of the games depending on the location and the sport being broadcast on television. Some requirements for some games are discussed below.

Basketball

According to the NCAA, all lamps for basketball games must have a standard color temperature of 3600 Kelvin and a lower color rendering index of 65. But since the venues used for the Division I tournament of the NCAA are different, where field houses, NBA arenas and football stadium domes are used, the lighting requirements are not the same. Field houses with the capacity to hold about 10,000 spectators require 125 foot-candles per square foot. NBA arenas with seating capacities between 15,000 and 20,000 require 200, while domed arenas with a capacity of around 70,000 require 250.
Football

The primary determinant of lighting requirements for NCAA football games is television coverage. Non-televised games require 50 foot-candles of light, while games for regional broadcast require 75. If a game is to be broadcast for a national audience, the lighting requirement is 100, while for championship games 125.

Hockey

Standard televised college hockey games are lit with 100 foot-candles, but the Division I Frozen Four and lower division championships require 125.

lacrosse and soccer

Since lacrosse games are commonly played on football fields, the lighting conditions are the same. For a standard game, 50 foot-candles of lighting are required, 75 for a regional broadcast, 100 for a national broadcast, and 125 for championship games.

Baseball and Softball

These two games also use the same field, which makes their lighting requirements the same. For standard games, the infield should be lit with 70 foot-candles and 50 for outfield. Games that will be broadcast regionally and nationally require 100 for base paths and 70 for outfield grass. For the duration of the championship rounds, the course requires 125 infield and 100 outfield.

Wrestling, Boxing and Volleyball

These three games use 80 foot-candles for each standard and regional broadcast, 100 for national broadcast and 125 for championships.

Swimming and water polo

These two games require 50 foot-candles for meets or standard matches, 75 for regional broadcasts, 100 for national broadcasts, and 125 for championships.