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Did you know...

• ...that the Provisional Constitution of the Republic of China (pictured) was the first constitution in China?
• ...that the Red Turban Rebellion was the essential cause for the downfall of the Yuan Dynasty?
• ...that China was finally reunited in 1928 since the turmoil and separations created by the death of Yuan Shikai in 1916?
• ...that after the Xinhai Revolution, the Kuomintang unfolded another revolution, which they named "The Second Revolution", against Yuan Shikai's ambition on abolishing the newly established Republic of China?
• ...that the Huanghuagang Uprising was the last uprising that failed in the eleven uprising attempts by Sun Yat-sen before the successful attempt in Wuchang?
• ...that the Qiandao Lake Incident in 1994 created a considerable crisis in Taiwan-China relations?
• ...that the Four Lords of the Warring States dominated the politcs in the Warring States period?
• ...that China National Ethnic Song and Dance Ensemble is the only national-level performance group representing China's ethnic minorities?
• ...that Macau was returned to China in 1998 through the transfer of the sovereignty of Macau?
• ...that the Battle of Wanjialing was one of the greatest success of the Chinese Army in the Second Sino-Japanese War?
• ...that the 2002 FIFA World Cup was the first time that the Chinese national football team made it to FIFA World Cup?
• ... that the href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Wall_of_China" title="Great Wall of China">Great Wall of China is an ancient Chinese fortification built from the 3rd century BC, during the Qin Dynasty, until the beginning of the 17th century, during the Ming Dynasty, in order to protect China from raids by the Mongols and Turkic tribes?
• ... that Qin Shi Huang was king of the Chinese State of Qin from 247 BC to 221 BC, and then the first emperor of a unified China from 221 BC to 210 BC, ruling under the name First Emperor?
• ... that T'ai Chi Ch'üan（太 极拳） is an art applied with as complete a relaxation or "softness" in the musculature as possible, to distinguish its theory and application from that of the hard styles which use a degree of tension in the muscles?
• ... that the Giant Panda is a mammal that is native to central China?
• ... that Göran Malmqvist is a Swedish sinologist who in 1974 published a popular book called Chinese is not difficult?

FIFA

Did you know that the Münster Cathedral in Berne boasts the highest church spire in Switzerland? The gothic construction has 344 steps that takes visitors more than 100 metres over the city and offers splendid views of the Alps. Building work began in 1421 although the spire, which has always been home to two maintenance workers over the centuries, was not completed until 1893. It is no surprise that the city's old town was given UNESCO world heritage status in 1983.

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The History of Football (Soccer)

A sport similar to football was played 3000 years ago in Japan. Chinese text from 50 BC mentions football-type games between teams from Japan and China. A text dating from 611 AD confirms that football was played in Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan.

Ancient Greeks and Romans also played a game that resembled football - although the Greeks permitted carrying of the ball. Olympic games in ancient Rome featured a 50-minute football game with twenty-seven men on a side.

The early days
How the sport spread from the East to Europe is not clear but England became the home of modern football. At first the game had a bad reputation among English royalty - possibly because of the noise the fans made - by whose insistence the government passed laws against it. King Edward (1307-1327) proclaimed, "For as much as there is a great noise in the city caused by hustling over large balls, from which many evils may arise, which God forbid, we forbid on behalf of the King, on pain of imprisonment, such game to be used in the city." In 1314, the mayor of London banned football. In 1365, King Edward III banned football nationally because of its excessive violence and for military reasons playing took time away from archery practice the game had become too popular to be curtailed. King Henry IV and Henry VIII passed laws against the sport, and Queen Elizabeth I "had football players jailed for a week, with follow-up church penance"

Laws failed to slow the popularity of football and by 1681 it received official sanction in England. The games were still ruff and noisy, with players hardly ever leaving the field without broken bones or even being spiked. There was no standard set for the size of teams or the field; the earliest organized games, usually bitter confrontations between teams from two or three parishes, had goals as far as 5 km (3 miles) apart. It was only by 1801 that it was (somewhat) agreed that teams should have an equal number of players and that the playing area should be about 91 metres (100 yards). Records show that Eton college drew up the first written rules of football in 1815. (The modern standardized rules are known as the Cambridge rules.)

Until the mid-1800s football rules still varied across regions. Team sizes ranged from 15 to 21. The 11-player team was standardized in 1870. The crossbar between two goal posts became mandatory in 1875. The goalkeeper was formally distinguished in the 1880s.

FIFA
The first football club was formed in Sheffield, England in 1857. The Football Association was founded on 26 October 1863 by 11 clubs meeting in London. (The word association was abbreviated to assoc., which became "soccer.")

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) was founded in the rear of the headquarters of the Union Française de Sports Athlétiques at the rue Saint Honoré 229 in Paris on 21 May 1904. The first World Cup was held in 1930 in Uruguay.

Where does the word "soccer" come from?

In the 1880s students of Oxford university abbreviated words by adding "er" to the end; for instance, breakfast became "brekkers" and "rugby rules" was referred to as "rugger." When one student, Charles Wreford Brown, was asked if he'd like to play rugger, he was the first to abbreviate "association rules" (Football Association rules) by answering, "No, soccer." Brown later became an England international and Football Association vice-president.

"The Beautiful Game"

Football is the biggest spectator sport in the world, with angling as the world's biggest participant sport. While Formula 1 is the sport most watched on television, the World Cup is, after the Olympics, the most watched sporting event on television.

FIFA

Did You Know USA is Doing Well in Women's Soccer World Cup? No? No Surprise.

The FIFA Women's World Cup is taking place in China during the month of September. Here's the official website - http://www.fifa.com/womenworldcup/index.html - which will tell you all you need to know about the standing of different teams in the competition. At the time of writing, USA ties top of Group B, England is second in Group A, Australia ties with Norway at top of Group C, and Brazil is top of Group D.

With this big event going on, you might expect to see some news coverage of the US team's success thus far. I had no idea it was happening till I was chatting with a "Soccer Mom" at a match this weekend. So I checked out some internet sites. Not on Fox News. To give credit to CNN, it includes the World Cup on its soccer landing page (though below and smaller than a story about a men's soccer tournament that hasn't even started yet). New York Times also features it, below a story about (men's) college football. In contrast, the Guardian newspaper (UK) features a story about the England team's success in the competition on its homepage as its leading sport headline; though the Times of London buries it on the sports page. (And that when the story is about England beating Argentina which, just a few years ago, in the post-Falklands War world, would have been a leading headline). (All pages accessed on 9/17/07.)

This highly unscientific sampling suggests that we can't conclude that the failure to highlight the women's soccer competition is just cultural: that the US media outlets aren't interested because soccer is still a young sport in the USA, whereas the UK media outlets are accustomed to covering soccer as one of the main national games. Alas, it seems that our media outlets are still inclined to neglect the achievements of our professional sportswomen.

Well, now you know about the competition, you can look out for the coverage!

It is a well-researched fact that involvement in sports is good for girls' self-esteem and all-round success - hence the passionate support that Title IX gets from women in the sporting world. I've recently become aware of a new media outlet which aims to promote a greater presence of healthy images of women and girls, aimed mainly at middle and high school girls: Athletic Girl Productions. Check out their website at www.girlsarechampions.org. Founder and President Lisa Izzi, a former gymnast and Stanford Coach, has created this organization with the aim of presenting healthy, positive images and role models to counterbalance the prevailing "be thin", "get your appearance fixed", "skinny is glamorous" culture.

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he club's nickname is the 'Purple Monster,' after the vibrant and distinctive colour of the team's kit. For most home games, the Ricardo Saprissa Stadium - with a capacity of over 21,000 and widely considered one of the most intimidating venues in North, Central America and the Caribbean - is awash of purple.

2.) Deportivo Saprissa and its Ricardo Saprissa Stadium, built in 1972, are both named after the club's original founder and a central figure in the early development of football in Costa Rica. Ricardo Saprissa Ayma, an accomplished tennis, football and baseball player in his early days, is often referred to as the 'Apostel del Deporte' or 'apostle of sport' in Costa Rica. And the ground that honours his name is one of only 13 stadiums in CONCACAF to boast a 'FIFA Recommended' artificial playing surface.

3.) Located in the country's capital of San Jose, Saprissa Stadium also plays host to most of Costa Rica's big matches. The Ticos have an impressive record at the good-luck ground, never having lost to the U.S. Their recent loss to Mexico in their first final-round Germany 2006 was the first to El Tri on home soil since 61 years, and a large reason why former coach Jorge Luis Pinto was sacked.

4.) Deportivo Saprissa have won the CONCACAF Champions Cup on two occasions (1993 and 1995). Defending champions and rivals LD Alajuelense have also won two.

5.) Current Saprissa head coach Hernan Medford played alongside current Costa Rica coach Alexander Guimaraes during the country's first FIFA World Cup appearance in Italy in 1990. At the time, the two both played for Saprissa. Medford is considered a legend in Tico football as he scored the goal that handed Mexico their only-ever FIFA World Cup qualifying defeat at the Azteca Stadium in 2001.

6.) Deportivo Saprissa is owned by Mexican businessman Jorge Vergara. Along with legendary Mexican club Chivas Guadalajara and Chivas USA of Major League Soccer, Vergara owns a club in each of the 'big three' CONCACAF nations.

7.) Saprissa, Herediano and Alajuelense are considered to be Costa Rica's flagship club teams. Saprissa, like Chivas Guadalajara does in Mexico, have a policy of only employing native-born or naturalised Costa Rican players.

8.) Deportivo Saprissa were losing finalists in the 2004 instalment of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. In a historic all-Costa Rican final they lost out to local rivals Alajuelense.

9.) The club has won 23 domestic titles, making them one of the most successful football clubs in the country.

10.) Though not officially founded until 1947, the idea of a team that would unite all of San Jose and its suburbs was born in the mind of Ricardo Saprissa some ten years before their official league debut.

FIFA

The scammers that send these fraud letters are criminals. They want your money, and they use force to get it, if that is necessary. Secret Service has a warning on that here. I found such stories hard to believe until I recently was contacted by a friend. One of his friends, let me call her S, was killed in Lagos, Nigeria when she was trying to help a "dying man", that had contacted her.

This is what my friend told me:

It all started about 3 months back she was chatting as all we do in yahoo messenger. I was in Miami that time so we both were chatting. She told me that she is going to Lagos for her modelling show as she was a model working for a TV channel. She started receiving mails from Lagos from a guy names "Garuba". He used to mail her saying that he is a severe cancer patient and needs 1000 dollars for his urgent surgery. S told me that she received at least about 10 mails from him in that month. As she was supposed to go to Lagos she thought that it will be good to help someone who needs operation for a deadly disease like cancer. I remember that i was the only who dropped her to airport when she was leaving for Lagos. Everything was fine for a month. She used to call him once a week and she used to sound very normal. In her last call she told me she have helped him (scammer whom she didn't knew) with 1000 dollars for his surgery, and it was normal. But suddenly he started asking for more and more money, which she refused to give. She mailed me saying that "He abuses her on phone". I told her to leave Lagos soon.

After that I never talked to her. I tried to take Nigerian police help but they were bribed by those 419 scammers and police didn't take my case. As you suggested me, I contacted the Embassy in Nigeria for S. I got the worst news of my life that she is no more. She was admitted is the city hospital in Lagos by Nigerian police. The Embassy found news about her. Local doctors said that she passed away after she was brought to hospital. Police are guessing that she was been beaten to death. Doctors are saying that she was raped too. According to DNA reports she was brutally raped by more than 4 men's and beaten to death.

I need you to put this in your site so everyone comes to know that "Even the people who ask for money for there treatment is scammers ". This is the main aim that we need to show people. I f you place this in your site , people will be aware that " Illness is also a reason which scammers are using to spoils any girls live by raping her, and also scamming the money , and everyone gets aware".

Mail from a stranger
Did you receive a letter from a complete stranger promising you millions? Or did you receive an offer for millions of dollars while you were dating on the net? I have received a lot of these letters, and they are all filled with lies. There is below an example of them.

Maybe your letter was similar to one of mine?
Maybe you received a letter telling you that you won in a lottery that you never heard of? - Or maybe someone offered to an easy work-at-home job, where you have to receive money on behalf of a company? If scammers failed to get you as a victim, they might try again with the use of a compensation letter.

Example Of Message

From: mscorp lott [mscorp_gmlott3@hotmail.com]
Sent: Sat 5/26/2007 3:52 PM

Office of the Foreign Service Manager
Universal Building, 132-133
Park Hurst, Balfour-Unit 1440
Johannesburg, Gauteng 2001
South Africa.

Attention: our honorable winner

from the manager international e-mail promotions/prize award dept, global mega lottery, microsoft corporation inconjuction with fifa worldcup south africa 2010 world lottery

you are winner no: 15

re: electronic mail award winning notification

global mega lottery and microsoft corporation management worldwide in conjunction with the organising committee fifa worldcup south africa 2010 are pleased to inform you that you are a winner of our annual microsoft/ global mega lotto lottery conducted in south africa being the host of the event for this present year's mega jackpot lottery winning program held on the 25th may 2007 at the nelson mandela square-sandton, johannesburg, south africa.

Your e-mail address was attached to our draw with serial number s/n-00168 and it drew the lucky numbers 87-43-25-22-10-3, and consequently won in the second category of the draw. You have therefore been approved for lump sum of $1,000,000.00 (one million united states dollar) only payable in cash credited to file ref. No: 56475600545 188 and bacth no: 5368/02 this is from the total prize money of $125,000,000.00 (one hundred and twenty five million united states dollars shared among one hundred and twenty five (125) lucky international winners in first and second category respectively.

All participants were selected from worldwide websites through our microsoft computer ballot system drawn from ten million constant e-mail users from around the world with each continent in participation as part of the international "e-mail promotions program" which is conducted annually for our prominent microsoft users all over the world, and to encourage the south africa fifa worldcup bid 2010.

Your fund has been insured and will be paid to you by telegraphic transfer (tt) through our africa claim agent (details below).

Name: barrister smith thambo esq.
Attorney at law
email: smithchambersandassociates@yahoo.Co.Uk
phone: +27 733367914

note: that your e-mail address should be used in all correspondence with your claim officer for refference purpose, through the contact details contained herein. Quote your wining numbers and no. 19. As part of our security protocol, quote also this security code: msgml/jan/xx207 to your claim agent to avoid misappropriation or scam.

Remember, all prize/s money must be claimed within 14 days of the receipt of this notice or forfeited to the government of south africa.

Congratulations, once more from the entire management and staff of global mega lottery, microsoft corporation and the organising committee fifa worldcup south africa 2010 to all our lucky winners this year.

Sincerely,

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our sponsors: chief sponsors;

global mega lottery, winikhaya lottery south africa, microsoft corporation, fifa, emirates airlines, south african airlines, old mutual insurance, chelsea fc, benita group, lucin group, julius berger, samsung etc...

Special appreciation to:

microsoft corporation uk, microsoft corporation africa, microsoft corporation usa, microsoft corporation asia.

Endeavor to email your claim agent with the required data below:

1. Full names:
2. Country:
3. Sex:
4. Age:
5. Occupation:
6. Telephone number:
7. Batch number:
8. Address:

FIFA

There’s nothing like a little bit of trivia to test your knowledge of the sport of soccer. You may say that soccer is your favorite sport, but how much do you really know? Following are some facts and tidbits that you may or may not know about soccer.

· Soccer originated generally in its present form in Britain.
· The world's oldest club formed in 1857 is Sheffield FC
· Soccer is the most played and most watched sport on Earth
· Soccer is called football in practically every country except America, who call 'Grid Iron' football and football soccer.
· Famous soccer rivalries include the Old Firm (Scotland), Manchester derby, London derbies, Milan derby, Real vs Barcelona, and many more.
· Some famous soccer players: Pele, Maradonna, Charlton, Eusebio, Cruyff, Dalglish, Ronaldo, Beckham, Mattheus.

Those are some basic bits of soccer trivia and facts. How much did you know? Well, here are so more soccer facts to test your knowledge:

· The sport of Association Football (often referred to as soccer or simply football) is the most popular team sport in the world, in both number of spectators and number of active participants.
· The largest attendance for a soccer match ever was 199,854 people - Brazil v. Uruguay in the World Cup at the Maracana Municipal Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, July 1950.
· In the largest soccer tournament ever, no less than 5,098 teams competed in 1999 for the second Bangkok League Seven-a-Side Competition. Over 35,000 players involved!
· The most goals scored by one player in a single soccer match was 16
- Stephan Stanis (France) playing for Racing Club de Lens in December 1942.
· Based on video evidence, one of the fastest ever scored was in 2.8 seconds by Ricardo Olivera (Uruguay) in December 1998.
· The international governing body of soccer is the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), based in Zurich, Switzerland.
· Diego Maradona was only 16 when he made his soccer debut for Argentina.
· Soccer goalies didn't have to wear different coloured shirts from their teammates until 1913.
· Eusebio scored 46 goals in the European Cup for Benfica.
· Chris Woods once went 1196 minutes without conceding a goal while at Rangers, from between November 26 1986 and January 31 1987.
· Ryan Giggs' dad was a professional Rugby League player.
· In 1973, the entire Galilee team spent the night in jail for kicking their opponents during an Israeli League game.

Have you had enough soccer trivia and facts? These are only a few of the interesting soccer facts that are floating around out there.

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, sports, and home decor. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles on soccer, please visit Soccer Products and Info.

FIFA

NTRODUCTION: Argentina is a beautiful South American country and home to tango…and birthplace of Eva Peron, First Lady of Argentina in the 1940s and 1950s…and Diego Armando Maradona, best known for his nickname “Pelusa”, one of the most famous athletes in the World History.

Argentina is one of the most industrialized country´s in Latin America… The South American country is among the most stable and democratic countries in the Third World…Buenos Aires, Argentina´s capital, is one of the most romantic and beautiful places… is very famous for its hospitality.

This place is one of the most dynamic entertainment centers in Latin America.There are lots of theaters, fantastic tavernas restaurants and stadiums… very peaceful and historical places…The South American country has been benefited from the many infrastructure projects that were provided for the 1978 FIFA World Cup, 1990 FIBA World Cup, FIVB World Cup (1982 and 2002) and Pan American Games (1995).

FILMS AND BOOKS ABOUT ARGENTINA:

“Evita” (1997), a film about Eva Duarte de Peron, former First Lady of Argentina in the 20th Century. “The Return of Eva Peron with the Killings in Trinidad”, a book about Third World dictatorships…by Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul, who won the 2001 Nobel Prize for Literature.

FAMOUS PEOPLE:

Jorge Luis Borges (writer)/ Ernesto Sabato (writer)/ Carlos de Saavedra Lamas (jurist/ 1936 Nobel Prize for Peace) / Bernardo A. Houssay (scientist: 1947 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine)/ Fernando Lamas (actor)/ Luis Leloir (1970 Nobel Prize for Chemistry)/ Mario Alvarez (architect) / Alfredo Agostini (architect) / Cesar Milstein (scientist) /Libertad Lamarque (singer) / Carlos Gardel(singer)/ Julio Bocca (dancer)…

DID YOU KNOW THAT… Argentina is about 40 times the size of Switzerland.More than 30 million people live there. The vast South American country, bigger than France, Germany and Japan combined, is the birthplace of Jose de San Martin, who was a Latin American revolutionary in the 18th Century.

ITALIAN ANCESTRY: Gabtriela Sabattini (tennis player)/, Arturo Illia (former President of Argentina)/ Hector Campora (ex-President of Argentina)/ Octavio Dazzan (cyclist) Norma Cappagly (Miss World 1960)…

OLYMPICS SPORTS AND ARGENTINA… Argentina´s national basketball team won its first-ever gold medal at the Olympic Games in Athens (2004). The final ranking: 1-Argentina, 2-Italy, 3-USA, 4-Lithuania, 5-Greece, 6-Puerto Rico, 7-Spain, 8-China, 9-Australia, 10-New Zealand, 11-Yugoslavia, 12-Angola…

SURPRISES…1982…Buenos Aires hosted at the FIVB Volleyball Men´s World Championship.There were 24 teams.The big favourites were The USSR (Olympic medal), Bulgaria, Japan, Cuba (gold medal at the Pan American Games), Brazil (gold medal at the “Mundialito”…Brazil defeat Soviet team 3-1) and the People´s Republic of China…Surprinsingly… Under the leadership of Carlos Wagenfield, the home team defeated Japan 3-1 for the bronze medal…Before Japanese newspaper reported the match as a 3-0 (15-0, 15-3, 15-2).Ironically, Argentina did not qualify for Pan American Games in San Juan de Puerto Rico (1979).Finallly,the USSR (today´s Russia, Belarus, Estonia…) captured the men´s gold medal, with Brazil finishing second and Argentina third…

DID YOU KNOW THAT…

Argentina has three idols: Eva Peron…Diego Armando Maradona…and Carlos Gardel.

FAMOUS WOMEN:

Norma Leandro (actress)/ Gabriela Sabattini (tennis player)/ Paloma Herrera(dancer)…Las Madres de la Plaza Mayo (human rights activists).

WHO IS ISABEL PERON?

Maria Estela Martinez de Peron or Isabel Peron, vice-president of Argentina from 1973 to 1974, was selected by Parliament to became Head of State of the country after the death of Juan Domingo Peron…In 1974, Argentina´s Isabel Peron became to first woman to be President in the World History.

WHO IS MAXIMA ZORREGUIETA?

Currently, Maxima Zorreguieta, was born on Argentina, is the Princess of the Netherlands…She is the second European Princess of Latin American descent.

OTHER FAMOUS PEOPLE BORN IN ARGENTINA…

The 1980 Nobel Prize for Peace was awarded to Adolfo Perez Esquivel, a human rights leader in the 1970s and 1980s.Adolfo was the second Latin to receive the Prize since 1936, when his countrymen Carlos de Saavedra won the Prize…Adolfo became an outspoken critic of Argentinian dictator Jorge Rafael Videla Redondo.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…

Argentinian Presidents have live in the Casa Rosada (Government Palace) since many decades…

REFERENCES:

-Box, Ben. Footprint South American Handbook 2005.
-Fisher, Jo. Mothers of the Dissapeared, Zed Books, 1989
-Guevara Onofre, Alejandro. Enciclopedia Mundototal, Editorial San Marcos,Lima, 1999
-Lloyd, A. Dances of Argentina, Max Parish, London, 1995
-Mason, Tong. Passion of the People: Football in South America, Verso, London, 1995.
-Naipaul, V.S. The Return of Eva Peron with the Killings in Trinidad, Andre Deutsh Limited, London, 1980.

ALEJANDRO GUEVARA ONOFRE:I am a writer about Third World issues (human rights, biographies, culture, history, olympic sport, democracy, women´s rights).My hobbies and interests are writing essays, going to the gym, browsing the Internet, Foreign Politics, learning about cultures, reading (my favourite writer is Juan Gasparini from Argentina), cooking Peruvian food, listening to American and British Music (my favourite singer is Barry White).

My personal motto is "the future is for those people who believe in the beauty of their dreams" by Eleanor Roosevelt...My heroes are Frida Kahlo (Mexican painter), Mpule Kwelagobe (ex Miss Universe and currently Anti-AIDS activist), Bono, Dian Fossey, Jimmy Carter, Oprah Winfrey,Hernando de Soto, Javier Perez de Cuellar and Mario Vargas Llosa...

FIFA

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
El Salvador hosted the 2002 Central American and Caribbean Sports Games. More than 2 million tickets were available for the 2002 Central American and Caribbean Games.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
El Salvador´s flag was adopted in the 1910s. The blue stripes represent unity. The white one symbolizes peace.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
Rosemary “Rosie” Casals, who was one of the best tennis players in the 1960s, has Salvadoran ancestry…

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
Different from Cuba, Venezuela, and North Korea, El Salvador is currently a democracy. Like South Africa, Botswana, Costa Rica, South Korea and Taiwan, El Salvador has one of the best democracies in the Third World.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
El Salvador qualified for the 1982 FIFA World Championship.Surprisingly, El Salvador beat Mexico in the World Cup qualifiers.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
The Joya de Ceren is one of the most important archaeological sites in Latin America.It was declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993.Like Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacan (Mexico) and Great Zimbabwe National Monument (Zimbabwe), Joya de Ceren is considered among the wonders of the world.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
Miss El Salvador 1955, Maria Isabel Arrieta Galvez, best known as Maribel, is considered by experts as one of the most beautiful misses of all times. Miss El Salvador , Maribel Arrieta, was the 1st runner-up at the Miss Universe 1955.However, she was crowned Miss Amity 1955.She was a big favourite last minute.Maribel looked like Marilyn Monroe, one of the most beautiful actresses in the history of Hollywood.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
Christy Nicole Turlington, who is an American supermodel, has Salvadoran ancestry…

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
Maureen Kaila Vergara was one of the best cyclist in the Third World. She won many international tournaments. Maureen Kaila Vergara is an Salvadoran icon.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
San Salvador, El Salvador´s capital, hosted the Miss Universe 1975. El Salvador became the second Latin American country to host the Miss Universe pageant. The winner was Miss Finland, Anne Pohtamo. The judges were: Leon Uris (writer), Ernest Borgnine (actor), Jean Claude Killy (sportsman), Peter Lawford (actor), Maribel Arrieta (baronesa de Thuret), Aline Griffith (countess), Sarah Vaugan (singer), Luz Marina Zuluaga (former Miss Universe), Susan Strasberg (actress), Max Lerner (journalist), and Kiyoshi Hara (businessman).

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
In 1983, Pope John Paul II visited El Salvador … DID YOU KNOW THAT…
El Salvador has many famous people:Claribel Alegria (writer), Alvaro Torres (singer), Muriel Hasbun (photographer), Carmencita Rios (actress), Maria CristinaVilanova Arbenz (former first lady of Guatemala), Oscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdamez (priest), Adam Oliver (sportsman), Maureen Kaila Vergara (sportswoman), and Paulina Margarita Galvez Piñeda (Miss International 1999).

Alejandro Guevara Onofre: Alejandro, best known as “Alex”, is a freelance writer. Different from other freelance writers, Alejandro is a versatile writer, who has written articles about biographies, culture, ecology, tourism, and international relations.

He admires Jimmy Carter (former President of the USA), Maria Felix (Mexican actress), Mario Vargas Llosa (writer from Peru), and Osmel Sousa (currently President of Miss Venezuela Organization).

His favorite writer is V.S.Naipaul. His hobbies and interests are writing essays, going to the gym, browsing the Internet, Foreign Politics, learning about cultures, reading , cooking Peruvian food, listening to American and British Music...

FIFA

DID YOU KNOW…
Like Kenya, Dominica and Madagascar, Botswana is known for its fantastic nature scenery. It is a friendly country famous for its touristic attractions such as the Chobe National Park and the Kalahari Desert.Chobe National Park is one of the largest national parks in the world and is much bigger than the Netherlands.This tropical paradise is the home of many kinds of wild animals—which includes elephants, zebras, lions, giraffes, and rhinoceroses.Thousands of tourists visit the country each year to see and photograph wild animals. Furthermore, Kalahari Desert is one of the world´s most ecologically important areas.

DID YOU KNOW…
In the 1970s, “Black and White in Color” was a film from Ivory Coast, currently Cote d´Ivoire. In 1976, Black and White in Color” won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.
Winner: Black and White in Color (Ivory Coast).
Finalists: -Cousin, Cousin (France)

-Jacob, the Liar (East Germany)

-Nights and Days (Poland)

-Seven Beauties (Italy)

DID YOU KNOW…
The 1980 Olympic Games were not boycotted by 25 African nations, including Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Angola, Lybia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe, formerly known as Rhodesia,won the gold medal in field hockey in the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow.

DID YOU KNOW…
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is president of Liberia since 16 January, 2006. She became Africa´s first elected female head of state. Liberian Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is one of the most important leader in Africa.Liberia is one of the world´s poorest countries.

DID YOU KNOW…
Like Brazil, Peru,and Australia, the Democratic´s Republic of Congo has one of the richest ecosystems in the world.

DID YOU KNOW…
Miriam Makeba (South Africa) is probably the most popular African singer of all time.Like Mpule Kwelagobe and Nelson Mandela, she is also an anti-AIDS activist in the Third World.

DID YOU KNOW…
In 1978, 18 year-old Margaret Gardinier of South Africa became the first African Miss Universe in the history of the contest.Miss Universe 1978 went to Guatemala, France, Australia and other countries.

DID YOU KNOW…
Botswana is rich in mineral resources such as copper, silver, nickel and diamonds. Since 1970, South Africa, Brazil, Russia and Botswana are the world´s largest producers of diamonds.

DID YOU KNOW…
“Hotel Rwanda”, a film by Irish director Terry George, was inspired in the Rwandan genocide (1993-1995). “Hotel Rwanda” was nominated for 3 Oscars ( Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Original Screenplay).

DID YOU KNOW…
The sporting system is one of the worst in the world, but Togo, an ex French colony in Africa, qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.Togo, a small country, is one of the nine poorest countries in the Third World.

DID YOU KNOW…
UNESCO has declared Royal Palaces of Abomey (Benin), Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park ( Central African Republic), Lower Valley of Awash (Ethiopia), and Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve( Madagascar) World Heritage Sites.

DID YOU KNOW…
Somalia is the birthplace of Iman, one of the most beautiful supermodels in the 1980s. Iman Abdulmajid was born in Mogadishu, the capital city of Somalia, in 1955.She speaks five languages. From 1980 to 1994, she worked as actress in American and European films. Her filmography:”The Human Factor” (1980), “Out of Africa” (1985), “L.A.Story” (1991), “House Party II” (1991), and “Exit to Eden”. Certainly, she loves her country. Iman was an aid worked and journalist in Somalia during the famine and civil war there in the 1990s. Once she said, “I approached the BBC and told them I wanted to do a documentary about my return and let the Somali people speak for themselves”. The country African is one of the five poorest countries in the world.

My name is Alejandro Guevara Onofre, best known as "Alex". I have studied political science, journalism and international relations. I am a writer and professor. I spend a lot of time writing and researching about Third World countries, olympics sports, biographies and Peruvian gastronomy.

One of the most memorable moments in my life was in fact when I published my first book: an encyclopedia called Mundototal. After, I published a book about History of Women in the United States (Spanish). At the moment, I am working a book about Third World. In the future, I would like to publish books about Olympic Games, democracy, ecology and nations of the world.

I am very interested in projects about democracy, olympics sports and women´s rights.My hobbies are drawing, doing sports and learning about Third World cultures. I am passionate about 1970s Music.I like reading, especially political books.My favourite book is "Murder in A Gentle Land" by Anthony Paul and John Barron. My idol is Jimmy Carter. I really admire him is because he´s so positive and enthusiastic about Third World democracy.

FIFA

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
Trinidad & Tobago is a small paradise island in the Caribbean. It is a multiracial society famous for its hospitality.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
Eric Williams (1911-1981) is the father of modern Trinidad & Tobago. In 1962 he became the first Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago.During the last fifteen years of his government Williams introduced many reforms and did many things to improve life in his country.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
Without a doubt, the most famous athlete in Trinidad and Tobago history is Hasely Crawford. At the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, Canada, Hasely Crawford won the gold medal in the 100-meter sprint.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
Trinidad Tobago is known as the home of the cricket legend Brian Charles Lara. He is a Caribbean cricket icon. In Trinidad and Tobago, like countries such as Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, cricket is the national sport.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
The most popular music in Trinidad Tobago today is calypso…

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
Like Guyana, Mauritius, and South Africa, Trinidad & Tobago is a multiracial democracy in the world.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
Trinidad and Tobago has many idols: Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul (writer), Billy Ocean (singer), Hazel Dorothy Scott (pianist), Pearl Primus (dancer), Janelle Commissiong (Miss Universe 1977), Hasely Crawford (sportsman), Brian Lara (sportsman), Wendy Fitzwilliam (Miss Universe 1998), and Peter Minshall (designer).

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
Pope John Paul went to Trinidad and Tobago in 1985

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
Trinidad & Tobago hosted the FIFA U-17 World Championship in 2001.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul, best known as V.S.Naipaul, is one of the most famous Caribbean authors of the twenteenth century.He was born on August 17, 1932, in Chaguanas, Trinidad & Tobago.

Naipaul has written more than thirty books. Naipaul was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2001. The Swedish Academy said, “Naipaul is a modern philosopher, carrying on the tradition that started originally with “Lettres persanes” and “Candide”. In a vigilant style, which has been deservedly admired, he transforms rage into precision and allows events to speak with their own inherent irony”.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
Behind cricket, soccer is the most popular sport in the country.Trinidad and Tobago team is nicknamed “soca warriors”, an allusion to the traditional calypso music.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
Trinidad and Tobago has had famous olympic athletes in the past century:Edwin Roberts (track and field), Ato Boldon (track and field), Wendell Mottley (track and field), Ian Morris (track and field), Michael Agostini (track and field), Maxwell Cheesman (cyclist), Roger Gibbon (cyclist), Samuel Gene (cyclist), Rodney Wilkes ( weightlifting), and Lennox Kilgour (weightlifting).

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
It was a beautiful night in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The date was July 16th, the year was 1977.Miss Trinidad-Tobago was crowned Miss Universe. For the first, the Miss Universe crown was won by first black. Her name: Janelle “Penny” Commissiong. After her victory, she said: “I felt like a ray of sunshine was around me.”

Alejandro Guevara Onofre: He is a freelance writer. Alejandro is of Italian, African and Peruvian ancestry. He´ve studied political science and journalism.He has published more than seventy-five research paper in English, and more than twenty in Spanish, concerning the world issues, olympic sports, countries, and tourism. His next essay is called "The Dictator and Alicia Alonso".He is an expert on foreign affairs. Futhermore, Alejandro is the first author who has published a world-book encyclopedia in Latina America.

He admires Frida Kahlo (Mexican painter), Hillary Clinton (ex-First Lady of the USA), and Jimmy Carter (former President of the USA). His favorite film is "Gorillas in the Mist".Some of his favorite books are “The Return of Eva Peron and the Killings in Trinidad” (by V.S.Naipaul), "Las Mujeres de los Dictadores" (by Juan Gasparini) and “Murder of a Gentle Land” (by John Barron and Anthony Paul).His personal motto is "The future is for those people who believe in the beauty o f their dreams" by Eleanor Roosevelt.

FIFA

There are many talented people in the world. In fact, everybody has a talent of some sort. Some of us develop our talent to exceptional standards and become well known in our field. Others never get a chance to further their talents.

However, every now and then there is such a talent that is blessed with an extra sparkle that lifts this talent to extraordinary heights. It is a combination of a gift, extreme hard work and dedication from an early age and a personality that lights up everything and everybody around them. Such a talent was Luciano Pavarotti.

It is with great sadness that the music loving world has heard of Pavarotti’s death this morning. Blessed with a distinctive wonderful tenor voice he probably did more than anybody else in the history of classical music to introduce the world to opera. He was a true cross-over artist who performed with the best orchestras and with U2 amongst others. His performance of the aria ‘Nessun Dorma’ became the theme song of the BBC TV coverage of the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. It became a pop hit.

His performances as part of the Three Tenors, with Domingo and Carreras, attracted huge audiences. He was the first in 1991, to bring a televised classical concert to Hyde Park playing to around 150 000 people in the pouring rain. His favourite fan in the front row, Princess Di, beaming up at him. In 1993 he drew more than half a million listeners to the Great Lawn of New York’s Central Park. The performance was followed by millions on TV.

He was a passionate humanitarian. He hosted an annual ‘Pavarotti and Friends’ concert in his home town of Modena in Italy to raise funds for several worthwhile UN causes. He supported War Child, and victims of war and civil unrest in various parts of the world including Bosnia and Iraq. In recognition for his work he received the Nansen Medal from the UN High Commission for Refugees. He used his fame to support the UN and became a Messenger of Peace.

He was a larger than life personality and figure. A distinctive voice that one could identify within a few bars, he managed to interpret the music he sang in such a way and with huge passion, that it touched the hearts and minds of his listeners, no matter whether they were opera fans or not.

Despite all the fame, he somehow managed to keep ‘the common touch’ singing to his audience as if one of them. I think that that is what he will be remembered for mostly and what has made his passing today such a sad occasion.

Anja Merret lives in Brighton, UK, having moved across from South Africa just over a year ago.

She now looks after the business interests of her daughter who is a Flash Developer and Accessibility expert. She started a blog at the beginning of the year under the heading of chatting to my generation. Although she is chatting to the baby boomer generation, she sometimes feels that all generations have the same issues to face, they just don't have hearing aids or walking sticks!

One of her pet peeves is the war in Iraq and in fact anything that causes innocent people to get hurt. But she also loves tech stuff, although only as an amateur. She considers herself a Silver Surfer Gadget Geek. She is even considering queuing for an iPhone in the UK later on in the year. But her daughter has offered, so she will only be taking hot food to the Brighton Geeks waiting in line.

FIFA

Trophies are souvenirs of victories. The most common trophies are awarded for sporting achievements. A trophy is an object of great admiration and idolization. Whether it is a school race or an Olympic medal, a trophy is much coveted.

Trophies are made of different materials. Gold and silver are the costly, highly sought after metals. But other metals like pewter and steel and crystal are also common.

Shapes are also very different catering to the different requirements. A wrestler is seen in a wrestling trophy, a football player in a football trophy, a golfer in action in a golf trophy and a baseball player in a baseball trophy.

There are also beer can trophies, glove statuette, home plate plaques, coach statuettes, all-star statuettes, color baseball statuettes, premium and metal cup trophy shapes, Roman columns, and pyramid trophies. A novel kind of trophy is the Bobble Head statue trophy a metal figure with a dancing head.

Trophies from certain games are much coveted. In Soccer, the FIFA world cup, European championship, Copa America, African Nations Cup, Asia cup and others are the much-sought-after trophies. In golf, the PGA tour, championship tour, LPGA tour, the Masters, the U.S. open, and the British Open are the major trophies. In baseball, international tourneys include World Baseball Classic and the Olympics baseball tournament.

American football is played at different levels, like the National Football League, College football, Arena football League, Mexican College Football and Canadian Football League Most wrestling is amateur, but some forms, like Sumo, are professional. The most widespread form is amateur wrestling. It consists of two styles-Collegiate and Freestyle. Professional wrestling is led by a wrestling tournament under the World Wrestling Federation.

In addition to sports, trophies are awarded to police officers, firefighters and other active duty government officials for achievements of exceptional valor and courage. These include traditional cup-shaped trophies, plaques and even bobble-head images of officers as trophies.

Trophies provides detailed information on Award Trophies, Baseball Trophies, Custom Trophies, Football Trophies and more. Trophies is affiliated with Award Plaques.

FIFA

It is coming to the point in the year, when the nation starts to think about who deserves to be the sports personality of the year. In this article I am going to write about who I think will win this years award as well as about the other possible contenders.

The year started with so much hype with events such as the Fifa world cup to look forward to. The performance of the English team was not exactly the best and it is unlikely that a footballer will win the award. I actually believed England had a realistic chance of winning the trophy and was not very happy at the way the team played or approached the games, it was far too negative.

Our cricket team have not really continued how they left off after their success in the ashes of 2005. They have had a mixed year with some very poor one-day form. To be fair the team has had a lot of injuries to contend with, but again I do not think that a cricketer will win this years award.

In golf the European team claimed their third straight victory over the United States in the Ryder Cup, in emphatic style. The team bonded superbly as a unit and from the outset there only really looked to be one likely winner, which of course was Europe. From this group of players comes a man who in my opinion should win this years award of sports personality of the year. There were some great individual performances but I think Darren Clarke did extremely well and showed great character. He played in three matches and was victorious in each of them, winning three valuable points for his team. This was only a few weeks after the sad death of his wife from cancer.

Andrew Murray has had a great year and is steadily climbing the world rankings in Tennis. He is now up into the top twenty of players where he was not even in the top one hundred a year ago. He is also a strong contender for the award.

For the award of overseas personality of the year I think that there is only really one contender, Tiger Woods. He also has had to come to terms with the loss of a close family member this year, his father. Despite this he has played some great golf and has just won the last six stroke play events. His performance in the Ryder Cup was not up to his usual standards however he did still win some matches. I hope he wins this award, as to win six tournaments in a row is quite unbelievable.

FIFA

Are you a Brit who loves their sport? Are you looking forward to the Fifa World Cup? Are you a tennis fan? Do you love the cricket? If you are fan of sport then this could be a summer to saviour and remember. I personally have been looking forward to this summer for many months and am very excited at all of the sporting events that are forthcoming. I am from England and really believe that my national team have a real chance of winning the World Cup for the first time since 1966.

As well as the World Cup there are many more sporting events taking place that should make this summer one of the best in years.

The World Cup itself is only a week away and I can not wait for the tournament to commence. I am a massive football fan and even if England are knocked out in the group stages, I will still continue to watch and enjoy the matches.

I can not really see this happening as for the first time in many years England have a realistic chance of winning the trophy. There are some real winners in the team, John Terry, David Beckham and Steven Gerrard are three that spring to mind with little thought. I know for a fact that the players believe and that countries such as Brazil do not scare them. They of course have respect for these teams but have an inner confidence that this could be England's year.

If England can lift this trophy, can you imagine the response that will take place in the UK? The ashes heroes and the successful English World Cup rugby team have been treated like gods. Football is one thousand times more important and popular in England than these sports and these players lives will be changed forever. The country will party for months!

As well as football, there is the Wimbledon Tennis Championship, the cricket, the Derby in flat racing and many other sports such as athletics to wet the appetite of the British sports fan.

I am quite interested to see how the English tennis supporters treat Andrew Murray at Wimbledon. Murray has stated that he will be supporting every team at the World Cup who play England. He is Scottish of course. I hope he has a lack of support as this is a very childish attitude from a chap who has one very little thus far. I like the way he plays tennis but think he should keep his mouth closed as I now have very little time for him. When the Scottish team play in the World Cup I hope that they win, I surely would rather a team from the UK do well than a team from South America. He is of course very young and no doubt upset that his national team have not reached this years World Cup Finals.

This summer is a time to relax, drink a few beers and to enjoy what will be a great summer of British sport.

FIFA

Women's soccer never would have been the same if Mia Hamm hadn't started up soccer when she was little. She had such an impact in the women's soccer world that she is often thought to mean as much for it as Pele or Cruyff meant for men's soccer. But before being a great soccer player and athlete that broke down almost every possible record at her level, Mia Hamm is a great person and I'd like you to meet the human behind the soccer god in this Mia Hamm biography.

Mia Hamm as a Child
If you're like me, you're probably wondering how and when did Mia Hamm start playing soccer and what events drove her to become a super star of women's soccer. Mia Hamm's childhood circled around sports and athleticism and as her brother recalled, she was faster and more athletic than most of the boys on the block, so she was able to play competitively with and against them.

After taking up youth soccer training at her school's football team when she was only 12 years old, she learned the basics of soccer and started enjoying the sport more and more. Little did she know that three years later, when she was just 15, she would be called up for the United States national women's soccer team, becoming the youngest player ever to play for her country at that level (one of her first broken records).

That was kind of a weird situation, since Mia Hamm was a soccer player for her national squad but didn't have a fully professional playing contract with a club. But after seeing her performances, the North Carolina Tar Heels quickly signed her and they made quite a deal, since Mia Hamm stayed with the club for 4 seasons, scoring over 100 goals during her time here.

Mia Hamm's Accomplishments
Probably one of Mia Hamm's most important accomplishments is that she managed to bring women's soccer to a level close to what men are playing. She is one of the two women named in Pele's "List of 125 Best Soccer Players of All Times" and she is a symbol of women's sports throughout the World.

She also holds two FIFA World Player of the Year awards, which she got in 2001 (the first year the trophy was given) and 2002. Unfortunately, she would have gotten a lot more of these awards, but with the World Player of the Year awards being granted for women when Mia Hamm was already nearing the end of her career, she didn't really have a chance to widen her trophy room.

In numbers, Mia Hamm was the United States top goal scorer, with 158 goals in 275 matches, a remarkable record that will probably dust and rust before it is beaten. She scored more goals than any man or woman for her national team, although many soccer specialists will agree that the level of women's soccer is still in an early grade and cannot be compared to men's soccer yet.

She won the Women's World Cup twice, in 1991 and 1999 and also put the US national team through a Gold Medal at the Olympic Games in 1996. All these titles, records and awards make Mia Hamm one of the most important players in women's soccer and the fact that Pele considered to put her on the same list as legendary male players such as Maradona, Cruyff, Platini or Beckenbauer says a lot about the influence she had in the game.

FIFA

Are you a football supporter? Do you support England? Are you looking forward to the football World Cup? These are three questions which I would have answered a big yes to and I am very happy to learn that Wayne Rooney looks likely to be fit to play some part in the Fifa World Cup tournament. He could prove to be the man that helps bring glory to our proud footballing nation.

The hype around the foot injury of Wayne Rooney has been absolutely massive and has been possibly way over the top. I would have much preferred more focus to have been placed on some of our other better players such as David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Joe Cole and Michael Owen. In saying that, in a way it could have been a blessing in disguise as the players mentioned and the other members of the squad, have had quite a lot of the attention taken away from them.

I remember first watching Wayne Rooney play live, when I went to support my favourite team Birmingham City play at St Andrews. Wayne at that point was probably only seventeen and was playing for Everton. I had heard that he was supposed to be a great talent and had watched him play on the television on a number of occasions.

Throughout the match he looked very lively and dangerous but ended up getting himself sent off, after an over the top challenge on the Birmingham goalkeeper. I will never forget the Birmingham City fans singing to torment the Everton supporters with, where's your Wayne gone, where's your Wayne gone? Imagine it being sang etc.

Over the next few months Rooney became better and better and eventually was sold in a dream move for him, to Manchester United. He has continued his form and improvement and has since been a major part of the England football team. In my opinion, he is one of, if not the best, footballers in the world.

Chelsea, who of course seem to have a never ending supply of money, would no doubt love to sign Rooney. I wonder how much it would cost them to persuade Alex Ferguson and Manchester United to part with their prize asset. They say every man has a price, I would think that they would need around the one hundred million pounds mark, quite a scary thought.

Wayne is still so young and I hope he can remain injury free as it is going to be very exciting to see how good he can become. He is already a superstar but I believe he could be one of the best players who has ever played the game.

FIFA

Through my stamp collection I known many countries in the world: Egypt, Iceland, Greece, Chad, Bhutan and South Africa, the birthplace of Nelson Mandela.I remember that I like a stamp about Nelson Mandela. I admire a lot of people like Frida Kahlo (Mexican painter), Jimmy Carter (ex President of the United States), but I have a very great admiration for Nelson Mandela, the “Father of the Democracy in South Africa”, since I have seen “Mandela and De Klerk” a film about the Apartheid. Furthermore, I´ve read a lot about biographies, but his biography is more than interesting. Since then, he is an example for young people in Africa.

Certainly, Mandela has campaigned for ever 40 years to expose atrocities against blacks African throughout the world. I believe that Mandela is as famous as Mahatma Gandhi or Martin Luther King. From y point of view, I think that Mandela is the symbol of democracy, women`s rights and human rights in the Third World. During their years in the national power, he was a man who always worked with love for South Africa and other African countries…

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born in Transkei, South Africa, on July 18, 1918. From 1944 to 1989, Mandela was an anti-Apartheid activist.On Decembrer 9, 1993, Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his significant contributions to South African reconciliation. Apartheid system was a dictatorial political in South Africa, an ex-British colony and independent country since 1909. Under Apartheid system, South African blacks were considered “second-class citizens”. More than 2 million blacks were killed by South African dictatorship…Apartheid dictatorship had good relations with Taiwan, Malawi, South Korea, Israel, Paraguay, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, El Salvador and Guatemala. Pretoria did not have relations with the USSR, India, Mexico, Guyana, Iraq, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Cuba and Africa. By the 1960s, Mandela protest against Apartheid, but he was prisoner for many decades. In my opinion, I think that the apartheid was one of the most important problems of the modern history.

In 1990 began to dismantle the Apartheid system. Since then, Mandela was released.Next year, Mandela become the first black president of SA.He was elected president of the Republic by universal suffrage. In 1998 Thabo Mbeki succeeded Mandela as Head of State.Like South Korea,Uruguay, El Salvador, Botswana and Trinidad-Tobago, South Africa had one one of the best democracies in the Third World. SA is one of the most prosperous black African states thanks to natural resources…Today SA has one of the most stable political environmental on Earth. The country is the second State in the Third World to incorporate the protection of the environment into its national Constitution.However, the racism still divides South African society.Furthermore, SA has one of the highest crime rates in the Third World.

Since 1995, Mandela has become an anti-HIV/AIDS activist in the Third World.In 2005, his country had one of the highest HIV/AIDS in the world. An estimated 8.4 million South African were living with HIV/AIDS…Under the leadership of Mandela, SA will host 2010 FIFA World Cup.

REFERENCES: -Benjamin, Anne. Part of My Idol, Penguin Books Ltd,England, 1984
-Crystal, David. The Penguin Book of Facts, Penguin Books, 2004
-Encyclopaedia Britannica Almanac 2003
-Farida, Karida. Daughters of the Twilight, The Womens Press, London, 1986
-Guevara Onofre, Alejandro. Enciclopedia Mundototal, Editorial, San Marcos, Lima, 1998
-Hanlm,Joseph. Beggar your Neighbours:Apartheid Power in Southern Africa, Indiana University, London, 1986.
-Hodson, H.V. The Annual Register. A Records of World Events 1977, Longman, 1978
-Palmonski,Jan. Dictionary of Comtemporary World History.From 1900 to the Present day, Oxford Press
-Sampson, Anthony. Mandela:The Authorised Biography, Harper Collins, London, 1999
-The Hutchinson Chronology of World History, Helicom, 1998

ALEJANDRO GUEVARA ONOFRE:I am a writer about Third World issues (human rights, biographies, culture, history, olympic sport, democracy, women´s rights). My hobbies and interests are writing essays, going to the gym, browsing the Internet, Foreign Politics, learning about cultures, reading (my favourite writer is Juan Gasparini from Argentina), cooking Peruvian food, listening to American and British Music (my favourite singer is Barry White). My personal motto is "the future is for those people who believe in the beauty of their dreams" by Eleanor Roosevelt...My heroes are Frida Kahlo (Mexican painter), Mpule Kwelagobe (ex Miss Universe and currently Anti-AIDS activist), Bono, Dian Fossey, Jimmy Carter, Oprah Winfrey,Hernando de Soto, Javier Perez de Cuellar and Mario Vargas Llosa...

FIFA

In an earlier article (Pssst, here's £60m for your soccer team..... ) which I have posted in my blog, I alluded that the Beautiful Game is degenerating into something exclusive to people who have plenty of money to spare. An increasing number of Premiership clubs are being taken over by foreign hands: Manchester United are being owned by Americans, the same goes for both Liverpool and Aston Villa, West Ham United by Icelanders, Fulham by an Egyptian whose primary interests is in retail, Chelsea by a Russian with a personal fortune of £9 billion, who is obsessed with winning and can earn far more from his trade in oil and minerals. As of this writing, we even have the ex-Thai Prime Minister wanting a slice of the action by taking over the reins of Manchester City. Is the Premiership gradually becoming an expensive playground for the super-rich? I fear the answer is yes. And how true can this get, going by the latest annual review of soccer by one of the world’s top-four auditors Deloitte & Touche. The Deloitte Annual Review of Football Finance, released on 31 May 2007, revealed that the following startling financial facts:

1) The combined wages of the English Premier League is expected to surpass the £1billion mark for the first time ever since the competition was formally inaugurated in 1992 – 1993. The wages of the twenty teams rose to £854 million for season 2005 – 2006 compared to “merely” £168 million in 2005. Now isn’t it wonderful to be a soccer player instead of having a desk-bound job?

2) Wait, the rich pickings gets better for we can expect the first £200,000 a-week player in the EPL to emerge before 2010. Currently, the top earner in the Premiership is widely considered to be Ukrainian Andriy Shevchenko and German Michael Ballack (both Chelsea), whom each is believed to be banking at least £130,000 per week. I feel that even if you are proven players like them, you should only be getting a basic wage and the appropriate performance bonuses. Otherwise, soccer clubs will be forced to charge fans even higher ticket prices to keep up with the operating costs. This is the best measure to insulate the business when on-pitch results are not so rosy, and also help motivate and reward players and the management for winning.

3) The 20 clubs in the top division generated a total of £1.4 billion in turnover two seasons ago (2005 – 2006), a figure which is expected to go up to £1.8 billion for Season 2007 – 2008. I have reasons to suspect that the majority of these revenues came from the booming Asian economies, where the newly-rich are most willing to pay astronomical sums to catch their soccer heroes play “live” in off-season games.

4) Taking into account the money spent by teams in the lesser divisions in attempts to break into the Premiership, the total debts that have been taken on is an astonishing £2 billion. For next season, there will be in place a new 3-year TV deal worth £2.7 billion, which is widely to be a catalyst for wage inflation and for servicing such debts. The new TV revenue – including domestic and international rights – equates to about £300 million extra per season over the next 3 years. What I can see is it is going to be the turning of a vicious cycle: teams secure loans to enter the top division and earn more TV money, which is then used to service debts. And yet with reduced revenue, they will be forced to borrow heavily again.

Mark my words, the spiraling finances involved in the soccer scene will get out-of-hand one fine day. And the ones who will bear the brunt of the fall-out will be the fans themselves, as they are already being squeezed by soccer clubs to pay for higher ticket prices, more expensive jersey replicates, program sheets and even those who cannot afford a trip to the stadiums will not be spared – they are likely to be charged more for pay-per-view TV for “live” or even games which are broadcast delayed. Finally, I foresee that the ownership of more top-tier clubs will land into foreign hands. While these foreigners are generally super-rich and provide instant cash inflows, they may not represent the best interests of the soccer fraternity. After all, they are probably businessmen by nature. Who can guarantee that these clubs are not merely cash cows to be milked and the fans are not being taken for a nasty ride? It is obvious to me that the foreign owners have had considerable sporting success AS WELL AS financial gains. I feel that it is high time for the British government or even the highest governing body FIFA to step and start regulating such transactions before things get worse.

FIFA

Who is Ronaldinho?
Ronaldinho is arguably one of the best football players in the world, currently playing for FC Barcelona as a midfielder, where he has amazed everybody with his amazing footwork. He is the latest miracle from Brazil, scoring wonderful goals and “dancing the samba” while doing so. He was also named FIFA World Player of the Year in 2004, the most prestigious award a player can receive, following his Brazilian team mates Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Romário.

Where did he come from?
Born in the southern city of Potro Alegre, Brazil, Ronaldinho worked his way out of the slums to become the worlds most recognized and coveted player. His love for football blossomed when his father, Joao da Silva Moreira, joined an amateur club. Roberto Moreira, Ronaldinho's brother, was a rising start in the Gremio Club, but when is knee shattered he was relegated to a substitute player.

The World Cup
Ronaldinho dazzled fans in the 2002 World Cup where he played so gracefully that he was almost unstoppable. Scoring 27 goals in 57 matches he helping Brazil become World Cup winners for the 5th time. He is considered to be one of the most inventive football players, treating the football like his lover, flirting and teasing it before taking control.

When asked if he had a girlfriend during a press conference, he took out a football and said, “This is her.”

His unquenchable thirst for football and his love for life will surely make him a player to be rivaled with for years to come. In fact, Ronaldinho said "I still have a video of my father, which I watch before every game I play for Brazil. It gives me strength, makes me determined."

Quick Statistics

Full Name: Ronaldo de Assis Moreira
Born: March 21 1980
Place of Birth: Vila Nova, Brazil
Club: FC Barcelona.
Height: 181cm
Weight: 80kg
Random Fact: Ronaldinho's name is Portuguese for “Little Ronaldo”.

FIFA

DID YOU KNOW THAT...
In the 1980s and 1990s, the Chilean economy was one of the most dynamic in Latin America.

DID YOU KNOW THAT...
Maria Felix once said, “ The stars of today have no star-power and the actresses of today are disponsable. They are models that can`t even speak”.She was a famous Mexican actress in the 1940s and 1950s.

DID YOU KNOW THAT...
Romario Souza is best known as the man who scored the winning goal for Brazil in the FIFA World Championship in 1994.

DID YOU KNOW THAT..
Guatemalan writer Miguel Angel Asturias was awarded the 1967 Nobel Prize for Literature.

DID YOU KNOW THAT...
“Elsino and the Condor” is a Nicaraguan film directed by Miguel Littin in the 1980s. It was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award in 1982.

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The actor Anthony Quinn (1915-2001) originally came from Mexico. In 1952 he won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for the film “Viva Zapata!”

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Although Brazil has produced many great writers, none has been as widely read as Jorge Amado.He is remembered for classics like “Gabriela,Clove and Cinnamon” (1956) and “Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands”(1966). Jorge Amado is one of the most famous Latin American authors of the twentieth century.

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Miss Belize, Sarita Acosta, qualified for the semi-finals at the Miss Universe 1979. It was the first time that Belize was semi-finalist.Like Janelle Commissiong (Miss Universe 1977), Sarita Acosta was a black beauty.

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Few stars have had careers as long and varied as Maria Concepcion Alonso Bustillo, who is best known as Maria Conchita Alonso. In a career of more than two decades she has been successful both as a singer and as an actress.She had several hits in the 1980s, including “Mirame” (1987).She is recognized as one of the most important names in Latin America´s music.Since the mid-eighties Maria Conchita has had a second career-as an actress, appearing in films like “Moscow on the Hudson” and “Predator 2”.

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Cricket is the national sport in Antigua & Barbuda, a small country in the Caribbean…

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In 1988, Pope John Paul II visited Paraguay.

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Mary Eugenia Charles was prime minister of Dominica from 1980 to 1995. She was born on May 15, 1919 in Pointe Michel, Dominica, an ex-British colony in the Caribbean. She was the Third World´s four elected woman prime minister.

Alejandro Guevara Onofre: He is a freelance writer.Alejandro is of Italian, African and Peruvian ancestry.He´ve studied political science and journalism.He has published more than seventy-five research paper in English, and more than twenty in Spanish, concerning the world issues, olympic sports, countries, and tourism. His next essay is called "The Dictator and Alicia Alonso".He is an expert on foreign affairs. Futhermore, Alejandro is the first author who has published a world-book encyclopedia in Latina America.

He admires Frida Kahlo (Mexican painter), Hillary Clinton (ex-First Lady of the USA), and Jimmy Carter (former President of the USA). His favorite film is "Gorillas in the Mist".Some of his favorite books are “The Return of Eva Peron and the Killings in Trinidad” (by V.S.Naipaul), "Las Mujeres de los Dictadores" (by Juan Gasparini) and “Murder of a Gentle Land” (by John Barron and Anthony Paul).His personal motto is "The future is for those people who believe in the beauty o f their dreams" by Eleanor Roosevelt.

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Dieudonné Lamothe, who was a sports person from Haiti, finished lost in the 5000-meter race at the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 1984.He lose the Olympic competition, but Lamothe was not assassinated by president Jean-Claude Duvalier, the dictator who became known throughout the world as “Baby Doc Duvalier”. Over the next years, Lamothe revealed that Jean-Claude Duvalier had threatened to kill him if he failed to finish the race…Amnesty International reports secret police,known as Tonton Macoutes, practice torture, assassinations and disappearances including killings of prominent opposition leaders.

Like Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (Cuban dictator) and Idi Amin Dada (Ugandan dictador), Jean-Claude Duvalier loves sports.Certainly, he popularized the sport of soccer, or football, in Haiti, an ex-French colony in the Caribbean. Under his leadership,Haiti qualified for the 1974 FIFA World Cup tournament in Munich (West Germany). It also won the Junior World Soccer Championships in 1975 in Mexico City, Mexico.Soccer is now the national sport of the country. Between October 12 and October 26, 1975, the Haitian delegation participated in the Seventh Pan American Games held in Mexico City. The national delegation had 12 athletes competing in three sports: track and field (7), boxing (2) and tennis(3).Furthermore, Haiti sent a national team to the 1976 Olympic Games, which were held in Montreal (Canada).Haitian athletes also competed in several events sponsored by international sports organizations, including basketball, golf, judo, volleyball and boxing.

Indisputably one of the worst dictatorships of all time, Fidel Castro Ruz enjoys all types of Olympic sports, including basketball and baseball, and his proudest moment was when his country hosted the Pan American Games in 1991. The people that don´t know Cuba very much think that Cuba is an olympic paradise.

Like Iran, Sudan, Syria and the Democratic People´s Republic of Korea (or North Korea), Cuba is a terrorist state in the 21st century. Fidel Castro Ruz is not Pol Pot (Maoist dictator) and Enver Hoxha (anti-Soviet dictator), but he is a dictator in the Third World. The country has never known a period free of tyranny, repression and political conflict.

A revolution in 1959 transformed Cuba into Latin America´s first socialist republic. From 1962 to 1989, Cuba was a Soviet colony. In 1962, Cuba looked to the USSR (currently Russia,Ukraine, Belarus,etc) to help it consolidate its sport.Sporting projects were strongly emphasized during this decade. The Soviet Union sent Olympic advisers to La Havana and agreed to provide sporting aid to Cuban dictatorship. Recognized the importance of sport to Cuba´s dictatorship, the Soviets construted several sports schools, best known as Escuelas de Iniciación Deportiva Escolar (EIDE, Schools for the Initiation into Scholastic Sport), modernized gymnasiums, and built stadiums. This invaluable sporting support continued through the 1970s and 1980s.

Sport in Cuba continues to be strictly centered in the hands of Fidel Castro Ruz. Castro has instilled a mental toughness in the Cuban athletes. The athletes are forced to deny to the United States, Czech Republic, Hungary, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, South Korea and other countries.

Ongoing violence has forced more than 300 athletes to flee to neighboring countries including Mexico, Puerto Rico, Bahamas, and the United States.

From the outside, the “Lenin Sport School” is certainly impressive. No all the dictatorships have the same situation. Under the dictatorship of Robert Gabriel Mugabe, Zimbabwe´s sport is a disaster. Yoel López always arrives at “Lenin Sport School” early.He says: “I usually go to sport school by car but sometimes I walk”. In Cuba the sports schools usually open 7.30 in the morning. Yoel never watches television. He sleeps seven hours a night. He works very hard. Like many Cuban children, he is a new slave of the Cuban Revolution.Certainly, Yoel López is a volleyball player.

Cuba won the baseball Pan American gold medal in Santo Domingo 2003. Hundreds of Cubans watched TV coverage of the Pan American Games. During the final baseball game, soldiers in camouflage stood around the Cuban dugout and guarded much of the section where Cuba´s delegation was seated. Even credentialed media were kept off the field and guards with loaded assault rifles protected the Cuban national bus. One soldier told a journalist he estimated there were around 400 security workers at the stadium and said if any Cuban got away it would mean jail time for the Dominican patrol. “Our mission tonight is to ensure that no Cuban defects,” he said on condition of anonymity.” If one defects, they´ve threatened us with jail, and said they would dismiss us from the army”.

Alejandro Guevara Onofre: He is a freelance writer.Alejandro is of Italian, African and Peruvian ancestry. He studied political science and journalism. He has published more than seventy-five research paper in English, and more than twenty in Spanish, concerning the world issues, Olympic sports, countries, and tourism. His next essay is called "The Dictator and Alicia Alonso". He is an expert on foreign affairs. Furthermore, Alejandro is the first author who has published a world-book encyclopedia in Latina

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The holidays are just around the corner and for millions of Americans that means it's time to start shopping. Love it or hate it Christmas shopping can often be stressful especially when your in search the perfect gift for the man in your life. Whether your man is a nerd, a big kid, a daddy, or a businessman, the perfect gift is out there somewhere. I can't tell you what to buy, but I can point you in the right direction. Choose the personality that fits your man the best and choose a gift accordingly.

• For the Kid: For the man in your life who just isn't quite grown up yet, try treating him to a video game. True, you may hate them, you may even loath them, but most guys who are kids at heart love them. If your guy doesn't have a gaming system already, try to figure out which one puts a twinkle in his eye next time you're out shopping or watching TV together. If he does, there are a few great games out this season that he's sure to love. A real popular game this Christmas is Guitar Hero III. Grab the game and a guitar and you'll have a rockin' Christmas. Some other great games out this Christmas are Halo 3, The Simpsons Game, and FIFA Soccer 08.
• For the Nerd: Is your man a tech savvy, oh so smart, exceptionally cute nerd? Lucky for you, in this digital age buying for the men who are geeks at heart has never been so easy. While it may be easy, it may not make sense. A lap top case may not seem very exciting to you, but to someone who carries a computer on the daily, a lap case is like a new coach purse. While you're shopping at your local computer or electronics store, look for some really neat GPS systems or a Roll-up Flexible keyboard. Both are definitely guaranteed to get your man excited.
• For the Businessman: Is your lover a white collard sweet heart who loves the finer things in life? If you're shopping for a man who loves the finer things in life, then look for some great gifts that will show him you can appreciate him. Choose gifts that he can use for meetings and business relations. You can never go wrong with a pair of cufflinks that accentuate his style or a great watch to make sure he's never late for important meetings. For the father: If the man in your life is also a daddy then consider buying him a gift that will remind him of what a great father he is. Depending on the age or your child, gifts for fathers can vary greatly, but there are a few that you can never go wrong with. Picture frames for his desk are always a great way to bring a little sunshine to his day, as are picture cufflinks that allow you to cut out pictures of loved ones and slip them in a cufflink frame. It's one great way to let him wear his heart on his sleeves.
• For the Blue Collar Worker: Does your man put in a hard day of physical labor to make sure you have all the comforts of life? If so, you're a lucky lady and you need to show your appreciation. Sure you can buy some work boots, or a sweatshirt, but the best present is on that allows him to relax. Does he have a favorite nearby vacation destination? Take him there for the weekend. Are his muscles soar day in and day out? How about a professional massage or even a personal day of pampering by you? Maybe he enjoys having a few cold ones while watching the game. If so, consider buying him tickets to see his favorite team or the season sports package for satellite TV or cable. The key is to show him how much his hard day of work means to you.

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What will the status of the winners be when they emerge victorious from the tournament this month?

It might sound an odd question, but think about how absurd it would be in any other sport. Imagine that six months after the FIFA World Cup, another tournament, also called the World Cup, was played with pretty much the same teams fielding pretty much the same players in a pretty similar tournament format with pretty similar viewing figures (both at the grounds and on the telly), but with 45-minute matches rather than the full 90.

I’m not questioning the existence of T20, because I love cricket, and I understand that this ultra-intense, short format of the game means people can watch a whole game in an evening after work; it gives the game more appeal, more coverage, more peak-time advertising opportunity and hence, more money. It’s also a great spectacle.

I just think its going to be weird when there are two world champions of cricket.

Test cricket is, of course, an altogether different kettle of fish; tactics and gameplay are wholly different from the one day game. The length of time matches take, and the massive possibility of draws, means that a ranking system is the only way to produce a ‘world number one team’, whereas 50 overs-a-side lends itself to definite results in the finite time of a tournament. 20-20 is very much like 50-50 in its style and ethos: score as many runs as you can as quickly as you can; restrict as many runs as stingily as you can. It, too, can be played in a tournament, which is why we have this second ‘World Cup’.

The winners will, therefore, claim to be world champions of cricket, and the best in the shortened version of the game. But the Australia team that lifted the World Cup in the West Indies a few months ago already claim that title. And ‘Twenty20 world champions’ doesn’t really mean anything, at least yet: so few T20s are played internationally (England have played the most in history with a grand total of 6; India have played just 2) that no-one will really care. Also, the games are so short that a second-rate international team could conceivably lift the trophy. The flaws in a Zimbabwe side could perhaps be papered over for three hours at a time that would undoubtedly cause a collapse over a whole day or more. What if a ‘minnow’ wins the whole thing? They are played so infrequently by the test-playing nations that the ‘world champion’ label will be redundant until they play the tournament again.

One solution would be to have an annual or biennial T20 tournament, outside of which international T20 is not played. Then it would be clear that T20, while popular and important, is not of the same caliber and class as the official cricket world cup, in the same way that the Six Nations is keenly contested every year, but with the winning side not making any pretensions to overall global superiority. Maybe the difficulties will disappear as T20 establishes its niche. But the simplest solution this time round, to avoid any argument or confusion, would be if Australia won the danged thing. Doubtless they will oblige.

By Paul Bowers, I write for Mio Destino and for it's blog site MioBlog writing articles of interest to their international clients. The company sells internationally, high end, designer lingerie, swimwear, corsets, pyjamas and mens underwear predominantly from Italy and France but also from the US, Canada and other parts of Europe. You can sign up for a FREE Newsletter and FREE to enter competitions if you visit the Mio Destino website.

If you like my articles then why not sign up to my the MioBlog. The company is currently working on a high end designer collection called Hypnotique which will be launched in the next month.

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Within your circle of family and friends, there's bound to be at least one sports enthusiast. Whether he or she is an avid player or a dedicated spectator, the thrill of the game ignites passion and gets the adrenaline pumping. And, when it comes to gift giving occasions - birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and the holidays - there is an abundance of gift ideas, any of which is certain to bring smiles to their faces.

If your sports fan is also a gamer, there are a number of highly rated video games for the Xbox 360 that make great gifts. The basketball fan will enjoy the NBA 2K6, the hockey enthusiast will love the NHL 2K6, and someone who can never get enough football will go for the Madden NFL 06. The golfer who is also into electronics will have fun with Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06, while the soccer player will get into FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup. There is always any number of racing games available for the Xbox 360, and there's even a game, Bankshot Billiards 2, for those who love to shoot pool.

The Xbox 360 isn't the only platform that offers games for sports enthusiasts. If your fan is into portable gaming, many of the same sports-related games are available for the PSP. Plus, there's the highly rated World Soccer Winning Eleven 9 and Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee.

If your recipient is more interested in the real deal, there are a number of gift ideas that will thrill him or her. Tickets to watch their favorite team play are always appropriate, as are exhibition matches scheduled for their area. Many of the world's best tennis players are turning up for matches in cities across the United States, for example, and any tennis enthusiast would be delighted to watch a favorite player hit the court.

Big occasions sometimes call for big gift ideas. Recently, the children of a couple celebrating their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary pooled their money and arranged for the couple to take a trip to Arizona to watch their favorite major league baseball team during spring training. The memories of that trip will definitely last a lifetime.

There are a number of sports-related toys and games that will delight kids who are players or fans. For the collector, that elusive player card or other sports memorabilia is always a great gift idea.

Virtually every professional team offers an abundance of apparel, leather goods, sports bags, handbags, hats, mugs, and other items that carry the team's logo. Whether it's a minor league team or a World Series winner, it's a safe bet that you can find great gift ideas and shopping opportunities on their website.

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Dictionary meaning : Puma : A large solitary cat belonging to the feline family, having the greatest range of any terrestrial mammal and an extremely capable stalk and ambush predator. Hardly something to be worn on your feet! No people, I am not talking about poaching and animal hunting. Like its namesake, Puma, is a German based multinational company that is equally respected in its field of expertise. One of the earliest shoe manufacturing companies, PUMA started off in 1948, just before the end of the World War II. The history of the setting up of the company is a very interesting read. Let me try to explain it to you.

Born to a worker in a shoe factory, Rudolph Dassler and Adolf Dassler were brothers with big dreams in a war ravaged Germany. Wanting to do their part for the fatherland, both brothers served their time in the army and found a small shoe factory in the back of their house in their mother's laundry. In the 1936 Olympic Games, Adolf Dassler drove to the Olympic Village and persuaded American super star sprinter Jesse Owens to put spikes on the bottom of his shoes. After Jesse Owens won 4 gold medals, the success story of the Dassler shoes become a global phenomenon.

But their success was short lived. Before the fall of Germany, tension was rife between the two brothers and after Rudi Dassler was captured, both brothers had split for good. Adi Dassler set up his company and named it Adidas, the second largest shoe manufacturing company in the world, and Rudi names his RuDa.

Later that year Ruda changed name to PUMA, and sponsored many footballers of Germany's national football team. So much so, that the scorer of Germany's first post war goal was wearing PUMA boots. Over the years, Rudi's expertise and willingness to work aid off great dividends and soon the world was wearing PUMA shoes. Football star Pele, stopped the final minutes of the 1970 FIFA world cup to tie his shoelaces thus giving the world precious minutes of his PUMA boots. These days, Puma sponsors half of the world's football teams, tons of players worldwide and sponsors a myriad of other sports and players. PUMA also specialises in creating sports apparel – football apparel, jump suits and track suits. You can find out more about nike and puma shoes at http://www.retronikeairshoes.com

PUMA has since then charted success stories year after year, increasing profits and establishing base in almost every country in the world. PUMA's famous Complete series provides a wide variety of features to customers worldwide. PUMA's other famous shoes involve shoes designed for sports like running, basketball and most importantly football. PUMA has tie ups with 2006 FIFA world cup winners, Italy and are the main sponsors for the team. They are also main sponsors of Formula 1 teams like Ferrari and BMW and have released their PUMA - Ferrari and PUMA – BMW apparel series. PUMA since its inception as a small company on a hillside has Germany has come a long way but never really forgotten its roots. For PUMA, it's always customers first.