One of the best inspirational sports stories ever concerns the U.S. Olympic Hockey teams triumph at the 1980 Winter Olympics. The tale has it all. There are young kids with dreams of glory, hard work, team spirit, a goal that far exceeds their grasp, and a Rocky-like finish.

The ultimate win of the Olympic Gold Medal over the Russian National Team has been written up in sports magazines and newspapers innumerable times in the past twenty-five years. The story is also told on video. For less than $10.00 on Amazon you can buy the DVD Do You Believe in Miracles? Watch the 60-minute program and youll cry and cheer. This video was produced by ABC sports. In 2004 Walt Disney Studios produced the excellent feature film, Miracle starring Kurt Russell as the U.S. Olympic hockey teams coach, and Patricia Clarkson as his wife. The film does a great job of showing all the planning and effort that went into the run for the gold.

But if you really want to motivate more than yourself, you should consider the classic training video, Do You Believe In Miracles? This shorter version of the ABC Sports presentation is designed for training. It comes with a public viewing license. This means it can legally be used at workshops and seminars for training and motivation. This version cannot be purchased on Amazon, however.

One of the great motivational videos of all time. The video documents the underdog U.S. Hockey team's 1980 Olympic Gold Medal win; culminating with the stunning upset of the top seeded Russians. This 24-minute documentary is about one of the greatest upsets in sports history: the United States' defeat of the vaunted Russian Olympic hockey team in Lake Placid, New York. It's David vs. Goliath: A bunch of college kids from Canada and the United States up against the Soviet Union professionals who had won four straight Olympic gold medals.
Program Description

Its almost impossible to view the final minutes of each of these videos without tears in your eyes, a lump in your throat, and a cheer on your lips. If you saw the game live, the videos bring back the joy you experienced then, and if youve never seen the story unfold at all, you will be amazed . . . and moved.

You owe it to yourself to check out a copy from your local library, or purchase on Amazon or buy the training version if you want to inspire teamwork in others. Share the feelings of triumph and pride. You will rejoice. You will believe in miracles. And whats more, youll find that motivation is contagious.

¶ 10:43 PM 0 comments

The perfect vacation, La Jolla, Spanish for the jewel, will quickly become a precious gem of your heart. Boasting some of Californias most beautiful terrain and attractions, La Jolla (pronounced la hoya) is also the home of exquisite arts, restaurants, activities, and shopping. Just a short drive north of San Diego, you wont need a passport to visit this exotic paradise.

The average April temperature is in the high-60s. Even in December, temperatures stay around 65 degrees. The average temperature for August is a mild and breezy 75 degrees. Regardless of when you visit, youre almost guaranteed perfect vacation weather.

How do you pick the right vacation rental? Answer a few questions. How many people in your party? How long are you staying? What do you want to do during your stay? How much money do you want to spend?

You can choose to stay on the breathtaking beaches, especially if you want to surf, windsurf, or swim. Between January and March this area is great for whale watching. Of course, the sunset in La Jolla is the main attraction. Stay near The Childrens Pool area, close to amazing offshore reefs perfect for scuba diving and snorkeling. The area, also known as Casa, is just a short walk away from town. Catch a glimpse of wildlife on Seal Rock, just offshore, which is home to seals and sea lions.

Here, there is a fine line between a luxury vacation and a business trip in La Jolla. Even the fiercest workaholic can find leisure and entertainment. The golf courses have ocean views. Its easy to plan a fantastic family vacation around your business trip. Legoland, the San Diego Zoo, many aquariums, and Disneyland make great day trips to bring out the kid in all of us.

Endless entertainment awaits you at La Jolla. The area thrives with gourmet restaurants, music, and theater. Nightclubs, wine bars, and comedy clubs entertain all sorts of pleasures. The La Jolla Playhouse opens its doors to award winning performing arts.

Boutique shopping makes Beverly Hills jealous. Girard Avenue and Prospect Place boast dozens of unique shops. Shopaholics are sure to find the right gift and La Jolla visitors wont be able to leave without a souvenir from this dream vacation.

The tranquil coastline turns hiking into a spiritual journey. Windsurfing, surfing, and even skydiving are better with the picturesque Pacific Ocean backdrop. Not up for so much activity? Try a relaxing day of spa pampering or sunbathing. La Jolla boasts many exclusive luxury spa resorts. The dramatic panorama of scenery is an indulgent place for weddings, holidays, anniversaries, and private romantic getaways.

La Jolla satisfies many interests, including the more sporting activities. Yellowtail, shark, and rock cod and other invigorating sport fishing trips are available almost year-round. A short drive to San Diego wins big with professional baseball and football, and minor league hockey.

Whether youre traveling alone for business or taking the family on vacation, La Jolla will take your breath away. With so many attractions, youll have to come back again to do it all. And with La Jolla residents expressing such wonderful hospitality, youll always feel welcome.

Copyright (c) 2006

¶ 8:15 PM 0 comments

There is a huge interest in sport memorabilia, and sports-related items include signed commemorative photos, baseballs, footballs, basketballs, pucks and jerseys. A Google search of companies hawking these items comes up with almost 5 million businesses!

Some of the items on offer cost thousands of dollars.

Where there are so many eager and gullible customers, fraud is sure to appear. A Sand Diego federal judge who recently sentenced several sports autograph forgers to prison said, "Life, liberty and the pursuit of the national pastime, has been undone". The prosecution stemmed from an FBI investigation called Operation Bullpen, which closed down a professional criminal organization that forged and sold bogus autographs. 60 search warrants were served, more than 2 dozen people arrested, and a warehouse with 10 million dollars worth of forged merchandise was seized. The ring leaders received 3 years in prison and forfeiture or assets to the IRS. Both current and "vintage" items were involved. Any sports fan who has a signed souvenir may now want to question its authenticity. Phil Halpren, the assistant U.S. attorney who worked to prosecute the forgers stated that fraud is so pervasive in the sports memorabilia market that unless you personally see an item being signed by the athlete, odds are greater than fifty percent that it is fake. The most athletes most well-known the the public are popular with forgers, too. Halpren said, "If you are looking at a Mark McGuire signature, it's alost a guarantee, 99.9 percent it is a forgery." Certificates of authenticity can be fabricated just as easily as the collectible item they supposedly validate, so this is no protection.

Vendors are fighting back in an effort to maintain the integrity of the market. Disney, which owns ESPN, will begin next year to auction signed sports memorabilia online. Disney says it will authenticate the signatures with holograms encrypted with the item's identifying information and package seals, videotaping the entire process.

Sophisticated forgers can even produce holographic seals which appear, on casual inspection, to be real. However most forgers are amateurs, and the more sophisticated the anti-forgery system, the less likely criminals are to attempt to copy it.

Baseball and football are most popular in America, but a few famous hockey players such as Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr are popular targets for forgery as well.

With all the items available, both off and on the internet, fans can avoid a lot of fraud by using common sense. For example, a baseball autographed by Babe Ruth selling for $500 is obviously a fake, because such a price is unbelievably low, too low for real market conditons. Also, it pays to know a little bit about the development of baseballs and pens. If you see baseballs supposedly signed in the '20s and '30s with Sharpie pens, these are obviously fake, because these pens were not invented yet in that era. To quote Phil Halpren : "I have seen Babe Ruth balls signed on a Bobby Brown American League President ball. So, you know, he was president in the early '80s. That's impossible to have been done. But someone did it."

So, while it's enjoyable to own a peice of sports history, the motto to follow is : buyer beware. Unless you are a professional trader who knows how to authenticate merchandise, don't buy an item strictly for its potential resale value, because you may be disappointed by what you eventually get for it. Buy an item you personally like and intend to keep, and don't spend thousands of dollars. This ensures that you will be happy when you look at your purchase, without the lingering doubt that you have wasted a large sum of money on something of dubious value.

¶ 3:24 PM 0 comments

Seems like a dream, but many of today's retirees who have embraced technology and new forms of second home ownership are living the dream.

By combining condo hotel and technology, many people are finding they can spend more time in the places they love, with less expense and more luxury.

Condo hotels are hotels that have been converted or built for individual ownership of the hotel rooms and suites as traditional condominium. A condo hotel unit offers the owner hassle free rental income when the owner is not in residence and personal luxury of maid service, valet, etc when in residence.

As technology evolves many of us are finding that the office is anywhere with WiFi and blackberry cellular service. So why not office in luxurious surroundings? On a beach or in a luxury hotel?

Will retirement be simply a free-range office space that is looks like a series of condo hotel suites? Many demographers beleive the baby boomer generation will redefine retirement as a second career of one's choosing and not an endless round of golf or a rocker on a lonely front porch. That retirement will look like a wall-less and wireless career of new ideas and invention.

if these predictions are correct, the future is indeed bright for the condo hotel industry.

¶ 1:08 PM 0 comments