Arnold Palmer - The Man From Latrobe

By Denise I Smithson

Born in Latrobe, PA, Arnold D. Palmer is widely thought to be one of the best golfers ever to play the game. Palmer has been the winner of a number of PGA Tours as well as the Champions Tour since his first big tournament win in 1955. Palmer is simply known as "The King" among many fans and players alike and has achieved worldwide fame. He is acknowledged, along with Gary Player and Jack Nickaus as one of the Big Three in the game. With the advent of televised golf matches in the 1950's, Palmer's playing which led to a growing interest in the sport.

Arnold got his passion for playing golf from his father Deacon Palmer who was a professional greens keeper at Latrobe Country Club. Remarkably, at only age seven, Arnold golfed an impressive 70 at Bent Creek Country Club. Even though his father worked at the Latrobe Country Club, which was only nine holes back in the day, Arnold was only allowed to play in the early mornings or late afternoons, when club members weren't using the course.

He attended the popular Wake Forest University appropriately on a golf scholarship and served for three years in the Coast Guard. During this time, while continuing to develop his golf skills, he married Winifred Walker who he met while playing in a Pennsylvania golf tourney. During his rookie season, he won the Canadian Open and surged ahead with personality and business ideas that made golf a sport people became interested in and wanted to watch-many people give Palmer the credit for the sport becoming so popular.

Palmer won the 1958 Masters, his first major tournament win and quickly became one of the most popular golfers in the world. He signed with the agent Mark McCormack, who says that he was interested in representing Palmer because of "his good looks, his modest background, the way he played golf, his risk taking and wearing his heart on his sleeve, and his involvement in so many exciting early televised finishes." Palmer quickly achieved international fame, winning the English Open (one of the first American golfers to do so). He scored a string of victories including the US Open in 1960, another English Open in 1961 and the PGA Masters in 1960, 1963 and 1964. Between 1960 and 1962, Palmer took 29 PGA Tour event trophies.

In 1960, Arnold was named Sports Illustrated top pro athlete of the year and he won the Sportsman of the Year award. His fans, known as "Arnie's Army," cheered when their Arnie became the first man to reach one million dollars in career earnings in 1967. Even with pros like Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player playing alongside him, Arnold managed to win a PGA Tour every year all the way up to 1970 and in 1971 he enjoyed a rejuvenation of his career winning four events.

Arnold won the Vardon Trophy for low score average four different times and played on six Ryder Cup teams. By 1980, the acclaimed golfer was eligible for the Senior PGA Tour and with his name alone, helped make the tour successful. The tourney would eventually be renamed as the Champions Tour. On the Senior Tour he won ten events on the tour and with the help of his agent McCormack, Palmer became tops in pay for endorsements, sponsorships, and charity events. He has also won the revered Presidential Medal of Freedom Award presented to him by George W. Bush.

In 2004, Arnold played in The Masters for the last time-his 50th consecutive appearance and when he missed the cut at the 2005 US Senior Open, he then announced he would not play any further senior majors, retiring from golf in 2006. To the delight of Arnie's Army, one of his most memorable events was during the 2004 Bay Hill Invitational where standing over 200 yards from the 18th green, he lashed his second shot onto the green with a driver. Even Arnold smiled and celebrated the moment along with his grandson/caddie, Sam Saunders.

Beyond golf, Arnold is involved in many businesses including the Bay Hill Club and Lodge (the home of the Arnold Palmer Invitational), helped organize and create The Golf Channel, and helped to build the first golf course in the People's Republic of China. He started The Arnold Palmer Design Company and moved to Orlando, Florida in 2006. He has owned the Latrobe Country Club since 1971-something Laaaytrobians won't let anyone forget. In 2000, he was ranked a deserved sixth greatest player of all time in Golf Digest and was awarded the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award (1998) and made it into the World Golf Hall of Fame (1974). Perhaps Palmer's most popular characteristic is indeed his character-a warm, full of laughter, genuine man who simply loved to play golf.

About the Author:

Improving your golfing swing is possible if you have the right knowledge. For amazing tips and information and ideas visit Nothing But Sports. http://nothingbutsports.info/

A Baker's Dozen of Travel Tips to Save Money on Travel

By Chris Linch

1. Be flexible. Alternate either the airport/city or the time/date you plan to travel. A rigid travel schedule is going to make it hard to save money on travel.

2. Ask for discounts or upgrades. Don't accept the hotel rate as written in stone. Often all that is required is simply to ask for a discount or ask to be upgraded to a better room. Same goes for the airplane, ask for an upgrade. If you don't ask you'll never know what you might have been able to get.

3. Remember your AAA card and always ask if there is a discount.

4. Plan your vacation in the off season. For example, if you want to go on a ski trip, plan one for the summer. You will find the resorts charging quite a bit less, and it will be less crowded.

5. When purchasing your airline tickets, don't only look for round-trip tickets but also check the one-way fares. Even if you have to travel on different airlines, use whatever means possible to get the best deal.

6. If you are going to a theme park and planning to be there for more than a few days, opt for an annual pass as it usually only costs about the equivalent of two days' worth of tickets. This will allow you to not only save cash but also to relax and not feel that you need to spend all day at the park to get your money's worth.

7. Take a shuttle from the airport to your hotel if possible. It may take a bit longer to get to your hotel and you'll be sharing with other travelers, but it's kind of fun and you may make a friend of two. It's also much cheaper than a taxi.

8. When traveling on the interstate and looking for a place to stay overnight, steer clear of the new franchise hotels if you want to save. Instead, try the mom-and-pop hotels on the old highways near the interstate that the interstate replaced years ago, or even a bed and breakfast.

9. If visiting a water park, check on their "twilight" pricing. Usually if you go later in the day you save a substantial amount off the entrance fee.

10. Consider vacation packages. All-inclusive deals that bundle air, hotel, and entertainment are often cheaper than buying everything separately. These are sometimes outstanding values for the money.

11. Sign up for email alerts from the online travel agencies. These will let you know when airfare falls below a certain point so you can quickly jump on the deal and secure your tickets.

12. Book early or book late. If you aren't able to book your airfare tickets well in advance, you might score a great deal by waiting till the very last minute. Since airlines want to fill all their seats, they will oftentimes discount heavily at the last minute just to get those seats filled.

13. Have a "staycation." Stay home and save money on hotel, airfare, and car rental, and enjoy the touristy places in your area that you never have time to explore normally. You'll be surprised what's in your own backyard.

About the Author:

Mr. Linch is a specialist in New York Hotel Deals. His website was designed to make New York Hotel Reservations, If you ever need to book Cheap Hotels homeshophotels.com is the place to start.

New Times With Old Town Kayaks

By Toby Johns

For thousands of years, we've learned to forge our way across the waters as a means of travel. Since the 21st century began, so too has Old Town kayaks, and they've been fashioning kayaks since 1940. Taking the original inspiration from Native Americans' canoes, Old Towne began making kayaks with sealskin design, along with wood and canvas materials.

In the 1950's, Old Town began making their kayaks out of lightweight fiberglass. Now, as we enter into more modern times and contemporary technologies, Old Town produces their kayaks using durable PolyLink3 and SuperLink3. But with all these choices and styles, how can a person figure out which kayak is right for them?

Kayaks are different than canoes, as they allow you to easily maneuver yourself in the water with double bladed paddles. You can travel faster and closer to the water for better stability. When you are thinking of your purchase, have in mind what you are to use the kayak for. The size, weight, cockpit, capacity and materials will all be important to your final decision as well.

Those of you interested in solely recreational uses, there are models ready for you to purchase that are user friendly and ready to toss into the water. Day touring kayaks are stable, have good tracking and are highly efficient. Open cockpits have been built for easy entry and exit. Sportsmen and families would enjoy the day tour models.

If there are two of you preparing for to kayak, you may wish to consider a tandem model. Tandem kayaks are great for couples, and are very suitable for all kinds of bodies of water. Fishing kayaks are lightweight, stable, and have features that enhance the experience of fishing and kayaking simultaneously. Both models have the same type of construction, such as shock cord deck riggings, cockpits, deck hatches and handles for carrying.

Old Town kayaks, built in Maine, have tried to manufacture kayaks for everyones taste. The shorter the kayak, the more maneuverable they are and lighter. Longer kayaks are great for cruising and traveling in the open waters. They are also better for day trips and overnighters. Wide boats are good for photographers and fishermen and narrow boats go farther. The bottom layer is also important in your purchase of Old Town kayaks for sale.

Flat bottom kayaks will make your journey more comfortable through calm waters. Shallow arch bottoms work best in choppy waters. When you need to improve tracking over water, the V-bottom kayaks may be the ideal choice for you. In addition, kayaks vary with the sides that are built. When the sides of a kayak is curved inward, this is called a tumblehome design, which is typically that of a narrow kayak. Flared sides allow the kayak to function best while sitting deeper in the water. Old Town kayaks are produced from a variety of materials including 100% recycled plastic, polyethylene and a variable layer boat.

Among the models made by Old Town, Maine include the Digio 106 Angler. Lying low in the water, this kayaks allows fishermen to navigate silently through the water. This model includes rod holders. Another angler model is known as the Vapor 12xt with day well, and even includes storage for your GPS and iPods. You can travel just about anywhere in this kayak! The Adventure and Cayuga series are great kayak models for those looking for day tours. These models are set up with features that make them terrific choices for overnight excursions.

Old Town kayaks have been around for decades and plan on lasting well into the new century. Priding themselves on their understanding of the native peoples craftsmanship, the company intends to thwart the competition with their high quality and easily affordable merchandise.

About the Author:

Before you head out on your next river or sea excursion, why not choose Old Town kayaks, for the best in kayaking adventures and family fun. Old Town kayaks can be found at OceanandFishingKayaks.com. In addition to Old Town kayaks, you will discover other terrific kayaking brand leaders like Hobie, Dagger, Perception and Pelican brands, as well.

Omni Berkshire Place Hotel in New York City

By Chris Linch

Where Is The Omni Berkshire Place Hotel Located?

It's located right in the heart of Midtown Manhattan. It's address is 21 East 52nd Street which means it's cross streets are 52nd street and Madison Avenue.

What Is It Near?

Being located in Midtown Manhattan it is near almost everything really. But in specfic it's very close to the Rockefeller Center which home to NBC studios and shows like Saturday Night Live and the Today Show along with the world famous ice skating rink that you've almost certainly seen featured on television and in movies. It's also just a few blocks away from Radio City Music Hall which is one of the most reknowned music venues in the world. Radio City Music Hall has played host to the Grammy's and many other awards shows along with great concerts and shows such as the Rockettes. It's also close to Times Square, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and the Museum of Modern Art.

Does It Have A Restaurant?

Yes, the in hotel restaurant is called Fireside Restaurant and it features an amazing floor to ceiling fireplace. The menu features the unique "cocktail cuisine" of chef Sam DeMarco. Of course, being in Manhattan, there are an incredible amount of amazing restaurants all around. Personally I think the food may be the best thing about NYC.

Amenities/Features Of The Omni Berkshire Place Hotel

- A complimentary fitness center that is fully equipped. - In-room massage service which can be scheduled through the concierge. - Babysitting. - Check cashing, currency exchagne, and ATM. - Wireless internet access for your laptop computer. - Pet friendly as long as the pets are under 25 pounds. There is a $50 fee for pets.

How Much Does It Cost?

This is a 5 star luxury hotel in New York City so it is not going to be cheap. But I'm sorry to tell you, there aren't any cheap hotels in NYC. It's not a cheap town. If you don't have much money, I'd suggest going elsewhere!

The price of a room is always changing based on the season and the day of the week. As of this writing you can get a room at the Omni Bkershire Place Hotel for $399/night which is a pretty good rate for NYC.

If you do want to stay at the Omni in NYC, be sure to to make your reservations online (I always recommend making your hotel reservations online, it's so much more convenient) as soon as possible because this hotel is often sold out.

About the Author:

Mr. Linch is a specialist in New York Hotel Deals. His website was designed to make New York Hotel Reservations, If you ever need to book Cheap Hotels homeshophotels.com is the place to start.

Eurovision 2009

By Italo Manfredi

The Eurovision Song Contest is a song competition held every year by countries that are active members of the European Broadcasting Union. This contest was inaugurated in the year 1956 and has been held every year since its inception. In fact, it is the longest running television program in the world. Also, it has the honor of being the most-watched non-sporting event in the history of television.

Every participant country has a TV channel - a member of the EBU. It's the obligation of this channel to pick out a song and a singer to stand for their country on the international stage. The contest is transmitted live in every participating country simultaneously. When the performances are over, the participating countries caste their ballots for the best performance. A country can't vote for its own entry.

The winner is that country whose song gets the maximum number of votes. These votes have included votes coming in from the jury and also from tele-voting which enables people from the participant nations to vote for their favorite song performance.

The origination of this contest lay in the rehabilitation of Europe after the World War II came to its end. In a movement to promote peace, harmony and collective interaction of European nations, the contest was born. It was the idea of Frenchman employed of EBU. In those years, before the advent of satellite TV, it was considered an enterprising venture to make a TV contest that was aired simultaneously in different countries.

But the attempt has been a success, thanks to the 4 largest contributing countries of the EBU: UK, France, Spain and Germany, who are now known as the Big Four within the competition and are forever included in the semi-finals regardless of the votes they get.

The principles of the contest order that the country that wins a Contest is hosting the event in the next year.

In 2008, the trophy was won by Russian Dima Bilan for the song Believe. Thence, the 54th Eurovision Song Contest, 2009 will be held in Moscow, Russia. The rival will be held in the Olympic Arena in Moscow, it was confirmed by Vladimir Putin, the Prime Minister of Russia, himself. This was as well confirmed by the European Broadcasting Union.

Likewise many host countries, Russia is likely to take this fortune to showcase its classical capital and advertize tourism. The week coming before the Eurovision final is awaited to be full of activeness within the city regarding the semi-finals are being held on two days.

The two semi-finals will be held on the 12th and 14th of May, 2009. The city should grasp this opportunity of daily broadcast for almost a week throughout the world to introduce its splendors to the world.

About the Author:

All the information and the last news about the Eurovision Song Contest you can find on Eurovision Mania blog.

Blue Whales - Larger Than The Biggest Dinosaurs

By Terry Hunefeld

Blue Whales are magnificent creatures. One of the very best places to view them is on a boat from Southern California. Whale watching trips go out regularly from San Diego, Los Angeles, Oxnard, Ventura and Santa Barbara.

The Blue Whale is the largest animal to ever live on earth " far larger than the largest dinosaurs, and weighing up to 190 tons, heavier than a DC-10 airliner. For sake of comparison, the largest elephants barely reach 6 tons. Blue Whales have been measured scientifically at 98 feet, and thought to reach more than 110 feet, while the longest dinosaur skeleton measures under 90 feet from the tip of its nose to the tip of its tail.

There are many myths about these creatures, one is that the heartbeat can be heard for 20 miles which is ridiculous because nobody can even hear a Blue Whale heartbeat from ten feet away.

A fun fact is that the tiniest seabird in the world, a Cassins Auklet has the same diet as the the largest animal in the world. Both eat the same food: a tiny shrimp-like crustacean called krill. Blue Whales have a series of rods and plates called baleen (in place of teeth). Instead of chewing their food they strain krill from the water and swallow them whole - more than three tons every day.

Blue Whales sometimes cross-breed with Fin Whales which are the second largest animals on earth. At least four of these unique hybrid whales exhibiting characteristics of each parent have been documented by scientists by analyzing DNA.

Blue Whales are often found alone or with one other Blue Whale. We do not know for sure how long Blue Whale pairs might stay together because it is so difficult to track them as they cross entire oceans. Blue Whales can rarely be found in groups 45 whales if there is a lot of food (krill) in the area - however this is very rare because they do not usually form large pods like some other species of whales.

Blue Whales usually travel at 10 - 12 miles per hour, however, when they are alarmed they are capable to moving faster than 30 miles per hour!

Blue Whales are known to inhabit oceans all over the world. They are especially attracted to Pacific Ocean waters off California and Mexico which can host up to 30% of the worlds entire population during the warmer spring and summer months due to the excellent supply of food.

Blue Whales are found all over the world in both cold and warm waters. Its not known for certain where they breed and give birth, but is suspected to be in warmer waters. Feeding has been documented in temperate, tropical and polar waters.

Prior to the 20th Century there were hundreds of thousands of Blue Whales quietly living in seas throughout the earth. However, humans invented weapons to kill these magnificent creatures (exploding bombs and harpoons) then went about systematically destroying every Blue Whale they could find, hunting them mercilessly for nearly forty years until they were nearly extinct. Protection began in 1966 and their population only today slowly recovering with still only 4,000 - 7,000 Blue Whales alive as you read this.

About the Author:

Terry Hunefeld retired as a CEO in 2007 to follow his bliss of sailing the ocean to observe birds and marine mammals. He and his wife Ann own the beautiful Inn at Moonlight Beach on the Pacific Ocean of San Diego. If you are looking for a Del Mar Bed and Breakfast or a Bed and Breakfast in Carlsbad, be sure to check out Inn at Moonlight Beach.

Magic Johnson

By Denise I Smithson

Magic "Earvin" Johnson, Jr. was born on August 14, 1959 in Landing, Michigan. His career began at Everett High School in Lansing and he went on to Michigan State before being drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1979. Magic had nine brothers and sisters and his father worked for General Motors while his mother was a school custodian. In his own words, Magic would say as a kid, "I practiced all day and I dribbled to the store with my right hand and back with my left-I even slept with my basketball."

He got his nickname as the star of Everett High School. A local sportswriter, who had watch the amazing 15-year-old play and scoring 36 points, 16 rebounds, and 16 assists, felt no other word would describe Earvin other than "Magic!" After excelling at Everett High School, Magic wanted to stay close to home for college, so Michigan State was the obvious choice. Even as a freshman, he was impressive with numbers like 17 points per game and led his college teammates, The Spartans, to a 25.5 record and The Big Ten Conference title. As a sophomore, Johnson and his teammates won the national title in 1979 and beat out Larry Birds' Indiana State in what is thought of as one of the most watched NCAA Championship Game-ever.

Johnson made the decision to go professional and entered into the 1979 draft. Johnson was quickly drafted by the LA Lakers. LA fans were eager to see this famed college player wear the Lakers uniform and he didn't disappoint them. While the NBA's Rookie if the year award went to Larry Bird that year, Magic Johnson did help the Lakers to win the NBA championship in his first season, achieving an impressive 60-22 record. The Lakers were unstoppable the next season as well, with Johnson becoming the first rookie to start in an All Star game since the late sixties.

As fans and sportswriters everywhere will tell you, in 1980, the NBA finals that featured the Lakers and Philly's 76ers showed a legend in the making when Johnson performance clinched the win in the sixth game of the series. In that game, he scored 42 points, 15, boards, 7 assists, and 3 steals. Again, he was the first and only rookie to ever win the Finals MVP Award. As Magic put it, "I just wanted to do whatever the (Lakers) needed to do to win. I was having fun." The following year, pro sports hit Johnson, when he missed 45 games with a torn knee cartilage.

Johnson recovered from his injury and the Lakers came back in a big way for the 1981-1982 season. The Lakers handily won their division title and again took on the 76ers in the finals, with another win for the Lakers and another MVP award for Johnson. While Johnson took some heat for the comments he made about Lakers coach Paul Westhead (who was replaced by the now legendary Pat Riley and left himself for the Chicago Bulls), he never let the criticism get to him and his performance in the game was never less than astounding.

In 1984, Magic signed a $25 million dollar contract with the Lakers and they won three NBA titles in the following four years. In the 1986-87 season, he scored an astounding 38 points against Houston and 46 points against the Sacramento Kings-a career high. During this season, he also achieved a career-high average of 23.9 points per game- and Johnson was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player of the Year. He would win this award again in 1989 and 1990.

Johnson announced before the start of the 1991-1992 season that he had HIV and would be retiring. However, he didn't simply bow out. Johnson played in the 1991 All-Star game, where he received the MVP award. Johnson has kept extremely busy ever since both in and out of the sports world. He authored a book on safe sex, started companies and foundations, worked as a NBC sports commentator and even spent part of a season filling in as head coach for the Lakers! Johnson also played on the US Olympic Basketball "Dream Team" in 1992. Johnson also returned to the Lakers for part of a season in 1996; a fitting victory lap for this basketball legend.

In his 13 season NBA career, Magic Johnson achieved an astounding 17,707 points ( a 19.5 point per game average), 6,559 rebounds and 10,141 assists. This is in addition to his 1,724 steals (Johnson holds the record for ninth most steals in an NBA career). Johnson was also invited to the NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time team in 1997 and entered the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002. Johnson remains as modest as ever and continues to focus on his philanthropic work, but he is indisputably a living legend in the game of basket ball. As one of his fiercest rivals and greatest admirers, Larry Bird says of Johnson: Magic is head-and-shoulders above everybody else. I've never seen anybody as good as him.

About the Author:

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