Archive for March 3, 2010
Who Has Scored the Most Goals in World Cup Soccer History?
Almost every culture around the world has some type of connection to the history of football/soccer. Such cultures as the Ancient Greeks, Persians, Vikings, The Chinese, Japanese, and many more, has played a game that is very similar to today’s football/soccer. For instance, The Chinese played “footballer” games dating as far back as about 3000 years ago. However, it was in England that soccer / football really began to grow in popularity. After becoming popular in England, soccer became a widely loved sport throughout the world. The celebrated FIFA World cup led the way to the rise of soccer stars, and conferred world soccer records holders such as the player who has scored the most goals in world cup soccer history.
Brazilian professional footballer Ronaldo Nazario de Lima has scored the most goals in Fifa World Cup history. Ronaldo Luís Nazario de Lima, more generally known as Ronaldo, was born in September 18, 1976. In 1993, Ronaldo began his professional soccer/footballer career playing for Cruzeiro. In his single year with Cruzeiro, he accumulated 12 goals in 14 games and led the team to win their first Copa do Brasil championship. After playing with Cruzeiro, in 1994, he joined with the Dutch football team PSV. In 1996, in his final year with PSV, Ronaldo aided the team to win the Dutch Cup.
Ronaldo is also an established national footballer for Brazil. He has played in 97 international games, accumulating 62 goals and standing 15 goals away from the Brazilian national scoring record. He was also a member of the Brazilian team that won the 1994 and 2002 World Cups. During the 2006 World Cup, Ronaldo became the highest goal scorer in the history of the World Cup with his fifteenth goal.
Nicknamed ‘O Fenômeno,’ which is translated as “”The Phenomenon” in English, Ronaldo made the number 9 famous and made it tantamount with the position of center forward. During his footballer career in Europe, Ronaldo became one of the most celebrated ‘strikers’ throughout the world after he won his first Ballon d’Or as the European Footballer of the Year in 1997, and then once more in 2002. He is also one of only two players to have won the FIFA Player of the Year award three times. In 2007, he was named as one of the best starting eleven of all-time by France Football and was named to the FIFA 100, a list of the greatest footballers compiled by his fellow Brazilian soccer star, Pelé.
To many contemporary footballers, Ronaldo is a living icon who has been credited with encouraging a stronger marketing interest in soccer throughout the world, particularly because of his relationship with Nike who had in the past spent their marketing resources and time primarily on Basketball.
The soccer that we know and love today was shaped during the 1960s. Increased media coverage and TV broadcasts has made the game more popular than ever before. With soccer stars such as David Beckham in the spotlight, the popularity of soccer will continue to grow.
Kitchenaid: Artisan Mixer, Standard Mixer, and Professional Series Compared
The time has come to buy a Kitchenaid mixer. It has been worth the wait but which one to buy? You can choose from the Artisan mixer, the Professional series, and the Standard collection. Each has different features depending on your personal needs and choosing can be a bit overwhelming. To make the selection easier, I have put together a quick reference guide to the most popular features.
Tilt Head vs. Bowl Lift
The tilt head is what you’ll find on traditional home use mixers. The head tilts back for adding tools and then tilts forward to fit inside the bowl. These mixers are normally a few pounds lighter and fit easier on the counter due to the smaller height.
The bowl lift is found in more commercial settings. The bowl is lifted up and down by a swing arm while the head stays still. These normally have more power and are better for making harder dough.
Size
How much do you plan on making in your mixing bowl? In general, the more you pay for the mixer the more bread you can make. For example, the basic model costs around $200 and will make 3 ¾ loaves of bread. Compare that to the Artisan series for around $300 that makes 4 ½ loaves, while the Professional series makes 6 ¾ loaves and costs around $400.
Color
The Standard series, while it is less expensive, does not come in as many colors as the other two.
Both the Artisan series and the Professional series come in a variety of colors to match practically any kitchen.
Only the Kitchenaid Artisan comes in pink. A portion of the Cook for the Cure Pink Product series goes to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer research.
For more detials: http://www.squidoo.shopkitchenaidmixer
Bmw 3 Series: Cleaner And More Powerful
On March 20th all of the new BMW 3 Series variants go on sale in the UK and this includes the reputable BMW’s revised 3 Series Coupe and Convertible. Both of which will get more power with improved fuel economy and lower emissions also receive styling and interior updates when they go on sale.
The company also intends to launch the new amazing yet affordable BMW 320d Efficient Dynamics Saloon, its cleanest 3 Series ever made. With emissions of 109g/km, it is the first sub-110g/km premium car, doing an average of 68.9mpg and costing a painless £35 in annual road tax. With its impressive 161 galloping horses under the bonnet, the engine can take it from 0-62mph in a staggering 8.0 seconds reaching a top speed of 142mph.
The ride height has been lowered by 15mm and while with unique 16-inch ‘aero’ alloys fitted as standard, they are equipped with low-rolling-resistance tyres, all designed to improve aerodynamics and reduce drag. The best news is that the 320d Efficient Dynamics Saloon will cost £27,280 (OTR) – the same as the 320d SE saloon. The revised 3 Series gets new front and rear lights, along with grille and new front air dam to compliment the new aggressive and mischievous face on both models that has been subtly restyled with the addition of a chrome strip around the grille, LED lights, indicators and side repeaters. With embellishments covered with matt aluminium fins the car gives off a much wider and more dynamic look. The 3 series will be available in three exterior colours: Vermillion Red, Deep Sea Blue and Mineral White. The interior boasts Dakota leather as standard on all models, while a new Anthracite Bamboo trim completes the interior update. 65% of all BMW 3 Series Coupe and Convertible sales can be accounted because of the UK M Sport variants, which have also been updated with a revised front spoiler design and larger 19-inch alloys and the option of Mineral White paint. The Coupe gently explodes from 0-62mph in a mere 7.5 seconds while the convertible reaches 0-62mph in a steady 8.3 seconds which is more than i can say for my dad’s used BMW 3 Series. Swindon was not a fan of his screeching engine whenever it pulled away from traffic lights and sadly its couldn’t escape quick enough, it was more that 0-60mph in 75 seconds than 7.5.
Foot Ball or Soccer
Football is the name given to a number of different, but related, team sports. The most popular of these world-wide is association football (also known as soccer). The English word “football” is also applied to American football, Australian rules football, Canadian football, Gaelic football, rugby football (rugby union and rugby league), and related games. Each of these codes (specific sets of rules) is to a greater or lesser extent referred to as “football” and sometimes “footy” by its followers.
These games involve:
a large spherical or prolate spheroid ball, which is itself called a football.
a team scoring goals and/or points, by moving the ball to an opposing team’s end of the field and either into a goal area, or over a line.
the goal and/or line being defended by the opposing team.
players being required to move the ball mostly by kicking and — in some codes — carrying and/or passing the ball by hand.
goals and/or points resulting from players putting the ball between two goalposts.
offside rules, in most codes, restricting the movement of players.
in some codes, points are mostly scored by players carrying the ball across the goal line.
in most codes players scoring a goal must put the ball either under or over a crossbar between the goalposts.
players in some codes receiving a free kick after they take a mark/make a fair catch.
Many of the modern games have their origins in England, but many peoples around the world have played games which involved kicking and/or carrying a ball since ancient timesWhile it is widely believed that the word “football” (or “foot ball”) originated in reference to the action of a foot kicking a ball, there is a rival explanation, which has it that football originally referred to a variety of games in medieval Europe, which were played on foot.[1] These games were usually played by peasants, as opposed to the horse-riding sports often played by aristocrats. While there is no conclusive evidence for this explanation, the word football has always implied a variety of games played on foot, not just those that involved kicking a ball. In some cases, the word football has even been applied to games which have specifically outlawed kicking the ball
Throughout the history of mankind, the urge to kick at stones and other such objects is thought to have led to many early activities involving kicking and/or running with a ball. Football-like games predate recorded history in all parts of the world, and thus the earliest forms of football are not knownDocumented evidence of what is possibly the oldest activity resembling football can be found in a Chinese military manual written during the Warring States Period in about the 476 BC-221 BC. It describes a practice known as cuju, which involved kicking a leather ball through a hole in a piece of silk cloth strung between two 30 foot poles.
Kemari being played at the Tanzan Shrine, Sakurai, Japan.Another Asian ball-kicking game, which was influenced by cuju, is kemari. This is known to have been played within the Japanese imperial court in Kyoto from about 600 AD. In kemari several people stand in a circle and kick a ball to each other, trying not to let the ball drop to the ground (much like keepie uppie). The game appears to have died out sometime before the mid-19th century. (It was revived in 1903, and it can now be seen played for the benefit of tourists at a number of festivals.)
Mesoamerican ballgames played with rubber balls are also well-documented as existing since before this time, but these had more similarities to basketball or volleyball, and since their influence on modern football games is minimal, most do not class them as football.
The Ancient Greeks and Romans are known to have played many ball games some of which involved the use of the feet. The Roman writer Cicero describes the case of a man who was killed whilst having a shave when a ball was kicked into a barber’s shop. The Roman game harpastum is believed to have been adapted from a team game known as “επισκυρος” (episkyros) or pheninda that is mentioned by Greek playwright, Antiphanes (388-311BC) and later referred to by Clement of Alexandria. These games appears to have resembled rugby.
There are a number of references to traditional, ancient, and/or prehistoric ball games, played by indigenous peoples in many different parts of the world. For example, in 1586, men from a ship commanded by an English explorer named John Davis, went ashore to play a form of football with Inuit (Eskimo) people in Greenland.[2] There are later accounts of an Inuit game played on ice, called Aqsaqtuk. Each match began with two teams facing each other in parallel lines, before attempting to kick the ball through each other team’s line and then at a goal. In 1610, William Strachey of the Jamestown settlement, Virginia recorded a game played by Native Americans, called Pahsaheman. In Victoria, Australia, indigenous people played a game called Marn Grook (“ball game”). An 1878 book by Robert Brough-Smyth, The Aborigines of Victoria, quotes a man called Richard Thomas as saying, in about 1841, that he had witnessed Aboriginal people playing the game: “Mr Thomas describes how the foremost player will drop kick a ball made from the skin of a possum and how other players leap into the air in order to catch it.” It is widely believed that Marn Grook had an influence on the development of Australian rules football (see below).
These games and others may well go far back into antiquity and may have influenced later football games. However, the main sources of modern football codes appear to lie in western Europe, especially England.
The Middle Ages saw a huge rise in popularity of annual Shrovetide football matches throughout Europe, particularly in England. The game played in England at this time may have arrived with the Roman occupation, but there is little evidence to indicate this. Reports of a game played in Brittany, Normandy, and Picardy, known as La Soule or Choule, suggest that some of these football games could have arrived in England as a result of the Norman Conquest.
An illustration of mob football.These archaic forms of football, typically classified as “mob football”, would be played between neighbouring towns and villages, involving an unlimited number of players on opposing teams, who would clash in a heaving mass of people struggling to drag an inflated pig’s bladder by any means possible to markers at each end of a town (sometimes instead of markers, the teams would attempt to kick the bladder into the balcony of the opponents’ church). There is no evidence to support the legend that these games in England evolved from a more ancient and bloody ritual of kicking the “Dane’s head”. Shrovetide games have survived into the modern era in a number of English towns (see below).
The first detailed description of football in England was given by William FitzStephen in about 1174-1183. He described the activities of London youths during the annual festival of Shrove Tuesday:
After lunch all the youth of the city go out into the fields to take part in a ball game. The students of each school have their own ball; the workers from each city craft are also carrying their balls. Older citizens, fathers, and wealthy citizens come on horseback to watch their juniors competing, and to relive their own youth vicariously: you can see their inner passions aroused as they watch the action and get caught up in the fun being had by the carefree adolescents.[3]
Most of the very early references to the game speak simply of “ball play” or “playing at ball”. This reinforces the idea that the games played at the time did not necessarily involve a ball being kicked.
In 1314 , Nicholas de Farndone, Lord Mayor of London issued a decree banning football (in the French used by the English upper classes at the time. A translation reads: “[f]orasmuch as there is great noise in the city caused by hustling over large foot balls [rageries de grosses pelotes de pee] in the fields of the public from which many evils might arise which God forbid: we command and forbid on behalf of the king, on pain of imprisonment, such game to be used in the city in the future.” This is the earliest reference to football.
The earliest mention of a ball game that involves kicking was in 1321, in Shouldham, Norfolk: “[d]uring the game at ball as he kicked the ball, a lay friend of his… ran against him and wounded himself”.[4].
In 1363, King Edward III of England issued a proclamation banning “…handball, football, or hockey; coursing and cock-fighting, or other such idle games”, showing that “football” — whatever its exact form in this case — was being differentiated from games involving other parts of the body, such as handball.
King Henry IV of England gives the earliest documented use of the English word “football”, in 1409, when he issued a proclamation forbidding the levying of money for “foteball”.[5]
There is also an account in Latin from the end of the 15th century of football being played at Cawston, Nottinghamshire. This is the first description of a “kicking game” and the first description of dribbling: “[t]he game at which they had met for common recreation is called by some the foot-ball game. It is one in which young men, in country sport, propel a huge ball not by throwing it into the air but by striking it and rolling it along the ground, and that not with their hands but with their feet… kicking in opposite directions” The chronicler gives the earliest reference to a football field, stating that: “[t]he boundaries have been marked and the game had started.[6]
Other firsts in the mediæval and early modern eras:
“a football”, in the sense of a ball rather than a game, was first mentioned in 1486.[7] This reference is in Dame Juliana Berners’ Book of St Albans. It states: “a certain rounde instrument to play with …it is an instrument for the foote and then it is calde in Latyn ‘pila pedalis’, a fotebal.” [8]
a pair of football boots was ordered by King Henry VIII of England in 1526. [9]
women playing a form of football was in 1580, when Sir Philip Sidney described it in one of his poems: “[a] tyme there is for all, my mother often sayes, When she, with skirts tuckt very hy, with girles at football playes.”[10]
the first references to goals are in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. In 1584 and 1602 respectively, John Norden and Richard Carew referred to “goals” in Cornish hurling. Carew described how goals were made: “they pitch two bushes in the ground, some eight or ten foote asunder; and directly against them, ten or twelue [twelve] score off, other twayne in like distance, which they terme their Goales”.[11] He is also the first to describe goalkeepers and passing of the ball between players.
the first direct reference to scoring a goal is in John Day’s play The Blind Beggar of Bethnal Green (performed circa 1600; published 1659): “I’ll play a gole at camp-ball” (an extremely violent variety of football, which was popular in East Anglia). Similarly in a poem in 1613, Michael Drayton refers to “when the Ball to throw, And drive it to the Gole, in squadrons forth they goe”. The word “football”, when used in reference to a specific game can mean any one of those described above. Because of this, much friendly controversy has occurred over the term football, primarily because it is used in different ways in different parts of the English-speaking world. Most often, the word “football” is used to refer to the code of football that is considered dominant within a particular region.
Globally, and not necessarily in native English speaking countries, the word “football” usually refers to association football as this is the most widely played code of football. The name “soccer” (or “soccer football”) was originally a slang abbreviation of association football and is now the prevailing term in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand where other codes of football are dominant.
Of the 45 national FIFA affiliates in which English is an official or primary language, only three (Canada, Samoa and the United States) actually use “soccer” in their organizations’ official names, while the rest use football (although the Samoan Federation actually uses both). However, in some countries, such as Australia and New Zealand, use of the word “football” by soccer bodies is a recent change and has been controversial.
Choosing the right MMO for you
There are hundreds of MMO’s out there, but only a few of them are actually worth playing! Lets face it, MMO’s like World of Warcraft (WoW), Age of Conan (AoC) EverQuest II (EQ2) and Aion: Tower of Eternity all cost a fair penny, and no one’s got that much free time on their hands. In the end you’ve got to make a decision, which one do you pay to play? In this article we’ll look at a few of the more high profile mainstream MMO’s on the market and offer our thoughts on the matter.
World of Warcraft
What is it?: World of Warcraft, or WoW as it’s come to be called by those who play it regularly is probably the most polished and well defined MMO on the market. Released by Blizzard in 2004, it quickly supplanted the original EverQuest as the MMO game of choice for most, eventually becoming something of a household name. It’s played by hardcore and casual alike, by high school kids, forty -somethings, soccer moms and even among families as a sort of bonding exercise.
A new copy will set you back about $20, but you can pick up the World of Warcraft Battle Chest, which contains Classic WoW as well as the first expansion pack, Burning Crusade, for around $30, all in all a pretty good deal for the amount of game you’re getting.
Why is it good for you?: What sets WoW apart is the ease with which relative newcomers to the genre can set up a character and get into the game. Even if you’ve never played a videogame before, let alone an MMO, WoW’s earliest stages will take you by the hand and walk you through the finer points of the various mechanics you’ll need to be familiar with to progress. As with most MMO’s, WoW centers on a questing gameplay mechanic which sees you receiving quests and missions from various Non-Player Characters (NPC’s) throughout the games vast world, called Azeroth. Currency in World of Warcraft is called “gold” or “wow gold” and you’ll often get rewarded for the successful completion of these quests with in-game items of varying degrees of rarity, as well as a decent amount of wow gold.
One reason many players site for coming back to WoW month in, month out, is Blizzard’s terrific customer service and dedication to their fans. Since its original launch in 2004, the Irvine based developer has commendably kept gamers happy with a steady stream of gameplay patches and free content that fixes bugs, tweaks gameplay, and introduces new areas.
Over the past four years there have been three major expansions to the original World of Warcraft. The aforementioned Burning Crusade was released in 2007, followed by last years Wrath of the Lich King, and most recently Blizzard officially announced World of Warcraft: Cataclysm at the companies annual Blizzcon event in Anaheim Texas. Each addition has improved upon the original release and adds substantial content, including new races, new continents, enemies, quests, items, and raises the character level cap higher than what came before.
What are the cons?: Very few, if any at all. WoW will run on just about any machine post-2000. The ease of access will make it a cinch for even the most green of gamers to get the hang of, while the subtle depth of the gameplay and unparalleled variety of things to do and places to see will hold the attention of the most rabid hardcore gamer. The bottom line is that if you’re new to MMO’s, or are simply looking for the one “desert island discs” style game then look no further, World of Warcraft will keep you busy for years.
EverQuest II
What is it? EverQuest II (EQ2) is the direct sequel to what was (prior to World of Warcraft) the most popular and widely known MMO ever, EverQuest, fondly sometimes called “EverCrack” because of the games wildly addictive nature. That said, EverQuest II, while still a great game, never quite saw the same levels of success it’s predecessor enjoyed.
Currency in EQ2 is called Platinum, and much as in World of Warcraft you’ll be paid a certain amount of EQ2 platinum and receive goods and items for the quests you complete. The mechanics of gameplay, while similar to WoW, are perhaps layered with a bit more depth and it will likely take you a little longer to get the hang of things.
Since 2004, EQ2 has seen the release of no less than five full expansion packs, Desert of Flames, Kingdom of Sky, Echoes of Faydwer, Rise of Kunark, and The Shadow of Odyssey, as well as three smaller “adventure packs”, The Bloodline Chronicles, The Splitpaw Saga and The Fallen Dynasty. A sixth expansion pack titled Sentinels Fate, is due to be released in February of 2010.
Why is it good for you: If you’re a bit more of an old school RPG nut, EverQuest II is probably the most polished MMO on the market looking to scratch that itch. Additionally, if you’ve got the machine to handle it EQ2 is still a rather pleasing MMO to look at. Technically, if not aesthetically it runs rings around the aging World of Warcraft.
EverQuest II isn’t as user friendly, and it doesn’t hold your hand quite as much as WoW does, but that’s where a lot of the games charm comes from. If you can muddle through the laborious first few levels, and provided you’ve got the patience, you’ll be richly rewarded.
What are the cons? When EQ2 launched in November of 2004, it went head to head with what was at the time, a much more easily accessible and user friendly MMO in the form of WoW. This, coupled with the fact that EQ2 was essentially designed to push the limits of video card hardware, meant that getting into EverQuest II was a lot harder than it should have been. While a lot of concessions were made to make the game easier to get into than its more popular older brother, EverQuest II was still an experience that required a lot more patience and dedication from the average player. Even though it never has and never will attract the same massive subscriber numbers Blizzard’s MMO sees, the player base is no less loyal.
Age of Conan
What is it? At just over a year old, Age of Conan (AoC) is a relatively young buck on the scene. Early in its development cycle AoC was burdened with the title “WoW-killer”. Early promise, great graphics and a unique combat engine seemed to indicate that AoC would be a serious contender for WoW’s uncontested throne. In the end this never came to pass, WoW remains king of the castle and after a troubled birthing process Age of Conan seems to have finally found its niche, there aren’t too many mature MMO’s out there based on the works Robert E. Howard after all.
As with World of Warcraft and EverQuest II, earning items and currency in Age of Conan (called simply “ AoC gold”) will see you completing quests and missions for the various shady NPC’s that lurk in the games ominous the world, it’s dark, dangerous, and uniquely compelling stuff that separates it from the competition.
Why it’s good for you: Conan is probably the most “different” of the mainstream MMO’s currently available. Not only is it rated M for Mature, it’s also set in Robert E. Howard’s low-fantasy universe of Hyborea. Age of Conan is not for the squeamish, there’s blood, guts, severed limbs, decapitations, and the odd chance of encountering random instances of nudity in the game. All this however, serves only to underline just how much a change of pace the game is from the majority of MMO’s out there, you won’t find any orcs, goblins or elves in this game.
Another feature that makes Age of Conan stand out is its unique combat system. AoC implements a combo based combat queue, which sees the player lining up combos, and executing them manually by clicking on the corresponding directional strike buttons on a radial menu in the games user interface. It may not be Devil May Cry or God of War, but it’s the closest MMO’s have come, and if you’re tired of the relatively passive combat engines found in games like WoW and EverQuest, this should serve you well.
In addition, Funcom, the game’s Nordic developer has recently announced Rise of the Godslayer, the first Age of Conan expansion. This expansion will open up new gameplay areas and introduce a new playable race: the Kithan.
This next item could have been included in the “cons” column, but you really shouldn’t rebuke a game for looking great. AoC is definitely not as scalable as World of Warcraft, but it makes up for it by being far and away the most technically impressive MMO you can buy. If you’ve got the rig for it, prepare to be bowled over by the plethora of Direct X 10 features you’ll be treated to, from ambient occlusion to caustic ray rendering and high resolution parallax mapping, there’s no denying this game is drop dead gorgeous. If you’ve got the rig for it.
What are the cons? For the first twenty odd levels or so, Age of Conan will strike you as possibly the most focused and ambitious MMO ever made. NPC’s are rich with dialogue, quests are plentiful, unique and engaging, and the world is intricately detailed and beautifully fleshed out. After level 21, however, that all changes.
One of AoC’s biggest post-launch problems was simply holding on to the subscriber base it managed to leech off competitors like World of Warcraft. Beyond level 20, the content became less focused and worse, there was less of it. This meant that players had to grind longer to level up, a problem that only got worse the higher you leveled. By the time you hit level 80 (the game’s level cap) there was precious little to do except stand around and look impressive. To be fair, Funcom eventually remedied a lot of these issues with massive patches, these patches gave gamers vast new play areas for free, new quests and storylines to fulfill and follow, and various in-game systems such as crafting and character classes were entirely revamped… but it was too little too late, many of the early subscribers had long since jumped ship.
Hop aboard AoC today and you will find a world not quite what it should have been, a world that seems awash with the echoes of past glory, however fleeting. Servers have been merged to make the world more populous, and most of the folk still playing are grizzled veterans just as liable to gank you as soon as look at you. And yet, therein lies the appeal of this rough, unpolished gem of a game. Considering the source material it’s perhaps not entirely unexpected, and in fact may be quite fitting.
Ones to watch:
Aion: Tower of Eternity: Aion is the follow up to NCSoft’s cult hit, Guild Wars. Developed in Korea internally by NCSoft itself, Aion’s been met with positive initial impressions from the gaming press at large. It looks to combine WoW’s casual pick up and play approach with the unique feature of flight based combat. Currency in the game is called “Kinah” and as with WoW, AoC, and EQ2, is procured by completing quests and missions. Anticipation for Aion’s impending September launch continues to mount following a warm critical reception at the recently concluded Gamescom convention in Cologne, Germany.
Star Wars: The Old Republic: The latest game in the highly regarded Old Republic series is actually the second MMO to be based on the Star Wars license, the first being SOE’s Star Wars: Galaxies. Star Wars: The Old Republic, or TOR, is being developed by veteran RPG house Bioware, who are looking to bridge the gap between offline, single player RPG’s and online MMO’s. Bioware claims TOR will be the first ever fully voiced MMO, which makes it the most ambitious voice over project in entertainment history. Fans of Star Wars lore will no doubt look forward to playing the games Bounty Hunter and Sith Lord classes, currency in TOR is called Republic Credits, and you earn these and other in-game items by fulfilling quests and missions.
Titleist 909 Series Features Advanced Launch and Ball Flight
The 909 Series of Titleist drivers, fairway woods and hybrids has been billed as high-performance clubs for skilled golfers, including the most highly skilled – modern-day tour professionals.
“Our mission is to provide products that will allow better players to play their best,” Steve Pelisek, General Manager, Titleist Golf Clubs, said in a company news release. “In terms of performance, the new 909s are our most technologically advanced for launch, ball flight, sound and solid feel.”
Titleist staff tour professional Steve Stricker, the world’s No. 8 ranked golfer, is a believer in the 909 Series. In fact, Stricker recently won his fifth PGA Tour title using the Titleist 909D3 driver.
“It’s definitely better than any previous model I’ve hit,” he said.
The 909 Series gives players a range of launch and spin options to suit their games and performance expectations.
The 909 clubs also come in a variety of head shapes, construction materials (primarily titanium), lofts, shafts and grips. If desired, custom fitting is available through Titleist’s SureFit Adjustable Fitting System.
Drivers
The 909 Series drivers come in three models: 909Dcomp, 909D2 and 909D3. All three have a milled trapezoid face insert to maximize ball speed across the face.
“Titleist 909 drivers unite three distinct club head shapes with center of gravity [CG] locations that are deeper and lower than the CG locations of previous generation Titleist drivers,” said Titleist, “resulting in greater club head stability through impact, improved launch conditions and superior downrange performance.”
Here’s a quick look at the three models:
Full pear profile, 460cc titanium and composite construction, Titleist Matrix Ozik XCON-5 or Titleist Matrix Ozik XCON 6 shaft
Full pear profile, 460cc titanium construction, Titleist Diamana Blue 5 or Titleist Aldila VooDoo shaft
Classic pear profile, 440cc titanium construction, Titleist Diamana Blue 5 or Titleist Aldila VooDoo shaft
The 909 drivers are available in a variety of loft combinations, and come in right- and left-handed models.
Fairway Woods and Hybrids
The Titleist 909 Series includes three models of fairway woods and hybrids:
Round profile, stainless steel construction, three loft options, Titleist Diamana Blue 75 Fairway or Titleist Aldila VooDoo Fairway shaft
Pear profile, stainless steel construction, three loft options, Titleist Diamana Blue 75 Fairway or Titleist Aldila VooDoo Fairway shaft
Stainless steel construction, five loft options, Titleist Diamana Blue 80 Hybrid or Titleist Aldila VooDoo Hybrid shaft
All three come in right- and left-handed models.
Tour Pros That Play 909
The 909 Series made its first appearance on the PGA Tour in the summer of 2008 when Chez Reavie and Parker McLachlin won back-to-back events using the 909D2 model. Since then the 909 has notched more wins, including Zach Johnson at the 2009 Valero Texas Open and Steve Stricker at the 2009 Crowne Plaza Invitational.
In a Titleist video clip, PGA Tour veteran Stricker talked about his 909D3.
For starters, looks are very important to Stricker – the clubhead, color and how the club sits. He doesn’t like a “hook look.” He said he definitely likes the look of the 909 and how it sits “square.”
“It’s way more pleasing to the eye.” And, he added, “It’s a lot easier to hit.”
Following is a partial list of tour professionals who play the Titleist 909 Series drivers:
Steve Stricker (909D3)
Zach Johnson (909D2)
Rory McIlroy (909D2)
Ben Curtis (909D2)
Adam Scott (909D2)
Davis Love (909D3)
Nick Watney, 909D2
Billy Mayfair (909DComp)
Johnson Wagner (909D3)
Chez Reavie (909D2)
Parker McLachlin (909D2)
Many of the Titleist staff pros also play the Titleist 909 Series fairway woods and hybrids. As for Titleist irons, AP2, Z Bend Forged and Z Muscle Forged are models preferred by tour professionals.
The Top 10 Best Vampire Book Series
Not too long ago Anne Rice was the queen of vampire fiction with her creation of the legendary Lestat. However, in the past few years Stephenie Meyer with her Twilight Saga, Charlaine Harris with True Blood, and other authors with their vampire creations have stormed the best seller charts. But what are the most popular series with the legions of online vamp lit fans?
The top ten most popular (based on online chatter) vampire book series are:
10. Riley Jensen Guardian by Keri Arthur
9. Anita Blake Vampire Hunter by Laurell K. Hamilton
8. The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice
7. The Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine
6. Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber
5. The Darren Shan Saga by Darren Shan
4. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
3. The House of Night by P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast
2. The Southern Vampire Mysteries / Sookie Stackhouse Novels / True Blood Series by Charlaine Harris
…and the most popular Vampire Lit Series is no surprise…
1. The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer
Not quite making the top ten were Night Huntress by Jeaniene Frost, Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith, Undead and … by MaryJanice Davidson, Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz, Vampire Beach by Alex Duval, Night World by L.J. Smith, Nikki and Michael by Keri Arthur, Mackenzie Vampires by Nina Bangs, and Almost Human by Melanie Nowak. The top two series on this list have also been adapted for the screen, with the wildly popular Twilight Saga movies and True Blood television series on HBO. This can have only helped their dominance in this poll. While great literature does not need to be adapted for the screen, it will clearly raise awareness of a series and bring in a whole new group of fans. A Darren Shan motion picture (Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant) will be released in late 2009. Both House of Night and Vampire Academy films or TV adaptations are almost inevitable, although neither seem to be even close to production. If the new CW Network TV series based on L. J. Smith’s Vampire Diaries is a hit, then those novels are bound to be in the top ten for my next vamp lit poll. And, finally, it is lovely to see that modern vampire literature icon and pioneer Anne Rice made the list, even if she was not in the top five. Oddly, only two of Anne Rice’s novels (Interview with the Vampire and The Queen of the Damned) were ever turned into feature films.
I compiled this list by searching for each of the vampire book series on a number of search engines and ranking them by the number of web pages, discussion forums, photos, videos, etc that are available online. Read more about vampires at SpookyFiles.com.
The Lucrative World of Online Soccer Betting
Online soccer betting is increasingly attracting a large number of football fans these days. The advent of the internet has dramatically changed the way bets are placed on football or soccer. No longer do you need to wait for a co –worker or friend to place a bet on a game or trek to a far away casino to place your bets. The growing popularity of soccer has enables many gambling opportunities these days, with most of them being over the internet.
Bookies are the best people to learn online soccer betting from. Bookies tend to know the loopholes that exist in the various football betting systems and use this to their advantage. In fact many of them are known to make huge amounts of money by placing bets on soccer games.
The internet is perhaps the best source of information on football betting. There are literally hundreds of online sources on the topic these days. Contrary to what many people think, online sports betting sites are not all about only placing bets. They offer many other services. For instance you can find articles by experts on the game on such sites which can be of immense use. You should also constantly update your knowledge about team lineups and key players if you are to be successful in soccer betting. Going through news reports on soccer games and getting to know about injuries to key players, are for instance a must if you want to make money by betting on football games.
You can also get valuable tips on online soccer betting by interacting with other fans. Some of the experienced ones may be able to guide you through the entire process. You can also find many paperback editions of soccer betting that you can find these days. They too are of immense help, particularly for those who are just about starting out on football betting.
