The Inspiration of the Football Huddle
QiDaiAi: New page: I saw my first professional football game at age twelve, when the Los Angeles Rams were playing in the Coliseum. This experience fueled my dream of one day playing pro football. I wanted t…
Playing sports taught me early that nothing great happens without discipline, perspiration and inspiration. My inspiration came one day when, as a freshman at Occidental College, Coach Payton Jordan called me into his office. "Jack," he said, "I watched you play at Fairfax (High School, Los Angeles) and now here at Occidental. You’ve got great potential. You should know, confidentially, that if you work hard, real hard, you can reach the NFL someday." I walked out of his office on cloud nine, promising myself I would work harder than ever. I wasn’t going to let down Coach Jordan, or myself.
Years later, I learned that Coach Jordan had the same "confidential" talk with most of his players, but it didn’t matter. He had inspired not only me; he inspired the whole team. We were all for playing under Coach Jordan, and because of that extra measure my dream came true: I was drafted out of Occidental by the Detroit Lions. I was a seventeenth-round pick, but it didn’t matter. I had my chance to prove myself in pro football.
For me, I saw it as a case of putting in the effort and achieving my boyhood dream. I saw clearly, though, that it wasn’t an even playing field. The American dream of equal opportunity didn’t exist for everyone. My African-American teammates dealt with the ignorant, hateful [http://www.replica-live.com Replica handbags] attitudes of many people, which meant they were treated unfairly. This prejudice was at odds with what was good for our nation and our declaration of equity and freedom of opportunity.
In 1961, when I was quarterback and captain of the San Diego Chargers, we were scheduled to play the Oilers in Houston for the AFL Championship. Traditionally, the night before the game, Coach Sid Gilman took the entire team to a movie. Shortly after we sat down in our seats, I noticed that Paul Lowe, Ernie Wright, Ernie Ladd and Charlie McNeil were missing. I asked around and discovered they had been sent to the "blacks-only" balcony. When I told Coach Gilman, he stood immediately and said, "Gather the team. Get all the guys. We’re out of here." In a silent, powerful demonstration of our belief in equality, living and working as a team, we walked out as a team. I was very proud of Coach Gilman, but so much more needed to be done.
Four years later,[http://www.dofus-pro.com wedding cake toppers] after I had joined the Buffalo Bills and been elected captain, we were at the 196
5 AFL All-Star Game in New Orleans. Our black teammates had trouble getting a taxi or even basic service at restaurants. Here: again, the wisdom of team unity, and, admittedly, the popularity of pro football, gave us the leverage needed t o combat discrimination. We discussed the situation at our team meeting and agreed to boycott the game as a statement against the racial climate in the city. As a result, the game was moved to Houston, which by that time had made progress toward more equal treatment in public accommodations. This was the first boycott of a city by any professional sporting event in history.
We didn’t tolerate bigotry on the field, either. Any difference in race, creed and class immediately dissolved in the common aim of a team win.[http://www.petssuppliespro.com Dog clothes] Divisiveness only weakens a team. It has no place in a huddle, on or off the field.
Every team requires unity. A team has to move as one unit, one force, with each person understanding and assisting the roles of his teammates. If the team doesn’t do this, whatever the reason, it goes down in defeat. You win or lose as a team, as a family. A successful team walks onto the field with issues of race, religion and all societal pressures ratcheted down to inconsequential by the strength of common goals.
That became the case in 1947 when Branch Rickey,[http://www.dofus-pro.com cake toppers] owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, informed his team that he was bringing Jackie Robinson up from the minors-the first black man to play in the majors. Rickey wanted Robinson’s talent at the plate and his speed on the base paths. Some players circulated a petition stating they would not take the field with a black man. Pee Wee Reese, the Dodgers shortstop and team captain, refused to sign and tore up the petition, effectively putting an end to a stupid and ignorant idea that was wrong, as well as bad for the team.
Reese showed his character many times that season. [http://www.petssuppliespro.com Pet supplies] Atone point, he’d had enough of the fans heckling, spitting and throwing things at Robinson. During a game in Cincinnati Pee Wee walked over to Jackie, put his arm around him and there they stood. They stared down the crowd until the stadium was near silent. Then the game resumed. Robinson may have been the first black man to play major-league baseball, but more important to Pee Wee was, "He’s a Dodger, our teammate."
The power of one man or one woman doing the right thing for the right reason, and at the right time, is the greatest influence in our society. Individually, we may not be captains of our teams, but we are always captains of our own souls and collectively the soul of America. The soul of America rests in our hands, as we seek reconciliation and racial healing in America at the dawn of this exciting new century.
St Andrew’s by the Sea
Countrymike:
[[Category:Churches]]
[[Category:Stubs]]
St Peter’s Church
Wolfgang Fahl: New page: Catholic Church Oneroa shared with [[Waiheke Anglican Church]]. Weekend Masses Saturday Virgil 5pm. Sunday 9:15 am. Liturgy of the Word with Holy Communion, Wednesday 9:15 am. Phone 372 64…
Weekend Masses Saturday Virgil 5pm. Sunday 9:15 am. Liturgy of the Word with Holy Communion, Wednesday 9:15 am. Phone 372 6420.
[http://www.waihekecatholic.org.nz www.waihekecatholic.org.nz]
[[Category:Churches]]
Sculpture on The Gulf
Headland sculpture on the gulf - Waiheke Island New Zealand
Author: bisam150565
Keywords: art sculpture events
Added: November 19, 2008
Mike Hutcheson
Wolfgang Fahl: New page: [http://www.mikehutcheson.com Mike Hutcheson]’s property at [[Awaawaroa Bay]] is listed on the [[Waiheke Wealth Map]]. [[Category: People]]
[[Category: People]]
Awaawaroa Bay
Wolfgang Fahl:
There is an [http://www.awaawaroa.org Eco-Village] at Awaawaroa Bay.
<googlemap lat="-36.83" lon="175.10" zoom="13" width="300" height="300" type="hybrid"/>
[[Category:Maps]]
Rob Fenwick
Wolfgang Fahl: New page: Rob Fenwick is co-founder of [http://www.livingearth.co.nz Living Earth Ltd.]. His property at [[Te Matuku Bay]] is listed on the [[Waiheke Wealth Map]]. [[category:People]]
His property at [[Te Matuku Bay]] is listed on the [[Waiheke Wealth Map]].
[[category:People]]
New Wealth - Have the rules changed?
By Karen Russell
Headlines around the world are heralding ‘economic collapse’. Do your own research!
This ‘New Wealth’ report is based on the assumption that you are already aware of rapid economic changes, and are open to new ways of thinking.
Consider: What is wealth to you? Are you sacrificing the most important things in life to pursue the mighty dollar?
Now that money is losing its potency, what do you plan to do?
The objective of this report is to point you in the direction of ‘New Wealth’.
Now take a few moments to read the following parable…
TT awareness raising posters. Use freely.
Two posters for awarness raising. Use freely.PDF files for printing at any size.
The Comedy Half Hour
Every Sunday night between 9:00 - 9:30pm Waiheke Radio brings you ‘The Comedy Half Hour’. Given that we’re currently planning to run it for an hour we may well have to think of a new name but I think you get the picture.
Currently running each week are the original award winning BBC recordings of Flight of the Conchords.
The series, which was originally broadcast on Radio 2 in September 2005, was almost entirely recorded on a portable mini-disc machine in a variety of locations around London. Bret, Jemaine, Rhys and a coterie of eminent stand up comedians and actors improvised scenes and sung songs around Hyde Park, The Tower of London, Piccadilly Circus, even the first aid room at Broadcasting House. Music for the series was written and performed by the Flight of the Conchords and produced by them with the assistance of Neil Pickles, a music producer whose credits include Basement Jaxx, Groove Armada and Turin Brakes.
THE STORY
Along with their manger Bryan Nesbitt (Rhys Darby), The Conchords, New Zealand’s fourth most popular folk parody band attempt to crack the UK’s lucrative novelty music scene with songs such as ‘Frodo, don’t wear the ring’.
Coming soon…..more contemporary comedy with ‘The Mighty Boosh’ and classic comedy from ‘Hancocks Half Hour’.
Sundays 9:00 - 9:30 pm
World Cafe and Community Supported Agriculture event
Transition Town Whanganui is having a double event on Dec. 7th.
A World Cafe in the morning 10am-12.30pm topics around re-localisation and local resiliance (’closer to home’).
We will serve lunch from locally sources produce (partly organic). 12.30pm-1.30pm
1.30pm-3.30pm we have Collin Walker form the Wairarapa Growing Company, a CSA scheme in the Wairarapa (makes sence).
Job Opportunity for a TT geek
Job Opportunity with Transition Network
fridge bomb
a bomb in a fridge
Author: crm250madness
Keywords: waiheke bomb
Added: November 18, 2008
The power of inspiration to make changes
It inspiring to see how the efforts of a few people can lead to powerful changes. I have always liked superheroes – those incredible caped crusaders with a mission to Save The World. Of course, their superpowers make it easier, even if they have to fight super villains.
Vines
Chris Gin posted a photo:
Cable Bay Vineyard, Waiheke Island.
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lilalunk posted a photo:
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lilalunk posted a photo:
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lilalunk posted a photo:
Farmer in Chief - Changing Food, Changing Climate, Addressing Peak Oil
Here is the video of Michael Pollan being interviewed on Web 2.0 Summit. When you have watched this to the end, and been inspired by the possibilities, take a look at www.ooooby.com and specifically the Ooooby Store
If you have trouble playing this here, please use this link
If you don’t have fast broadband, you can get some of the information from the following letter to the President (Which obama read and quoted from just prior to the election). The letter doesnt however talk about the exciting changes at the social level, which is where the opportunities are for people involved in initiatives like Transition Towns.Michael Pollan, a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine, is the Knight Professor of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author, most recently, of In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. Source: Eco Literacy
Interesting Stuff
The following items came from a weekly list of technology news by www.kurzweilai.net
It makes for interesting reading, seeing where different minds are focused and what they are developing and exploring…
A more efficient generator could convert more of the wind’s energy into electricity.
http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/21666/?a=f
Sunset over Auckland from Waiheke 3
tony_the_bald_eagle posted a photo:
I watched a beautiful sunset over Auckland. Taken from Mudbrick Winery on Waiheke Island.
Sunset over Auckland from Waiheke 2
tony_the_bald_eagle posted a photo:
I watched a beautiful sunset over Auckland. Taken from Mudbrick Winery on Waiheke Island.
