More Trouble for Tiger

As if the sex scandal and estrangement from his soon-to-be-ex- wife weren’t enough; Tiger Woods is facing problems once again.  This time the pain is physical.  He is believed to be suffering from a bulging disk in his neck, although a CAT scan performed in the early part of the week should be able to confirm it.  The injury, common among golfers, forced him to withdraw from The Players Tournament last week.  With the proper treatment he should be able to return to golf within a few months.  More details on Tiger’s injuries can be found at USAToday.com.

Baseball Continues to Set New Records

Baseball is the great American pastime.  Most of us grew up watching, playing, and loving the game.  However, with 9 long innings even the most avid fans can become weary of the often slow paced game.  But as the teams continue to show us, there is a reason to come out to the ballpark.  The Rockies just experienced their first no-hitter in franchise history and the Cardinals and the Mets faced off in a whopping 20 inning game.  Visit SportsIllustrated.com for more on what’s been happening in baseball.

Help for Small Businesses in Johannesburg

The South African city of Johannesburg just signed an agreement with the UK, which will serve to continue business relationships between the two countries, even after the end of the 2010 World Cup.  This will ensure that travelers and tourists will continue visiting the country, and supporting the local businesses such as the luxury hotels.  Johannesburg resident Jason Ngobeni is the director for Economic Development and he signed the agreement last week. Two other South African cities have already signed the agreement, Capetown and Durban.

This is a program that was part of an initiative of the United Kingdom Trade and Investment policy that was begun just about one year ago, in an effort to build partnerships in the countries that are the hosts of such sports events as the World Cup.   The policy will focus on the smaller business enterprises, and will ensure footholds on the trade and commerce.  The Olympic Games in 2012 will be held in London, and the policies and ideas of the initiative were considered when they began to think about ways to keep the businesses going even after the events have ended.

The ambassador for the UK, Alan Collins, has been part of the planning of the initiative, as well as having served on the board that secured the Olympics for the city of London.  The affects for South Africa are great.  As the city itself began initiatives to further support the local small businesses almost five years ago.  So not only will this initiative serve to bring further business into the city of Johannesburg, it will support the policies that are already intact and underway.  This also may serve to enhance Johannesburg’s opportunities for the hosting of future events.  Officials from both countries have been traveling back and forth and other such cities as Vancouver, Singapore and Sochi, are on board as well.

Industries in Peterhead, Scotland

Peterhead is a Scottish town in the county of Aberdeenshire that was founded hundreds years ago by fisherman, and was later developed as very well planned and thought out settlement.  This is the largest town in Aberdeenshire, with a population that increases with each census taken.  This town is located in the most eastern point of the mainland of the country of Scotland, and quite frequently referred as “The Blue Toon”.  This is said to have been due to the fact that the fisherman throughout history had worn wool socks, the color of blue.  This carries through in current times as the Peterhead soccer team now has as their theme song, “Blue Toon Tune”.

With the construction of the harbors along the sea in 1953, the Peterhead hotels other business grew into what they have become today.  Very successful fishing ports and a long history of tourism.  Port Henry was the first harbor to be constructed and served to set up the city as a base for fishing, trade and export industries.  The first lifeboat station was built in the late 1800′s.  And in 1888 a prison was opened in the town, reputed to have some of the most tough and infamous Scottish criminals.

Much of the city has been zoned for the development of industrial sites, however in the current economic situation of the world, many of those companies have either closed, or postponed further expansion.  Reforms in the policies in the fishing industry has affected the town as well.  However, the diversity of products and services offered in Peterhead, everything from textiles, food and services, and of course fishing, has ensured that the economy of the town will continue to survive in a healthy and financially viable manner.  This is an area of Scotland wherein life is thriving but peaceful.  There are many restaurants serving up some of the best seafood in the United Kingdom, a true Scottish treasure.

The Beauty of the Balearic Islands

The Balearic Islands found in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Spain are amazingly beautiful and although they are grouped into the collective Balearics, they are also individually unique have their own charm and attractions. Of these islands there are four main, or largest ones that are also what the Balearics are most know for. Majorca is the largest and also most populated of them. It is followed by its slightly smaller and also appropriately named neighbor, Minorca. The third largest island is also internationally known for its amazing club scene. This is obviously, the fabulous island of Ibiza. Finally, there is the smallest of these islands, Formentera. Although it is the smallest of the four main islands, it is well known for its pristine beaches and almost paradise like atmosphere and views. Also, it continues to attract larger numbers of tourists to its shores every year and guests staying in one of the 5 star hotels Balearics, regardless of which island on which they are based, will often ferry to one or more of the other islands during their stay. Click here for more information

Palma is the capital city of Majorca, and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. It is full of great dining options, major cultural and historic attractions and fabulous entertainment options. The area of the city known as the old town is an extremely popular tourist center and is well known for its Arabic influenced architecture and great cathedral. As with all of the islands, the great sandy beaches are always one of their major attractions. On some of the islands there are even opportunities for nude sunbathing. For tourists who may be interested in trying this, it is actually the perfect opportunity because some of locals have been doing it most of their lives and it is completely natural. Another major attraction of the beaches is all of the opportunities for great water sports. Surfing, scuba diving, swimming, sail boating and kayaking are all engaged in by large numbers of locals and tourists.

Rugby Town and Sport

Rugby is a quaint market town sitting on the Avon River in Warwickshire in the West Midlands in England. It is the second largest town in the county and was once just another quiet little English country town with the charm and appeal of most little country towns and villages. This town, made up of small villages, incorporated in 1932 and became a borough. In the 19th century, the railroads and engineering came to this area, making Rugby an important railway junction, and that brought change. Suddenly there was a rapid growth with more industries and workers bringing their families, economic shifts, some cultural changes and modernizing. Rugby was rapidly becoming well known throughout England and the world.

Many things have put this delightful town on the map, probably most noted, Rugby football since it originated here, but many other things have brought worldwide fame to this borough. Frank Whittle created the world’s first prototype of the jet engine here in 1937, Dennis Gabor invented holography in 1947, Charles Dickens used the railway junction as the setting for his story Mugby Junction. Two very famous schools are here, the Rugby School was built in 1567 and in the late 19th century the Lawrence Sheriff School was in operation.

The Victorian era can still be felt in parts of Rugby, along with the modern buildings. The town centre is a wonderful area to explore. And of course as you seek out the local landmarks and historic sites, you will want to let yourself be pampered with a stay at a Rugby hotel You will also find many fabulous restaurants offering the most delectable local dishes you can wish for. And the pubs, talk about history, quaintness, charm and personality, you have to visit the pubs. In all of England, Rugby ranks second with the most pubs per square mile than any other town. What more could you ask for?

Going to the US Open

The US Open is America’s Grand Slam tennis championship. And any tennis fan would certainly love to be a part of the US Open tennis experience. Getting tickets to the Open is easy enough, and there are many packages available depending on your budget and what kind of experience you want to have at the open as well.

The US Open takes place from August 31st to September 13th and is home to the world famous Arthur Ashe stadium. Depending on how you wish to experience the tennis at the US Open there are several options.  If you want a hassle free experience with tickets and lodging included all together, you can go ahead and purchase a package.  It’s an easy way to get an all inclusive experience and if you are a United States Tennis Association member, you can get even further discounted rates as compared with retail prices.

You can also build your own trip on the site grandslamtennistours.com. They offer so many different ways to enjoy the event, that it will be easy to satisfy every fan’s wishes.

You can also build your own experience, by buying directly from the US Open website.  You can purchase individual tickets, tickets for the full series, or they also have mini plans available and flex fan plans. If you wait too long to purchase your tickets, you can also find ones that are authorized for resell, so you won’t risk purchasing a fake ticket.

The fan flex plan, which is new for this year, allow you to choose the sessions that you want to attend, as long as you choose to purchase at least six sessions.  The upside is that you get to pick your dates and times, such as day or evening, depending on where you would rather be.

San Francisco Football

Is anyone really buying what the San Francisco Forty Niners are selling? As we prepare to enter the 2009 pre-season, many fans are hopeful that wide receiver, Michael Crabtree, the yet to be signed, first round draft pick will be the next Terrell Owens or Jerry Rice. Assuming the former Texas Tech star receiver bounces back from the stress fracture injury in his right foot, and that he lives up to all the projections as to his caliber of play at the professional level, we still don’t know who will be throwing the ball to him. The Niners are approaching their fifth consecutive year of inserting a new Offensive Coordinator and their third consecutive year with a starting quarterback controversy. By all accounts, the job should be Shaun Hill’s to lose, since he is the only Forty Niner quarterback with a winning record since Jeff Garcia left in 2003. It was widely considered that former overall number one draft pick, Alex Smith would never be seen in a Forty Niner uniform again following his season ending shoulder injury. Compound this equation with the news that this injury was believed by the Forty Niner medical staff to have been caused by a wire left from Smith’s previous shoulder surgery, one has to wonder why they kept Smith on the team.

Among all of these unknown factors on the offensive side of the ball, the York family is still selling smash mouth football behind its new head coach, Mike Singletary. Singletary began his head-coaching career when he took over for Mike Nolan in the middle of last season with such acts as dropping his pants in the locker room and running Tight End, Vernon Davis off the field in efforts to make an impression of toughness on his players. This year the Hall of Fame linebacker is demanding full contact practices and tackling drills during the first fifteen days of camp. If the players survive camp without injury, they might have a shot at their first winning season in seven years, but it’s not a great bet with so many questions surrounding their offense and a returning inconsistent defensive unit. Unfortunately, it’s not a great time to be a professional football fan in the Bay Area given the Raiders have posted no more than five wins in any season over the same stretch of time. Therefore, if you have the budget to purchase tickets for sports in the Bay Area this fall, you might consider looking at Cal or Stanford football.

The Trumpet of Cape Town, South Africa

Many critics are voicing their opinions concerning the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.  Some are predicting that the games will only be partly attended, that the stadiums are unlikely to fill.  Others predict that the transportation department will not be able to handle the amount of travelers and spectators, or that the crime will frighten people, or the the stadiums will run out of beer.  But in the center of this controversy currently, is none other than the Vuvuzela.  The Vuvuzula is a small, plastic trumpet, blown traditionally throughout the game, much as the baseball fans in America wave big, foam fingers, and it is a South African tradition.  Many of the foreign coaches, soccer players and fans have requested that the vuvuzela be banned come 2010.  What is being debated now is not safety issues or availability of accommodations such as the luxury hotels Cape Town is refurbishing and redecorated, but the small trumpet and whether or not it is considered part of the culture of South Africa, or whether it is just simple a horn, a noise maker.

Some spectators in the stands of soccer games last week, complained that when many of the horns are all blown simultaneously, the noise is deafening, bordering on painful.  For the people of South Africa, this has been an exciting and exhilarating sound, but it falls very harshly on foreign ears it seems.  Many opponents of vuvuzela state that the sound produced by the large crowds in attendance at the games is a distraction that lasts the entire length of the game.  A soccer player from Spain and a coach from the Netherlands have put in their two cents, and both desire a ban on the trumpet come World Cup time in 2010.

This could turn into a racial issue, as most of the soccer games in South Africa are considered “black” tournaments, while most of the whites attend football games, in the western sense of the game.  Within South Africa, the populations have had issue with this trumpet for years.  Oddly enough, one theory of the origin of the trumpets is that they were toys distributed throughout the United States, that upon unsuccessful sales, were sent to South Africa, where fans quickly picked them up and started using them during the games.  Another theory states that they are based on the tradition of the horns used to call villages together for the events.  Either way, this is just one more aspect of the games to be held next year in South Africa that is being debated and will be debated in the months to follow.