Luke_Wilbur

BALTIMORE, MD (Thursday, January 13, 2005) - Major League Soccer and adidas today announced the launch of Generation adidas, the first major initiative as part of the partnership agreement signed in November between adidas and MLS - the largest in the League's history. The announcement was made at the 58th annual National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Convention in Baltimore, site of the 2005 MLS SuperDraft on Friday, Jan. 14. Specifically, Generation adidas is Major League Soccer's new youth player development program designed to identify and nurture the elite youth soccer talent in the United States. The program kicks off with the signing of 12 of the top young soccer players in the nation to MLS and adidas endorsement contracts. The first members of Generation adidas include: UCLA assist leader Chad Barrett; 16-year-old U.S. National Team midfielder Nikolas Besagno; the nation's assist leader Hunter Freeman of Virginia; South Carolina star goalkeeper Brad Guzan; 16-year-old forward Quavas Kirk; two-time NCAA champion and Indiana defender Drew Moor; classy Wake Forest defender Michael Parkhurst; Hermann Trophy finalist and forward Ryan Pore; young UCLA central defender Tim Ward; U.S. youth national team midfielder Christian Jimenez; St. Louis University leading scorer and Under-20 international forward Will John; and Freddy Adu's strike partner on U.S. youth national teams Jamie Watson. "Major League Soccer has become the first choice destination for the very best young U.S. players. MLS is excited to join forces with adidas to create Generation adidas, which will improve upon and expand our commitment to identify and develop the top talent in our country," said Ivan Gazidis, MLS Deputy Commissioner. "The increased opportunities provided by Generation adidas will enable us to further diversity our talent pool and to elevate the level of competition and skill of our young American players." The youth players who join Major League Soccer as part of the Generation adidas program will receive unprecedented opportunities to develop their game and hone their skills at the professional level in their home country. In addition to training and playing on a weekly basis with one of Major League Soccer's 12 professional clubs, players will also have the opportunity to compete in the soon to be named developmental league, to be launched later this year. Also in the future, squads of Generation adidas players will participate in matches and tours featuring international opponents in the U.S. and overseas. Generation adidas players will also receive educational grants to further their college education. "As the global and U.S. market leader, adidas continues to produce the best products for athletes and the best opportunities for athletes to excel" said Kevin Ross, Business Unit Manager for Soccer, adidas America. "Generation adidas is another example of this commitment aimed specifically to the future stars of MLS. Our new exclusive sponsorship of MLS provides a tremendous compliment to our ongoing investment in youth soccer." The first class of Generation adidas signings will be eligible for the 2005 MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas, which will be held on Friday, January 14 at the Baltimore Convention Center in conjunction with the 58th annual NSCAA Convention. Barrett, Freeman, John and Ward will attempt to help the U.S. Under-20 National Team earn a berth for the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championships as CONCACAF regional qualifying takes place from Jan. 12-16 at The Home Depot Center. Moor was a leader of the Indiana University squad that captured the 2004 NCAA College Cup, while Guzan is one of the top young goalkeepers in the nation. Besagno and Kirk are the attacking stars of the current Under-17 National Team while Pore is one of three finalists for the Hermann Trophy, recognizing the top collegiate soccer player in the country. Jimenez, a veteran of the U.S. Under-17 program, is recognized as one of the country's elite midfielders and recently concluded his first college season at the University of South Florida. Watson, a former teammate of Freddy Adu on the Under-17 National Team, is a speedy forward for the University of North Carolina while Parkhurst is one the country's top defenders at Wake Forest University. The partnership between MLS and adidas incorporates every aspect of the game, from product creation, to grassroots programs, television rights and retail distribution. Under the agreement, adidas will be granted exclusive rights to sales of all MLS League and team-branded product, including apparel and equipment, and exclusive broadcast advertising rights for all MLS games during the next 10 years. Beginning in 2005 with Major League Soccer's 10th season, adidas apparel and equipment will be featured in major retail stores across the country as part of extensive national retail development plans for an expanded MLS product offering. Additionally, adidas will develop MLS specific advertising and marketing programs along with commercially supporting every team. adidas has been a partner of MLS since the League's inception and in 2005 will become the sponsor of the League's two expansion clubs: CD Chivas USA (Los Angeles, CA) and Real Salt Lake (Salt Lake City, UT), as well as the Colorado Rapids (Denver, CO), FC Dallas (Dallas, TX), New England Revolution (Boston, MA) and the San Jose Earthquakes (San Jose, CA). Beginning in 2006, adidas will hold the exclusive rights to outfit all of the League's 12 teams, as well as supplying the League's Official Match Ball. About adidas-Salomon AG adidas is a global designer, developer and marketer of athletic footwear, apparel and accessories with the mission to be the leading sports brand in the world. adidas America is a subsidiary of adidas-Salomon AG, a corporation that also includes sports brands Salomon, TaylorMade, Bonfire and Mavic. About Major League Soccer Headquartered in New York City, Major League Soccer is the top flight professional soccer league in the United States and features many stars from the U.S. and around the world. The 12 teams in MLS are: the Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, Columbus Crew, FC Dallas, Kansas City Wizards, Los Angeles Galaxy, MetroStars, New England Revolution, San Jose Earthquakes, 2004 MLS Cup Champion D.C. United and the two newest expansion teams, Real Salt Lake and Club Deportivo Chivas USA, which begin play in 2005. Major League Soccer's tenth season kicks off on April 2, 2005 with the nationally televised matchup between CD Chivas USA and reigning champion D.C. United (ABC Sports at 3:00 p.m. ET). For more information about MLS, log on to the League's official Web site at www.MLSnet.com.

We have a person that has metal disablility here at DCpages. He is only legally allowed to work 10 hours a week or he loses his disability coverage for his medication. Will these regulations change that for him?

There still seems to be a drought in the Rockies. What I see is the areas near the ocean currents seem to be getting wetter.

You might have read this before, but I just listened to James Wood on Howard Stern. He spoke on how he spotted the 911 terrorist on a rehersal flight in August 2001. He stated that the FAA would not do anything about it. He later learned from the FBI that the people he saw on his flight were actually the terrorist who plotted 9-11. I found a partial transcript from The O'Reilly Factor, February 14, 2002. What an amazing story.

Guys, People have a right to differences. That is what makes this country great. Why can't we discuss view points without making it personal. Find some common ground. Hateful bantering get us nowhere.

I think this is a much better photo

In a letter sent to supporters Wednesday, Kerry said he would not take part in a formal protest of the Ohio Electors because, despite widespread reports of voting irregularities, his legal team had "found no evidence that would change the outcome of the election." Kerry said he planned to introduce election reform legislation and push for congressional hearings on the voting irregularities. ………………………………._ …(\……......oooOOO(_)OOOooo..\v/…………./) …(\\…………._¤.¤.¤.¤.¤.¤.¤.¤.¤__(.(………...//) ..(\\\......(__E PLURIBUS UNUM__)……….///) …(\\\\......).)............'......................../ ///) ..(\\\\\..../^\........_____................../////) ..(\\\\(\...........__/.§.\\\\\.............../)////) …(\\\(\\\........(---\…….\\\\\…………...///)///) …(\\(\\(\\..…………"/\\\\\\\\\........../)///)//) ….(\\(\\\(|.…………/\\\\\\\\\\.........|)///)//) ….(\\\(\(\\.……..…/\\\\\\\\\\\.......//)/)///) ….(\\\(\\(\|……|\/___/\.___\/|……|/)//)///) ……(\\\(\\(\\__|====.====|__//)//)///) …….(\\\(\\(\\\\|====.====|////)//)///) ………(\\\(\\(\\\|====.====|///)//)///) ………(\\\\(\\(\\|||.||.||.||.||.||//)//)////) …………(\\\(\\\(|||.||.||.||.||.||)///)///) …………….(\\\\(\\||.||.||.||.||.//)////) ………………..(\\\(\|.||.||.||.||/)///) ………………………(\\.||.||.||.|//)………………xxx ………..P…………….(\||.||.||./)……………….//// ………P\\P………..(//\|.||.||/\\)……………//// …………\\P…….(////)\.||.|/(\\\\)……….//// …………P\\…..(////)\|\||./|/(\\\\)…...//// …………….\\…(//)..||//\/\\||..(\\)….//// ………………\\o//….////|||\\\\\...\\o//// …………....8\\/…//////|||\\\\\\..\///8 ……………….o\\.(//////|||\\\\\\).///o …………………//…(/////|||\\\\\).//// ………………..V……(////|||\\\\).//// …………………………..(//(|)\\)

Spurred by last Tuesday’s announcement that state election officials in Ohio have completed the presidential recount, the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., founder and president of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, said today that he is even more committed to supporting the election challenge and to host Monday’s rally in Columbus aimed at exposing irregularities in the nation’s voting system. Rev. Jackson questioned the recount when election officials in most counties hand counted only 3% of the ballots and, in may cases, failed to randomly select these 3% sample as required by Ohio election law. In counties utilizing punch card and optical scan ballots, when both a hand count and a machine count of the 3% sample match, the county is allowed to proceed with a machine recount, as most Ohio counties did. Therefore, it is absolutely critical for the 3% sample to be randomly selected on the day of the recount to avoid any possibility of manipulation of the sample or the machine. “The struggle continues,” Rev. Jackson said. “The recount was not conducted in a meaningful manner based on uniform standards as required by the equal protection and due process provisions of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The fact still remains that every citizen’s vote in Ohio was not properly or fully counted. We need a New Pro Democracy Movement in America.” The RainbowPUSH Coalition has called for a forensic investigation of the voting machines. Ohio election officials, they said, did not use uniform standards to select the sites for the recount or to conduct the recount. The sites were handpicked when they were supposed to be randomly selected. Rainbow/PUSH Coalition officials also want to know why a technician from the Triad Company provided maintenance on some machines prior to the recount. This information was disclosed in an affidavit provided by a Triad technician. Rainbow/PUSH Coalition officials support motions pending before the courts seeking expedited discoveries about this tampering by the Traid Co. Lawyers seek to interview the technician and Triad executives to learn why was he called in, what services were performed in Hocking County and in 41 other counties where Triad equipment is used. “It is clear that the potential for vote tampering existed during the recount process, just as vote irregularities occurred during the November 2 election,” Rev. Jackson said. “We will not surrender until a full investigation of the vote irregularities and the voter machines and software is conducted.” On Monday, January 3, 2005, the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition is leading a “Pro Democracy Count Every Vote Rally.” The rally, which will be held at the Capitol Theater, 77 S. High St, across from Ohio State Capitol, begins at 2 p.m. Coalition partners include Ohio Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs-Jones, Moveon.org, Progressive Democrats of America, the anti-war coalition United for Peace and Justice, and Ohio State Senator Joyce Beatty, CASE Ohio and others. Organizers said the rally, which is being held just days before Congress convenes to select the president, is an effort to keep the spotlight on the deepening investigation of voter irregularities that occurred in Ohio during the Nov. 2nd presidential election as well as to give birth to a new Pro Democracy Movement.

Amen. Did you read the account someone posted from Sri Lanka? http://www.dcpages.com/forums/index.php?sh...wtopic=2734&hl=

I like the cover image

SRI LANKA DISASTER RELIEF FUND Contributions to the ongoing Sri Lanka relief efforts can be made by cash, check or wire transfer. ** Please note that the Sri Lanka Disaster Relief Fund is not tax deductible**. Checks and wire transfers should be made out to “Sri Lanka Disaster Relief Fund” Please note that deposits can be made at any Wachovia Bank or branch. Wachovia Bank, 1300 I Street, NW, Washington DC 20005 Swift: PNBPUS33 ABA#: 054001220 Account: 2000024529976 Questions related to Wachovia Bank account please call: 1-800-922-4684 Credit Card Contributions can be made by calling your credit card company and providing them with the account information listed above. At this time Wachovia Bank is unable to process online credit card payments. We regret any inconvenience caused. MEDICAL SUPPLY CONTRIBUTIONS SHIPMENTS: Sri Lanka (Ceylon) Tourist Board Mr.Dillan Ariyawansa Honorary Director - USA Sri Lanka Tourist Board 111, Wood Avenue South Iselin, NJ 08830 Tel: (908) 361-2621 Fax: (732) 452-0087 Email: ctbUSA@anlusa.com Sri Lanka Airlines Mr. Rohan Siriwardene Country Representative - USA Sri Lankan Airlines Gsa - Sri Lankan Travel Inc Head Office - New Jersey 111,Wood Avenue South Iselin, NJ 08830 Tel: (732) 205-0017 Fax: (732) 205-0299

Dave, Thanks for sharing with our readers. I passed by there once on a ship. It is really difficult to imagine the amount of devastation that occurred there. You are truly lucky to be alive. Here is a map of the South Asia Earthquake and Tsunami

I think you are right on the mark by making goals. Write them down in order of importance and then act upon them. Happy New Year

The Washington Post Reported today DuPuy says he hopes the city passes legislation that's consistent with the Expos' baseball agreement with the city. The deal reportedly allows for private financing and splits the liability for cost overruns if the stadium isn't completed on time. The D-C Council will vote on the revised plan at Tuesday's meeting. Major League Baseball has a December 31 deadline to have a stadium financing plan in place. Once the package is approved and the team moves, the Expos will officially be renamed the Nationals.

I found a good amount of tickets on Ebay. http://search.ebay.com/redskins-tickets_W0...ntrypageZsearch If you know of any other good places, please let us know.

Ebay has some Washington Nationals memorablia for sale. Get them while they last. http://search.ebay.com/washington-national...ntrypageZsearch

I cannot believe it, but we have received another TeleCheck Bill today. Today's Balance due is...... Drum Roll Please..... $160.00 This company must give its employees some really good 'Kind' bud. Their scenerio is one of the following: a. they have no control of their computer system. b. they do not know how to control their computer billing system. c. they have no control of the company they outsourced in Bagdad. d. they have other intentions. e. they are being malicious. f. they are just trying to waste time, electricity, paper, ink g. they just don't care h. they just don't know i. All of the above.

Well the Redskins Defense held Philly to 3 and out. 1st and 10 at WAS 25 Patrick Ramsey (WAS) pass incomplete across the middle. 2nd and 10 at WAS 25 Patrick Ramsey (WAS) sacked for a loss of 16 yards. 3rd and 26 at WAS 9 Washington fumble by Patrick Ramsey (WAS), recovered by Chris Samuels (WAS), advanced for no gain. 3rd and 26 at WAS 9 Patrick Ramsey (WAS) pass incomplete across the middle. 4th and 26 at WAS 9 Patrick Ramsey (WAS) pass incomplete; turnover on downs. That's Game Folks.

Finally, a nice job on the replay officials on giving Cooley the first down.

Bill please stay on the topic. We blogging the Redskins vs. Eagles game.

Washington at 13:36 1st and 10 at WAS 49 Patrick Ramsey (WAS) pass right side complete to Clinton Portis (WAS) for 15 yards. 1st and 10 at PHI 36 15 yard penalty on Philly. 1st and 10 at PHI 21 5 yard penalty on Washington. 1st and 15 at PHI 26 Clinton Portis (WAS) pass incomplete to the right side. 2nd and 15 at PHI 26 Clinton Portis (WAS) pass across the middle complete to Chris Cooley (WAS) for 24 yards. 1st and 2 at PHI 2 Clinton Portis (WAS) rushed up the middle for a 2 yard touchdown. Extra point by John Hall (WAS) is good.

Eagles defensive coordinator, Jim Johnson, has Gibbs' offense symied. A veteran of 18 seasons as an NFL assistant, Johnson has proven to be the right man in leading the team's defense to become one of the premier units in the NFL. The Eagles defense knows only one way to play and that is to attack. Over the last four years, Johnson's units ranked first in the league in fewest points allowed (974, 15.5 per game), 3rd down defense (32.2 percent), and red zone defense (63 TDs in 166 attempts), 2nd in sacks (185), 7th in opponent's QB rating (73.2), and 8th in take-aways (126). In 2001, Johnson's unit became the fourth team in NFL history to go all 16 games without allowing more than 21 points. Their streak of allowing 21 or fewer in 34 straight games was second longest in NFL history (Minnesota, 1968-71). In 1999, Johnson's unit forced an NFL-best 46 turnovers, including a team-record 5 interceptions returned for TDs. Over the last five years, Johnson's defense has produced 15 Pro Bowl selections: Troy Vincent (5), Brian Dawkins (3), Hugh Douglas (3), Jeremiah Trotter (2), Corey Simon (1), and Bobby Taylor (1).

Philadelphia at 2:50 1st and 10 at PHI 32 Donovan McNabb (PHI) pass left side complete to Terrell Owens (PHI) for 6 yards. 2nd and 4 at PHI 38 Donovan McNabb (PHI) pass incomplete to the right side. 3rd and 4 at PHI 38 Donovan McNabb (PHI) pass right side complete to Terrell Owens (PHI) for 16 yards. 1st and 10 at WAS 46 Donovan McNabb (PHI) pass incomplete to the right side. 2nd and 10 at WAS 46 Brian Westbrook (PHI) rushed right side for 20 yards. 1st and 10 at WAS 26 Donovan McNabb (PHI) pass across the middle complete to Greg Lewis (PHI) for 25 yards. 1st and 1 at WAS 1 Dorsey Levens (PHI) rushed right side for a 1 yard touchdown. Extra point by David Akers (PHI) is good. Joe Gibbs must be fustrated.

What is going on with the Redskins. You cannot run side to side against fast linebackers. Gibbs please run it straight at them. Portis can definiteley do the job.

3rd Quarter 4th and 2 at WAS 20 38 yard field goal by David Akers (PHI) is good. Philadelphia is up 10 - 7 Can Patrick Ramsey get anything started in the second half.