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Which is the best Detroit Piston team of all time? I have pondered this question deeply and have engaged in many a bar stool debate. As a lifelong sports fan and hoops junkie, I find asking which the best team is in the history of a storied franchise like the Detroit Pistons is big part of what makes sports fun. For the purposes of this particular debate, there are really only two options by anyone?s standards: the championship Detroit Piston teams of the mid to late 80?s and the more recent teams of 2004 and 2005 who went to two finals series and won a championship.

The arguments for the Detroit Piston teams of the late 80?s are certainly easy to make. Those ?Bad Boys??teams were trend setters. The 80?s were a time of high scoring offenses and soft defenses. Scores routinely made it into triple digits as teams like the Lakers, Celtics, Rockets, and Sixers ruled the league. Then the Detroit Pistons came along with their tough, hard nosed, no easy baskets style of defense. They gave way to teams like the Bulls and Knicks who adopted similar defensive philosophies. Setting such a trend in a league like the NBA is certainly cause for consideration of greatness.

The Bad Boys Piston teams also had names and recognizable talent that the later championship teams would lack. Names like Isaiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, and Bill Laimbeer are still known throughout the league. They are the greats of Detroit Piston basketball and to some degree of the NBA. Not only were these names recognizable and historic in league and team history, but also they were names of winners. Obviously the more recent teams are winners, but they have yet to combine the historical names, the winning, and the stamp on history that comes along with setting a trend.

There is, however, an argument to be made for the Detroit Piston teams of the early 2000?s. Those teams have represented that city of Detroit with their blue collar methods. The collection of cast-offs from around the NBA shows that a true team can be the personification of the idea that the whole can be more than the sum of its parts. You could also make the argument that when it is all said and done, the names Billups, Wallace, Wallace, and Prince will be just as well known as those of the Bad Boys. With one championship ring, another appearance in the finals, and a quick start to the 2005-2006 season, the modern Detroit Piston team may even end up with more championships to their credit. And in the end, isn?t it all about rings when it comes to the legacy of any great team?

When it comes to great basketball franchises, the Detroit Pistons may not be the first name to roll of the tongue, but they certainly will come in at some point. With at least two great runs in the history of the franchise, the argument over who is the best Detroit Piston team is one that may end in a draw. However, it is those great debates that will help both Detroit Piston teams to maintain their place in the mindset of Piston fans as well as basketball fans for years to come.

For more years than I care to remember, I struggled with money. I don't anymore but I understand the difficulty of not having enough. Nobody understands when you tell them you juggled last months water bill against this months utility and you are short. No, its worse than that....they don't care.

Quick time money is money that needs to come now, today, this minute. Its important and urgent so its got to present itself quickly.

Quick time money is money created out of thin air. Its usually not a lot of money but its fast, legal and easy to get. So in the following you will not find grandiose formulas and graphs and charts on wealth generation. This practical idea will get you out of jams. Of course the best way to keep out of money-jams is to always have more than enough money in the first place. Perhaps you will find out more about what we do later. Who knows, but anyway, here is a way to put money in your pocket right this minute.

We are working on getting you $200 to $300 in a day. For somebody who is stuck, that's not a bad parachute at all.

Now, before I tell you what I suggest you do, you should know I am clinically sane and of sound mind. It may seem counter-intuitive to suggest this to you, but its sound advice.

Go shopping.

Yes I know it doesn't make sense yet so keep reading.

At the level you are at (in a negative money situation) don't expect to make your first million doing just this, but the principle is sound and can definitely lead on to a career as an opportunity investor.

You will make three transactions today.

But first you will sit down with a pen and paper and write down your interests and competencies. For example, you have always enjoyed antiques. Fine, lets start with that.

In fact, if antiques are a core competency of yours, then you should stick with that until you get to higher levels. (You wont be buying any real estate any time soon, unless you research "no money down techniques" but you can definitely rely on this whenever you are in a squeeze for some money quick)

First you are going to consider supply and demand. Two important and divergent forces in which you will play the main lead. You will be the initiator, the middle man. (My favourite place of all to be)

From the supply side, you are going to identify 3 places where antiques may possibly be sold cheap, or at least below wholesale. Do such places of supply exist? You bet. Have you ever heard of a "Don't wanner" (in plain English that's don't-want-her) item? Often they are considered junk by the owners of these yet to be discovered treasures.

Garage sales, deceased estates advertised in the local journal and classified ads are just three sources off the top of my head. I'm sure you could find another 10 if you tried.

But even before you go shopping you are going to haunt the local antique shops in your area. The reason why you will spend so much time at all of them is because you are going to say hi, introduce yourself and possibly mention that you may have some items for them. (Don't worry, they will always tell you no, we don't need any we are already overstocked as it is) its what they do. They set the tone in the negotiation 3 moves ahead. When the item is before them and they can see it, they will deal.

You are also going to spend time gauging prices, retail prices. Know that you will have to find your items at around 30% below these prices, then another margin for your profits.

There is good money to be made trading unwanted items and converting them into cash.

Even at the level we deal in, "don't wanner" houses, boats, luxury cars and even precious stones, the dollar amounts (and there fore the profits) are a lot higher. But the compounding is amazing. If only these fellows playing the stock market knew about the percentage returns available being an opportunity investor.

My Very Best to you

There you are, flipping through the radio stations yet again, looking for SOMETHING, ANYTHING, worth listening to. Maybe you?ll find a song here or there that you like, or a talk show on a subject you are interested in. Then it?s time to flip the stations again. ?What I need,??you think to yourself, ?is my own personal radio station.??/p>

Enter the world of podcasting! Podcasting is just like having your own radio station, programmed with your favorite items and ready for you to listen anywhere, anytime. With podcasting, you can listen to:

[o] WHAT you want

[o] WHEN you want

[o] WHERE you want

No more searching and hoping to find a radio station that plays your favorite music. No more missing a talk show broadcast because you are sitting in class or in a meeting at the wrong time. With podcasting, you get just the content you want, from the sources you want, when you want. And there are no ads or commercials! What Tivo has done for your TV viewing, podcasting can do for your radio listening, and there is no FCC regulations either!

So what exactly is podcasting? A podcast is an audio file stored on the Internet that you can download to your computer or MP3 player and listen to whenever you want. It might be music, or it could be a talk show, a lecture, a recorded tele-seminar, a sermon, a football game, etc. Podcasting gives you the ultimate in choice and convenience.

o Podcasting is all about??CHOICE

Podcasting offers you unlimited choices in listening. Even though podcasting is a relatively new technology, there are already thousands of podcasts to which you can subscribe. No radio station in your city that plays the indy music you love? Check out East Detroit Radio.

Want to improve the koi pond in your backyard? Subscribe to Koi Club of the Air.

Parenting questions? Try the Front Porch Parenting podcast.

You can find a podcast on literally any subject you are interested in! In fact, www.podcastalley.com currently lists 2,380 podcasts in 15 different categories, while www.ipodder.org lists 4,493.

Another advantage of podcasting is that, because podcasts can appeal to niche audiences, they can cover their topics in much greater depth and be far more informative than regular radio broadcasts, which must appeal to a wide audience. Also, with a podcast, you can back up and listen to a segment again if you missed something the first time. If you come to a segment that is boring, you can fast-forward. You can listen as many times as you want to all or part of the podcast. And you can stop listening all together for a few minutes, hours, or even days if something else comes up.

o Podcasting is all about??CONVENIENCE

MP3 files have been available for download from the internet for years. But what makes podcasting different and truly useful is that you can subscribe to programs you are interested in. This means you don?t have to check your favorite podcast web sites every day for new episodes and manually download them.

Instead, free podcasting software automatically downloads new episodes to your computer as soon as they are available. This makes it easy and convenient for you to stay up-to-date with your favorite podcasts.

Once your podcasts are downloaded to your computer, you can synch them to your MP3 player, burn them to a CD for playback on your CD player, or simply listen to them through your computer?s speakers. This gives you the ultimate convenience of listening to your programs at your leisure. You can listen to the podcasts whenever you want ??as you are driving, walking, exercising, knitting, etc. With a podcast, you can be mobile, live your life, and listen to your content ANYWHERE.

o Podcasting is??FREE & EASY

Not only are podcasts themselves generally free, but so is the podcasting software you need! Both podcasts and podcasting software are easy to find on the internet and are easy to use.

Podcasting is??waiting for you!

If you haven?t been exposed to podcasts yet, you soon will be! Podcasts are literally everywhere now, and more podcasts are being created every day.

Have an Engagement Party to celebrate your love and upcoming nuptials. An Engagement Party can be thrown by the couple themselves or by family members from one or both sides of the couple. The Engagement Party can happen soon after the couple becomes engaged or wait until after they have chosen a date and the wedding is closer.

An Engagement Party can follow its own theme, or a theme which follows love. Use a movie title or make one up. Love in Chicago or To (insert couple name) With Love. Use supplies from a party planning store and create posters to go with the ?movie??title. Create personalized favors such as napkins printed with the date or the names of the couple or the movie.

For entertainment, you could have party guests create a skit re-enacting a part of the honorary couple?s first date or completely make one up. Play games that include love and marriage. For example, see who can write down the longest list of famous TV weddings in 4 minutes. Have guests write suggestions for wedding planning.

To remember the event, create a scrapbook with supplies from a party store. Have guests give the couple marriage advice to be written down on index cards and glued to pages of the scrap or guest book. They can sign their name to it and have a picture attached later (when the pictures come back) and make it a guestbook and a scrapbook all in one great memory package.

All of the supplies you need for an Engagement Party can be found at a party supply store. Invitations, cups, plates, napkins and tablecloths can be purchased in plain colors or with hearts and bells along wedding motifs. Balloons and streamers would also be available to coordinate with any theme you choose.

Whether you have a full-time job or spend much of your time raising your children, there?s no doubt that a little extra cash can come in handy. There are many freelance and part-time opportunities that can prove to be fruitful. On the other hand, many of those opportunities may seem enticing, but ultimately provide little money. If you?ve ever had a passion for the written word, whether it be college courses in journalism, a collection of short stories in your journal, or a daily blog you like to update, then you can bypass many of the part-time offers and head straight to the top. Dabbling in freelance copywriting is one of the most effective ways to earn extra cash ??and you get to indulge your passion for writing at the same time!

What?s involved with being a freelance copywriting? Let?s break it down. Copywriting means literally writing copy. This generally means marketing copy, but can touch on a variety of areas, including ghostwriting, technical writing, and press releases.

As for the freelancer part, freelancing is both a blessing and a curse. As a freelancer, you have the freedom to pick and choose projects as you please, control your schedule, and control your rates. Of course, the other side of that is that you must search for work. However, if you?re only looking for a part-time situation that earns you extra money, freelancing is a smart way to go.

Now here?s the secret ??why is freelance copywriting so lucrative? Think of the many part-time work-at-home opportunities you hear about. Most likely, it?s telemarketing or some other task that only pays $15 - $20 an hour, if that. With copywriting, you can start at $50 per hour and no one will wince.

Now do you understand why writers have a big advantage in the world of work-at-home business? Just one project could pay for an entire week?s groceries while on big project can pay a weekend getaway. Aren?t you glad you took all those writing classes in college now?

Of course, the question remains: how does one learn what works and what doesn?t work in copywriting? After all, you can?t jump into the copywriting pool without knowing your stuff, regardless of how good your writing skills are. The best way to learn is from example. Guess what? Examples are everywhere around you!

Think of every brochure you?ve looked at. Think of every billboard or magazine ad you?ve seen. Think of all of those websites you visit everyday. Chances are, there?s been a time when you?ve read the writing on those items and thought, ?I could do better! There are so many mistakes on there!??/p>

This is your free classroom. You can learn what works and what doesn?t work in freelance copywriting simply by taking in the world around you. Be mindful of what grabs you and what doesn?t grab you with brochures, sales letters, direct mail, ad copy, and website writing. You?ll soon notice a pattern of what is good and what is bad. Here?s a hint ??selling with honest facts beats hype hands down every time. Little spices such as clever humor and fancy wordplay never hurt either, as long as they fit the situation.

By noticing that the world around you can teach you the beginning lessons of freelance copywriting, you?ve already taken the first steps to a lucrative new side career. Best of all, this classroom is free. All you need to do is to take the time to notice and learn from everything you see and read. Once you begin to see the patterns of success, you?re on your way to launching your freelance copywriting journey.

For more about the next steps in a freelance copywriting career, including finding clients and building a portfolio, download Make Money Writing!, available at http://www.makemoneywriting.biz, by freelance copywriter Mike Chen.

One of the newest trends in the World of Soccer is the high-tech indoor soccer stadiums. They are used for all year around play without regard to seasonality. Many of these stadiums are owned by companies, which lease or rent them out to the teams. The business model is quite profitable and some markets have more than one company with more than one facility each. These companies also sell items such as soccer balls, refreshments and video play back services. They also often have automatic kicking machines for practice like those used in tennis or for batting training in baseball.

Since these soccer arenas are indoors and climate controlled I propose that we take the coaching and training to a much higher level. I propose that we incorporate Holographic Technologies, which are getting closer to becoming reality, and use them to teach soccer techniques. Imagine the benefits to coaching if you took some of the greatest plays in World Cup Soccer and allowed the kids to replay them. Setting up the holographic 3D images to move in full motion video on the field.

First you would put an athlete next to each of the players and then run the projection as the athletes matched them stride for stride and step for step, aligning themselves to confront the opponent by moving with the hologram into position and taking the shot or defending the goal. The athletes and players would learn emensly by watching and playing along side the greats. And all this is nearly possible. By using special coatings on the artificial grass to help the projection reflection it could be done quite easily. Think on this new technology and what it means for youth soccer.