Christian Gentner Trikots Online Shop
1) First, I don't have a text plan. I can't afford a text plan because Sprint sucks and as soon as my contract is up, I will be leaving them after a customer of 15 years. But, I see my Sprint (and the public pointed their error and greediness) finally followed the lead of other carriers and got rid of the text charges for donation texts for Haiti. (Now, if Sprint takes the lead of other carriers and cuts the rates or allows free calls to Haiti.)
2) While, texting to donate is convenient; it will be added to my phone bill, I want to know if I am going to get a tax receipt for my donation. Not that I make enough to claim deductions like that, but there are people who do. My guess is probably not.
3) Then there is the question of extra taxes on my cellphone bill for the $10+ (or multiple donations). Is the government going to wave the tax charges on these extra charge(s) on your cell bill? My guess is probably not. The government needs their share of the cut.
4) I also have the question on how long this money will take to get to Haiti. My guess 60 to 90 days. One your statement has to be sent to you, you need to pay it, then your carrier needs to cut the checks. (And, really when you think about it, look how fast it takes for them to credit your account for their errors.) Haiti needs your money NOW, not 60-90 days from now. Unless, these carriers plan on fronting the money, of which I can't see happening. That would be too much “risk” for them.
5) And this is just a general statement. Know who you are donating to and make sure it is a legitimate organization. Also, find out what percentage of the donation actually makes it to the cause.
Please go directly the websites and make your donation. You will get an eReceipt for tax purposes and these organizations will have their money right away.
I am happy to report, finally, that MasterCard, Visa & Discover Card are not charging the 2-3% swipe fee on credit card charges for donations made to the Haiti Earthquake. So, if you donate $10 through their website, the organization will get the full $10.
If you are sending checks or money orders to these organizations, please make sure you ear mark it by putting in the memo Haiti Earthquake Relief. Without an earmark, the organization legally can put it in their general fund and not end up going to people you want it to go to. DO NOT DONATE CASH!
Personally, I have donated to Doctors without Borders, UNICEF and Mercy Corps. I have received prompt tax receipts for all three organizations.
Below you find the links to reputable organizations sites. This list is provided by ABC.com
Doctors Without Borders:https://donate.doctorswithoutborders.org/SSLPage.aspx?pid=219&&source=AUU090000DE0
UNICEF:https://secure.unicefusa.org/site/Donation2?df_id=6680&6680.donation=form1
Mercy Corps:https://donate.mercycorps.org/donation.htm?DonorIntent=Haiti%20Earthquake&Custom15=wm&Custom18=f16fa36b6b2618296814c89c247177e3
U.S. State Department:http://www.state.gov/
William J. Clinton Foundation:https://re.clintonfoundation.org/SSLPage.aspx?pid=3869
Catholic Relief Services:http://crs.org/
Partners in Health:https://donate.pih.org/page/contribute/haiti_earthquake?source=earthquake&subsource=homepage
World Food Programme:http://www.wfp.org/stories/haiti-wfp-bring-food-devastating-quake
Food for the Hungry:http://www.fh.org/learn/news/disaster/haiti-rocked-by-powerful-quake?promocode=WA25WD0A2
The Salvation Army:http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/
CARE:https://my.care.org/site/Donation2?5000.donation=form1&df_id=5000
AmeriCares:http://www.americares.org/
Samaritan's Purse:http://www.samaritanspurse.org/
Operation Blessing International:http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/haiti-earthquake-help-victims/www.ob.org
Action Against Hunger:http://www.actionagainsthunger.org/pressroom/releases/2010/01/13
Save the Children:http://www.savethechildren.org/?WT.mc_id=1109_sp_logo
Habitat for Humanity:http://www.habitat.org/
Merlin (Medical Emergency Relief International):http://www.merlin-usa.org/
Oxfam America:http://www.oxfamamerica.org/
International Medical Corps:http://www.imcworldwide.org/Page.aspx?pid=183
International Rescue Committee:http://www.theirc.org/
World Relief Corporation:http://worldrelief.org/Page.aspx?pid=192
Hope for Haiti:http://www.hopeforhaiti.com/
Food for the Poor:http://www.foodforthepoor.org/
Concern Worldwide:http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/haiti-earthquake-help-victims/www.concernusa.org/HaitiAppeal.
American Red Cross:http://www.redcross.org/
from: Cians Weblog
Kavians Site
Keyons Weblog
New Orleans makes a pitch to get the high school soccer championships at Tad Gormley
By Ted Lewis, The Times-Picayune
June 02, 2010, 6:30AM
Baton Rouge – A decade ago, Richard Smith became so involved in the Sugar Bowl's sponsorship of the state soccer championships that he considered it “my baby.”
The Division I and III state soccer championships were held in Tad Gormley Stadium from 2000 to 2005, but were moved to Lafayette after Hurricane Katrina.And now, Smith is doing what he can to bring his baby back to New Orleans.
The LHSAA's executive committee will be awarding future championship sites in soccer, basketball, wrestling and softball at its annual summer meeting today, and Smith's offer to be a private title sponsor is part of the local bid that would bring the 2011 Division I (Class 5A) and Division III (3A-C) title matches to Tad Gormley Stadium.
The event would be called the Old Metairie Apartments State Soccer Championships after one of the properties Smith owns.
“We really had something going there, ” Smith said of the Sugar Bowl's time as the title sponsor for soccer plus other state championship events. “We had incredible crowds and an incredible atmosphere. Hopefully, we can do it again, and we feel like we've put together a very attractive bid package.”
The Division I and III soccer championships were played at Tad Gormley Stadium from 2000 to 2005 but moved to Lafayette in 2006 because of damage to the stadium from Hurricane Katrina.
Then because of a conflict between the Sugar Bowl's title sponsor, Allstate, and State Farm, the primary sponsor for LHSAA events, the Sugar Bowl could no longer be involved.
Subsequently, Shreveport put in the winning bid for the event for the past four years.
However, this year largely because all eight of the finalists were located along the I-10, I-12 corridor — and five of the eight from the metro area — attendance at 49,000-seat Independence Stadium was no more than 100 for the Division III matches and 500 for the Division I matches the next day.
“I know there was a lot of dissatisfaction about playing in Shreveport this year, ” Smith said. “Some of it, like the weather, couldn't be helped. But the fact is that teams from the New Orleans area dominate soccer in the state, and having to travel so far for the championship puts a real hardship on their fans. So since most of them can't go to the event, we want to bring it to them.”
Shreveport, Lake Charles and Pineville also are bidding for the soccer championships.
The bid is for 2011 only, instead of the normal two years. That's because LHSAA principals area expected to vote in January whether to add the Division II (Class 4A) title matches to the other four starting in 2012, or to play all six at home sites.
Division II soccer is the only state championship event not played at a predesignated site.
City Park athletic services director Tony Biagas said Tad Gormley Stadium was being proposed as the site instead of Pan-American Stadium, which is considered more soccer-friendly, because of better broadcast facilities and a dressing room for officials, which Pan-Am Stadium does not have.
Sacred Heart Coach Tooraj Badie, whose team won the Division III girls title this season and had played in the title match in the previous four, said he would prefer to play at Pan-Am Stadium chiefly because the track at the stadium makes the field there significantly smaller.
But wherever the site, he felt staging the championships in New Orleans, at least on a rotating basis, would be a good move.
“We liked going to Shreveport, and the folks up there do a great job, ” he said. “But most of our students couldn't make it. You want them to be able to enjoy the experience, too.”
The basketball bids are for the first two years, under the new format adapted in January and starting in 2012, which will have the semifinals for boys and girls played together at three regional sites on one weekend, and the finals played at one site the next weekend.
A contingent from Baton Rouge is bidding to have the title games played at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on LSU's campus. The boys Top 28 was last played there in 1996 and has been held at Lafayette since.
Lafayette is bidding for the championship games, as is Bossier City.
The New Orleans Arena was invited to bid, but because of the inability to commit to dates because of Mardi Gras — plus the 2012 Final Four and the 2013 Women's Final Four — along with Hornets games, none was made.
Hammond and Southeastern Louisiana are the lone bidders for the southeastern regional site, and Lake Charles has the only bid for the southwestern regional. Bossier City and Monroe are bidding for the northern regional, but if Bossier gets the finals, the semifinals will go to Monroe.
The Pontchartrain Center in Kenner is seeking to retain the state wrestling championships, although there also is a bid from Bossier City.
Sulphur is the lone bidder to retain the softball championships.
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Ted Lewis can be reached at tlewis@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3822.
CHICAGO, IL – U.S. Soccer has announced the groupings for the first two rounds of the 2010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, which kicks off with first-round matches on Tuesday, June 15, around the country.
All 32 lower division teams will enter the tournament in the first round. First-round pairings were determined by dividing the clubs geographically into eight groups of four, with match-ups within each group determined by random draw. In the second round on June 22, the 16 first-round winners will face off, with eight victors moving into the third round to square off against eight Major League Soccer teams.
The third round will take place June 29, with the quarterfinals set for July 6-7, the semifinals on Aug. 31-Sept. 1 and the final slated for Oct. 5.
Of the 17 amateur division teams representing the U.S. Adult Soccer Association regional qualifiers and the Premier Development League, only the Arizona Sahuaros (USASA) are returning for their second consecutive U.S. Open Cup. The Sahuaros have qualified for four of the last five U.S. Open Cups, the best record of any amateur team during that span. This year’s participants also include the Sonoma County Sol of the National Premier Soccer League (an affiliate of the USASA), who qualified for the first round by virtue of winning a play-in match against PSA Los Gatos Storm, a club affiliated with U.S. Club Soccer (a member organization of U.S. Soccer).
Within the U.S. Open Cup framework, teams compete in one of the following four categories: professional outdoor Division I (Major League Soccer), Division II (USSF D-2 Pro League) or Division III (USL Second Division), or Amateur Division. In recent years, the Amateur Division has been comprised of the USL Premier Development League and regional qualifiers from the U.S. Adult Soccer Association.
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, which is recognized as U.S. Soccer’s National Championship, is an annual competition open to all amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. The tournament has crowned a champion for 95 consecutive years dating back to 1914.
The U.S. Open Cup is a single-elimination tournament, with games tied after regulation being decided in two 15-minute overtime halves. If the score is still tied after overtime, the winner is decided in a penalty kick shootout. The team that advances the furthest from each level except Division I will earn a $10,000 cash prize. The runner-up will take home $50,000, while the champion will collect $100,000. In addition, the winner will have its name engraved on the historic Dewar Challenge Trophy, the oldest trophy competed for nationally in American team sports.
2010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Schedule
May 31 Qualifying Deadline
June 15 First Round: 32 lower division teams enter tournament
June 22 Second Round: 16 First Round winners face off
June 29 Third Round: Round 2 winners face eight MLS teams
July 6-7 Quarterfinals: Round 3 winners
Aug. 31-Sept. 1 Semifinals: Quarterfinal winners
Oct. 5 Final: Semifinal winners
2010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Official Pairings for First Round
1. N.Y. Pancyprian Freedoms (USASA) at Long Island Rough Riders (PDL)
Cy Donnelly Stadium; South Huntington, N.Y.
Tuesday, June 15; 7:30 p.m. ET
2. Brooklyn Italians Soccer Club (USASA) at Harrisburg City Islanders (USL-2)
Skyline Sports Complex; Harrisburg, Pa.
Tuesday, June 15; 7:00 p.m. ET
3. Real Maryland FC Monarchs (USL-2) at Reading United A.C. (PDL)
Don Thomas Stadium; Reading, Pa.
Tuesday, June 15; 7:30 p.m. ET
4. Crystal Palace Baltimore (D2) at Richmond Kickers (USL-2)
University of Richmond Stadium; Richmond, Va.
Tuesday, June 15; 7:00 p.m. ET
5. Capital Area Soccer League Elite (USASA) at Charleston Battery (USL-2)
Blackbaud Stadium; Charleston, S.C.
Tuesday, June 15; 7:30 p.m. ET
6. Charlotte Eagles (USL-2) at Carolina RailHawks (D2)
WakeMed Soccer Park; Cary, N.C.
Tuesday, June 15; 7:05 p.m. ET
7. Dayton Dutch Lions FC (PDL) at Rochester Rhinos (D2)
Marina Auto Stadium; Rochester, N.Y.
Tuesday, June 15; 7:05 p.m. ET
8. Detroit United Soccer Club (USASA) at Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USL-2)
Chartiers Valley High School; Bridgeville, Pa.
Tuesday, June 15; 7:00 p.m. ET
9. Kansas City Athletics (USASA) at NSC Minnesota Stars (D2)
National Sports Center; Blaine, Minn.
Tuesday, June 15; 7:00 p.m. CT
10. AC St. Louis (D2) at Des Moines Menace (PDL)
Valley Stadium; West Des Moines, Iowa
Tuesday, June 15; 7:30 p.m. CT
11. Central Florida Kraze (PDL) at Miami FC (D2)
Lockhart Stadium; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Tuesday, June 15; 7:30 p.m. ET
12. FC Tampa Bay Rowdies (D2) at Legends FC (USASA)
Richland Stadium; Dallas, Texas
Tuesday, June 15; 8:00 p.m. CT
13. Dallas-Fort Worth Tornados (PDL) at Austin Aztex (D2)
House Park; Austin, Texas
Tuesday, June 15; 7:30 p.m. CT
14. Arizona Sahuaros (USASA) at Ventura County Fusion (PDL)
Ventura College; Ventura, Calif.
Tuesday, June 15; 7:05 p.m. PT
15. Sonoma County Sol (USASA) at Portland Timbers (D2)
PGE Park; Portland, Ore.
Tuesday, June 15; 7:00 p.m. PT
16. Bay Area Ambassadors FC (USASA) at Kitsap Pumas (PDL)
Bremerton Memorial Stadium; Bremerton, Wash.
Tuesday, June 15; 7:00 p.m. PT
Official Pairings for Second Round
(Venues, dates and times TBD)
17. Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
18. Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4
19. Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6
20. Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8
21. Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10
22. Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 12
23. Winner Game 13 vs. Winner Game 14
24. Winner Game 15 vs. Winner Game 16
R-Truth has become the new United States Champion, his first singles championship of those that currently exist in WWE.So now that R-Truth has a championship on the board, let's look at the 10 most deserving who have yet to garner the singles gold.
The N.C. High School Athletic Association released the schedule for the girls soccer state championship this weekend. All games will be played on Saturday at N.C. State's Curtis and Jacqueline Dail Soccer Stadium at the Paul Derr facility.
Match-ups should be completed tonight as each regional final is played.
10:00 AM: 2-A state championship
1:00 PM: 1-A state championship (Southwest Onslow vs. Avery)
4:00 PM: 3-A state championship
7:00 PM: 4-A state championship (Hoggard qualified from the east)
There was a chance some teams would have to play on Friday in order to avoid conflict with graduation ceremonies in some districts.





