What you don't know about Soccer ?
Soccer has become increasingly more popular in the United States in the last 30 years, with nearly 3 million children between the ages of 5-19 now playing in youth soccer leagues throughout the nation.
Soccer began in England in the mid-1800's, and was originally played by the higher, more aristocratic English classes in their boarding schools and private clubs. The ease and inexpense of the sport quickly moved it ahead as a sport for the masses however. Today soccer is ranked as one of the world's leading sports for commoners.
#1. Soccer is called football in other countries besides America. #2. Major League Soccer set all-time attendance record for a United States-based professional soccer league game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on June 16, 1996. That day, 92,216 fans watched the Los Angeles Galaxy win a 3-2 shootout victory over the Tampa Bay Mutiny. #3. His real name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, But the soccer world knows him as Pele. A native of Brazil, Pele retired as a player in 1977 but is still considered by many the greatest soccer player who ever lived. Since his retirement, he has been a worldwide ambassador for his sport. Wherever soccer is played, the name of Pele will always be magic. #4. A standard soccer ball is made of leather and is between 27 and 28 inches in circumference. Unlike basketball, young players can use a smaller ball. For kids 8 years old or younger, a ball of 23 to 24 inches in circumference is recommended. For kids 9 to 12, a ball of 25 to 26 inches is often used. 
The London Football Association was founded and 1863 and is responsible for standardizing game rules throughout Europe. In less than 20 years, professional players and teams were hitting the field.
Soccer began to spread throughout Europe almost immediately, with Spain, Germany, Italy, and France all taking up the game b the early 20th century. As interest in the sport grew throughout the world, so did an interest in formal competition. In 1900, the first soccer game was played at the Olympics, with medals introduced just eight years later. Professional players, however, were exempt from competition in the Olympic Games for more than 80 years.
In 1904, The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), was formed, followed by the first World Cup international competition in 1930. A round-robin style tournament that pits teams from individual nations against each other every four years, the World Cup has grown into an international affair, with nearly 200 teams now seeking admittance. Only 24 are permitted to compete.
Although it took the United States years to enter the soccer arena on a widespread basis, the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) was formed in 1913. Unfortunately, most Americans preferred watching (and playing) a different form of the sport -- American football -- until a Brazilian named Pele, (considered to the greatest soccer player of all time), joined the N.Y. Cosmos team in 1975. With such an amazing player to watch in America, popularity of the sport grew throughout the states, until his retirement in 1977, when soccer once again took a backseat to football. Following Pele's retirement, the North American Soccer League slowly lost fan support, finally dissolving in 1985.
It wasn't until the men's World Cup competition, was held in the United States in 1994, that soccer interest was renewed among American youth. The Major League Soccer (MLS), was founded in 1993, and began its first season in 1996 with 10 teams and 32 regular season games. More than 3 million fans watched the playoffs that year. By 1991, women were finally allowed to play on a professional level, when the Women's World Cup competition was introduced for the first time.
The interest in youth soccer remains strong throughout the United States today. Sports teams and leagues are now available in nearly every American community. From pee-wee players who aren't even in school yet, to semi-professional high school teams, players of all interest and abilities are now hitting the soccer field for both spring and fall competition. The U.S. Youth Soccer, a division of the USSF, now includes nearly 3 million official players.
Hinduism Facts...
The term ‘Hinduism’ is really a term used by travellers to India in the 18th and 19th centuries to describe the different but related religious ideas, cultures and philosophies which they found there.
It has been suggested that it is more accurate to speak of “Hinduisms” rather than a single tradition. Hindu religious leaders prefer to use the term Sanatana Dharma (the universal law of order – unity in diversity) instead of Hinduism. (The word ‘Hindu’ stems from the Sanskrit term to describe India – Sapta Sindhu [pronounced Hapta Hindu] – the land of seven great rivers: Ganges, Yamuna, Sarasvati, Godavari, Indus, Narmada, and Cauvery.)
The Hindu traditions are believed to have come to India through the arrival in India of the Aryans. They came from the west around 1700-1500 BCE, though some dispute this and point to earlier traditions native to the Indus Valley.
The oldest of the Hindu scriptures, the Vedas, were written in the period between 1500 and 500 BCE, known as the Vedic Period.
The origins of the Om (sometimes given as Aum) symbol are obscure but the sound is believed to be an aspect of the creation of the cosmos.
Another significant Hindu symbol is the swastika, which is found all over Hindu temples, signs, altars, pictures and iconography in India and Nepal. It is seen as pointing in all four directions (North, East, South and West) and thus signifies stability and groundedness. The swastika is considered extremely holy and auspicious by all Hindus and is regularly used to decorate all sorts of items to do with Hindu culture. (The symbol is found widely in the ancient world but was taken over by the Nazis in the 1920s as a symbol of white supremacy.
Since the Second World War (and following Indian independence) many have also migrated to Britain, Ireland and North America, where there are now substantial Hindu communities.
Hindu temples range from the small and simple to the very grand and elaborately decorated, outside as well as inside. Each temple has at least one priest who looks after the images of the gods and leads the prayers.
People may come to worship individually or in groups. Group worship normally involves the singing of hymns from the Vedas, saying prayers and lighting a small fire, and waving a live flame over the images of the gods.
The popular festival of Diwali, which is also celebrated by Sikhs, marks the start of the New Year (in October or November) for many Hindus.
The Gayatri Mantra from the Rig Veda (which altogether contains over one thousand poems) is used by many Hindus in morning worship:
“We meditate on the most excellent splendour of the Creator.
May we be guided and inspired by his wisdom.”
The Upanishads (meaning ‘sit down near’ or ‘lessons’) are the last part of each Veda. They were written around 600 BCE and introduced the idea of reincarnation. People used to sit down near wise teachers and learn from them.
The Sutras (meaning ‘threads’) are short sayings and verses based on the Vedas and were written between 500 and 100 BCE.
There are also several famous epic spiritual poems, best known of which are the Ramayana which tells the story of Prince Rama (written around 100 BCE and 100 CE) and the Bhagavad-gita (the Song of God) written around 250 CE.
Useless Historical facts about life in England
- In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase "goodnight, sleep tight".
- It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month or what we know today as the honeymoon.
- In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. So in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them to mind their own pints and quarts and settle down. It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's".
- Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim or handle of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.
- In Scotland, a new game was invented entitled: Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden....and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.
How did these Words origin.....(Multiple Sources)
Bonds. This term is taken from the early English word band, which means a fastening. The word bond implies that one is "bound" to repay an obligation.
Borrow. The word borrow derives from the Old English word borg, which means "pledge".
Budget. In the Middle Ages, French merchants carried their money in a bougette, or "little bag". The word borrows from the Latin word bulga, meaning "a leather bag". Within the bag, one's monetary resources were kept.
Business. Business originally applied to a person suspected of taking part in mischievous activity. Eventually, it related to any type of activity, and later still to a type of vocation.
Capital. This word comes ultimately from the Latin word for "head". The words capital and cattle come from this same root. Cattle were and are a source of wealth, and are typically measured in terms of how many "head of cattle".
Cartel. This word originates with the Latin word charta, which means "paper" and led to the English word for chart. Initially, the word referred to a written challenge to a fight. Later, it changed its meaning and referred to a libelous written statement. By the 1600s, it became an agreement associated with prisoner of war exchanges. Eventually, the word came to take on its current meaning, "an agreement in restraint of trade".
Cash. This word stems from the Latin word for "box", cassa. Originally, the French used this term to refer to the "moneybox" holding any cash, but later the term applied to the cash itself.
Coin. The word coin comes originally from the Latin word cuneus, meaning "wedge". The term came to apply to the wedge-shaped die that made these small pieces of money. Later, the word coin was applied to the stamped image on the money, but eventually referred to the money itself.
Commerce. This word is a combination of two Latin words: com, meaning "together"; and merx, meaning "goods".
Communism. This is a term developed by Karl Marx from the Old French word for "common" and based upon the Latin word communis, or "essential goods". It was thought that essential goods should be owned in common and thus shared.
Company. The Latin words cum, "with", and panis, "bread", combine to form the source of the word company. Initially, the word was relational, corresponding with the word companion. Eventually, it came to exist within a business context as well.
Consumer. The Latin term consumo means "eat up completely", which understandably led to our current use of the term consumer.
Deposit. Deposit is created by putting together two Latin words: de, a relatively common prefix that means "away"; and positus, meaning "placed".
Economist. This important word is taken from the Greek word oikonomia, which means "house management". It originally applied to persons who were good administrators within a community, business or home.
Finance. Finance derives from the Latin and Old French word for fine, which originally meant "end". The French word for finance came to mean both "payment" and "ending", but in the 18th century the English adapted it to mean "the management of money".
Labor. This word comes from the Latin word laborare, which means "to be tired". Beginning with the Reformation, labor supposedly came to be regarded as a duty.
Manager. The word manager comes from the Italian word maneggiare, "to train horses", which derives from their word mano, meaning "hand".
Merger. The Roman word for "plunge" or "sink" is mergo.
Money. One of the responsibilities of the Roman goddess Juno was to warn the Romans of impending danger. In this capacity, she was called Juno Moneta, where the name Moneta derives from a Latin word meaning "warn". As a tribute to Juno, the Romans built a temple in her honor on Capitoline Hill, which later became the place where coinage was kept. Becoming known also as the guardian of finances, the name Moneta would evolve into our word money.
Monopoly. In Greek, the word monopolion means "the right to exclusive sale".
Revenue. The word revenue was created by combining the Latin words: re, which means "back"; and venio, which means "come".
Salary. The Latin word salarium, meaning "salt allowance", is the origin of the word salary. A necessary part of one's diet, Roman soldiers were supposedly given an allowance to buy salt as part of their income. In time, this word applied more generally to one's wages.
Securities. The Latin words se and cura combine to form this word. Translated literally, these words mean "without care".
Socialism. This term originates with the Latin word socius, which had the basic meaning of "sharing", but was also used to refer to a comrade, a sharer or an ally.
Stocks. Stocks originates from the Old English word stocc, a word for tree trunk. It implied that something was solid, or even safe.
Surplus. The word comes from two related French words: sur, which means "over"; and plus, which means "more".
Tariff. This word comes from an ancient Arabic term, tarrif, which means "notification".
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