MILAN, Sept 14 ?English soccer clubs pocketed an average of 160 million euros (RM 814 million) each in prize money in the last six Champions League seasons, almost four times as much as the Spanish figure, a study showed today.
In a report released only to Reuters Broadband Deal Italy, sports business consultancy StageUp estimated European soccer's governing body UEFA distributed more than 3 billion euros to 70 clubs competing in the world's most lucrative club soccer tournament over the last six years.
But this fortune was not awarded in equal parts.
Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, was right. It begins here. Most of societys ills and problems stem from the lack of respect. Thats quite a statement. Lack of respect for-
?God,
?authority,
?community,
?self
God:
When we lose respect for God, we feel that we can do anything without God. We begin to second-guess God in our ability to understand the mysteries of our faith or the universe. We begin to distance God as somehow not involved and only watching from a distance?or no longer a factor. And yet there are many things that civilized?modern man has been able to accomplish seemingly without Gods help. Dont be fooled.
Just when you think you dont need God is exactly the time you need to stop and reflect on all that is made possible because of Gods love for man. And remember that Gods ways are not mans ways. We fail to recognize Gods ways when we think we can explain all thats around us in human terms.? Some physicists talk about the Big Bang Theory?of how our solar system and universe were formed. Yeah, right. So explain to me the origin of the following:
?The splendor of the seasons; not even close to a broadband connections bang.
?The power & might of the oceans?tides
?The electro-magnetic field around the Earth
?The fact that the same side of the moon always faces the Earth
?The miracle of life itself, in all its forms
?The migration of butterflies, birds and animals
?The ozone layer
?Genes & DNA
?One lone leaf falling in the late autumn of 1997 (read on)
?And yes, the limitless innovative power of the human mind, the best computer ever invented?/p>
We are talking about order in the world around us and big bangs?like a popped firecracker surely dont explain these events to my satisfaction. Only God can; so I best believe that there is a God and leave it at that. And by the way, the same God or power that most of the worlds?religions believe in.
Remember to give thanks to God for everything that happens to you- good, bad or indifferent. Thank you God. We cannot always explain or justify events in our lives. Why me? Why my best friend? Why my family? We dont know. God knows why. Still give thanks to God for His Love is everlasting.
Prayer is the most powerful force on this earth. Try it. It works. Prayer is talking to God, not necessarily with formal repetitious prayers or only at prescribed times or in certain official buildings. Its talking to God when you hope He is listening- in your car, in your walk in the park, at work, and yes even from jail or a hospital bed.?/p>
Many religious fanatics and terrorists (sounds like an oxymoron- religious terrorist) preach & practice destroying peoples of other faiths, and if they die in the process they achieve martyrdom.? Surely a God of love would not promote or encourage this type of behavior.
Authority:
When we lose respect for civil authority we lose respect for our society. True. Many of our politicians (and some of our prejudiced police that abuse their authority) dont deserve much of our respect, much less our vote.
What is a family without respect for parents, especially single parents?
What is a school without respect for teachers and school administrators? When that happens you can forget quality education no matter how much money you throw at the problems. Who needs the Internet and computers in every classroom when kids cant even read and do simple arithmetic?
Community:
He who spares the guilty threatens the innocent. -Legal maxim
What is a community without respect for the police? Its called a gang- infested slum. Its called a haven for drug addicts and drug pushers fighting over turf. Its called parents that have given up disciplining their kids. Kids go astray when they purposely deface their own neighborhoods with spray paint graffiti reminding me that they are a couple of notches below the genuine sense of purpose exhibited by wild animals marking their territories with urine.
Self:
If you dont respect yourself, aint nobody gonna give a good cahoot.?BR>
-The Staple Singers
What are we as citizens of this great country if we lose respect for self? What does it say about our self-respect if a mother with child reports to an abortion clinic to remove an unborn baby from her uterus with no more remorse than removing an appendix or a wart? If our goal is be more Christ-like each day, what are we doing piercing every dangling piece of body flesh and tattooing every other part that doesnt dangle?
Our consumer-based commercial society has taught us how to accept slow death?as a way of life. Everyday we practice dying slowly voluntarily with double the pleasure and double the fun through eating disorders, a disregard for a healthy life style and exercise, cigarette smoking, alcoholism, and drug addictions.
We choose to have an illegal drug problem because our society tolerates it and our politicians, up to now, wont enact the tougher laws that would put an end to illegal drug activity. I remember during my travels one day on our planes approach to the Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia international airport the flight attendant comes over the loudspeaker, Welcome to Malaysiathe penalty for dealing in illegal drugs is death. Have a nice day.? An unsettling silence comes over the main cabin. Imagine if that same announcement was made as planes landed in the United States one year from now? Would it curb the drug trade? Yes. Would it have an impact on street violence? Yes. Would a mother and father become more involved in keeping their kids drug free? Yes. So whats stopping us? Whos stopping us? US!
When we put to death innocent lives still unborn, we are committing the worst atrocity known to man. A mother who has an innocent life aborted while it is still growing inside her womb, in my opinion, is committing the gravest of atrocities against another human being.
When young people commit suicide, they are closing their lives off to Gods love. As I heard a country singer say once, When you commit suicide, you are playing God. Hell take you when Hes good & ready, but not any earlier. You see, a place has to be built for you in Heaven, and if you get there before God calls you, you may have to wait outside those Pearly Gates for a long, long time because you do not have a reservation.?/p>
Respect means treating others the way you want to be internet provider It means being considerate of others or showing deference to them by respecting their wishes, opinions or desires. Respect helps keep the peace. But at the same time, it doesnt mean giving in to something we know is wrong. Respect means treating others with civility, courtesy and dignity instead of ridiculing, embarrassing or hurting others, even if they themselves dont respect themselves.
Respect means being more accepting of differences. Again it doesnt mean giving in to wrong behavior, but it gives us an opportunity to discuss issues and differences of opinion without violence. Respect yourself. Be good to yourself. You deserve it.
Each of us matters to God.
The broad-minded see the truth in different religions; the narrow-minded see only the differences. -Chinese
Joe E. Gonzalez is the International Sales Manager for Summit Industrial Products, a subsidiary of Klueber Lubrication based in Munich, Germany. Joe has been in the industrial lubrication industry for over 26 years and is well considered a marketing & technical expert. He has traveled the world (52 countries at last count) and speaks several languages. To learn more about his company, please visit http://www.klsummit.com You may also contact Joe directly at joeg@klsummit.com
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