Pham Dinh Vien

On February 6, 2005, Jacksonville Florida’s ‘Jacksonville Municipal Stadium’ became host to Super Bowl XXXIX. This would be the first time Jacksonville played host to one of the largest annual economic booms in America.

The game pitted the favored New England Patriots against the Philadelphia Eagles. Super Bowl XXXIX offered the Patriots an opportunity to win their second super bowl in a row, an event that last occurred in 1998. Going in to the game, the Patriots had a 17-2 season while the Eagles showed 15 wins and 4 losses in their regular season.

Super Bowl XXXIX would also be the first time the New England Patriots played a Super Bowl in an outdoor stadium, and the first super bowl they would play east of the Mississippi. Fresh from their 2004 super bowl win, the Patriots had a great season and were determined to catch their third super bowl in four years.

The Philadelphia Eagles, having only appeared in one other super bowl (1980), Super Bowl XXXIX would give them a chance to win their first super bowl title. Unfortunately, Deion Branch’s super bowl record 11 receptions for 133 yards and the Patriots’ exceptional defense would not allow Philadelphia this honor. Even with the Eagles 10-play, 74-yard drive late in the 3rd quarter, and a 10-yard touchdown pass to tie the game, the Patriots scored early in the 4th and again with 8:43 left on the clock, putting the score at 24-14.

With 5:40 left on the clock, the Eagles made a 79-yard, 13-play touchdown pass to Greg Lewis to bring the score up to 24-21. Having only 1:55 left in the game, The Eagles were hopelessly attempting to gain possession and make a play to at least tie the game. With barely 46 seconds left, Philadelphia’s McNabb made a rushed pass to Westbrook at the line of scrimmage, Westbrook, instead of dropping the ball to stop the clock, caught it and was promptly tackled. This move kept the clock running as Philadelphia scrambled to the second down with no huddle, where McNabb threw an incomplete pass. On the third down, McNabb’s pass just missed Smith and was intercepted by the Patriot’s Harris, leaving 9 seconds in the game and a certain victory for New England with a final score of 24-21.

Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XXXIX was New England wide receiver Deion Branch, who chalked up 133 receiving yards and tied the Super Bowl record with 11 catches.

Popularity: 17% [?]

The 2007 Super Bowl was held on February 4, 2007, at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, making this the 9th time the Super Bowl was hosted in the state of Florida since it’s beginning 40 years earlier. Only one other state, Louisiana, has hosted the Super Bowl as many times.

The 2007 Super Bowl was a game of firsts, setting some unusual records in super bowl history. Because an African-American coached both teams for the first time, the 2007 Super Bowl would see the first time in its history where a Black coach would win the Super Bowl. This also was the first time the super bowl was played on a wet and soggy field, as the rain did not let up all day. Another record was within the first minute when the opening kickoff was run back for a touchdown by Bears rookie Devin Hester, making it the earliest score in super bowl history.

Super Bowl 2007 featured the AFC (American Football Conference) champions, the Indianapolis Colts, against the NFC (National Football Conference) champions, the Chicago Bears. This would be the second appearance for both teams, who each won their previous super bowls, The Colts in Super Bowl V (1970), and the Bears in Super Bowl XX (1985).

Peyton Manning for the Colts was named the 2007 Super Bowl Most Valuable Player (MVP) after completing 25 out of 38 passes for a total 247 yards and a touchdown, with one interception. Peyton Manning’s exceptional 10-year career as a quarterback would finally pay off with this coveted title, his first one.

The first quarter of the 2007 Super Bowl was lively as the bears took the lead 14-7 over the colts. Because Hester had returned the opening kick to score a 92-yard touchdown, the Colts avoided kicking to him for the rest of the game. Going into the halftime, the colts had slightly overtaken the Bears with a 2-point lead as the score stood at 16-14.

Entering the third quarter, the colts would maintain their lead throughout the remainder of the game as the Chicago tried desperately to gain possession. Two field goals by Indianapolis and one by Chicago would make the score 22-17 (Colts) at the end of the third. The lead was not significant, however, in the first few minutes of the fourth quarter, Kelvin Hayden’s 56-yard interception return resulted in a touchdown for the Colts as they broke away with a 29-17 lead.

Chicago was unable to push much past their own 47, and with only 1:42 left in the game, the Colts only had to bide their time. The final five plays of the game resulted in no score as the colts took home the 2007 Super Bowl trophy and their second super bowl win with a final score of 29-17.

Popularity: 17% [?]

Every year there is a flurry of activity surrounding the Super Bowl as celebrities, politicians, sports announcers and hard core gamblers set out their super bowl predictions. Some of these super bowl predictions start out as early as the day after the most recent super bowl. The odds on whether a team will make it to the super bowl the following year are usually available immediately following the current super bowl.

Avid gamblers are the most likely perpetrators of serious super bowl predictions, as even Las Vegas will set the odds for anyone wanting to gamble on who will win the next championship. However, there are plenty of people who make their super bowl predictions and bets out of pure fun and admiration for the game. These include politicians from competing states, cities, and local governments.

In the 2008 regular season, prognosticators were making super bowl predictions on the Indianapolis Colts making it to the 2009 Super Bowl XLIII. With more than 50% of ‘experts’ putting their faith in the Colts seeing their second super bowl in three years, largely based on their outstanding play the last few seasons. However, that super bowl prediction did not pan out even with their 13-3 season.

Just prior to Super Bowl XLIII, held on February 1, 2009, super bowl predictions were prevalent all over the country, placing Kurt Warner as a threat to the Steelers chance of making a record sixth super bowl win. Yet, the Steelers were favorite in Las Vegas by 6 1/2 points over the Arizona Cardinals. In the last ten years, the Favorite has won seven times, which would indicate choosing the favorite is the most likely super bowl prediction to actually come true.

In addition to the more serious super bowl predictions by the sports aficionados, there are always a few comical ones laid out by celebrities and entertainers. Howie Mandel, host of “Deal or No Deal” and “Howie Do It” predicted the score at Pittsburgh, 21-14. He stated, “Because, and I won’t mention who, I have gotten some notes from two players on the Steelers that they are fans of my show ‘Howie Do It’.”

Although to some, the super bowl predictions are a matter of fun, it is a serious game for gamblers. It is estimated that more than $10 billion will be wagered by more than 200 million people worldwide on what is called the biggest sports betting event of the year.

Popularity: 18% [?]

The super bowl is one of the greatest American pastimes, and recently has captured audiences of over 95 million viewers. With this enormous following, the super bowl has become more than just a football game, pumping millions of dollars into the economy each year.

Originally started as a world championship event in 1967, to pit the American Football League (AFL) against the National Football League (NFL), the super bowl was known as the ‘First AFL-NFL World Championship Game’. It was not until the media coined the term ’super bowl’ that all subsequent championship games became known as super bowls.

In 1970, the AFL and The NFL merged into the NFL, while the teams stayed in their respective leagues. The American Football League became the American Football Conference (AFC) while the National Football League became the National Football Conference (NFC). The champion team from each conference would then play in the annual super bowl held the following year.

Traditionally the super bowl was held the last Sunday in January, however in recent years the date has moved into February. The NFL sets the date of the game about a year in advance, while the location is determined as much as 3 years in advance. The location of each super bowl is determined by a bidding process, in which cities will place a bid to be selected as the host.

The NFL evaluates each city according to their ability, and a vote is taken by the NFL owners to grant a particular stadium the privilege. This process is done several years in advance of the games to allow host cities to prepare. The Future super bowl hosts will be Dolphin Stadium in 2010, Dallas Cowboys in 2011, and Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis in 2012.

For those not fortunate enough to acquire a super bowl ticket and attend the game, a major network is selected each year to broadcast the super bowl. The two most recent super bowls had more than 95 million viewers enjoying the game, while live attendance at the super bowl has lingered around 70,000 for the last 15 years.

The large number of viewers of the super bowl has created an enormous expense for commercials aired during the super bowl. A 30-second commercial in the 2008 super bowl cost $2.7 million dollars. The total gross revenue from the 2008 super bowl commercials exceeded $206 million. IT also has been reported that the super bowl is the second largest ‘food’ holiday in American, only behind Thanksgiving. That may well explain why 2 of the top 5 commercials were snack food advertisers.

The annual event known as the super bowl has an impact not only on the fans of the game, but on the economies of cities, businesses, retailers and merchants throughout the USA. This annual event by far generates more revenue than any other event in America.

Popularity: 18% [?]

Plenty of online tutorials are ready to teach you how to draw SpongeBob. This famous water sponge living in Bikini Bottom is a character that has fired the imagination of both adults and children alike becoming an important figure of American entertainment. Starting from this popularity, and given the fact that television has made SpongeBob part of our lives, it was only normal that all sorts of extra activities and features become associated with it. Thus, as an alternative to the efforts to learn how to draw SpongeBob, one can always choose the easier variant of printable materials that can be immediately downloaded and put on paper with a simple click of the mouse.

Parents will often learn how to draw SpongeBob in order to help their children with art work they need for school. Or they may check with the details in special online tutorials in order to be able to draw the character as well as possible and thus offer a nice surprise to their kid. In more special cases, hand-drawings will even serve as support for party invitations or greeting cards. Teachers will further rely on such a favorite cartoon character to stimulate creativity and teach children art lessons a lot more pleasantly.

The drawing alternative is the choice of many traditional parents who would rather show their kids how to draw SpongeBob instead of giving them a ready-made printed sketch. In case you want the children to color it, make sure to use a black soft pencil to create the frame onto which your sibling will express himself or herself. Nevertheless, you are allowed to pick and even use video instructions if drawing is a really difficult thing to do. Maybe the first SpongeBob drawing will not be perfect, but you can repeat the process until you are satisfied with the results.

A child who has just learned how to draw SpongeBob will want to practice and show everybody in the family his/her new skill. Once drawing improves, the child will most certainly express the preference to try something new, whether related to the same cartoon or another. Coloring books or coloring sheets are the materials used in the early ages to teach children how to draw SpongeBob. They get to learn and recognize this character the way they do with Disney’s Mikey Mouse or with Winnie, the Pooh. Become a child again and join your kid on the magic land of cartoon stories, you’ll surely get carried away!

Popularity: 29% [?]

Printables are materials one can benefit from without worrying about copyright; most of the time they are available for free download and make an excellent resource for learning and educational funny activities. SpongeBob printables, for instance, are a clear example of the way coloring sheets and wallpapers can reflect the magic world of cartoons, attracting kids into a universe they can explore, conquer and redefine according to their terms. Moreover, such materials save time that you’d spend shopping and not least of all money. It is generally known that ready printed coloring books are a lot more expensive than online printables.

If your child is a SpongeBob fan, then, SpongeBob printables will surely be to his/her liking and become a great pastime. Moreover, you can choose the funny characters from the animation as the surprise elements of a birthday party. To enter the underwater atmosphere of a themed party, you could very well send some invitations with printed items taken from the animations. Such SpongeBob printables are often fee-based, however this is not a rule, particularly if you know how to improvise. If you are skilled enough, you can always download some free materials and use them for the design of greeting cards and party invitations.

SpongeBob printables can be used for all sorts of fanciful applications, whether we are talking about decorations or about the possibility to give a child a nice coloring book. The diversity of materials is incredible as the Internet abounds in offers of great graphic quality. Previews are highly important to determine whether a certain picture is compatible with the application you need it for; thus small SpongeBob printables may not allow a resizing because they will lose part of the clarity and the quality of the features. Unfortunately, there are not too many tips available to help one with the printing, and most of the time the user has to handle it on his/her own.

Quilt labels are other nice SpongeBob printables you may want to use. Mention must be made that depending on the type of material you want to download and print, special softwares may be necessary for the conversion of any document into pictures for example. Thus, you will need some border detectors, scaling algorithms, image format conversion plug-ins and several other elements that ensure a good printing function. Therefore, before you launch into paying for downloadable SpongeBob printables, make sure your computer and printer are compatible with the applications you want to launch even on a reduced scale.

Popularity: 31% [?]

SpongeBob is an all mighty animated production that has won the hearts of millions of people around the world throughout the entire decade since its release. Games, toys, printables and all sorts of additional products have appeared in time featuring different characters in the series and charming children and adults alike. Children often ask their parents to draw SpongeBob, Patrick Star or the weird quid in the cartoon, and this could be a great source of fun for everybody in the family. The question is whether the parent knows how to draw SpongeBob. If not, help is available with some Internet sites that give step by step instructions in that direction.

You’ll definitely start with a little wedged rectangular, which you have to divide into several sections. Then, following both pictures and indications you can make the eye-circles, the mouth and the nose in the center. Eyelashes, freckles and even the belt loops are important details that should not miss from the picture. The great part is that one will find it really funny to draw SpongeBob because this is how the very story of the cartoon began. A former marine biologist, in love with underwater life, had the inspiration to draw a cartoon and give it life and energy to exist for countless of people.

Therefore, in the presence of a successful model, it shouldn’t be that hard to draw SpongeBob again and again for our children. Even if we have the printable variant open all the time, it is nevertheless more fun to attract the little ones into such common activities. You can actually teach a child to draw SpongeBob and color it afterwards. It may seem like a trifle, but the importance of the skill seems to be apparent to lots of people if we were to judge by the number of tutorials available online. Why would someone want to teach you how to draw SpongeBob?

Well, most of the materials available online are totally free of charge. And there are very few chances that one would pay for some instructions otherwise available for free. You can also use your creativity when trying to draw SpongeBob and add up some details or choose some colors that are missing with the original. This will stimulate children’s imagination, as you can let them choose what aspects to change. You’ll get a new, innovative character that you’ll be able to integrate in whatever context you want, either make it for a larger creative picture, or use it for singular coloring purposes, that is up to you!

Popularity: 32% [?]

Have you ever imagined being in a fantasy world where all you have to do is ask your characters to do this and that? You may find a lot of simulation games available that would be able to enjoy and one of these simulation games that allows you to build a virtual world in your PC is The Sims.

You will be able to be able to get access through a free Sims download online. These are full-version games that you can download directly to your PC. All you need to do is to get into the Internet and type in the phrase “free Sims download” you will then be forwarded to several links that would allow you to download the full version or several expansion versions of the simulation game.

The Sims is one of the most popular PC simulation games available online right now. After downloading the full version, you may be able to avail of free Sims download through several sites that offer expansion version downloads which contains added features for the game that is already stored in your PC.

The good thing about this simulation game is that the characters are like real people. It’s like they are living in this virtual world and live their life through your direction. If you are bored, then this is definitely one form of enjoyment that you can engage with. As for being a player in this simulation game you’ll find it fully interactive that you can even complete certain goals and aspirations like a real live person. And you’ll be able to add some flavor to the character’s aspiration through adding up some flavor to what you desire to purchase, like for example furniture, appliances and other stuff. The free Sims download for the expansion version can create a patch for you to have access to those additional features.

The Sims world gives you a chance to complete your goals accordingly. It depends on the player how he or she would control what happens within the day. Where all that has to be done is to manage time as well as keep track that the character’s personal goals as well as yours would be achieved.

Usually those who have played The Sims simulation game for a very long time now found designing a Sim household very entertaining. The designs from, furniture to appliances, to walls and tiles are very much human-like. And since this interactive game has available free Sims download for add-ons that would suffice your preference, it is more enjoyable as it grows to be more interesting time after time.

Popularity: 68% [?]

SpongeBob SquarePants is probably the best-known animation show ever produced in America, but the success of the cartoon series has gone way beyond the American borders, conquering Europe, Australia, Asia and other parts of the world too. Presently, there are toys, printables, games, t-shirts and even McDonald’s favorite menus featuring SpongeBob and his team of funny friends. On a simple search by character name online, you’ll come across hundreds of pages offering all sorts of stuff related to the animation series some for free, others fee-based. Thus the popularity of SpongeBob has increased a lot and simultaneously with the growth of the Internet.

In fact, if you are looking for a nice SpongeBob wallpaper, there is no other source better than the Internet. Such materials are available either in the form of printable items, or they can be downloaded and used in the virtual space of the computer. Thus, a desktop SpongeBob wallpaper will keep the PC user connected with the animation story, bringing some of the optimism and joy of the series into the work space. Kids and adolescents will really like such a colorful desktop background, particularly since the Internet allows one to change or update the SpongeBob wallpaper as often as one wants.

The real life applications for a SpongeBob wallpaper include crafts school lessons, extracurricular activities, room decorations and so on, depending on the intention of the user. Kids will usually enjoy a SpongeBob wallpaper in the house area where they spend most of the time. Great fans of the series will also have toys, games and coloring books featuring characters and situations from the animated series. From time to time, a renewal of certain items may be required in order to keep the children’s interest vivid in the decorations. Whichever be the case, if you use the Internet to download SpongeBob wallpaper, there are a few things you should know about.

Internet surfers are often unaware of the risks lurking on many sites that promote free materials. On a basic search for a SpongeBob wallpaper your computer could be exposed to spyware, adware and other malicious programs that infect PCs and steal or corrupt personal data. Therefore, make sure that all your anti-virus and anti-spyware protections are turned on, so that no harm may occur to the computer operating system. Moreover, websites have all the interest in the world to convince a user to visitor to return: if you have downloaded a SpongeBob wallpaper for free now, maybe next time you’ll be willing to pay for it.

Popularity: 30% [?]

Are you one of those who are interested in playing sim games that usually have to do with role playing with the use of a certain character? If that is the case, then you might as well be interested in trying out one of the best sim games that is now available for installation in your PC’s and even having it available to play online. You can try experiencing playing The Sims or The Sims Online.

However before we go through the newer versions, were you aware that before The Sims were launched in 2000, one of the best sim games available on PC’s back then was SimCity? SimCity is where the online and the PC game The Sims evolved. It started out in building cities of your own from scratch. This game usually is being played through PC’s but it has already been available in several game consoles back then.

Ever since SimCity has been introduced in the market of sim games, there were a lot of other sim games that had been out in the market which focused and emulated the economic system which is based on private ownership and free enterprise.

SimCity was then labeled as a classic since it was based on a goal-oriented type of a role playing game. The character is based on the functions of the mayor which is being maneuvered by the player and reaching the goal of the game would be depending on the performance that is being carried out by the character that has been created.

Today, The Sims has now evolved having different versions released not just for the PC but for different gaming consoles as well. You will be enjoying the never ending story of a virtual life that you prefer not just by building cities but by building a home, families and communities as well. As for being on of the best sim games available online, The Sims provide a wide variety of features that can be added as an expansion for the game itself.

Before, SimCity has focused on certain historical events that emerged during that time to be able to relate to the capitalism concept of the game itself. Now, The Sims has emulated the modern role playing type of scenario which brings the player into experiencing what is really meant to happen in the real world. Isn’t it fascinating?

If you have Sims in your computer, then you will have the capability of downloading such expansion versions for designing your home as well as adding other features to your Sims game. So get online and start downloading this Sims stuff, you’ll definitely enjoy accomplishing your own aspiration goals in this virtual world.

Popularity: 34% [?]