Why the demise of US Tennis?

Over the years, professional tennis has deteriorated in the United States. 

Because of these three factors:

1. The decline of major tournaments in the US and the rise of tennis franchises in South America and Asia. 
2. The absence of an American male superstar.
3. The scarcity of Americans playing college tennis.

This dramatic American decline has coincided with the rise of Latin America and especially Eastern and Southern Europe. There were already signs of this in the late 1970s and 1980s when the Cold War ended and opportunities for athletes from the Soviet grew. But in recent years, the trend has been overwhelming. 

For the top 50 men and women, approximately 90 percent are from Europe or Latin America.  Tennis is alive and well elsewhere. Currently, only one American man Jack Sock, ranks in the ATP's Top 10. “There’s less and less people watching tennis.

 Television ratings for the U.S. Open are a fraction of what they used to be in the era of Chris Evert, Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe,” says Samy Messi, former head of tennis for the Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club.

How can we explain why tennis is growing world-wide while struggling to survive in America? Could it be the lack of junior programs or a lack of support from local or national government?

Sadly the United States involvement in tennis has been on the slide for the past quarter century. These days it's tougher to find Americans on college teams in the U.S. Nearly half of all NCAA tennis players are non-American. At one time, new talent was discovered through the ranks of the NCAA. 

Some of the greatest tennis players came from college tennis such as: John McEnroe (Stanford), Jimmy Connors (UCLA), Arthur Ashe (UCLA) and John Isner (Georgia). “The United States had 5 players in the top 10 and now, hardly anyone in the top 20,” Messi states. 

US school kids participate in tennis in elementary school but the numbers drops as the children get older.  “Growth in youth tennis participation is a key to the future of this sport and industry,” says Kurt Kamperman, chief executive of Community Tennis for the USTA. 

"Tennis needs to be more accessible and affordable. Then we can get kids who are playing football and  basketball," Messi states.The demise of tennis in the U.S. is puzzling because the sport thrives in other parts of the world. Tennis is a sport that the U.S. can’t allow to slip away. We need to breathe life back into the sport and get Americans excited again. 

“Tennis is a lifestyle, a sport that teaches discipline, self-analysis, self-control and adaptation.  It's a sport that you can play into one’s golden years. It is a true family sport that generations can play together on the same court at one time,” stated Messi.

written by LA Ferguson
Samy Messi started playing tennis at the age of 13 and has been teaching tennis for over 20 years. If you want to find out how you can help develop tennis in your community please contact Samy Messi for further assistance messisamy@gmail.com

After the Storm, Fellowship in full Support of Pastor Charles Jenkins

In the wake of gossip and controversy, Pastor Charles Jenkins, leader of Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church of Chicago stands tall with the support of his family and church members. 

The GRAMMY award winning songwriter and five-time Stellar Award Winner is widely respected as a leader and admired for his strength under fire. Through his leadership of Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church, tens of thousands of people in need are provided with food, clothing, personal care items and critical assistance because of several life changing programs and services for children, youth and adults within the church and in the community all spearheaded by Charles Jenkins.

His belief that a community’s strength and future is dependent on the well-being of its youth moved him to establish Maximum Exposure, a youth development entity designed to elevate the thinking, understanding and behavior of urban youth. 

Jenkins also founded Gladiators, a mentoring group that focuses on the growth and progress of young African American boys. Pastor Jenkins has taken his interest in the youth of Chicago one step further by establishing a charter school. Jenkins said in a recent interview with BET ICON MANN, “I am working to open a charter school to focus on the STEM fields — science, technology, engineering and math. 

While we talk about unemployment, there are so many jobs that are available that we have not been trained for or equipped for, so that leads me to be a proponent of STEM education and any traditional public school academic programs that are available to help our kids be prepared for the workforce”

In addition, Jenkins is currently organizing the construction of leading a $26 million effort called The Legacy Project. The Legacy Project, a trans-formative enterprise with the goal of changing the landscape of urban Chicago while producing cultural amenities, vocational opportunities, an educational hub and a worship facility. 

The campus will include the school, a health center and eateries. This lofty venture will create 400 new jobs in the community. Fellowship broke ground on the campus in January 2013.

Human Meat Burgers!

Last month a hotel restaurant located in Anambra, Nigerian was raided and shut down after local residents reported it served dishes made from human flesh. 

According to the International Business Times, Nigerian police were tipped-off by patrons and upon arrival; they discovered the ghoulish scene. 

Police recovered two fresh human heads wrapped in plastic. Human flesh was apparently being sold as an expensive treat at the restaurant. Authorities reported that roasted human heads were showcased on the menu. The police arrested 11 people (including the owner) from the hotel and seized AK-47 guns and other weapons.

Not every resident was shocked, one local vegetable merchant told the Nigerian newspaper Osun Defender, “I was not surprised when the police made this discovery. Each time I came to work at the market, I always noticed odd movements in and out of the hotel.” 

Incidents of cannibalism have been discovered in Nigeria before in rare cases but, the general population is horrified by this type of practice.

Is this Commercial Racist?

Kentucky Fried Chicken has a new commercial campaign airing in South Africa that is getting negative feedback. The chatter out there feels that KFC missed the politically correct mark. 

Some feel that the commercial is not racist but in fact insensitive and out of touch with what is appropriate. Others think there's a sentimental message conveyed with bridging a gap and creating a feeling of bonding as a larger community, while others see it as out right racism. What do you think?

  

Is This a Women or a Man?

(Images provide by San Jose Police Dept.) The San Jose Police are not sure either. These are images from bank surveillance cameras in conjunction to a robber suspect responsible for a string of five robberies in San Jose and Milpitas between Nov. 9, 2013 and Jan. 6, 2014 for an undisclosed dollar amount. The police are asking for the public's help in identifying the suspect but police said the robber could be a man dressed as a woman.  “Some tellers are telling us that they believe it is a male dressed as a female” said San Jose Police Investigator Enrique Garcia. “Other tellers have told us that they think it’s a female.”  In each case, the robber enters the bank, hands a teller a demand note and either makes threats or brandishes a handgun, police said.The robber is becoming progressively more brazen and should be considered armed and dangerous, police said. If you have any information you can anonymously call Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at 408-947-STOP (7867) or visit Click Here or contact the Police Department’s robbery division - Detective Enrique Garcia at 408-920-5869. There is an reward of up to $10,000 dollars offered for the "identification and conviction of the suspect(s) associated with these robberies.

Arrest at Justin Bieber's House

Justin Bieber was served with a search felony warrant early this morning from sheriff's deputies to search his Calabasas home. Bieber and several of his house guests were awaken by the deputies early morning visit (8 am).

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department sole purpose for the warrant was to search for video surveillance from Bieber's security cameras. They were looking for proof of a Thursday night incident of eggs thrown at a neighbor's home, according to a sheriff's statement.

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Lt. David Thompson, stated that Bieber was cooperative with the dozen deputies. But he did refuse to answer any questions without his attorney present.

One of Bieber's friends, rapper Lil Za (real name Xavier Smith), was arrested when deputies allegedly found illegal drugs "in plain view" during their search, Thompson said. Officials say Bieber was "not connected" to the illegal drugs. Although the drugs were initially reported to be cocaine, Thompson later said they are believed to be Ecstasy and Xanax, but lab tests will be needed to confirm it. Here's the video

What they recovered from the search 

Deputies seized video from computer hard drives on the "extensive" security monitoring system at Bieber's estate. Detectives will spend the next few days viewing the video for clues about the identity of who threw the eggs at the neighbor’s home last week, Thompson said. 

If the investigation gathers evidence against Bieber, they could refer the matter to the district attorney's office for possible prosecution, he said. The cost of repairs to the damage on the house is a key factor in determining the severity of the charge.

The property damage to the neighbor’s house is estimated about $20,000, Thompson said. Repair cost is so expensive due to the costly exterior Venetian plaster finish and custom made doors. Any damage exceeding $400 is considered a felony.

Do you think the neighbor handle it in the right way by involving the police?

If he is found guilty, do you think Justin Bieber will get more than a fine and a slap on the wrist?

Did You Shop at Target?

by LA Ferguson

Between November 27^th and December 15^th, 40 million credit and debit cards may have been compromised in every US Target. If your answer is yes, you should assume you’re at risk and keep a close eye on your account statements. 

It’s not clear whether every Target store was affected, but one credit card issuer says it’s seeing signs of fraud all over the United States, according to Krebs on Security. You’re not in any danger if you shopped at Target’s website, or one of the company’s Canadian stores.

Target’s Breach

Target states hackers have accessed customer’s names, credit card or debit card numbers along with expiration dates and CVV security codes. Krebs on Security reports that the thieves accessed data from the magnetic stripes stored on the back of credit and debit cards.

With the magnetic stripe data thieves can create counterfeit payment cards. The attackers could withdraw cash from ATMs if they have PIN data information from debit transactions, Krebs on Security notes.

The most alarming thing about this breach is the theft appears to involve tampering with the payment machines customers use to swipe their cards when making purchases. For the thieves to compromise the payment terminals on such an incredibly large scale, makes this breach widely suspicious. 

If you find any fraudulent activity, follow these steps:

 

1.) Call your financial institution immediately and report any fraud or suspicious activity of any amount.

2.) Report any detected fraud to the Federal Trade Commission online here or by calling 877-438-4338. 

3.) Place a fraud alert on your credit report. Doing so is free and the alert is active for 90 days. You can always renew the alert. The three nationwide credit reporting agencies, Equifax, Experian and Transunion.

4.) You can also place a security freeze on your credit report. This would prohibit a credit reporting agency from releasing information without your prior consent.  

Krebs on Security comments that automatic fraud detection could fail if the thieves are able to localize the stolen card details and make purchases near where cardholders live. The only guaranteed way to avoid fraud is to cancel your card and get a new card number, but that might not be necessary if you keep a close watch on your statements. Report even the smallest of activity.

The Secret Service is investigating the fraud due to the large-scale of the credit card data hacking. Target has hired a third party forensics firm to investigate. Click here to read Target's Official Statement 

As a general rule, you should get a copy of your credit report periodically by visiting AnnualCreditReport.com or calling (877) 322-8228.