| | Pinkeye?
Isn't that the name of a band? Wait, that's Plankeye...
Pinkeye is the reason my eyeballs have been aching, burning and itching for the past four days with no end in sight...get it? Gah, but I kill me...
Anyhoo...God is good. He's taking me in directions that I've only imagined, but never really thought could come to pass. He's given me hope--scratch that-- He is my hope and the strength of my life...
Of whom or what shall I be afraid?
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Brother Daniel Escudero came to our church again for our annual "First Things First" service. Let me say this: He is a funny guy, both in manner and appearance. He is also a very effective Man of God. The Lord moved on Sunday Morning (I sat in the back so as not to cause an epidemic). When the tally was complete we had received an offering in our bilding fund for $5, 000 cash and over $130,000 pledged. Coming from our relatively small congregation (about 150), that is a lotta money, more than we've ever given, and I think, as Bro. Escudero pointed out, some of us "finally caught the revalation of giving."
I think now, more than ever in our Church's history, we're all on the same page.
And I can't wait for what God is gonna do this year...
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One project I'm completing right now is my timeline. I did mine on Nike Basketball, based on Scoop Jacksons' book:
Here's all you ever wanted to (or didn't know you didn't know) about Nike's basketball shoes.
1973- The Nike Blazer debuts, with the very first “swoosh” logo.
1974- Nike begins using auto clave production, a process in which the outsole (bottom part of shoe) and upper are steamed together in an oven called an, um, Auto Clave.
1974- Nike signs its first basketball endorsers, Sid Wicks and Geoff Petrie, both of the Portland TrailBlazers.
 Geoff  Sid the Sloth
1981- Nike adds mesh to a shoe for the first time, to the Dynasty.
 A Dynasty like no other...
1983- Nike adds an air bubble to a shoe for the first time, to the Air Force One.
 Unstoppable Force
1984- Adi Dassler’s adidas company spurns a young Michael Jordan. (D’oh!)
Converse didn't even have a chance. Now they've been bought out by Nike.
1984-Jordan signs with Nike. (Ouch!)
1984- The Air Jordan I debuts. And that’s all she wrote.
 The Jump-off...
1984- Three games into the season, the NBA begins fining Jordan for wearing the off-color AJI’s. Nike picks up the tab, which ballooned to $5,000 per game.
1986- The Jumpman logo is created.
  Evolution?
1986-The Dunk, created especially for D1 college basketball, debuts.
 These colors would clash at say, Syrcuse, don'tcha think?
1987- The Air Force High (Air Force II), debuts, worn by Moses Malone and a young Charles Barkley.
 For all of Nike's innovations at this point, they still need to make laces for their shoes...
1987- The Nike Air Revolution debuts. This is Nike’s first shoe with Vis Air, or a visible air unit.
Can air be visible? Only in L.A., Houston, and Chicago...
1988- The Air Jordan III debuts. Created by legendary Jordan designer Tinker Hatfield, this is the first Jordan shoe to feature the Jumpman logo.
 
Tinker Bell and Mike
1989- Nike creates two divisions for its basketball footwear: Force for big men, Flight for smaller, quicker players.
1989- The mega-popular Jordan/Spike Lee shoe ads debut.
 Spike and Mike
1981- Nike airs its “Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood” ads to promote David Robinson’s Air Command Force shoe.
1992- The U.S. national Basketball Team assembles “the greatest team of all time” consisting of the likes of Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird, among others.
I don't think they were that good...(kiddingkiddingkidding!)
1992- A controversy arose during the the medal ceremonies in which Nike endorsers Jordan, Robinson, Barkley, Scottie Pippen, Chris Mullin and John Stockton were forced to use American flags to cover their Reebok-sponsored warm-ups.
Patriotism? Meet bland commercialism...
1994- Barkley’s straitjacket-inspired shoe, the Air Max CB26, drops.
 For crazy feet only...
1994- Barkley’s “I am not a role model” ads debut, causing quite a stir.
 He is not a role model...
1995- The AJX debuts, along with re-releases of the popular AJI and AJII.
   X,1,2
1995- The Air Max CB34, (Barkley), the Air Penny I (Anfernee Hardaway), and the Air Max Tempo (later Uptempo), all came out this year.
 The Penny's. That's the "1 cent" logo on 'em.
If you can find these originals, I'm sure they're worth more than a penny...
1995- “Li’l Penny,” Hardaway’s alter ego, is born. “Can you do that for a Brotha?”
 Jawin' with Oprah
 Big Penny (Anfernee Hardaway) is in New York now.
Sadly, Li'l Penny is no longer with us...
1996- The Air Jordan XI comes out. Jordan himself suggested the stylish patent leather look.
 You could wear these with a suit...
1996- The first shoe endorsed by a female player, the Air Swoopes, is named after Sheryl Swoopes of the WNBA.
 You GO girl...
1996- The Air Zoom Flight Fly debuts, first worn by Jason Kidd and Camille Brown.
1997- The Air Foamposite I is debuted. This shoe is created in one piece; the outsole (bottom), midsole (inside), and the upper are all poured into a mold. This process has never been duplicated successfully.
 Look at those curves...
1997- Hardaway endorses the Foamposite (aka Air Penny II).
1997- The Air Penny III debuts, along with Li’l Penny’s commercial with supermodel Tyra Banks.
Li'l Penny practices making a pass...
1998- The Air Zoom Flight Glove, worn by premier NBA point gaurd Gary Payton,
is the first in a line of Zoom Air shoes that have a zipper on the upper to increase aerodynamics.
1998- The Air Pippen II, worn by, um, Scottie Pippen, is one of the many modern shoes inspired by a classic car.
Beauties...taking me back to the late 90's...
Speaking of which:
 Gah, the memories...
Speaking of which...
 OK, let's not get carried away...
1998-San Antonio Spurs Forward Tim Duncan endorses his first shoe with Nike, the Total Air Foamposite Max (later the TDI).
Steel-coated for support (but not really).
1998-The Air Jordan XIII, the first in the Jordan Brand line, debuts and sells out even with Jordan retired from basketball.
 Lucky 13...
1998- Jordan Hand-picks NBA players to represent the Jordan Brand, including Derek Anderson, Ray Allen, Eddie Jones, Michael Finley, Vin Baker and Mike Bibby. Later, he picked non-NBA players Derek Jeter, Randy Moss, and Roy Jones Jr.
    
    Jump men...
1999- The Air Flightposite, inspired by a knife, an onion, and a car, drops and sells out.
2000- The first shoe in the landmark Shox line, the Nike Shox BB411, utilizes foam pillars as energy redirection units. No, they don't make you bounce like on that commercial...Boing, Boing, Boing...
These are worth more than gold...
2000- During an Olympic game, Vince Carter clears 7’1 Fred Weis for a dunk while wearing the Shox BB4. Pandemonium ensued.
Still don't beleive? See for yourself...
2001- Slam Magazine (Holla!) runs a cover shot of Carter with the title line “The Boing Dynasty.” Catchy.
2001- The Nike Air Hyperflight was made to be colored any one of 30 different hues. Oh, and it's a minimalist's dream at 13.7 ounces, as light as it gets.
Suddenly, I'm in the mood for some bananas...
2001- Nike airs its “Freestyle” commercial. Time Magazine called it the best TV ad of 2001.
   
Remember all the squeakin'? Classic.
2002- The Air Max Elite is the first shoe to have a semi-circular, clear, full-length Air midsole. This shoe was inspired by a Harrier Jump-Jet.
Call 'em "The Air Force Remix"...
2002- L.A. Clippers Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles join Team Jordan.
Antannae up! Darius is getting kinda good in Portland while Q-Clip is killin' in Phoenix. Stuff ain't right...
2002- The Jordan XVII debuts, just in time for Jordan’s second return. To offset the steep $200 price, the shoes come in a chrome case that inclues a CD-ROM. They don't.
At that price, they better tie themselves...
2002- The Shox Stunner, borrowing elements from several different shoes, is an instant hit.
I'll teach ya how to stun...
2002- Nike begins sponsoring the Battlegrounds tournament, cross-country one-on-one games that crown a single winner as the streetball champ.
 That's L.A.'s Erron Maxey, champ for '02. Until I came along...
2002- Inspired by a Bentley, Vince Carter’s VC Shox II13 features a full-length Shox system.
 Would you buy this from a used car dealer?
2002- To celebrate the shoe’s 20th anniversary, Nike re-releases the Air Force I. Retro mania erupts across the world.
 
That's Rasheed Wallace's silhouette on the shoe. He's never stopped wearing them.
2002- Rap star Nelly releases the hit single, “Air Force I,” based on the shoes.
 Gimme two purr...
2003- Nike debuts the Nike Air Zoom Ultraflight14. The shoe features a completely transparent upper, allowing the inner part of the shoe to be seen. I own a pair of these beauties.
Read the review (and other) herehttp://www.kicksology.net/reviews/nike/zoomultraflight.html
So there. Now you have all the knowledge in the world that you need to do absolutely nothing with. God bless you. My head hurts...
Now, go do the right thing...
Dennis
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, V for Vendetta or fI Am Legend. But I'ma use Jumper, Push, and Constantine, no fair...okay, only stuff that is true superhero genre or I've read...League of Extraordinary Gents?
