Saturday, October 15, 2011

John Lennon signed my album

John Lennon signed my album

This is a very unique site that posts letters written by various "famous" people throughout history. The link is to a letter from an inmate at a facility in New York that wants to know about some authentic memorabilia and it's value. I can't imagine ever getting a letter similar to this but i'm sure that piece of memorabilia is worth A LOT of money wherever it is now.

Autographed memorabilia is an ever-changing marketplace that is extremely fluid. What I mean is that something as mundane as a hair brush could be assessed to be valued at say $300 because it was owned by Michael Jackson and has his real hair still in it. Well, to a collector of Michael Jackson memorabilia this item may be worth $600 or $800. An item is only "Worth" what your able to sell it for. Someone may be selling a "beenie babie" online and say it's rare, only 100 ever made, brand new perfect condition, so it's worth $1000. If after 2 weeks he has not got any emails about it, no offers, ect and you call and offer him $400, that's what it's worth. Supply and demand is always going to be how goods are judged.

That comb that was Michael Jackson's became exponentially more valuable after his death because obviously there are only so many combs out there with his actual hair in them. The supply would be very limited for an authentic item like this, and since michael jackson was one of the most influential musicians in the world in history the demand would be HUGE for something like this....it could sell for over $10,000 and 100 years down the line be worth 10 times that. Consumers buying sets the price, then customers pay according to what any particular item is worth to them.  A baseball that michael jordan signed to your son on his birthday before he died is obviously going to be worth a lot more to you then to a collector looking for memorabilia to add to his collection for an investment. 

Friday, October 14, 2011

Daily Kos: Colorado secretary of state bars overseas soldiers from voting

Daily Kos: Colorado secretary of state bars overseas soldiers from voting:

'via Blog this'

+Joshua Hastings
@joshuadavid1121
www.MassAuthentics.Ecrater.com
http://massauthentics.tumblr.com/

There are some things you see in the news that you can't help but laugh at, some things you can't help but feel empathy and pity, some things sadness and then a story catches your eye and you can't help but just shake your head. When I first saw this I figured that maybe the story was written as a smear against the secretary of state of Colorado, had a biased angle or was taken out of context.....well from where i'm sitting the story does seem biased a little bit but I think if I was writing about the fact that the very men and women that are overseas protecting our rights and liberties as we speak will not be getting the chance to vote/have the ballot sent to them to protect against fraud, I would have a few more harsh words for Mr. Secretary. Does that region happen to be an area that votes highly democratic? Yes. Is Mr. Secretary a Republican? Yes. This is just something to mention as a side note but the fact of the matter is yes, we do need to protect the integrity of our voting system but just taking away those 64 servicemen+women's ballots is not the answer. Period.

Basketball drills for beginners/high school level

+Joshua Hastings
 @joshuadavid1121
 www.MassAuthentics.Ecrater.com
 http://massauthentics.tumblr.com/

To start with before you get to the point where your able to do the drill below first get to the point where you can dribble with both your right and left hand while going full speed. It's very important to be able to use both hands and not have noticeable tendencies that defenders can take advantage of. Once you can comfortably do that get 2 basketballs and dribble both at the same time, one in each hand in place. Then alternate left right, left, right standing in place. After you master that, do them at same time then alternating while walking first, then jogging then full speed. These may seem simple but at the high school level you will be an above average ball handler just by mastering these simple drills.


Offseason Offerings: Kendall Marshall

October, 11, 2011
OCT 11
10:12
PM ET
With the offseason in full effect, ballers around the country have begun what is widely regarded as one of the most grueling grind modes of the year as they prepare for the up-and-coming season.

Every week we’ll profile an elite player and have them dish on one of their most unorthodox training methods and explain why it’s been so beneficial.

Next up?
Kendall Marshall
Associated Press/ESPNHSKendall Marshall said dribbling in the dark made him a better ball handler.

North Carolina point guard Kendall Marshall.

The Drill: Dark dribbling

The Rundown: “Well, back home my laundry room had a concrete floor and so I would go in there and shut off all the lights and dribble. It was a small space and it was pitch black in there, but I would just stand there doing moves and working on my handles.

As a point guard you've got to see this game from all angles. You've got to see it mentally. So when you can see it without being able to see what's in front of you, you're on your way.”

The Benefit: “It really helps with your hand-eye coordination and getting comfortable with the ball. When you’re out there on the court you’ve got to be worried about pressure defense and traps and things like that so this drill gives you one less thing to worry about on the court.

This drill really jumpstarted my handles. It will definitely help out a lot if you’re trying to improve in that area.”

Jason Jordan is the basketball editor for ESPNHS. He can be reached at jason.x.jordan.-ND@espn.com. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @JayJayESPN

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Can the selfish, egotistical, millionaires think about us for once?

+Joshua Hastings
@joshuadavid1121
www.MassAuthentics.Ecrater.com
 http://massauthentics.tumblr.com/
www.MassAuthentics.com

Now that the first 2 weeks of the season have been officially cancelled I have something that I need to say to the Owners of each and every one of the NBA teams AND the Player's union that are in negotiations with the owners, GET OVER YOURSELVES, OPEN YOUR GOD DAMN EYES, CLOSE YOUR MOUTHES AND LOCK YOURSELVES IN A ROOM WITHOUT YOUR LAWYERS FOR A WEEKEND AND JUST GET THIS DONE.....

look at what is going on in the world right now, there are kids starving going without food or adequate shelter all over the world, veterans coming home after serving their country that are unable to find work losing their homes and families after they are unable to adjust to life out of a battle zone, the Occupy movement is finally starting to get some national headlines on the news, FINALLY!!!! I SAY, and I have to wake up this morning, turn on the tv and ON THE LEAD STORY, I have to hear about how unfair the owners proposal is and how greedy the players are being, how little some of the smaller market teams profit is, blah blah blah. YOUR ARGUING OVER BILLIONS OF DOLLARS......DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW RIDICULOUS THIS IS TO ALL OF US? HOW STUPID YOU ALL LOOK?

I'm personally a HUGE basketball fan, I love watching UNC(North Carolina) college basketball, grew up going to UMASS basketball games and playing high school, AAU travel basketball my whole life and LOVE going to CELTICS games during the winter but hearing all of this bitching and whining is sickening. Come on guys, seriously, your ALL making millions and millions of dollars, get your shit together, figure out a fair split and let's get back to business. Think about all of the people that work throughout the NBA in buildings. There are food vendors, guys that sell t-shirts, tickets, souvenirs, and even clean the bathrooms. What are all of those people supposed to do right now>? While all of you guys making those millions can wait this out and then make a deal a year down the line for the EXACT SAME AMOUNT YOU CAN RIGHT NOW, all of those guys are unemployed right now, struggling to survive, what about the kids that need food at night and dad can't find another job?

Think about someone other then yourself for once and just get this done, sooner rather then later please!