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Arise, Sir Mick

Twice a year, on the Queen's birthday in June and at the New Year, Buckingham Palace announces the names of around 1,500 people to receive special medals for, "services to the United Kingdom and Commonwealth." Last year Mick Jagger became a 'Sir', Eric Clapton and Sting received CBEs, and a tea lady from Scotland became an MBE. But why does the Queen give out these strange sounding honours, and what happens if somebody says "No thank you, Your Majesty"? Glenn Fobister explains.

It's Time to Play Ball!

An awesome mixture of talents and cultures came together at the European Little League stadium in Kutno, Poland during the last week of July. After battling it out in the Semi-finals and finals with Germany, Poland and Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia won the European title, and will compete in the LL World Series championship in Williamsport, Pennsylvania in August. But judging from all the roaring in the stands, dancing at the disco and pillow fights in the dorms, all the teams went home feeling like winners."

Basic Baseball Rules

Baseball is played between two teams: the batting (offensive) team and the fielding (defensive) team. A team consists of nine players. The offensive or batting team try to score as many runs (points) as possible. A run is scored when a player of the batting team has progressed in a counter-clockwise fashion around the three bases and retumed to the become base (the point from which he bats, or hits the ball).

Athens to Atlanta in 100 years

It is believed that the Olympic Games originated as early as 1370 B.C. The earliest recorded Olympic Game was held in 776 B.C. In 393 A.D. the Games were banned by order of the Roman Emperor Theodosius I, "the Great", and not held again until April 6, 1896 in Athens. The Games have been held every 4 years since. This year's Summer Games will take place in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Only five countries have participated in each of the Olympic Games. Take a guess which. You'll find the answer on this page.

A Decade on Diamond

In 1986, baseball in Poland took an enormous leap forward when a Polish-American teacher from Connecticut visited Poland "to see where his dad grew up". While there, Stan Kokoska quickly realized the great interest young Poles had in all things that were American, and baseball in particular. He envisioned Little League baseball not just as a sport for young Poles to play during the summer months, but as a way to build character and foster unity and cooperation among them.

Reminiscences of Little League Alumni

Through its half century, Little League Baseball has been a thread that sews together the lives and memories of many people. It is a common tie, a conversation-starter, a shared tapestry of experience that stretches across the years. People meet in boardrooms and offices, in schools and universities, in clubs and restaurants, on golf courses and playing fields - and the time of Little League Baseball often comes back in a rush.

Baseball's Return to Poland

For many years the assumption was made that baseball was derived from the British game of cricket. Today however, sport historians are re-evaluating this claim. Recent historical discoveries point to the fact that baseball resembles more the game brought to America by the early Polish settlers of Jamestown, Virginia (1609) known as "pilka palantowa". Zbigniew Stefanski in his "Pamietnik Handlowca" ("An Industrialist's Memoirs") of 1625, gives the facts of the Polish game and even names some of its players.

Stanley Frank Musial, Take Me Out To The Ballgame

"Here stands baseball's perfect warrior, here stands baseball's perfect knight". These are the words inscribed on the monument dedicated to Stanley Frank Musial by the people of St. Louis. It may seem strange at first to describe a baseball player as a warrior or knight; however, if we think of baseball players in a "jousting" context, we might appreciate the inscription.

Only Joking!

The Smiths were proud of their American family tradition. Their ancestors had arrived in America on the Mayflower. Their family included senators and Wall Street wizards.

They decided to compile a family history, a legacy for their children and grandchildren. They hired a fine author. Only one problem arose: how to handle great-uncle George, who had been executed in the electric chair. The author said he could handle the story tactfully.

Thanks to the Yanks

You'll find everything in America, so naturally the Yanks have found a name for everything...

Strictly speaking, the term "America" comprises the entire Western Hemisphere, encompassing North, Central and South America. Colloquially, however, when most people say America, they mean the United States. For centuries, the world's richest country has fascinated travelers and attracted immigrants from all over the globe. And America continues to be a dream destination both for tourists and people seeking a better life.