Lofty Matters

Hey bloggers! Here’s something that all of us should take a look at because it promises to be interesting.

Very soon, the list of the thought-leaders, innovators, extraordinary bloggers, and extreme Web 2.0 thinkers will be released. Think you might be on it? Will your favorite top marketer blog have made the list?

This Invesp top markters contest will be a short, three day contest that definitely needs and deserves some attention.

I think we all should take a moment or two to nominate our favorite picks. We can nominate up to 3 of our favorite marketers…AND…if all of your marketers make the list, you will be automatically entered for a chance to an 8 GB iPodtouch! Details of the contest can be found here.

So…who do you feel consistently publishes great research, comes up with great ideas or useful tools, writes top-notch blog posts? The possibilities really are endless, unfortunately only 3 choices can be nominated by every person, though.

I think this is a great way to recognize over and above blogging greatness. These blogs deserve some appreciation and recognition and this contest seems perfect. Hey…let’s face it, though. The chance to win an iPodtouch would be cool, too!

Here’s the story of Shawn Crawford, an American track runner who did something many people would simply never do. He gave the silver medal he won in the 200 meters in Beijing to a runner he felt deserved it more than him.

But here’s the best part…he didn’t tell anyone. He didn’t need the media’s approval.  For him, it was just the right thing to do.

The only reason anyone found out was that last week, Churandy Martina (the runner who received it) of the Netherlands announced it on his web site.

“Yes!! It is true. Shawn gave me my Olympic medal back,” he wrote.

The story began after the finish of the Olympic final won by Jamaican Usain Bolt in a world record 19.30. Second and third were Martina and American Wallace Spearmon, Jr. (the latter was disqualified for running out of his lane). When U.S. officials reviewed the video to decide whether to appeal Spearmon’s disqualification, they then noticed that Martina had run on the inside lane line.

They then disqualified him as well. Crawford (finished fourth) moved up to second place and was awarded the silver. Martina beat him by 12-hundredths of a second.

A few days after the race both men prepared to run in the a meet in Zurich, Switzerland.  Martina was called at his hotel about a package that was waiting at the front desk for him. When he opened the package, the silver medal was inside. The caller had been Crawford but he had not identified himself.

Next month the The Court of Arbitration for Sport will hear an appeal from the Netherlands Antilles Olympic Committee about the fact that the American request to disqualify Martina came after the 30-minute deadline for post race protests.