Conference North

200px
Countries	England  Wales
Founded	2004
Number of teams	22
Levels on pyramid	6
Promotion to	Conference National
Relegation to	Northern Premier League Premier Division Southern League Premier Division
Domestic cup(s)	FA Cup FA Trophy Conference League Cup
Current champions	Hyde (2011–12)
Website	Football Conference
2012–13 Football Conference

The Conference North also known as Blue Square Bet North for sponsorship reasons, is a division of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference National. Along with Conference South it is at Step 2 of the National League System and the sixth overall tier of the English football league system. It consists of teams located in northern England, the English Midlands and North Wales.

Conference North was introduced in 2004 as part of a major restructuring of English non-League football. The champions are automatically promoted to Conference National. A second promotion place goes to the winners of play-offs involving the teams finishing in second to fifth place. The winners of the play-offs are also promoted to Conference National. The three bottom clubs are relegated to Step 3 leagues. Teams from this division, as well as from the Conference South, enter the FA Cup at the Second Qualifying Round. On the last day of the 2010–11 season, Eastwood Town set a new record of 19 games unbeaten in the league, passing Southport and Solihull Moors previous joint record of 18 games.^[1]

From 2007–08, and for the next three years, it has been known officially as the Blue Square Bet North.

Conference North clubs, 2012–13[link]

The area covered by Conference North is coloured in pink. Conference North teams also come from counties bordering Conference South (purple).

Past Conference North winners[link]

Blue Square North Trophy awarded to Southport, 2009–10 season.

Conference North stadia 2012-13[link]

Records[link]

See also[link]

• Conference South
• Conference National

References[link]

External links[link]

• Football Conference official site
• Conference North clubs' locations

Nick Vujicic
Vujicic speaking during the session "Inspired for a Lifetime" at the Annual Meeting 2011 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on 30 January 2011
Born	(1982-12-04) 4 December 1982 (age 29)[1] Melbourne, Australia
Ethnicity	Serbian
Occupation	Preacher, motivational speaker, Director of Life Without Limbs
Religion	Christian
Spouse	Kanae Miyahara

Nicholas James Vujicic (/ˈvɔɪtʃɪtʃ/ VOY-chich; born 4 December 1982) is an Australian preacher and motivational speaker born with tetra-amelia syndrome, a rare disorder characterized by the absence of all four limbs. As a child, he struggled mentally and emotionally, as well as physically, but eventually came to terms with his disability and, at the age of seventeen, started his own non-profit organization, Life Without Limbs. Vujicic presents motivational speeches worldwide, on life with a disability, hope, and finding meaning in life. He also speaks about his belief that God can use any willing heart to do His work and that God is big enough to overcome any and all disabilities.^[2]

Background and personal life[link]

The eldest child of a Serbian family,^[3] Vujicic was born in Brisbane, Australia.^[4] He was limbless, missing both arms at shoulder level, as well as legless. His feet were toeless except for two toes on one foot. Initially, his parents were devastated, though Vujicic was otherwise healthy.

Originally prohibited by Victoria state law from attending a mainstream school because of his physical disability, even though he was not mentally impaired, Vujicic became one of the first disabled students integrated into a mainstream school, once the laws changed.^[5]

Being bullied at school, Vujicic grew depressed and by the age of eight, contemplated suicide. At age ten he tried to drown himself, but did not go through with it out of love for his parents.^[6] After praying to grow arms and legs, Vujicic eventually realized that his accomplishments could inspire others – and became grateful for his life.^[7] A key turning point came when his mother showed him a newspaper article about a man dealing with a severe disability. Vujicic realized he wasn't unique in his struggles and began to embrace his disability.^[8]

He began to master the daily tasks of life. He learned to write using the two toes on his left foot with a special grip that slid onto his big toe. He learned to use a computer and type using the "heel and toe" method. He learned to throw tennis balls, play drum pedals, get himself a glass of water, comb his hair, brush his teeth, answer the phone and shave.

In grade seven he was elected captain of his school and worked with the student council on fund-raising events for local charities and disability campaigns. When he was seventeen, he started to give talks at his prayer group,^[9] and eventually started his non-profit organization, Life Without Limbs.

In 2005 Vujicic was nominated for the "Young Australian of the Year" Award. Many organizations help him and his organization raise money for him or support the organisation achieve goals for disabled people. For example, MYO... Vujicic currently lives in California.^[10]

On 12 February 2012, he married his fiancée Kanae Miyahara.^[11]

Career[link]

Vujicic graduated from Griffith University at the age of 21 with a double major in accountancy and financial planning. Subsequently he became a motivational speaker, travelling internationally and focusing on teen issues. Having addressed over three million people in over 24 countries on five continents,^[12] he speaks to corporate audiences, congregations and schools.

Vujicic promotes his work through television shows and through his writing. His first book, Life Without Limits: Inspiration for a Ridiculously Good Life (Random House, 2010)^[13] was published in 2010. He markets a motivational DVD, Life's Greater Purpose, a short documentary filmed in 2005 highlighting his home life and regular activities. The second part of the DVD was filmed at his local church in Brisbane – one of his first professional motivational speeches. He markets a DVD for young people titled: No Arms, No Legs, No Worries: Youth Version.^[14]

In March 2008, he was interviewed by Bob Cummings for 20/20.

He starred in the short film The Butterfly Circus which won the Doorpost Film Project's top prize of 2009,^[15] and the Best Short Film award at the Method Fest Film Festival, where Vujicic was also awarded Best Actor in a short film. Butterfly Circus also won the Best Short Film at The Feel Good Film Festival in Hollywood in 2010.

He also released a new music video called "Something More", which is available for viewing on YouTube.^[16]

See also[link]

• Hirotada Ototake, a sports writer and another survivor of tetra-amelia syndrome.

Notes[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Nick Vujicic

• Music Video "Something More"
• Life Without Limbs
• Attitude is Altitude
• An inspirational movie was created around Nick Vujicic called "The Butterfly Circus"
• Video Interview with Nick

This article appears to be written like an advertisement. Please help improve it by rewriting promotional content from a neutral point of view and removing any inappropriate external links. (December 2007)

The North American Bengali Conference is an annual conference held in North America to celebrate Bengali culture. It is usually held around the weekend of, preceding or following July 4. It was one of the first annual conferences for people of South Asian descent in North America.^{[citation needed]} Since starting in 1980 in New York City under the sponsorship of the Cultural Association of Bengal, it has spread to several cities all over the United States and Canada. The conference has attracted participants numbering in the thousands each year.^{[citation needed]} This has brought in an influx of advertisers and merchants whom promote their products and services to the conference attendees by giving support of the conference. At the Silver Anniversary event in 2005, the budget from contributions of commercial and private donors grew to $1 million USD.^{[citation needed]} During the event, people discuss various issues affecting the Bengali and Bengali-American community including cultural identity and issues ^[1], the future of the community, addressing unique issues affecting the community, networking opportunities, social gatherings, class re-unions, movie showings, literary readings and cultural performances dealing with Bengali culture.

History[link]

Created in 1980 by the Cultural Association of Bengal, the North American Bengali Conference began as a cultural conference that brought together the growing Bengali diasporas of North America. The conference has grown from a gathering of local and regional Bengalis to include attendees, speakers, and performers from all over the world. The purpose of the conference is to create a resurgence in Bengal's role in the Indian sub-continent and establish a role in the North America. Its goal is to shift the paradigm of the conference from a focus on socialization and entertainment to more of an emphasis on the exchange of ideas to create a cohesive Bengali identity. The annual conference attempts to have Bengalis organize themselves in a single voice in order to put forth and execute the community's goals for current and future generations alike.

NABC Youth and Next Generation[link]

NABC Youth is a sub organization of NABC that tries to bring together the youth participating in the conference to help promote a common identity and cultural awareness for the age group. It is unknown when exactly a formal youth organization was set up, but events geared towards the younger generation have been around since the beginning of NABC.

In 2005 at its 25th Anniversary, the NABC decided to create the NABC Next Generation as an evolution of NABC Youth. The thought amongst the organizers was that the 2nd generation of Bengalis had grown beyond the age to be considered "youth" anymore. Thus, they created the Next Generation program to reach out to the unique issues faced by 1.5 or second generation Bengalis born in North America.

Criticism of NABC[link]

Despite its rather large gathering, many feel that there is a lack of understanding of Bengali heritage within the 2nd generation of the Bengali community and beyond. First generation programming has been criticized to not reach out to the 2nd generation to entice them to learn more.

This divide amongst the generation has been prevalent amongst the population as both generations differ considerably with the definition of Bengali culture. Much of the 2nd generation do not pursue traditional or modern Bengali performers but rather elect to follow the better marketed Bollywood movies and Punjabi bhangra dances. Most of the 1st generation, and a small but vocal segment of the 2nd generation, feels that Bengali culture should be authentically Bengali and void of other non-Bengali adulteration. They claim that simply promoting a Bengali performer, many of whom perform other acts not of Bengali origin, does not qualify as promoting Bengali culture.^[2]

Past/Future NABC Venues[link]

• 1980
• 1981: New York City
• 1982
• 1983
• 1984
• 1985
• 1986: San Francisco/San Jose-Bay Area Auditorium at the School for the Deaf, Freomnt,California
• 1987
• 1988: Atlantic City - Atlantic City Convention Center
• 1989
• 1990
• 1991 Boston area - Lowell, MA
• 1992: Toronto
• 1993: Los Angeles- Cal State Fullerton
• 1994: Chicago - Hyatt Regency O'Hare
• 1995: New York Metro Area - White Plains, New York
• 1996: Houston-Adam's Mark Hotel
• 1997: Philadelphia area - King of Prussia
• 1998: Toronto- Regal Constellation
• 1999: San Francisco area - Santa Clara, California
• 2000: Atlantic City - Atlantic City Convention Center
• 2001: Boston area - Lowell, MA
• 2002: Atlanta - Georgia World Congress Center
• 2003: Long Beach, CA - Long Beach Convention Center
• 2004: Baltimore-Baltimore Convention Center
• 2005: New York City - Madison Square Garden
• 2006: Houston - George R. Brown Convention Center
• 2007: Detroit-Cobo Conference/Exhibition Hall
• 2008: Toronto-Metro Toronto Convention Centre
• 2009: San Jose- McEnery Convention Center
• 2010: Atlantic City - Atlantic City Convention Center
• 2011: Baltimore - Baltimore Convention Center
• 2012: Las Vegas - Paris Las Vegas

See also[link]

• Bengali language
• Bengali people

External links[link]

• NABC 2011 Home page
• NABC 2010 Home page
• NABC 2009 Home page
• NABC 2008 Home page
• NABC Youth Home page

References[link]

Lee Seung Gi
Background information
Born	(1987-01-13) 13 January 1987 (age 25)
Origin	Seoul, South Korea
Genres	K-pop
Occupations	Singer, Actor, MC
Years active	2004–present
Labels	Hook Entertainment
Website	Official Site

Lee Seung Gi (Hangul: 이승기, Hanja: 李昇基) was born on 13 January 1987. He is a South Korean singer, actor and MC. He is well known as the MC for television programme Strong Heart, from 2009 to March 2012.

Career[link]

Scouted by singer Lee Sun Hee, Lee Seung Gi trained for 2 years before debuting on 5 June 2004 at the age of 17. "Because You're My Girl", his debut song from his first album The Dream Of A Moth, was a ballad which created "liking older women" syndrome in South Korea. With this song, he won the 'Best Newcomer award in various music awards ceremonies in 2004 (such as M.net KM Music Festival, SBS Music Awards and MBC Best 10 Singers Music Festival). In 2007, he also won the "Best Male Solo Artist" award^[1] in the M.net KM Music Festival with his song "White Lie" from his third album Story Of Separation.

Lee Seung Gi released a digital single Will You Marry Me in 2009. With this single, he received the "Digital Single Bonsang" award^[2] in the 24th Golden Disk Awards. In 2010, he recorded a duet version of his 2007 song Smile Boy with South Korean figure skater Kim Yuna, and the song was the official 2010 FIFA World Cup commercial song in South Korea.^[3][4] He also received the "Digital Single Bonsang" award^[5] for the second consecutive time in the 25th Golden Disk Awards with his song "Love Taught Me To Drink".

In 2005, Lee Seung Gi guest-starred in MBC's sitcom Nonstop 5. He then officially debuted as an actor in KBS's 2006 weekend drama The Infamous Chil Sisters. In 2008, he was offered the main character role in MBC's historical drama The Return of Iljimae, but was forced to turn down the offer due to his tight schedule. He was cast as the main male character of SBS's weekend drama Brilliant Legacy in 2009, starring with Korean actresses Han Hyo Joo and Moon Chae Won. The drama maintained its top spot in viewer ratings for ten consecutive weeks and ended on July 26, 2009 with its 28th episode attaining a high viewer rating of 47.1%.^[6] The huge success boosted Lee Seung Gi's popularity as an actor in both South Korea and overseas. With this drama, he received the "Excellence in Acting (Special Production)" award, the "Top 10 Stars" award and the "Best Couple" award with Han Hyo Joo in the 2009 SBS Drama Awards.^[7] His great performance in 2010 SBS's Wednesday-Thursday drama My Girlfriend is a Nine-Tailed Fox similarly earned him his second "Excellence in Acting (Drama Special)" award, "Top 10 Stars" award and "Best Couple" award with his co-star Shin Min Ah in the 2010 SBS Drama Awards.^[8] Also, in 2012, he participated in a drama called The King 2 Hearts.

Lee graduated from Dongguk University within 4 years, obtaining his degree in International Trade and Commerce on February 20, 2009 and received a Special Achievement Award^[9] from the university. He is currently continuing his studies in the Graduate School of Dongguk University.

In March 2012, Lee announced his departure from Strong Heart, in order to focus on his singing career. He recorded his last episode on 15 March, which was broadcast on 3 April.^[10]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Remake Albums[link]

Singles[link]

• Confession (고해) / Digital Single (Remake song) / Released on July 21, 2004
• Let's Go On A Vacation (여행을 떠나요) / Digital Single (Remake song) / Released on May 19, 2008
• Will You Marry Me (결혼해 줄래) (feat. Bizniz) / Digital Single / Released on June 18, 2009
• Like The Beginning, Just Like Then (처음처럼 그때처럼) feat. Kang Min Kyung from Davichi) / Digital Single / Released on December 22, 2009
• Smile Boy (Rock ver.)' (with Kim Yuna) / Digital Single / Released on June 1, 2010
• Smile Boy 2010' / Digital Single / Released on June 18, 2010
• Losing My Mind (정신이 나갔었나봐) / Digital Single / Released on August 4, 2010
• From Now On I Love You (지금부터 사랑해) / Digital Single / Released on September 16, 2010
• Time for Love (연애시대) (feat. Ra.D, narr. Han Hyo Joo) / Digital Single / Released on October 14, 2011

Live albums[link]

• Love – The 1st Concert / Digital Album / Released on April 6, 2007
• Hope Concert in Seoul 2010 (Japan Version) / Digital Album (DVD) / Released on October 28, 2011
• Hope Concert in Seoul 2010 (Korean Version) / Digital Album (DVD) / Released on December 15, 2011

Filmography[link]

Dramas[link]

Variety shows[link]

Music videos[link]

• 2004: "내 여자라니까" (Because You're My Girl) - starring Kim Sa Rang
• 2004: "삭제" (Delete)
• 2006: "하기 힘든 말" (Words That Are Hard To Say) - starring Nam Sang Mi
• 2006: "입모양" (Shape Of Your Lips)
• 2006: "제발" (Please), "원하고 원망하죠" (Desire And Hope) "아디오" (Addio) "눈물" (Tears) - starring Park Min Ji
• 2007: "착한 거짓말" (White Lie, 왜...가니 Why... Are You Leaving) - starring Wang Ji Hye
• 2008: "다 줄꺼야" (I'll Give You All)
• 2008: "여행을 떠나요" (Let's Go On A Vacation) - features clips from 1 Night 2 Days
• 2009: "우리 헤어지자" (Let's Break Up) - starring Lee Se Na
• 2010: "Smile Boy" (Rock version) - with Kim Yuna
• 2010: "정신이 나갔었나봐" (Losing My Mind) - features clips from My Girlfriend is a Nine-Tailed Fox
• 2010: "지금부터 사랑해" (From Now On I Love You) - features clips from My Girlfriend is a Nine-Tailed Fox
• 2011: "친구잖아" (Aren't We Friends)
• 2012: "恋愛時代" (Time for Love) - Japanese version - starring Park Shin Hye

Awards[link]