Word: prowess
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...fortysomething women in the crown, donned in Harvard regalia, came up with a curious explanation for Wash U.'s volleyball prowess: "It's the uniforms. They have better uniforms," she exclaimed. Whether or not they proved the difference in the contest, the Bears' outfits were clearly more sophisticated, complete with green spandex and color-coordinated headgear...A more practical explanation for the Bears' performance may have been fan support. Even though the team is from St. Louis, Wash. U. had twice as many fans as the Crimson. They even had a ball girl...Harvard's only lead of the night...
...left so much to television. In American TV, a spirit only modestly gifted -- and sometimes flat stupid -- sits at the wheel of a trillion-dollar vehicle. The machine, being commercial, has that tendency to veer toward the ditch, seeking the least common denominator. The medium's technological prowess -- and its relentless, pervasive presence in the society -- imposes a responsibility that its writers and producers and directors probably should not have to bear. National Bard . . . and banality. Television does its work. But there are better ways to tell a story...
...their fathers and grandfathers, who tied down 30 Axis divisions a half-century ago. That analogy -- another of the cliches that help rationalize Western dithering -- could hardly be more misleading. It disgraces the heroism and patriotism of the Yugoslav partisans in World War II. It exaggerates the number and prowess of the Serb forces in Bosnia today, as well as their local support. For them patria is a Greater Serbia in which Croats, Albanians, Hungarians, Macedonians and Slavic Muslims are subject to second-class citizenship, if not "ethnic cleansing...
...American pastime, the Cubans were carrying on their shoulders all the ambiguities of the Games. Were they an ideal embodiment of the Olympic spirit -- spurning cash to play for country -- or in fact its desecration, mere public relations puppets with which the Cuban government could show off its prowess to the world (while the rest of the island starved)? Were they the most professional amateurs you could ever hope to see, or an aging, Potemkin example of a state-sponsored system of shamateurism...
...containing a high-speed camera mounted behind Plexiglas. Its torso is wired at strategic locations with tiny bulbs. When a hit is scored, a red, green or white light goes on. Tests with the dummy have shown that speed alone is not the crucial factor in a fencer's prowess. Athletes are more accurate when they take time and move deliberately in the moments preceding attack...