tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16660475561403792532024-02-18T18:51:20.892-08:00WhyBlogWelcome.........
If you're looking for a blog thats going to satisfy you, you're on the wrong blog but if you're looking for a blog by a bored kid, you're on the right blog.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1666047556140379253.post-41193217902865814982013-04-24T20:19:00.000-07:002013-04-24T20:19:13.326-07:00PoetryThe discussion was mainly a review of what I've learned about poetry in the last 5 years, except for the difference from a prose. It was said that a poem could convey more emotion through less words, and that it didn't have to follow a structure.<br />
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I don't really enjoy poetry to be honest, I don't have a book full of poems or choose to read poems in my free time. To me, its just another component we have to study in school. </div>
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It was in 2nd grade when I first came against poetry, and I found it excruciatingly difficult because we had one rule that we had to follow. It HAD to rhyme. </div>
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Analyzing poems was a concept that I was told in grade 6. Although I didn't have too much trouble with it, I didn't really get it. I was told that it was a form of art, something that we appreciate, and I thought that we didn't critic poems just like how we don't critic paintings. I thought that there was no guideline of such which made a good poem and a bad poem, so there was no reason to analyze.<br />
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After today's class, I felt that I didn't know much about the oral component of the poem, how sounds like "ch" are considered aggressive. I don't really understand this component to its fullest yet, but I think that I learned that Poets think deeper than I thought they did, to deliberately use words with particular sounds. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1666047556140379253.post-10240120502574899692013-04-21T17:19:00.000-07:002013-04-21T17:19:27.994-07:00Nature Nature is...<br />
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The environment is what has to be green and not man-made. It is what connects humans with animals and plants. It is what we hate and at the same time what be love. It is what we try to save and what we destroy. It is sustainable unlike the man-made but is made unsustainable by the man-made.<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1666047556140379253.post-83109732345030141632013-02-24T22:11:00.002-08:002013-02-24T22:11:35.215-08:00What is the What I would say that it probably is the most serious book I've read, considering the fact that I don't read much about wars and history. I have found it quite boring to tell the truth, though I think I am getting the hang of it now that we are in book 2.<br />
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Well, it's not that I don't enjoy it exactly, I do find how Eggers describes every moment precisely enjoyable. However, I do find that it is a bit tedious and annoying as it has to time skip every 3 pages. Some people may like this format but personally, I prefer faster paced books and I'm not a fan of huge amounts of big words used to describe a 2 second event.<br />
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Overall, I wouldn't say that I'm lost in any way, I do understand the whole plot and stuff, but I do feel that I am not finding it that interesting which is decreasing my understanding of the story.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1666047556140379253.post-2761972523837463092013-02-18T23:56:00.000-08:002013-02-18T23:56:20.535-08:00Update 2: Injuries and RecoveriesFor this blogpost, the focus will be on injuries and on players who have made their way back to anfield.<br />
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Lucas leiva, the brazilian centre-mid who was out almost the whole season last campaign and who suffered another injury on august, has finally made his way back. His comeback made another addition to the team, now giving many choices for the 3 starting centre-mids: Gerrard, Allen, Lucas, Jordan Henderson and Shelvey.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbWdTggrKjgNziXkSp-LPaOGMH67g4V55ddFdryECnJsXlK6VUUQXr4bTCk_ifC9WIdYpekL74qI51iGgMYuuKs230COiheJZVBfED2C4Wpd5cFzd6jq3TTon6R8slNYs7c4tIfpGz1Fa5/s1600/Lucas+and+Enrique.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbWdTggrKjgNziXkSp-LPaOGMH67g4V55ddFdryECnJsXlK6VUUQXr4bTCk_ifC9WIdYpekL74qI51iGgMYuuKs230COiheJZVBfED2C4Wpd5cFzd6jq3TTon6R8slNYs7c4tIfpGz1Fa5/s320/Lucas+and+Enrique.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucas Leiva and Jose Enrique</td></tr>
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However, it has not all been good news. Fabio Borini, who has already suffered a break in the leg this season, has become the victim of yet another injury. In the Swansea city match just last week, he dislocated his shoulder which could put him on the sidelines for quite a long time, maybe even through to the end of this season.<br />
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Oh, and not to forget, Jose Enrique who has been out with a hamstring tear, has come back a bit earlier than scheduled. He has proved very useful for the team, scoring 2 goals in the season, one of them in the 5-0 thrashing against Swansea last week. Considering that he is a defender, it is a number that can be evaluated as being very good.<br />
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Pictures from md.faisalzaman and dannymol.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1666047556140379253.post-21715010710961893652013-02-18T02:42:00.002-08:002013-02-18T02:46:02.144-08:00Update: Reds January transfer marketHello! It's me, the guy who's ditched blogging for the last 2 months or so. Since I've gotten tired of doing match reviews, for this blog post, I will update you people with information you probably already know through a number of posts. First, starting from winter, the January transfer market.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coutinho and Sturridge </td></tr>
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Before January, there was many rumors and articles on which players Liverpool are going to take, with names like Walcott, Huntelaar, Tom Ince and so on. But in reality, the only players they were able to acquire were Sturridge and Coutinho. Although this disappointed fans in the beginning, these spendings turned out to be a complete success. Sturridge has been absolutely fabulous for the reds, already scoring 5 goals and Coutinho, who came in late January, has made his debut and also scored in the most recent Swansea game.<br />
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That is it for this post and I <i><b>should</b></i> be blogging soon.<br />
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Pics from Ben Sutherland and Carlos Trindade Fotojornalista</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1666047556140379253.post-17156281184866760802013-02-03T22:16:00.000-08:002013-02-03T22:16:12.216-08:00Is blogging an useful element in an english classroomI agree to the statement "Blogging is an useful element of an English Classroom" as I believe blogging is an useful tool to improve english skills. One important skill that can be easily improved through blogging is the structuring of one's own words. Since writing on a blog means anybody can read it, one will be increasingly careful not to make mistakes which will lead to them having a habit of having good structures. However, the same aspect that helps one get better english through blogging can be a double sided sword. The problem with blogging making a blogger think that it has to be a piece of good writing is that it becomes an essay, school work, something that is not relaxing but instead tiring. The people that are able to write in a blog naturally are able to use good english or don't care if they make a fool of themselves or has something that they have something <b>passionate</b> about which they want to share their opinion on. I believe that a blog is somewhere you can find what you are really passionate about and that passion will connect to one honing their english skills. English class is not just about the language of english, but also the skill of being able to use it to ones own needs. Blogging supplies both of these, so it does have a place in an english classroom.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1666047556140379253.post-4991285694161249592013-02-02T21:31:00.000-08:002013-02-02T21:31:52.294-08:005 simple Rules to follow when writing about Japan1) Always make the characters wear kimono. Never think of the fact that this is the 21st century.<br />
2) Always make sure you make them eat sushi. Never think about how much it costs.<br />
3) Always make sure the characters has black hair. Never think about how many young people in Japan dye their hair cause they think it's cool.<br />
4) Always make you get a person in traditional clothes in your front cover. Never think about how most adults wear suits 5 days out of 7.<br />
5) Always depict them as kind people. Never think about how there's so much bullying in Japan or about yakuza (gangsters).<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1666047556140379253.post-56310117321012912202013-01-31T16:23:00.000-08:002013-01-31T16:23:42.503-08:00Prompt WhistleThe magic whistle was an item used in the 23rd century, for the purpose to keep away mutated dogs which have developed tusks like the elephants and high intelligence with the IQ of 5000. It can be used by anyone from children to elders, being one of the most user friendly dog repellents. It is very simple to use, just blow into the whistle saying "cat!" The super sonic waves that are emitted terrifies mutated dogs, the word "cat" making it even more effective, as they are the preys of mutated cats, which have become more of a gigantic tiger. This item was abandoned after the 24th century after the dogs have created with their intelligence, permanent head phones which have the logo "Deats", very similar to ones popular in the 21st century, although it completely destroyed their extra high sensing powers making them unable to swiftly change direction. The decline in power of the mutated dogs made them become preys of the humans in the 25th century.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1666047556140379253.post-28763430687010887372013-01-09T04:50:00.000-08:002013-01-09T04:50:54.415-08:00Suarez has done it againFA cup 4th Round, against Mansfield.<br />
<b>Daniel Sturridge</b>, Rodger's new signing proved his worth in just a matter of minutes, 7 to be exact, making him the 2nd fastest debut goal scorer.<br />
Normally this kind of achievement would be what brings the match to the front pages, but another goal, one by <b>Luis Suarez</b> got even more attention from the media.<br />
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It was on the 59th minute, with the Reds up 1-0. Suarez gets a long ball from behind and gives it to downing with a touch. Downing dribbles into the box, fakes a shot and passes to the middle. Suarez directly shoots but it gets blocked by the keeper. However the ball deflects back to Suarez. <b>This</b> was the moment in which the crime was done. Suarez's <b>hand</b> hit the ball and bounced in front of him, leaving a easy shot into the net.<br />
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Since it hit his hand, the referee should have not counted the goal, declaring it handball. However the referee failed to spot the crime and the goal was counted. The goal ended up becoming the winning goal, with Mansfield scoring in the last 10 minutes of the match.<br />
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There are many kinds of opinions around the web, many criticizing Suarez. He rightly has the reason to be criticized, especially with him kissing his hand as celebration pouring oil on fire. However, I find it very weird that very few people have looked at the other side and criticized the <b>referee</b>. If the referee had been able to spot the act, no such problem would have happened.<br />
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As a liverpool and Suarez fan, I am disappointed at both the referee and Suarez, for not spotting and admitting the hand ball. There are some people who have also view it as it not being 100% Suarez's fault, such as Mansfield striker Matt Green who admits that he would have done the same if he was in Suarez's position.<br />
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As a football fan in general, I hope that the standard of referees go up so that no more games will be ruined, and for Suarez to stop rubbing dirt on liverpool's reputation.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1666047556140379253.post-48494939954566631842012-12-19T20:11:00.000-08:002012-12-19T20:11:37.919-08:00Transfer Market Liverpool- SturridgeLiverpool has 2 periods in a year in which they are the most popular team on newspapers and this year is no different. Those two periods are the transfer markets.<br />
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Liverpool have been suffering a bad half of the season and so they are trying to take the easy option: buying players. Through the articles and the news, it seems like they've already bought one player "Daniel Sturridge" </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pic from Ben Sutherland</td></tr>
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23, English, Striker, Chelsea. Sturridge has been at Chelsea for quite a while now, and every year he has been given quite a decent amount of chances. However, even with Drogba gone and Torres not having his best form, he has only played 7 matches and scored 1 goal. Chelsea and Benitez in particular have chosen to sell him this January if a high enough transfer money is paid. Liverpool, which tried to buy him this summer, has chosen to pay the prices and get the striker they needed so badly. </div>
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Everything up to now makes the story sound quite decent and a good deal for both clubs. But to every story, theres a down side. The price they paid was 12, 000, 000 £. Needless to say, RIP OFF. In reality, he wouldn't even cost half his price if it wasn't for liverpool's desperate need for a striker and Sturridge's age. That's all the Bad, but there are a few good sides to this transfer too. </div>
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Most importantly, he is a striker we needed, though maybe not the best. He is the right age, not too young but still has room for improvement. He can play on wing too, so he should be able to play along side Suarez. The final aspect of his is that he scored 11 goals in 30 matches last season, slightly better than Welbeck in Man U.</div>
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It's all up to Sturridge to make this transfer a good one or not, so all fans can do is to pray that the 12 million £ wasn't just thrown in the drain. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1666047556140379253.post-21533792890663945862012-11-19T05:03:00.002-08:002012-11-19T05:03:26.922-08:00Liverpool vs WiganWhile the top clubs in the table were screaming in agony, Liverpool was screaming in happiness.<br />
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3 wins 6 draws 3 losses. Back to square one. The only problem, Man City's 13 points away.<br />
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Total domination would be the correct word. It's only wigan, one might say. But no matter who the opponent is, their value of 3 points will never change.<br />
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Rodgers put the formation back to 4-3-3 from the 3-5-2 they challenged to obtain a draw from Chelsea. Reina, who was out in an injury came back into the starting line up, something that the fans have long awaited for.<br />
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Liverpool dominated from the first half, with dozens of shots, but they struggle to get it past between the posts. Even Suarez, the super man, cannot score. Wigan defense stays tough but effort was not enough to keep a clean sheet.<br />
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Just 2 minutes after the second half whistle, Suarez does it again. Liverpool steal the ball in the Wigan half of the field and the ball gets to Sterling, the speed star. He takes a great touch, then races through the side. He cuts back, passing the ball to Suarez in the penalty box, who does his job and finishes it off.<br />
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Once you wake up the sleeping lion, nothing will make it stop. Yes. It was him again. Enrique makes a run from the left side into the middle. As the Wigan defenders come crowding at him, he sends a killer pass down the middle to Suarez, which the Uruguayan calmly places it in the back of the net.<br />
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The third and final goal came from Enrique. Sterling gets the ball from a throw-in and cuts in. He does a one-two with Suarez and takes a shot. The shot gets saved by Al Habsi, but the ball came straight to Enrique, who gets it in the empty goal, scoring his first goal for Liverpool.<br />
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The match ended 3-0. A crushing win, which raised Liverpool all the way to 11th place. Truly a great match, especially for Suarez as he scored two goals, securing his place in the top scorers. The next match is against Swansea city, the team that Rodgers were in last season.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1666047556140379253.post-19590838363482487502012-11-18T02:16:00.002-08:002012-11-18T02:16:49.355-08:00How can we define what a Perfect Citizen is?This question came from the 2nd sentence of the first paragraph of page 72, inside the "The Elephant Vanishes Stories" by Haruki Murakami. The sentence read <i>"Heaven praised, they became truly upstanding citizens who knew how to transfer from one subway line to another, who were fully capable of sending a special delivery letter at the post office."</i><br />
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In the sentence, the word citizens only appears once, and comes after upstanding. Upstanding means respectable, honest, etc which is somewhat close to perfect. So, one can infer that what continues after in the sentence is a description of being a perfect citizen.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture by shingo</td></tr>
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In Japan, subways are the most common source of transport, so most citizens know how to ride one. So, being able to transfer from one subway line to another is standard.<br />
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The last part about sending a letter connects with how the 100% girl in real life was holding a letter. It also is another example of something that is standard.<br />
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So, this sentence is what answers the question "how can we define what a perfect citizen is?". A perfect citizen is one that can do standard, normal things. They do not have to be able to do any special acts, they just have to be normal. This "normal" changes according to where you are. An example of this is if one lives in a rural place, being able to grow crops might be normal; whereas if one lived in a city, it may not be the case.<br />
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Considering all this, the final answer for me would be: <b>A perfect citizens is a citizen that can do things that are considered standard in where they live. </b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1666047556140379253.post-40603511839601537672012-11-15T05:00:00.005-08:002012-11-15T05:00:48.522-08:00Have Liverpool been doing good up till now?<br />
<b>13th</b> place, 11matches, 12 points, <b>2wins</b>, 6 draws and 3 losses.<br />
Thats the position Liverpool is in when it comes down to the Premier league.<br />
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If you just read that off right now, without knowing what happened in each of the matches, you'll probably think that I'm quite mad about these results. Well, the truth is, I'm not happy. But it doesn't mean that I'm angry either. I actually thought that Liverpool would be higher up the table, with no losses in 5 straight matches and with Suarez being at the top scorer. So, why are they so low in the table?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj_T_eCJsVBjwqmfVf31CfJZg_QoTVExci1PL7AVeC4msyz33BTwLdCEtT3g7bvznvnXVBD5YbJ918HrSyJU9G1wLwNpEANXNY9LI1FeUg8b5Cob2GMZR5nnI9vMRRfdAllbVDD_qtudhz/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-11-15+at+PM+08.55.45.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj_T_eCJsVBjwqmfVf31CfJZg_QoTVExci1PL7AVeC4msyz33BTwLdCEtT3g7bvznvnXVBD5YbJ918HrSyJU9G1wLwNpEANXNY9LI1FeUg8b5Cob2GMZR5nnI9vMRRfdAllbVDD_qtudhz/s320/Screen+shot+2012-11-15+at+PM+08.55.45.png" width="320" /></a>The reason's simple. Liverpool never <b>win</b>. Sad, but it is the truth. The only thing thats keeping Brendan Rodger's neck safe is the illusion caused by the draws. It is also possible to find easy reasons for a few of the losses because they were against Man U, who are first in the league right now, Arsenal, the famous club, and West Brom, which is 5th in the table right now.<br />
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There is another huge factor that deceives fans and players. Liverpool are playing good football. Liverpool, who has been using the old style tactics with strikers like Andy Carroll, are using the new, clever, spanish short passes football. This style makes fans and players have an excuse.<br />
"We were playing good football it's just that we were unlucky."<br />
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<b>Have Liverpool been doing good up till now?</b> No, they have <b>failed</b> to get even over 10th place. I think that Liverpool have to focus on winning. Not about playing good football or avoiding loss. Suarez have been the single man hauling the luggage. It is time for some action. Drawing twice only gets them 2 points, which losing one then winning will gain them 3.<br />
All for one, one for all. To the <b>win</b>.<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1666047556140379253.post-37784874498224724192012-11-14T18:15:00.003-08:002012-11-14T18:15:22.909-08:00Independent book review (Cult Football)<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">a) What is one thing you learned about yourself after reading today? Was there a character or an event in your reading that led you to this new understanding? Tell us about it. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I learnt that I haven't even had 1% of the knowledge on the history of football. I understood this from the section in the book about the origins of football. Before I thought it came completely from England, but in this book it states that there are some information suggesting that it came from China, as a ball kicking game called zuqiu.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">b) Find a passage you felt was especially well written and describe what you found interesting about the writer's craft. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">A sentence on the development of the formations in football (page 11) " 4-3-2-1, Terry Venables' Christmas tree formation, lasted as long s a real Christmas tree does. " </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I found this sentence interesting as it used a play of words, to show how long the formation lasted.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">c) Write about anything else you feel like sharing at this point in your book: predictions, excitement, disappointment, etc....</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">It wasn't as fun as I thought it would be, mainly because it is non-fiction and I'm not used to it. However, I think that it is a good experience reading non-fiction and I think if I were to read non-fiction, it would be on football because that what I like to read about.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">pic by dok1</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1666047556140379253.post-73847558595781132962012-11-12T22:37:00.002-08:002012-11-15T04:28:44.568-08:00Liverpool vs Chelsea Draws arn't bad, they're just not great. Getting one point isn't bad but getting 3 is even better. Just another draw, sadly not a win.<br />
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Rodgers tried a different approach to the game, changing his 4-3-3 (4-5-1 at times) formation to a completely new 3-5-2 with Agger, Carrager and Wisdom as the 3 back and Sterling joining Suarez up front. It's never bad to try something new and have an experiment, especially when things are not going quite as well.<br />
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It actually worked well, with the Reds being able to take possession at a high rate. But the early lead was stolen by Chelsea as John Terry meets Mata's corner kick after completely leaving Agger behind. The tide worsens as more and more chances are made by Chelsea but the score stays 1-0 thanks to the bad finishing from the Chelsea players and also from the great saves by Brad Jones, the substitute keeper.<br />
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Than a horrible accident suddenly occurs on the 34th minute. Suarez gets the ball around 35 or less meters from goal and dribbles up the field. John Terry, the Chelsea captain, stands in front of him, making Suarez slow down. Then, Out of the blue, Ramires pushes Suarez from behind, causing him to fall on top of John Terry. Terry clutches his knee in agony and gets sent off the field on the stretcher.<br />
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The first half ends with Liverpool having had 64% in possession but with Chelsea having had more than twice the number of chances.<br />
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The second half is quite the same, with Chelsea making loads of chances and wasting them all. It looked like it was going to be a matter of time for it to become 2-0 but the decisive goal came to Liverpool. It was Suarez, the Uruguayan international who had already scored 7 goals in the premier league this season, again who became the hero. It was the 73rd minute, Suso's corner kick. The ball bended and swirled to near post, where Carrager flicked the ball back with his head, for Suarez to bash his head on in and get it in.<br />
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Although there were several chances after the goal, the scoreline did not change and it finished 1-1. Making Chelsea get farther from Man U and Liverpool to stay 13th place. It was quite a difficult match with Chelsea getting near the goal millions of times, but the one point was quite a good result considering the power difference between the two.<br />
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The next match is between Wigan Athletic, which positions just underneath Liverpool in the table with a one point difference.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1666047556140379253.post-20929533002727357072012-11-11T22:31:00.002-08:002012-11-12T22:45:03.880-08:00Don’t tell but show POV<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Don’t tell but show</span></div>
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I glared at my black shining watch, a baby-G I got after I accidentally destroyed my last one, which read 3:40 informing me that I still had enough time until the match. The sounds of laughing kids who had just turned to teenagers echoed from the back of the worn out mini sized vehicle carrying 10 people. They sounded like they didn’t even notice the round backed adult in a ragged exercising outfit sitting next to me but neither did the adult notice the teenagers as he stared into a piece of paper with more thought than you could ever imagine. </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">As I gazed out the tiny window of the small bus, I was shocked to see the plain blue sky, all nice and peaceful, slowly turn grayer and grayer. The darkening sky was enough to turn my apprehension into frustration as I thought of the terrible weather that was approaching. The laughs of the teenagers soon turned into grunts as the sounds of huge drops of water hitting the surface became audible. Although the sounds of despair faded in no time at all as the pouring rain stopped, the dark clouds remained like it was telling us that it was just the prologue. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">As the bus came to a stop, and the adult next to me slowly and gently got off his seat and got off the bus, the speed comparable to a turtle. The teenagers also scrambled off the bus shouting energetically like they were little toddlers in a birthday party. I also got my butt of the seat, heaved my backpack and hurried off after the teenagers thinking that our instructor chose the wrong kind of people to represent the school. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">We were amazed by an astonishing view of ten shining tennis courts painted dark blue and green. Our eyes were like those of five year-olds opening christmas presents in pure excitement. We all urgently grabbed the fluffy tennis balls colored in a mixture of lime green and yellow and dashed full speed to the beautiful courts even before we got any instructions. Our sparkling hopes were slightly crushed as we felt the puddles of water on the courts but solved the simple problem by pushing around the old rusted rollers which looked like they had never been used in the past century, reducing the amount of water dramatically. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The teenagers had already started warming up doing rallies, so I quickly grabbed a partner and did the same. The yellow fluffy ball bounced back and forth getting hit by polyester strings and occasionally plastic frames until it made an ear wrenching sound as it slapped the net. This drill continued for what seemed like forever until our opponents from another school arrived. I couldn’t believe my eyes. They all looked like pro wrestlers compared to us. I thought they’d be better off tackling people their own size on the rugby field instead. The muscular tough guys looked like they had already warmed up, judging from the sweat on their extra large uniforms. The sweat and the uniform size was pretty much all we had in common because all the small ones had been taken by kids in other sport teams. So the uniforms we had looked like dresses on us. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Our coach told us all to gather in and the opponent’s coach, a tanned two meter tall man with sharp eyes like a tiger’s, did the same. Silence filled the air around us as they started shouting out what the order for the matches were and which court to go to in deep loud voices that could’ve been heard from a mile away. My name didn’t get called even until the last in the order which was for second doubles. I fell in despair thinking that I wasn’t going to play because there was always 3 who would have to sit out. “Kengo, second doubles; court number 3” despite my thoughts, I was called. Me and my doubles partner, a boy with curly black hair and distinctive glasses, darted to our court with excitement and fear.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">There were two boys waiting for us already on the court, one just skin and bones, the other muscle and meat. It was obvious which one to look out for. The only similarity that I could find between them was that they were both tanned like crazy. They shook our hands with great force as if the battle had already begun. They got to serve first. I was the receiver. My heart furiously pumped as I shifted my body in position, just behind the base line and got ready. The short boy tossed the ball up high into the air almost twice his height and slammed down with his tiny racquet. It wasn’t the best way to execute a serve but it still did the job, by getting the ball into the service box. I moved forward as I saw the yellow ball come at me and swung my racquet at the ball, slightly twisting my wrist. My feet lifted off the ground as I follow through. The ball landed on the left side of the court and bounced up with topspin. The short boy somehow got to the ball but swung his racquet with too much power causing the ball to fly over my head and to the out zone. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">That was my first point that I got in a real match. Time flied as the match continued and it turned out to be a close match. The game count became 1-1 after ten minutes and the third game was the muscular boy’s service match. I was the receiver again. Not knowing what he had under his sleeve, I stayed in my regular position. The server got his stance ready and tossed the ball not too high, not too low, to the perfect space. He stretched back and put all his weight on his back foot, then released. His racquet whirred full speed and slammed the ball making a whacking sound. The tennis ball flew into the right side of the service box and bounced very low. I couldn’t react. The yellow object skimmed past me and by the time I noticed, it was too late. It was 15-0. My partner was the same. He couldn’t react to his serves. We easily lost that game making it 1-2 in total. The next game we somehow tied the score 2-2 but with the muscular boy starting to return balls which are his partner’s, they started going on a winning streak. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The sky had already turned into a hue of orange and all the clouds that had worried me a few hours ago had disappeared. A yellow object came flying at me at a terrifying speed. I reacted to it and swung my racquet. But I was unlucky. The ball hit the frame with a clanking sound and bashed into the net. As I saw the ball bounce up and down, I saw the shoes of my opponents who had walked up to the net. They put out a hand for a handshake. That was when I noticed that I had lost. After we tied 2-2, they won four games in a row with their speed serves and our misses as the game continued. It was a bitter experience that I would never forget and it is one of the things that keeps me playing tennis.</span></div>
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Second POV</div>
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The peaceful plain blue sky slowly turned greyer as the gloomy clouds moved by. I sat hunch-backed in a thousand year-old seat staring blindly at the piece of paper which had the heading “Order- UWCSEA east tennis team”. I had already chosen 6 out of 7 players who were going to get their chance in a blink of an eye, but just couldn’t choose who to pick for the last 1. I felt guilty as I thought about how three athletes would not be allowed to play. I gazed 10 centimeters to my right where Kengo, a Japanese boy with small eyes which have the same colour as his dark black hair. He had not made a sound the whole bus ride and was glaring at his black shining baby-G. </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I heard the sounds of laughing kids, echoing from the back of the worn out mini sized vehicle carrying only 10 people. I thought for a second comparing their attitude, then put down “Kengo” on the order sheet. I took another glimpse at him hoping that I had made the right decision. Just as I thought that my duty was finished and that I could finally rest, I heard tapping noises from the roof. At first I thought it was the teenagers in the back but the sound that they were making were grunts. I soon figured out that it was the sound of rain as I gazed over Kengo’s shoulder to see through the musty window. I started thinking of what to do if the rain continued and reached into my worn out bag, which I had been with me wherever I went for the past 5 years, to take out my iphone4 to call the facilitators and check if the squash courts were open. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">However, just as I touched the call button, the rain stopped along with the grunts of despair though the dark clouds remained like it was telling us that it was just the prologue. The bus came to a stop 10 minutes later, 3 minutes over time but not critically late. I slowly and gently got off the bus like a turtle. The teenagers scrambled off the bus after me shouting energetically like they were little toddlers in a birthday party. Which made me doubt if I had chosen the wrong kind of students to represent the school. As I looked back to see if everyone had gotten off, Kengo made his late arrival off the bus as always. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>After making a headcount knowing that there was no doubt that the 10 kids had gotten here safely, I turned around and gazed at the roughly painted tennis courts which looked like they had been stained by the rain. I felt annoyed about why I had to waste 40 minutes just to come to a run down facility with a bunch of kids who barely listen to what I say. I looked back at the kids and was surprised that their eyes were like those of five year-olds opening christmas presents in pure excitement. They reminded me of the time I had my first match. As I got a can of tennis balls, the kids rushed straight at me and grabbed furiously in a desperate attempt to be the first on the tennis courts. </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">“At least this wasn’t my property” I mumbled as the equipment got stolen from me in a matter of seconds. I followed them unexcited doubting if they had gotten the education that their school said that they gave, as I saw them using the rollers in the wrong way even though I already told them how to use one last week. I left them doing it their way as I just couldn’t be bothered. I was about to tell them to start doing rallies, but left them as I wanted to see what they would do without my directions. I trusted that they at least knew what to do for warm up. I got out of the courts, finally able to rest until our opponents came. Well, I didn’t get to rest much. Our opponents arrived in no time at all. The group that arrived had 7 students almost as big as adults and the coach, all of them tanned like they had been in the toaster. The athletes looked like they had already warmed up, judging from the sweat on their extra large uniforms. My hand got crushed as I shook hands with the opposition coach, a man 2 meters tall with eyes of a tiger. I called the wild kids to come in, knowing that they would take hours. Just like I had imagined, the boys wandered on like a turtle only finding their way after they saw my serious face. I started calling out the order, starting from first singles. I was surprised by how loud the opposition coach did the job, so I raised my voice too. As I finished my speech, all the excited athletes energetically ran to the tennis court that they were assigned to.</span></div>
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I heaved opened the iron rusted gate to leave the dangerous tennis courts, with yellow balls flying all around the place, and to watch from the safe benches only allowed for the authorised coaches. I wasn’t worried at all. I knew that the singles 3 were fine and that the only matches that we had to win were those. It was a best of 5 match after all. I didn’t have high hopes for the doubles players anyway. However my body started moving and pushed me closer to court number 3, as my mind sensed that I was a bit anxious for the doubles 2 pair. I gazed blindly to see who they were up against and was surprised to see such a contrast between the two. One just skin and bone, the other muscle and meat. The smaller one had a lime green tennis ball in his tiny hand and that indicated me that he was the server. I switched my view to the other side of the court and saw Kengo shifting his body just behind the baseline with his knee bending low and his shiny brick red racquet in front of him. The short boy tossed the ball up high into the air almost twice his height and slammed down with his tiny racquet. It wasn’t the best way to execute a serve but it still did the job, by getting the ball into the service box. The yellow object came at Kengo as he swung his racquet at the ball, slightly twisting his wrist. I had already told him about a thousand times to not twist his wrist but he still did, disappointing me. His feet lifted off the ground as he follow throughed, another trait of his I told him to get rid off. Although the way he hit wasn’t was what I instructed him to, the ball landed on the left side of the court and bounced up with topspin. The short boy somehow got to the ball but swung his racquet with too much power causing the ball to fly over Kengo’s head and to the out zone. It looked like the two were doing fine, so I move on to see how the others were doing. As I had imagined, the 3 singles players were busting their way through by having more than a 2 game lead in just a matter of 5 minutes. I felt relieved as I found out that the opponent’s players were not as strong as they looked, at least in tennis. </div>
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I gazed back to Kengo’s match after taking a breather. The game count had become 1-1 after ten minutes and the muscular boy had the tennis ball ready to toss up. Kengo was on the other side in his regular position. The server got his stance ready and tossed the ball not too high, not too low, to the perfect space. He stretched back and put all his weight on his back foot, then released. His racquet whirred full speed and slammed the ball making a whacking sound. The tennis ball flew into the right side of the service box and spring backed. The yellow object was already in the back of the court by the time my eyes had moved. I have only seen a few boys serve at such an astonishing speed at their age and I knew that neither Kengo or his partner was going to be able to return one of those. Like I predicted they lost that game making it 1-2 in total. The next game Kengo somehow tied the score 2-2 but with the muscular boy starting to return balls which are his partner’s, the opponents started to go on a winning streak.</div>
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The yellow object that got slammed by a racquet from the height of nearly 2 meters came flying at Kengo at a terrifying speed. He reacted to it and swung his racquet. However, he wasn’t lucky. The ball hit the frame with a clanking sound and bashed into the net. Game set. After Kengo and his partner tied 2-2, their opponents won four games in a row with their speed serves and misses from Kengo and his partner caused by their lack of concentration. I carefully got off my seat, dusted off my shorts and at a snail’s pace walked up to Kengo and his partner. I shook hands with them feeling no power in their hands and chose to say nothing, seeing the depression in their face. As I saw up, the sky had already turned into a hue of orange and all the clouds that there was a hour and a bit ago had disappeared. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1666047556140379253.post-87857825711094335282012-11-08T05:07:00.001-08:002012-11-08T05:15:30.769-08:00Liverpool and Transfers Huntelaar<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">"We'll have funds. I'm in talks with the owners at the moment along with our recruitment team. We know we need to reinforce the group, so that's something that is ongoing." - Brendan Rodgers </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">(<a href="http://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/latest-news/boss-we-ll-have-january-funds"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">http://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/latest-news/boss-we-ll-have-january-funds</span></a>)</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">For sometime, liverpool have been linked with transfers and the comment up there by the manager shows that liverpool are going to cash in some money to get players this up coming transfer market. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYO94easn7fprzxq4hhF7aMc24dN-4E1J7NbkBMk59p1hnHdE9E39WlL6nr4cmzoGInsncttDZlVl28otuqNzONp5edfweAZGKDMqz0CA7z1DLmEYmnCIuJ_z_Jstpz39aT3Ta-eSo7SJv/s1600/5983740649_1b428ce4b3_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYO94easn7fprzxq4hhF7aMc24dN-4E1J7NbkBMk59p1hnHdE9E39WlL6nr4cmzoGInsncttDZlVl28otuqNzONp5edfweAZGKDMqz0CA7z1DLmEYmnCIuJ_z_Jstpz39aT3Ta-eSo7SJv/s1600/5983740649_1b428ce4b3_b.jpg" width="224" /></span></a><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">What liverpool needs is quite simple. <b>Strikers</b>. Right now, in liverpool we have 7 strikers in the team, 3 being younger than 19, Borini, who is injured, and Pacheco, who has yet to have made an appearance in the premier league this season, being 21. So, thinking about who they can actually use and are not injured there is only one player : <b>Suarez</b>. Assadi, doesn't really count, as he is more of a winger than a striker.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Like this was clear to me, it has been clear for Brendan and his companions. So, they have already started moving towards <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><b>Huntelaar</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;">, a dutch striker in Shalke 04. It has been said on some sources already, that they are getting ready 6 million pounds for him. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">(<a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/liverpool-ready-to-launch-cut-price-6m-1415162"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Sunday Mirror</span></a>)</span> </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Some might think that this is a rip off, or even more, think that he is of no use. I think that he is the perfect kind of player we need. He is 29 and is nearing his peak and has a lot of experience, from playing in clubs such as Real Madrid and AC Milan. His numbers speak from itself, having scored <b>29</b> goals in the Budesliga to claim the <b>top</b> <b>scorer</b> and scored 48 goals in the whole season.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I think that Liverpool must get him if they want to get to a higher level and if they don't want to make the same mistake that they made in the summer transfer market.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">pic from xtranews.de</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1666047556140379253.post-14051022375743759982012-11-04T22:11:00.005-08:002012-11-04T22:11:47.940-08:00Liverpool vs Newcastle Should I be annoyed that we didn't get 3 points or be happy that we at least got one? It is a simple question. We could have gotten <b>3</b> points. The question of why we didn't win is more difficult. The fact that such a small thing, the ball getting over the line and into the net, is what determines the winner to the loser is a <b>shame</b> but also at the same time, the <b>beauty</b> of the game.<br />
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It was indeed a Liverpool like game, may be the right terminology. No matter how many chances is made, no matter how many passes are made, only goals are what is valued. It was a typical type of match in Anfield, 100 chances, 1 goal. Newcastle on the other hand, showed the difference between a team which came 8th and a team which came 5th, by making use of the very few chances they created.<br />
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Liverpool dominated all round and Suarez, the Uruguayan superstar was like usual, in the middle of it all. The newcastle keeper, Tim Krul, was tested to the limit as liverpool get closer and closer to goal but it was N'castle who got the lead. In the 43rd minute, Ben Arfa gets past Enrique and sends a cross to far post, where <b>Cabaye</b> controls the ball and slams it into the net with a powerful shot.<br />
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But, the Reds don't change their way of play and continue to dominate. Then, their efforts finally get rewarded in the 67th minute. Enrique sends a long ball down the middle, where <b>Suarez</b> outpace all the defenders, controls the ball with his shoulder, skills the keeper and taps it into the net. His 7th goal of the season , just one away from Van Persie's 8.<br />
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Many further chances are made, including Shelvey's 2 <b>great</b> chances which went to waste, but none are enough to break into the net. Coloccini gets a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><b>red</b></span> card with 5 minutes to go, after a awful tackle on Suarez and Newcastle go down to 10 players but keep their ground for a tie.<br />
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Liverpool could've won but didn't and in the end only got 1 point, a disappointing match but it made it <b>5</b> premier league matches without a loss and 2 consecutive draws in the Premier league.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1666047556140379253.post-40236430374050870572012-10-30T05:28:00.002-07:002012-10-30T05:30:16.465-07:00Chimamanda Adichie: The danger of the single story<a href="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4079/4815247931_bdc7c3caa3_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Picture by Cup of Cocoa" border="0" height="214" src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4079/4815247931_bdc7c3caa3_b.jpg" title="Picture by Cup of Cocoa" width="320" /></a>So, if you've read the title, you will probably know what I'm going to write about. We watched Chimamanda Adichie make a TED talk and made a dozen or so notes. The assignment we had was to make that to 5 or 6, then make it 3.<br />
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Well, I'll skip and only show you the 3 I got in the end.<br />
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1) Not making a solid view from only hearing one side of the story is important<br />
I chose this because it was pretty much what the whole talk was about according to my brain. It was all about not having a single story- a one sided story.<br />
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2) You must reject a single story and see the truth for yourself to know the truth.<br />
The same thing pretty much, but it is more about how you must see the truth to know the truth.<br />
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3) Single stories can be misleading and will dispossess you of true knowledge.<br />
This one is completely about how you must have more than one story to know the truth.<br />
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So, thats all. I don't know if I'm right with this being the most important things because I might also be having a single story but this is what I came up with and I'm not redoing this.<br />
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picture by Cup of CocoaUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1666047556140379253.post-13767892209876338512012-10-29T06:12:00.001-07:002012-10-29T06:13:30.162-07:00Merseyside Derby- Liverpool vs EvertonThe Merseyside derby, the matches between the neighbors Liverpool and Everton, is the roughest game in the premier league with the most red cards being shown in the games; this one no different.<br />
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For a long time, Liverpool have been the better side, always being one of the best teams in the premier league. However, the side with power have changed from red to blue, as Everton have started to come higher in the league table while Liverpool have gone down fro it's peak.<br />
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So, the match started with both sides attacking in different styles: the hosts passing around and the visitors going old style, booting the ball to Fellaini upfront. Each side takes two corner kicks, until the moment of glory comes. Enrique gets a wonderful through ball from the left and charges into the penalty box, then sends the ball in for Sterling to finish. However, Sterling gets pushed over and cannot reach the ball. It looked like the chance had come to a waste, but Suarez out of the blue gets the ball and takes a shot. The ball hits Baines, a Everton defender, then gets sucked into the net.<br />
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With the early lead, Liverpool attacks even further, Suarez scoring a sensational goal from Gerrard's free kick. With a 2-0 lead it looked safe, but the time was only 20 minutes into the match. The defense must have let their concentration down and not thought about the famous saying "the 5 minutes after you score is the most vulnerable." because their lead was reduced to 1 from Everton's corner kick not being punched away far enough by Jones, which resulted in a firing shot in the back of the net.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/AIVSIexKPTQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe>With the tide completely turned, Everton scored another goal in the 35th minute, tying the score 2-2. Everton attack furiously even after that, and got close to their come-back goal several times, but the effort was not enough to break through the defense. Time went on with nothing happening, Sterling's one on one with the keeper on the 48th minute being the biggest chance, until injury time. The ball had found it's way into the goal.<br />
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It was the 93rd minute. Gerrard's free kick again. He crossed the ball to Coates who headed the ball down, where Suarez got his foot out and blasted it in the net. The players were already celebrating, until they noticed that the off-side flag had been raised. But it wasn't an <b>offside</b>!<br />
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However, the decision did not turn, finishing the match with only 1 point for Liverpool, not the 3 they should have been given. With 7 yellow cards being shown, the match was indeed a tough one, but Everton did have the right to gain one point from the effort they had shown to get back from 2 down. It was indeed a great match and it is such a shame that it had to be ruined in the dying minutes.<br />
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You can view the offside/goal moment <a href="http://www.101greatgoals.com/wp-content/gallery/gimages/1351438028585.gif"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">here</span></b></a>. (I could not put it on the page, as it was not on youtube.)<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1666047556140379253.post-433162984114705362012-10-20T17:24:00.003-07:002012-10-20T17:24:56.496-07:00Liverpool vs Reading It was a nice cool afternoon at merseyside and the Red's fans were looking forward for liverpool's first home win this season. Liverpool have not exactly been the luckiest team up till now, with injures being the latest news half the time. So, the guys who had newly joined the disabled list were Borini, out for around 3 months, and Reina, a slight injury in the hamstrings which shouldn't last long. However they did have hope for victory, because they were against 18th placed Reading.<br />
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So, the match started with Borini and Reina being replaced by Suso and Jones. Liverpool dominated the game right from the start, but cannot get anything useful done in the penalty box. On the 24th minute, an accident occurred to reading. Jem Karacan had to be taken out, due to Gerrard's tackle a minute or so ago. The event barely changes anything on the field, as the hosts were keeping the ball at least 30m from goal the whole time. Then, the moment of <b>magic</b> came on the 29th minute. Suarez taps the ball over the head of reading's defense line and 17 year-old Sterling takes a touch before finishing it in the net. <b>GOAL</b><br />
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That was the only goal in the whole match, getting Liverpool 3 points and their first win at <b>Anfield</b>. Although Reading did get back into the match some how in the second half, they couldn't get it past the goal line and suffered it's forth loss.<br />
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The next match is against Anzhi for the Europa league and after that comes the long awaited merseyside <b>derby</b> against the other team in town, <b>Everton</b>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1666047556140379253.post-73872176322385616642012-10-14T07:07:00.000-07:002012-11-12T22:38:09.824-08:00From Bad to Worse<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiouSe4yXdXQNzy_-bFft6kouN-RaOXyXpIF_140Z4Cl40smlt0rHWxVgGs-WjSDipTxYY6u3IiT6r-eDHCiu2CGw6XuGqkHLv1HSNkwBVLMSYEWHea0fUxLMdtJ3CS7yRoA89aMMreNeA8/s1600/7658557884_6f160fff1a_c.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiouSe4yXdXQNzy_-bFft6kouN-RaOXyXpIF_140Z4Cl40smlt0rHWxVgGs-WjSDipTxYY6u3IiT6r-eDHCiu2CGw6XuGqkHLv1HSNkwBVLMSYEWHea0fUxLMdtJ3CS7yRoA89aMMreNeA8/s320/7658557884_6f160fff1a_c.png" width="212" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Sometimes, it really feels as if things are not going right at all. It feels like things are getting worse and worse. This is the situation Liverpool is in. Liverpool has failed on their start dash this season mainly due tot he absence of goals, which do not match the number of chances. Liverpool only had Borini, Suarez and a few other young strikers, as Andy Carroll was loaned for West ham.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">It was quite easy to see, even for a elementary student, that if either one gets injured, it is game over for Liverpool. And like a nightmare, that did happen. <b>Fabio</b> <b>Borini</b>, who has been playing for almost every game this season, <b>broke</b> his right foot while out in international duty.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">When looking at comments from other liverpool fans on the internet I found that nearly half say that it won't make a difference because he has not proved useful, supported by the fact that Borini has yet to score his first premier league goal.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">However, I think that it will be a huge blow because although Borini hasn't scored, he has contributed to Liverpool attack and kept the formation 4-3-3.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Now it is for young hopes such as Sterling, Suso (whose preferred positions are not strikers), Yesil and Dani to fill in Borini's gap.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">pic from <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">cady ϟ</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1666047556140379253.post-89730944745499516822012-10-13T06:40:00.000-07:002012-11-04T22:15:10.018-08:00Japan vs France footballOn the 24th of March 2001, the Japanese international football team which won the asian cup the year before, played a 90 minute football match in Saint Denis against the French international football team. The match became a event that would be known through Japanese history as "the tragedy in Saint Denis" with the French crushing Japan in a 5-0 win.<br />
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Eleven years have passed and things have changed. France have failed in their generation change and have had many problems inside the team, thus dropping their FIFA rank all the way to 13. Japan on the contrary has started to have players like Kagawa who now play at the top level, thus moving up their FIFA rank all the way to 23.<br />
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The time for the <b>rematch</b> had come. On the 12th of October, in the same place as 11 years ago, Japan faced France again.<br />
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As many had predicted, France pushed forward with all their might, getting close to the goal thousands of times. However, they cannot break in with Japan's trusted goalkeeper performing amazing saves every time they get close, keeping the score 0-0 until the first half whistle<br />
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The tide started to turn to Japan's side as the second half came to a start and Japan started to make some chances. But France became serious as the score stayed 0-0 and sent in Ribery. Japan also makes some substitutions sending in Takashi Inui. The one who got the ball in the net first was France. From Giroud's overhead pass, Gomis heads it into the net. However, Giroud was on a offside position, one body over the line, and the goal does not count.<br />
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Both teams starts giving their final power out, making chances after chances, but neither side can score. On the 87th minute, Giroud shoots a definite shot but Kawashima makes an astonishing save, sending it out for a corner. France gets a slight chance from the corner but the keeper flings it out again, making them take another corner. It all happened from <b>there</b>.<br />
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France takes the corner again, in a rush as it is just 3 minutes from the end. The flying ball comes in to the middle of the penalty box but it bounces out of the penalty box after hitting a player on the head. Komano, the 29 year old Japanese defender who has been blocking all chances in the back-line all day, reacts to the ball and dribbles up the field with all the power he has left. France, who had never expected such a thing had only 3 defenders behind. Every player on the field rushes toward the goal for their last opportunity. Komano sends it to the right for Nagatomo, the side-back who plays for Inter Milan who had out ran Ribery. He fakes for a shot and instead crosses it in for Kagawa, the number 10 of japan. Kagawa throws his body on the ground and meets the ball with his right foot. The ball blasts in the goal, shaking the net. <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">GOAL</span></b>. It was an unbelievable counter attack, only taking <b>15</b> seconds after the ball was kicked in for a corner.<br />
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The final whistle blew. It was 1-0. The revenge had been successful.<br />
Japan will be playing Brazil on the 16th of October. Why not go for another <b>Giant Killing</b>?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1666047556140379253.post-37913828091374708072012-10-12T06:17:00.001-07:002012-10-12T06:17:21.648-07:00I Trust Liverpool<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='480' height='300' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/EwG0A7alxLU?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
Video by YRC1997TV<br />
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Things have not gone the way liverpool fans have wanted yet again with 1 win, 3 draws and 3 losses. Nothing is clicking. Nothings is going right. Nothing is as annoying. <b>However</b>, it is just the start. There is no time to keep our heads down. I trust Liverpool and so do I trust Brendan Rodgers. I trust that Liverpool will get better, and for that, I will keep supporting them no matter how low they get on the table. Remember, there is nothing as exciting as winning the Premier league crown and it will only happen if you <b>trust</b>.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE</span></span><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1666047556140379253.post-42412486234584990192012-10-11T18:27:00.000-07:002012-10-11T18:27:14.306-07:00Abnormal Characters: Billy Beane<b>Billy Beane</b>, the protagonist from the book and movie "Moneyball" is quite an abnormal character.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirWYcD3Eu_A94-ron3aGH70ZmeD4yoUnOHDLe9dStMFrC4pmN_5nRfmvo3TNSwlMLm7JqArhDj-st732j3xaeTQ3j13ccswPny_pxh0cgO07akVS61YID_VSYMN16TklOVBMEpAD6uxEpz/s1600/Billy+Beane.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirWYcD3Eu_A94-ron3aGH70ZmeD4yoUnOHDLe9dStMFrC4pmN_5nRfmvo3TNSwlMLm7JqArhDj-st732j3xaeTQ3j13ccswPny_pxh0cgO07akVS61YID_VSYMN16TklOVBMEpAD6uxEpz/s1600/Billy+Beane.png" /></a>He was the general manager, the GM, of the oakland Athletics, a major league baseball team, which was the poorest team in the whole major league. He was the man who lead the team to the league trophy by his new way of rating baseball players called sabermetrics which was a <b>revolutionary</b> change. He is now known by almost every baseball fan in the world as the man who changed all the "normal" in baseball; that the teams with the most money, like the New York Yankees, will win.<br />
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He has a slight connection to me, as I also have a passion in baseball but do not play the game itself. Since Billy Bean is a GM, he does not go on the field but is still the man who knows most about the game and chooses how it is played.<br />
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Picture by Leaders Event<br />
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I believe that he is abnormal from the fact that he had quite an unique way of thinking and was on a completely different scale compared to other GM in that time.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0