Source: swipelife.com: Inappropriate Golden Books: Movies R, Fun by Josh Cooley
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
ASNF
Carl Brashear was poor, underprivileged black farmer boy in South and had no future prospect. When he reached the required age, his father made him to join the army so that he can build a better, secure and successful life as he himself didn't obviously make it by sharecropping in the highly segregated and racially biased society of that time. He urged him to leave and never come back to the place that he was born and raised, making sure that his son's past to be forgotten for good. However, as one last token of memory, he gave him a hand made radio that he made using very primitive and basic parts. He carved on the bottom of the radio"ASNF" meaning: "A son never forgets."*
I was forced to make a choice a few days ago; something that some close ones were asking me to do and my heart was against it. In the end, I followed my heart and I think it felt...well, not so bad and that was very sad.
A son will never forget, he will never forget the things that were done for him and damn right will he ever forget the things that were not done for him...never!
ASNF indeed!
* Storyline from the movie "Men of Honor".
I was forced to make a choice a few days ago; something that some close ones were asking me to do and my heart was against it. In the end, I followed my heart and I think it felt...well, not so bad and that was very sad.
A son will never forget, he will never forget the things that were done for him and damn right will he ever forget the things that were not done for him...never!
ASNF indeed!
* Storyline from the movie "Men of Honor".
Monday, June 28, 2010
Rule no more!
England (my favorite team) was kicked out of first knockout stage of WC to the hands of their arch rivals Germany with the worst performance ever in world cup. Instead of going to headlines of junk tabloid which some find comfort in, I just leave it to the words of BBC experts below:
Alan Hansen
BBC pundit on Match of the Day
The debate will rage on about the Frank Lampard goal but I cannot believe how bad England were. Against Algeria they were abysmal but today they were four levels below that.
BBC pundit on Match of the Day
The debate will rage on about the Frank Lampard goal but I cannot believe how bad England were. Against Algeria they were abysmal but today they were four levels below that.
Alan Shearer
Former England striker on Match of the Day
We said they improved in the last game and needed to improve again to go through but they didn't get anywhere near it. They were hopeless from start to finish.
Chris Waddle
Former England winger on BBC Radio 5 live The FA sit on their backsides and do nothing tournament after tournament after tournament. Why don't they listen? Why don't they look at other countries and ask 'how do they keep producing talent?'
More on that can be found here. For me, I suppose it is now Argentina and Saint Maradona all the way.
Former England striker on Match of the Day
We said they improved in the last game and needed to improve again to go through but they didn't get anywhere near it. They were hopeless from start to finish.
Lee Dixon
Former England defender on Match of the Day
You have to put a performance on at this stage in the tournament but it was probably the worst defensive team performance I've seen. Quite frankly we were awful and we got ripped to pieces.Former England defender on Match of the Day
Graham Taylor
Former England manager on BBC Radio 5 live
Lampard's was a goal, it would have made it 2-2 and who knows how the game would have transpired but that is not the point. We have lost 4-1 and been easily beaten.Former England manager on BBC Radio 5 live
Chris Waddle
Former England winger on BBC Radio 5 live
More on that can be found here. For me, I suppose it is now Argentina and Saint Maradona all the way.
C.
According to the calculations, in a matter of 30 days or so, she will be here. I would be very very happy and my life will be changed in profound way from that moment on.
Getting impatient now...
Getting impatient now...
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
An analysis of WC 2010 after first 2 rounds: Part II
Group E
17. Netherlands: Not so strong management from the sidelines but the squad has good quality nonetheless. If they keep the pace, they are very dangerous. The oranges have shown abrupt meltdowns in the past and I don't see this WC could be any different in that sense for them.
18. Japan: Quite similar to their Asian rivals, they have proved themselves to be serious opponents and have good chances of qualifying from group stage. Just like South Korea, the fatigue over their fragile bodies could take over their speed deeper in the tournament and mark their exit.
19. Denmark: They bounced back from the first loss to the Netherlands and beat Cameroon and are hopeful of qualifying to the next round. At times, they show flashes of good football but I have hard time seeing them deep in the tournament. Like their northern neighbors Sweden, they lack a certain glow and will tend to settle for the less come facing a major powerhouse.
20. Cameroon: Yet another major African disappointment like Nigeria except for the fact that their manager is not much to blame rather quite suitable for the job given time and patience. I suppose relying too much on Eto'o and losing first tow games doesn't leave much to say for the departure of the "Indomitable Lions".
Group F
21. Paraguay: No comments on them.
22. Italy: The reigning champions (a title that they did not deserve to win in my opinion) are nothing but miserable. They face an aging squad and lack quality players, just former great players wearing Azzurri. They are my least favorite team but I'm sure they will end up not as disappointing as they look. They may manage to pull things off somehow with the least attractive football ever displayed.
23. New Zealand: They are just happy to be at the world stage for the first time ever, happier to score their first ever WC goal and so on. No surprises, no real threat, just happy to have been there...once at least!
24. Slovakia: No comments again. I would have been much happier to have seen Croatia in their place to create some action at least.
Group G
25. Brazil: One the strong favorites to win according to many with star packed and quality players on the pitch. They have not been that impressive though but the quality is still there and can do massive damage. Their weakest point seems to be the bench as they don't seem to have the same quality substitutes. They will get to semis definitely one way or another.
26. Portugal: Disappointing in the first match with Ivory but then they thrashed North Korea 7-0! Seems like they are en route to finding their form back but it still remains to be seen.
27. Ivory Coast: Yes, again another major disappointment for Africa. They rely too much on Drogba who is not a creator (when he is locked) rather of a user of opportunities provided for him, something that the team has failed to do so because it is easily read by the opponents. A similar story as Nigeria with a (this time only a highly overrated) unsuccessful Swedish manager who not only doesn't click well with the chemistry of Les Éléphants, but has poor abilities to inspire and fire up a squad of their caliber.
28. North Korea: After losing decently to Brazil 1-2 in the opener, they were humiliated by Portugal in the second game putting the dignity of the Asian football in serious danger. I felt sorry for their nation anyway when I heard that the game against Portugal was among a few football games that were shown live in that dictator country.
Group F
29. Chile: pretty much like Uruguay and possibly Paraguay, a hard working team with occasional flashes of brilliancy. Qualified to the next round by winning first 2 games and how they will do next is just a mystery.
30. Spain: The reigning European champions and favorites to win the cup were really disaapointing theier first loss to Switzerland but pulled themsleves together in the 2nd game against Honduras, a not so convincing win which was voiced by their vet manager Del bosque. They are yet to prove themselves and El nino and many others have not started yet.
31. Switzerland: Shocked everyone by beating Spain but they lost to Chile. They have enjoyed a series of unheard football success in different stages and tournaments but they are still underestimated and hopeful of qualifying. Their savvy manager Hitzfeld knows his job well and can surprise opponent with some relatively unknown players.
32. Honduras: A weak American team which should be replaced by Colombia or something to make the competition more exciting.
Pooooofffff, that was as easy as I thought. Now, off to the last group games.
17. Netherlands: Not so strong management from the sidelines but the squad has good quality nonetheless. If they keep the pace, they are very dangerous. The oranges have shown abrupt meltdowns in the past and I don't see this WC could be any different in that sense for them.
18. Japan: Quite similar to their Asian rivals, they have proved themselves to be serious opponents and have good chances of qualifying from group stage. Just like South Korea, the fatigue over their fragile bodies could take over their speed deeper in the tournament and mark their exit.
19. Denmark: They bounced back from the first loss to the Netherlands and beat Cameroon and are hopeful of qualifying to the next round. At times, they show flashes of good football but I have hard time seeing them deep in the tournament. Like their northern neighbors Sweden, they lack a certain glow and will tend to settle for the less come facing a major powerhouse.
20. Cameroon: Yet another major African disappointment like Nigeria except for the fact that their manager is not much to blame rather quite suitable for the job given time and patience. I suppose relying too much on Eto'o and losing first tow games doesn't leave much to say for the departure of the "Indomitable Lions".
Group F
21. Paraguay: No comments on them.
22. Italy: The reigning champions (a title that they did not deserve to win in my opinion) are nothing but miserable. They face an aging squad and lack quality players, just former great players wearing Azzurri. They are my least favorite team but I'm sure they will end up not as disappointing as they look. They may manage to pull things off somehow with the least attractive football ever displayed.
23. New Zealand: They are just happy to be at the world stage for the first time ever, happier to score their first ever WC goal and so on. No surprises, no real threat, just happy to have been there...once at least!
24. Slovakia: No comments again. I would have been much happier to have seen Croatia in their place to create some action at least.
Group G
25. Brazil: One the strong favorites to win according to many with star packed and quality players on the pitch. They have not been that impressive though but the quality is still there and can do massive damage. Their weakest point seems to be the bench as they don't seem to have the same quality substitutes. They will get to semis definitely one way or another.
26. Portugal: Disappointing in the first match with Ivory but then they thrashed North Korea 7-0! Seems like they are en route to finding their form back but it still remains to be seen.
27. Ivory Coast: Yes, again another major disappointment for Africa. They rely too much on Drogba who is not a creator (when he is locked) rather of a user of opportunities provided for him, something that the team has failed to do so because it is easily read by the opponents. A similar story as Nigeria with a (this time only a highly overrated) unsuccessful Swedish manager who not only doesn't click well with the chemistry of Les Éléphants, but has poor abilities to inspire and fire up a squad of their caliber.
28. North Korea: After losing decently to Brazil 1-2 in the opener, they were humiliated by Portugal in the second game putting the dignity of the Asian football in serious danger. I felt sorry for their nation anyway when I heard that the game against Portugal was among a few football games that were shown live in that dictator country.
Group F
29. Chile: pretty much like Uruguay and possibly Paraguay, a hard working team with occasional flashes of brilliancy. Qualified to the next round by winning first 2 games and how they will do next is just a mystery.
30. Spain: The reigning European champions and favorites to win the cup were really disaapointing theier first loss to Switzerland but pulled themsleves together in the 2nd game against Honduras, a not so convincing win which was voiced by their vet manager Del bosque. They are yet to prove themselves and El nino and many others have not started yet.
31. Switzerland: Shocked everyone by beating Spain but they lost to Chile. They have enjoyed a series of unheard football success in different stages and tournaments but they are still underestimated and hopeful of qualifying. Their savvy manager Hitzfeld knows his job well and can surprise opponent with some relatively unknown players.
32. Honduras: A weak American team which should be replaced by Colombia or something to make the competition more exciting.
Pooooofffff, that was as easy as I thought. Now, off to the last group games.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
An analysis of WC 2010 after first 2 rounds: Part I
This year for the WC in South Africa, I resisted the urge of entering predicting games and took the low road of tight a-- conservative approach meaning I waited for all the teams to play their first 2 games in the group stage and now I am going to release my analysis, hopefully I will have enough consistency to continue my analysis as knock-out stages unfold. One last thing: I think there is much more than WC and football in SA now, the other or rather darker sides of SA are yet to be touched and talked about...I'll see how much I can accomplish on that.
Group A
1. Uruguay: Drew with France in the opener and thrashed the hosts in the 2nd game. A very good and solid all-around team but one player stands out big (as it was expected): Forlan...Forlan...Forlan! Hell, I would have loved to see him pair up with El nino in LFC, he had a massive form during Atletico's run in Europa cup too.
2. Mexico: A lot of young faces mixed with some vets. They had a great night at the expense of Les Bleus the other night: very strong, a lot of running and much hunger but I suppose, they will clutch when facing big powerhouses from further south. They do have an element of surprise though, I guess they have really pulled themselves together after sacking the highly overrated Swedish manager Sven-Göran Eriksson.
3. France: Probably the biggest disappointment of the cup. Les Bleus are aging, don't have an inspiring leader on and off the pitch and lots are happening on the scandals front. None of the players have lived up to the expectations, their manager is too passive and not functioning, there is a major lack of mutual respect from players and management, Anelka was tossed out of the camp and the players subsequently refused to train and so on and so on. 1998 champions and 2006 runner-ups are not even close to championship calibers. Even if they advance, they will be kicked out easily with a much disciplined squad.
4. South Africa: I had very little knowledge about Bafana Bafana except for the fact that their vet striker Benny McCarthy didn't make the final squad and of course Pineaar from our rival team Everton. Given the home crowd pressure they did quite well in the opener with Mexico, a bit unlucky not to have taken the 3 points. They simply had no answer to the brilliance of Forlan in the 2nd game and the nasty sounds of vuvuzelas were shut down a bit prematurely. It would be interesting to see if the Brazilian manager Parreira would stay after the cup to build up for future or he will be sacked or leave and instability would continue as it does in many aspects in Africa--sadly.
Group B
5. Argentina: A star-studded squad and one of the strong favorites to win the cup with the likes of Messi, Hiquain, Veron, Milito and more. The short chubby man who sports an unfamiliar beard on the sideline of Argentina, yes none other than Saint Diego Armando with his unique passion and jests is as noteworthy as the quality of the football that Argentina displays. How much he contributes to the tactical game and how much respect the superstars of today lay on him is another question. They have won all the games with relative ease nonetheless and will presumably carry on until semis at least.
6. South Korea: They have defended the dignity of football in Asia by showing a fast and attractive football compared to their peers. They will definitely advance from their group and the extent of their success could be limited down the stretch as the tournament fatigue will take its toll on their bodies.
7. Greece: Not much to say here really, they are too boring and maybe aging and don't display much, they seem to be lost in the WC hype: a mere shadow of former European champions.
8. Nigeria: One of the disappointments so far. Their biggest mistake came from hiring the sacked Swedish manager Lars Lagerbäck after the failure in the African cup; a man who had literally no managing experience outside Sweden and has led his country's team to mediocre results in the past years, failing to qualify to this year's cup among them. He could induce some discipline to the Nigeria but he is far too weak, conservative, boring and has no charisma to fit with the diversity of Nigeria.
Group C
9. Slovenia: I have got nothing to say about them and haven't seen anything particular about them neither. However, as strange as it may sound, they seem in the best shape to advance from their group for the time being.
10. USA: My most favorite underdogs: they work hard and are well structured. They show reasonable tactical and technical quality at times and everyone underestimates them. By rough assumption you could say that football came to US in 1994 when WC was held there and given this 16 years, they have come along way in the international stage; something that many countries with richer football history have not managed to pull off. Interesting to see how they will do in the last group game. They were also ripped from a crucial goal by referee's mistake which can prove costly for their fate in WC.
11. England: My favorite team in WC has performed far from expectations. They have every element to succeed to the best and fail miserably at the same time. From bad luck and injuries and non-related football issues (manager-player relationship not at its optimum level seemingly and Capello being a very special person with possibly different mindset than English players doesn't make this easier) to keeper's incredible gaff and the superstars who are lost in the shadow of WC. Nevertheless, even if they manage to advance from group stage, they seriously lack world class strikers (other than Rooney who is yet to deliver) and this can cause them massive problems.
12. Algeria: Labeled possibly the dirtiest team in WC has performed quite OK so far. Funny thing that it seems most people don't even consider them as African team since they are not as 'black' as the likes of Ghana, Nigeria and etc. They still have a chance to advance from group stage but I have hard time seeing them beyond that as they lack quality and many more.
Group D
13. Ghana: The most successful 'African' team so far with a narrow win over Serbia and a draw with Australia. The loss of star player Essien has not shown any damage for the time being but it is very difficult to predict how they do in the next rounds.
14. Germany: The youngest squad in the cup impressed everyone by thrashing Aussies 4-0 in the opener but they fell short in a intense match against Serbia. They play a very versatile and beautiful football now--uncanny of effective and rather dull style of the Germans and they have great potential to advance as far as semis.
15. Serbia: I've got not much to say about them like Slovenia, very solid and physically strong team that is not and easy opponent for anyone.
16. Australia: After a massive loss to Germany, no one is taking them seriously or bothers about them 'Groos'. I think I will do the same.
Group A
1. Uruguay: Drew with France in the opener and thrashed the hosts in the 2nd game. A very good and solid all-around team but one player stands out big (as it was expected): Forlan...Forlan...Forlan! Hell, I would have loved to see him pair up with El nino in LFC, he had a massive form during Atletico's run in Europa cup too.
2. Mexico: A lot of young faces mixed with some vets. They had a great night at the expense of Les Bleus the other night: very strong, a lot of running and much hunger but I suppose, they will clutch when facing big powerhouses from further south. They do have an element of surprise though, I guess they have really pulled themselves together after sacking the highly overrated Swedish manager Sven-Göran Eriksson.
3. France: Probably the biggest disappointment of the cup. Les Bleus are aging, don't have an inspiring leader on and off the pitch and lots are happening on the scandals front. None of the players have lived up to the expectations, their manager is too passive and not functioning, there is a major lack of mutual respect from players and management, Anelka was tossed out of the camp and the players subsequently refused to train and so on and so on. 1998 champions and 2006 runner-ups are not even close to championship calibers. Even if they advance, they will be kicked out easily with a much disciplined squad.
4. South Africa: I had very little knowledge about Bafana Bafana except for the fact that their vet striker Benny McCarthy didn't make the final squad and of course Pineaar from our rival team Everton. Given the home crowd pressure they did quite well in the opener with Mexico, a bit unlucky not to have taken the 3 points. They simply had no answer to the brilliance of Forlan in the 2nd game and the nasty sounds of vuvuzelas were shut down a bit prematurely. It would be interesting to see if the Brazilian manager Parreira would stay after the cup to build up for future or he will be sacked or leave and instability would continue as it does in many aspects in Africa--sadly.
Group B
5. Argentina: A star-studded squad and one of the strong favorites to win the cup with the likes of Messi, Hiquain, Veron, Milito and more. The short chubby man who sports an unfamiliar beard on the sideline of Argentina, yes none other than Saint Diego Armando with his unique passion and jests is as noteworthy as the quality of the football that Argentina displays. How much he contributes to the tactical game and how much respect the superstars of today lay on him is another question. They have won all the games with relative ease nonetheless and will presumably carry on until semis at least.
6. South Korea: They have defended the dignity of football in Asia by showing a fast and attractive football compared to their peers. They will definitely advance from their group and the extent of their success could be limited down the stretch as the tournament fatigue will take its toll on their bodies.
7. Greece: Not much to say here really, they are too boring and maybe aging and don't display much, they seem to be lost in the WC hype: a mere shadow of former European champions.
8. Nigeria: One of the disappointments so far. Their biggest mistake came from hiring the sacked Swedish manager Lars Lagerbäck after the failure in the African cup; a man who had literally no managing experience outside Sweden and has led his country's team to mediocre results in the past years, failing to qualify to this year's cup among them. He could induce some discipline to the Nigeria but he is far too weak, conservative, boring and has no charisma to fit with the diversity of Nigeria.
Group C
9. Slovenia: I have got nothing to say about them and haven't seen anything particular about them neither. However, as strange as it may sound, they seem in the best shape to advance from their group for the time being.
10. USA: My most favorite underdogs: they work hard and are well structured. They show reasonable tactical and technical quality at times and everyone underestimates them. By rough assumption you could say that football came to US in 1994 when WC was held there and given this 16 years, they have come along way in the international stage; something that many countries with richer football history have not managed to pull off. Interesting to see how they will do in the last group game. They were also ripped from a crucial goal by referee's mistake which can prove costly for their fate in WC.
11. England: My favorite team in WC has performed far from expectations. They have every element to succeed to the best and fail miserably at the same time. From bad luck and injuries and non-related football issues (manager-player relationship not at its optimum level seemingly and Capello being a very special person with possibly different mindset than English players doesn't make this easier) to keeper's incredible gaff and the superstars who are lost in the shadow of WC. Nevertheless, even if they manage to advance from group stage, they seriously lack world class strikers (other than Rooney who is yet to deliver) and this can cause them massive problems.
12. Algeria: Labeled possibly the dirtiest team in WC has performed quite OK so far. Funny thing that it seems most people don't even consider them as African team since they are not as 'black' as the likes of Ghana, Nigeria and etc. They still have a chance to advance from group stage but I have hard time seeing them beyond that as they lack quality and many more.
Group D
13. Ghana: The most successful 'African' team so far with a narrow win over Serbia and a draw with Australia. The loss of star player Essien has not shown any damage for the time being but it is very difficult to predict how they do in the next rounds.
14. Germany: The youngest squad in the cup impressed everyone by thrashing Aussies 4-0 in the opener but they fell short in a intense match against Serbia. They play a very versatile and beautiful football now--uncanny of effective and rather dull style of the Germans and they have great potential to advance as far as semis.
15. Serbia: I've got not much to say about them like Slovenia, very solid and physically strong team that is not and easy opponent for anyone.
16. Australia: After a massive loss to Germany, no one is taking them seriously or bothers about them 'Groos'. I think I will do the same.
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