Month: January 2011

Favorite Players

smackyjackjackLeave a comment

If I had to pick my favorite team sport, that would be easy; it’s basketball. But if I had to pick my favorite athletes, that would be harder.  I have a lot of favorite athletes, but most of them are basketball players. Right now, I really like the Washington Wizards‘ point guard, John Wall.  John Wall is a rookie this year, but has all ready proven himself to be one of the better players in the NBA, and he can only get better. In just his second game in the NBA, he was one steal away from getting a triple  double. In my opinion, he deserves the rookie of the year trophy over Blake Griffin.

Switching to soccer, my favorite player is Carles Puyol. Puyol is an aggressive, long haired defender for Barcelona. He is most famous for his incident with the Queen of Spain in which he was unaware of the fact that she was in their locker room, and came out in his towel.  He is the best defender on any soccer team in the world.

But above all, my favorite player in any sport is Joakim Noah. Noah plays as the center for the Chicago Bulls. Noah may not have the most talent in the NBA, but he defenetly has the most heart. He will never give up until he can’t play anymore (which is what he has been doing recently due to an injury). 

Let the Battle Begin

shredicusmaximusLeave a comment

12/6/10 Monday Night Football. Two 9-2 teams faced each other. The New England Patriots and New York Jets were touted as two very talented and equally matched teams and the “game of the year” as referred to by the fans, was going to finally be underway. The game was billed to be a classic. Then, the football was snapped. The Patriots unleashed an almost spite driven and relentless destruction with a 45-3 shalacking in New England’s Foxboro Stadium.

Now it is the new year and on 1/16/11, the two teams will meet again in the post season. This time, the hype has been doubled. The rivalry between Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Jets coach Rex Ryan has intensified and with some fuel to the fire. With tape finding its way to the media revealing Rex Ryan’s private matters, Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker made as many comments referring to feet as he could in a pre game interview. Here are some more fun pre game offenses: Tom Brady, a sports villain/QB legend has annoyed the Jet’s bench by allegedly pointing to their bench after every score in an almost taunting manner. When asked about Tom Brady, Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie said “he’s an @$$hole, f#$k him. In response to Welker’s interview, Jet’s linebacker Bart Scott told the press that “Wes Welker will be lucky to make it through the whole game.”


For more, please visit http://bleacherreport.com/articles/573928-jets-vs-patriots-10-players-to-watch-in-sundays-afc-clash/page/1

The intensity has been felt by the entire country and football fans of all ages and allegiances. With the NY Jet’s “Superbowl or bust” mantra at stake as they enter the game as underdogs, the ratings for Sunday Football on FOX will be through the roof as we prepare ourselves for the ultimate football battle (short of the Superbowl) of the year. Countless debates have surfaced as to whether the Jets or Pats will win but until then, I’m going to start the countdown to Sunday fun. I personally am a New York Giant fan, so I have a sadistic joy of watching two teams I hate fight to the death. I can’t wait.

Selfless Hero

sennymcflyLeave a comment

I wish there was more I could say about this story. I wish this post could do more than just inform you about the tragedies that people go through. I wish that this story had a happy ending. But, what can I say? There is no happy ending, only a tragic, unsettling story.

This story is about a 13 year old boy who gave up his life to save his younger brother. His brother is safe and warm and still living, but his life was lost in the flood that took him and his mother away.

Jordan Rice was brave in every way. How can I say that when I didn’t even know him, right? It turns out that this little boy was afraid to swim. Terrified of water and yet he was willing to die for the safety of his family.

There is no news article or blog post written well enough to express this boy’s heroism, but the world should know his name. So, I post this blog to inform you that recently an average 13 year old from Australia became a hero on Monday, January 10, 2011.

Jordan Rice

Age.

theycallmedameLeave a comment

Youth is something people long to get and long to get rid of.

I’ve heard people yearning:

“I wish I was eighteen, now.”

“I wish I was twenty-one!”

“I wish I was a teenager again.”

“I wish I could skip high school and just go into life as an adult.”

 

“I wish I could go back to high school; just one more time.”

But why wish would you wish to be another age then the one you are?

If you’re young, a teenager, you have so much of life ahead of you. Every move you make can lead into the next big adventure or the next life-changing event. If you miss those moments then what is life when you’re older? How would you be if you just skipped some of the most important years of your lives when you shape who you are and how you live?

And if you’re older, wishing for the “glory days” of high school and college, don’t. If you’re old, it doesn’t mean you’re uncool, it means you’ve lived through more and seen more than any of us could imagine. If you’re 103, you’re one of the strongest people alive. You’ve lived through both world wars, a depression, countless of economy scares and who knows what else? You’ve lived life, and you shouldn’t try to hide it.

So whether or not you’re old or young or somewhere in between, don’t wish to be another age. Be happy with what you have experienced and what you are about to. Cherish life, because it might be the only one we have.

Say Hello to Ophiuchus, the New Zodiac Sign

yrreskrapLeave a comment

I personally have always been confused with my zodiac sign. Not that I believe horoscopes to begin with, but the fact that my birthday, January 20 (don’t forget!) has been borderline with the Aquarius and Capricorn signs. Some horoscopes tell me I’m the Water Bearer, others tell me I am the Goat. Obviously, when people would ask, I would tell them I am an Aquarius, just because it sounds a tad bit prettier than does a goat.

However, a new addition to the zodiac family of constellations has shifted the dates of many other signs. The 2010 zodiac dates were shifted to fit in the new 13th zodiac sign in the 2011 zodiac calendar.

Ophiuchus is also known as Serpentarius and was an uncommon, rarely used zodiac sign. However, many claim that the Earth has changed its tilt throughout the years, it faces a new constellations. For this reason, Ophiuchus was added to as the 13th sign.

For me, this change is just confusing. I’ve always called myself an Aquarius (or at least I had the choice to call myself an Aquarius) but under the new calendar, I am a Capricorn. This annoys me thoroughly and I have my fingers crossed that Ophiuchus gets taken out of the original zodiac family so that I can call myself an Aquarius once again.

Black Swan

pikachu04Leave a comment

swan
Over break, I went to Texas to spend time with my family for ten days. During my time there, I watched three movies in theaters, Tron, Little Fockers and Black Swan. My favorite movie by far was Black Swan with Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis.
In the movie Natalie Portman plays an innocent young girl who tries out for the part of the swan in the ballet production. The swan character must be innocent at first glance, but beneath the surface they must be dark and twisted. Unable to pull off the dark and twisted side to the character, Natalie Portman finds herself struggling. Mila Kunis is used as a symbol of the darkness inside of Natalie Portman that she has to bring out. In the end, Natalie Portman must kill the darkness inside of her, and when she does, she dies too, after her perfect performance.

This movie is a psychological thriller that keeps you on edge and makes you walk away from the theater still thinking about what happened in the film. The artistic design used throughout this film is breathtaking and it has quickly become one of my favorites.

75 Winters of Shredding in Sun Valley

shredicusmaximusLeave a comment

It’s 2011 and with that, the 75th winter season is underway at Sun Valley Idaho’s world renowned ski resort, known to the locals as “Baldy.”

The walkway is adorned with the flags of other countries as you cross the bridge over the Snake River to the River Run Lodge. Ski rental shops and food stands stake ground here to welcome the skiiers and boarders to another winter of powder days and perfect corduroys. If you’re lucky, someone might pay you to use your lift ticket when you’re coming off the mountain.

Home to the steepest downhill slope in all of America, (the path is Ridge, Christmas Bowl, Cold Springs) Sun Valley Ski Resort lies right in the heart of Ketchum, a quiet Idaho town located deep within the mountains. Lindsey Vonn, and John Kennedy Jr. and Arnold Schwarzenegger have cruised the catwalks along the side of the mountain, Shawn White has graced the half pipe, and many olympic skiiers throughout the generations have flown down the groomers since the inaugural winter in 1936.

I have skiied on this mountain since 2000 and the lift tickets in my family’s ski closet display over a 20 year evolution of passes. I did my first 360 and rode my first double diamond on that mountain, I have eaten at the various lodges, got caught in a few blizzards, have skiied in the spring with a short sleeve t-shirt and have had some of the best times I’ve had at River Run. Happy Birthday Baldy, and many more to come. I’ll see you again in February.

For more information on this awesome place, please visit http://www.sunvalley.com/

Happy Shredding

Welcome To the Future

sennymcflyLeave a comment

The Jetson days have arrived!

In the early 1960’s people predicted that cars would fly and a robot named Rosey would clean your house. And while we don’t walk around in skin tight jump suits and don’t have glass elevators in our living rooms, we have certainly reached a new age for technology.

We gawked when they created the iPad. We jumped when they came up with the cell phone. We screamed for the new computer technology and we gasped at the invention of the car. Now, our eyes are open from forehead to chin and our mouths have dropped all the way down to our toes at the idea of a self-controlling automobile. That’s right! A car that can DRIVE ITSELF.

Jetsons

Rosey can’t believe it either. It turns out that Mercedes, a car company known for its slick style and prestige, may have created a vehicle that will change transportation for the better and rid the world of their fear of driving.

Just think…no more reckless driving, no more crashes and – not that I condone drunk driving – but the chances of losing your son or daughter at the hand of some idiot driver can be reduced to about one in a million…well, hopefully.

The only drawback is the price. This Mercedes made car will burn a very large hole in your wallet, a big $100,000 hole. But, if this incredible new invention blows up, then let’s hope that prices will lower and we will finally feel safer on the road.

So, is this new self-operating vehicle too good to be true? Well, the idea is still very young and still a prototype, but we will soon find out. Goodbye to reckless driving, hello to the future of automotive.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/innovation/01/09/cars.future.ces/index.html

The Da Vinci Code Revealed

vabenissimoLeave a comment

Finally, after months of research, the results are here. The Da Vinci Code truly exists in one of the most famous paintings of the world, Mona Lisa.

“Invisible to the naked eye and painted in black on green-brown are the letters LV in her right pupil, obviously Leonardo’s initials, but it is what is in her left pupil that is far more interesting,” said Italian researcher Silvano Vinceti, the chairman of the Italian national committee for cultural heritage.

On her left pupil, the two letters, mostly likely to be B and S than C and E are written. S could represent the House of Sforza, where she belongs.

Also, under the right arch of the bridge in the background, 72 or L2 is covertly revealed. Some people might relate the number 72 to Jewish religion. However, I believe the number 7 symbolizes the time God took to create the world and the number 2 might signify a male and a female as most others agree in theory.

After all, the character Robert Langdon from Dan Brown’s series of novels is not merely fictional. Many researchers are now pursuing to decode the mysterious messages alluded by Leonardo Da Vinci, a genius in symbolism.

Australian National Disaster

smackyjackjack1 Comment

 

Many parts of the world are being hit with large and unforeseen storms, but none can match the devastating floods in Australia. The unprecedented amounts of rain have caused major floods that are devastating the country’s economy, environment and society.
The floods in the south of Australia have been going on for  a while, but it just got much worse. One city named Toowoomba has been one of the hardest hit. The floods there all started when a small valley got 6 inches of rain in 30 minutes.  The water then funneled out of the valley and caused a 25 ft. tall tsunami of water to go rushing through the surrounding area.  It rushed through Toowoomba and killed at least 2 people and 70 more are missing or injured.  The worst is still to come, however, because the water is headed towards Australia’s third most populated city: Brisbane.

The floods are also pounding other towns in the north. An area roughly the size of Texas and New Mexico is underwater (That includes many small towns and cities).  The water also is causing environmental disasters. The water has picked up pesticides and other toxic wastes and flooding them into the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef is one of the world’s largest and most prolific reefs. The floods have also washed away farms making the cost of food go up a whopping 30% in Australia.