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After reading this blog I am starting to feeling a little better. While I don't really like the lack of sunlight on my shoulders, I guess it is a good thing that we aren't having a long warm spell or we could end up flooding a lot of people across the country.
Gold Bar Nature Trails (not a nudist camp) is a few miles away from where I live. Most trips we enter Highway 18 in Federal Way and cross to I90 to the north. We can take a long leisurely ride through the countryside passing by Snoqualime Falls and the towns of Fall City, Carnation, and Duvall. We arrive in Monroe and head east on Highway 2 which is a mountain byway. From Monroe you pass through Sultan, Startup and Gold Bar to get to the park. These are the foothills of Highway 2 as it starts to climb up to the summit and over into eastern Washington
While we are not that far from civilization, at times it feels like we are off deep in the woods. And yet the modern conveniences are only a few minutes away.
This creek, May Creek, runs through the park. These pictures were taken from a bridge built by the park so that we could access the other side of the creek where there are roughly 30 campsites. Normally this creek is a dry bed during the summer months and frankly, I can't recall the last time I saw this much water running through it. Even in the winter. It was wet and raining the day I was out and about taking these photos. In fact, there were puddles big enough to bath in on most roads within the compound.
An while it looks like I might be walking deep in the woods this is actually the tree cover over the road near the creek.....Can't believe everything you see in pictures..
Drive save out there....


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Lots more fun was to be had during our vacation to Cape Cod! If you missed the first part, go here.
Of course there was more eating…
Mmmmm…..Arnold's in Eastham. Great fishwich's, crabcake sandwiches and onion rings. (We went here twice….)
We also took a bike ride on the Cape Cod Rail Trail:
Another day was a drive up to the very tip of Cape Cod, Race Point. Gorgeous views:
We also went to the Wellfleet Drive-In! So fun. A double feature for only $9 each. Of course, me being my usual hyper-about-getting-to the-movies-and-getting-a-good-seat-but-in-this-case-parking-spot self, I insisted we get there before the 7:00 box-office opening time (movie started at 7:50). We got there at ten minutes to 7:00 and they were already letting people in. So, of course I panicked more, thinking everyone else but us knew this and now there would be no good spots. However, we spoke to the nice parking attendant who told us where the best place to park was, and we got a great spot! The weather was nice, we brought sandwiches for dinner, and knitting of course, for while we waited:
And the movies were funny: We're The Millers and The Heat.
So, that's my Ecuador sweater that I mentioned starting in my last post. Except you can't really see it because it was getting dark and it's curling up. So here is a pinned out, further along version:
This picture makes the colors look more stark and contrasting than I think it looks in real life. And I know, it looks weird. It is a very interesting construction. The rectangle is the "back", which actually is the upper back. The part sticking out of the top is actually the left front. Stay tuned.
The next day, there was a flea market at the drive-in, which we of course attended and of course did not leave empty-handed:
1950's step stool: $10 books: $8 socks: $5 paintbrushes: $1
Every. Day. For my favorite Dirt Bombs (a plain donut tasting muffin, dipped in butter, then cinnamon/sugar ---- o.m.g.) and a danish for Paul. Yes, the last post had a place for breakfast that we went to (twice) which would imply that some days we had two breakfasts, since we went to this bakery every day. Not really. Sometimes these were for breakfast dessert (or you may call it a midmorning snack) and sometimes they were for dinner dessert. Everything at this bakery is yummy. Everything.
You are probably saying, "You went to Cape Cod. Did you even go to the beach????" We did. On the morning we left. We rode our bikes and sat with no one else there:
Looked for rocks and shells for our shelf at home:
(You may now be saying, "Hey, that looks like Liz's blocking towel." And you would be right.)
…and took the obligatory you-stand-in-front-of-the-pretty-water-and-clouds picture:
It was a great vacation…

subset: commoncrawl


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Wednesday's Flavors
Today, we baked five or six flavors for our customers. They were:
- Red Velvet
- Strawberry Swirl
- Pumpkin Spice
- Honey Vanilla
- Dark Chocolate Bliss
- Vanilla/Chocolate
- Chocolate Dream
- Chocolate Whisper
Quite a bit of flavors, wouldn't you say? Either that or my math is off - now that I count that list, we baked eight different flavors. Today is Earth Day and Administrative Professionals' Day so we had to churn quite a few cupcakes by 9:00am for our corporate clients. If you're thinking of ordering cupcakes for delivery or pick-up in Atlanta, we are your people.


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A 918 Litronic
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Gallery loading.
|Operating weight
|17,600 - 19,800 kg
|Engine output (ISO 9249)
|120 kW / 163 HP
|Emission stage
|Backhoe bucket capacity
|0.17 - 1.05 m³
See countries
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Check out this beautiful new faucet Alex installed at our kitchen sink! The faucet we replaced was a very, very basic builder-grade, chrome-finished number to which we had installed a little flow-control doo-hickey (like this)so that we could get a little sprinkler action going. You can kind of see it in the panorama picture). Thanks to the half hour or so that Alex spent on his back under the sink atop some creatively arranged pillows, I can now remove the end of the spigot, thus extending the telescoping hose, to spray down the sink or bulky items with ease. It's brushed nickel, to match the hardware on our cabinets, and it totally upgrades the space. I may or may not be stoked to wash the dishes. I'm sure that feeling'll wear off in time.
I don't have a lot of kitchen sink stories.
Actually, maybe there's one.
Once, I froze my finger, and I learned how to react in an emergency.
After I quit gymnastics (I was 10, and had competed for 3 years before a knee injury set me back), my parents encouraged me to choose another sport. I picked swimming and volleyball. I stuck with the swimming, but I proved a bit vertically challenged for the latter. Nevertheless, I played recreationally with some of my classmates for about 3 years in middle school. One day at practice I jammed my pinky finger on the ball.
For some reason, when I was younger and had a minor injury (such as a pulled muscle), I was afraid to tell my parents. I would sneak ice packs from the freezer up to my room and apply them to the affected area, preferrably under the covers of my bed while reading a book, to disguise the fact that I might be injured, and thereby preventing a barrage of questions and parental concern, however warranted it may have been.
So, true to form, as soon as we got home from volleyball practice that day, I snuck a re-useable ice pack from the freezer. This thing was way larger than I needed for just my lone pinky finger, mind you, but I was determined to ice that sucker for 20 minutes so no one would ever know I had been hurt at practice. Luckily, my dad was outside working on the front porch railing, so I was uninterrupted for what I perceived to be the necessary time to make this hurt magically disappear.
After twenty minutes of being entombed in the ice pack, my finger was frozen. I knew this because when I tapped my finger on the wooden kitchen table, it made the same sound that ice would make, if I were to tap ice on the wooden kitchen table. I nervously drummed my other fingers just to make sure there was indeed a difference. There was. Indeed. And so I went wailing out to my dad, trying to explain that actually I had withheld some information when he asked me how practice went. I had jammed my finger during volleyball practice, I iced it like I was supposed to, and now look!
Tap tap tap. On the wooden porch railing. Is this what a skeleton feels like?
While I cried at my foolish fears, Dad ushered me back inside and turned on the kitchen faucet. He ran the water lukewarm and stuck my finger under the running current. After a couple minutes, I could sense the feeling returning to my finger, and was so grateful that I wouldn't have to have my finger amputated (I had an active imagination, you see).
Once it was back to normal, I'm sure my dad said something like "See? You'll be fine," and went back to work like nothing had happened. And I was fine! More than my finger that was wiggling once again, it was his mannerism, void of judgment or criticism or fear, but full of kindness in a neutral sort of way, that set me at ease. While I don't remember his exact words, I suppose his actions are how I learned how to react in an emergency (whether it's an actual emergency or just a perceived one): Remain calm. Assess the situation. Do what you can. But above all, remain calm.
Recently, at one of his favorite dog parks, Nero and another dog crashed into a tree. Nero was happily chasing a pal around the park, weaving in and out of the trees–this is central Virginia, after all, it was a forested area. A third dog wanted to join in the fun, and intercepted them from the side, instead of falling in line behind. Her timing was such that this new dog crashed into a tree and blindsided Nero into doing the same.
I didn't see the actual crash, but I heard it, and my head whipped around in time to see all the dogs wondering what just happened. It was like when a kid falls on the playground, and every other kid knows the one who took a tumble is about to cry but is trying hard to fight back the tears, and so they linger around, unsure whether to run away or try to help.
Nero stumbled a few steps, limped slightly on one of his front legs, and had one of his eyes half-shut. Alex reached Nero first and the other humans present checked on the other crash bandicoot pup. In retrospect, if this had been a cartoon, I realize that Nero would have had a bunch of yellow stars spinning above his head while he regained his wherewithall. Perhaps he did actually see stars, wondering what evil force had interrupted his delightful afternoon run. We'll never know.
We quickly checked his vision, gently rubbed his head and his leg (which produced no signs of wincing), and did everything we could do to make sure he was okay. Fortunately, less than 45 seconds later, Nero was prancing around again, fetching his frisbee from the water, and greeting other dogs that entered the park. We nervous puppy parents breathed a sigh of relief. Dogs are admirably resilient creatures.
Nero's at home resting now, following Rogue around and making sure all is well in our backyard, and he shows no sign of unusual behavior, thank goodness.
Now I know why my parents were so concerned if I ever complained of any hurt – physical or emotional. Heaven help us when Alex and I have kids of our own.
Tonight as I stand at my new kitchen sink washing the dinner dishes, I will say a word of thanks, for the lesson from the kitchen sink of my youth that clearly helped me deal with what could have been a disastrous afternoon. Reacting calmly is pure instinct now; it's after-the-fact that I let my imagination get the best of me, and I shiver at what could have been. And as I flip between the stream and the shower setting on the faucet, I will also say I'm sorry, for ever having taken our dogs' presence and health for granted. They are truly the sunshineiest gifts in our lives right now. If you have furry creatures in your life, be sure to give them a big hug and rub their bellies for an extra long time tonight.
Nero's out back soaking in the last of the evening sun. I can see him from my kitchen sink.


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|Crystal collection
|Atlantean Quartz on the Sand they Grew Up
|Crystals : I love born to be wild
|Beautiful crystal
|Beautiful Grounding crystal necklace by Daughter of the Sun
As a kid my earliest 'wants' in life were a big Amethyst Geode and a big crystal ball. I am still mesmerised by all the beautiful patterns and textures that these natural objects have been formed in, why would you want a diamond when you could have Turquoise, Lapis, Moonstone or Labradorite? Whether you believe in crystal healing or not, they are pretty darn cool aren't they?.
xxx Gabi xxx
|It's arrived and even more beautiful in 'person', thank you Amy xxxx
Whilst collecting pictures for this post I came across this awesome video By Todd Selby, defiantly worth a watch, this dude is awesome...xxx
Williams's Crystal corner , A selby film
You have read this article collections / crystals with the title Collections : Crystals ....... You can bookmark this page URL http://liberalsmithy.blogspot.com/2012/03/collections-crystals.html. Thanks!


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Another way to phrase my students' dilemma is that they don't know whether to regard strange writing as ("deep") avant-garde literature or ("random") nonsense. It's a hard thing to figure out, especially if you're not much in the habit of reading poetry.
I was tickled to run into this video of the MSNBC pundit Rachel Maddow explaining dada:
Peter Bürger it's not; as Maddow admits, "art history class was a long time ago."
Maddow raises dada as a possible explanation for an incoherent John McCain ad: perhaps it's incoherent because he's trying to smash art as an institution. By identifying it as dada, we could file it in the "deep" category. Of course, Maddow is really trying to argue that it's not "deep" at all, but rather "random."
But Maddow's satire hinges on a (supposed) formal similarity. Both dada and this ad are identified as incoherent. That doesn't actually help my students tell them apart!
This is why we need better shorthands for avant-garde writing than "weird stuff."
In my dissertation I show that the mama of dada is really Nana.


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Meal Angels Ministry
Meal Angels are volunteers who buy the food, prepare the meals and deliver them to your house. We fix meals for families who are unable to prepare their own meals due to health reasons, and for families with a newborn to give them a few weeks to get settled and welcome their new "addition" to the family. Presently we are preparing meals for 7 families in the Parish.
How Meal Angels Was Started
Meal Angels started in July 2009 when a couple from the Parish needed help. The wife had cancer. She mentioned that the husband could not boil water, and she longed for home cooked meals. We got a call from our Parish Nurse asking if we could arrange meals for them. From there, the Ministry grew. Eventually, we were asked to take over the Fishes and Loaves Ministry which had been preparing meals for families who had just had a new baby.
Meal Angels Giving History
~ Prepared & Delivered 5667 meals to 74 different families from June 2009 through December 2016
~ Dec 2010 we also included families having newborns
~ Since Lent 2010 the Knights of Columbus have donated meals from their Fish Frys to some of our families.
~There are over 350 people who receive Meal Angel emails. Some receive them so they can include the families in their prayers. Of these 340 people, around 150 to 175 are "Meal Angels" preparing and delivering food.
Volunteer Information
When information is received about a family in need, an email is sent to the volunteers listing: the dates meals are needed, information about any special dietary needs, and the number of people in the family. We schedule meals one month at a time. Volunteers that can help, email back the dates they are able to prepare meals. They are emailed back a verification that the date requested is still available and the directions to the family's(ies') home(s). No names are given out, only the addresses.
We request that the meals consist of: salad, entree with meat, potato, vegetable, sometimes rolls, and a dessert. Meals should be brought to the families in disposable containers. They are delivered cooked and ready to eat. Each family has a cooler on their front porch that the meal is placed in during the time specified. If they do not have a cooler, we,(The Meal Angel Ministry) will provide one for them. You don't have to ring the doorbell when delivering, just place the meal in the cooler. The family knows to look in the cooler during specified times. This protects their privacy and does not make them answer the door if they are not feeling up to it.
There are some "Angels" who, due to jobs, other commitments or insufficient time to cook, order a meal to be delivered. It is all prepaid, including the tip, and delivered to the family. If the volunteer lets me know they are doing that, I notify the family that a delivery is coming. Some also volunteer to deliver food for those that have cooked but cannot deliver. Gift cards to restaurants are also welcome, call me if you would like to donate gift cards.
If You Are In Need Of The Meal Angels or You Know Of Someone Who Isor You Would Like to Volunteer:
Contact us by phone or e:mail
e:mail: email@example.com phone: 815/212-4837, Terrie Murphy, Meal Angel Coordinator
"Do not neglect to do good and share what you have,for such sacrifices are pleasing to God."
Hebrews 13:16


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Cedar Creek Seventh-day Adventist Church
11111 NE Cedar Creek Rd • Woodland, WA 98674
The Ministries of our Church
The ministries of this church are the life blood of this church. Become involved where your spiritual needs can be fulfilled and where you can share what God has done in your life. Whether it is joining our Sabbath morning Bible Study or joining one of our small group events we want for you to find a place to serve and a place to grow as a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Make sure you check out the ministry opportunities we have to offer!
Upcoming Events
The Bible Says
Family First
Staying Young


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Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Funny Kid
Jack Jack is becoming more of a big boy every minute! He started putting words together a couple months ago, and since then, the boy's been cracking jokes and really expressing himself. One of his first sentences was "Dada work" when Dad wasn't home. He began using this same explanation for anyone who came to mind, but wasn't at our house. "Grandma work." "Jov Jov work." (That's his buddy, one-year-old Jovie who you'll see in this post later.) Other examples include "Mama's water" (yep, he's got possessives down!), "water drink", "kitty out", "jacket off!" etc. Most of his sentences are two and three words at this point, and I am happy to report that he's getting pretty good at asking with "please", and his "thank you"s and "sorry"s are melt-your-heart cute. In fact, he just asked me for "more princess water" and handed me an empty princess sippy. When something falls down, he'll often say, "uh oh a cheerio!". The little rhyme delights him.
Although he's probably a better enunciator than Harper was, he's still a baby. The other night he was repeating "cream bubbles" over and over and I couldn't understand the first word. I thought it might be game, and it was holding me up. Finally, I remembered the bubble gum ice cream in the freezer and realized he was trying to request it! When I finally said, "Oh! You want bubble gum ice cream!" he clapped his hands to signal I'd gotten it right.
Jack's making more connections lately. A week or so ago, I was totally perpelexed about why Jack kept saying "sticky" when he was reading a book with animals in it. I knew the book wasn't sticky and he seemed to get more frustrated every time he said it. I looked at where he was pointing and it began to make sense. He was touching the picture of a tree frog and expecting it to be sticky but it wasn't. Another book of his (one from Aunt D, for his 1st birthday) was a touch and feel, and the photo of the tree frog had sticky fingers. Once I gave him the book with the tacky fingers, he felt satisfied.
Another evening E and I were talking about weekend plans, planning to attend the Clarks' "Soup Sunday". He overheard the word "Clark's" a few times and he started asking for "Chlo Chlo". I was amazed that he knew Chloe was a Clark even though her name had never been mentioned. He definitely understands more than we realize!
He has several books memorized and a good memory in general. If I pause while reading, he often fills in the blank in his baby-voiced-version-of-the-missing-word. He surprised me the other night by knowing what was beneath the flap of a book when we hadn't read it in forever and I didn't even remember!
I haven't posted in a while, so here are some shots of Thanksgiving. Here he is playing at the Tootles' house, offering Mama a leaf he has found.
Aunt Carie, Mama, Jack, and Aunt Erica
This is Jack's hug. He hugs like he means it-- rests his head against your neck on your shoulder nice and tight. Jack's a fantastic hugger, and he asks for hugs often.
This was a hilarious moment at the end of the day. Jack Jack had been telling me "shoe" all day long and I couldn't figure out why he was so preoccupied. I'd taken his shoes off and on several times for diaper changes already, but at the end of the evening, I pulled off his sock to discover Jack had been wearing a toe ring the entire Thanksgiving day.
Harper likes to play while I am putting away laundry, and I had seen her recently putting her rings into a sock so I think when I pulled the sock on him the ring was already waiting for him there. Somehow it maneuvered onto his little toe. When I pulled off the sock to discover this, I burst into laughter and urged E to get the camera. Jack was a little confused about the excitement over his toe/foot, hence the upset face. Ha!
Jack's second holiday season was much more participatory than his first. Here's Jack trying to spin the dreidel. He loved the dreidel game because of the chocolate. In fact, he learned the word "chocolate" as a result of the Hanukkah season. Chocolate is one of Jack's favorite things.
Here's Jack opening his Hanukkah gift from Aunt D and Uncle Marty-- an okapi, of course! They knew of Jack's love for "neigh neigh"s and chose the closest endangered version from WWF's donation page for Jack Jack. It was a hit!
Here's Jack helping to decorate our tree, enchanted by the lights.
I was worried this season would be full of broken ornaments, but I am happy to report that only one Big Bird ornament lost a limb during the course of the season. He got dropped on the tile. Otherwise, Jack was a good boy about not playing with the ornaments. Jack's good about not-doing what has been designated as a "no no", but he's not so good about coming when called, that type of thing. He's also great about following directions like putting things in the trash for me, handing things to Harper, relaying short messages to Dad, holding my hand when we're walking.
Here's Jack playing in his little cave at Grannie's house, Christmas celebration night. He loved to peekaboo out of it and crawl back in over and over-- it was just his size.
Just like Harper
Jack continues to look up to his big sister, and he tries to do everything like her. The good news is, she's usually doing good things like reading books or being polite. As a result, he's a braver boy and can do more things because he's trying stuff he wouldn't otherwise. But she's not perfect either. He's picked up some attitudinal maturity because he's got an older sibling, and they don't always agree. They get into little tiffs, but it never lasts more than 15 seconds. (He's learned all about the naughty chair the last few months, and it's helped us to establish some boundaries.) When it comes down to it, though, they're great friends. Harper calls him "Little Buddy" and when Harper pretends that she's in fairy princess school, Jack is her "little boy assistant", and he plays the role gladly.
Jack looks out for Harper, too. Whenever I dole out a snack, or pretty much anytime I give him anything, he asks for one for Harper, too, and then he delivers it to her. I know he misses her when she's at school because he says "bye bye sister" ( he pronounces, "sitser"), and when I announce it's time to get her he claps his hands and smiles.
He is more interested in books lately and can sit for longer stories. His favorite book is "The Jolly Barnyard" (a little Golden book). Other favorites include "I am a Bunny", "Busy Horses" (a Christmas gift from Uncle Steve and Aunt Erica), "Goodnight Moon", and any Elmo book. Here he is reading with his guest and buddy, Jovial.
And here they are at Jov's 1st birthday party, checking in on each other. Jack adores Jov, even kissed her picture several times during the holidays when their Christmas card was within reach.
Jack's become more attached to our extended family and friends over the last few months. He talks about people he misses and its nice to know that he has so many people who love him and who he loves back. Grandma watches little Jack while I work Thursday mornings and they've got a nice relationship growing. She remarks that Jack is "such a boy" and that he "sure knows what he wants". It's fun to hear another perspective on my kids and I feel so lucky and grateful that Jack and Harper are so well cared for when I'm away.
This is Jack napping in our bed. We still haven't gotten him a big boy bed, so he's still in ours. I simultaneously look forward to having more space to move and a less stiff neck in the morning, and also LOVE his cuddles and the quiet warm peaceful space we create when he's on my arm. Here, Sadie moved in for some of Jack's lovey warmth and it was worth risking him waking to click the camera of this shot. (Luckily, he didn't wake!)
Here's Jack doing his "Phoney Bologna" face-- fake cry. Just had to post it.
And here he is moments later eating with a fork. He's eager to feed himself and has been using a fork since just after Thanksgiving.
Jack got this toy from Harper for Hanukkah. It's great-- teaches colors, shapes, AND it's got Sesame Street characters with Elmo's voice prompting the activities. Jack has mastered shapes since we got this toy and can identify colors with about 90% accuracy these days.
He's pretty happy to play with his toys or look over books, but nothing replaces a playmate or listening to a story on someone's lap. He loves to sing "Baa Baa Bamba" (a song from Sesame Street) and replace it with different animal sounds. That's endlessly funny to Jack. Harper and Jack are into hide and seek lately, and he's learning to count because of it. He can say "1, 2... 6... 9" so far. His new joke today was pretty funny. He's been saying "Shabbat Shalom" for a couple weeks and tonight he replaced 'shalom' with 'shine bear' (Harper's Care Bear) and said "Shabbat Shine Bear!" We all cracked up through lunch at his alliterative genius.
Here's Jack doing his "big lips" face. Anything for a laugh!
The boy gets more fun all the time.
Posted by Ruthie at 8:00 PM 3 comments:
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Email Harper
We just created an email account for Harper. She's writing to her friends overseas, but she'd also love email from her local buddies! She's way into checking it, and I type her thoughts for her replies. Feel free to add her to your address book.
harpersequoia (at) gmail.com
harpersequoia (at) gmail.com
Posted by Ruthie at 1:20 PM 1 comment:
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Such a Good Girl
It's been so long since I updated this blog with actual content about Harper's life and personality. Guilt aside, I begin this post with so much gratitude for my good girl. I know that I'll never be able to remember all of the sweet moments of Harper's (or Jack's) life and that sometimes pains me, but in the constant push ahead sometimes a moment of notetaking provides a poultice to the ache. We all know Harper is smart, sensitive, imaginative, kind, loving... but the following stories illustrate those qualities. They're typical and revealing, normal to Harper and yet indicative of her uniqueness.
Christmas night, our good friends Kyle and Laura were over and Harper read the first page of The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming, by Lemony Snicket for them. Here's the entire text for your amazement.
This story ends in someone's mouth, but it begins in a tiny village more or less covered in snow. The snow had fallen during the long night, during which children had pressed their faces to the windows looking for a glimpse of a man who they suspected of bringing them wonderful gifts, but instead they heard a terrible noise from a certain cottage in the neighboring arrondissement, a word which here means "place where something was being born." The cottage was already regarded with some suspicion, as it was the only place not decorated with flashing colored lights at this time of year.
I admittedly helped her with the word 'arrondissement', but that was the only one I recall her struggling with. Although I hear her read often, this impressed even me because the syntax of this book is so adult, leaving less contextual clue for Harper's whole-language approach to decoding. She's a ridiculous reader.
Speaking of reading, Harper has begun what we call "reading in her mind", or silently reading. The first time we saw it was on Black Friday while standing in line and E quizzed her to see if she was actually reading/understanding. She was.
The girl still reads in the mornings when she wakes too early and the sound of pages turning has replaced the calls out for Dad or Mom. It's such a nice way to wake up, hearing my girl turning pages.
Her facility with language includes lots of idioms and grown up expressions these days. It seems she likes to include them or finds them fun. Phrases she tosses include "That's unfortunate," the yiddish "Oy vey, mein tatala," "It's no use", "Good as new!", "I feel bummed out.", etc.
Harper continues to be a very specific, detail-oriented girl. When we play and pretend with her, she often directs how or what we should say in response to her questions. "Pretend you're sleeping and you don't want me to wake you." It's like she's giving us our motivation before we go on stage to improv. She sets up scenes and she has a favorite opener/cue to let us know we're beginning to pretend together. "Um, hi, I'm looking for the ballet school. Did I come to the right place?" The answer is always supposed to be "Yes" and then you carry on with what follows. Here are a couple pretend photos from recent playing. Note her new side kick in pretendworld: Jack Jack!
Some of her favorite pretend scenarios include: fairy princess school, ballet, regular school, animal doctor, Mama/baby, ice skating with hands behind her waist in slippers on the tile, switching roles/relations (i.e. "You be Dada, I'll be Jack, Daddy will be Harper, and Jackie can be you... okay?). Here she is at Jovial's birthday party, playing teacher to the group of kids at pretend school. She also played "family" and she was the mom, Miles the dad, the rest were their kids.
She also started learning to use the computer and has gotten the hang of the mouse. She's spent a few hours so far playing on a preschool game site, starfall.com. She really likes the stuff there. Though it's a bit simple in terms of content, the motor skills and ease with the computer is beneficial.
She has a great vocabulary but still speaks in a 3 year old's voice, which makes the words sound extra cute. E likes to ask her why we use utensils at meal times (his gentle way of reminding her to use a fork) and she picks up her fork and answers, "Because we're civilized." She is very polite, almost to a fault! She begins many sentences with "Excuse me", even when she's not interrupting a conversation or getting someone's attention. After her ballet recital the other night, I overheard her telling a peer, "Excuse me, you look really pretty in that crown." Harper likes rules and likes things to be right.
Speaking of ballet recital, Harper loved dancing in the show! She beamed and I was amazed that she was so enthusiastic in her performance when her cohort was only 3 girls and the crowd was quite large! She loved the entire thing. She's doing great with ballet, but she has one noticable handicap in her left handedness. Her instinct is always to begin with the left foot, turn to the left, point her left toe when the routine always does right first. This aside, she still stole the show.
During the holiday season, she celebrated Hanukkah and Christmas and really enjoyed both. At storytime at the library, the librarian read one Hanukkah book alongside many Christmas books. When she began, Harper jumped up from her seat, walked up to the front to be sure the librarian would hear her, and said, "Hey! I'm Jewish!" enthusiastically. It charmed everyone because of her sweet pride. I could tell she really appreciated the affirmation of the Hanukkah book at the library-- the validation of both sides of her when the world in December is all Christmas, Christmas, Christmas. Harper helped us light the menorah each night and sang the prayers. After the first night of celebrating over at Grandma's, Harper came home all high on being Jewish. As we got her ready for bed that night, Harper told me, "Mama, I love you anyway you're not Jewish." Such a thoughtful, hilarious kid! I loved the kid-syntax of replacing 'anyway' for 'even though'-- perfect example of how she is still a little kid but she often has the maturity and thinking of a much older person.
Harper also celebrated Christmas with my family. She enjoyed decorating the tree, learning carols, and writing a note to Santa. Her favorite Christmas carol was "Rudolph" and she sang that song over and over. It was cute to listen closely to what she was singing. Anytime she'd mess up a word, she'd pause to think, and then start it again at the very top. It killed me! She desires so much to do everything just right! Even singing a little song when (she thinks) no one is listening! She believes in Santa and wanted a glimpse so we went out to the mall to see him. Santa actually wasn't busy at the moment and stepped over to the side to talk to her. I thought she'd shout out her wish list or something, but instead she told Santa, "I've been good but sometimes Jackie is mean to me!" I was shocked that she was ratting her little bro out to Mr. Santa himself! But then she qualified a bit: "You can still bring him a toy, though." Harper "mailed" a letter to Santa, and also left this one for him on Christmas Eve.
The cousins got her her much coveted Baby Alive doll. Here she is opening the gift she'd longed for-- check that smile!
A few days later, she spent the night with the cousins and had a great time sleeping with Caroline and Savannah, staying up late watching movies and playing. When I arrived to pick her up, she had two french braids sprayed pink. She's the center of attention when she's at their house and she adores them!
I continue to like her school: I get little notes home letting me know the teachers are working on special projects with Harper and give her some extra challenges. Harper's the only one to have read books aloud to her preschool class, and she's the only kid allowed to pull the teacher's books off the shelf and read them alone if she wants.
Our girl continues to be sensitive, empathetic, and astute. This morning is a perfect example. I walked in her room and I suppose I didn't greet her as enthusiastically today because I woke with a sore throat. Harper climbed out of her covers and asked, "Mama, did you sleep okay last night?"
I answered, "Yeah, alright. Did you?"
"Uh, huh. I was just asking because you seem like you don't feel good."
"Actually, I don't feel well-- you're right, Harper."
How she picks up on the subtle stuff like this amazes me. She is very aware of others' feelings. Even when she is corraling Jack away from her breakable or fragile belongings, she comforts him with, "I still love you, little buddy!" Along with this emotionality comes some extra drama sometimes. Her go-to when she's feeling devastated is, "Now I'll never ____!" She emphasizes her feeling of futility, anger, or sadness by imagining the current disappointment as never-ending. Her lollipop stick breaks and the candy falls to the dirty ground? In a sensitive moment, Harper would probably stick out her bottom lip and say, "Now I'll never get to eat a lollipop!"
She is kind and loving, always looking out for Jackie. Their relationship is really developing lately. She often tries to hold his hand in the backseat of the car and sometimes he'll oblige. The other day on the way home from visiting family out of town, Jack fell asleep in the car. Harper whispered up to the front, "Mama, I just rubbed a little of my love onto Jackie". She had gently touched his hand because she couldn't resist his charming sleepiness. Another day, Harper had woken from her nap before Jackie and she came to join me in the "sewing room". She got her Hello Kitty coloring book out and colored alongside me while I finished up the last few stitches on a project. We chatted away together and after a brief pause, she asked me, "Can you feel my love, Mama?" I replied, "Yes, I can tell you just like to be near me, huh?" She answered, "Yeah." and I told her that I like to be near her too.
Here she is dressed to attend a princess-themed party. Pink, pink, pink!
and here she is at another friend, Syndie's birthday party, playing dress up.
Since she's been in school, Harper's really begun identifying with the common little girl stuff. She quickly rattles off that she likes purple and pink, Hello Kitty, My Little Pony, and Care Bears. She's figuring out the dynamics of her peer group and navigating childhood friendships.
I'm very proud of this special girl we are raising. Harper is a delight. Even in tough moments, her learning and her self is right there on the surface of her crying or mad face-- and she's a wonder even then.
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Sous-Chefs provide one video-format mixed media creative lesson, accompanied by one PDF-format favourite cooking recipe!
They should also be available for the two weeks following their lesson, to respond to and encourage students in the class discussion thread at Community Thrive, and private Soul Food class group on Facebook.
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We look forward to hearing from you!
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Mixed Martial Arts News and UFC News for all MMA fans. MMA blog with an active MMA community and opinionated MMA articles, come discuss and debate our beloved sport.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Top 10 Things I Learned From UFC 79
at 8:19 PM
UFC 79 was a great event, here's what I learned.
10. Lyoto Machida is no joke, whether or not you like his fighting style, the guy wins. Soko is a talented guy, but I think we all underestimated Machida's skills.
9. Melvin Guillard and Rich Clementi should not be allowed back in the UFC. Talking shit to each other is fine, hating each other is fine, but the way these 2 guys acted is just idiotic.
8. Okay UFC we get it, you hated the Pride Fighting Championships. The whole "we're not in Japan" thing is getting old.
7. I still don't understand why the UFC doesn't show ALL undercard fights, for 40-50 bucks most people want all the action they can handle and many times the undercard fights are great.
6. Georges St. Pierre will be the welterweight champion in 2008.
5. Take it from GSP, if you wanna beat a world class wrestler(Hughes, Koscheck) put them on their back.
4. Wanderlei Silva remains on the top of my list as the most entertaining fighter ever.
3. When Chuck Liddell wins, Dana White is the happiest man on earth.
2. Biased commentary is getting a little out of control. I watched the Liddell/Silva fight 3 times and you would think Chuck was fighting a nobody. All the replays were Chuck highlights and the knock down for Silva was discredited as a simple slip.
1. I don't care what anyone says Wanderlei Silva vs Chuck Liddell is in the top 3 greatest fights I've ever witnessed and for me it lived up to the hype.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Brand New Wanderlei Silva Video Interview
at 6:09 PM
Hey everyone this is a brand new interview from rawvegas.com's road to UFC 79. Good interview, if your an aspiring musician Wandy is looking for some entrance music and is accepting music through his website at wanderleisilva.com.br.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Sean Sherk Will Not Be Stripped of His Title
at 6:19 PM
****UPDATE, Apparently Sherk is now being stripped! Here's a LINK to the story****
UFC Lighweight Champion Sean Sherk will remain the champion, despite testing positive for steroids. Here's the meat of the article from mmafightline.
UFC president Dana White has gone back and forth on whether he would strip Sherk of his title were he to lose his appeal to the NSAC. First, White told Yahoo!Sports' Kevin Iole that Sherk would keep the title regardless of the outcome of his appeal, then a few days later, White backpedelled on those comments stating during a conference call that Sherk would probably be stripped of his title if he were to lose his appeal.
Read the rest HERE
Sherk has denied the positive test from the beginning and some in the MMA community would question the way CSAC has handled the whole situation. In any case Sherk and B.J. Penn need to get in the cage and fight. Until that happens many fans will still consider the lightweight belt in limbo.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
New Video Interview with Frank Mir About His Upcoming Bout with Brock Lesner
at 6:52 AM
Frank Mir weighs in on his fight with former pro wrestler turned MMA fighter Brock Lesner. Also an interview with Frank Trigg about his clothing line Triggonomics.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Modern MMA's First Death Occurs
at 8:50 AM
MMA fighter Sam Vasquez has passed away after complications from an MMA bout on October 20th he was 35. Heres a snippet from sherdog.
The Harris County Medical Examiner, which confirmed Vasquez passed at 8:15 p.m. CT, has not yet released the cause of death, the report said.
After enduring separate surgeries to remove blood clots from his brain as well as a massive stroke, Vasquez was discharged from downtown Houston's Saint Joseph Medical Center Critical Care Unit and transferred to an area hospice on Nov. 26.
On Wednesday Sandra Vasquez, the fighter's wife, told Sherdog.com, "He's about to go." Two days later, Vasquez, the father of a 7-year-old boy, lost his battle with the apparent affects of a regulated mixed martial arts fight.
Read the rest HERE
Friday, November 30, 2007
First M-1 Global Pay Per View Possibly Fedor vs Barnett
at 6:02 PM
Sam Caplan has reported that M-1 Global could hold their first Pay Per View in the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The report below.
ProElite.com (SamCaplan.ProElite.com) has learned through multiple sources that M-1 Global is leaning towards holding their first pay-per-view event in the U.S. in Newark, NJ at the Prudential Center, the same venue that hosted UFC 78 earlier this month.
Officials from M-1 recently visited the Prudential Center and were impressed with the venue and are looking at booking a possible date in February or March.
Chicago had been receiving serious consideration for the event but logistical issues are likely to prevent it from being the first host city for M-1.
However, logistical issues could be a factor in Newark as well because it is believed there are no available dates on Saturday in February in March. If the Prudential Center is booked, M-1 Global may have to consider holding an event on a Friday.
Matchups for the first show are already being discussed. A main event between Fedor Emelianenko vs. Josh Barnett is under consideration but Barnett is currently not contracted to the promotion. - Original Source Sam Caplan Blog
This is something that any real MMA fan would pay their hard-earned money to see. A Fedor vs Barnett matchup has long been a fight that fans have begged for. If M-1 Global can pull this off, along with some decent fights on the rest of the card then they may prove to be a real contender in the business of Mixed Martial Arts.
New Interview With Dan Henderson
at 3:03 PM
Hey guys here is an interview with Hendo from mmahawaii.com, pretty good interview except for the first couple minutes all they talk about is supplements?
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
New Video Interview with Wanderlei Silva
at 5:46 PM
Hey guys, check out this wanderlei interview, he weighs in on a number of issues.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 1
Part 2
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Why MMA Will Overtake Boxing
at 10:46 PM
Hey guys here's an article I wrote awile back about why I think Mixed Martial Arts will overtake boxing. Below is the article in its entirety.
Boxing has long been the king of the pay-per-view airways, and that still holds true, just barely. Although the recent superfight between Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr. grossed a record breaking $120 million, this was not the fight to save boxing. This was not even a great fight. The fight sold well on massive hype and the fighters names, but a fight you tell your grandkids about it was absolutely not.
"This puts to bed this theory of boxing being in trouble, or being dead or dying," said Ross Greenburg, head of HBO Sports. "This fight would have never materialized if boxing was dying." Sorry Ross, but he knows whats going on and he knows exactly why his sport is struggling so much. It has become tradition for HBO boxing announcer Jim Lampley to say something derogatory about Mixed Martial Arts, saying after the De La Hoya vs Mayweather fight that "Mixed Martial Arts is entertaining. The kind of skill level you saw in the ring tonight - there's nothing in mixed martial arts which is within light years of what Mayweather and De La Hoya are able to do with their hands."
Cheap shots aside, Lampley knows MMA is winning some battles in the war. Colorful UFC president Dana White knows it too, saying in his 60 minutes interview "When you start watching the UFC, boxing sucks, boxing is boring". He may be right on the money with that statement. Why watch 2 guys use one form of fighting discipline on each other, when you can watch 2 guys not only use boxing, but Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, Sambo, Kickboxing, Muay Thai, submissions and many forms of wrestling. If Lampley wants to talk about skill level why don't you ask a boxer to take 4 or 5 leg kicks without crying, protect against a shoot and takedown or avoid getting arm-barred, choked out or leg-locked. Boxer's only have to worry about getting punched and throwing a punch. So don't bring skill level into the discussion.
Lets take a look at the main reason boxing was popular in its hey days. The most often overlooked aspect of boxing's popularity is the presence of one true champion, usually heavyweight. These days we have no clue has to who that is in part because nobody's good enough to completley dominate. Its the allure of being labeled "unbeatable" that draws people to that kind of champion. Where would golf be without Tiger Woods and what happened to basketball when Michael Jordan retired the first time. In MMA there is this "unbeatable" champion, Russian heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko. Fedor is a mild-mannered stone cold fighter who is versed in every aspect of the MMA game. He is considered unbeatable by most, which makes it all the more appealing to watch his fights. If he ever loses it will be a major shock to anybody watching, which is why people tune-in. This affects all the fights because you watch an up and comer and think "could he be the one to take down Fedor"
UFC owners Zuffa {owned by Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta} recently bought their biggest competitor, Japanese promotion Pride Fighting Championship. From the perspective of die-hard fans Pride was considered to have the best fighters in the world. It was extremely popular in Japan, until Fuji TV terminated their contract. Pride couldn't handle the loss and had to sell. With Pride on board many superfights that was thought never to be possible are. Popular fighters such as Fedor, Wanderlai Silva, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and before the purchase Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson are now able to go up against the UFC's elite such as Randy Couture, Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell, Rich Franklin, B.J. Penn and Matt Serra. Being able to promote these kind of superfights will further cement MMA as a true young contender to an old champion, boxing.
One more aspect overlooked by skeptics is the fact that MMA has less serious injuries than boxing. Its not like in boxing where you may take over 100 punches to your head and midsection. Furthermore if you get knocked out in boxing you can get back up and take more punishment, in MMA if the ref thinks your knocked out for a second the fights over. So Lampley and other skeptics can moan all they want, but the facts are the facts and pay-per-view has a new shining prince waiting to be crowned king.
quotes provided by foxsports.com
Original Source
The Rise of Mixed Martial Arts
at 7:31 PM
Hey everyone, this is an article I wrote a while back for a website, obviously alot of things have changed since then(like some people thinking Fedor isn't number 1 anymore), but its an educational article for someone who may be new to MMA.
In the early days of mixed martial arts the concept was simple. Fighters used their specific fighting discipline against an opponent with a different fighting discipline. To prove their style was better they simply got in the ring and used the only style they had trained in for years. This mix of styles often resulted in boring matches. In November of 1993 the first event was held by entrepreneur Art Davie and son of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu creator Helio Gracie's son Rorion Gracie. They named their event Ultimate Fighting Championship now known as the UFC.
The only rules in these fights were no eye-gouging and no biting, but other than that anything else was allowed including groin shots and head butts. The event became popular as people were drawn to the violence and technique. Then came politics as many politicians denounced the sport for its brutal nature. Senator John McCain was so adamant about banning the UFC he was successful in making it illegal in all but 3 states. McCain, who is known for having connections in boxing, also had it removed from 90% of pay-per-view providers. While the UFC was struggling mightily, a promotion in Japan called Pride Fighting Championship was flourishing.
Pride fights were fought in a traditional ring and had slightly different rules than UFC. The UFC was bought by the Zuffa organization in 2001 a company with money and connections. Zuffa is owned by Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta with Dana White being the president. Zuffa was able to get the sport sanctioned in most states that McCain got it banned from. They also inserted boxing like rules with a point system, weight classes, outlawing techniques such as kicking a downed opponent along with rules that were already in place such as glove wearing, no groin shots and no head butts. With these rules in place viewers were able to see the amazing techniques used by the fighters realizing it wasn't just an all-out street brawl with no abilities. Fighters now combined many different fighting styles in fights including jiu-jitsu, boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, judo, sambo, greco-roman wrestling, submissions and other forms. Fighters in Pride and UFC became celebrities.
UFC owners Zuffa bought Pride recently and is now able to have Super-Fights that many people thought would never happen. Some examples would be Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlai Silva(Now on for December 29th at UFC 79), Fedor Emelianenko vs. Randy Couture and Couture vs. Silva. One of the things that makes MMA so popular now is the fact that there is a consensus greatest fighter in the world in Fedor Emelianenko. Boxing was at its finest when there was one man on top and Fedor is considered unbeatable by most, so if he does lose it would be a major shock. The allure of one guy dominating a sport like Tiger Woods or Roger Federer always makes the sport more popular because everybody is after him but no one can beat him. This sport will continue to grow as the reality TV show "The Ultimate Fighter" on Spike TV lets people in on the world of MMA. MMA is NOT a fad that will go away, its here to stay.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
UFC Announces Dan Henderson vs Anderson Silva
at 6:49 PM
The UFC announced at the post fight press conference that Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva will face Dan Henderson in March next year.
Heres the FULL ARTICLE from MMAweekly.
My Take- Man I'm counting the days for this fight to happen, what a war this should be. Both have ridiculous chins so a knockout is not likely, but both have serious power so you never know. The big question I think would be is if the wrestler Hendo will want to take Anderson down and hold him there or will Anderson's muay thai be too much. In any case there is plenty of time to dissect every angle of this fight, so for now I'm just really excited because this will one of the best main events in UFC history.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
ESPN Houston Alexander Video
This is a cool short interview with Alexander.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Exclusive Video Interview with Fedor Emelianenko
The fight network recently caught up with Fedor after winning the Sambo championship. Check this out Fedor says some seriously interesting things about the UFC.
Top 5 MMA Submissions of the Last Year
at 5:23 PM
There is nothing I love more than a good submission to end a fight. Its one of the most exciting moments in MMA, you see a fighter caught in a submission and you wonder can he escape it, is he gonna tap, will he go unconscious or will his arm/leg be broken. These are my top 5 submissions of the last year in MMA.
5. Frank Shamrock Rear Naked Chokes Phil Baroni Unconscious with Baroni's eyes still open- First time I've ever seen someone choked out with their eyes open. These 2 guys hated each other and after the fight Shamrock even admitted to holding the choke a little longer to punish Baroni for talking so much trash. If you watch the video it looks like Baroni is a corpse, its great! WATCH HERE
4. BJ Penn Rear Naked Chockes Jens Pulver at the TUF 5 Finale- The transitions that set up this choke were amazing. Pulver puts his arm up while BJ has his back for a split second, then in an instant secures that arm with his leg while grabbing his neck. Penn admitted later on to holding the choke longer to punish Pulver. WATCH HERE
3. Renato Babalu Sobral Anaconda Chokes David Heath Unconscious at UFC 74, Then Gets Fired from the UFC- Before this fight David Heath was wearing a shirt with Babalu's mugshot on it all weekend in Vegas. Apparently Babalu was pretty pissed off at the guy. Before the infamous choke Babalu had bloodied Heath to the point where it looked like both men were standing next to Stephan King's Carrie at the prom. Then he slaps the anaconda on tight, Heath starts tapping but Babalu keeps it in deep until Heath goes to sleep. Babalu would say that he couldn't feel Heath tapping, but was still fired from the UFC. WATCH HERE
2. Forrest Griffin Rear Naked Chokes Mauricio Shogun Rua at UFC 76- Probably the most shocking outcome to a fight in a long time. Coming into the fight Shogun was considered the second best fighter in any weight class in the world. To the suprise of many Forrest shows better ground skills and even better standup than Rua. Middle of the second round Shogun gasses, by the third he is totally gassed, Forrest gets his back and sinks the choke in to make sure the fight didn't go to a decision(which he would of won anyway) and shock many MMA fans. WATCH HERE
1. Nick Diaz Submits Takanori Gomi with a Gogoplata at Pride 33- This is one my favorite fights ever and a fight that everyone should see. These are 2 of the most entertaining fighters you will ever see and when they got in the ring together chaos ensued. Diaz is known for never letting you breath, he will keep on throwing lighter punches while his opponents throw powerful punches every now and then. Gomi landed a haymaker that dropped Diaz early on but Diaz has the ability to relax in the ring and weathered that one shot with ease. Late in the first round Gomi started to gas and Diaz took advantage with pitter patter punches, landing a ridiculous amount on Gomi's chin. In the second round Gomi gets a takedown, but in the process gets caught in the Gogoplata, amazing ending to an amazing fight. WATCH HERE
There were alot of great submissions the past year, but these are the ones I enjoyed the most.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Fedor Wins Combat Sambo World Championship, Again
at 11:14 PM
We all know that the main reason Fedor Emelianenko didn't sign with the UFC is that Zuffa, and Dana White wouldn't let him compete in Russian Sambo. Now this is something that he has done for years and has a deep passion for. Anyways I'll save my opinion of that for another time, here's a snippet of the story.
Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures) won the open-weight division of the 31st Combat Sambo World Championship on Nov. 10 in Prague. With the win, the 31-year-old Russian, widely regarded as the No. 1 heavyweight fighter in the world, defended the title he won two years ago in the Czech Republic capital.
Read the whole article HERE
Fedor is so far above the competition of Russian Sambo, probably even more so than mixed martial arts. Make sure you check my VIDEOS SITE in the coming weeks, I'll see if I can get a video of this.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
MMA Internet Slang for Noobs- Part 1
at 11:58 AM
I've been blogging about MMA for a while and I get alot of emails from people just getting into MMA wondering what some of the things I say mean. Well for those people I'm gonna make a list, a reference for newbs, so when they sign up for forums and discussion boards they know what more experienced users are saying. For the MMA die-hards, feel free to let me know what Im missing. This is part 1 of a 3-part series. If you know someone who is just starting out in MMA, make them read these articles before posting in forums. By the way MMA means Mixed Martial Arts!
*UFC- Refers to the American promotion, Ultimate Fighting Championships, considered the top promotion in the world.
*Pride- Refers to the now defunct Japanese promotion Pride Fighting Championships, which was bought by UFC owners Zuffa LLC.
*Wandy or Wand- Refers to Wanderlei Silva, one of the most popular fighters ever, known for his legendary staredowns and aggressive style, his nickname is "The Axe Murderer". Fought in Pride, now fights for UFC.
*Rampage or Page- Refers to Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, the current UFC Light Heavyweight champion. Rampage is known for his signature slams, hilarious commentary and a tense rivalry with Wanderlei Silva that produced 2 unforgettable fights.
*Fedor- Refers to Fedor Emelianenko, A Russian Heavyweight fighter and longtime Pride champion who is widely considered to be the best fighter in the world. Fedor recently signed with the promotion M1 Global, breaking many fans hearts who wanted to see him in the UFC.
*Crocop- Refers to Mirko "Crocop" Filipovic, A Croatian Heavyweight fighter who is known for his left high kick, kickboxing career and an unforgettable superfight with Fedor. Crocop signed with the UFC, but has lost 2 of 3 fights he was heavily favored to win.
*GSP or Rush- Refers to UFC Welterweight Georges St. Pierre, a Canadien fighter who is known for his athletic style and is considered one of the best fighters in the world. He was the UFC Welterweight Champion, until being derailed by heavy underdog Matt Serra.
*TUF- Refers to the Spike TV reality show about upcoming fighters vieing for a contract from the UFC called "The Ultimate Fighter".
*TTT- Means "To The Top", this is used in forums to bump up threads that have little or no responses.
*TUF Noob- Refers to a person who only started watching MMA because of the reality show The Ultimate Fighter. This is often a means of insulting somebody who makes a stupid forum post.
Those are the first 10, check in tommorow for part 2.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
The Axe Murderer vs The Iceman, Who Wins?
at 7:21 PM
With the recent announcement of Wanderlei Silva vs Chuck Liddell at UFC 79 a match that is long overdue, I want to give my prediction on who I think wins this superfight.
Both fighters are coming off two losses and both fighters lost their belts in the process. Silva was knocked out by heavyweight Mirko Crocop and then knocked out by Dan Henderson, while Liddell was knocked out by Quinton Jackson and then lost a split decision to Keith Jardine. Its fair to say both fighters are hungry to get back in the ring and prove themselves, but this is not just another fight, this is a fight that the MMA world has been eagerly anticipating for years. The stage was set at Pride Final Conflict 2003, but Rampage Jackson spoiled the party by forcing Liddell's corner to throw in the towel after Liddell was taking a viscious beating on the ground. Wanderlei ended up winning that tournament with a stoppage of Jackson later that night, thus cementing his place as the best 205 pounder in the world at the time. Oh how times have changed, Pride is defunct and Jackson is now on top of the rankings after beating Liddell and Henderson in the UFC. So who do I believe will win this match for the ages?
Striking- Both fighters are well known for knocking people out while standing. They both strike a little wider than the traditional method of punching. I would give the power advantage slightly to Chuck, while I would say Wandy is a little bit faster. Chuck doesn't really kick or knee anymore that much, while Silva is devasting with knees in the clinch, and to a lesser extent low kicks and kicks to the body. Both fighters can end the fight in the blink of an eye, Liddell more with one punch and Silva more with a flurry of punches, knees and kicks.
Ground Game- Wandy is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, he knows his submissions, he just chooses not to end his fights that way. Liddell hasn't been submitted in almost 8 years and Silva hasn't submitted anyone in 7 years so its not gonna happen. Liddell has an uncanny ability to get back to his feet after being on his back. I would predict that we wouldn't see much ground action in this fight and having Wandy stand over top of you while your on your back is not nearly as dangerous as it used to be because of UFC rules.
Grappling- Both of these guys are well versed in the wrestling aspect of MMA, of course in this fight, which is likely to stay standing, we'll probably see alot more upper-body wrestling than anything else. Of course Silva will want to work the clinch and Liddell will certainly want to avoid that and try for overhooks and underhooks. These guys will want to slug it out with punches, but Silva will certainly try to get in close and use his famous Muay Thai knees.
As for who has a mental edge in this fight, since both guys are looking to prove themselves again, neither of them really have an edge. I'm picking Wanderlei to win the fight. I think Keith Jardine exposed somewhat of a weakness in Liddell's game, low kick defense. Wandy knows how to use low kicks and I think he will use them to his advantage. I think Liddell will have some problems with Silva's Muay Thai clinch, not to the extent of Franklin/Anderson, but I think it will pose a credible threat to Liddell's gameplan, which is probably counter-punching. I can't wait for this fight to happen!
Monday, November 5, 2007
Q & A with UFC Star Houston Alexander
at 7:44 PM
Gary Herman over at cbs sportsline just had an exellent interview with up and comer UFC fighter Houston Alexander about his upcoming fight with the undefeated Thiago Silva. Heres a snippet.
Q: What are your thoughts on the upcoming fight with Thiago Silva?
A: It's going to be a very exciting fight. Thiago likes to come out just like I do. He wants to come right at you.
Q: How long do you think the fight will go? Will it be a quick one?
A: I'm not sure. It can go a minute, or it can go three rounds. It all depends on the type of fighter he wants to be. If he wants to go down quick, we can do it quick. If he wants to go down slow, we can do that also.
Q: One of the questions most people have had about your style is: What is your ground game like?
A: A lot of people have asked me that. I have two words for anyone asking -- Bob Shermer. Shermer has one of the top jiu-jitsu teams in the world, and I just happen to be working with him. I also have one of the best wrestling coaches in the Midwest in Curly Alexander. He has been a wrestling coach for 35 years. My ground game is great. It is just as good as anyone's in the UFC. It probably rates a little better then my stand-up. If these guys can get past my first line of defense, they'll get a chance to see it.
Read the rest HERE
Brock Lesner to Face Frank Mir
at 7:26 PM
Former pro wrestler turned mixed martial arts fighter Brock Lesner recently signed with the UFC. His first match was announced, Lesner will face former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir. Here's a snippet from sherdog.
The UFC on Monday announced that Lesnar (1-0) will fight former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir (Pictures) (10-3) Feb. 2 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Read the full article HERE
My Take- Frank Mir is obviously not what he once was, but he is still a very tough opponent for someone with only 1 mma fight under his belt. Lesner is obviously the stronger of the 2, but I would predict its gonna be a hard for Lesner to win this match against someone with alot of experience in the octagon.
Top 10 MMA Dream Matches- Sequels
at 2:15 PM
Yesterday I wrote the top 10 mma dream matches with no sequels, today its all about the second, third or fourth matches between fighters who already fought each other.
10. Fedor Emelianenko vs Mirko Crocop 2- The first fight between these was our Ali-Frazier as far as MMA goes. Although Crocop has lost 2 back to back fights in the UFC, many fans would love to see this rematch.
9. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs Mirko Crocop 2- The first fight is one of my favorite fights of all-time. Crocop was destroying Nog through the whole first round, landing numorous kicks and punches and stuffing every takedown attempt. Then as the second round started Nog shot in, got the takedown and secured the armbar. Would Crocop be able to finish him this time?
8. Forrest Griffin vs Mauricio Shogun Rua 2- The big question would be, would the real Shogun show up. For whatever reasons in the first fight Shogun did not look like himself, most notably gassing, when he is known for tremendous cardio. Forrest is a tough SOB and a second fight would be a war.
7. Wanderlei Silva vs Ricardo Arona 3- The ultimate grudge match, these 2 guys hate each other. Wanderlei no doubt is itching to get back in the ring with Arona after Arona yelled in his face after the last fight. Both fights were closely fought decisions and a third fight would be a rubber match for the ages.
6. Matt Hughes vs BJ Penn 3- How can fans not clamour for a third fight between these 2, the first 2 fights are classics. No doubt these 2 guys have amazing MMA skills and when they get in the cage together it will always be an entertaining bout.
5. Nick Diaz vs Takanori Gomi 2- The first fight is an amazing fight with a killer ending. Diaz tested positive for weed after the fight, which had nothing to do with his medifast coupons, so his victory is somewhat tainted, so they need to get back in there and bang it out again.
4. Fedor Emelianenko vs Ricardo Arona 2- The first fight is widely considered to be a very controversial decision which Fedor won. After the fight was over you can see the disbelief on Arona's face. Whatever you think of the first decision, a second fight would answer all the questions.
3. Randy Couture vs Josh Barnett 2- In the first fight, Couture was controlling the fight until he made a crucial mistake and Barnett finished him. These 2 guys are as tough as they come and another fight would no doubt be an entertaining affair.
2. Anderson Silva vs Ryo Chonan 2- Was the flying scissor heel hook a fluke submision? Anderson looks unstoppable right now and this would be a chance to avenge one of the more amazing losses I've evr seen in MMA. A second fight would probably see Anderson dominate.
1. Wanderlei Silva vs Quinton Rampage Jackson 3- The first 2 fights are Pride classics that I would show anyone looking to get into Mixed Martial Arts. These 2 have a long history of hating each other, remember the infamous "My Belt" incident. The main question would be, can Quinton overcome the mental aspect of being finished in devastating fashion both fights. Can Rampage avoid the knees of the Muay Thai legend? I really hope this fight happens, I would never be more excited to see a fight.
Ken Shamrock vs Frank Shamrock a Possibility?
at 1:50 PM
The president of the ElieXC is reportedly very interested in promoting a brother vs brother event. There's no blood relation between the 2, they were both adopted. Ken is 44 and Frank is 34. Heres a snippet from Gary Shaw courtesy of thefightnetwork.com.
"I talked to my team about it," Shaw said. "I would love to do brother versus brother. It would be a great promotion."
Read the rest HERE
In my opinion this is defenitely a PPV I would pay to see, Im not sure how close the brothers are, but it could sell some PPV's for sure. Frank looked great in his return to the ring against Phil Baroni, while Ken hasn't fought in a year with his last fight being his third loss to Tito Ortiz. Ken is a competitor though and this could be a very interesting fight if it were to happen.
By the way I don't if everybody knows but Frank Shamrock has a blog, check it out.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Graphic Picture of Kevin Randleman's Staph Infection
at 10:55 PM
For those who don't know the story, former UFC and Pride fighter Kevin "The Monster" Randleman has been battling a very serious staph infection. Here's a snippet from mmanews.com.
Over the last two years, Kevin has been experiencing a number of issues. He spent some time in the hospital at the turn of the new year and just recently had a severe bout of staph infection and is still feeling the effects of it.
Read the full article HERE
Top 10 MMA Dream Matches- No Sequels Allowed
at 8:40 PM
Many MMA fans have their own personal fights that they would like to see, but might never happen. Hopefully the list I'm about write with come true and these fights will take place at some point in time. Chuck Liddell vs Wanderlei Silva is on for UFC 79, so that dream match has finally come true. Obviously there are many rematches that we would like to see, but I'll save that for another post.
10. Forrest Griffin vs Quinton Rampage Jackson- Dana White is dreaming of the day this fight takes place, both hardcore and reletively new fans would pay to see this fight. Griffin is coming off an amazing victory over Mauricio Rua, a fighter that Jackson lost too badly. Rampage has been on a roll and is getting more and more popular because of his charisma and personality.
9. BJ Penn vs Sean Sherk- This fight was planned and I was really excited about it, but unfortunately Sherk tested positive for steroids and now the lightweight belt is in limbo. Penn was recently quoted as telling Sherk to "grow some balls", this fight should happen down the road.
8. Wanderlei Silva vs Mauricio Shogun Rua- Wanderlei has stated many times that he will not fight his longtime friend and training partner, but what a fight it would be. They know each others styles in and out, it would be a true chess match. One stipulation, the fight has to be in a ring and soccer kicks and stomps are allowed.
7. Fedor Emelianenko vs Josh Barnett- This fight should've already happen but it never materialized. Barnett has long been considered the biggest threat to dethrone the Russian king, Emelianenko. For fans who have followed both of the fighter's careers this would be the ultimate test for Fedor.
6. Takanori Gomi vs Gilbert Melendez- This fight would be a war and both fighters have common opponents. Both fighters like to slug it out and it could be very similar to Gomi vs Nick Diaz which is one of the best fights Ive ever seen.
5. Anderson Silva vs Paulo Filho- Both of these fighters have tremendous Jiu-Jitsu skills, obviously Silva would have the advantage standing, but whatever the strategy would be this would be a dream matchup. Filho is undefeated and Silva looks like he could beat anyone on the planet right now. Dana White if your listening "Sign Paulo Filho!!!!".
4. Wanderlei Silva vs Fedor Emelianenko- Wanderlei has fought heavyweights like Crocop twice and Mark Hunt, why not the Fedor. This fight could've happened if Pride was still around, with their open-weight grand prix tournaments. Both fighters are warriors who give it everything they have in every fight. This fight is unfortunately probably never gonna happen.
3. Dan Henderson vs Anderson Silva- If Henderson were to drop back to middleweight, the hype for this fight would be enormous. Both fighters are so well-versed in every aspect of the game. Would Hendo's wrestling be too much for Silva? Could Hendo avoid the nasty clinch of Silva? Many more questions would be answered if this superfight were to take place.
2. Fedor Emelianenko vs Randy Couture- Whether you hate Fedor or you love him, all 3 fights with him in it that are on this list, you would pay to see. This fight was close to happening, if the UFC could've signed Fedor it would've probably been his first fight. Now that Fedor has signed with M-1 global and Couture has quit the UFC, its only a matter of months left on Couture's UFC contract that we could see this fight. Could Couture press the greco roman clinch and dirty box Fedor to death or would it be just another day at the office for the Russian experiment?
1. Kazushi Sakuraba vs Rickson Gracie- The "Gracie Hunter" against the legendary champion of the Gracie family, who claims to have won over 300 fights without a loss. This fight will probably never happen, but we can dream. This fight would be so huge in Japan you would probably have to kill 3 people just to get a nose bleed seat.
Posted by trejo 16 comments Links to this post
Updated UFC 78 Fight Card- Terrell Forced Off Card
at 8:15 PM
It seems David Terrell had to be replaced by Joe Doerksen due to an ankle injury, an mri revealed torn ligaments.
Main Event- Rashad Evans vs Michael Bisping
Houston Alexander vs Thiago Silva
Ed Herman vs Joe Doerkson
Karo Parisyan vs Ryo Chonan
Frankie Edgar vs Spencer Fisher
Thiago Alves vs Chris Lytle
Joe Lauzon vs Jason Reinhardt
Marcus Aurelio vs Luke Caudillo
Akihiro Gono vs Tamdan McCrory
Obviously one of the worst cards I've seen in a long time, but the Fisher vs Edgar fight should be great and Alexander faces his toughest test yet in Chute Box product Thiago Silva who is undefeated.
Top 10 Funniest MMA Quotes
at 7:16 PM
This whole list could be Rampage quotes but Im only gonna put 2 of my favorites, so I can let some other people have some quote glory. *Warning* Some explicit language!
10. Mauro Ranallo Talking about Minotauro- "He's takin an unbelievable amount of punishment over the years, but the question is will he pay the price later on in life"- This always gets a laugh out of me because he has said it numorous times and whoever the other announcers are, they become totally silent because its obviously not appropriate to say.
9. Wanderlei Silva- "I want to Fuck Chuck"- Those english classes werent going well apparently, as Wandy was trying to say I want to fight Chuck.
8. Rampage- "Is that Heath's nut hangin out"- Quinton was announcing the second fight between Nogueira and Heath Herring, when he noticed how short Heath's shorts were.
7. Ken Shamrock- "I will beat you into a living death"- Ken's quotes could have their own article too.
6. Forrest Griffin- "He did exactly what I wanted him to do and he knocked me the fuck out"- Forrest after getting KTFO by Keith Jardine.
5. Anything that comes out of Bill Goldberg's Mouth- Funny in a sad way.
4. Bas Rutten- "Maybe he smokes"- Basito responding to Rampage talking about Fujita's yellow teeth after being choked out by Fedor.
3. Tim Sylvia- "Bring on Fedor"- Funny because if that fight were to happen he'd probably be out cold or submitted in the first round.
2. Stephen Quadros- "The touching of gloves may be the only punch Fujita lands"- Before the Fedor/Fujita fight, little did he know what would transpire.
1. Rampage- "You can make a mistake and get caught in a submission, but Chuck made a mistake and he got caught in an ass whoopin'."- Quinton after knocking out Liddell.
Well thats my list, if anyone has some good ones leave a comment. If you are going to print out the list, make sure you have enough epson ink in your printer.
Top 5 Most Entertaining Fighters
at 7:12 PM
These are my top 5 fighters who are the most entertaining for me to watch.
5. Antonio Minotauro Nogueira- Theres nothing like seeing a fighter who gets hit over and over again and takes every shot as if a 5-year old were hitting him. Big Nog has been in some of the most entertaining fights ive ever seen. If not for his ability to withstand punishment the Fedor fights may have been over very quickly and not nearly as entertaining. When Big Nog fights I will always watch because you know you might see something you've never seen before. Favorite fights- Nog vs Sapp, Nog vs Crocop, Nog vs Herring 1, Nog vs Fedor 1 and 3.
4. Nick Diaz- Diaz is an animal when he steps into a fight, he has what any great fighter needs, relaxation when things aren't going your way. He never panics in a fight and he is always cocky and confident. You can just tell that he loves what he does, and he can also take some serious punishment. He throws so many punches that his opponents just dont have time to take a break and jiu-jitsu is incredible. After taking so much punishment in the Gomi fight he got taken down, but had the wits to slap on the most beautiful gogoplata you'll ever see. Favorite fights- Diaz vs Gomi, Diaz vs Lawler, Diaz vs Jeremy Jackson 2 and 3.
3. Randy Couture- I will never get tired of watching Couture "shock the world" as he has done so many times. Most recently totally dominating the bigger, younger Gabrial Gonzaga eventually stopping him in the third round. He is the ultimate underdog in almost every fight, whether its size or age it just doesn't matter to the natural. He's a "truth machine" and if your not in supreme mental and physical condition he will expose it. Favorite fights- Couture vs Liddell 1, Couture vs Belfort 1, Couture vs Sylvia, Couture vs Rizzo 1, Couture vs Gonzaga.
2. Fedor Emelianenko- What makes Fedor so fun to watch is you know he's the best and any trouble that you think he's in you stand up and watch to see how he's gonna get out of this one. If you love MMA then you just have to watch and appreciate the incredible skill, strength and intelligence that Fedor exhibits in every fight. He is a champion in every sense of the word, he's humble and has total respect for every fighter who steps in the ring. There is nobody else in MMA that makes a ground fight as exciting as Fedor, you will not see anyone else punch that hard on the ground and any other Heavyweight at least display the speed of which he submits people. Favorite Fights- Fedor vs Crocop, Fedor vs Fujita and pretty much all of them.
1. Wanderlei Silva- They call him the "Axe Murderer" for a reason, his intensity and staredowns are legendary. If I was in there nad he was bouncing back and forth staring me down I'd probably bow down, forfiet and kiss his toes. His intensity is only matched by his tremendous fighting talent. When I think of a fighter to show to people who are new to MMA and looking to get into it, the Wanderlei DVDs start popping in and it doesn't stop. Ive had friends who had never seen a MMA match in their life (I know sad, right) and when I show them a Wandy fight they usually say "you got any more of his fights", I say yes and a sleepless night ensues. Even when he loses, the fights are still incredible to watch because you know he's giving it his all in every fight. He also may have the most devastating Muay Thai knees you'll ever see. Favorite fights- Every single one of them.
5. Antonio Minotauro Nogueira- Theres nothing like seeing a fighter who gets hit over and over again and takes every shot as if a 5-year old were hitting him. Big Nog has been in some of the most entertaining fights ive ever seen. If not for his ability to withstand punishment the Fedor fights may have been over very quickly and not nearly as entertaining. When Big Nog fights I will always watch because you know you might see something you've never seen before. Favorite fights- Nog vs Sapp, Nog vs Crocop, Nog vs Herring 1, Nog vs Fedor 1 and 3.
4. Nick Diaz- Diaz is an animal when he steps into a fight, he has what any great fighter needs, relaxation when things aren't going your way. He never panics in a fight and he is always cocky and confident. You can just tell that he loves what he does, and he can also take some serious punishment. He throws so many punches that his opponents just dont have time to take a break and jiu-jitsu is incredible. After taking so much punishment in the Gomi fight he got taken down, but had the wits to slap on the most beautiful gogoplata you'll ever see. Favorite fights- Diaz vs Gomi, Diaz vs Lawler, Diaz vs Jeremy Jackson 2 and 3.
3. Randy Couture- I will never get tired of watching Couture "shock the world" as he has done so many times. Most recently totally dominating the bigger, younger Gabrial Gonzaga eventually stopping him in the third round. He is the ultimate underdog in almost every fight, whether its size or age it just doesn't matter to the natural. He's a "truth machine" and if your not in supreme mental and physical condition he will expose it. Favorite fights- Couture vs Liddell 1, Couture vs Belfort 1, Couture vs Sylvia, Couture vs Rizzo 1, Couture vs Gonzaga.
2. Fedor Emelianenko- What makes Fedor so fun to watch is you know he's the best and any trouble that you think he's in you stand up and watch to see how he's gonna get out of this one. If you love MMA then you just have to watch and appreciate the incredible skill, strength and intelligence that Fedor exhibits in every fight. He is a champion in every sense of the word, he's humble and has total respect for every fighter who steps in the ring. There is nobody else in MMA that makes a ground fight as exciting as Fedor, you will not see anyone else punch that hard on the ground and any other Heavyweight at least display the speed of which he submits people. Favorite Fights- Fedor vs Crocop, Fedor vs Fujita and pretty much all of them.
1. Wanderlei Silva- They call him the "Axe Murderer" for a reason, his intensity and staredowns are legendary. If I was in there nad he was bouncing back and forth staring me down I'd probably bow down, forfiet and kiss his toes. His intensity is only matched by his tremendous fighting talent. When I think of a fighter to show to people who are new to MMA and looking to get into it, the Wanderlei DVDs start popping in and it doesn't stop. Ive had friends who had never seen a MMA match in their life (I know sad, right) and when I show them a Wandy fight they usually say "you got any more of his fights", I say yes and a sleepless night ensues. Even when he loses, the fights are still incredible to watch because you know he's giving it his all in every fight. He also may have the most devastating Muay Thai knees you'll ever see. Favorite fights- Every single one of them.
Top 10 Things Ive Learned From Watching MMA the Last Year
at 7:07 PM
10. MMA is more addicting than cocaine and painkillers put together.
9. Even though I don't know all the facts, I believe fighters are vastly underpaid.
8. When I watch a Boxing match, I yell at the screen "He's open for a knee" or "Take him down".
7. Dana White is that guy at a party that everyone wants to fight.
6. Fedor Emelianenko is still the best fighter I have ever seen.
5. Frank Shamrock should've never retired, the guy is a beast.
4. Matt Hamill won a unaminous decision against Michael Bisping at UFC 75.(Thats what I saw).
3. Forget the boogeyman, children around the world should be scared that Anderson Silva is hiding in their closet.
2. The fighters that I would show to people looking to get into MMA is still Wanderlei Silva, BJ Penn and Fedor.
1. I love blogging about MMA and I will never stop.
9. Even though I don't know all the facts, I believe fighters are vastly underpaid.
8. When I watch a Boxing match, I yell at the screen "He's open for a knee" or "Take him down".
7. Dana White is that guy at a party that everyone wants to fight.
6. Fedor Emelianenko is still the best fighter I have ever seen.
5. Frank Shamrock should've never retired, the guy is a beast.
4. Matt Hamill won a unaminous decision against Michael Bisping at UFC 75.(Thats what I saw).
3. Forget the boogeyman, children around the world should be scared that Anderson Silva is hiding in their closet.
2. The fighters that I would show to people looking to get into MMA is still Wanderlei Silva, BJ Penn and Fedor.
1. I love blogging about MMA and I will never stop.
Posted by trejo 2 comments Links to this post
Labels: mma, mma articles, mma fighting, mma news, pride fc, ufc
Top 5 MMA Pound for Pound Rankings
at 7:00 PM
5. BJ Penn- Although the Prodigy hasn't fought in a while he still retains the fifth spot on this list. When I think of an all around P4P fighter, BJ always comes to mind. He just has incredible ability to dominate his opponents and something all great fighters need, the ability to relax when you get in a difficult position. If he wants to do it he could hold more than one belt.
4. Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto- Yamamoto has long been a stable on many P4P rankings. His only loss was due to a cut. Before a decision victory over Bibiano Fernandes in September, Yamamoto had won 7 straight fights by TKO/KO. He is known as a devastating striker, but also has the ability to submit his opponents. As Im writing this I realize I have not posted any of his fights, well look for some soon. Ill try to get the Japanese superfight against Genki Sudo on here soon. "Kid" is someone every MMA fan should get familar with.
3. Anderson Silva- The Spider has completely taken over the UFC middleweight division, in the process of becoming a superstar here in the United States. This guy can do it all and do it all extremely well. With amazing punching power that comes out of nowhere and unbelievable ground skills Silva is on a serious roll. He is fast and accurate with his punches and completely overwelming in the clinch. Silva will indeed dominate the Middleweight division for a long time.
2. Quinton Jackson- Rampage is Rampage again and the only thing that can knock him off is if he has to fight Wanderlei again and can't figure out how to beat his longtime nemesis. He has rededicated himself and he showed what shape he was in when he beat one of the best fighters in the world, Dan Henderson. Quinton has dynamite in his hands and amazing upper body strength. Ever since coming to the UFC he has improved tremendously in every aspect of the game. Jackson beats out Anderson for the second spot because I believe his competition has been a little tougher than Silva's. Taking nothing away from Rich Franklin but he's not Dan Henderson.
1. Fedor Emelianenko- The main reason Fedor remains number one in my eyes is because when you see other fighters interviews and they are asked who they think is number one the answer is always the same. He hasn't fought since the middle of April, but thats not enough reason for me to bump him down the list. Call me a Fedor nuthugger if you want, but you can't argue with his skills and track record. The Russian Experiment can out wrestle most guys in the world, out submit most guys and can strike with anyone. His ground and pound is better than anyone and he is probably the smartest fighter that thinks on his feet. His striking is unorthodox but it certainly works for him, and the speed of his punches is astounding for a heavyweight. If anyone can beat him, they have to get past the mystique first, most of his opponents are beaten before they step in the ring. It can't be comforting for a fighter to look across the ring and see a Emelianenko's stone cold no worries facial expression.
Just Missed- Georges St. Pierre, Paulo Filho, Randy Couture, Gilbert Melendez, Takanori Gomi, Sean Sherk, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Forrest Griffin, Dan Henderson, Frank Shamrock, Shinya Aoki, Hayato Sakurai, Matt Hughes.
Intoductory Post- Ultimate MMA News and Articles
at 6:46 PM
Hello mixed martial arts fans, I love to write about MMA and I already run a blog dedicated to fight videos- Ultimate MMA Videos, but this blog will be all about breaking MMA news, opinionated articles, and live play-by-play of pay per views. Anyways Ill get the posts started right away.
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text:
An inconvenient wedding
Wherever Caleb O'Malley goes, trouble follows, and trouble is the last thing Rebecca Thurston needs. But when Caleb appears—gravely wounded—at Rebecca's Smoky Mountain cabin, she can't turn him away. His life depends on her kindness, but she never anticipated it would lead to an unwanted proposal.
Caleb never forgave himself for the accident that ended Rebecca's engagement and destroyed her life. He doesn't want to hurt her again. But after a week recuperating at her cabin, there is only one way for Caleb to protect both their reputations from scandal. Neither of them wants to tie the knot, but as Rebecca and Caleb spend time together, will they find there's more to their marriage than convenience?
Smoky Mountain Matches: Dreams of home and family come true in the Smoky Mountains
My Review:
A sweet romance with an element of danger makes this marriage of convenience story a must read. The gripping opening scene had me hooked. Kirst doesn't let up on the obstacles stacked between Caleb and Rebecca and their happily ever after. I particularly liked reading about Rebecca's spiritual journey. She has been harboring blame and bitterness for way too long and watching her release them bit by bit throughout the story made for a wonderful inspirational thread. Great character growth brings about change and the ability to deal with the past which finally frees both Caleb and Rebecca to share in a future of hope.
If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of Married by Christmas please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you post a comment and add your email address, please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in the address to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the subject line so that it's easy for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday October 12 2014. Offer open to international readers. Good luck!
My thanks to Harlequin and Net Galley for a review copy of this book.