What a hard and tragic month this has been for people in Texas and Oklahoma.  Terrible tornadoes have ripped through and destroyed many homes, businesses, and whole neighborhoods.  Adults and children were just hanging out doing life at one moment and the next they were gone.  I have prayed, along with many in our nation, for the losses and for physical, emotional, and spiritual healing.

You see the best come out of people during these times.  People are donating their money, giving of their time and physical strength, loading up their own vehicles and carrying much needed supplies to help with the recovery of communities.  I know the GHS football team loaded up three big trucks yesterday and delivered some much needed supplies.  They had one truck and had to scramble for two more to carry the the fruits of the generosity of those who heard there was a truck going to OK.  People rushed toward the opportunity to help those in need.

People seem to be amazed by the compassion displayed by others.  Most people, who are at least somewhat psychologically healthy, want to help people when they are in pain.  You know we have all been made in God’s image.  There is a good moral core that came with our creation. Even though we are all sinners and selfish, including Christians, we feel the pain of others and we feel better about ourselves if we can help someone in need.

I guess people are surprised by compassion or good deeds because we see the bad all the time.  Mostly, and I mean almost all, of what we see on the news is bad.  I guess fear sells the news better than love. I am not sure why that is.  Although I think it’s because we can feel better about ourselves when we see others fail.  That’s a subject for another post.

The Texas Baptist Men made the news.  They are a disaster relief people feeding machine.  They volunteer their time, including using up their vacation days to rush all over the country helping those in need.  Way to go guys … Thanks for being God’s love with skin.

Every time you see this kind of outpouring of love you here somebody say or see someone write something like, “Today my faith in human nature was restored.”

As Christians that should be our goal, instead of trying to win all the arguments. Or even being in the arguments in the first place.  ”Love Wins”

People should see us representing Christ and say, ”Today my faith in human nature has been restored.” 

Then we can say‘ “I can not take the credit. Christ restored me.”

A tribute to Alabama’s Bear Bryant and Mal Moore

acrylic on gallery wrap canvas  16 x 20

The first half of this week’s results were posted yesterday. The results of the last eight games of Week 16 shall be revealed…well, now.

1972 Miami Dolphins (8-7) 12, 1968 New York Jets (6-9) 6 (OT)

For the second time this year, the Dolphins beat the Jets with an overtime touchdown run, this time by Mercury Morris from 21 yards away 11 minutes into the overtime period as Miami kept their wild-card hopes alive. Miami actually should have won the game in regulation after Bob Griese hit Paul Warfield with a 57-yard gain down to the New York 15-yard-line with under two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. But on the very next play, Griese was picked off by Jim Hudson and the game went to an extra period, Griese threw for 214 yards on 25 attempts but was very inconsistent, completing only ten passes and throwing two interceptions overall. Joe Namath actually performed worse, however, going 11-of-25 for just 122 yards and two interceptions.

1991 Houston Oilers (7-8) 33, 1999 Jacksonville Jaguars (8-7) 15

Warren Moon threw for 228 yards and two touchdowns on 27 attempts and the Oilers threw the Jaguars’ wild-card hopes to a perilous place by virtue of their lopsided win at the Astrodome. Allen Pinkett added 106 yards, ten of which came on a touchdown run late in the first half, on 17 attempts. James Stewart scored two rushing touchdowns for Jacksonville, who still controls its own destiny for the final wild-card slot but must host co-AFC leader Tennessee in its final game of the season.

1979 San Diego Chargers (14-1) 24, 2000 Tennessee Titans (13-2) 23

Artie Owens scored on a 6-yard touchdown run with 2:27 remaining and the Chargers used the aid of two devastating Titans turnovers to come back from a 17-point third quarter deficit and clinch home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The San Diego comeback began on the final play of the third quarter, when Dan Fouts threw a 63-yard touchdown pass to John Jefferson to cut the deficit to 10 points. After an Al Del Greco field goal midway through the fourth quarter made the score 23-10, the Chargers ran Clarence Williams for 10 yards, Mike Thomas for 47, and Lydell Mitchell for 11 and a touchdown to come within six with under six minutes to play. On the first play of the Titans’ next possession, Steve McNair was intercepted by Woodrow Lowe, which set up a short field for Owens’ go-ahead score. The Titans drove deep into San Diego territory on the next possession, but Eddie George (who ran for 159 yards and a touchdown on 25 attempts) fumbled at the Charger 20-yard line and San Diego was able to run out the clock from there. The road to the AFC Championship now goes through San Diego; meanwhile, the Titans need either a win next week against the Jaguars or a Patriots loss to clinch the other first-round bye.

2012 Atlanta Falcons (6-9) 31, 2008 Arizona Cardinals (6-9) 17

Matt Ryan went 22-of-29 for 307 yards and three touchdowns and the Falcons beat the Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Roddy White caught two of Ryan’s touchdowns and Julio Jones the other. Kurt Warner threw touchdown passes to Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin but also threw two interceptions.

2007 New England Patriots (12-3) 41, 2006 Indianapolis Colts (3-12)

Tom Brady had one of the best passing games of the season, going 24-of-29 for 358 yards and three touchdowns as he outdueled Peyton Manning to lead the Patriots to their 12th win of the season. Randy Moss had six catches for 134 yards and Wes Welker, Ben Watson and Donte Stallworth all caught touchdown passes from Brady. Facing a significantly tougher defense, Manning was nonetheless clearly inferior, going 16-of-32 for 220 yards and two garbage time touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The Patriots clinched at least the #3 seed in the AFC and, as noted in the Chargers-Titans recap, still have a shot at a first-round bye.

1999 St. Louis Rams (12-3) 24, 1975 Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5) 23

Marshall Faulk rushed for 159 yards on 16 carries, including a 58-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter that gave the Rams a lead they would not relinquish. Kurt Warner only went 15-of-31 for 101 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions – the last of which set up the Steelers with a golden opportunity to retake the lead late in the fourth quarter. However, Roy Gerela missed his 36-yard attempt and would later miss a desperation 58-yard try in the waning seconds. Franco Harris was outstanding, rushing for 161 yards and a touchdown on 23 attempts, but Terry Bradshaw didn’t help through the air, going 10-of-27 for 96 yards and an interception. The win puts St. Louis in the driver’s seat for home-field advantage through the NFC playoffs.

2005 Seattle Seahawks (7-7-1) 17, 2005 Carolina Panthers (8-7) 13

Shaun Alexander scored on a 3-yard touchdown run with 24 seconds remaining to cap a 10-point comeback in the last five minutes of the game and the Seahawks nipped the Panthers at Qwest Field. The Panthers’ loss clinched a wild-card slot for the Packers and now the only unknown playoff slot in the NFC is who will come out of the South. Carolina will play Tampa Bay next week in Charlotte to determine that final playoff team. Alexander’s touchdown was set up earlier by a 23-yard pass from Matt Hasselbeck to Joe Jurevicius on 4th-and-14.

1976 Oakland Raiders (4-11) 20, 1969 Kansas City Chiefs (8-7) 17

Fred Steinfort’s 24-yard field goal with 48 seconds remaining gave the Raiders the victory at the Oakland Coliseum and ruined a golden opportunity for their arch rivals to gain a leg up in the AFC wild-card chase. Warren McVea’s 46-yard touchdown run gave Kansas City a 17-10 lead early in the fourth quarter, but Mark Van Eeghen tied it up with a little over five minutes remaining with a 22-yard touchdown run of his own. Then after Len Dawson threw an interception in Oakland territory, Ken Stabler led the Raiders on an 11-play, 39-yard drive that culminated with Steinfort’s game-winning field goal. The loss actually moves Kansas City out of the playoffs for the moment, due to some complex tiebreakers that I’ll explain before next week’s games.

Next week: These are all the games next week that have some sort of playoff implications -

1972 Miami Dolphins @ 1986 New York Giants
1958 Baltimore Colts @ 1968 New York Jets
1999 St. Louis Rams @ 2012 Atlanta Falcons
1990 Buffalo Bills @ 1991 Washington Redskins
2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ 2005 Carolina Panthers
1992 Dallas Cowboys @ 1960 Philadelphia Eagles
2006 Indianapolis Colts @ 1991 Houston Oilers
1952 Detroit Lions @ 1962 Green Bay Packers
2005 Seattle Seahawks @ 1981 Cincinnati Bengals
2000 Tennessee Titans @ 1999 Jacksonville Jaguars
1973 Minnesota Vikings @ 1969 Kansas City Chiefs
1976 Oakland Raiders @ 1979 San Diego Chargers
1998 Denver Broncos @ 2007 New England Patriots

AFC East

1. ’07 New England: 12-3 (3)
2. ’72 Miami: 8-7 (6)
3. ’90 Buffalo: 7-8
4. ’68 NY Jets: 6-9

AFC North

1. ’75 Pittsburgh: 10-5 (4)
2. ’58 Baltimore: 7-8
3. ’81 Cincinnati: 7-8
4. ’64 Cleveland: 2-13

AFC South

1. ’00 Tennessee: 13-2 (2)
2. ’99 Jacksonville: 8-7 (5)
3. ’91 Houston: 7-8
4. ’06 Indianapolis: 3-12

AFC West

1. ’79 San Diego: 14-1 (1)
2. ’69 Kansas City: 8-7
3. ’98 Denver: 8-7
4. ’76 Oakland: 4-11

NFC East

1. ’92 Dallas: 11-4 (2)
2. ’91 Washington: 10-5 (5)
3. ’86 NY Giants: 7-8
4. ’60 Philadelphia: 1-14

NFC North

1. ’85 Chicago: 10-5 (3)
2. ’62 Green Bay: 9-6 (6)
3. ’73 Minnesota: 5-10
4. ’52 Detroit: 3-12

NFC South

1. ’02 Tampa Bay: 9-6 (4)
2. ’05 Carolina: 8-7
3. ’09 New Orleans: 6-9
4. ’12 Atlanta: 6-9

NFC West

1. ’99 St. Louis: 12-3 (1)
2. ’05 Seattle: 7-7-1
3. ’89 San Francisco: 6-8-1
4. ’08 Arizona: 6-9

Après avoir remporté la Ligue des Champions en 2012, Chelsea va connaître son successeur. Le Borussia Dortmund affronte le Bayern Munich pour une finale 100% allemande à Londres, au stade de Wembley ce samedi. Une affiche qui s’annonce spectaculaire compte tenu des performances des deux équipes dans cette compétition.

La Ligue des Champions sera allemande dans toutes les catégories. Jeudi soir, Wolfsburg a remporté l’épreuve chez les femmes en battant Lyon (1-0) montrant ainsi la réussite et la puissance du football allemand. Les hommes vont poursuivre cette publicité avec une finale 100% Bundesliga entre le Borussia Dortmund et le Bayern Munich à Wembley. Pour cette rencontre, le Borussia sera privé d’une pièce maîtresse de son effectif, Mario Götze. L’international allemand s’est blessé face au Real Madrid le 30 avril dernier et a rechuté à la cuisse gauche mardi à l’entraînement, un coup dur pour le champion d’Allemagne 2012 et pour le joueur de 20 ans qui évoluera la saison prochaine…au Bayern Munich.

Depuis la blessure de Mario Götze, les Borussens ne gagnent plus. Les hommes de Jürgen Klopp, entraîneur de Dortmund, ont enchaîné deux nuls face à Wolfsburg (3-3) et le Bayern Munich (1-1) et deux défaites face Real Madrid (2-0) et lors de la dernière journée du championnat allemand contre Hoffenheim (1-2). Des résultats inquiétants, avant de défier les munichois, pour le Borussia Dortmund qui va disputer sa deuxième finale européenne après celle remportée en 1997 face à la Juventus Turin. Les coéquipiers de Robert Lewandowski essaieront de rééditer l’exploit de leurs aînés avec leur génération, qui a quand même gagné deux titres de champion d’Allemagne (2011 et 2012) et une coupe d’Allemagne en 2012.

Jamais deux sans trois pour le Bayern.

Son adversaire, le Bayern Munich, réalise une saison 2012/2013 de bonne facture avec, un titre de champion d’Allemagne en ayant concédé une défaite en 34 journées, une finale de la coupe d’Allemagne à disputer le 1er juin face à Stuttgart et une Supercoupe d’Allemagne gagnée face à Dortmund (2-1) début août. Ce samedi, le club bavarois jouera sa troisième finale de Ligue des Champions en quatre ans, ce qui montre une exceptionnelle régularité dans cette compétition à ce stade-là, mais malheureusement elle est mal payée.

En effet depuis 2001, le champion d’Allemagne 2013 n’a plus remporté cette épreuve, une éternité pour ce grand d’Europe. Favoris face à l’Inter Milan de José Mourinho en 2010, le Bayern s’incline en finale à Madrid 2-0. Pire, en 2012, le Bayern Munich qui a eu la chance de disputer sa finale dans son stade à l’Allianz Arena perd face aux Blues de Chelsea à l’issue d’une séance de tirs au but. Désignés favoris de la finale face à Dortmund, les coéquipiers de Franck Ribéry arriveront-ils à remporter la 5e Ligue des Champions de l’histoire du club après les échecs de 2010 et 2012. Réponse demain, à partir de 20h45.

Abou C.

The first big thing that is going to happen is I am going to move house! I cannot wait. I am moving in with another teacher who just came over from Canada, Linsey. We have hung out quite a lot and we get on really well. I am looking forward to moving out of my place and finishing off the year in a house that will feel like mine. The move date is the end of this month, right after the trip to Norway!

That leads me nicely to my second thing. Norway! Linsey and I decided to try and keep this trip cheap and since we could get to Norway and back for around £60 we decided we would go camping in the fjords of Norway! We fly into Oslo and will hopefully be able to catch a train straight away to Finse, which is only accessible by train and is the highest point on the train tracks in Norway! From there we will hike North towards Geiterygghytta – Steinbergdalen – Østerbø  and end the hike in Vassbygdi. Apparently there are trails that have been created but as it is still early in the hiking season we are hoping that we wont have a problem finding our way.

In preparation I purchased a 2-man tent and I will be buying some other small things tomorrow before we set off on Monday.

I am sure I will have some stories when I return. I am going to try and keep a journal while I travel so I can remember what I would like to say.

As for school stuff – this term has flown by! It feels like just a couple of weeks ago I was in France with Taylor. My year 11s are done everything so we have been “revising” for other subjects in my class. My year 9s are still getting on and I have started doing an hour after school on Thursdays with students who want the help. It has been well received by the students who have come so far. Yesterday when I apologized for keeping them back a bit longer than expected a kid actually said “It’s OK it’s fun.” I think I had to pick my jaw off the floor. This is from a kid who I have given countless detentions to and had to have several words with this year. Hopefully this attitude will carry over to my other lessons in the class!

My favourite story from this term has to be from the past two lessons with my  year 7s. For the past two days I have had to make up a couple lessons as the scheme for this term is done and we had two classes to kill. So – I gave them all homework. They had to go home, find a song they like, print off the lyrics and annotate the page with poetic devices like simile, metaphor, repetition etc… for the most part the kids seemed on board with it. Yesterday they came into the class and we got through about half of them. It would start with a mini presentation telling us what the song is, what it is about and the devices used and to what effect if they could manage. That was followed by the Youtube clip of the song as we sat and watched it. After the first one I realized that this may be letting them off too easy. My solution: Stand up every time you hear a device being used in the song. At first this was just to give me a laugh and see them jump up and down during the songs. It was taken pretty lightly at first and some were half-heartily participating or just doing it to be silly but after three or four songs the novelty wore off and the kids actually started doing it properly. You could see the kids, completely silent, listening to the lyrics, trying to figure out if a device was being used so they could stand up. Kids who rarely participate in the class were all of a sudden being the first to stand and having other students look to them for queues to see if they should be standing or not.

If I’m being honest most of the songs were pretty rubbish. Typical top 40 pop from boy bands but there were two choices that I was pretty happy with. One being The Foo Fighters who was presented by one of the quietest kids in the class and the other being Same Love by Macklemore. This song, and the kid’s actions had me smiling from ear to ear. If you have not heard to song – it is about homophobia in rap and how things need to change. It was a pretty special moment when my class all stood up at the  chorus. With the sort of “mature” nature of the content they all seemed as though they were standing up in support of the lyrics and all just stood up in unison, silently, watching, listening and enjoying the music.

It was a great way to end my term.

Tonight to celebrate the end of term all the lads from Maths, P.E., and English (just me) are going to play some football then head out for some pints.

So I will end it there for now as Chris is sitting on the table in my class like a lost puppy waiting to go for a walk.

Till next time,

The survey consists of 10 questions related to football and phenomena like racism, hooliganism, ticket-pricing and match-fixing.

Every view counts, so your participation is crucial!

With football greetings,

Lia

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5PS2QYD

Note: Please forward the link to anyone who would be interested in taking part!

90 minutes is all that stands between two sides and the chance to walk out on the turf at Old Trafford, Anfield and the Emirates, be slated by Gary Neville on Monday Night Football and cash in on a massive £120 million. That’s enough to pay for Cristiano Ronaldo and a whole new back four.

Crystal Palace face Watford at Wembley on Monday evening in what is being touted as the richest game in sport. After some extensive research using the Google machine we’re fairly certain it is up there and it blows other major sporting events out of the water.

• £120 million – Play-off Final
• £47 million – Champions League Final
• £1.15 million – Wimbledon winner
• £500,000 – Grand National winner
• £58,000 – Super Bowl winner
• £100 – Crufts winner

It is a mind-blowing figure when you see it written down. Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich will play for the greatest prize in club football on Saturday night, but in terms of winnings the play-off final is worth two and a half times more. Andy Murray probably won’t win Wimbledon, but even if he did he’d still be £118.5 million behind the victors at Wembley on Monday night.

Although we hate to burst the Championship bubble, the figure that is banded around by the press might be £120 million, but when you break that down it isn’t exactly what the clubs will be pocketing.

Play-off Final Doughnut
Breaking down the £120 million purse

The winners will cash in on around £55 million from TV income and the right to be featured on Match Of The Day. You also get the privilege of having Mark Lawrenson projectile vomit some tired footballing cliches over the BBC’s couch and ruin your Saturday evening.

Another £5 million comes from a few glory-hunters jumping on the Premier League band wagon and the club benefits from selling tickets, replica shirts and practically anything big enough to feature the crest.

Half of the £120 million cheque is actually in parachute payments, just in case the club spectacularly fail in the Premier League and come crashing back into the Championship after nine months of getting thrashed. A bit of an unfair judgement by the Premier League considering 17 of the last 30 promoted teams have survived their first season in the top flight, but probably wise.

There is Premier League status up for grabs though and that means more than just a few bob in the Chairman’s pocket. A leap into the country’s top flight means a chance to play regularly in the biggest league in Europe and for these young players it is a huge step in their career. For some it is step too far of course, but don’t forget for every Andrew Johnson we get a Gareth Bale.

Watford are the 11/8 favourites with Crystal Palace priced up at 21/10 and it is 11/5 to be all square after 90 minutes.

Who will hold their nerve in the £120 million match? Dive in to the latest odds and take advantage of Paddy’s MBS here

Andros Townsend (right) has withdrawn from the England Under-21 squad (Picture: AP)

Tottenham midfielder Andros Townsend has withdrawn from the England Under-21 squad after the Football Association charged him with breaching their betting regulations.

Townsend, who spent the second half of the season on loan at QPR, was due to represent England U21s at the forthcoming European Championship in Isreal.

But the 21-year-old has elected to pull out of Stuart Pearce’s side after he was hit by a charge from the FA.

Birmingham City’s Nathan Redmond has been called up as his replacement.

A statement on the FA website read: ‘The FA has announced it has charged Andros Townsend in relation to alleged breaches of its rules governing misconduct and betting.

‘The Tottenham Hotspur player has been charged with breaches of Rule E8 (b) in relation to a number of betting offences.

Andros Townsend had been selected by Stuart Pearce for England’s European Championship squad (Picture: Getty)

‘The player has until 3 June to respond to the charges.’

The national governing body added both themselves and Tottenham would offer Townsend their full support in seeking rehabilitation whilst responding to the allegations.

England’s first match in this summer’s Euros is against Italy on June 6, before Pearce’s men face Norway on June 8 and hosts Israel three days later.

BEREA, OH – Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden is fighting for the number one job in Berea. But his thoughts and prayers this week have been for his friends and family fighting through the wreckage left by the deadly tornadoes that hit Oklahoma this week.

Weeden spoke for the first time about his in-laws who lived just blocks from the path of one of the most deadly tornadoes in the state’s history.

“It actually went right through my wife’s hometown. Fourth Street, the path they kept talking about, my mother-in-law lives on Main which is about four blocks north of it and my brother-in-law lives two blocks south of it, so it went right over the top of them,” Weeden said.

Weeden, who makes his home in Edmond, Oklahoma, is actually going back home this weekend to help out in any way that he can. Weeden said he is very close with Oklahoma’s Lt. Govenor Todd Lamb and actually texted his friend to tell him he is available to do anything he needs.

“I know it’s tough because there is so much devastation, but just try and do my part,” Weeden said.

His friend, former college teammate and now-pro teammate Josh Cooper is also from Oklahoma. Cooper said his father was actually on Interstate 35 when he saw the tornado approaching. Cooper’s dad works in Moore and got underground in a cellar to wait out the storm.

Cooper, like Weeden, was glued to the television while calling and texting friends and family.

“My heart was hurting pretty good that day. I was checking on all my friends and family to make sure they were safe,” Cooper said.

Weeden said the toughest part about the entire disaster is being so far away from everybody that you care about while it is happening. Weeden said his brother-in-law actually was in the car when he saw the storm, turned around and drove away from it.

“Everybody was kind of helping everybody and we’ll be fine. We get through things like this all the time and Oklahoma is strong, you know,” Cooper said.

Apprentices show their skills

Photo courtesy of Historic Scotland Photo Unit

The week started with traditional building skills demonstrations by apprentices in St Andrew Square Gardens on Monday and Tuesday, as part of Scottish Apprenticeship Week.

The masonry, joinery, slate roofing and painting and decorating skills on show by apprentices were fantastic and the weather held out contributing to a fun, informative and memorable two days.

Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs, came along and tried her hand at some of the crafts.

Apprentices giving a demonstration to Fiona Hyslop. Photo courtesy of Historic Scotland Photo Unit

Also at the event, the Council announced 11 new Modern Apprenticeship posts as part of the Edinburgh Guarantee initiative.

Unemployment figures

We are delighted to see an improvement in the latest job seekers allowance claimant rate for 18-24 year olds. In April 2013 there was a 4.2% claimant rate which is 2,475 people. This has decreased from last April which was 5% and 2,925 people. It is good to see that the strategies we are putting in place are having a positive impact.

We are particularly pleased to note that the number of 16-19yrs within this is 730, which is down 300 on the previous year.

Adult Learners’ Week 2013 Awards

Edinburgh celebrated Adult Learners Week this week with a variety of events across the city, culminating in the Adult Learners Week Achievement Awards, held at the City Chambers last night.

The winners on the night in each category were:

• Personal life – the Goodtrees Jewellery and Craft croup
• Community Life – the ‘Glamping on a Budget’ group
• Working Life – Workers Education Association and City of Edinburgh Council Workplace Literacies group
• Family Life – the Pregnancy Cafe
• Health and Wellbeing – the ‘Use Your Loaf’ breadmaking group
• Young Adult Learners – Literacies for Employability group
• Social and Political Education – North Edinburgh Social History group ‘The History of Protest’
• Arts and Cultural Learning – Cultural Peer Project
• Councillors Vicki Redpath and Cathy Burns presented these Awards.

Two additional Awards were made by Marco Biagi MSP (Edinburgh Central). These were the Special Achievement Award given to the WEA/CEC Workplace Literacies Group and the Outstanding Achievement Award given to the Pregnancy Cafe.

MSP Marco Biagi presenting the Outstanding Achievement award to the Pregnancy Cafe.

We hope to bring you more about these projects soon.

Multi Sensory Room celebrated with open day

Hailesland Early Years Centre threw open their doors yesterday to celebrate and promote their new Multi Sensory room.

The Multi Sensory Room uses specialist equipment to create a visual, audio and physical environment to stimulate and calm all senses. It aims to encourage individual learning by supporting emotional well-being and regulation, which are crucial for a child’s development before any formal learning can take place.

The room enhances the holistic approach of our Early Years work and helps to promote the key life skills essential for children’s global development.

Under 13 Scottish Cup success for Broughton High

On Wednesday, S1 footballers at Broughton High won the Under 13 Scottish Cup – Head Teacher John Wilson sent us this report:

Our boys played against a very strong and skilful Grange Academy team who had scored 46 goals in the seven rounds to get to the final.

We were down 1-0 at half time and the Broughton supporters feared the worst. However, our boys played superbly in the second half and showed huge character and determination, individually and collectively. We deservedly won the final 2-1. They and their parents will be exhausted but very proud, as are the staff who went to the game.

This competition dates back to 1904, and yet this is the first time that Broughton High School has ever won it. I make that 109 years of trying. This year the same team has also won the Edinburgh Schools league.

Blackhall Primary in exciting Euroquiz tie-breaker

Well done to the team from Blackhall Primary who represented Edinburgh at the Euroquiz finals last Monday. After an exciting tie-breaker with Kellands Primary from Inverurie, the team came fourth overall – a great achievement!

The 29 finalist teams from across Scotland faced Quizmaster and Deputy Presiding Officer, Elaine Smith MSP, James Temple-Smithson, Head of the European Parliament Office in Scotland and Alyn Smith MEP who read out the answers.

For the first time this year, the event has attracted Scottish Government funding to support the inclusion of a language component in the Euroquiz. In the language round participants had to demonstrate their understanding of simple questions and phrases spoken in French, German, Spanish and Italian.

Scottish Learning Festival – booking now open

Finally, Education Scotland announced this week that registration is now open for this year’s Scottish Learning Festival, in Glasgow on 25 and 26 September 2013.

The popular annual event is aimed at Head Teachers, senior management, policy makers, librarians, community learning and development staff, youth workers and volunteers from local authorities and third sector organisations, college and careers staff, and practitioners in early years, primary, secondary, further and special education establishments.

That’s it – have a great weekend and good luck to everyone participating in the Edinburgh Marathon festival and races tomorrow and Sunday.

1. Christian Benteke verlaat wellicht Aston Villa. De Madrileense sportkrant AS meldde donderdag al dat de makelaar van Benteke vorige week op bezoek kwam bij Atletico Madrid. Het bestuur van de Colchoneros ziet in Benteke een mogelijke opvolger van Radamel Falcao, die op vertrekken staat (naar Monaco of Chelsea). Aston Villa-manager raadt Benteke in The Sun evenwel een “reality check” aan: “Hij is nog maar 10 maanden hier en is nog maar 22. Hij vertrekt niet.”

2. In Napels zijn ze op zoek naar een nieuwe trainer na het vertrek van Walter Mazzari. Voorzitter Aurelio De Laurentiis verklaarde in de pers dat de naam van de volgende trainer van Napoli begint met een M. Wordt het Roberto Mancini, Roberto Martinez (Wigan), Rolando Moran (Catania) of Vicenzo Montella (Fiorentina)? “De enige trainer voor Napoli met een hoofdletter M is Diego Maradona,” zo verklaart Angelo Pisani, de advocaat van de Argentijn. Diego Maradona wordt nog altijd vereerd als een god in Napels, maar problemen met de Italiaanse fiscus maakt een terugkeer naar de Serie A bijzonder moeilijk.

3. José Mourinho verlaat Real en met hem zullen ook enkele spelers uit de stal van Jorge Mendes de Casa Blanca verlaten. Zo zou Fabio Coentrao (voor 30 miljoen door Real weggehaald bij Benfica) The Special One kunnen volgen naar Chelsea. Volgens Radio Marca zou Roman Abramovich 18 miljoen willen neertellen voor de Portugese verdediger.

4. Na twee seizoenen in de tweede klasse speelt AS Monaco volgend seizoen opnieuw in de Ligue 1. En Dmytri Rybolovlev, de Russische eigenaar, wil de Monegasken geen slecht figuur laten slaan. Monaco krijgt maar liefst 200 miljoen euro om spelers aan te trekken. De meest geciteerde namen: Radamel Falcao, Vincent Kompany, Victor Valdés. Het blijft niet bij citeren, want de eerste twee transfers zouden al vastliggen: João Moutinho en James Rodriguez, twee sterren van FC Porto. De Portugezen zouden 70 miljoen euro vangen.

5. Lukas Hradecky, de jonge doelman van de Finse nationale ploeg, zou vergevorderde gesprekken voeren met Club Brugge, zo meldt de website van Het Laatste Nieuws. De 23-jarige doelman speelt al vier seizoen bij Esjberg in de Deense eerste klasse. “Ik wil graag naar België en dat weet Esjberg. De onderhandelingen zijn al ver gevorderd. Ik hoop dat we er snel uitkomen”, aldus Hradecky die al bij Jesper Jørgensen informeerde naar Club Brugge.

6. Victor Valdés verlaat deze zomer Barcelona. Hij weigert zijn contract dat nog een jaar loopt te verlengen en nodigde zijn ploegmaten alvast uit op een afscheidsdinertje. Bij zijn mogelijke nieuwe werknemers worden vooral Arsenal en AS Monaco genoemd.

7. Volgens de Britse pers denkt Arsenal aan een verkoop van Thomas Vermaelen. Hij begon het seizoen nog als aanvoerder, maar Arsène Wenger koos steeds meer voor Koscielny-Mertesacker als centraal duo. De Rode Duivel moet ongeveer 6 miljoen euro kosten. Het contract van Vermaelen in het Emirates Stadium loopt nog twee jaar. Manchester United en FC Barcelona zouden interesse hebben.

Een verslag van Dirk Coppens ✎  © Tagtik

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The Philadelphia Soul take to the road this weekend, visiting the Tampa Bay Storm on Saturday night.

The Soul finally picked up that elusive first home win of the season last time out, beating Orlando at the Center last weekend, 61-51. The win improved the Soul to 4-4, 1-3 at home.

“You’re supposed to win them at home and we haven’t been doing that,” Soul head coach Clint Dolezel tells KYW Newsradio. “We’ve had good opportunities and hadn’t come out with victories. So it’s nice to get that monkey off our back.”

Despite the up-and-down nature of the season, Philadelphia still leads the Eastern Division with that 4-4 mark.

[cbs-audio url="http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/nyc.podcast.play.it/media/d0/d0/d1/d2/dV/dQ/d8/12VQ8_3.MP3" size=large download=true name="Clint Dolezel Interview" artist="Matt Leon"]

“We’re a little behind, just because of our record more so than anything,” Dolezel says. “Definitely didn’t think we’d be 4-4 almost at the halfway point. We’ve had some things not go our way, but that’s part of it. I think we’re cleaning those mistakes up and hopefully not making many more of those the rest of the way out.”

Tampa Bay is 6-3 and one of the top offensive teams in the Arena Football League, averaging 58 points a game.

“They take care of the football, that’s first and foremost,” Dolezel says. “They don’t turn the ball over and they get a lot of takeaways. They’re +17 in the (takeaway) column, vice versa, we are 4-4 and we are -4. So we need more turnovers and take care of the football a little bit better on our side.”

Philadelphia and Tampa Bay will kick-off at 7:30pm on Saturday night.

 You can follow Matt on Twitter @mattleonkyw.

[listicle id=55129 align=left show_title=true]

I think of all the sportsmen out there, footballers piss me off the most. First off there’s the selfishness involved with goal scoring. Trainers and managers have spent countless hours looking at strategy and drawing curves on whiteboards and the team itself has put in just as much time jogging sideways between traffic cones, all in aid of that win on the pitch, and what does a guy do when he scores? Shake hands with everyone involved? No, he runs around like a kid playing aeroplanes with the face of a porn star during the money shot, like he can’t believe what he’s just done. And dodges all his team mates who are coming at him for a hug – so now he’s a kid playing zombie escape. Darts around the pitch as he tries to work out which fans are on his side, then slides on his knees in front of the chosen ones through the sweat- and spit-caked grass. I’m sure someone’s told these guys beforehand that aliens hold the world to ransom and humanity’s survival depends winning. They’re stupid enough to believe it.

If the goal scorer seems lost on the pitch, the substitute is downright confused. This guy gets his nod and starts running back and forth alongside the pitch, as if he’s looking for a big arrow and a sign telling him where to get on. He only works it out when the guy being substituted comes close.

Then – aw, sod this. I’m sick of thinking about footballers. End of rant.

Related articles

• UK Football Pitch, Team, Ball & Goalpost Size Guide [infographic] (epicasports.com)
• I’m ranting. I don’t have anyone to rant to. Don’t bother reading this. (lostinamusicaldream.wordpress.com)

Every Basanta Football ma Star janmene garcha…pale->marodona->ronaldo -> cr7->messi etc..aru kati chan chan….Aba Nepal ko star ko kura garne ho vanne pani testai cha….harek basanta ma star footballer janmeko cha….international level ma nam kamauna na sake pani football khele tini harule country ko lagi…Upendra Man sing le vanne gar theye “Football game nai yesto cha…” Ke gali ke talli……

Alison Waters is through to the quarter finals at the Biritish Allum Squash Open beating Emily Whitlock in round one and Rachael Grinham in round two.

We wish her all the best in the match this afternoon verses Kasey Brown.

Arsenal Ladies

Good luck to Arsenal Ladies who are playing in the FA Cup Final this Sunday verses Bristol who they beat 4-2 last week in the Continental Cup so let’s hope they do the same this week.

It’s being shown on BBC2 on Sunday at 3pm so make sure you tune in to check out some of PH’s most elite athletes in action!

Certified Olympic Lifting Course

Want to learn to teach athletes how to get faster, stronger and more powerful?!

If so, then book onto our next Olympic Weightlifting Course running here at PH on 15th/16th June.

For more information, please click here.

Timetable

For the latest Performance Gym timetable, please click the link below (please note that hours may be slightly different to usual due to half term next week):

Performance Hertfordshire Timetable 27th May – 9th June 2013

The 2013 UEFA Champions League Final will be the final match of the 2012–13 UEFA Champions League, the 58th season of Europe’s premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 21st season since it was renamed from the European Champion Clubs’ Cup to the UEFA Champions League. The match is scheduled for Saturday, 25 May 2013 at Wembley Stadium in London, England.

The final will be played between two German teams, Bundesliga clubs Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. This is the first time that two German clubs have reached the UEFA Champions League final. The winners will play against Chelsea, the winners of the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League in the 2013 UEFA Super Cup, and also enter the semi-finals of the 2013 FIFA Club World Cup as the UEFA representative.

Contents

• 1 Venue
• 2 Background
• 3 Road to the final
• 4 Pre-match
  • 4.1 Ambassador
  • 4.2 Ticketing
  • 4.3 Related events
• 5 Match
  • 5.1 Team news
  • 5.2 Details
• 6 References
• 7 External links

Read more on Wikipedia Org

*****

German soccer strength on display in Champions League final — CBC Canada

Dortmund’s Robert Lewandowski, left, fought for the ball with Bayern’s Holger Badstuber during a matchup of the eventual Champions League finalists in a German league game in December. (Lennart Preiss/Bongarts/Getty Images)

They are the two best clubs in Germany. We’ve known that for a while. But this is not the German Cup Final. This is about becoming kings of Europe.

Read more on CBC Canada

*****

Champions League final: webchat with Barney Ronay — The Guardian UK

Which team will triumph at Wembley? Photograph: Kerim Okten

Read More on The Guardian UK

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Steven N’Zonzi (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

With everything that has happened at Stoke this week i’m surprised this is even classed as ‘news’ but somehow it is and Steven Nzonzi has handed in a written transfer request.

The 24 -year-old won young player of the year at the Stoke Citys player of the year awards dinner just over a week ago but has now decided his future is away from the Britannia.

Nzonzi was without doubt the best player at Stoke until December when he saw a big drop in form, this is said to have something to do with off the field problems and he is said to have been unsettled at Stoke for some time.

This is also said to have nothing to do with the departure of Tony Pulis earlier this week, Steven just feels his future is elsewhere, weather this has anything to do with the ‘Locker room banter’ making the national news last week remains to be seen but it seems another departure is set to be recorded for Stoke, in a week that they would rather forget.

All that remains is to wish him well and thank him for his contribution to the first team this year.

Damiano Benzoni

Gibraltar is the 54th full UEFA member. The British colony had obtained provisional member status and admittance to youth international competitions last October. Its full membership was voted today during the XXXVII Congress of the European football confederation in London. According to reports, the vote had a large majority.

Gibraltar’s quest for UEFA and FIFA membership began in 1997 and was freezed in 2004 by the renewal of the FIFA statute. The new rules of eligibility for new FAs mirrored FIFA’s programme of admitting only nations recognised by the UN – even though in the past a number of exceptions were made, notably in the cases of the Faroe Islands and of the Home Unions, who are granted separate membership by the statute itself.

Gibraltar’s main opponent in its path to membership was Spain, still claiming its right to sovereignity on the Rock. Gibraltar, conquered by the British Navy in 1704, retained its status as a colony through referenda in 1967 and 2002 and established self-government with the 2006 Constitution. Spain threatened repeatedly to withdraw its teams from UEFA competitions in case the colony was admitted, forcing the GFA to bring the case in front of the Court of Arbitration for Sport in 2007 and to consider requesting membership to the African confederation instead of the European one.

In order to avoid further tensions, Spain and Gibraltar will be kept apart in competition draws, as happens for Russia and Georgia (because of the 2008 war in Abkhazia and South Ossetia) and for Azerbaijan and Armenia (divided on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue). Now the GFA is planning a new stadium at Europa Point. A necessity, as the Rock’s only field – the Victoria Stadium – lies on the isthmus dividing Gibraltar and Spain, which is the reason of a further dispute between the two nations.

Demba Ba (left) is excited by the prospect of working with Jose Mourinho (Picture: Getty)

Demba Ba has become the latest Chelsea player to hail Jose Mourinho ahead of his likely return to the Stamford Bridge helm, admitting ‘everybody is thinking about it’.

Frank Lampard and Juan Mata have already been talking up the departing Real Madrid boss over the last few days and now Ba – who only joined the Blues in January – has also made an early bid for a starting place under the Portuguese.

‘You see what he has won, what he has brought to his teams and to his players individually, and of course he is one of the best,’ Ba said.

MORE: Five reasons why Jose Mourinho’s position at Real Madrid became untenable

‘He knows everything about Chelsea having already managed the team for three or four years. He knows everybody here and he knows the club.

Jose Mourinho will take charge of his final Real Madrid match on June 1 (Picture: AP)

‘Everybody is thinking about it and everybody is happy. They know that he is a person that wants to win.’

Mourinho’s exit from Real Madrid was confirmed on Monday, with the 50-year-old currently the firm favourite to succeed interim boss Rafael Benitez in west London.