The Rookie, A Season With Sidney Crosby And The New NHL
As a Canadian, many people dream of making it to the National Hockey League, to play for there favorite team as they are growing up but only a select few ever get this chance. They make there own backyard hockey rinks, find a pond to play on during there free time, and play road hockey during the summer. Sidney Crosby is one of the few Canadian players that get to live out their childhood dream and he completed it in February 2010 at the Olympics playing for his country.
In 1987, a new hockey legend was born in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia with a lovely family that later on added a daughter to the group. Troy Crosby, Sidneys dad, was a goalie and played juniors so he knew what it was like to go threw the stuff his son was faced with and he never forced him to play or train as much as he did. Sidney was born with a gift, a gift that very few people have, his gift was to love hockey and love hockey he did.
It all started when he was a young player at the age of 2 when he would shoot hockey pucks in the dryer in his basement, then by the age of 3 he was skating, and had the fire in his heart to carry on with his hockey career to be. He would later on play Midget AAA and end up being a leading scorer of the league but most of all, he was 14 years old playing with 17 year olds. After an unbelievable year, most people didn’t know about all the abuse and harassment Sidney would have to face. No kid should have to be ashamed and scared to show his face in public with his hockey jersey on his back at tournaments because of people coming up to him and harassing him due to his talent. In reaction of these situations, Sidney decides to leave and play in Minnesota for a year in 2002 and leads his team to the U.S. Championships.
The following year, he gets drafted to the Quebec Majors Junior Hockey League and plays for the Rimouski Oceanic. The team discovers Sidney talent after the first game, as he records 8 points and they compare him to Darryl Sittler. He has an outstanding rookie year as he is Player of the week six times, Player of the month three times and Canadian Hockey League player of the week three times. He is also the first player to earn Player of the year, Top Rookie, and Top scorer with 54 goals, 81 assists in 59 games which is an incredible and outstanding performance that will be remembered for years. After a great year, a team from Hamilton offers him 7.5 million dollars for 3 years to play for the World Hockey Association, but he turns down the offer and says he isn’t ready to leave the juniors and stays with Rimouski for another season.
In 2005, Sidney was the first overall pick in the National Hockey League draft and was drafted to Pittsburg. Half way threw the season a new coach is assigned and names Crosby an Alternative Captain and wear the letter “A” on his jersey and once again takes a lot of heat from the hockey community saying that as an 18 year old, he is too young and doesn’t have the experience to wear that “A” on his jersey. After his first season as a professional player, he would set a great impression on the league as a rookie with 102 points in a season that broke his franchises record by someone he is compared to a lot Mario Lemieux. Also that year, he would go on to win a gold medal at the World Junior Championships in Grand Forks, USA.
His next huge accomplishment was in the season of 2008-2009 where he led his team to win the Stanley Cup, the biggest reward you can receive in hockey history. He is the youngest captain in history to win the Stanley cup at 21 years old. After winning the game, players from the Detroit Red Wings criticize the young player and claiming he has bad sportsmanship for not shaking the hands of players on the team, most importantly, their captain Nicklas Lindstrom as they took offence to that action.
The awards Sidney has received in the past 8 years have been awards from Midget to the NHL and also the IIHF. He has received almost 60 awards of all different types such as a Stanley Cup, a gold medal at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, Most Valuable Player, Leading Scorer, and the list goes on and on.
Going from shooting puck in the basement to scoring the game winning goal at the 2010 Olympics in overtime to win the gold it has been a long life with its ups and downs. Many people expect so much from the young player and only time will tell what is to come from him. Could he be the next Wayne Gretzky?
Tuesday, 8 June 2010
Thursday, 13 May 2010
The catcher in the rye
Here is my project on Holden Caulfield, and what I did was written a little about people that influenced Holden in my opinion.
Holden:
A student at Prency Prep in Agerstown, Pennsylvania. Isn’t a good student and he fails 4 out of his 5 classes in the 1st semester. Holden doesn’t like to talk about his early life much all we know is Allie, his younger brother died several years ago and someone from a previous school committed suicide. After the fight with Stradlater, he decides to pack his bags and head to New York. Once he arrives at the Penn station, he can’t think of anyone to call so he goes to the hotel. After getting settled in he goes to Ernie’s and when he comes back, Maurice the hotel operator asked him if he was interested in getting a prostitute and Holden said yes. One night after going to the bar and getting really drunk, he decides to sneak back to his parents’ apartment and see Phoebe.
Phoebe:
Phoebe is Holden’s 10 year old sister and they are really close even with the 6 year age difference. After sneaking into the apartment, Holden looks for Phoebe and finds her in D.B.’s room sleeping. He goes threw her stuff and reads her letters to her friends. After awhile, he wakes her up and she is excited to see him. They talk for awhile about school and how he got kicked out for failing and how his parents will react and that he wants to head west out of New York. His parents come home so he hides in the closet and waits a bit, gives her his red hunting had and leaves and goes to Mr. Antolinis. The next day, she receives a letter from Holden at school that tells her to meet him at the museum to give her back the money she gave him. She shows up with a suitcase and tells him that she will go with him. So they go into the museum then to the zoo and at the zoo, she goes on the carousel and Holden sits on a bench watching Phoebe having fun, he was so happy he almost started to cry.
Mr. Antolini:
Mr. Antolini is good friends with Holden’s parents and Holden goes to there house for a night after seeing Phoebe. He has a several and strong worded talk with him and they talk about how Holden should take school more seriously and the conversation gets pretty heated. At the end of the night, Mr. Antolini makes up the couch for him and lets him sleep. In the middle of the night, Holden wakes up and finds Mr. Antolini stroking his hair and finds it homosexual and leaves.
Sunny:
Sunny is a young prostitute that Maurice found for Holden. As she started getting undressed, he told her he couldn’t have sex because he just had an operation. So she told him it would be 10 dollars but she only received 5. Later that evening, she would return with Maurice and Maurice would lie on top of him while Sunny would get the money from his wallet.
Jane: Jane was someone who made Holden feels special, when they would hang out, they would hold hands and that would make him really happy. He remembers one day when they were playing checkers, her dad came out and yelled at her looking for his cigarettes and she wouldn’t answer him, then he went back inside and she started to cry then Holden kissed her softly.
Sally Hayes:
Sally is a girl that Holden calls the next morning after the incident with Sunny and Maurice, and he asks Sally if she would like to go out later that evening. They meet at the hotel, and take a taxi to a play then to go ice skating at “Radio City”.
Robert Ackley:
Is Holden’s next door neighbor in the dorm, always comes into his room uninvited, pops pimples, cuts finger and toe nails all over the place, asks the same questions over and over again, talks about sexual relationships of the summer before, and hates Stradlater.
Stradlater:
Comes back from the football game and gets cleaned up for his date with Jane Gallagher. Holden isn’t happy with Stradlater when he tells him that he has a date with “Jean” and not Jane showing he doesn’t have any emotions for her. He tell Stradlater a story about his summer home back in Maine when she was his neighbor and how they use to play checkers, but Stradlater wasn’t to interested and was occupied shaving. Stradlater asked Holden to write his English assignment for him, he had to describe something. When Stradlater returns from his date, he reads when Holden wrote about his brother Allies baseball glove and is mad at Holden so Holden rips it up, and they start fighting when suddenly Stradlater punches Holden in the nose and he start bleeding. Holden decides to go in Ackley’s room knowing his roommate was gone for the weekend and sleeps there.
SOURCES
The book,
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/catcher/
http://www.bellmore-merrick.k12.ny.us/catcher.html
http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/Guides3/Catcher.html#Characters
http://www.homework-online.com/tcitr/index.html
http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/literature/The-Catcher-in-the-Rye.id-53.html
Holden:
A student at Prency Prep in Agerstown, Pennsylvania. Isn’t a good student and he fails 4 out of his 5 classes in the 1st semester. Holden doesn’t like to talk about his early life much all we know is Allie, his younger brother died several years ago and someone from a previous school committed suicide. After the fight with Stradlater, he decides to pack his bags and head to New York. Once he arrives at the Penn station, he can’t think of anyone to call so he goes to the hotel. After getting settled in he goes to Ernie’s and when he comes back, Maurice the hotel operator asked him if he was interested in getting a prostitute and Holden said yes. One night after going to the bar and getting really drunk, he decides to sneak back to his parents’ apartment and see Phoebe.
Phoebe:
Phoebe is Holden’s 10 year old sister and they are really close even with the 6 year age difference. After sneaking into the apartment, Holden looks for Phoebe and finds her in D.B.’s room sleeping. He goes threw her stuff and reads her letters to her friends. After awhile, he wakes her up and she is excited to see him. They talk for awhile about school and how he got kicked out for failing and how his parents will react and that he wants to head west out of New York. His parents come home so he hides in the closet and waits a bit, gives her his red hunting had and leaves and goes to Mr. Antolinis. The next day, she receives a letter from Holden at school that tells her to meet him at the museum to give her back the money she gave him. She shows up with a suitcase and tells him that she will go with him. So they go into the museum then to the zoo and at the zoo, she goes on the carousel and Holden sits on a bench watching Phoebe having fun, he was so happy he almost started to cry.
Mr. Antolini:
Mr. Antolini is good friends with Holden’s parents and Holden goes to there house for a night after seeing Phoebe. He has a several and strong worded talk with him and they talk about how Holden should take school more seriously and the conversation gets pretty heated. At the end of the night, Mr. Antolini makes up the couch for him and lets him sleep. In the middle of the night, Holden wakes up and finds Mr. Antolini stroking his hair and finds it homosexual and leaves.
Sunny:
Sunny is a young prostitute that Maurice found for Holden. As she started getting undressed, he told her he couldn’t have sex because he just had an operation. So she told him it would be 10 dollars but she only received 5. Later that evening, she would return with Maurice and Maurice would lie on top of him while Sunny would get the money from his wallet.
Jane: Jane was someone who made Holden feels special, when they would hang out, they would hold hands and that would make him really happy. He remembers one day when they were playing checkers, her dad came out and yelled at her looking for his cigarettes and she wouldn’t answer him, then he went back inside and she started to cry then Holden kissed her softly.
Sally Hayes:
Sally is a girl that Holden calls the next morning after the incident with Sunny and Maurice, and he asks Sally if she would like to go out later that evening. They meet at the hotel, and take a taxi to a play then to go ice skating at “Radio City”.
Robert Ackley:
Is Holden’s next door neighbor in the dorm, always comes into his room uninvited, pops pimples, cuts finger and toe nails all over the place, asks the same questions over and over again, talks about sexual relationships of the summer before, and hates Stradlater.
Stradlater:
Comes back from the football game and gets cleaned up for his date with Jane Gallagher. Holden isn’t happy with Stradlater when he tells him that he has a date with “Jean” and not Jane showing he doesn’t have any emotions for her. He tell Stradlater a story about his summer home back in Maine when she was his neighbor and how they use to play checkers, but Stradlater wasn’t to interested and was occupied shaving. Stradlater asked Holden to write his English assignment for him, he had to describe something. When Stradlater returns from his date, he reads when Holden wrote about his brother Allies baseball glove and is mad at Holden so Holden rips it up, and they start fighting when suddenly Stradlater punches Holden in the nose and he start bleeding. Holden decides to go in Ackley’s room knowing his roommate was gone for the weekend and sleeps there.
SOURCES
The book,
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/catcher/
http://www.bellmore-merrick.k12.ny.us/catcher.html
http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/Guides3/Catcher.html#Characters
http://www.homework-online.com/tcitr/index.html
http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/literature/The-Catcher-in-the-Rye.id-53.html
Sunday, 11 April 2010
How little do we know?
My name is Fernando, I’m 41 years old and I work for the Italian mob in New York, New York. I am an undercover cop and I’ve been working on this job to bust Lorenzo the head of the operation for 7 years now. I do all sorts of things working for a mob, I’ve killed people, I’ve watched people die, I’ve seen how powerful they are and trust me, you don’t want to get involved with them. Once you become part of the family, you can never leave unless you’re in a body bag. The things you see and things you have to do to make sure that they don’t find out your undercover are life changing. I had to leave my wife, I haven’t seen my kids in over 20 years, and I hardy have any friends out side of the police force. Having to change my name, where I came from, who I am just to protect the people I care and love was the hardest choice a man could ever make.
It all started 9 years ago when I got arrested for assault, murder and drug possession. I knew the judge from high school and he offered me a deal I couldn’t refuse. He told me I had two choices, one was to spend the rest of my life in jail in a concrete cell with some guy I didn’t know, or go to jail for a few months, have a fake death so people believe your dead and become an undercover cop and leave my life behind for ever. So like any other person would, I pick the choice I thought was better for me and my family, instead of my family having to deal with me in jail, id fake my death and work for the CIA.
As I started to gain the trust of Lorenzo, I started moving up in his “family” and soon became one of his most trusted guys. He would come to me for advice, ask me to make sure the job gets done right if not to deal with the hit man, even simple things as getting him his daily pack of smokes. I had it all, money, girls and a family, people id spend the whole day with, a nice big house, and anything I needed at the tip of my fingers. Lorenzo was getting old, and he was looking for someone to take over his position and to make sure everything runs good. Mario, Lorenzo’s son was my age. He was a little shorter then me and has less muscle the only thing is, that Lorenzo trusted me more then Mario. He wasn’t to happy about that, knowing his dad loved me more then him, had more faith and more confidence in me then his own son.
May 23rd, we had the biggest drug deal going down in Manhattan’s harbor. We had 3 fishing boats come in filled with sharks that had cocaine in them. Over 1,000,000 dollars worth or cocaine and over 2,000 guns and grenades also. We have a great friend in Columbia that supplies us with anything we need, and we do the same for them. The 2,000 guns and grenades were for the big conflict we had going on with the Triads. The police had no control over what was about to happen, to them it was just two gangs fighting for business. They didn’t care if people died, just less problems in there eyes. The war was set to take place on July 4th, so the police wouldn’t mind the sound of gun shots going off thinking it was fire works. We had over 200 people come in for the war and we lost 78 and they lost 186, the rest got away.
A few days later, we decided to get some new recruits for the family. We were looking for big people, people that had a record, scary people, someone who would die for the family. Each applicant will be personally selected by people from the family, and they will be tortured and suffer to get in.
After the new family members joined, the CIA figured that they should get me out of here before another war erupts. I’m not ready to leave Lorenzo yet he’s like a father to me. I never knew my dad, he died 3 weeks after I was born in a car accident, and they say he was impaired while driving. They want me to set up a drug deal and arrest everyone on site. This will take a few weeks to arrange but until then I will not be able to contact the CIA I will be under everyone’s eye. So I told them where and where it will take place and all I can do is hope for the best.
The next day I take Lorenzo out for breakfast thinking we will be going to the deal in the afternoon. We sit and talk and during the meal he tells me that he would be lost without his son, he would be dead if he didn’t have him by his side. I told him that Mario thinks you like me better then him and that you don’t trust him to do things. Lorenzo explain that he loves him and believes in him but he doesn’t want to risk his life by giving him all the responsibilities. Shortly after the meal, they leave for the pick up point.
As we get closer, I tell him that we aren’t going to the deal, I told him that it was over, and that he doesn’t have to be in the mob anymore, that he was a free man. Lorenzo and Mario were confused then we showed up at an air port and there was vans with everyone from the family there waiting for the plain. I decided to move them to Columbia and go with them and start a new life.
As for the CIA, I gave them the address to the Triads and arranged a deal for them to buy drugs and they all got life time sentences.
I was never to be seen again by anyone I once new in the USA…
It all started 9 years ago when I got arrested for assault, murder and drug possession. I knew the judge from high school and he offered me a deal I couldn’t refuse. He told me I had two choices, one was to spend the rest of my life in jail in a concrete cell with some guy I didn’t know, or go to jail for a few months, have a fake death so people believe your dead and become an undercover cop and leave my life behind for ever. So like any other person would, I pick the choice I thought was better for me and my family, instead of my family having to deal with me in jail, id fake my death and work for the CIA.
As I started to gain the trust of Lorenzo, I started moving up in his “family” and soon became one of his most trusted guys. He would come to me for advice, ask me to make sure the job gets done right if not to deal with the hit man, even simple things as getting him his daily pack of smokes. I had it all, money, girls and a family, people id spend the whole day with, a nice big house, and anything I needed at the tip of my fingers. Lorenzo was getting old, and he was looking for someone to take over his position and to make sure everything runs good. Mario, Lorenzo’s son was my age. He was a little shorter then me and has less muscle the only thing is, that Lorenzo trusted me more then Mario. He wasn’t to happy about that, knowing his dad loved me more then him, had more faith and more confidence in me then his own son.
May 23rd, we had the biggest drug deal going down in Manhattan’s harbor. We had 3 fishing boats come in filled with sharks that had cocaine in them. Over 1,000,000 dollars worth or cocaine and over 2,000 guns and grenades also. We have a great friend in Columbia that supplies us with anything we need, and we do the same for them. The 2,000 guns and grenades were for the big conflict we had going on with the Triads. The police had no control over what was about to happen, to them it was just two gangs fighting for business. They didn’t care if people died, just less problems in there eyes. The war was set to take place on July 4th, so the police wouldn’t mind the sound of gun shots going off thinking it was fire works. We had over 200 people come in for the war and we lost 78 and they lost 186, the rest got away.
A few days later, we decided to get some new recruits for the family. We were looking for big people, people that had a record, scary people, someone who would die for the family. Each applicant will be personally selected by people from the family, and they will be tortured and suffer to get in.
After the new family members joined, the CIA figured that they should get me out of here before another war erupts. I’m not ready to leave Lorenzo yet he’s like a father to me. I never knew my dad, he died 3 weeks after I was born in a car accident, and they say he was impaired while driving. They want me to set up a drug deal and arrest everyone on site. This will take a few weeks to arrange but until then I will not be able to contact the CIA I will be under everyone’s eye. So I told them where and where it will take place and all I can do is hope for the best.
The next day I take Lorenzo out for breakfast thinking we will be going to the deal in the afternoon. We sit and talk and during the meal he tells me that he would be lost without his son, he would be dead if he didn’t have him by his side. I told him that Mario thinks you like me better then him and that you don’t trust him to do things. Lorenzo explain that he loves him and believes in him but he doesn’t want to risk his life by giving him all the responsibilities. Shortly after the meal, they leave for the pick up point.
As we get closer, I tell him that we aren’t going to the deal, I told him that it was over, and that he doesn’t have to be in the mob anymore, that he was a free man. Lorenzo and Mario were confused then we showed up at an air port and there was vans with everyone from the family there waiting for the plain. I decided to move them to Columbia and go with them and start a new life.
As for the CIA, I gave them the address to the Triads and arranged a deal for them to buy drugs and they all got life time sentences.
I was never to be seen again by anyone I once new in the USA…
Book report
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold is a mystery book that is good for teaching young teenagers about why they shouldn’t trust strangers. It’s a book about a 14 year old girl living in Pennsylvania when one day on her way home from school, she decides to take a short cut threw a corn field when she runs into Mr. Harvey a man from her neighborhood.
Sussie Salmon is a 14 year old girl with red hair and blue eyes. She’s a kind student, smart, and has a loving family. She has a sister and two brothers that are all younger then her. Sussie is one of the smarter students in the school and is always truthful with her parents about her where about. The one thing Sussie loves the most is taking pictures, pictures of anything she thinks is pretty. She had a special relationship with her dad; they would stay up all night and make ships in bottles as a hobby. One day after school, she is running late after staying for volunteer work so she decides to take a short cut before it gets any darker out. It was a cloudy evening; wind blowing softly threw the empty corn field with a light blanket of snow covering the mud. Suddenly she sees Mr. Harvey coming out of the fog on the other side of the field. Mr. Harvey is a single man who loves his flowers and he lives a few houses down from the Salmons. He’s new in the neighborhood and doesn’t know many people. Mr. Harvey always came off as an innocent guy to Sussie, with brown hair that started to fade grey on the sides, glasses, a mustache, and always dresses elderly with vests and dress shoes.
After Sussie is murdered, she spends her time looking after her friends and family from heaven. In her heaven, she isn’t alone, she is with 7 other girls some younger and some older then her and it isn’t until later on she discovers who they are. Her heaven is like her life every day, she can see everyone, she can talk to them but they don’t see her, and can’t hear her. They live their lives as if she never excited. Her favorite place in her heaven is an old gazebo by a river, where she can look into the river and see her dad where ever he is.
The main message behind the story of The Lovely Bones is that if you don’t know someone really well and you’re alone with them and no one knows where you are, try to avoid going somewhere with them, because anything is possible these days. Make sure you tell a friend or a family member, you can also bring a friend along with you so there are less chances of something happening. You have to trust the people your with, if you have any doubts about them at all your probably right and try to stay away from them. Know that these days you don’t really know what people are thinking about and what they can do so I’ve learned not to talk to strangers and if I’m in a situation like this, to run as far and fast as I can. Mr. Harvey is a serial killer that hasn’t been caught for his past murders, but thanks to Sussie’s dad and sister, he was finally convicted of what he has done.
Mr. Harvey takes Sussie to an underground club house that he said he built for the kids in the neighborhood to use to hang out it when ever they like and he would like to show her. At first she hesitated then he told her that she’d be the first one to see it and she was happy about that. Once they are down in the hangout spot, Mr. Harvey starts complimenting Sussie and try to kiss her. She started to yell and run but she didn’t make it up the ladder and no one could hear her underground in the middle of a field. He then rapes her and kills her, chopping up her body into pieces and putting them in garbage bags. He takes the bags out, kills the whole back with dirt and thinks he gets away with it. Later that night, at the Salmon house, her family is worried and calls the cops. They send out a search team and find her hat that her mom made for her in the corn field beside the buried underground hide away. Jack Salmon, Sussie’s dad thinks that it’s pointless to find the person who did this to his daughter till one day when he got frustrated and started breaking the model boats in glass bottles; he had a dream that she told him who did it. He spent his life trying to figure out Mr. Harvey’s life and who he is. One day, late at night he sees him in his bathroom, with knifes and shortly after, he sees blood on the window. When Mr. Harvey was done cleaning the blood off the window which is when he realized that Mr. Salmon was watching him from across the street. Mr. Salmon calls the cops and they go to Mr. Harvey’s door and ask for him to pen his garage and take a look around. They look in the garbage bags that smell like rotten corps and find a deer head.
A few days later, Lindsey, Sussie younger sister has a dream about Sussie telling her that Mr. Harvey has proof in his basement. Lindsey doesn’t say anything at first because she didn’t want to seem crazy. At dinner that night, her dad was sharing with everyone that he had another dream that Sussie said “Don’t to give up, you’ll find it soon enough, keep looking.” That’s when Lindsey started talking about her dream. The next day, on her way to school, she sees Mr. Harvey leave to go out so she decides to break in and look around. She goes into the basement, but comes up dry, tries his bedroom and looks into his side table and as she walks towards it, she feels the boards in the floor lift. She removes the boards and hears the door open, its Mr. Harvey back already. She quickly looks under the floor, and finds a small red book and flips threw it quickly and she soon finds out that the book she has in her hand has all the plans to how he executed the murder on her sister. She quickly drops the book back in the whole as she hears footsteps coming up the stairs and put the flooring back on and jumps out the window. As he enters the room, he see the floor isn’t placed properly, looks out the window and see Lindsey run away from his yard. She runs straight home and calls her dad and tells him. They call the cops and by the time they come, he’s gone. He toke the safe where he hide Sussie’s body over to the town sink hole and throws it in. when he returns, the cops are at his door waiting to arrest him after they found the book, and several other books along with pictures of girls and a clip of there hair.
At that moment, Sussie is set free, she is joined by the 7 other girls that Mr. Harvey raped and killed, walk out from the gazebo, into a field filled with flowers as the hold hand, and skip along towards the mountains.
The book was an interesting book, kept my attention threw out making me want to read more and more. At some parts, it would be too much detail and would move slowly throw the story. It relates to real life because there are people out there who do things like this every day.
Sussie Salmon is a 14 year old girl with red hair and blue eyes. She’s a kind student, smart, and has a loving family. She has a sister and two brothers that are all younger then her. Sussie is one of the smarter students in the school and is always truthful with her parents about her where about. The one thing Sussie loves the most is taking pictures, pictures of anything she thinks is pretty. She had a special relationship with her dad; they would stay up all night and make ships in bottles as a hobby. One day after school, she is running late after staying for volunteer work so she decides to take a short cut before it gets any darker out. It was a cloudy evening; wind blowing softly threw the empty corn field with a light blanket of snow covering the mud. Suddenly she sees Mr. Harvey coming out of the fog on the other side of the field. Mr. Harvey is a single man who loves his flowers and he lives a few houses down from the Salmons. He’s new in the neighborhood and doesn’t know many people. Mr. Harvey always came off as an innocent guy to Sussie, with brown hair that started to fade grey on the sides, glasses, a mustache, and always dresses elderly with vests and dress shoes.
After Sussie is murdered, she spends her time looking after her friends and family from heaven. In her heaven, she isn’t alone, she is with 7 other girls some younger and some older then her and it isn’t until later on she discovers who they are. Her heaven is like her life every day, she can see everyone, she can talk to them but they don’t see her, and can’t hear her. They live their lives as if she never excited. Her favorite place in her heaven is an old gazebo by a river, where she can look into the river and see her dad where ever he is.
The main message behind the story of The Lovely Bones is that if you don’t know someone really well and you’re alone with them and no one knows where you are, try to avoid going somewhere with them, because anything is possible these days. Make sure you tell a friend or a family member, you can also bring a friend along with you so there are less chances of something happening. You have to trust the people your with, if you have any doubts about them at all your probably right and try to stay away from them. Know that these days you don’t really know what people are thinking about and what they can do so I’ve learned not to talk to strangers and if I’m in a situation like this, to run as far and fast as I can. Mr. Harvey is a serial killer that hasn’t been caught for his past murders, but thanks to Sussie’s dad and sister, he was finally convicted of what he has done.
Mr. Harvey takes Sussie to an underground club house that he said he built for the kids in the neighborhood to use to hang out it when ever they like and he would like to show her. At first she hesitated then he told her that she’d be the first one to see it and she was happy about that. Once they are down in the hangout spot, Mr. Harvey starts complimenting Sussie and try to kiss her. She started to yell and run but she didn’t make it up the ladder and no one could hear her underground in the middle of a field. He then rapes her and kills her, chopping up her body into pieces and putting them in garbage bags. He takes the bags out, kills the whole back with dirt and thinks he gets away with it. Later that night, at the Salmon house, her family is worried and calls the cops. They send out a search team and find her hat that her mom made for her in the corn field beside the buried underground hide away. Jack Salmon, Sussie’s dad thinks that it’s pointless to find the person who did this to his daughter till one day when he got frustrated and started breaking the model boats in glass bottles; he had a dream that she told him who did it. He spent his life trying to figure out Mr. Harvey’s life and who he is. One day, late at night he sees him in his bathroom, with knifes and shortly after, he sees blood on the window. When Mr. Harvey was done cleaning the blood off the window which is when he realized that Mr. Salmon was watching him from across the street. Mr. Salmon calls the cops and they go to Mr. Harvey’s door and ask for him to pen his garage and take a look around. They look in the garbage bags that smell like rotten corps and find a deer head.
A few days later, Lindsey, Sussie younger sister has a dream about Sussie telling her that Mr. Harvey has proof in his basement. Lindsey doesn’t say anything at first because she didn’t want to seem crazy. At dinner that night, her dad was sharing with everyone that he had another dream that Sussie said “Don’t to give up, you’ll find it soon enough, keep looking.” That’s when Lindsey started talking about her dream. The next day, on her way to school, she sees Mr. Harvey leave to go out so she decides to break in and look around. She goes into the basement, but comes up dry, tries his bedroom and looks into his side table and as she walks towards it, she feels the boards in the floor lift. She removes the boards and hears the door open, its Mr. Harvey back already. She quickly looks under the floor, and finds a small red book and flips threw it quickly and she soon finds out that the book she has in her hand has all the plans to how he executed the murder on her sister. She quickly drops the book back in the whole as she hears footsteps coming up the stairs and put the flooring back on and jumps out the window. As he enters the room, he see the floor isn’t placed properly, looks out the window and see Lindsey run away from his yard. She runs straight home and calls her dad and tells him. They call the cops and by the time they come, he’s gone. He toke the safe where he hide Sussie’s body over to the town sink hole and throws it in. when he returns, the cops are at his door waiting to arrest him after they found the book, and several other books along with pictures of girls and a clip of there hair.
At that moment, Sussie is set free, she is joined by the 7 other girls that Mr. Harvey raped and killed, walk out from the gazebo, into a field filled with flowers as the hold hand, and skip along towards the mountains.
The book was an interesting book, kept my attention threw out making me want to read more and more. At some parts, it would be too much detail and would move slowly throw the story. It relates to real life because there are people out there who do things like this every day.
Thursday, 25 March 2010
The start of the end
For the people who aren’t aware, I am a hockey player since the age of 4 and this is my final year at a competitive level. The past few weeks have been crazy for me, I referee hockey out in Toronto and in my home town and on top of that, I play on two hockey teams (Ajax Knights Midget AE and the SR. Boys Saint-Charles Garnier team). I’ve played in Ajax for about 8 years now and I’d have to say that this year is by far the best year or my life. We started the season back in September thinking that our team wouldn’t be the best team and that we would finish in the middle of the pack. We soon realized that our team came together really fast and we had heart the coach hasn’t seen in years. 
We started off the year with a tournament the second week of school and we went to the semi finals and lost in over time, but the tournament was a higher division then what we would play during the year. The remainder of the years tournaments we had great success with winning the very prestigious Silver Stick International tournament were teams would come from all over North America after qualifying in a Silver Stick Regional tournament. We also won two other tournaments that gave us a great boost and we filled up our trophy case at the arena. 
When playoffs started, we were favored to win it from the start finishing the season with a record of 27 wins, 1 losses and 2 ties and 4 tournament championships. We swept the first two rounds to go to the Ontario Minor Hockey Association finals and we played Bradford for the championship. They were a hard working team, and they gave us a run for out money and ended up beating us in the 4th game ending out 47 game winning streak. 
The 5th game was last night in our home arena and we were not about too lose two games in a row. We hit the ice flying, and we came out of the game with a win that made us the OMHA Champions with a final record of 62 wins, 4 losses, and 3 ties. I’ve played on the school hockey team for the past 4 years and this year is my last one. We had a rough start with not winning for 9 games straight, but after the New Year, we picked up our game. We made it into the B pool finals and won it as the underdogs. This year has to be the best year for me and it fits just right knowing it will most likely be my last year playing.
Monday, 15 February 2010
Game day!
Waking up
After hitting the snooze button a few times the hardest part of the game day preparation has to be waking up. Players and coaches wake up early to get mentally and physically focused for the game. Players play each game as it was there last never knowing what could happen. It’s important to get a good 8-10 hours of sleep the night before a game so your body is rested for all the exercise you’ll be doing. The more rest the more energy you’ll have for the game and if you have a late night game try and get a nice nap in about 5-6 hours before game time.
Food
Many people have different ideas about what they should eat the day of a game. My suggestion is you have 2 big meals with a few snacks between. The first meal is breakfast; you should have a complete breakfast that includes eggs, bacon/sausage, pancakes, toast and orange juice/apple juice/ water. For snacks threw out the day, have fruits like apples bananas or strawberries. Have about 3 or 4 snacks depending on how hungry you are. Dinner is the most important part before going to the rink. The best food to have would be pasta with some chicken so you have carbs and protein. Threw out the day you should also drink a lot of water to stay hydrated.
Arriving to the rinkArrive at the rink at least one hour before game time. It’s important to be there early to be with your teammates and get ready for the game. Don’t go running around the rink, or looking for people you might know. Stay in the room until the coach tells you other wise to make him happy. Play some music something that will get you pumped as a team or individually. If you're in your home rink, find out if you can have music played during the game.
Stretch 
Stretching is a must before games. Most teams have their own routine before a game to go out together for a run then stretch. It’s important to stretch all the muscles in your body especially your legs, arms, back and joints such as knees and ankles. Always count to twenty for each stretch so each muscle gets equal time. Extra exercises can also be jumping rope, jumping jacks, sprints, stairs and high knees. Stretch about 45 minutes before your game then if your game starts early, you won’t be in a rush to get dress. Remember that if you go on the ice and start skating and playing really hard with out being lose, you have a chance to pull muscles.
Stretching is a must before games. Most teams have their own routine before a game to go out together for a run then stretch. It’s important to stretch all the muscles in your body especially your legs, arms, back and joints such as knees and ankles. Always count to twenty for each stretch so each muscle gets equal time. Extra exercises can also be jumping rope, jumping jacks, sprints, stairs and high knees. Stretch about 45 minutes before your game then if your game starts early, you won’t be in a rush to get dress. Remember that if you go on the ice and start skating and playing really hard with out being lose, you have a chance to pull muscles.
Getting dressedGet dressed at your pace, take your time no need to rush, sit beside your friend, talk and focus about the game. Make sure you have all your equipment so that there is less of a chance of getting injured. People have superstitions about how they get dressed like tying there left skate before the right one or taping the stick each game, small things like that that make them play better. I’ve known people who have to listen to music or they have to sharpen there skates before each game or they think in there head they will play bad.
On ice warm up
The on ice warm up is for everyone on the team. Normally before a game, the referee gives you 5 minutes to warm up and during that time you skate around and shoot pucks for the goalies to get in game mode. Most teams have a set warm up and they pretty much look the same. It’s mostly that players skate a few laps around there zone followed by the defence and forwards splitting up to shoot pucks. The forwards go in a corner and come around and shoot then the defences stand at the blue line and shoot on net. After a few times, everyone just skates around and shoots on net. The warm up is followed by the teams cheer and shaking hands before the game.
The on ice warm up is for everyone on the team. Normally before a game, the referee gives you 5 minutes to warm up and during that time you skate around and shoot pucks for the goalies to get in game mode. Most teams have a set warm up and they pretty much look the same. It’s mostly that players skate a few laps around there zone followed by the defence and forwards splitting up to shoot pucks. The forwards go in a corner and come around and shoot then the defences stand at the blue line and shoot on net. After a few times, everyone just skates around and shoots on net. The warm up is followed by the teams cheer and shaking hands before the game.
Game time
All the work is about to be put to the test, the puck drops and the game is on its way. Games are 3 periods long and they are 15 minutes a piece. You won’t be on the whole time, but when you are out there you give it all you got. Each pass, each hit, and each shoot matters. Games can have its ups and downs but as a member of a team, you have to rely on everyone to have each others backs. It’s a fast moving game so don’t under mind your opponents because on any given day anyone can win if they have the heart.
Things can happen 
Hockey has to be one of the most unpredictable games in the world to play. You can not have set plays and have a game all set out before you go on the ice. Reality is that things happen and people can get hurt. You can’t avoid things that you aren’t expecting such as injuries. Things so little as a slap shot from the point can turn into a life or death situation in a matter of minutes.
Family
As a year goes on, team mates begin to look after each other and become closer and closer. That kind of friendship will last forever and it will take you a long way threw out the season. If the team gets along together, they will have great success threw out the season and post-season. A good way for teammates to come together is by team bonding such as injuries, parties and team outings. They will not just become one team, but also one family but not letting someone be left behind.
The reward
Playing together as a team and not as individuals has taken the Ajax Knights Midget AE team a long way this year. With a total of 4 tournament wins including the International Silver Sick has proven that anything can happen in one year. Back in September, the team was picked after many people tried out. The team has never played together before and they have an impressive record to date of 55 win, 3 losses and 3 ties. They are currently in the semi finals of the all Ontario playoffs and they are favored to win it all.
To whom it may concern,
I have a love for our national sport hockey. I have been playing for 13 years now and been a referee for 4 years. I’ve refereed over 400 games between the Ontario Minor Hockey Association and North York Hockey League. Each year, as the players get older I see that there are more and more injuries due to physical contact. I don’t mind that there is body contact because it is part of the game. The part I disagree with is the fact that some players take advantage of it and go beyond the rules and play dirty. What classifies as being dirty in my eyes as an official, is that when someone deliberately hits someone from behind into the boards (checking from behind) of hits someone in the head (checking to the head).
As a player, from past experiences, I can tell who the dirty players are on the ice and I am scared to turn my back towards them when going towards the boards. ``A 1999 study of head injuries treated in the emergency room found that 18% Of sport-related injuries occurred while playing hockey, while 1 in 5 of these(21%) were head injuries``. People get severely hurt by breaking bones, getting concussions, or even being paralyzed. It hasn’t been taken seriously but once someone dies, it will be too late. Checking to the head is also dangerous. The sudden impact of an elbow or a shoulder directly to your head can cause brain damage or the accumulation on blood in your skull. Recently in one of my games, a player on my team got hit directly in the head with and elbow after he just finished shooting the puck. The force of the elbow was so hard that it broke his face cage and he got a cut on his chin. The player who hit him only received 10 minutes and my teammate was sent to the hospital. I love to sport as do many people across Canada; however people are scared to play as they get older due to the violence.
If it was more controlled it would be better, safer, faster and more enjoyable to play. How would you feel if your son was hurt and broke his neck due to a violent hit from behind and the person who did that to your son only gets a 3 game suspension? Knowing that you can change the future of the game but minimizing the number of injuries in a game or in a season wouldn’t you feel better? Think about all the kids in Canada that have the chance to get injured and all you’d have to do is relook the rules and make the penalties stricter so they will think twice about doing it again. For all the players, coaches and spectators involved in the Hockey Canada Programme, we thank you for keeping the game safe and fun.
Regards,
Sportsfan17
I have a love for our national sport hockey. I have been playing for 13 years now and been a referee for 4 years. I’ve refereed over 400 games between the Ontario Minor Hockey Association and North York Hockey League. Each year, as the players get older I see that there are more and more injuries due to physical contact. I don’t mind that there is body contact because it is part of the game. The part I disagree with is the fact that some players take advantage of it and go beyond the rules and play dirty. What classifies as being dirty in my eyes as an official, is that when someone deliberately hits someone from behind into the boards (checking from behind) of hits someone in the head (checking to the head).
As a player, from past experiences, I can tell who the dirty players are on the ice and I am scared to turn my back towards them when going towards the boards. ``A 1999 study of head injuries treated in the emergency room found that 18% Of sport-related injuries occurred while playing hockey, while 1 in 5 of these(21%) were head injuries``. People get severely hurt by breaking bones, getting concussions, or even being paralyzed. It hasn’t been taken seriously but once someone dies, it will be too late. Checking to the head is also dangerous. The sudden impact of an elbow or a shoulder directly to your head can cause brain damage or the accumulation on blood in your skull. Recently in one of my games, a player on my team got hit directly in the head with and elbow after he just finished shooting the puck. The force of the elbow was so hard that it broke his face cage and he got a cut on his chin. The player who hit him only received 10 minutes and my teammate was sent to the hospital. I love to sport as do many people across Canada; however people are scared to play as they get older due to the violence.
If it was more controlled it would be better, safer, faster and more enjoyable to play. How would you feel if your son was hurt and broke his neck due to a violent hit from behind and the person who did that to your son only gets a 3 game suspension? Knowing that you can change the future of the game but minimizing the number of injuries in a game or in a season wouldn’t you feel better? Think about all the kids in Canada that have the chance to get injured and all you’d have to do is relook the rules and make the penalties stricter so they will think twice about doing it again. For all the players, coaches and spectators involved in the Hockey Canada Programme, we thank you for keeping the game safe and fun.
Regards,
Sportsfan17
Monday, 8 February 2010
Leafs lose to San Jose 3-2
The Leafs put up a great fight after out shooting them but they could not just get bounces. Was there any question about the Leafs losing? They are in last place in the Eastern Conference while San Jose is at the top of the Western Conference. Hats off to the Leafs though for the effort and Nazem Kadri for stepping up to play for them on short notice as the Toronto Marlies were out of town for a game.
Raptors win 7 straight at home
Toronto Raptors win 115-104 over Sacramento Kings. Chris bosh with 36 points and 11 rebounds on the night while Andrea Bargnani had 22 points and Antoine Wright had 16 to add to the Raptors high score. After trailing in the 3rd quarter, the Raptors come out aggressive by outscoring the Kings 31-17 in the 4th.
Super Bowl XLIV
Manning made a big mistake when Tracy Porter returned Manning’s interception 74 yards for a touch down that sealed the 31-17 victory. The turning point of the game had to be the onside kick by the Saints in the 3rd quarter when they gained possession early on. Drew Brees received the Lombardi Trophy as he completed 32 of 39 passes that tied a Super Bowl record for most passes during a Super Bowl and he also was named the Super Bowl XLIV MVP. Great win for a great team after both teams offences played amazing.
What’s with the Jays?
The Jays acquired a new pitcher, Dana Eveland a left hander from Oakland Athletics. It hasn’t been announced yet if they traded him for a player or money, ill keep everyone posted once I hear a story.
Battle of Ontario in the NHL
The Toronto Maple Leafs wins over Ottawa 5-0. The Leafs broke the Senators 11 game winning streak since January 12th 2010.
R.I.P. 21-year-old Brendan Burke, youngest son of Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke
Friday night, 21-year-old Brendan Burke was fatally injured in an accident Friday in Wayne County, Indiana. His black jeep lost control in bad weather crossed into oncoming traffic and hit another vehicle head on. In the other car involved in the accident, 18-year-old Mark Reedy did not survive either.
Did the changes make a difference for the Leafs?
As we know, recently we did two trades to get some new blood on the team. Friday’s game against New Jersey Devils went off to a great start for the Leafs scoring the first 3 goals of the hockey game. But the final result was 5-3 with another loss for the Leafs as they gave up a 3 goal lead. How do they manage to do that so many times in one season? Why didn’t they switch goaltenders and put there new goalie to the test?
Friday, 5 February 2010
Violence in hockey, how far should it go?
Wednesday’s game between Val-d'Or Foreurs and Rimouski Oceanic a tragedy happened that left a player injured severely. Val-d'Or defenceman Marco Scandella has been suspended from hitting Alexandre Durette in the head and he broke his visor. It was a dirty hit that was unnecessary and he shouldn’t have hit him in the head with his elbow. All Marco had to do was give him a soft hit, hit the puck off or even not use his elbow. Violence like this shouldn’t be accepted in any hockey and I am glad that he has consequences to face. Young players growing up love watching teams in their region play so I know for a fact that if as a young player, you see someone in a high league hit someone like that, they think that it’s acceptable to do it there self’s. For example, I am a referee and have been for many years, I referee kid’s hockey and after then Sean Avery incident, I saw a player stand in front of a goalie and just stand there and look into his eyes and do gestures that were inappropriate. If people hit violently in the juniors, players in minor hockey will do the same thinking it is ok, when IT`S NOT! IT’S NOT PART OF THE GAME! A little contact is acceptable but when someone takes a run like that and the player is defenceless, he should be suspended for a while, knowing that what he did was wrong.
Toronto Blue Jays sign new closer!
The Toronto Blue Jays recently signed Kevin Gregg a previous closer for the Chicago Clubs with a record of 5 wins, 6 losses, 23 saves and a 4.72 ERA. I am looking forward to see his skills as a Blue Jays.
Thursday, 4 February 2010
Games in February for the Leafs and Raptors
Games for the Raptors in February. February 7th vs Sacramento 12 pm, February 10th vs Philadelphia 7 pm, February 17th vs Memphis 7 pm, February 19th at New Jersey 8 pm, February 20th vs Washington 7 pm, February 24th vs Portland 7 pm, February 26th vs Cleveland 7 pm, February 28th at Oklahoma City 7 pm.
Game for the Leafs in February. February 5th at New Jersey 7 pm, February 6th against Ottawa 7 pm, February 8th against San Jose 7 pm and February 12th at St. Louis 8 pm. For those who are wondering why there isn’t any games the second half of February, it’s because of the Olympics that are to be help in Vancouver and many players from the NHL play for there country during the games.
Game for the Leafs in February. February 5th at New Jersey 7 pm, February 6th against Ottawa 7 pm, February 8th against San Jose 7 pm and February 12th at St. Louis 8 pm. For those who are wondering why there isn’t any games the second half of February, it’s because of the Olympics that are to be help in Vancouver and many players from the NHL play for there country during the games.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The past weekend has been a rollercoaster for the Leafs with players coming and going. The leafs got two key players that will add to there line up. Dion Phaneuf from the Calgary flames was traded for Ian white, Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman and Jamal Mayers. We also received defensemen Keith Aulie and winger Fredrik Sjostrom. The second key player is Jean-Sebastien Giguere a goalie from the Anaheim Ducks who was traded for Vesa Toskala and Jason Blake. It’s definitely a surprise to fans and also players to the Leafs. It just goes to show that on any given day, if you aren’t performing your best the odds of getting traded are there.
Why are Toronto fans like no other?
People all over Toronto love watching there home town play at a professional level. They always come out and support the teams if they have a good season or not. Is it the spirit of the town? Or just the love for the game? Either way, players from the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto Blue Jays, and the Toronto Argonauts have many spectators at every single game they play. I can personally say that when you step into the Rogers Center or the Air Canada Center, the feeling of the fans and all the excitement rushes threw your veins. After visiting different center, it just isn’t the same as when you are in your home town cheering for the teams you love. The best part is that no matter what season you’re in, there will always be at least one team you can watch on television or in person. As a hockey fan, even though the Leafs aren’t the best team in the league, but they always have a great attendance and you are guaranteed a good time.
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