Wilson Hatcher’s predictions

Group A

1. Mexico

2. Costa Rica

3. El Salvador

Group B

1.Honduras

2. Guatemala

Group C

1. USA

2. Canada

3. Panama

Quarter Finals

Costa Rica 2-1 Guatemala

Mexico 4-1 Panama

Honduras 1-1 Canada

USA 3-0 El Salvador

Semi Finals

Costa Rica 1-1 Mexico

USA 2-1 Honduras

Finals

USA 1-0 Costa Rica

Everette Hatcher has everything the same except that Mexico would play USA in the championship and USA would win 3-2 over Mexico.

Soccer Reports Extra reported:

WRITTEN BY ADAM JOHNSTON ON JUNE 4, 2011 | 2 COMMENTS » 

POSTED IN CONCACAF GOLD CUP, OTHER COMPETITIONS

Adam Johnston is an Economics and Rhetoric and Communications student finishing up at the University of Winnipeg. Specializing in the globalization of sports with a soccer interest, Adam writes on occasion about the world of Americas soccer. His blog is at adamjohnston.blogspot.com

The 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup begins on June 5^th as a soccer tournament with little yet slowly gaining respect.

The tournament quality has increased, since CONCACAF stopped giving guest invitations after the 2005 tournament. Only competitors within the region have competed since 2007. The tournament allows the teams to get more prepared for 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying which will begin sometime either later this year or in 2012.

The Gold Cup may give teams a chance to get a feel for competitive action at the highest level, it still does not mean that countries who do very well at the Gold Cup are odds on favourites to qualify for the World Cup (i.e. Canada 2000/2007 Gold Cups and Panama 2005 finalist failed to qualify for the 2006 and 2010 World Cups).

Let take a look at who are the contenders and dark horses.

Contenders

The United States of America (U.S.A.)

Winners of four Gold Cups, the U.S.A. Along with Mexico are the two top teams in the region.

The Americans by some by some analysts even the top country in the region (even though this would be disputed by Mexican fans). Led by head coach Bob Bradley, who is in his fifth year as coach, has a very solid squad.

Lead by Los Angeles Galaxy attacker Landon Donovan and midfielder Fulham midfielder Clint Dempsey, the U.S. Looks strong offensively.

With Tim Howard as goalkeeper look for the United States be in the semi finals.

Mexico

Champions of the Gold Cup five times, El Tri looks to defend the title with a solid nucleus of young players.

Lead by the likes of Javier Hernandez from Manchester United and America Goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, the squad looks to be there right to the end and compete in the final at the Rose Bowl on June 25^th.

With head coach Jose Manuel de la Torre, leading the charge, expect Mexico to be proving themselves as the top team in the tournament.

Costa Rica

Tri colores, lead by head coach Ricardo LaVolpe is looking at this tournament to redeem themselves after a disappointing 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, Costa Rica finished second to Honduras in the 2011 Copa Centroamericana.

Despite the recent setbacks, look for Levolpe’s squad to come out of the firing gates and challenge for their first ever Gold Cup crown.

Honduras

One of three teams to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup from the CONCACAF region and 2011 Central American champions, the squad looks to be as competitive as they were during World Cup qualifying.

With impact players like attackers Carlos Costly, who was vital in their 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign, expect this side to be fighting for a semi final birth.

Dark Horses

Canada

Winners of only one Gold Cup in 2000. Despite not qualifying for the FIFA World Cup since 1986, the squad has had some success in recent years in this tournament.

Canada finished with a bronze in 2002 and lost a heart breaking semi final to the United States in 2007. Lead by head coach Stephen Hart, Canada looks very good as a dark horse.

Talented offensive players like Dwayne DeRosario, Atiba Hutchinson and Julian De Guzman look to provide some fire power, which is apart of the way Stephen Hart has his squad set up.

Lars Hirschfield will provide solid goalkeeping for a team that has always had a strong defence but a slow offense.

The question is will Hart’s squad have the heart to get them through to at least a quarterfinal position.

Anything less than a second round quarterfinal appearance will be disappointing. Anything more than that will be a feather in the cap and a step forward towards 2014 World Cup qualifying.

Jamaica

Winners of the 2010 Caribbean championship, some pundit’s think the team might be one of the most exciting teams this tournament.

Lead by  the Caribbean Cup Gold Boot winner Dane Richards from the New York Red Bulls, the team has the offensive weapons to challenge for a quarterfinal spot.

Tie that along with the strong goalkeeping of Los Angeles Galaxy player Donovan Ricketts and the team has enough to get through to the second round.

However, getting to the semi finals would exceed the team’s wildest expectation.

Panama

Bronze medalist from the 2011 Copa Centroamericana. Once looked as a baseball only nation, soccer has been growing pedigree in the recent decade.

Finalists in the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup, the squad also reached the final round of 2006 World Cup qualifying. Despite recent success, the team did not reach the final round of 2010 World Cup qualifying.

An attacking player like Gabriel Torres from San Francisco in the Panama League will lead this squad that could throw a wrench into who will be playing in the quarter finals.

With all the analysis said and done, look for a Mexico and Costa Rica final at the Rose Bowl on June 25^th.

Mexico will hoist their second straight trophy. Canada or Jamaica will be the biggest surprises of the tournament if one of them makes it to the semis.

Don’t count out a long shot like Guadeloupe either. The biggest disappointment of the tournament could be the United States if they don’t make it to the final.

Let the fun begin on June 5^th. I know I will have my DVD recorder on overtime.

People photograph and look at storm damage a day after a tornado in Springfield, Mass., Thursday, June 2, 2011. …

Yesterday AFP reported: 

The deadliest US tornado season in 75 years has ripped babies from their mother’s arms and transformed entire towns into apocalyptic scenes of destruction as the toll hit 523.

And it isn’t over yet.

While warmer summer weather should hopefully reduce their intensity, the peak tornado season runs through July and twisterscan strike at any time.

The damage is as unimaginable as it is unpredictable.

Funnel clouds drop out of a darkened sky, tossing cars and mobile homes up into the air, pulling huge trees out of the ground and tearing buildings apart.

The smaller ones touch down so briefly that one side of a street is flattened while the other is largely unscathed.

The bigger ones stay on the ground for miles, destroying everything for blocks on either side of their random path.

Two bad days accounted for nearly all the deaths: an outbreak of dozens of tornados that killed 314 people in five states on April 27 and a massive twister that killed 138 in Joplin, Missouri on May 22.

It was the deadliest day and the deadliest single tornado strike since modern record keeping began in 1950. 2011 now ranks as the fifth deadliest year in US tornado history.

“We’re still trying to wrap our heads around this one,” said Greg Carbin, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s storm center.

It’s not clear whether climate change is playing a role, Carbin said.

Tornadoes are formed when two weather fronts of different temperatures create wind sheer.

The warmer temperatures caused by global warming should reduce wind sheer, but they have also led to more precipitation and could be breeding the thunderstorms that spawn twisters.

It is clear, however, that steady growth in the number of people living in “tornado alley” – the huge area between the Rocky and Appalachian Mountains – has led to higher tolls, particularly since so many are living in mobile homes and houses lacking storm cellars.

“We’ve spread out on the landscape,” Carbin told AFP. “It’s easier for a tornado to hit something in this day and age.”

While warning systems have improved dramatically in recent years, sirens can be little help against a twister powerful enough to knock a nine story hospital off its foundation and reduce brick buildings to rubble.

That’s what happened in Joplin, where a nearly mile-wide twister packing winds of more than 200 miles per hour cut a six-mile (nearly 10 kilometer) swath of destruction through the town of 50,000 people.

“I don’t know if man could build something strong enough to handle what came through,” Missouri Governor Jay Nixon said after surveying the damage.

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A view of tornado damage is seen in the devestated town of Joplin, Missouri. The deadliest US tornado season in 75 years has ripped babies from their mother’s arms and transformed entire towns into apocalyptic scenes of destruction as the toll hit 523

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President Barack Obama called it a “national tragedy” and recalled stories of heroism at a memorial service Sunday.

One such hero was pizza shop manager Christopher Lucas, a father of two, who ushered more than a dozen people into a walk-in freezer as the tornado approached.

The freezer door wouldn’t close from the inside, so Lucas found rope and closed it from the outside.

“Christopher held it as long as he could. Until he was pulled away by the incredible force of the storm,” Obama said.

“He died saving more than a dozen people in that freezer.”

The damage was so extensive that it took officials 10 days to identify all the bodies and reunite hundreds of people separated from their loved ones.

For many, days of frantic searching ended in despair.

Like the family of 16-month Skyular Logsdon, who was pulled from his mother’s arms after she was knocked unconscious when the twister ripped apart their home.

Another series of deadly twisters struck just two days after the Joplin tornado, killing 16 people in Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.

A pregnant Catherine Hamil cowered in a bathtub with her three young children in Piedmont, Oklahoma that night.

When the storm passed, her 15-month-old son was dead, Hamil and her five-year-old daughter were in serious condition and her three-year-old son was gone.

It took two days to find his body.

Officials predict it will cost billions to repair the physical damage caused by the deadly twisters and months for life to return to normal.

Hot Topics-Arnold’s Love Child – The View

Maria Shriver Asks – How Do You Handle Transitions in Your Life?

Arnold Schwarzenegger admitted to his wife several months ago that he had fathered a child about 10 years ago with a member of their household staff. Maria moved out, but has not filed for divorce. In the you tube clip above she comments:

“Like a lot of you I’m in transition: people come up to me all the time, asking, what are you doing next?” she said, adding: “It’s so stressful to not know what you are doing next when people ask what you are doing and they can’t believe you don’t know what you are doing.”

“I’d like to hear from other people who are in transition,” she said. “How did you find your transition: Personal, professional, emotional, spiritual, financial? How did you get through it?”

Mrs. Shriver has asked for spiritual input and I personally think that unless she gets the spiritual help that she needs then she will end up in the divorce court. I am starting a series on how a marriage can survive an infidelity. My first suggestion would be to attend a “Weekend to Remember” put on by the organization “Family Life” out of Little Rock, Arkansas. I actually posted this as a response to Mrs. Shriver’s request on you tube.

Below is a portion of the article, “Infidelity’s Warning Signs:
Be on guard for your spouse … and yourself,” by  Nancy C. Anderson:

When Secret Service agents guard the President, they continually scan the crowd. They’re looking for unusual movements or odd behaviors that may be an indication of danger. The agents have studied how innocent people usually behave, so they can spot a person who’s acting “guilty.” We can apply some of these lessons to guarding our marriages.

These warning signs may indicate an affair:

1. Changing eating and sleeping patterns;
2. Wearing a different style of clothes;
3. Starting arguments or becoming very passive;
4. Working longer or different hours;
5. Pulling away from church and extended family;
6. Taking more showers than usual;
7. Comparing his or her spouse to other people;
8. Hiding credit card charges and cash withdrawals;
9. Taking off his or her wedding ring;
10. Becoming secretive or defensive about phone calls and emails.

You don’t need to be paranoid or to see things that aren’t there. I don’t recommend that you spy on your spouse . . . but if you need to, feel free. It would be wise, however, to be on guard. 

Chip Ingram – How to Break Through Conflict (pt 3)

It’s hard to keep your objectivity when you are hurt, wounded or tired. When we lose objectivity, there are several common responses to conflict that just don’t work and can even make things worse. Here are a few more conflict resolution tools from guest speaker Tim Lundy. Download the full message for free at the Venture Christian website: http://www.venturechristian.org/files/sermons2/t032011.mp3

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The clip above has some material that originally came from a video from Family Life. I have mentioned this organization several times in this post. Contacting “Family Life” (out of Little Rock, Arkansas) would be a great place for Arnold and Maria to begin their recovering. I am hoping that Maria realizes that this family is worth saving. It will take a lot of forgiveness and she will have to turn to Christ for his supernatural help to make it happen.

Coldplay performing “Glass of Water.”

Back in 2008 I wrote a paper on the spiritual themes of Coldplay’s album Viva La Vida and I predicted this spiritual search would continue in the future. Below is the first part of the paper, “Coldplay’s latest musical lyrics indicate a Spiritual Search for the Afterlife.”

Coldplay’s latest musical lyrics indicate a Spiritual Search for the Afterlife

In Coldplay’s latest songs you can see that something has changed about the focus of the band’s song writing. What is going on? The internet has been full of speculation concerning the radical lyrical change in the latest Coldplay work compared to the previous 3 albums.

Russ Briemeier of Christianity Today: “What does it all mean? With so many questions posed, a single interpretation of this album is virtually impossible…

Yet taken collectively, there is no ignoring the fact that spiritual themes are prevalent throughout the album. Viva La Vida seems to be about coping with death in a world corrupted by sin, temptation, and war. Though it never goes deeper than mentioning God or referencing a specific theology, the lyrics often yearn with hope and love for a better world—utopia or heaven, it’s up to your interpretation… Viva La Vida is often provocative, spiritual, and seemingly on the verge of identifying a greater Truth, asking and inspiring many questions without providing the answers.”

The Spiritual Search for the Afterlife

Many of Coldplay’s latest songs mention God and other Biblical themes such as dealing with death, and the afterlife and the shortness of life.  It seems to me that Coldplay has focused on spiritual issues in their lyrics but they are still in the process of working out all the answers and still formulating their religious belief systems. Here is a sample of their latest works:

In the song “Glass of Water”:

Oh he said you could see a future,
inside a glass of water,
With riddles and the rhymes
He asked ‘Will I see heaven in mine’
Ooooh, oooh, ooooh …

Possibly searching for the path to Heaven or hoping after death heaven is the destination. It reminds me also of the song “42” that says, “You thought you might be a ghost, You didn’t get to heaven but you made it close.”

(Coldplay performs “42”)

In the song “Now my feet  won’t touch the ground”:

Now my head won’t stop
You wait a lifetime to be found

Here someone maybe searching for you instead of you searching for someone else? Could it be a way of saying that God is searching for you in a sense? In the context of the rest of the album that may not be such a bad interpretation.

The song “42” states,

Those who are dead are not dead
They’re just living my head
And since I fell for that spell
I am living there as well
Oh…

Time is so short and I’m sure
There must be something more

This is the same question that Solomon asked 3000 years ago in the Book of Ecclesiastes.  He knew there was something more. The Christian Philosopher Francis Schaeffer noted that Solomon took a look at the meaning of life on the basis of human life standing alone between birth and death “under the sun.” This phrase UNDER THE SUN appears over and over in Ecclesiastes. The Christian Scholar Ravi Zacharias noted, “The key to understanding the Book of Ecclesiastes is the term UNDER THE SUN — What that literally means is you lock God out of a closed system and you are left with only this world of Time plus Chance plus matter.”

Solomon had all the resources in the world and he found himself searching for meaning in life and trying to come up with answers concerning the afterlife. However, it seems every door he tries to open is locked. Solomon found no lasting satisfaction in riches (Ecclesiastes 2:8-11), pleasure (2:1), education (2:3) and his work (2:4). None of those were able to “fill the God-sized vacuum in his heart” (quote from famous mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal). That reminds of the Coldplay’s words in the song “Lost”: “Every river that I tried to cross, Every door I ever tried was locked.”

Moreover, what looms over Solomon’s search for meaningful answers is his upcoming death. In the song, “The Escapist,” which shares tract 10 with the song  “Death and all his Friends,” Coldplay notes:

And in the end
We lie awake
And we dream
We’ll make an escape

Is this an escape from Death? Since this song follows the song “Death and all his Friends,” it seems that would be the case.

Death and all his friends

This is a tribute to Queen…

Coldplay – Death and all his friends from the album Viva la Vida ..

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