McGregror vs Diaz Fight

      UFC 196 had a clash of two huge fighters go head to head. Bantamweight champion Conor McGregor go up against welterweight giant Nate Diaz. There was a lot of speculation and " trash talking going on before the fight between the two which was no surprise because in reality that is just their personalities. Diaz did defeated McGregor in the second round via submission. So what are some of the factors that caused McGregor to lose his footing and come up short of defeating the welterweight Nate Diaz.

      We are now days past UFC 196 and Bantamweight champion Conor McGregor was defeated by Nate Diaz. Some people believe that Conor did this to himself and he made himself his worst enemy. He talked a lot of smack and thought it would be a good idea to go fight two weight classes up to prove to everyone that he is just as good as it seems and by defeating Nate Diaz he wanted to prove it was a fluke. For much of the beginning of the fight McGregor capitalized on his punches and he landed a lot of good strikes. Most UFC fans know that McGregor isn't as affective on the ground as he is on his feet and Nate Diaz took advantage of that. He got McGregor on the ground and used his size to his advantage. He got him in a chokehold and made him tap out.

        In some ways people believe that McGregor made a smart decision by fighting Diaz as if he won, his confidence would remain high and he would gain pride considering that he defeated someone two weight classes above him. But if he lost which he did, although he couldn't put pen to paper or in other words back up all the crap talking he would still remain the Bantamweight champion and he could use the loss as a motivator to remind him that he is still the champion of his class. Other people think that McGregor deciding to fight two weight classes up was a stupid decision because eventually it would come back to bite him. In reality many people believe that if some things were changed in regards to the build up of the fight then all the speculation and talk after the fight would've also been different. If McGregor decided to keep his mouth shut and decide to not talk all that smack before the fight and not back it up in the ring then people wouldn't be questioning his abilities like they are now. People are now saying that McGregor shouldn't talk before the fights and let his actions in the ring do the talking.

   In my opinion I believe that Conor McGregor should just keep doing what he is doing because it is clearly working. This loss to Diaz was his only loss in the UFC and in my opinion I think one of the only reasons is because of the weight difference. I think that Conor McGregor is an amazing athlete and he should continue fighting but stay in his division. He should not let this loss drag him down because at the end of the day he is still the Bantamweight champion.

Anderson Silva vs Michael Bisping Contoversy

          


         This past Saturday March 27th at UFC Fight Night 84 Anderson Silva went up against Michael Bisping in his second encounter from returning from injury. This particular match was very significant for Anderson Silva as a win could potentially get him back in the title race with a couple more wins ahead of this one. Unfortunately that wasn't the case on Saturday night.

 
     Anderson Silva had Bisping pinned up against the cage in the Muay Thai clinch and then he gave him a couple punches to the face. After Bisping was pinned up against the cage he pointed at the floor trying to let the referee know that his mouth guard fell out. Silva caught Bisping when he was pointing to the ground and caught him with a flying knee, knocking him to the ground. After the fight at a post match conference Bisping stated that all of this happened and it was the referees fault. Herb Dean responded that he thinks that Bisping doesn't know the rules as "That’s the way the mechanic works, is that you replace the mouthpiece during a lull in the action. And [Bisping] signaled once, and Anderson was actually in the process of attacking him," he explained. For a lot of reasons that are pretty evident you can’t stop to replace the mouthpiece during a heated exchange, and that qualified as a heated exchange


     As a result of these actions I believe that Anderson Silva has proved himself and he deserves a rematch. Bisping won the fight by decision and if they didn't go the full 5 rounds I think that Anderson Silva should be rewarded with the win because he did knock out Bisping . Although Bispings mouth guard was out, I believe that Michael was ignorant and didn't know the rules of his own sport which state that the play continues until the heat dies down and since they were fighting and they were in a heated moment, I believe that Anderson Silva should have been granted with the victory.


        

MLS Season Preview

 Out with the old and in with the new, in less than two weeks a new MLS season will be among us and this season shows a lot of promise to be one of the best. With many teams bringing in new talent they are several teams that could be up for title contention.


  In the Eastern Conference there are many teams that could potentially go far and also some teams that don't stand a chance. First lets start off with Chicago Fire. A team that shows very little promise but has a lot of young talent. If their young guns can show up and get in to good form I think that they can make it into the playoffs by narrow margins. Next up, Columbus Crew. Last years finalists, in my opinion can live up to their great run last year and I think are a huge contender to win the title, I believe they will comfortably make the playoffs and also go far in the playoffs. After them we have DC United. I think that this team will make the playoffs and fall short just like they have done every year for the past 3 years. Montreal Impact, the surprise of the season last year falling short of the Finals by just one away goal. I think that Montreal will use last season as motivation and try to make it far. They will comfortably make the playoffs. Next team we have to offer is New York City FC. I think that if David Villa and Andrea Pirlo stay healthy, then NYCFC can go far and make a playoff push. New York Red Bulls is a team that doesn't have that many big names and I think that they surprise a few and I believe that they will comfortably make the playoffs just like they do most years. Orlando City FC the new club that beat top teams but couldn't get the job done against the bottom half of the table last year. Although they have Brazilian star Kaka I cant see them making the playoffs with such little depth to their squad. Philadelphia Union, a team that finished in last place last season and have acquired nobody in the offseason to help boost them to a position. I predict that like last year they will finish last again. Last but not least we have dark horses Toronto FC. Although TFC disappointed many in the playoffs last year I think this year Giovinco will be striving to beat the records he held last year and along side with Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore I can see success in this squad especially if they can keep their defense solid.


  Now lets move on to the Western Conference, Western conference has been dominating for a couple years now having won the championship in the past two years many teams show great promise while others in the conference might be fighting to stay out of last place. Firstly lets start off with the Colorado Rapids a team that hasn't been in the playoffs for a couple of years now and considering they don't have a lot of money to buy players I believe that they will be e a team competing to stay out of the bottom. Next up we have got FC Dallas a powerhouse of a team that fell short of the finals last year, I believe that they will go deep into the playoffs and make it comfortably.

   In my opinion I think that the finals will be between Toronto FC and LA Galaxy. with the new addidtions of European talents Nigel De Jong and Ashley Cole I think LA Galaxy will win the playoffs 2-0. In my opinion the Galaxy have too good of a team to not win.

Toronto Trade Controversy

     If you haven't heard, the Toronto Maple Leafs made a huge trade with Province rivals Ottawa that included 9 players in total. 9 Players is a fairly large trade but the thing that has "Torontonians" buzzing is the shipping away of their captain Dion Phaneuf. Along with Phaneuf, the leafs traded away Matt Frattin, Casey Bailey, Ryan Rupert and defence prospect Cody Donaghey. In exchange for those players the Leafs acquired defenceman Jared Cowan, forwards Colin Greening, Milan Michalek and Tobias Lindberg as well as Ottawa’s second-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft. Dion at Toronto was signed to a 49 Million contract deal and many people thought that his high cap would shy teams away from wanting him.


     Although he played an important role in the squad the Leafs knew that they had to get rid of him considering the Leafs are in a "rebuilding season". They had to get rid of Dion in order to free up cap space to acquire more players in the offseason. One rumour flying around Toronto is that one of the main reasons why they decided to do this is to free up money in order to acquire Stamkos in the summer. One of the players that shared a more important role in the trade was Milan Michalek. He has appeared in 32 games this season for the Senators and has six goals and four assists along with 12 penalty minutes and a plus -1 rating. He was drafted in the first round, sixth overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the San Jose Sharks. Jared Cowen, 25, has played 37 games for the Senators this season and has four assists and a plus -7 rating. The leafs also acquired Lindberg who was the Senators 4th round draft pick in 2013 has been playing in the AHL this entire season. Greening has also spent this entire season in the AHL. They also acquired a second round draft pick which will be good to get fresh young talent in 2017.

  Some people think that this was a bad trade for the leafs and although they got rid of some depth I personally believe that taking the risk of trading away key players will be really important to sign star Steven Stamkos in the offseason. In my opinion I think that the Leafs did win this trade because freeing up cap will help them get a star in Stamkos and they will also acquire a top three prospect in the 2017 draft which could likely be Austin Matthews, Patrick Laine or Jesse Puljujärvi. Although the Leafs did get rid of captain Dion Phaneuf many people of Toronto didn't particularly like Dion anyways so getting rid of him wasn't really a problem to Leafs fans. I think that by getting rid of Phaneuf, it is a step In the right direction and as a leafs fan I believe that anything to help the leafs get out of this long slump of many seasons without a playoff run then it will help most or all leafs fans to believe that this team could have potential in the coming years.

Have we Lost the Meaning of Christmas

     
People have seem to forgotten that we should share these Christmas times with family and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ our Lord. Kids these days only care about what they are going to get for Christmas and what they have to get. Kids feel that Christmas is a time in which they can brag about what they got and rub all their presents in others peoples faces even if some families aren't as wealthy as others.


 
  
The main thing that people think of when they think of the lost meaning of Christmas is that Kids only care about presents and everything is based on the fact of making sure that everyone likes their presents especially the kids. People believe that Christmas is too commercialized now a days. I feel like you cant even watch T.V without getting interrupted with a Christmas ad for the latest gadgets or toys. Then there is always the mother telling the kid to be on their best behaviour so they can get these presents from Santa.
 


   You can also look at it from another perspective and say that Christmas is celebrated because it was Jesus Christ's birthday our saviour but rumour has it that some people say that Christmas is not lost because of the fact that we have mistaken its true meaning. People say that it was to celebrate Jesus' birthday but he was not even born in December and he was actually born in May. People say that Christmas was originally a Pagan Festival that was hijacked by the Catholic culture so they could have a major holiday for themselves



 


    In my opinion I think that the Christmas tradition is lost in some way as Kids nowadays probably don't know why we actually celebrate Christmas and they all probably do care about Christmas but the fact that we still spend a lot of time together with our families still means we still know some meaning of Christmas. And in my opinion I feel that the true meaning of Christmas is still there because people my age have matured and realize that Christmas isn't about the presents but its about spending time with friends and family and celebrating our saviours birth.

Trudeau Spanking Ban

   
       Justin Trudeau is working to implement a law that states that spanking your children as a way of providing disciplinary action will be illegal soon. Parents either think that this is the right thing to do or they think that the Government shouldn't get involved in the homes of the nation.

   
      This may come off as surprising to some but spanking your children as a way of showing them discipline is legal in some ways as of right now, although Justin Trudeau is working to change that. The law permits only mild corrective action. The law prohibits straps, paddles and other implements, blows to the head, and any corporal punishment of children under 2, In no way does it condone beatings or physical harm, by parents or any other adults. When it comes to disciplining your children many parents are asking for change regarding the laws towards child abuse. Many people feel that it is ridiculous that you will get reported for leaving your child in the car alone for five minutes but if you spank your child in the butt there will be no consequences. Abusive parents need to be dealt with because the parents behaviour inside the house will affect their children's behaviour everywhere else. Justin Trudeau has promised to implement every one of the 94 recommendations made by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. No 6 on this list calls for the repeal of current spanking law which Trudeau is taking action to right now.

   
        Other parents believe that there is nothing wrong with using reasonable violence to discipline your children when they have done wrong. They need to know that when they do wrong they will face the consequences. Parents that use violence against their children know that its for the better. When they spank their children, they are letting them know that if you do something wrong, this is what will happen and parents believe that something will trigger their children to not do those wrongful actions considering that they will know that the consequences of a spanking will come when they do. People also need to realize that there is a difference between protection and abuse. If your child goes to reach for a hot plate and you smack their hand away then that is protection. But if you smack your kid for misbehaving at an amusement park, then that is abuse.

 
      In my opinion I agree with Trudeau and I think that spanking in general should be illegal because I feel that there are other remedies that you can give to your children other than violence to prevent them from doing wrongful actions. Some of these may include taking away of electronics or being sent to their room to reflect on their actions. After the children have realized that their actions aren't worth being punished, then they will continue to act disciplined and not commit wrongful actions.  Children know when they have done wrong, and when you take something of theirs that they use frequently or they love then it will teach them to not do something bad again. In conclusion, there is no need for violence when dealing with your children because it will eventually backfire, leading Kids to think that Spanking gives the impression that violence solves problems and eventually after using violence on your children multiple times, your kids will being to tell lies because they fear of getting hurt. Violence used frequently on your children should not be permitted in any way because simply, there is no need for it.

My Favourite Film of All Time

         Your favourite movie has to be something that you know you can always rely on. Something that you can watch when you're feeling down and need something to pick you back up. Or a movie that you will go out of your way to stop whatever it is that you are doing and take the time to watch the movie.


      For me, my favourite show is a cross between 21 Jump Street and Kicking and Screaming. I know I can rely on these movies to pick me up when I am down and they will always be there to make me feel better. For me I feel that comedies are the best movies because you will usually need a good laugh when you are feeling down or you'll need something to take your mind off of the things that are going on in your life. For me, these movies are 21 Jump Street and kicking and Screaming because I have seen them so many times that I have memorized most of the lines in the films and I can count on it to cheer me up.

   For me, another factor that comes in to play when deciding what my favourite film of all time is depends on the time of the year or the season. For example, whenever its Christmas time I will watch Elf around 6 or 7 times in a 4 week span. The movie puts me in such a good mood to just spend time with my family and appreciate what I have during the holidays. Another example would be something that I personally do in my life is watching funny movies related to school in the summer. its funny to me because I choose to watch these movies during summer as it gives me a little reminder that I don't have to deal with what these people in the movies are dealing with for at least two months.


     In conclusion, I feel a movie should reflect the opposite of your personality at the time of watching it or reflect on something happening in your life during the current moment. Like watching Christmas movies during Christmas or watching school movies when you're out of school or lastly just watching hilarious movies that don't make you think much when you are in need of a good old fashioned laugh.