The national anthem of Japan is called Kimi ga Yo, "The Emperor's Reign." The words and their translation are:
| Kimi ga yo wa, Chiyo ni, Hachiyo ni, Sazare ishi no, Iwao to narite, Koke no musu made. | May the Emperor's reign, Continue for a thousand, Eight thousand generations; Until the pebbles, Grow into boulders, Lush with moss. |
You can listen to the tune here. (midi file)
The words are actually from a waka style poem from Japan's Heian Period, about one thousand years ago. It was an Englishman, J. W. Fenton, that urged Japan to adopt a national anthem, and he wrote the original music for it in 1869. Imperial musicians later revised it into its present form.
Maturity and leadership are the qualities which Sir Alex Ferguson feels have helped shape Rio Ferdinand into the best defender in Europe.
The England international's outstanding displays alongside Nemanja Vidic at the heart of the defence last season resulted in a club record for the lowest number of goals conceded in a Premier League season - just 22 in 38 games.
Cristiano Ronaldo and his attacking cohorts may have received most of the plaudits for their contribution to United's glorious double, but Sir Alex feels Ferdinand, in particular, deserves special recognition.
"Rio has been the best defender in the country, if not Europe for a couple of years," declared the boss. "His maturity and leadership have been key factors in his and the team's success.
"He is someone that young players learn from and that more experienced players respect.
"I have not seen a better defensive pairing than him and Nemanja for a long time."
Ferdinand skippered the Reds to a 1-0 victory over Orlando Pirates in Durban on Tuesday night having missed United's opening two pre-season games with a back injury.
"Rio has been the best defender in the country, if not Europe for a couple of years. His maturity and leadership have been key factors in his and the team's success. He is someone that young players learn from and that more experienced players respect."
- Sir Alex Ferguson
United Career Stats
Appearances and Goals
Dengan nama Allah yang Maha Pengasih lagi Maha Penyayang
Meragang beach has many names - Crocodile beach (legend has it that there are crocodiles there), 7up beach (someone says this is because of the fine bubbles in the water reminiscent of the bubbles in 7up).
We took a walk yesterday. It's dry season so the waves aren't high, the water is clear, the sand is flat and there's minimal debris being washed ashore. By debris I mean logs and normal whatnots from the ocean.
We dipped our toes in the ocean and played in the surf. The water is so clear you can see little fish swimming around in the shallows. There were shells aplenty on the beach for collectors - we ran across an abundance of razor clam shells.
We walked and walked and walked to the end where there's an installation belonging to the Fisheries Department (if I'm not mistaken). We clambered atop the jetty sticking out into the water and were rewarded with this view of the shoreline.
As we walked back to the car we collected a handful of crabs - I'm not sure what species but they play dead when you pick them up.
After all that activity, we sat and watched the sun go down. I love sunsets. We get some of the most stunning sunsets here in Brunei.
Brunei is lucky in that we're situated along the coast of the island of Borneo. Our beaches are beautiful and not commercialised. If you want a lazy Sunday playing in the surf or building sandcastles while the waves crash around you then this is the place to go.
^Ok, that S2000 isn't going to be there, But it Looks SO cool!^
Winston Churchill foi Primeiro-Ministro da Grã-Bretanha durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial e, juntamente com Joseph Estaline e Franklin D. Roosevelt, liderou as Forças Aliadas contra as Forças do Eixo. A ele muitos agradecem a libertação da Europa da invasão NAZI. Contudo, para além de conceituado estadista e Prémio Nobel da Literatura em 1953, alguma escrita encomendada por ele alimenta ainda uma polémica antiga…
Descoberto entre muitos dos seus manuscritos, surge um ensaio intitulado “Como os Judeus podem evitar a sua perseguição” ("How The Jews Can Combat Persecution"), escrito em 1937, três anos antes de assumir o controlo da Nação. Neste ensaio, encomendado a Adam Marshall Diston, um alto membro do Partido Fascista Inglês, surgem declarações afirmando que os Judeus são em parte responsáveis pelos sentimentos de que são alvo ("partly responsible for the antagonism from which they suffer"), e que seria fácil atribuir as perseguições de que são alvo devido à malvadez dos seus perseguidores, mas que tal não explica todos os factos (“It would be easy to ascribe it to the wickedness of the persecutors, but that does not fit all the facts,"). Mas ao longo do texto, afirma também que apoia os Judeus, pois as perseguições que têm sido alvos são cruéis, incansáveis e vingativas ("suffering from persecutions as cruel, as relentless and as vindictive as any in their long history"), exibindo assim uma certa insconstância de opinião sobre os Judeus…
