Rome Champions League Final - next Wednesday

Champions League final better than a World Cup final?

Only one week we still have to wait before watching the massive Champions League Final from the Eternal City of Rome. The old and same time the new England champion Manchester United will face FC Barcelona, another continent's domestic league winner on Stadio Olimpico, next Wednesday, 27 of May from 19:45 GMT in what experts anticipate it would be one of the greatest finals of all time. The great clash will be live in Britain on Sky Sports 1.
At the end of the game we will see whether Manchester United will become the first team to defend its cup won a year ago or would be a fantastic season for Barcelona by achieving its third Champions League trophy alongside with the Spanish League and Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup).

Most of football fans believe that this is the right final due to the excellent shape of both teams in 2008-2009 season. The final stage is the best way we can argue which team is the best. It is also the world's best players duel: the present Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo or a possible future one, the little Argentine Leo Messi.

Both squads have won the leagues in their countries. Manchester United have won it mathematically last Saturday on Old Traford against the rivals from Arsenal after a 0-0 game. Barcelona have assured their Liga after humiliating on Bernabeu the all time rivals Real Madrid with an incredible 6-2.

Let's rememorate how the next week's finalists got through the rounds in their way to Rome.

Manchester United

At the biginning of winter the Red Devils got the first place of Group E with only one point more than Villareal, a team which caused to them problems, holding up the CL winners in two consecutive draws. In the next stage, a 0-0 on San Siro and a secure 2-0 win back at Old Traford against Italian champions Internationale got them to the quarter finals. Surpringly, FC Porto was tougher to knock out than Inter. Man UTD drew 2-2 at Old Traford and weren't so sure that will get to semis. But a superb 35 meters shot from Ronaldo's right foot saved the Red Devils and it assured a spot in the semi-final against Arsenal. The two leg semi-final with the Londoneer side was apparently a much easier task for Manchester UTD than it was in the previous stage. They won 1-0 at Old Traford by John O'Shea's header and 3-1 at Emirates, with Ji-Sung Park, and Cristiano Ronaldo two times scoring. Robert Van Pesie scored the only goal of Arsenal in both games.

Barcelona

The 'blau-grana' side won easily their Group C, scoring 18 goals against teams like Sporting Lisbon, FC Basel or the fresh Uefa Cup winners Shakthar Donetsk. In the first knockout stage they eliminated the champions of France Lyon. With a draw in the first leg and a comfortable 5-2 win at New Camp, Barcelona progressed to the quarters. Another easy pass and again against some other champions, Bayern Munich. Barcelona scored four goals in the first game in Catalunia conceiding none and drew at the Munich stadium, in the second leg. But way harder it was when the catalan squad faced Chelsea in semis. Despite attacking Petr Czech's goal almost all the time, Barcelona did not succeed to score in the first leg. The game from Stamford Bridge was simply thrilling, a drama which it was won in the last minute by Barcelona. Essien opened the score for Chelsea in the ninth minute with one of the best Champions League goals ever. Chelsea made a good defensive game in both halfs, but luckly for Barcelona, Andres Iniesta scored in stoppage time and put Barça into the final.

Too many young people die on Kent's roads

Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) now attends 25% more road crashes than house fires. In the last three years over 500 young people have been killed or seriously injured on Kents roads. As well as being at risk themselves, young drivers pose a significant danger to others.
One in three young male drivers will write off the car in their first year of
driving. The most likely killer of teenage girls is teenage boys driving.
KFRS promotes now Operation Carmageddon, a campaign that aims to wake up youngsters' attention in order to drive more carefully. Ambulance drivers and firemen will be touring all over Kent and will explain to students why they must drive with caution, what are the risks and how to deal with them.

Internet and newspapers in the eyes of a sixty-year-old

In this article published symbolically on the web we try to find out if and how the elderly people are using the Internet. Also we want to know their view in respect of today’s newspapers.

In these times when the Internet is perceived as an indispensable tool without which the modern world we live in can not run, to what extent the written press is considered the main and the most credible source of information? In the era of speed and breaking news, the life of written press becomes day after day harder.

It is obvious that youngsters use to a small extent daily newspapers as a source of information and of course the Internet gives the amount that they need, but how the situation is when it comes about people who are not so young? We will see how this looks through the eyes of a sixty-year-old man.

David Bridgeton is a landlord from Folkstone who is letting houses for students in Canterbury. He is in the market for more than 20 years and he considers him self as having one of the best prices and services designed for the students needs.
"I was 40 years old when I took the business. I took it from my father so we have an experience of over 60 years in this field” David Bridgeton said.

For Mr. Bridgeton the Internet represents a way by which the family business becomes easier.
"I can say that for me the Internet is a useful invention, even if some people have a negative opinion about it. I joined a few websites of accommodation for students. From the Internet comes a large part of young people who I rent houses for. Only for the university year 2008-2009 we have 68 houses rented by students that I got in touch with through these websites ", the landlord says.

It is obvious that Mr. Bridgeton is taking advantage of the Internet in the most efficient way possible. But is this the only reason why he sees the Internet so useful? David Bridgeton clarifies us in respect of the above question:
“My two children are living in America for fifteen years so the e-mail and the instant messaging software keep me in touch with them. They provide quality services; they are fast, easy and cheap. You only pay the monthly internet fee”.

In the end of our discussion, David Bridgeton shared some thoughts regarding the way how he stays up to date with the daily events:
"I can say that I prefer newspapers instead of online journalism. From this point of view still I am a classic. I love to read quality publications such as The Times or The Independent. I have some favorite politics analysts and I love to read their comments. I know that I can do this online, but I like to go to buy the newspapers that I read. In this way I meet old friends and together we share thoughts upon events that press covers”.

How is life for overseas students at Christ Church Uni?

The video bellow presents the circumstances in which the international students live in Britain generally, and how is the life of three Nepalese youngsters in particular. They crossed the world from the Himalayan country to in Canterbury to make their way in life. The Nepalese students talk about their studies, their life in Canterbury and how they are treated by the locals.

Canterbury plays for Britain

Having one of the most numerous young populations in the UK, with over 30,000 students, Canterbury could be the place that will produce some stars for the London Olympics 2012, especially for the tennis tournament.

Since Britain’s new tennis talent Andy Murray came to the scene, the “white sport” in this country entered in a new era. Maybe sooner than everybody thinks we will see the first British winner at Wimbledon in the last seventy years. Now youngsters from all over the country want to be like Andy Murray, the kid who has learned tennis in the highlands of Scotland.

Taking part in this “tennis revolution”, Canterbury has one of the best tennis clubs in the South East, where many kids are learning the secrets of this sport, hoping that one day they will reach the top of the ATP rankings. John Gotke is the coach of Canterbury Lawn Tennis and his main job is to discover and prepare young tennis players in all over Kent to win Grand Slam events and-why not: the Davis Cup. He said:

“I am here to teach tennis for everyone who wants to, but my main job is to find young talents who could represent the next generation of this sport”.

Canterbury Lawn Tennis has a modern infrastructure with six floot-lit astro courts, two grass courts and a brand new indoor centre. In July 2006 the three-court indoor centre was officially opened.

The tennis centre is a part of Polo Farm Sports Club. Besides tennis teams, there are hockey clubs (men, women and junior), football, lacrosse, cricket and croquet. Polofarm is also the venue of several sports teams of Christ Church University: hockey, lacrosse and tennis. In order to sustain the youngsters who play tennis, Canterbury Tennis Club is the home of a junior open tournament that takes place every year, at the beginning of August. This year’s open has taken place between 4-8 Augusts. This is a LTA Grade 4 tournament and it is an event of East Kent Tour 2008.

The club has its origins back in 1948, when a bunch of people created a place where they could spend their spare time doing what they like, to play tennis. Now there are more then 20 teams: men’s, women’s, mixed, vets, juniors. These teams that have about 200 senior and 80 junior members are competing in the Kent, East Kent and Dover leagues.

This is a club like many others in the UK that one day perhaps will put forward some great names for the British tennis, possibly even greater than our day’s champions Tim Henman and Andy Murray.