Soccer, or football as it is known in Europe and beyond, has not been that popular in the US in the past. But this year was different. We all seemed to catch the fever. I suspect it will only continue to grow. But it is not the sport I want to discuss today, but its fans, particularly those from overseas. Not only did you bring your love for your team but you brought a perspective of my country that we seemed to have misplaced somewhere between right and left. Maybe we all need to see ourselves through your eyes. So I wanted to share a few videos.
They came, they saw, and they partied:
Lawrence, Kansas embraces Algeria:
But beyond the simple cultural differences there are deeper ones that travelers from overseas can remind us of. They are the result of how our country was born, how we have grown and how we have tried to be true to what our creators envisioned. So it is this last video that touched me more than any other.
This fellow is from Germany and has lived in the United States for two years. I think what he has experienced helps explain some of those cultural differences.
31 comments:
Trump seems to have queered his nuclear deal with the Saudi.
Yup, he actually asked for something of substance, after the fact.
Seems the Houthis are messing with the the Red Sea. Heading toward $5 gas...
He queered it on purpose. Asked for something he knew the king wouldn't give him. He wanted out of the deal.
Some say it was because he was pissed that they didn't wait for him to make the announcement on his own 'social' internet account. Some say it was because the deal got severely badmouthed on both conservative and Trumpkin media.
I'd say those two things are related. The deal was publicized before he could announce it himself, wrapped in the normal Trumpian superlatives and claims of Trumpian grandiosity which would alert the faithful that this was Trump's deal and not to be criticized.
So they had an opportunity to criticize it before he got the announcement posted on Trump Social. And they jumped on it, made good use of the opportunity.
His Orangeness is speaking at the White House correapondence dinner. Not sure if I will listen or go watch paint dry.
I wasn't even tempted.
I ended up watching "The Rip" with Matt Damon on Netflix. It kept me awake.
They are currently grilling Anthony Fauci in a Congessional hearing regarding the Covid 19 pandemic. They seem to be implying some connection between the CiA, the lab in China, Fauci and various research projects that he may have funded. He is pleading the 5th.
Rand Paul is going through a string of questions for the record that imply Fauci's guilt in something. He is pleading the 5th to each.
I don't know enough about the subject, but suspect the GOP is following some conspiracy theory down a rabbit hole.
Fauci's attorney just tried to speak but Paul I'd saying he os not r ecognized and is threatening to eject him. Oops he just got kicked out.
Excuse the typos. On my phone.
The Senate's Trumpkan contingent is gonna try to hold Fauci in contempt. Looks like a long shot to me. (Rand Paul is not exceptionally popular among his fellow senators and this move will need to rely on Trump's coattails to carry it along.)
A series of cyber attacks hit multiple cities and towns in Minnesota disrupting water supplies for at least one. They are speculating that the attackers were affiliated with Iran.
Hmmm....if so they seriously don't know Trump at all. He has been attacking my state himself for quite some time. In short he wouldn't care.
Are they really that clueless or is it someone else?
They are still investigating.
Ahhh, it sounds like they have tried to mess around on other state's water supplies too.
Geez, what an effing moron. Trump is blaming the cyberattack in Minnesota on Tim Walz.
Apparently he needed a reason to not blame the attacks on Iran so that he could announce an imaginary, impending "deal" with the Iranians in time for the Monday morning opening of the stock market.
Yup, gotta make some more money for his family and friends. That 1,000 point drop was the signal to buy.
It seems those Republican Senators are still standing firm on wanting it in writing that the $1.8 billion slush fund for Trump's minions is dead.
They got it in writing. They rescinded the anti-weaponizarion fund and also limited the immunity for Trump and his family to past tax returns.
TheNewYorkTimes is suggesting that Trump's impending "deal" with Iran basically amounts to him surrendering the Strait of Hormuz to the joint control and shared toll charges of Iran and Oman.
There's no assurance the rest of the world will accept a settlement along those lines.
Nothing like encouraging the world to switch to alternatives...hmmm.
Hmmm...a deal with Iran is looming. Stocks are going up, up, up. A signal to Trump's friends to sell and collect profits?
"Iran’s politburo-like body known as the Supreme National
Security Council said the Strait of Hormuz will not open until
the United States ‛corrects its behavior,’ issuing new demands
that could shake up talks on a deal to manage the waterway
and traffic on it.
"Iran’s state broadcaster published the statement by the
council’s secretary, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, who is also a
commander in the powerful Revolutionary Guard.
"The United States must never threaten Iran again, the
statement said, and must permanently end the war with Iran
and its armed allies in the region. The U.S. must lift the naval
blockade of Iranian ports and withdraw its military from the
area. It also must ‛completely compensate’ Iran for war
damage, lift sanctions and ‛unconditionally’ release frozen
assets.
"There was no immediate comment from the U.S.….
"A 60-day period to negotiate a final deal will end in just over
a week….
AssociatedPress
Lol! Sounds like Iran thinks it is in the cat bird's seat. And probably until we get someone smarter than Trump in the oval office, they probably are.
I still think energy diversification would help.
There's been no reaction directly from Trump, but the White House has issued a statement to the effect that they were "low-keying" negotiations with Iran. Supposedly Trump will be looking for ways to increase the "economic pressure" in the absence of negotiations.
Meanwhile the Pentagon has asked munitions suppliers to "ramp up" production of key munitions, but hasn't placed any ‛ramped up’ purchase orders in case of an actual increase in available ammo. (Could be that'll work out well for the Ukrainians who will be willing to order more.)
And Israel has rejected Trump's ‛peace plan’ for the related Gaza war. Netanyahu's not afraid of him anymore either.
I think the Europeans have gotten his measure as well. They are adapting.
Primary election tomorrow in Minnesota. The race to watch is between Angie Craig (moderate) and Peggy Flanagan(progressive). They are vying for Tina Smith's Senate seat. Craig is leading by 2% in the polls.
Trump has finally gotten around to responding to Tehran's demand for reparations.
So, Trump's now demanding reparations from the Iranians for perceived insults and injuries going back to installation of the Islamic Republic in 1979. TheHill Needless to say, that's gonna be non-starter in any negotiations with the current Iranian government.
But, negotiations may be unnecessary in the alternate reality in which the Trumpkan/Republican Party lives. Trump declared the Strait of Hormuz to be already "open" yesterday. (Iranian authorities promptly declared it still closed and gonna stay closed.) Day before Trump had asserted that the United States had already "swept" the Strait for mines (not!). Give it just a little time for that to settle in as the official alternate reality and Trump will soon 'nuff be declaring his war against Iran to have been successfully concluded, all in time for the mid-term elections.
I notice that Mike Lindell failed to win the Trumpkan/Republican party nomination for governor; Trump's endorsement notwithstanding. Trump's power is fading within ‛the base’ as well.
Yes, Lindell lost to Demuth. But i still think that race was too close. Lindell actually won in quite a few of the rural areas.
Flanagan beat Craig by 20%. So the progressive wave sweeps on.
It is the larger population centers that are swinging the results. Metro surge is still fresh in people's minds. And the impacts of Trump and the Republican's cuts to social safety net programs are being felt.
The Republican immigration crackdown continues with them now targeting service members and their families.
If I were Rubio and Bessent I might be a little concerned about being used as decoys for any stray Iranian missiles they may have chosen to lob at Trump's plane. It appears that along with military and press they are expendable.
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