FIFA WORLD CUP 2026

This is your difinitive explanation of the largest sporting event in the world.  Largest by far by any measurement.  Mens soccer/football/futbol at its finest - crammed into 38 days.

FIFA:  (translated) International Association Football Federation

What:  World Championship held every four years since 1930 (except during WWII)

Who:  teams from 48 countries are involved. The best 48 in the world.

Where:  North America in the following cities:  Mexico City, Guadalajara, Atlanta, Monterrey (Mexico), Toronto, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Seattle, New Jersey, Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, Houston, Kansas City, and Dallas

When:  the games begin on June 11 and the first round ends on June 27

Schedule:  the 48 teams are divided into 12 groups of 4 - each designated by a letter of our alphabet.  (the U.S. is in group D with Paraguay, Australia and Turkey)  Those groups play a round-robin within their group with the top two teams of each group advancing plus 8 of the third place teams based on records, scores, goal differential, yellow and red card accumulation, and, if necessary, FIFA ranking.  

Round of 32:  Those teams advancing then play knock-out (One and out) games from June 28 to July 3 to get to 16 teams remaining.

Round of 16:  Those teams will play from July 4 - July 7 to get to 8 teams remaining

Quaterfinals:  Those teams will play from July 8 - July 11 to get to 4 teams remaining

Semifinals:  Those teams will play July 14 and July 15 to get to 2 teams remaining. Those two games will be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas and Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.  There will be a third place match on July 18

Final:  July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey

Time:  all the big games start at 3 pm to accommodate both European and Middle Eastern television audiences.  

Enjoy

TID BITS

     Doesn't anyone know what a tid is?

HOT AIR

 JUNE FIRST  -  THE BEGINNING OF HURRICANE SEASON

The people who spend their lives studying hurricanes tell me that there has been no increase in the number of hurricanes over the years but the intensity of the storms has increased.  As you probably know, I'm a sucker for lists.  Lists of almost any kind.  I found one put out by our government that lists the most intense hurricanes on record.  

These are storms ranked by the measurement of their pressure.  The lower the pressure, the worse the storm.  Usually, but not always, wind speed and storm surge follow that low pressure measurement.  There are other ways to rank storms:  by the wind speed, by the storm surge, by the speed of movement, by that cost of damages to property and by the loss of life. This ranking is based on the lowest pressure recorded in the storm. It includes the area most effected.  Worst is first!

1.  Un-named hit the Florida Keys 1935

2.  Camille hit MS, LA, VA 1965

3.  Michael hit Florida  2018

4.  Katrina hit LA  2005

5.  Andrew hit FL, LA  1992

6.  Un-named hit Indianola, TX  1884

7.  Un-named hit the Florida Keys  1919

8.  Un-named hit Florida Lake Okeechobee  1928

9.  Donna hit Florida  1960

10. Un-named hit New Orleans, Louisiana  1915

10. Carla hit TX 1961

10. Ian hit southwest FL 2022

We didn't start naming hurricanes formally until 1950.  About half of the most severe occurred before that date.  

p.s.  Indianola, TX is now a ghost town.

MIDWEEK PRAYER

 I liked this one so much I'm using it two weeks in a row.

Lord, thank you

for the many gifts you have given me.

All that I have that is good

came from you.

Amen

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FRANK NORRIS.

ADVICE

Here I go again.  Pontificating!  Sorry.

This one is about gifts.  We all receive them.  Deserved or not.  

Some things to remember.

I try to remind myself that gifts are to be accepted graciously.  (I've had problems with that.) The other part is remembering that gifts should not be squandered away, minimized or discarded.  It is important that we acknowledge them and thank the one who gave it to you.  If you absolutely cannot use what was given to you, of course, find someone who can appreciate and use it.

It is also imperative that we are as generous giving as receiving.  Every time you receive a gift, think about giving away not what you received but something of equal value.  Don't give it to the person who gave it to you but to another - preferably, someone who is in need.

Some wise person said "It's better to give than receive."  It does make you fell better.  Let's start a cycle of giving.  The whole world will be better for it. 

QUIZ

Here's a question you can discuss with your friends.  I'm not telling the answer.

Q:  Did Adam and Eve have belly buttons?

Here's a secret I've held for many years.  I think the statute of limitations has expired.  My mother-in-law did not have a belly button.  This is not a "mother-in-law" joke; it is a truism.  She was a wonderful, intelligent lady who had a wonderful, intelligent daughter.  A surgery had eliminated the navel - we used to joke about it.    

TID BITS

Here's some quotes that I've seen this week that impressed me; some by what they say and others by those who said them.  

#1  "Success is attaining your dream while helping others to benefit from that dream materializing."

- - - Sugar Ray Leonard  (great prize fighter of the 70's and 80's)

#2  "When you have nobody you can make a cup of tea for, when nobody needs you, that's when I think life is over."

- - -  Audrey Hepburn (actress)

#3  "More whites were brought as slaves to North Africa than blacks brought as slaves to the United States or to the 13 colonies from which it was formed.  White slaves were still being bought and sold in the Ottoman Empire, decades after blacks were freed in the United States."

- - - Thomas Sowell (black economist and social theorist)

#Bonus  "Think old and you'll be old.  Think young and you'll be a delusional old fart."

- - - Me

GLASS

Did you ever consider how glass was discovered?  I'm sure you have thought about it.  It's such an important product in our generation; without it the world would be cold or hot and, surely, dark.  

Did you know that glass is found in nature?  Every time hot lava from a volcano touches sand or a sand-based rock, glass is formed.  Whenever a lightning strike hits sand or a sand-based rock, glass is formed.  Of course, someone, many centuries ago, put two and two together and figured there must be a connection here.  Since people were long ago into pottery glazing and metalworking done in kilns, they must have theorized that they could make glass in the same fire.  

The very first glass products date to 2,500 years before Jesus was born.  Vessels of various types to hold liquids.  The first glass objects made thin with a glassblower date to 1 BC.  Some people made use of naturally formed glass for windows about 100 AD.  They weren't much to look through but they were better than the oil skins they had used to cover the openings in buildings.  Clear thin glass continued to develope into the middle ages when it was used in churches and the homes of the very wealthy.  

Windows of glass finally started to be used in homes of the middle class in the 1600s.  In addition, stained glass windows were developed during this period.

Perfectly clear, distortion-free windows didn't exist until after World War II.  That means that when my father first got a look at me through the window in the hospital nursery, I may have looked slightly odd to him.  Then again, to this day, I may look slightly odd to you.  

  

MIDWEEK PRAYER

Lord, thank you 

for the many gifts you have given me.  

All that I have that is good, 

came from you. 

ADVICE

It's not easy staying up with the times when your time is as short as mine, but you have to stay current as best you can.  What is the most important current phenomena we see?  AI (artificial intelligence) to be sure.

If you are a midlifer or beyond, I encourage you to take AI seriously.  It's not going away.  It's not just for school kids.  It's not just for industry.  It's important for everyone.  There are places on the internet where you can go to learn.  Do it.  Try it.  Practice it.  You'll never regret it.

Even more, don't discourage anyone from using AI.  Don't look at it as a tool for college kids to slide by without working.  It is a tool they will have to be able to use (and use well) no matter their profession.  

AI will be an intrinsic part of learning in ALL fields of work.  Those unable to use it well, will be left behind.  You're never too old and never too young.  

We may call it Artificial Intelligence but it's use is not and will not be artificial.  It will be as important as knowing that 1 + 1 = 3 and your ABDs.

Maybe, I am too old.   JK

MEMORIAL DAY

 I've gone to the archive for this one.  I'm copying here two entries from previous Memorial Days.  They go together.

5/30/2016

MEMORIAL DAY

It seems funny to me that this day was only officially a national holiday beginning in 1971.  I can't remember when there wasn't a Memorial Day even though I've been here long before 1971.

Before then, we called it Decoration Day.  Since the Civil War, it was the day people went to the cemeteries and put flowers (decorations) on the graves of those who fought and died.  Memorial Day carries on that tradition for all those who died in all wars.

Think about those who died.  What an awesome sacrifice.  Try to imagine a parent or your spouse or your sons or daughters dying in a war.   If you can't even imagine it, you are so lucky.
*o*

5/29/2006

MEMORIAL DAY

MEMORIAL DAY

Today is the last Monday in May. It is a federal holiday. It is a day off of work and school. It is the unofficial first day of summer. It is the traditional day to run the Indianapolis 500 auto race though they have changed that to Sunday. It is a day for family gatherings, picnics and back yard parties.

What a mess!

May 30th was originally Decoration Day. It was the day set aside to visit the graves of and to honor Union soldiers after the Civil War. After World War I, it came to include all those who gave their lives in any war or military conflict and the name was changed to Memorial Day.

On June 28, 1968, the US Congress passed the Uniform Holidays Bill. It moved Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Columbus Day and Veterans Day from their traditional days to Mondays in order to make a long weekend for workers and not disrupt business. (Washington's Birthday holiday eventually became Presidents Day). At one time, all of those days were national holidays.

Now, most American workers only have a business holiday on Memorial Day. Changing those holidays to Mondays diminished their importance. Yes, I'll say it again - changing those holidays to Mondays diminished their importance. Don't let that happen to Memorial Day. We need to get Memorial Day back to May 30th. Damn the 3-day weekend. We're selling our history for convenience.

SONDAY

​It is the seventh day, the Son’s and Father’s Day and this special one is also the Spirit’s day.  Pentecost!

QUIZ ANSWER

Last Monday's quiz about the gestation period of a hen or any fowl was a fooler.  Gestation is the period that new life develops within the body of the mother.  That happens in all mammals, some reptiles and a few fish but never in fowl.  The answer to the quiz is "That's a stupid question, Pat. Why did you ask it?"

Well, it was an opportunity for you to learn a new word, i.e.  VIVIPAROUS.  As a bonus, you could also learn OVOVIVIPAROUS. I would give you the definitions but then you'd never remember the words.

Pity my children who had to live with me for so many years.  :) 👀

TIDBITS

 Do you like basketball?  I sure do.  It was the very best sport to play when I was young.  It is an amazing example of the changes taking place in the human body.  

You must know that people are getting taller.  Not only are they taller, they can do things with those tall bodies that previous generations could not.  

When I was young, professional basketball players who played the guard position were barely 6'0" tall if that.  My idol, Oscar Robertson, was so great partly because he could do what guards did and he was 6'5" tall.  Now we have men over 7'0" tall doing the things only guards could previously do.  It is truly amazing. 

All these very tall athletes with the skills of short men have another trait.  Most are not Americans.  At one time, almost no foreign nationals played in the National Basketball Association (NBA).  Now, it is not an exaggeration to say that almost all the top players come from foreign countries.  It is really an international league. I think the impetus for this transformation dates to the inclusion of professional athletes in the Olympic Games.  Foreign countries are fielding better and better teams each year. The name needs to be changed to the International Basketball Association.  

We haven't seen this kind of change in baseball or football but, I do notice, that foreign born golfers are becoming more prevalent and effective; Asian women now dominate the LPGA.  Now, soccer or futbol, is another story - the same story in reverse.  Non-U.S. countries are probably on their way to seeing similar changes in their prime sport. Professional distance running has long been dominated by Africans; Skiing by Europeans and Marial arts by Asians.  Americans may have the upper hand in pickleball, I don't know.  Anyway, someday, it will be one big world - a big melting pot . . . some day. 

SUMMERALL

Youngsters may not have heard of Pat Summerall - he was born 96 years ago.  He was a man of great athletic talent and voice as clear and smooth as raw honey.  Pat was an all-sports star in high school.  He went to the University of Arkansas to play football and was drafted into the NFL by the Detroit Lions and later traded to the Chicago Cardinals and then to the  New York Giants.  He was a tight end, defensive end and kicker back when the best played both sides of the ball.   His field goal kicking is legend.  Pat was not his given name - some say people called him that because it stood for "point after touchdown."

Summerall got an Education degree at Arkansas and later returned to receive a Masters degree in Russian History.  He was going to teach but was drawn into telecasting.

After football, he started an even more famous career as a broadcaster.  Summerall announced football, golf, tennis and special events for CBS, FOX and ESPN.  He was the best.  He did 16 Super Bowls, 26 Masters golf tournaments, and 21 U.S. Open tennis tournaments.  In 1981, Pat was paired with John Madden to do NFL games - a match that lasted 22 years.  All he did in television would take too long to mention.  He died in 2013.

One other thing he did was father a daughter in 1957 that he named Susan.  She went to the University of Maryland, graduated in 1978 and developed an interest in politics.  She was a born leader.  She started by working on various election campaigns and finally worked her way up to a job as Chief of Staff of the Mayor of Jacksonville, FL.  When elected in 2025, Donald Trump named her his White House Chief of Staff.  She is quiet and tuff.  The first woman to hold that position in our country's history.  Susie Wiles. 

MIDWEEK PRAYER

Dear Lord,

guard me from evil and peril,

guide me through my day today,

and grant me the blessing of peace

that comes with your presence.

Walk with me when I travel, 

talk with me when I worry,

and sulk with me when I'm sad.

and silence is my only consolation.

IS LEFT RIGHT?

Did you ever wonder how we came to call one side of a ship the port side and another the starboard?  Here goes.  

When English sailing ships were sailing hither and thither, there was a problem.  Sometimes the captian would yell "Turn to the left!" and the helmsman would answer back, "Left?" and the captain would yell back "Right!" and you can imagine what kind of problem that could cause.  

Sailing ships were originally just like your auto;  some with a gas tank fill door on the left, some on the right.   English ship builders found that to be a problem though we haven't yet.  They began building all ships with the loading/unloading doors for cargo on the left side.  Soon the captain caught on and started yelling "Turn to the port side!"  It worked.  The other side of the ship faced out into the ocean and open sky when in port and they called it the starboard side.  Two syllables not to be mistaken for port.  

Much later, the airplane building industry took their lead from the English ship builders and put all entrance doors on the left side of the plane.  Even further, they put a red blinking light on the port side and a white one on the starboard side.  

The astronauts don't have to worry about that yet, everything, so far, has been round except for the shuttle which was built like an airplane.  

Okay, now.  How do landlubbers like us remember which side is which?  Left and port each have four letters.  AHA!  Now you'll always know.  

QUIZ

Some of my quizzes are very difficult, some are easy, some are intricate and some are simply stupid. Some, I give the answer.  I'm not telling what kind this is but I hope you have a quick answer.

Q:  A cow is a female mammal like cattle, whale or elephant.  How long is the pregnancy, gestation period, for a whale? 

 

A:  The book says it is 10 to 23 months depending on the type of whale. 

Q:  A hen is a female chicken or other fowl.  How long is it's pregnancy - the gestation period, for a hen?   Think, now.  

A:  

Maybe this question will be the beginning of a winning streak for you.

DREAMLAND

 Here is something of which I've been aware for some time and I'm wondering if any of you have had this experience.  I seldom remember my dreams.  Last week I woke early and had a vague memory of what I was dreaming.  Here are some things I think happen.

My dreams are mis-located.  No matter what I dream, the location is at the home I grew up in.  Understand this, I lived in the same house from my first thru 20th birthdays.  I lived two years in the military and four years in a house I bought just after.  For the next 54 years I've lived in the second house I bought.  My wife and I never lived in the house in which I was raised.  Yet, all of my dreams are located in and around the house I grew up in. There's no good reason for it that I can figure.   

My dreams are faceless.  I can't remember seeing a face in my dreams.  My wife was in the dream above but I don't think I saw her face.  I knew she was there.  We were discussing changes to the house and appliances, I think.  But, I couldn't see her face. I can't remember ever seeing anyone's face.  

Have you experienced anything like this?  Do you think it means anything?  Is my brain wearing out?  Pray for me. 

WISDOM

 I learned a new word last week:  sciolism.  M-W defines it as "a superficial show of learning".  It brought me to some self-examination.  Is that what I do?  Is that who I am?  Is this what a teacher meant when he warned me I was becoming a jack-of-all-trades but master of none?   A person able to talk about almost any subject but with no real depth on anything?   I hope this is not the case.  For most of my adult life I have felt a need to learn.  I've felt a need to know something about everything.  I guess I am a sciolist.  I can't think of any subject that I'm really, deeply knowledgable about.  So much for wisdom in old age.

Wisdom from a friend at a ROMEO breakfast:  "The days go by very slowly but the weeks and months fly by so quickly."  Another plague of old age -boredom.