I'm struck by the top picture. Dec. 5, 6 months ago. If you look closely, he seems to have a bruise on his left hand. That right hand & especially its fingers are terribly swollen. We see the rightward slant of his mouth, sign of a left hemisphere stoke. The peri oribital edema is also present. But compare it to say a pic from Thur's "Clean Coal" event. He has visibly worsened in those 5, 6 months. By a lot.
The FIFA World Cup is already caught in the noxious orange cloud as the best referee from Africa (Somali) was denied entry in Miami. If you are a fan of the beautiful game, then you are aware that the Trump Crime Family ranks right up there with FIFA and the Mafia.
Barring the award-winning Somali referee was a neat touch. I wonder how high up that decision went. And the Iraqi team photographer. That doesn’t send the wrong message, does it? And setting up the Iranians to face such besetting challenges simply to play. It’s not 1936 Berlin; it feels worse.
NYC was expecting a big tourism bump that isn't materializing. My sister-in-law works at a high-end hotel in Manhattan, and they're having trouble filling it. (This has been a recurring problem for the last year. My brother also works for a business that depends on foreign tourism to NYC that... isn't coming.) To me, this feels like an underreported story, that Trump's immigration policy is actively harming the US economy by keeping tourists away.
It's not just the immigration policy. It's just the general stink that comes off of our country these days that makes people no longer want to visit. It's kind of how I feel about visiting red states these days. I know there are plenty of good people there, but do I want to give them my tourist dollars? Not really.
Much of the potential enthusiasm for the World Cup is likely to come from expats, immigrants and children of immigrants who come from places where soccer has more fans. These are not exactly segments of the population who are feeling that life is stable for them. This will undermine the overall "vibe" for the games as well as the bars that are de facto viewing sites for people from various backgrounds--yet another economic hit from this Administration. I was part of the first generation of kids to have soccer in school and yet, after more decades than I like to count, people play soccer in the US, but soccer as a spectator sport has been slow to grow. Places with significant soccer infrastructure like DC or Chicago, are places that attract immigrants.
Trump probably knows nothing about the game but knows how much he craves attention, boos or cheers. If he wants to attend the championship game at Met Life, expect massive coverage and traffic jams leading into and on the NJ Turnpike. All of which will mean nothing, change nothing, and lead to nothing. The Disruptor in Chief will dominate the news cycles until well after his demise. The only change: no interview with NBC and probably any non-Fox media outlet. Ignoring him rather than booing him seems to be a better option.
Senate (and House) Democrats need to loudly and forcefully condemn Mullin’s incendiary and racist remarks about stopping international flights to our cities. Unbelievable that a cabinet official would even make them- please tell me he got zero confirmation votes from any Democrats.
There's no "if" about the concluding statement. We keep blaming drumpf, but he's merely the pustule of the tip of the carbuncle that is now the rethug party of DEATH.
The title of Rick Wilson's 2018 book sums it up quite succinctly: "Everything That Trump Touches Dies."
I'm struck by the top picture. Dec. 5, 6 months ago. If you look closely, he seems to have a bruise on his left hand. That right hand & especially its fingers are terribly swollen. We see the rightward slant of his mouth, sign of a left hemisphere stoke. The peri oribital edema is also present. But compare it to say a pic from Thur's "Clean Coal" event. He has visibly worsened in those 5, 6 months. By a lot.
He was lustily booed at the NBA Finals game last night in NYC.
The FIFA World Cup is already caught in the noxious orange cloud as the best referee from Africa (Somali) was denied entry in Miami. If you are a fan of the beautiful game, then you are aware that the Trump Crime Family ranks right up there with FIFA and the Mafia.
Not surprising, as he especially loathes Somalis.
Barring the award-winning Somali referee was a neat touch. I wonder how high up that decision went. And the Iraqi team photographer. That doesn’t send the wrong message, does it? And setting up the Iranians to face such besetting challenges simply to play. It’s not 1936 Berlin; it feels worse.
Trump has had a severe Narcissistic Personality Disorder from an early age.
MedlinePlus, National Institutes of Health/ U.S. National Library of Medicine
A person with narcissistic personality disorder may:
1. React to criticism with rage, shame or humiliation,
2. Take advantage of other people to achieve his or her own goals,
3. Have excessive feeling of self-importance,
4. Exaggerate achievements and talents,
5. Be preoccupied with fantasies of success, power, beauty, intelligence or love,
6. Have unreasoable expectations of favorable treatment,
7. Need constant attnion and admiration,
8. Disregard the feelings of others, and have little ability to feel empathy
9. Have obsessive self-interest
10. Pursue mainly selfish goals.
Also see: DSM-5, 301.81-Narcissistic Personality Disorder,
The Malignant Personality by Caroline Konrad, 1999
8 Signs of Malignant Narcissism by Brandi Neal, 1/30/17
NYC was expecting a big tourism bump that isn't materializing. My sister-in-law works at a high-end hotel in Manhattan, and they're having trouble filling it. (This has been a recurring problem for the last year. My brother also works for a business that depends on foreign tourism to NYC that... isn't coming.) To me, this feels like an underreported story, that Trump's immigration policy is actively harming the US economy by keeping tourists away.
It's not just the immigration policy. It's just the general stink that comes off of our country these days that makes people no longer want to visit. It's kind of how I feel about visiting red states these days. I know there are plenty of good people there, but do I want to give them my tourist dollars? Not really.
Much of the potential enthusiasm for the World Cup is likely to come from expats, immigrants and children of immigrants who come from places where soccer has more fans. These are not exactly segments of the population who are feeling that life is stable for them. This will undermine the overall "vibe" for the games as well as the bars that are de facto viewing sites for people from various backgrounds--yet another economic hit from this Administration. I was part of the first generation of kids to have soccer in school and yet, after more decades than I like to count, people play soccer in the US, but soccer as a spectator sport has been slow to grow. Places with significant soccer infrastructure like DC or Chicago, are places that attract immigrants.
Trump probably knows nothing about the game but knows how much he craves attention, boos or cheers. If he wants to attend the championship game at Met Life, expect massive coverage and traffic jams leading into and on the NJ Turnpike. All of which will mean nothing, change nothing, and lead to nothing. The Disruptor in Chief will dominate the news cycles until well after his demise. The only change: no interview with NBC and probably any non-Fox media outlet. Ignoring him rather than booing him seems to be a better option.
Not generally a sports fan but this piece wasn’t really for sports fans. Thanks for another great one, Paul🙏
Senate (and House) Democrats need to loudly and forcefully condemn Mullin’s incendiary and racist remarks about stopping international flights to our cities. Unbelievable that a cabinet official would even make them- please tell me he got zero confirmation votes from any Democrats.
sharing 🔊 Trump's WC chaos with US visas for athletes, journalists, staff
https://ojaiohana.substack.com/p/trumps-wc-chaos-with-us-visas-for?r=5chxge&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
sharing 🔊 The USA's biggest-ever event of any type
https://ojaiohana.substack.com/p/the-usas-biggest-ever-event-of-any?r=5chxge&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
There's no "if" about the concluding statement. We keep blaming drumpf, but he's merely the pustule of the tip of the carbuncle that is now the rethug party of DEATH.