Argentina v. Croatia and France v Morocco. That is the semi-finals in the World Cup. Many may have predicted Argentina and France. Few would have predicted Croatia and Morocco.
———————————
I read that ESPN has made a decision not to televise the Army-Navy game. IF I understand the rationale correctly, it is that neither team is very good this year. Does that make sense to you ? What if, one year, both Michigan and Ohio State had losing records?
—————————-
Many of the principles of journalistic writing seem to have evaporated. I did not formally study journalism, but I think I am better than an average writer. I did have a regular newspaper column in my high school newspaper, have written many articles on legal subjects, and wrote every word of The President’s Page in The Florida Bar Journal when I was President of The Bar. The staff did not do it for me, as can be the case.
So, I do not understand why things have changed so radically. I just read a headline that said “A Major Car Company Is Going Bankrupt”. I had to read several paragraphs before I was even told the name of the company, and several more paragraphs until I had any more facts.
I was taught that the first paragraph should tell you everything you would need to know if that was the only paragraph read. In other words, “who, what, when, where and why” in three or four sentences. Then the story is developed in subsequent paragraphs.
——————————-
It is 5:30 a.m. here in Florence. We leave at 8 a.m., on our $684 business class tickets, for three days in Paris. According to Alexa, it is 29 degrees in Paris and it will not get much warmer.
If it is affordable, when flying intra-Europe, it is very worthwhile to fly business rather than coach. An airline expert once pointed out to me that, unlike other places where everyone is treated badly, besides providing a nice lounge, in the event of a problem Europe Business Class treats the passenger with high priority.
When my plane was cancelled flying from Chicago to Kansas City, I was flying first class and it still took three hours for me to retrieve my checked bag. That might happen here in Europe for coach passengers, but business class passengers would generally have their bag in a few minutes.
The airlines, even on a very short flight, also manage to put out quite an eatable meal including wine or beer, unlike the gruel the airlines in the United States expect their passengers to eat. I almost always take my own food with me when I fly in the States. I have adopted the mantra that I do not want restaurants to fly me or airlines to feed me.
Anyway, we have never not had a great time in Paris and I expect this trip to be no exception. I would be surprised if I do not exceed 15,000 steps a day. Just touring the two museums Stefano has set up should do it.
——————————
Query: Krysten Sinema was elected by her constituents as a Democrat. She has now, unilaterally, decided to be an Independent. If I were one of her constituents, I would feel betrayed. Anyone else think along these lines?
—————————-
I posted the program separately, but yesterday’s concert was, perhaps, the best I had ever attended. It was all Brahams and Dvorak. As I sat at the concert I was reminded of an incident that occurred many years ago in London. I digress to say that, on more than one occasion, my Wife has said to me, “Someday, someone is going to shoot you for one of your wise-ass remarks! Not everyone understands your sense of humor or thinks you are funny”.
We went to hear the London Symphony Orchestra (L. S. O.). The first half was Brahms First or Third Symphony, I cannot remember, and the second half was Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony. Both works are considered outstanding.
At the intermission, the man sitting next to me (my bet is he was French or Belgian) turned to his wife and said “Brahms was lucky to get away with that”. At the end of the evening, I turned to this man and said “Do you think Beethoven was lucky too?”.
—————————
Go Ukraine
Comentarios