Here’s something I wish I’d posted prior to the World Cup taking ownership of our country. I found it in a book of random trivia facts which I will diligently attempt to paraphrase. Most countries think that Americans hate soccer. I think that’s probably true but to a lesser extent than you might think. Here is an opinion piece which I found somewhat interesting.
Even though playing youth soccer is a veritable rite of passage in parts of the U.S., it seems that most Americans tend to lose interest in the sport around the age of twelve. The indifference previously shown to the sport has baffled sports journalists for decades. Here are a few theories why.
American’s dislike games in which you can’t use your hands.
Americans dislike games without a lot of action and they consider soccer boring. Too many tie games and games with a score of three or less goals. Watching soccer for a few hours is mind-numbing.
Americans don’t like prissy athlete’s who spend most of the game flopping around on the ground and gesticulating wildly when they get called for a penalty.
The real problem is that America has never fielded a team that was competitive in the sport and that stings the American ego a bit. Losing to teams from countries like Columbia and Costa Rica is ego deflating.
The world’s insane love for soccer is strange to Americans but at the same time Americans are crazy for NASCAR. That’s a seriously vexing sports question to be sure. Will things ever change because of our recent exposure to the World Cup? Who knows?
FYI: I WILL NEVER BE A SOCCER (OR FUTBOL) FAN . . . EVER!
Are you an animal lover? I imagine most of us love and appreciate our pets and make them part of the family. Other folks love animals just as much, if not more, but that is based entirely on their favorite meat cuts and flavor. Todays post will give you a few facts you might not have heard before Enjoy!
In the last three thousand years, no new animals have been domesticated.
Scientist have discovered that chickens egg output increases when pop music is played in their roost.
A pelican can hold approximately 25 pounds of fish in it’s pouch.
The first fish in space was a South American guppy in 1976.
Iguanas, koalas and Komodo dragons all have two penises.
Armadillos and humans are the only animals that can get leprosy.
Camels milk is the only milk that doesn’t curdle when boiled.
Jackals have one more pair of chromosomes than dogs or wolves.
No one knows why a ducks quack doesn’t echo.
Rhino’s belong to the same family as horses and were thought to have inspired the myth of the unicorn.
With the Fourth of July behind us it’s time to move on down the road. I realized recently that with the World Cup invading America, making thousands of videos, and loving our life here, I began to see things about them more clearly than ever before. Since I’ve been impressed with them, now it’s time for you to impress yourselves with a World Trivia Quiz. This is how I celebrate the Fourth. as always the answers will be listed below.
What are the natives of Monaco called?
What is the mussiest river in the world?
Where was St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, born?
On what island are one-third of the world’s languages spoken?
American children get their Easter eggs from the Easter Bunny. Who delivers Easter eggs to Swiss youngsters?
Serendip was the early name for Ceylon. What is it now called?
What was the name of the pug who shared it’s bed with Napoleon and Josephine?
Where is the large iron key to the Bastille – that notorious French prison – kept today?
What river is the only one that flows both north and south of the equator?
What country, after the USA, has the world’s greatest number of tornados?
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The Answers
Monegasques, The Yellow River in China, Scotland, New Guinea with 700 native languages, The Easter Cuckoo, Sri Lanka, Fortune, George Washington’s home at Mt. Vernon, The Congo – it crosses the equator twice, Australia.
It’s almost too effing hot to do anything. I’m hiding in the man-cave with the fans roaring and it sounds more like an airport runway than a man-cave. It’s as good a day as any to post more of my favorite things: limericks. I normally post limericks by category but not today. Here are a few chosen totally at random from the archives.
“Today is the start of another new month and believe me when I tell you that they’ll keep coming faster and faster as you age. I’ve made the decision recently to once again reduce this blog to posting only twice a week instead of the current three days (Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays). It makes sense going forward for me to begin posting only on Tuesdays and Thursdays because the readership during the summer months is substantially reduced. If things improve in the Fall and I’m sure they will, I’ll probably reconsider my decision. That being said I hope you all have a pleasant and happy summer.”
Now on to todays post. This post is primarily for those of you who either have or have contact with young children. These questions were compiled by a large group of highly educated professionals. They’re not a right or wrong kind of quiz but one that will certainly spark some interesting conversations. This first installment will give you ten questions to work with. Future installments will continue until we’ve reviewed all 268. Have fun reviewing them with the kids and hopefully you’ll both learn a few things about each other.
If you ruled the world and could have anything you wanted, and people would do anything you wanted, do you think you’d get greedy and mean or be good and fair?
Do you think boys or girls have it easier?
If your mother promised to be home at 2:00 in the afternoon to take you to the movies but didn’t show up until suppertime and didn’t even phone, what would be a good punishment for her? Would punishing her be likely to make her on time in the future?
If all of your best friends were wiling to be absolutely honest and tell you exactly what they liked and disliked about you, would you want them to?
Would you rather have a strict teacher who was fair and taught you a lot or one who was relaxed and fun but didn’t teach you much?
One day your father gets a really weird idea and dyes his hair green and puts a ring through his nose. Knowing everyone would be looking at him and snickering, would you go shopping with him if he wanted your company?
When you make a mistake, do you make up excuses? If so, do you think people believe you?
If you could have a round-trip in a time machine and travel any distance into the past or the future, where would you want to go?
If a friend had an important secret and didn’t want other people to learn about it, would telling you the secret be a big mistake?
If your parents were worried about a serious problem that had nothing to do with you directly, would you want them to tell you about it or would you rather not know?
Well, there you have the first ten questions. I hope they’ll help you help the children to learn about themselves.
Today I thought I should step away from all of the excitement connected with the World Cup. The endless supply of Tik-Toker’s are doing a fine job of informing the world about the USA and I’m sincerely happy about that. Reality will return soon enough, so enjoy our time in the sun as best you can. Todays post is a collection of thoughts and opinions by one of my favorite writers and philosophers, Oscar Wilde. He was a figure both loved and hated due to his many writings and personal exploits. I’ve always appreciated his Irish sense of humor and skilled and vicious use of sarcasm. A warning for those of you (myself included) who wield the sharp sword of sarcasm at every turn. It’s always a hazardous hobby even on the good days. Let’s get started.
ON WOMEN
“American women are pretty and charming: little oases of elegant unreasonableness in a vast desert of practical common sense.”
“Women are meant to be loved, not understood.”
“A woman will flirt with anyone in the world, as long as other women are looking on.”
“I like men who have a future, and women who have a past.”
“If you really want to know what a women means, which is dangerous, always look at her but never listen.”
ON MEN
“Men become old, they never become good.”
“I sometime think that God, in creating man, rather overestimated his ability.”
“If a man is a gentleman, he knows quite enough, and if he is not a gentleman, whatever he knows is likely to be bad for him.”
“A man can be happy with any woman, so long as he does not love her.”
ON LOVE & MARRIAGE
“London is full of women who trust their husbands; one can always recognize them because they look so thoroughly unhappy.”
“The only real tragedy in a woman’s life is that her past is always her lover, and her future is invariably her husband.”
“There is nothing in the world like the devotion of a married woman; it’s a thing that no married man knows anything about.”
“Men marry because they are tired, women because they are curious: both are disappointed.”
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ONE OF MY FAVORITES
“No great artist sees things as they really are; if he did, he would cease to be an artist.”
With the world of sports, mainly soccer, currently ruling this country I felt a sports related post would keep the good will flowing and possibly put a smile on a few faces. Lets see . . .
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“When I played pro football, I never set out to hurt anybody deliberately . . . unless it was, you know, important, like a league game or something.” Dick Butkus
“Baseball would be a better game if more third basemen got hit in the mouth by line drives.” Dan Jenkins
George Steinbrenner is the salt of the earth, and the Yankee players are open wounds.” Scott Osler
“If your caught on a golf course during a storm and are afraid of lightning, hold up a one-iron. Not even God can hit a one-iron.” Lee Trevino
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“Skiing combines outdoor fun with knocking down trees with your face.” Dave Barry
“I bet on a horse at ten to one. It didn’t come in until half-past five.” Henny Youngman
“I’m not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let them walk to school like I did.” Possibly by Yogi Berra
“No Comment!” Coach Doug Moe on hearing he’d been voted the most quotable coach.
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My Fav:
“That’s getting a little close to home.”
Bob Feller on hearing that a foul ball had hit his mother.
As the World Cup activities continue it seems that Europeans are rediscovering America and it’s citizens based on what they are experiencing and not what they’ve been told by the Media and their governments. At the same time many Americans are rediscovering the people of Europe person-to-person, not just individual countries. Hopefully as the tournament continues the ripples of understanding will continue to grow. It seems that all of us, Europeans and Americans alike, have been manipulated by the Media for years and I hope and pray that that is about to dramatically change. Todays post is a ten question quiz concerning matters of this World and as always the answers will be listed below. Have fun with it.
Who was the first American to have a monument erected in his honor in India?
What are the three largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea?
What is the largest desert in Europe?
What city is the southernmost state capital in the United States?
What European capital is located in the crater of an extinct volcano?
What is the most common domestic animal on the African continent?
What is the Temple of the Tooth?
What animal was the symbol of liberty in ancient Rome?
What is the longest river in Europe?
In what four European countries are motorists required to drive on the left-hand side of the road?
Answers
George Washington Carver, Sicily, Sardinia, and Cyprus, There are none, Honolulu, Hawaii, Edinburgh, Scotland, The Goat, A Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka housing the relic of the tooth of Buddha, The Cat, The Volga in Russia – 2293 miles long, The United Kingdom, Ireland, Malta, and Cyprus.
I’ve just spent almost two solid days online listening to assorted visitors from Europe showing their appreciation of this country. I knew in my heart that the media in Europe was doing what the Media in America always does, attempting to direct how we should think and feel about damn near everything. I’m no soccer fan and probably never will be but any sport that has such a rabid fan base is a wonderful thing to witness. I feel even more patriotic than usual and that’s difficult to imagine. I’m also having much better thoughts about the European people themselves but not their governments. So today’s post is an limerick alert of a sort with the following collection of limericks that are sports related. Enjoy…
everyuselessthing.com 