BSR

Yes, I am aware that Abdul Ballout could not be stripped of his German citizenship. The same would be true had he been a US citizen and committed the same crime on US soil, but I think the legal system needs to change. This “kinder, gentler” approach to terrorists has failed miserably, and westerners are paying the price with their lives.

Abdul Ballout had a history of violence and proven connections to Islamic extremism: he spread ISIS propaganda and tried to travel to Syria to join ISIS. Despite being 21 when previously convicted of preparing a serious act of Islamic terrorist violence, German authorities tried him in juvenile court, which gave him a pattycake sentence consisting of a mandatory “reprogramming” course. Even though he failed to attend most sessions, the German legal system took no further action. Abdul Ballout murdered 1 person and injured 29, some in critical condition. Those with life-threatening injuries have since stabilized, but who knows whether they end up paralyzed or permanently disabled. They are certainly suffering and will face a long, painful rehabilitation. Instead of imprisoning Abdul Ballout and stripping him of his German citizenship, the German legal system chose to coddle him. The end result, to me, is about as surprising as the sun rising in the east. But hey, all the passengers of the gay Scarlet Lady cruise were shocked — SHOCKED! — that they were turned away from ports in Muslim countries. Go figure.

“A van slammed into people … “ This isn’t Terminator, artificial intelligence hasn’t taken over the world and isn’t killing humans. A man drove that van trying to kill Pride participants, he has a name, and he is currently on the run. Yet so-called journalists bury his name, his photo (surely one exists somewhere), and other information that could make it easier to find him. If the suspect were a white German, I’m guessing the same so-called journalists would be far less reticent. Perhaps that’s a debate for another day. What is not debatable is that a driver slammed that van into Pride participants, the van sure as hell didn’t drive itself.

The one who drove me wild this World Cup was Mohamed Salah 😍😍😍

One of my Spanish friends tells me that españolas (and surely a few españoles) loved Ferrán Torres, even before he scored the winning goal in the World Cup final. He’s a handsome guy, for sure, just doesn’t push my buttons.

The World Cup final started at 3am here in Manila, yet I stayed up to watch it because it might be the last time Spain plays a final in my lifetime. Yes, I am deliriously happy that Spain won. I am a bit baffled about what happened to Argentina because it’s like they didn’t bother to show up. The game was a snoozefest. The two Spaniards I watched it with said WC finals often are poor quality because both teams are so freaked out by the nerves, pressure, etc. I got to bed at 7:39am, yet despite the obscenity of the hour, I still can’t get to sleep (almost an hour later) because we went to Starbucks after midnight for fear we wouldn’t be able to stay up all night. I know I am going to hate myself when I get up. But I will never regret staying up all night to watch the match. Once-in-a-lifetime experiences merit a bit of suffering.

Fantastic tango: the technique, the choreography, wow! https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1CcNBj4KnH/?mibextid=wwXIfr

In other words: there must be no public beauty!

Because it’s being played at a godless hour in Manila (3am), I wasn’t planning to watch the World Cup final until my best friend here (from Murcia) convinced me I simply had to. This might be the last time in my lifetime that Spain plays the World Cup final. A bunch of us from Spanish Meetup are going to a watch party at a local Spanish restaurant, even some who have to work the next day. Oh man, they’re gonna need liters of coffee to make it through their workday. @Becket, thanks for the brief summary of the semifinals and a preview of the final. Of course, I’ll be rooting for Spain but won’t exactly be devastated if Argentina takes it. Interesting factoid: the 2022 men’s World Cup in Qatar made $7.6 billion (yes, with a B) in revenue whereas the 2023 women’s WC in Australia/NZ made $570 million.

Just to be clear, I am not laughing because Muslim countries refused to allow a gay cruise ship to dock — that’s shameful. But that the passengers were shocked — SHOCKED! — well, it’s laugh or cry that people are so naive.

I have been living in Manila since December, haven’t seen a speck of anti-Americanism, but my situation and Filipinos in general are a bit of a different case. In my case, because I look very Filipino, everyone here assumes I’m a native. In general, almost every Filipino knows someone who lives in the US and therefore gets information on what America and Americans are really like, not from reports of so-called journalists who often hate the US.

50-year mortgages also have higher interest rates compared to standard 30- and 15-year mortgages. If you add a percentage point or so and then stretch interest payments out over 50 years, you end up paying a helluva lot more in total interest on the loan.

A friend of mine went to Mt. Holyoke, said there were a sh!t-ton of 4-year lesbians. Plenty had girlfriends during undergrad but never looked back after graduation.

Yeah, don’t go to Bogotá.

I think there is a helluva difference between 2 discreet men (I assume you weren’t wearing just jockstraps or black leather pants with the butt cut out) checking into a hotel room and a 1,900-passenger cruise ship screaming “gay! Gay!! GAY!!!” I read that the ports that rejected the Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady and its 1,900 LGBT passengers were Kusadasi and Instanbul, Turkey, and Alexandria, Egypt. @Luv2play, where did you read Hungary?

Fery has an interesting background. His mother is a former professional tennis player. His father is French and très riche: net worth around £275 million. An ass like that and family money?

Arthur Fery, a 5’9” British wild card (which means his ranking was too low for direct entry) who has reached the semifinals of Wimbledon.

The Argentina-Egypt match is the first soccer match I’ve ever watched, and it was a helluva good time. Fortunately, I was watching with a Spanish friend who gave me lots of insights into the players, strategies, rules, etc. Wow, was that exciting! I kept thinking of how rabid Argentine fans are and kept imagining the nation’s growing anxiety during the first ~80 minutes. Then badabing badaboom, Argentina scores 3 goals in like 12 minutes, Messi is crying on the pitch, and the fútbol-crazed nation snatches victory from the jaws of defeat. I also discovered my new sports crush, the fatally handsome Mohamed Salah ❤️❤️❤️

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaY28CtIBuV/?igsh=bzB1eW4xNDJxOWhv

To be clear, I am not laughing at whether Gauff will win Wimbledon because she certainly could, just cracking up that you might have jinxed her, also a very real possibility.

I barely noticed the 4th of July when I was out of the country last year, but this year I’m a bit sad that I’m missing all the festivities. Happy 250th, America! I should *fingerscrossed* be in the US for the next July 4th, but being there to celebrate 251 years as a nation just doesn’t have the same ring to it. To all my fellow Americans on the board, Happy Independence Day!!

He’s aging nicely. I think he’s handsomer now than in his prettyboy youth.