She is coming back after her pregnancy, post a life-threatening complication after developing a pulmonary embolism, a controversy about her compression ‘catsuit’ (custom-made by Nike), her decision to wear a tutu and the high stakes of the event.
To add insult to injury, she was fined $17,000.
And then, Mark Knight, Australian cartoonist, decided to rub salt in the wound!
The 2018 US Open final between Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka will be remembered for all the wrong reasons
The match was guaranteed to make history no matter what.
Williams was gunning for her 24th Grand Slam tournament win, a number that would have tied the all-time record for the most Grand Slam singles tournament wins in history.
And Osaka was hoping to be the first Haitian-Japanese player in history to win a Grand Slam.
In the end, Osaka defeated Williams 6-2, 6-4, ensuring the latter – but her achievement was overshadowed by what happened in the match.
I must confess I’m not a football fan; I really don’t know much about the game; I really don’t care about it.
However, I do know a lot about Colin Kaepernick.
I respect the man and agree with the peaceful protest and the message that he’s trying to bring to the forefront by using the platform that he had when he was able to play football.
After being shunned for at least two seasons; after continued pressure from the NFL, after continued disparaging from the occupant of the Oval Office, Kap makes a triumphant return!
In a 49ers’ final preseason game, backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick decided sit on the bench to protest racial inequality and police brutality for the national anthem.
~TAKING A KNEE~
Former Seahawks player and Green Beret Nate Boyer who talked Kap into making the change. Boyer wrote an open letter to Kaepernick and it caused the two to meet up and discuss America and honoring the anthem.
“Soldiers take a knee in front of a fallen brother’s grave, you know, to show respect. When we’re on a patrol, you know, and we go into a security halt, we take a knee, and we pull security.”
It was US Army veteran, Nate Boyer, who suggested to Kaepernick to take a knee as a sign of respect
This is their inspiring story of what can happen when people with different perspectives decide to sit down, have a conversation, and hear each other out.
Kaepernick was the first NFL player to kneel during the national anthem before games in 2016 to protest racial inequality and police brutality. Critics accused the protest of disrespecting the US flag and military and Drumpf called for players who protested during the anthem to be fired.
Nike released a commercial starring Colin Kaepernick on Wednesday, September 5, following this week’s announcement of a partnership between the two that prompted boycott threats as well as criticism from Drumpf.
Nike and Kaepernick posted the commercial on Twitter and YouTube.
The ad, narrated by Kaepernick, showcases various inspirational sports-related stories, including amateur athletes such as a football-playing homecoming queen and an Ironman participant who lost 120 pounds and recovered from a brain tumor. Professional athletes, including Serena Williams, LeBron James, and the Seattle Seahawks’ Shaquem Griffin (whose left hand was amputated when he was young), are also featured.
Kaepernick narrates the ad, which features a wide range of athletes including inspirational amateurs, Serena Williams, and LeBron James.
Kaepernick is shown only in the closing seconds of the commercial, which does not feature the former NFL player in football gear.
ATHLETE AND ACTIVIST COLIN KAEPERNICK RECEIVES AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL’S AMBASSADOR OF CONSCIENCE AWARD
The Ambassador of Conscience Award celebrates individuals and groups who have furthered the cause of human rights through acts of conscience, confronting injustice and using their talents to inspire others.
The USA is a country where people can freely disrespect the flag using it as a thong, underwear, condom, disposable plates, bras, napkins, etc. but people got a heart attack just because he kneeled down silently and that is so “disrespectful” to the flag.
Really?
Kneeling down is a form of respect and humbling yourself before someone.
The award was officially presented at a ceremony in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on 21 April 2018, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the opening of Amnesty International’s national section in the country.
“The Ambassador of Conscience award celebrates the spirit of activism and exceptional courage, as embodied by Colin Kaepernick. He is an athlete who is now widely recognised for his activism because of his refusal to ignore or accept racial discrimination,” said Salil Shetty, Secretary General of Amnesty International.
“Just like the Ambassadors of Conscience before him, Colin Kaepernick chooses to speak out and inspire others despite the professional and personal risks. When high profile people choose to take a stand for human rights, it emboldens many others in their struggles against injustice.
Colin Kaepernick’s commitment is all the more remarkable because of the alarming levels of vitriol it has attracted from those in power.”
“I would like to thank Amnesty International for the Ambassador of Conscience Award. But in truth, this is an award that I share with all of the countless people throughout the world combating the human rights violations of police officers, and their uses of oppressive and excessive force.
To quote Malcolm X, when he said that he, ‘will join in with anyone – I don’t care what color you are – as long as you want to change this miserable condition that exists on this earth,’ I am here to join with you all in this battle against police violence,” said Colin Kaepernick.
“While taking a knee is a physical display that challenges the merits of who is excluded from the notion of freedom, liberty, and justice for all, the protest is also rooted in a convergence of my moralistic beliefs, and my love for the people.”
Colin Kaepernick
Colin Kaepernick explained why he sacrificed his career in the NFL to stand against systemic racism as he received Amnesty International’s highest honor.
P!nk took the grand stage at Super Bowl LII to sing the national anthem just before kickoff where she paid homage to her “idol,” Whitney Houston.
This Super Bowl holds a special significance to the Grammy-winning artist as she is a diehard Philadelphia Eagles fan, having spent the lead-up to the game posting snaps of her children and family rooting for the team.
Pink Nails the National Anthem Before Super Bowl LII, Despite the Flu
Despite a well-publicized battle with the flu in the days before Super Bowl LII, Philadelphia-area native Pink positively nailed the National Anthem.
Clad in a satiny white outfit and with bright blonde hair, the three-time Grammy winner was true to her badass image, removing a throat lozenge just before she began singing (and setting off a torrest of Internet memes in the process).
She played loose with the song’s timing, occasionally hitting a note just inside the tempo set by the accompanying orchestra, but hit every note with ease, at times breaking up a note or toying with the phrasing, possibly in an effort to sidestep the challenges of singing with the flu, but her voice was strong and on-point and she had little trouble holding notes.
The plan had been for Vice President Mike Pence to attend the Indianapolis Colts game at which Peyton Manning’s number was to be retired, a gala celebration of the former Colts quarterback’s contributions to Pence’s home state.
The former governor of Indiana and his wife, wearing a Manning No. 18 jersey, left Lucas Oil Stadium after the national anthem, following instructions from Drumpf after a number of San Francisco 49ers players, as they usually do, took a knee during the anthem.
“I asked @VP Pence to leave stadium if any players kneeled,” Drumpf posted on Twitter. “I am proud of him and @SecondLady Karen.”
The first rule of blatant political stunts is not to let on that they are blatant political stunts.
Pence was acting not out of spontaneous patriotism but out of blind loyalty to a president who reduces everyone around him to a sleazy character on a reality TV show.
I feel this is important information about what is happening in the Republican Administration lead by Drumpf and what we need to be aware of.
Keith Olbermann series called “The Resistance” continues. He has posted installment #133.
The video speaks for itself.
If this resonates with you, good.
If it doesn’t, just scroll away to the next blog.
Thank you!
DISCLAIMER
I do not own these images.
No intention of taking credit.
If anyone knows the owner of any, please advise and it will be corrected immediately.
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball with the foot to score a goal. Unqualified, the word football is understood to refer to whichever form of football is the most popular in the regional context in which the word appears.
~Wikipedia~
I don’t know anything about football. It really doesn’t impress me much.
There’s a bunch of tough guys, placing hands up a player’s behind, shouting numbers, running into each other ending up on a heap of male muscle, increased testosterone and frequent stops.
The only interesting thing nowadays is the #TakeAKnee protest.
By now, all fans and non-fans know about Pence’s costly, fake trip to Indiana. The cost of this charade has been calculated.
It seems like we’ll never know exactly how much it cost taxpayers to have Mike Pence abruptly leave a football game Sunday between the Indianapolis Colts and San Francisco 49ers.
But conservative estimates say it was at least $200,000 – and that’s for the air travel alone.
CNN did a back-of-the-envelope calculation and figured the flight from Las Vegas (where Pence attended a memorial service for the victims of the mass shooting) to Indianapolis and then to Los Angeles for a previously scheduled political event cost at least $242,500. The cost of a flight straight from Las Vegas to Los Angeles would have been around $45,000.
I feel this is important information about what is happening in the Republican Administration lead by Drumpf and what we need to be aware of. Keith Olbermann series called “The Resistance” continues. He has posted installment #132.
The video speaks for itself.
If this resonates with you, good.
If it doesn’t, just scroll away to the next blog.
Thank you!
DISCLAIMER
I do not own these images.
No intention of taking credit.
If anyone knows the owner of any, please advise and it will be corrected immediately.
~Trump will welcome Pittsburgh Penguins to White House~
As Drumpf faced backlash for his harsh criticism of athletes who have kneeled in protest for the national anthem, the Pittsburgh Penguins confirmed on Sunday they will visit the White House to celebrate their Stanley Cup victory. In a statement, the Penguins said they “respect the institution of the Office of the President, and the long tradition of championship teams visiting the White House”.
The statement added:
“Any agreement or disagreement with a president’s politics, policies or agenda can be expressed in other ways. However, we very much respect the rights of other individuals and groups to express themselves as they see fit.”
I feel this is important information about what is happening in the Republican Administration lead by Drumpf and what we need to be aware of.
Keith Olbermann series called “The Resistance” continues.
He has posted installment #127.
The video speaks for itself.
If this resonates with you, good.
If it doesn’t, just scroll away to the next blog.
Thank you!
DISCLAIMER
I do not someown these images.
No intention of taking credit.
If anyone knows the owner of any, please advise and it will be corrected immediately.
Scheduling conflict has led Drumpf to balk at throwing the Opening Day first pitch for the Washington Nationals, the White House said Tuesday
The Nationals also informed reporters at the team’s pre-Opening Day media event that Drumpf would not participate in the longtime presidential tradition.
The Nationals open at home this year, with their first game taking place against the Miami Marlins at 1 p.m. ET on Monday, April 3.
The tradition of a president throwing out the first pitch dates back to 1910, when then-President William Howard Taft hurled one for the Washington Senators’ opener.
However, since Martin, my friend from the Netherlands and Mike, a local friend, told me about this Baseball Classic and how well Puerto Rico was performing, I jumped on board and followed the results.
Tonight the winner wins!
I’m rooting for Puerto Rico, my country, of course!
The World Baseball Classic is an international baseball tournament sanctioned from 2006 to 2013 by the International Baseball Federation and after 2013 by the World Baseball Softball Confederation.
Puerto Rico Defeats the Netherlands (4-3) to make the final of the WBC
Puerto Rico has defeated the team from the Netherlands on an 11-inning sacrifice fly from Eddie Rosario to reach the final of the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
It is the second tournament in a row in which the island’s team reaches the final, having lost the championship to the team from the Dominican Republic in the 2013 tournament (0-3). It now awaits the winner of the second semi-final between Japan and the United States, which will be played tomorrow.
It Is What It Is 