Monday, June 23, 2014

World Cup 2014/ Lightning CAN Strike TWICE!



World Cup 2014!   Did anyone else see the football match between the USA and Portugal?  You know I watched it!  I just saw on the news that 22 MILLION Americans watched that game!  It was a shame that the USA didn't win. To have Portugal score with only 30 seconds left!  Still, you must know that I am a true fan of all sports and let me tell you, the game isn't over until it is OVER!
And those last few minutes last for an ETERNITY!)  The USA will play Germany on Thursday, and you know who I will be cheering for!  GO USA! 

My English husband has been pleased to see all the crowds that they have shown us on TV of the crowds in the USA watching the World Cup. (Of course, he would have even MORE pleased if England had done better!)  Soccer (football in the rest of the world) has never been as popular and followed with as much intensity as it is now.  In Rockdale County, we were a little ahead of the rest of the country, because we had the influence of Ben Gross who introduced the sport into this small county in Georgia.  Please click on his name and read about him.  He was an Auschwitz
survivor who was determined not only to succeed in life but also to help and inspire other people.

Ben Gross died ten years ago but I am sure that it would have made him very happy to know that so many Americans are now watching the sport that he worked so hard to bring to Georgia AND that the USA is doing so well in the World Cup! 
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We have had some thunderstorms here lately and the clouds that suddenly build up can be quite scary! Just this weekend a man was struck by lightning in Coweta County, Georgia when he was raking leaves with a metal rake. It knocked him clean out of his shoes, he even took a photo of his smoking boots!  He was checked out at the hospital and survived this lightning strike.  Here's the thing, the doctors advised him to be careful, as it is very possible that he will be struck again!  You may read that story here.


29 comments:

  1. Yes, lightning can strike twice, and often what attracted it to a place the first time attracts it again. There was one man, several years ago, who was struck on seven different occasions! It got to where when there was a storm, he couldn't sit in the same room with his family because of the danger (yes, he was struck through glass while indoors).

    Go, Team USA! Let's hope they do well against Germany on Thursday!

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    1. I remember reading that fact about lightning before but honestly I didn't think it was true! It just sounded like an old wives tale to me, to make people to be more careful, but now I know it's true!
      And yes, I just wish I could be off work for the day so I could see it!

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  2. I'm not a fan of the game, but I do follow how the World Cup is going via the sports segments on the news bulletins. I am a fan of tennis, however...and now that Wimbledon has started...by the end of this fortnight, I'll be bleary-eyed...with my head going back and forth! ;)

    We had a couple of storms here on the weekend...which was very odd...seeing it's our winter...and winter storms are rarity. Even my two cats looked at me quizzically when the thunder started...I returned their look!

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    1. Oh! I love tennis too! Years ago, my sister and I were in Orlando, Florida with our family and we had the choice of going to Disney World OR watching Wimbledon on TV, we chose the TENNIS! (On the little bitty hotel TV!) It was an epic match, one of those close ones between McEnroe and Borg!
      Also, my husband lived very close to Wimbledon as he was growing up, so you know he loves it!!

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  3. Yes, poor olde England was shown the door rather quickly, wasn't it? Here's hoping the USA does well against Germany. I don't know much about soccer, but I know the Germans are top-rated. Good luck!

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    1. I was in England four years ago and I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed all the excitement about it! Loved watching the coverage over there! And I got up very early to watch the USA (just kept the sound on mute not to bother anybody!) I know the USA are underdogs, but that's okay for me, I like underdogs anyway, I have my eye on Costa Rica, I think they look good!

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  4. Sorry, Kay, I saw 'World Cup' in the title and switched off!

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    1. Graham!
      You know I am not one note Nellie! If you didn't read my post, you don't know about Ben Gross who brought so much JOY with his love of football (soccer) to Rockdale County! (And you should read about him on the link I gave you!) Also, the man who was struck by lightning and it was knocked clean out of his boots!
      And I LOVE sports, anything can happen and very often it does! If I find myself getting too serious bout sports, I give myself a break from it, it can be overwhelming for some. One must find a healthy balance!

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  5. Kay, I always cheer for the USA .:):) Although soccer is not my favorite sport...as I age have fewer favs. I will always like baseball. That's scary about the man being struck by lightening. Hope you are having a wonderful summer. xoxo,Susie

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    1. I love baseball too! I really didn't know anything about soccer but I have been married to my British husband for 31 years now, so I have learned, but only a bit! LOL.
      BE careful out there! If you hear thunder, head indoors! Hope you have a wonderful summer too, sweet Susie! xx

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  6. My son Jordan loves professional soccer and follows it closely. I can't recall as much excitement about this sport as I have this year. The man struck by lightning not only should purchase a lottery ticket, he needs to give up raking!

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    1. And you know, if my husband called me and told me he had been struck by lightning, I would believe him, he wouldn't have to take a photo of his smoking boots to prove it to me! :-) Glad the man was okay, lightning is very dangerous.

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  7. We have watched lots of the World Cup so far. I always played basketball, baseball, and football so I had to learn the rules and strategies after my kids started playing. There has been some real nail-biting games!

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    1. I do like sports, although I have to watch myself because I can get too carried away!! Like you, I had to learn soccer and I am still learning, just the idea of a draw still seems strange to me! I think they should keep playing!!

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  8. It's NOT soccer it's FOOTBALL!!!

    Lucky man to survive lightning.

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    1. The man I told you about, Ben Gross, would have called it football too, since he was from Europe, but of course, in the USA, it is soccer!!
      I hope you could see that video of the man's smoking boots, I think those thick boots saved his life, myself.

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  9. Yep, we're watching the World Cup. It's so interesting how soccer is finally catching on in the states.

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    1. I wish I could watch the match tomorrow between the USA and Germany, I'm sorry my job gets in the way of my sports viewing!! :-)

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  10. Ha! Ha! "One note Nellie" - Just love that. Never heard the expression before. Just love Tennis and Wimbledon in particular. Salad, salad and more salad for dinner! No matter how much sun is shining, I am inside watching the matches. Fingers crossed for Andy Murray again. We win so rarely but that final last year was heart stopping!

    Good Luck USA for the "footie" today.

    Are you giving "our" Stone Mountain a miss whilst Tennis and Football are on?!!!

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    1. Lucky you, watching Wimbledon over there!! My English in-laws really enjoy it too.
      Oh, USA lost, but they still advance anyway, so YAY, GO USA!!
      We don't get to Stone Mountain as much in the summer (so hot, don't you know) but I PROMISE you will see more photos when it cools down a bit!!

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  11. Yes, we're watching the World Cup. Germany may be win today.
    Creative DIY Shelf Safe Your Money

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    1. It truly is a World Cup! Germany was expected to win, but USA have never done as well as this year and I am glad the USA have gotten behind them!

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  12. My Dad told me USA lost today but they still made it through to the next round - I'm keeping my fingers crossed for them. x

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    1. YEs! Thanks, Julie! Go USA!
      It has been nice to see all the attention to the World Cup this year in the USA, for the game that I call soccer but what my English husband calls football!!

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  13. I noticed America started to really get behind football when the team started winning games. They like being the best in the USA ( as you know)and aren't keen just making up the numbers in any competition. A fair number of golfers have been stuck by lightning on the golf course over the years. Maybe its a sign... they shouldn't wear metal shoes.

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  14. Oh my yes, America likes to win, it makes us happy and after all, the pursuit of happiness is in our Constitution. Having said that, I have been a fan of the Atlanta Braves for many years and there was a time in the 80's when they couldn't win a game to save their lives. You would laugh at this too, in the 80's, the New Orleans Saints were so bad, the fans put paper bags over their heads and said they were fans of the "AIN"TS"! We might not always win but we still have fun!
    You really should watch "Hank Hill Calls a Scottish Man Long Distance" on Youtube, I saw this recently and thought of you!

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  15. While I don't follow any sports on TV, I must admit it is fun to watch the Worldcup matches with a select group of people :-) So, last week before I went away for my course, I watched the match Germany v Ghana with my Mum, my sister and a friend of my Mum's. We had nice drinks and snacks and a good time. This past week, while at the course, I watched the match Germany v USA with those of my course-colleagues who were staying at the same hotel. The match itself was a bit boring, but it was still nice to watch as a group. Our final exams were the next day, so we were glad that it started already at 6.00 pm and didn't last well into the night!

    It's been way too dray here, farmers are worried about their crops. But this weekend, we're in for at least some rain. Everything will look much nicer and fresher again afterwards.

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  16. Watched Hank Hill. Didn't really get the point of it as I'm not familiar with the character... Sorry.
    USA vs Belgium. Brave, backs against the wall, performance by the American team and I'm sure they will be a real force in the World Cup soon with the nation getting more into football.
    Funniest prank call I can remember in recent years is this one on you tube to a demolition company.
    "Irish Girl Blows up School."
    It's a classic!

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    1. Oh dear, I hope that you might get to watch "King of the HIll" sometime. Hank Hill is such a great character, he reminds me of my Dad so very much. And that episode is very funny, he thought he was speaking to a local hardware store but he kept calling a man in Scotland, and the guy in Scotland was always so polite to him and Hank was just so confused and flustered! But as you say, you would have to really know the show to see how funny that truly is!

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