Martin Maden @Bloganaut

Vamos, @RafaelNadal!   As you get ready to graduate from tennis, I’ve got a few things to share before I maybe get emotional.   Let’s start with the obvious: you beat me—a lot. More than I managed to beat you. You challenged me in ways no one else could. On clay, it felt like I was stepping into your backyard, and you made me work harder than I ever thought I could just to hold my ground. You made me reimagine my game—even going so far as to change the size of my racquet head, hoping for any edge.   I’m not a very superstitious person, but you took it to the next level. Your whole process. All those rituals. Assembling your water bottles like toy soldiers in formation, fixing your hair, adjusting your underwear... All of it with the highest intensity. Secretly, I kind of loved the whole thing. Because it was so unique—it was so you.   And you know what, Rafa, you made me enjoy the game even more.    OK, maybe not at first. After the 2004 Australian Open, I achieved the #1 ranking for the first time. I thought I was on top of the world. And I was—until two months later, when you walked on the court in Miami in your red sleeveless shirt, showing off those biceps, and you beat me convincingly. All that buzz I’d been hearing about you—about this amazing young player from Mallorca, a generational talent, probably going to win a major someday—it wasn’t just hype.   We were both at the start of our journey and it’s one we ended up taking together. Twenty years later, Rafa, I have to say: What an incredible run you’ve had. Including 14 French Opens—historic! You made Spain proud... you made the whole tennis world proud.   I keep thinking about the memories we’ve shared. Promoting the sport together. Playing that match on half-grass, half-clay. Breaking the all-time attendance record by playing in front of more than 50,000 fans in Cape Town, South Africa. Always cracking each other up. Wearing each other out on the court and then, sometimes, almost literally having to hold each other up during trophy ceremonies.   I’m still grateful you invited me to Mallorca to help launch the Rafa Nadal Academy in 2016. Actually, I kind of invited myself. I knew you were too polite to insist on me being there, but I didn’t want to miss it. You have always been a role model for kids around the world, and Mirka and I are so glad that our children have all trained at your academies. They had a blast and learned so much—like thousands of other young players. Although I always worried my kids would come home playing tennis as lefties.   And then there was London—the Laver Cup in 2022. My final match. It meant everything to me that you were there by my side—not as my rival but as my doubles partner. Sharing the court with you that night, and sharing those tears, will forever be one of the most special moments of my career.   Rafa, I know you’re focused on the last stretch of your epic career. We will talk when it’s done. For now, I just want to congratulate your family and team, who all played a massive role in your success. And I want you to know that your old friend is always cheering for you, and will be cheering just as loud for everything you do next.   Rafa that!   Best always, your fan, 
 Roger

@rogerfederer @RafaelNadal We'll never see a rivalry as fierce & a friendship as close as this tennis for the foreseeable future. Truly blessed to have been able to witness the G.O.A.T's of tennis start their careers, evolve into not just great champions but incredible humans too. Will miss this duo! ❤️

Helpful reminder to those who might forget Trump is a convicted felon. 34 counts, I believe?

Anti-Psychopath PAC @PsychoPAC24

2 years ago

We just put this new billboard up outside of Mar-a-Lago to welcome Trump home. It is running now through the election.

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Did JD Vance he a Maybelline eyeliner contract?

Welcome to Kamalot! Our new issue grapples with the two weeks that reshaped the 2024 election — and the thrill of taking a risk on Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee. Read our latest now: trib.al/ZTHzaGb

Julian Assange: Australian politicians call for release of WikiLeaks founder bbc.in/48iq3sc

Wednesday evening, my wife and I took my ten-year old daughter to the middle school for orientation. While walking around the school and meeting her new teachers, I noticed one teacher I didn’t recognize. She had just moved to town. She was an beautiful woman-in her mid to late forties-with piercing ice blue eyes. We briefly made eye contact before her eyes quickly locked on to the tattoo on my upper arm. As she stepped closer-her eyes still fixated on my “ink”-I could see that her eyes were reddening and glossing up quickly. “I was a Navy Hospital Corpsman” I said. “A Medic.” She was silent, and did not break eye contact with the American flag that wrapped around my left arm. Her hands started to rise: She stopped just short of actually touching my tattoo, as if some part of her brain had suddenly said “Don’t. It’s not appropriate.” Then, with the fluidity of a ballerina she slowly raised her head, locking her eyes on to mine. We were less that a foot and a half from each other. I saw nothing but pain and sadness. “My son was killed in Afghanistan. I have a picture of him in the room. Would you like to see him?” she asked, with a voice you could sense had a wail just beneath the surface, wanting to escape. “Yes. I would.” I said, as we continued looking at each other for a length of time, that, in any other context would have been disrespectful to my wife. We walked into the classroom. There he was. A picture of her son was on the wall, right behind her desk. It was his U.S. Army bootcamp photo. “He was twenty-years old” she said softly. My posture stiffened: I felt my body automatically shift to an “attention” position as I placed my right hand over my heart. By now, my wife was crying. This Gold Star Mother was crying. I had a lump in my throat and my breathing had become shallow and more restricted. Turning to this heartbroken teacher, I said, “I’m so sorry.” I could tell that she wanted to reply, but couldn’t. “Can I give you a hug?” I asked her in a lowered voice. “Of course” she said with a look of “Yes, please hug me. I need a hug.” The fact that I had only known this teacher for less than 2-3 minutes was lost. As we embraced, she hugged me like she was another teenaged daughter on mine, who had just come to me in agony after her first breakup with a boyfriend. Actually, like a Mother….who had just lost a twenty-year old son. As I slowly allowed my arms to release and move away from her body, she audibly sighed. It was as though 10,000 tiny daggers had temporarily ceased stabbing her in the heart. “It was a pleasure to meet you.” I said, as I extended my hand to end the moment on a more formal measure, thereby sealing what had happened between our hallway “Hello” and our handshake goodbye, in a sort of time capsule experience that she could return to as often as needed. While I have no idea what her political affiliation might be, I suspect that she’s a republican. Most everyone here is a republican. I also strongly suspect that she would never vote for Donald Trump again, if she is. She’s a Gold Star Mother. She’s a real Patriot. Her son was a real Patriot. She knows what real sacrifice means. He, gave his life. She knows-on a cellular level-what democracy is about and what it takes to protect it. People like her also know when someone like Trump, has trashed everything her son served to defend. Come to think of it, I think it’s very possible that she was once a republican, who, now…has at the very least shifted to an independent. I saw signs of it, actually. As I departed, I turned, about half way across the room, and said “Freedom around the world depends on people like your son.” She immediately replied. “Thank you. Yes, it does. Ukraine knows this all too well” as she placed her hand…over her heart.

BREAKING: CNN drops Wednesday bombshell, reveals that Special Counsel Jack Smith “secured a search warrant” of Donald Trump’s Twitter account, @realDonaldTrump, according to a newly unsealed court filing.” But it gets even WORSE for Donald Trump… CNN continues, reporting that “the search was so secret that Twitter(now rebranded as X) was barred from telling Trump the search warrant had been obtained for his account, and Twitter was fined $350,000 because it delayed producing the records sought under the search warrant. The special counsel’s office, which is now working on the criminal case against Trump in DC District Court related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, sought the warrant in January 2023. Twitter ultimately produced the records, according to the filing, now public in the US Circuit Court of Appeals.” This is HUGE. First, it shows that Special Counsel Jack Smith’s criminal investigation into Trump is even deeper in scope than we ever imagined. Second, it’s devastating news for Trump because we can only imagine how much criminality and incriminating evidence Jack Smith must have found in Trump’s Twitter direct message inbox. Third, but not least, it appears to prove that Twitter owner Elon Musk TRIED to delay or even deny the warrant for Trump’s Twitter records — a shocking new scandal for the already controversial and highly partisan Twitter(X) owner. Please retweet and ❤️ if you think that Trump MUST be found guilty — and consider joining the growing exodus to Tribel, a woke new Twitter competitor that banned Trump for life and is exploding in popularity because Elon Musk banned Tribel’s Twitter account — but he forgot to ban this link to download the new Tribel app: tribel.app.link/okwPIHYCIqb

@AWeissmann_ ‘I made a policy decision while serving in office to end the whole voting thing and just went ahead and declared myself King.’

Bienvenue en PNG.. ! Le président français, Emmanuel Macron, et le Premier ministre de Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée, James Marape, profitent d'un moment de détente alors qu'ils entament des discussions bilatérales critiques, notamment en ce qui concerne le changement climatique.

Emmanuel Macron @EmmanuelMacron

3 years ago

Join Prime minister of Papua New Guinea and me to preserve biodiversity. Here is our message:

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Join Prime minister of Papua New Guinea and me to preserve biodiversity. Here is our message:

@AWeissmann_ Stoke the fire Jack..!

BREAKING: Trump is hit with devastating news as over 20,000 Nevada Christians sign a petition demanding that Las Vegas cancel plans to hold a pro-Trump rally featuring Eric Trump, Alex Jones, Roseanne Barr and Michael Flynn on public property. But it gets even worse for Trump… The Christian leaders who launched the petition didn’t mince words in a brutal takedown, declaring that Trump and his “Reawaken America Tour” are “some of the worst examples of Christian nationalism today,” and that the “toxic” event promotes “antisemitism” and “political violence.” But they didn’t stop there, declaring that, “Every ReAwaken America event is a toxic, two-day parade of pro-Trump preachers, MAGA celebrities, and QAnon conspiracy theorists mixing election denial, violent rhetoric, and deadly COVID-19 misinformation with baptisms and praise music — all in Jesus’ name. An event that promotes antisemitism, lies, and even outright political violence should never be welcome on public property. Let’s speak out together now and ask North Las Vegas Mayor Pamela Goynes-Brown to revoke ReAwaken America’s permits and decline to rent them public facilities.” The group concluded its takedown by declaring that “toxic nationalism has no place in a publicly owned venue,” and that the First Amendment “doesn’t protect the incitement of political violence nor obligate taxpayers to platform hate speech like antisemitism.” You can read and sign the petition here: act.faithfulamerica.org/sign/RAT-vegas/ Please retweet and ❤️ if you think that Las Vegas MUST cancel the upcoming Trumper rally — and consider joining the growing exodus to Tribel, a new Twitter competitor that is exploding in popularity because Elon Musk banned Tribel’s Twitter account — but he forgot to ban this link to download the new Tribel app: tribel.app.link/okwPIHYCIqb

Can’t wait !

Room Rater @ratemyskyperoom

3 years ago

For those missing @AWeissmann_ #Innis and #TheLoftFromHeaven Got your mugs? Third coming in days. bit.ly/RoomRaterShop

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Take a moment.

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57 years ago

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Republicans: ‘Donald Trump hits yet another hole in one!’

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BREAKING: President Biden racks up another victory as it's revealed that his reelection campaign raised a staggering $72 million in the second quarter of fundraising — more than double what Donald Trump raised. But it gets even better... According to Biden's team, they also have $77 million in cash on hand which amounts to "the highest total amassed by a Democrat at any comparable point in history." 30% of donors are new ones who didn't contribute to Biden in 2020. The average grassroots donation was $39 and 97% of donations were less than $200. Biden has the support of the people. "The Biden-Harris team dramatically outraised the announced totals from every GOP candidate running for president, including Donald Trump by more than 2:1 and Ron DeSantis by more than 3:1," the Biden campaign said in a statement. Trump took in $35 million, a number that was inflated by a boost in donations from hardcore fascist Republicans that flowed in after he was indicted for his alleged federal crimes. Even then, it wasn't enough to outpace Biden. Biden-Harris campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez ripped into Trump while touting Biden's astonishing fundraising— "While Republicans are burning through resources in a divisive primary focused on who can take the most extreme MAGA positions, we are significantly outraising every single one of them — because our team’s strength is our grassroots supporters," she said. #Biden2024 Please retweet and ❤️ if you will be voting for Joe Biden — and follow us on “woke” new Facebook/Twitter competitor Tribel to get ALL of our breaking news alerts sent straight to your phone or tablet. Here’s the link to follow us on Tribel: tribel.app.link/okwPIHYCIqb

@MuellerSheWrote Lmfao. Trojans, beware:

Got to love the Aussies! occupydemocrats.com/2023/07/07/shu…