a weblog of whereabouts & interests, since 2010
There were beautiful clouds in the view from 13th Ave E and East Mercer St this morning. The Space Needle dome still has its soccer ball coat on, but maybe not for much longer, now that the World Cup is in its final week.
We have been blessed with mild day temperatures the last week or two here in the city— 72°F (22°C) today.
A heatwave was building again in the Southwest and Great Plains this weekend, and it is going to move eastward from there.
Here are some of the first pages from my Japan stamp collection.
Japan’s Showa series stamps are definitive postage stamps issued during the reign of Emperor Hirohito (the Showa period), spanning from 1937 through the early post-war era.
1st Showa Definitive Series (1937–1940)
Design Motifs: Classic imagery showcasing iconic cultural landmarks, historical figures, and scenic vistas.
Key Designs: Mount Fuji with cherry blossoms, General Nogi Maresuke, and the Horyu-ji temple pagoda.
Paper Types: Printed initially on distinct granite paper (containing tiny colored fibers) before transitioning to plain white paper.
Production: High-quality photogravure and engraving with standard, clean perforations.
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2nd Showa Definitive Series (1942–1945)
Design Motifs: Heavily militaristic and industrial themes reflecting World War II mobilization.
Key Designs: War workers hammering, military pilots, fighter airplanes, and industrial factories alongside classic Mount Fuji with cherry blossoms imagery.
Austerity Measures: Production quality suffered heavily as the war progressed.
Perforations became rough or uneven, and the gum backing was often omitted due to resource shortages.
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3rd Showa Definitive Series (1945–1946)
Design Motifs: Mostly repurposed wartime designs but produced under extreme emergency conditions immediately following Japan’s surrender.
Key Characteristics: These are completely imperforate (no holes, required cutting with scissors) and printed on coarse, poor-quality paper with no gum.
Happy Friday.
My set of Japanese stamp purchases from the proxy shopping service in Japan arrived today.
I buy stamps from 5 or 6 sellers from all over Japan. The purchases are sent to the proxy service warehouse by the sellers. The proxy service combines my purchases into one package and ships it out to me. 😚
One of the sellers used a colorful ‘action folder’ of the Hanshin Tigers to protect the pages with the stamps inside.
Arthur Fery (23, 🇬🇧) is the first men’s wildcard* to reach the Wimbledon semifinals in 25 years—matching a feat last achieved by Goran Ivanišević in 2001.
*An invitation granted to a player by tournament organizers, allowing them to compete in the main draw of an event without having to qualify or rely on their world ranking.
Fery has defeated Damir Džumhur, Otto Virtanen, Zizou Bergs, and Grigor Dimitrov, before thrashing ninth seed Flavio Cobolli 6-4, 7-6, 6-0 yesterday in the quarterfinals.
He faces second seed Alexander Zverev for a spot in the finals tomorrow.
Update Fri 7/10: The fairytale has ended. Zverev dispatched Fery in straight sets, 7-6 (7-0), 6-2, 6-4.
Senator Mitch McConnell was reportedly resuscitated at his Washington DC home on June 14, following a medical emergency where emergency responders performed CPR.
Not his staff, nor his family, nor John Thune (leader of the Senate) has given any details of his condition for three weeks now, other than saying he is ‘continuing his recovery’.
Then this week, several senior Republicans tells us they had 20-minute long ‘substantive’ discussions with McConnell.
Scott Jennings, perennial defender of the insanities of the Trump Administration on CNN, would have us believe he called up his ‘old friend’ (McConnell) and that they had talked about Iran, Ukraine, the unfolding situation in Maine, Scott’s visit to the [Teddy Roosevelt] Presidential Library, and even a little bit of Senate history.
So: a coordinated effort by GOP leadership to hide a reality that is glaringly obvious— and telling us stories that are completely unbelievable.
In the summertime, sounds from outside seep in through the crevices in the window, by the outlet of the portable airconditioner that I had deployed.
Tap-tap-tap, I heard as I sat in my study. Tap-tap-tap.
Oh! Is that someone working on the roof tiles next door? I wondered.
It was a deflating, abrupt, way-too-early end to a run that felt like it could deliver so much more.
– Henry Bushnell writing for The Athletic in the New York Times
Well, it is the end of the road for World Cup 2026 for the US Men’s National Team.
The near-goal from the Belgians in the very first minute of the game turned out to be a warning of things to come.
The US team played did not play well and it was all a little painful to watch to the end.
I wonder if the scandal surrounding Folarin Balogun’s reinstatement had impacted the US team’s performance.
(On Sunday, Trump called up FIFA President Gianni Infantino and had him overturn Balogun’s red card disqualification from the game against Bosnia).
Liam Bowman, Maia Nehme, Dana Hedgpeth and Joe Heim reports in the Washington Post:
For a while, it was uncertain whether the record-breaking fireworks show President Donald Trump had promised would even happen.
The nation’s 250th birthday celebration in Washington was beset by record heat, lightning strikes, an evacuation order and widespread confusion on the National Mall about whether the event would go forward. It had been a long, often stressful day.
But the fireworks display that began a stroke before midnight and lasted 40 minutes was a reward for those who stayed and may have provided a temporary respite for a capital and country riven by political anger, distrust and contempt.
It has arrived, the semiquincentennial— the 250th— of all the Independence Days that America has celebrated.
Issued Apr. 10, 2026
Perf. 11 | Design: Ethell Kessler | Photolithography | No watermark
FOREVER Standard Postage ($0.78) Multicolored
The Figures of the American Revolution stamps each feature a different portrait of an individual whose actions were vital to achieving independence and establishing the principles that continue to guide the United States. A single image of the American flag is layered behind the 25 portraits.
[Sources: stampworld.com, usps.com]
Happy Friday and happy Independence Day weekend.
Whoah. It would have been a cataclysm in the sports world if Cabo Verde had upset Argentina, I thought, as the match ended.
Afterwards, the Argentina supporters seemed a little stunned, drained— and definitely relieved.
Tim Reynolds writes for Associated Press:
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — All that Vozinha wanted out of this World Cup was for his mother to see him play.
He got that — and so much more.
Cape Verde didn’t win a match at the World Cup, and somehow, that didn’t seem to matter. The African team’s debut on this stage was unforgettable, thanks largely to the 40-year-old goalkeeper who nearly engineered a soccer story that would have been counted among the greatest upsets in sports history.
Cape Verde’s magical ride ended Friday in the Round of 32, with the Blue Sharks falling to Lionel Messi and defending World Cup champion Argentina — as most expected. Final score: Champions 3, Cinderellas 2, in extra time — as probably very few expected.
“We have dignified Cape Verde as a national team in most parts of the world,” Vozinha said in Portuguese. “Today, we fought on an equal footing against Argentina.”
Employment figures show that the American economy continues to stride past obstacles, including the inflationary pressures of the war with Iran.
Employers added 57,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate fell to 4.2 percent from 4.3 percent the previous month, data from the Labor Department showed on Thursday.
The unemployment rate has been at or below 4.5 percent since October 2021, the longest streak since the late 1960s.
– Talmon Joseph Smith writing for the New York Times
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The U.S. men’s national soccer team charged into the World Cup’s round of 16 by beating Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 on Wednesday, but suffered a devastating blow when star striker Folarin Balogun was shown a red card.
– Paul Tenorio, Henry Bushnell and Tom Bogert writing for The Athletic in the New York Times
So that means that the U.S. men’s national team will return to Seattle on Monday Jul. 5 to face Belgium in a round-of-16 match.
One could argue it is one of the biggest sporting events in Seattle’s history.
Recency bias is a cognitive shortcut where our brains heavily favor recent events, making them feel more important, likely, or accurate than older information. Because these memories are the freshest, they disproportionately skew our judgment and decision-making.
-Google AI Overview
June is done, and we are at the halfway mark for 2026.
I was going to remark that it was a cool June, but the data says otherwise!
It was a warmer-than-usual June.
SO— Germany is out, and so is The Netherlands!
Congrats to Paraguay (nickname ‘La Albirroja’, after the red-and-white striped jerseys they wear) and Morocco.
Brazil survived their clash against Japan, scoring the winning goal for a 2-1 victory only in the very last minute or two of regular time.
They gave it their all, but eventually, in added time, a brilliant strike from distance broke their resistance.
South Africa dominated possession, patiently building up from the back and then waiting to beat the press at the appropriate moment, though in attack they struggled to create clear opportunities.
At the other end, their last line of defence repeatedly repelled Canada. Defenders Mbekezeli Mbokazi and Aubrey Modiba made heroic clearances, the former denying Jonathan David with an open goal gaping in the second half, while goalkeeper Williams made a string of important saves, too.
– Chris Waugh writing for The Athletic in the New York Times
It was time again today for the Greenwood Car Show on on Greenwood Ave N. in Seattle.
Happy Friday and happy Pride Weekend!
Before tonight’s Egypt-Iran match at Lumen Field, the stadium held a moment of silence for the victims of the recent devastating earthquakes in Venezuela.
Later tonight, I headed down to Seattle Center for the post-game drone show. It only featured a few hundred drones and lasted just 12 minutes, but it was still great to watch.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Turkey stunned the United States with a 98th-minute winner and beat the Americans, 3-2, in a World Cup group-stage finale that meant nothing but nonetheless entertained 70,000 fans here at SoFi Stadium.
Although the game technically had no stakes — the U.S. had already clinched the top spot in Group D, while Turkey was already eliminated — both teams played with passion and intensity.
– Paul Tenorio, Henry Bushnell, Tom Bogert and Asli Pelit writing for The Athletic in the New York Times
P.S. The government of Turkey is pushing for their country to be referred to as Türkiye (say ‘Tour-key-ye’) henceforth, and especially in international contexts. They don’t like to be called the same name as the Thanksgiving bird. It’s just that we don’t really have an u with umlaut (ü) in English for writing it.
The commentators on the game tonight complied but it sounded to me that they all said ‘Turkey-yay’ which I believe is not quite the right pronunciation.
Go Bafana Bafana!
Congratulations on the big win.
MONTERREY, Mexico – South Africa reached the knockout stage of the World Cup for the first time in their history after rescuing their campaign with an exhilarating 1-0 victory over South Korea at Estadio Monterrey.
The win seals the first fully known matchup of the knockout stage: South Africa against Canada.
Having entered the night at the foot of Group A, Bafana Bafana surged into second place in Group A thanks to Thapelo Maseko’s 63rd-minute winner.
– Tomás Hill López-Menchero reporting for The Athletic in the New York Times
Today was the last of the three warm days for now.
We had 88 °F (31 °C) here in the city— very warm for early summer, but nowhere near the extreme heat that scorches Europe right now.
Paris experienced a high of 106° F (41° C) today with a low of 77° F (25° C) during a record-breaking early summer heat event.
