Ilkka Vuorenmaa @ippu

Finnish is one the world's toughest languages to learn. Also Finnish:

Neljä Ruusua Kuopiossa toi muistoja mieleen. Soitimme rokkia Ilkka Alangon bändin kanssa ehkä 16-vuotiaina samassa Arktinen hysteria -tapahtumassa Ilomantsissa. Joskus 1986. Back Stagella tutustuttiin. Ala-asteen pukukoppi. Suuria itsestämme kuviteltiin. Meidän bändi oli Upo-66. Ilkan bändillä, oliko se Talouskukkaro, oli jo suuren maailman elkeet. Sittemmin elämä on kuljettanut meidät eri ammatteihin - tosin molemmat laulamme ihmisten edessä. Kun Ilkka huutaa lavalla "onko hyvä meininki", tuhat nuorta naista huutaa ihailevasti "iiiik!". Kun minä laulan alttarilla "Herra olkoon teidän kanssanne", 300 mummoa vastaa "niin myös sinun henkesi kanssa". Luulen, että olemme molemmat kutsumusammateissa. Tyytyväisiä siihen, miten tie on vienyt. Elämme unelmiamme todeksi. Kuopiossa eri tiemme hiukan leikkasivat toisiaan. Minulla oli piispan vapaapäivä ja Ilkalla pop-laulajan työpäivä. Eli #kuopiorock. Olen aina pitänyt Neljän Ruusun musiikista. Iloitsen nähdessäni, että jaksavat yhä. Toivon bändille iloa ja siunausta.🙏

When film studios refused to finance Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the project was saved by unlikely investors: British rock legends including Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Genesis, Elton John, and Jethro Tull helped fund the film’s production. When major studios refused to finance Monty Python and the Holy Grail in 1974, the comedy troupe turned to an unexpected group of investors: some of Britain’s biggest rock stars. Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Genesis, Jethro Tull, and Elton John helped provide the film’s £175,000 budget, partly because they were fans of the show and partly because the investment offered a tax advantage during a time when the UK’s highest income tax rate reached 90%. The limited budget forced the filmmakers to get creative, resulting in some of the movie’s most memorable moments. Unable to afford real horses, the cast famously pretended to ride while assistants clapped coconut shells together to imitate the sound of galloping hooves. The low-cost solution became one of the most recognizable jokes in comedy history, made possible by the support of rock legends.

BREAKING: LeBron James is signing with the Philadelphia 76ers on a two-year, $8 million deal with a player option, Klutch Sports Group and Klutch CEO and Game Over show host Rich Paul tells ESPN.

Former England player and manager Kevin Keegan has died aged 75.

🇪🇸 After the final whistle, Unai Simón was spotted introducing himself to the Argentina squad. It was the first time they'd seen him in 120 minutes.

O comentarista suíço David Lemos, encerrou a transmissão resumindo com precisão os problemas desta Copa do Mundo, ele foi perfeito. 🗣️"Não há dúvidas de que esta foi a Copa do Mundo mais comercial da história e também uma das mais politizadas." "Não esqueceremos os preços que pessoas sem grande poder aquisitivo tiveram de pagar para viver sua paixão pelo futebol." "Em alguns casos, sequer puderam entrar no país por causa de sua nacionalidade, fossem torcedores, jornalistas ou até árbitros, como o somali Omar Artan." "Também lembramos do tratamento inaceitável dado à seleção do Irã, que não pôde defender suas chances de forma adequada durante o torneio." "E há ainda o caso de Folarin Balogun. Vimos um presidente se vangloriar de ter ligado para o presidente da FIFA para conseguir retirar a suspensão de um jogador." "A política se infiltrou no coração do futebol, embora a FIFA afirme querer mantê-la acima de tudo. Fica claro que isso só vale até certo ponto." "Foi uma Copa do Mundo em que todas as partidas foram disputadas em quatro tempos, e cuja final teve um intervalo de quase 30 minutos." "A crise tem dois nomes: dinheiro e poder. Hoje existe uma crise de confiança entre muitos dos envolvidos no futebol e a FIFA." "Nas próximas semanas, muito dinheiro será distribuído a diversas federações e a muitos agentes do futebol, que serão educadamente convidados a permanecer em silêncio." "Esperamos que tudo isso seja levado em consideração e que não volte a acontecer."

This man delivered a masterclass in coaching today in every sense of the word. From the opening whistle, Luis de la Fuente had one clear objective: take Argentina’s biggest weapon away. He wasn’t going to let them win because of Messi. He instructed Dani Olmo to press Lisandro Martínez on a diagonal angle, forcing Argentina to play out wide. Rodri shifted toward Mac Allister, while Fabián Ruiz covered the central space behind him, leaving Lisandro with little choice but to play long balls that carried very little threat. Then came the next decision. Spain weren’t creating enough chances, but instead of sitting back like Tuchel would, De la Fuente knew the worst thing you can do is let Messi keep seeing the ball. He brought on Ferran Torres, Pedri, Nico Williams, and Mikel Merino, switched to a two-striker system, and relied on Pedri alongside Rodri to dominate possession. The result? A win with complete control of the game. This was arguably the coach who outplayed Argentina more convincingly than anyone else. Austria, Portugal, Belgium, France, and Argentina—they all lost not only on the scoreboard, but in the performance as well. Spain outclassed every one of them with attractive football and a clear Spanish identity. After spending a decade coaching Spain’s youth national teams before taking charge of the senior side, Luis de la Fuente has built something extraordinary. He has now won the European Championship, the UEFA Nations League, and Spain’s first World Cup since 2010. Spain may have made one of the greatest coaching investments football has ever seen. 🇪🇸❤️

Lamine Yamal consolando a Lionel Messi tras el triunfo de España sobre Argentina en la final de la Copa Mundial de la FIFA. 🗣️ Lamine Yamal: “Ganar la Copa del Mundo debería haber sido el momento más feliz de mi vida, pero cuando vi a Leo allí de pie después del pitido final, se me rompió el corazón. Por unos segundos, olvidé que éramos rivales. Solo vi al hombre que me hizo enamorarme del fútbol.” “Me acerqué a él porque ninguna leyenda debería abandonar un escenario así sintiéndose sola. Este es el mismo Lionel Messi que inspiró a toda una generación a soñar, el mismo hombre cuyo nombre gritaban todos los niños mientras jugaban en la calle. Verlo con el corazón roto no fue nada fácil.” “Le dije: ‘Gracias’. No por esta noche, sino porque sin ti, no sé si hoy estaría aquí. Antes de que tuviera la edad suficiente para entender el fútbol, tú ya habías cambiado mi vida. Les diste a chicos como yo la oportunidad de creer que la magia era real.” “A los 39 años seguía cargando con Argentina, seguía pidiendo el balón, seguía decidiendo partidos y seguía atemorizando a los mejores defensores del mundo. A la mayoría de los jugadores se les recuerda por lo que hicieron hace años. Messi seguía haciendo historia en el presente. Eso merece mucho más que aplausos; merece un respeto eterno.” “El mundo celebrará a España, y debe hacerlo porque nos ganamos este título. Pero no permitan que un solo resultado les haga olvidar todo lo que Messi le dio a este Mundial. Cada vez que tocaba el balón, sentías que algo imposible estaba a punto de suceder. Ese es un regalo que muy pocos futbolistas le han dado a este deporte.” “Cuando lo abracé, no estaba consolando a alguien que había fracasado. Estaba abrazando al mejor jugador que ha visto mi generación. Las finales se ganan o se pierden, los trofeos cambian de manos, pero una grandeza como la de Lionel Messi le pertenece al fútbol para siempre.” “Algún día la gente me preguntará cómo fue enfrentar a Lionel Messi en una final de la Copa del Mundo. No empezaré hablando del trofeo. Les diré que compartí la cancha con mi ídolo, que lo miré a los ojos después del pitido final y que le di las gracias por cambiar el fútbol para siempre. Ese momento permanecerá conmigo el resto de mi vida.”

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A statistical comparison between Argentina and Spain ahead of the World Cup final: • Top scorer Spain: Mikel Oyarzabal — 5 goals Argentina: Lionel Messi — 8 goals • Most assists Spain: Dani Olmo — 2 assists Argentina: Lionel Messi — 4 assists • Most goal contributions Spain: Mikel Oyarzabal — 6 G/A Argentina: Lionel Messi — 12 G/A • Successful dribbles per 90 Spain: Lamine Yamal — 4.0 Argentina: Lionel Messi — 3.6 • Most key passes Spain: Álex Baena — 10 Argentina: Lionel Messi — 26 • Most chances created Spain: Álex Baena — 10 Argentina: Lionel Messi — 25 • Most big chances created Spain: Dani Olmo — 3 Argentina: Lionel Messi — 8 • Most duels won Spain: Rodri — 41 Argentina: Lionel Messi — 52 One player dominates nearly every attacking category. Messi in World Cup mode is simply on another level.

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What in the match fixing is going on in the first gameweek of the Bulgarian league???🇧🇬😭😭

France vs England was like...

Hyvin jämäjätkät aloitti

Niklas Günsberg @gynsy

a week ago

Ranskalla ykkösjengi, Englannilla B-joukkue. Englantia ei näköjään kiinnosta kokoonpanon perusteella pronssi paskan vertaa. Kunniakas lopetus kisoille... #mmkisat

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The engineering behind Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu pitch system is insane. The natural grass retracts into a 30-meter underground greenhouse to stay fresh while the stadium hosts concerts.

👉 Before Leo Messi, the World Cup record holders were: 🇩🇪 Most goals — Miroslav Klose. 🇦🇷 Most assists — Diego Maradona. 🇧🇷 Most goal contributions — Pelé. 🇦🇷 Most dribbles — Diego Maradona. 🇦🇷 Most chances created — Diego Maradona. 🇧🇷 Most goal contributions in the knockout stages — Pelé. 🇳🇱 Most Player of the Match awards — Wesley Sneijder. 🇫🇷 Most World Cup Golden Ball awards — Zinedine Zidane (tied with others). 👉 After Leo Messi, the World Cup record holders are now: 🇦🇷 Most goals — Lionel Messi. 🇦🇷 Most assists — Lionel Messi. 🇦🇷 Most goal contributions — Lionel Messi. 🇦🇷 Most dribbles — Lionel Messi. 🇦🇷 Most chances created — Lionel Messi. 🇦🇷 Most goal contributions in the knockout stages — Lionel Messi. 🇦🇷 Most Player of the Match awards — Lionel Messi. 🇦🇷 Most World Cup Golden Ball awards — Lionel Messi. This is how Lionel Messi has rewritten the history of the World Cup. 🤩 The greatest of all time. 🐐

Destiny was written years ago. #FIFAWorldCup

Erling Haaland paid $134,000 for a 430-year-old Viking kings manuscript, then gifted it to his hometown. He said: “I’ve never been a big reader, but I want people to read about those who came from my area.” Erling Haaland and his father, Alf-Inge Haaland, quietly acquired one of Norway’s greatest literary treasures at auction: a 1594 edition of Snorri Sturluson’s Kongesagaer. Translated by Mattis Størssøn from Old Norse into Danish, it was the first printed history of Norway and helped preserve the stories of the nation’s medieval kings for generations. Widely regarded as one of the most significant works in Norwegian literary history, the copy purchased by the Haalands was the only complete edition still in private ownership. It sold for 1.3 million Norwegian kroner (about $134,000), setting the record as the most expensive Norwegian book ever sold at auction. Instead of keeping the rare volume in a private collection, the Haalands donated it to the library in Time Municipality, where Erling grew up. The book is now on public display, and the donation also funded a reading competition to inspire local children and young people to discover Norway’s history and literary heritage.

The British Isles today.

If Argentina win tonight, the two people in this photo will face off in the World Cup Final 19 years later. What are the odds that: > Baby wins a raffle to get a pic with Messi > Baby grows up to be a generational talent > Baby becomes third youngest player to ever start a World Cup final > Messi remains so great that he would be the oldest outfield player to ever start a final > Both of their teams beat the odds of reaching a final in the same tournament The odds of this happening are impossibly small. And yet we're one game away. The same year that photo was taken, Messi featured in an Adidas campaign about being too small to make it. The slogan: "Impossible is Nothing."

Linda Noskova may have done the hardest thing in sport...She choked. She was leading the finals at Wimbledon 6-2, 5-2, and then lost 5 straight games. It got so bad she put her fingers in her ears to try to drown out the crowd. And yet, after near collapse, she somehow reset. And won the final set to take home her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon. It is INSANELY hard to pull yourself out of a spiral. Noskova described it as, "My hand kind of froze at the end of the second set. I have never been in such a situation. The pressure was definitely on." When we choke, we revert to being a 6 year old, we're thinking about every movement and it becomes rigid. Sport psychologist Len Zaichowsky described it to me as, "When we choke, we feel pressure, cortisol gets released, and our thoughts and attention shift to the negative or irrelevant. We start to analyze our automatic responses. And then it's all over." When everything starts to spiral, it's so hard to get out of it. Every piece of evidence is telling your brain to shut down, protect, panic. So what did she do? She reset. "I told myself the match was starting over. I went to the bathroom, splashed cold water on my face, and reset everything." This is brilliant for a few reasons. 1. She changed locations, took a pause. Moving physical locations, even if for just a moment, helps free you up. It's why therapists tell couples arguing to move from the bedroom to the kitchen or outside to take a walk. Our environment invites different states. 2. She redefined the starting line. She treated it like a new game. What happened happened. Can't worry about it. Next play mentality 3. She splashed water. Most of us try to think our way out of overthinking...Sometimes that can work.  But when you're in a spiral, you have to reconnect body and brain. Sometimes, a shock to the system, cold water, slapping your face, can remind you that you're embodied. It reconnects feeling and doing, while choking severs that relationship. Cold water in particular has a strong effect. Thanks to the diving reflex, when we splash cold water on our face, it drops our heart rate and gets us to feel more relaxed. Your brain is constantly reading your signals. When everything around it is screaming stress and spiral, it listens. When you splash water, take a deep breath, smile...you send the opposite signal: we're not dying. It's not over. We're okay. And finally, "On the last match point, I didn't even realize that I had a match point. I kept going. That's what really won it for me, that I didn't exactly put it into my head." She's saying she closed it out because she stopped consciously tracking the stakes. She pulled herself out of the over-thinking It's easy to talk about. Much harder to do. Noskova offered us a masterclass in resilience. Respond Not React Next Play Have a Reset Ritual Be where your feet are Get out of your head, let your body do what it knows how to. It's not over until it's over.