Congratulations to France for winning the World Cup on Sunday! They were one of the youngest teams in the tournament and provided a strong case as to why they should be taken seriously in the years to come.

Alright enough about this World Cup. I want to talk about the ConIFA World Football Cup (CWFC). This “Alternative” World Cup is a grassroots nonprofit international soccer tournament for states, de facto states, self-declared regions, ethnic minorities and isolated territories not recognized by FIFA. The tournament took place in early June this year in the greater London area in small stadiums where the average capacity was 3k people, as a comparison the smallest 2018 World Cup stadium held up to 35k people. Some of this year’s CWFC teams included Tuvalu, Tibet, Padania, Matabeleland, Abkhazia and even the Isle of Man. Kárpátalja was the surprise of the tournament, as a last-minute entry no one expected them to get out the first round let alone win the whole thing.

The end goal for all these teams is to someday be recognized by FIFA and even though technically there was only one winner of the tournament every team used this opportunity to spread awareness on topics and issues that would otherwise be ignored and because of this I think all of the teams should considered winners.

 

It was October 2nd of 2017, I was asleep and when I woke up at my house in Sac, I had 7 text messages from close family and friends stating a long time friend of ours, Kurt Von Tillow ( Cameron Park resident) had tragically been a victim in the Las Vegas Massacre shooting. Stunned to the news I scrambled to the internet, and as we know, it turned out to be a night that would change my perception of life it self and the way I live it. Not only did we loose Kurt that night but 57 other innocent people were victims at the hands of someone else. I couldn't believe that one second,  someone is having the time of their life, and poof its gone. After much shock and grief, I quickly realized how fragile life is and to take full advantage of every second of every minute of every hour! I re-evaluated how I treat people, how much I talk to my loved ones, and how I treat myself. It got me thinking, am I really living life how I want? I began to think about how I cant stand the job I am at ( left that and here I am!), I haven't traveled at all, explored or seen the world, and I haven't spent time with the ones I love the most. It didn't take more than a few days for me change my attitude and how I live. I started contacting old friends, talking to my mom and dad EVERYDAY, calling my Grandma ( still do every day) and letting everyone around me know, that I love them and I am still going strong to this day in these EASILY ATTAINABLE habits. Every time I leave someone, as cliche as it sounds, I make sure I say " I love you" as you truly don't know if its the last chance you will get. So I urge people to hug someone, pick up the phone, call that long lost friend, text your grandma, take your family out to lunch and truly let them know how much you love them and appreciate them, cause life my friends...is the most precious gift of all so treat everyone with love and live each day like its your last. RIP Kurt and thank you for reading guys! With much love...of course- Mitch