US World Cup Victory: See Four Quick American Goals

Hat trick...

Carli Lloyd after scoring two goals yesterday in Vancouver

After going on one of the greatest 16-minute stretches in American sports history by scoring four quick goals to start the Women’s World Cup final against Japan, the United States wrapped up a comfortable 5-2 victory to claim its third World Cup title in four visits to the final, Jeremy Stahl reports on slate.com.

To watch all four beautiful strikes: http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_spot/2015/07/05/united_states_vs_japan_watch_carli_lloyd_s_women_s_world_cup_final_hat_trick.html

Monty Python: Germany vs. Greece

Philosopher soccer...

A different kind of game

Many top English-speaking economists are either alarmed or aghast over Europe's handling of the crisis in Greece, Max Ehrenfreund reports on washingtonpost.com.

Several Nobel Prize winners say it has been exacerbated, time and again, by an unnecessarily rigid approach by Germany, Europe's economic powerhouse and decision-maker. Greece simply cannot repay its debts, economists argue, no matter how much the country slashes public services or raises taxes. So by insisting it keep on trying, the thinking goes, Germany seems to be intent on punishing Greece, Ehrenfreund wrote.

The Germans see it differently, saying what they are doing may be painful, but necessary, to get the country on a sustainable footing for the long term, he noted.

To understand the massive gap in opinion, it might help to watch a Monty Python sketch from 1974 about a soccer match between Germany and Greece:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur5fGSBsfq8

Musical Moments: The Star Spangled Banner

Happy Fourth of July...

Washington, Fourth of July

Musical Moments features music and artists I've enjoyed over the years.

To celebrate the Fourth of July: The Star Spangled Banner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ETrr-XHBjE

About the national anthem:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Star-Spangled_Banner

Hope you have a great Fourth.

Closings Lead Latest Darien Real Estate Results

Weekly update...

Statue of Liberty on the Fourth of July

Fourteen closings led Darien residential real estate results for the week ending today.

Other results, according to the Darien MLS, were:

-- Four new listings of property for sale;

-- Nine price changes;

-- Seven accepted offers, and

-- Three properties going under contract.

For more:

Rowayton Home Market Mixed at Mid-Year

Update...

Rowayton waterfront along Five Mile River

Rowayton's single family residential real estate market was mixed at mid-year, according to the Darien MLS.

Highlights were:

   -- Total active listings: -5 percent;

   -- Number sold: - 17 percent;

   -- Sold volume: -14 percent, and

   -- Average sale price: +4 percent.

For more: 

Darien Home Market Up at Mid-Year

Update...

Downtown Darien 

Darien's single family residential real estate market posted gains overall at mid-year, according to the Darien MLS.

Highlights were:

   -- Total active listings: +4 percent;

   -- Number sold: -4 percent;

   --Sold volume: +9 percent, and

   --Average sale price: +15 percent.

For more:

New Record Basketball Shot: 415 Feet

Good eye...

Lining up record shot

Forget the heroics at the NBA finals because the best shot recently -- maybe the best of all time -- took place half a world away, Ed Mazza reports on huffingtonpost.com.

Brett Stanford of Australia's How Ridiculous trick shot team tossed a ball off the Gordon Dam in Tasmania and had it land in the net...415 feet below, Mazza wrote.

For a video of the shot:   http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/14/how-ridiculous-dam-shot_n_7582438.html

The shot broke the previous Guinness World Record held by the same team, Nick Guillory reported on buzzfeed.com.

Previously, a team member made a shot 91 meters off the Euromast in the Netherlands in 2013. Watch that one here.