Ahem. NICE WEATHER WE'RE HAVING ISN'T IT? Yes. It is nice weather. Sunny in Oakland. Temperate. Monday morning. Yesterday I watched the Japan/U.S. women's football match. DID YOU SEE IT? It was the first sporting event to bring tears of joy to my eyes. Maybe I've been strung out or maybe it was that book of Japanese stories during the second world war but I was so happy to see them win. It's been a difficult year in Japan, with the earthquake and the Fukushima nuclear plant, and the Japanese economy falling from the number two position, and the general loss of prestige that Japan has endured. It made me feel sooo happy. As happy as I felt watching Dallas beat Miami in the finals this year, to see the Japanese coach smiling and joking in the shootout huddle when the stakes were high, as if playing football could somehow compare to the life and death situations people find themselves in. “I feel we have given some kind of encouragement and joy to the people back in Japan,” said Ayumi Kaihori, the Japanese goal keeper. Can you imagine a player (or person) in the United States saying the same thing? To include everyone, and not just the people who agree with them? That is all. Have a fine Monday.