Friday, July 12, 2024

WIRTW #723: the 'A Portuguesa' edition


I love to travel for two primary reasons: to see things and to experience things.

On my vacation to São Miguel in the Azores Islands, I saw lots of amazing things — beautiful coastal viewpoints, crater lakes from both their rims and from inside, bubbling volcanic baths, dolphins, whales, waterfalls, cows (so many cows), and lush green landscapes.

But one experience will stick with me as the standout memory of this vacation.

Portugal was playing France in the quarterfinals of the Euros. Since we a) are a soccer-loving family; and b) were in Portugal, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to watch the game with the locals.

We gathered in the Campo de São Francisco in the capital city of Ponta Delgada, where the local government had set up a large viewing screen. More than a thousand football crazy Azoreans joined us. It was special.

The crowd rose and fell with the highs and lows of what ended up being a 0-0 draw that went to penalties. While the match didn’t end how we wanted, the experience will live with me forever.

Here's a quick snippet of the crowd singing the Portuguese national anthem, A Portuguesa, pre-match.




Here's what I read this week that you should read, too.


Project 2025 is Scary Bad — via The Chief Organizer Blog


White Coworker Trying to Adopt Black Slang Embarrassingly Misusing N-Word — via The Onion

How Can HR Departments Utilize ChatGPT? — via EntertainHR

Anti-vax employee is pressuring a coworker not to vaccinate her baby — via Ask a Manager

A good-faith belief that an employee violated work rules may not be enough to defeat a discrimination claim — via Eric Meyer's Employer Handbook Blog

OSHA Proposes Rule on Heat Injury and Illness Prevention — via Brewers Association