I have convinced John into taking the day off. Consider this the rubber game, in which John justs signs autographs pre-and post-game. Or, as the New Yorkers may call it, the Jeter Day. 

If you are not a It’s All Happening Weekend Edition reader, I’d like to introduce myself (if you already know me, try to bare through my promotion). I am Jacob Anstey, the intern for Medium Happy. I mainly do coffee runs, but occasionally get to play around with the keyboard. That’s all that is interesting with me, so let’s begin. 

Starting Five

1. The Fourth of July!

The easiest holiday to remember is today. Augmented with fireworks, barbecues, the lakes and the family, the Fourth of July is one big party. But, I am here to talk about my all-time favorite Founding Father, Thomas Jefferson — the true architect behind the Declaration of Independence.

All of the Founding Fathers played a huge role in the creation of this country that you and I both enjoy. It is the friendship  John Adams and Thomas Jefferson built at the culmination of the Second Continental Congress that leaves me proud to be an American. These two men were rockstars and, to a much greater deal, two men that understood each other. Something unprecedented today.

There is a TV mini-series titled “John Adams,” which was directed by Tom Hooper. The series is based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel “John Adams,” coined by all-time great historian writer David McCullough. The series is brilliant; so brilliant in that I actually own a hard copy.

Here is one of my favorite scenes of the series.

A few thoughts:

Note when Benjamin Franklin states that “The issue before us is independence and not emancipation.” As you well know, less than a century from the signing of the Declaration of Independence was a Civil War, in which emancipation was the key ideal. Great attention to detail.

Also, imagine being edited by Franklin and Adams in a room. Writers tend to have egos, and I am sure Jefferson had one as well, but it takes a lot of heart to have your work reconstructed like that. That’s why I love that epoch of our history.

2. Pay for Play 2.0

The term “pay for play” is commonly associated with collegiate athletics, for which athletes generate millions of dollars for their respective universities. That discussion is far from over.

On a different note, Ralph Nader suggests that users of Facebook get paid for their use of using the money-making social media site. In recent revelations, it has been detected that Facebook manipulated about 700,000 users when conducting their own psychology experiment. Nader suggests that Facebook wouldn’t be what it is today without its users — just as some individuals suggest collegiate athletics (the NCAA, mainly) wouldn’t be what it is today without collegiate athletes.

I’m not here to chime in on Nader’s opinion, but instead draw the connection between the two businesses (because, yes, college football is a business).

For every dollar that Facebook makes, how much is that distributed to its users? None. Is that fair? Is it moral?

That’s for you to decide.

3. Purely Art

It may be against the rules, but I am going to link to John’s most recent Newsweek article, titled “Who’s Afraid of Soccer in America?” To me, it seems like John has a sense of passion for soccer. I could be wrong, but it is a feeling I am starting to get.

The article touches bases with some well-respected personalities that have gone out of their way to – basically – crucify soccer. It is at the end, however, for which I really love his article. Here’s a sentence that encapsulates the entire article and, in a more spacious manner, the World Cup itself:

“A highly-skilled soccer team succeeds not by sheer might, or leviathan force, but rather by synergy.” 

While watching the World Cup, I realized that there was something different about this sport. But I could never come up with the right word. I believe John has, by calling it “synergy.” By my dictionary, that is synonymous with art and beauty.

Every sport has its discrepancies and outright greed, and I don’t think soccer maneuvers pass that. When looking at it just from the game aspect, though, soccer seems pure.

My opinion is very raw and could be flawed. But I don’t care. My love for college football blossomed because of its uniqueness. Maybe a new love for soccer will come into fruition because of its uniqueness. We’ll have to see.

4. Record Breaking Day

On Thursday, the Dow closed above 17,000 for the first time in history — on a shortened trading day (holiday weekend). Specifically, it closed at 17,068.26, up .54% from the days start. The S&P 500 closed at record highs, too, almost topping 2,000 — falling short at 1,985.44.

A strong jobs report, in which it was released that the economy created 288,000 jobs in June — well above analysts’ predictions, could be the leading variable to investors’ continuous bullish attitude. There is no doubt that the economy is recovering, but there is still a disagreement among economists on how efficient that recovery is.

I’m generally optimistic. I think there is sustainable hope for the future. What we need to work on, however, is equality. The economy cannot be two-faced, in which there’s an economy for the rich and then an economy for everyone else. If that continues, all bets are off.

5. Totally Terrible Tinder

Well, now there is conclusive evidence to back up our hate for Tinder. Nick Summers, of BusinessWeek, penned a disturbing piece on the inside makings of Tinder, the online speed dating site. I highly recommend the piece.

Tinder is, well, pathetic.

Remote Patrol

Brazil vs Colombia 

ESPN 4 p.m.

Eight teams left. And, after Friday, only six.

First up is France and Germany, two European powers. Will Germany be fully healthy to compete with the French?

And then there is Brazil and Colombia. World Cup favorite, and hosts of the tournament, Brazil looks to perform better than its lackluster performance in the Round of 16 match with Chile. Then there is Colombia, a club that has outscored its World Cup foes 11-2 so far. And, in my opinion, has looked like the best team in Brazil.

Give me Germany and Colombia to advance to the semifinals.