Quinn te Samil: The Names That Would Not Disappear.*
19 July 2025
It has been a week of names — those that resurface like flotsam after a storm, and those that vanish beneath violent waters. Power, once claimed, seems unwilling to retreat quietly. And history, it seems, keeps choosing the same actors for its tragedies and farces.
⚖️ The Trump Effect: Gold, Grudge, and Ghosts
It began at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The final of the FIFA Club World Cup — Chelsea 3, PSG 0 — was not just a sporting upset; it was a theatre of ego. U.S. President Donald J. Trump commandeered the awards ceremony on July 13, lingering beside the trophy, handing out medals, and even pocketing one for himself, in full view of a booing crowd (The Sun, People).
Observers noted that it wasn’t about sport. It was about spotlight. Whether tweeting insults, reviving baseless election fraud claims, or mocking opponents from both parties, Trump’s attacks serve a singular purpose: ensure that he dominates every daily headline. The name remains the story.
And then — as if summoned from the grave — Jeffrey Epstein’s legacy reemerged, with unsealed court documents in New York once again connecting Trump, however obliquely, to a social web that refuses to dissolve. No new charges. No exonerations. Just another ink stain on the pages of America’s unfinished reckoning ([NYT archive, July 17]).
⚽ Collapse in Paris
In Paris, the trophy loss was merely the beginning. PSG, having spent a decade building a “Galactic” squad, unravelled after the final. By July 19, the club offloaded Marco Asensio and Milan ล kriniar to Fenerbahรงe — a quiet admission that their Qatari experiment may be nearing its financial and cultural limits (Le Monde, PSG Post).
A season of brilliance ended in a public dismantling.
๐ฎ๐ฑ Coalitions Crumble in Jerusalem
In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition entered free fall. On July 14, the United Torah Judaism party withdrew over military service exemptions, and by July 17, the entire far-right bloc was fractured, leaving Netanyahu clinging to a one-seat majority (Reuters, FT).
Talks of November snap elections have intensified. The country, still deep in its Gaza campaign and under international scrutiny, may now be without stable leadership.
๐ Drowned Promises in Vietnam
On July 19, a tourist boat capsized in Ha Long Bay. At least 38 people died in rough seas — the worst maritime tragedy in the area in years (Reuters). The survivors included a 10-year-old boy found in an air pocket. His name was not released.
๐ฅ A World on Fire and Flood
From Paris to Palermo, Europe sweltered in a brutal heatwave this week — temperatures up to 46 °C, with over 2,300 excess deaths now estimated (Al Jazeera). Climate models had warned us; politicians, as usual, lagged behind the models.
In Texas, torrential rains killed at least 145 people and overwhelmed infrastructure. Entire towns were swallowed by the Guadalupe River (Wikipedia).
And in New Zealand, the deluge came differently: flash floods and landslides wiped out roads across the North Island, just as school reopened (Reuters).
Some names return to us each week — Trump, Netanyahu, Epstein. Some disappear beneath rain and waves. But as the planet heats and tempers fray, we are reminded: permanence is only for those who won’t let go of the stage.
Until next Friday,
— Quinn
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