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mostlysignssomeportents · 5 years ago

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Pluralistic: 18 Mar 2020 (Ethopia's Jack Ma infatuation, Charter's infect-the-world plan, Trumpist firefighters dismiss covid, Flatter Me, aviation bailouts need strings attached, the only way through is together, ventilator sharing, explainers, patents vs respirators, covid stimulus, DIY TP, 1665 plague orders+

Today's links

Ethiopian factory sports Jack Ma quotes: Global trade currents are shifting fast.

Charter orders all workers to keep showing up: Even the 15% of its workforce who could work from home.

MAGA firefighters dismiss coronavirus as Democrat hoax: And/or a Chinese bioweapon.

Flatter Me, a compliments card game: Kickstarting now.

American Airlines blew billions, now it wants a bailout: Socializing losses, privatizing gains.

John Green's mutual aid manifesto: The only way through is together.

How to split a single ventilator for four patients: Peer-reviewed simulations.

Bigoted Republican Congressjerk votes against coronavirus relief because it might cover same-sex partnerships: Rep Andy Biggs wants to send us all to meet Jesus.

Epidemiology and public health in 14 minutes: An epidemiologist and an sf writer make an outstanding science communications team.

3D printed ventilator hero got a patent threat: Human rights vs property rights.

If nothing is for sale, how will covid stimulus work? Can you fix a supply shock with stimulus?

How to make your own toilet paper: A craft for your isolated kiddos.

Plague precautions from 1665: No feasting, but you can tipple in a bar until 9PM.

This day in history: 2005, 2010, 2015, 2019

Colophon: Recent publications, current writing projects, upcoming appearances, current reading

Ethiopian factory sports Jack Ma quotes (permalink)

This pic was taken by researchers from Caribou Data at a textiles factory in Ethiopia. Every curtain on every window bore silk-screened quotes from Jack Ma's book (the name of the factory has been redacted to preserve the owner's privacy).

The researchers told me that 72 hours after Alibaba moved into Rwanda, every coffee farmer using the platform had sold out of their inventory.

It's a potent and visually arresting reminder of how global trade currents are shifting.

Charter orders all workers to keep showing up (permalink)

My local monopoly ISP is Charter. They're terrible in every single way. What's more, my city, Burbank, owns 100GB fiber that runs under my home's foundation slab, but I can't access it because of Charter's deal with the city. In addition to delivering slow-as-molasses connectivity at nosebleed prices (and relentlessly advertising upsells, dozens every week, print and digital), the company is also forcing all workers to show up in person during the pandemic – even those who could work from home.

They basically forced Nick Wheeler, an engineer who complained about this, to resign, calling his short, measured complaint about the policy "irresponsible," accusing him of "inciting fear."

https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/16/charter-coronavirus-work-home/

Charter gives its workers a single annual week's worth of sick-leave. Workers have to use that leave time if they are worried about contracting or transmitting coronavirus. Medical advice for coronavirus infections is to self-isolate for two weeks, though.

Even other telcos (AT&T, Comcast) are asking workers to work from home. Charter CEO Tom Rutledge has doubled down on his infect-the-world policy, because "While back office and management functions can be performed remotely, they are more effective from the office."

Charter is a tremendous beneficiary of public largesse. It gets access to our rights-of-way, something they couldn't hope to afford at market rates. It received billions in tax-cuts (which it squandered on stock buybacks). The company got Net Neutrality dismantled, and is given monopolies wherever it operates.

This largesse is predicated on the idea that Charter views itself as a steward and can be trusted with monopoly self-regulation. If you had any doubt that the company can't be trusted to pour piss out of a boot with instructions printed on the heel, this should dispel it forever.

What I'm saying is, if you ever have a Charter exec in your home, count the spoons before you let him leave.

MAGA firefighters dismiss coronavirus as Democrat hoax (permalink)

"IAFF Union Firefighters for Trump" is a 27,000 member Facebook group of first responders who split from their union over its endorsement of Biden; Trump himself has endorsed the group.

Today, it is full of firefighters and EMTs who say that coronavirus is no big deal.

Some of the group's members are posting evidence to the contrary from their working experience, talking about the devastation they're witnessing firsthand. Their colleagues reply with poop emojis and "Trump2020."

https://www.propublica.org/article/facebook-firefighters-corona#179168

The group is infected with the conspiracy theory that coronvirus is a panic cooked up by Democrats to discredit Trump, or that it's a Chinese bioweapon, an idea that Trump and his Congressional and Senate supporters have tacitly (or explicitly) endorsed.

This is especially worrying as EMTs and firefighters are at high risk of contracting coronovirus. If they don't take the risk seriously, they could spread it to vulnerable people, or reduce emergency capacity while they are quarantined (they also risk their own health).

Group founder Kelly Hallman told Propublica that "There's never been this much hoopla given to the other things. They're doing it to crash the economy and make Trump look bad…If you had to point a finger at why the leftist media and the left in general has a smile on their face about this, it's the Dow. My wife and kids are scared, believing what they're seeing on TV. I'm telling them it's not as bad as the media makes out."

Flatter Me, a compliments card game (permalink)

Flatter Me is Ami Baio's latest kickstarted card-game: "a two-player game for all ages with 250 unique compliments to play with friends, family, and partners."

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/amibaio/flatter-me-a-compliment-battle-card-game

Its creator Ami Baio specialises in games that turn on kindness and connection; her last project was "You Don't Know Me."

https://youthinkyouknowme.cards/

A $20 pledge gets you one Flatter Me deck, $35 gets a two-pack. The cards are also designed to be given as gifts: "given to friends who need a boost, tucked into cards or gift bags, or left for friends to find."

Baio is seeking $12k in pre-orders and is delivers in Oct.

American Airlines blew billions, now it wants a bailout (permalink)

Since 2014, American Airlines has accumulated a $30B debt. It did so while paying its shareholders $15B through stock buybacks, and while raising prices on fliers, nickel-and-diming on bag charges and other extras. Now its industry group – whose members spent 96% of their free cash-flow on buybacks – is seeking a $50B coronavirus bailout, with no strings attached. That's 300% more than the industry got after 9/11.

This is shareholder capitalism working as intended. As Matt Levine writes, "it is optimized to extract money for shareholders when things go well and minimize the amount of shareholder money that is at risk when things go very wrong."

http://link.mail.bloombergbusiness.com/join/4wm/moneystuff-signup

But as Tim Wu writes, bailouts should come with strings attached. The airlines engineered this situation for themselves. If we let them socialized their losses and privatize their gains (again), they'll do it again (again).

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/16/opinion/airlines-bailout.html

"Change fees should be capped at $50 and baggage fees tied to some ratio of costs. The change fees don't just irritate; they are a drag on the broader economy, making the transport system less flexible and discouraging otherwise efficient changes to travel plans."

"We should end the airlines' pursuit of smaller and smaller seats, which are not only uncomfortable and even physically harmful, but also foster in-flight rage and make the job of flight attendants nigh unbearable."

"Finally, we have allowed too much common ownership, permitting large shareholders to take a stake in each of the major airlines, creating incentives to collude instead of compete."

As Naomi Klein has reminded us, the Shock Doctrine (can) cut both ways: the Great Depression catalyzed transformative change and the New Deal. Let's not permit this disaster be seized by the people responsible for it.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/03/17/pluralistic-17-mar-2020/#disaster-socialism

John Green's mutual aid manifesto (permalink)

This video from John Green is a tonic: a reminder that humanity has a shared destiny and that cooperation is the human condition. and that mutual aid is key.

"The only way out is through, and the only way through is together."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh23nwxpfe8

How to split a single ventilator for four patients (permalink)

In 2008, Greg Neyman and Charlene Babcock Irvin published "A Single Ventilator for Multiple Simulated Patients to Meet Disaster Surge" in the peer-reviewed Society for Academic Emergency Medicine journal.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1197/j.aem.2006.05.009

In this video, Dr Babcock demonstrates how to split a single ventilator to safely and effectively treat up to four patients.

As she points out, there have been no studies of this, but it has been (temporarily) used successfully in the field.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uClq978oohY

Bigoted Republican Congressjerk votes against coronavirus relief because it might cover same-sex partnerships (permalink)

You may not get paid leave during the coronavirus crisis in part because Rep Andy Biggs (R-AZ) voted against it because his homophobia was more salient than his empathy.

https://theintercept.com/2020/03/17/coronavirus-stimulus-bill-andy-biggs/

He claimed (wrongly) that this was novel federal legislation in that it included domestic partnerships.

He was objecting to the provision of assistance to family members, including "biological, foster, or adopted child, a stepchild, a child of a domestic partner."

As Lee Fang writes, "The exact same legislative text around domestic partnerships and committed relationships is found in several bills in Congress, including paid sick leave legislation proposed as far back as 2015."

Biggs also lied and said that he objected to coronavirus relief because it would repeal the Hyde Amendment ("Two provisions that have nothing to do with the coronavirus are basically thrown into this thing. That's par for the course for the left").

The bill does not repeal the Hyde Amendment.

The Republican Party, folks. The party of death and poverty and tragedy and hate. Remember that in November.

Epidemiology and public health in 14 minutes (permalink)

Epidemiologist Dr. Ross Kauffman and sf writer Tobias Buckell teamed up to produce this short video explaining the costs of a runaway coronavirus epidemic to explain the need for drastic measures to their local Ohio town council.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqgINxGQB5w

It's a spectacular piece of science communications: grave without being alarmist, calm and measured, informative and plainspoken. It's a really important piece of video and I hope you'll watch it.

3D printed ventilator hero got a patent threat (permalink)

Remember the heartwarming story of the Italian makers who volunteered to fix their hospital's busted ventilators with 3D printed parts that they designed and produced on the spot?

https://pluralistic.net/2020/03/16/tiktoks-secrets/#3dp-breathfree

It turns out that these makers weren't just saving lives, they were also taking a legal risk. That's because when they asked the manufacturer for help with the project, the manufacturer countered by threatening to sue them for patent infringement.

https://it.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-manca-la-valvola-per-uno-strumento-di-rianimazione-e-noi-la-stampiamo-in-3d-accade-nellospedale-di-chiari-brescia/

The part they printed cost them 1 euro, while replacing the system would cost a reported EUR10,000.

In a heartfelt, and soul-searching post, one of the people behind the project says he won't try to distribute the files he created.

https://www.facebook.com/Ing.Cristian.Fracassi/posts/10222339428782713

I can't help but wonder if he's hoping to mollify the corporation whose threats he ignored to help save lives.

Postscript: If you're pondering the issues of open source/homebrew respirator design, check out this excellent thread on the material constraints and challenges of med-tech.

https://twitter.com/turzaak/status/1239544498553860096

If nothing is for sale, how will covid stimulus work? (permalink)

I'm a believer in Modern Monetary Theory and the idea that state deficit spending is not intrinsically inflationary – only when the state is trying to procure things the private sector wants, so they get into a bidding war.

https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/4/16/18251646/modern-monetary-theory-new-moment-explained

In theory, the covid contraction is a great candidate for MMT stimulus. If people are stockpiling cash and thus eliminating their discretionary spending (40% of US GDP!), then the state can procure the discretionary items without triggering inflation.

Or there could be a hybrid, such as distributing vouchers to the public, redeemable for discretionary purchases – instead of bailing out aviation, we could buy people plane tickets, for example.

But that runs into a big problem: there's another reason people aren't making discretionary purchases, which is that those goods and services aren't available (manufacture has been disrupted by social distancing) or aren't safe (flying is incompatible with social distancing).

In this case, it seems to me that stimulus spending runs the risk of being inflationary (when everyone tries to redeem their plane ticket vouchers at once) or useless (people throw away their vouchers). Stimulus + supply shock = ??

That's not to rule out stimulus altogether, but it does suggest that the stimulus needs to be targeted, especially considering the size of the bailout that Wall Street is bandying about: trillions, in a matter of days.

https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-coronavirus-calls-for-wartime-economic-thinking

The GOP is calling for a $1,000/person bailout, but as @yvessmith says, this isn't much when it comes to the immediate expenses that affected people need to cover, like rent, mortgage, and, of course, treating covid-related illness without insurance.

https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2020/03/why-sending-1000-checks-to-everyone-wont-solve-the-coronavirus

Maybe, instead, help to cover mortgage and rent, along with anti-eviction/foreclosure rules; help with utilities, expanded food aid, and swift Medicare for All. Then, once the crisis is passed, a big stimulus package – for people, not banks – that gets us buying stuff again?

TBH, I don't know. It's weird to feel skeptical of stimulus, given how valuable demand-side relief would have been over the past decade+. Obviously we don't want another 2008 plute bonanza giveaway, but we also don't want to inject ever more money to chase ever-fewer goods.

How to make your own toilet paper (permalink)

Making toilet paper at home is a pretty on-the-nose craft to try with your covid-isolated kiddos. You need newsprint, leaves/grass (as a cellulosic binder) and baby oil.

https://www.ehow.com/how_4514690_make-toilet-paper.html

Soak the paper until ink is mostly gone, slowly boil with leaves/grass, simmer 1h, bring to boil for 30m, adding water and skimming foam. Remove, ladle out excess water. Mix 4tbsps of baby oil in with pulp. Scoop pulp onto a towel, press with a rolling pin.

Gently beat out lumps with a rubber mallet, add another towel on top. Cover with a board and add weights. Wait 30m. Flip over, remove towel and leave to dry in sun. Cut into strips and use (sparingly).

Plague precautions from 1665 (permalink)

ORDERS CONCEIVED AND PUBLISHED BY THE LORD MAYOR AND ALDERMEN OF THE CITY OF LONDON CONCERNING THE INFECTION OF THE PLAGUE, 1665

https://brucesterling.tumblr.com/post/612917764072636416/orders-conceived-and-published-by-the-lord-mayor

Every parish needs examiners. Refuse duty and you go to prison: "persons of good sort and credit chosen and appointed by the alderman, his deputy, and common council of every ward, by the name of examiners, to continue in that office the space of two months at least."

Examiners must "inquire and learn from time to time what houses in every parish be visited, and what persons be sick, and of what diseases…[I]f they find any person sick of the infection, to give order to the constable that the house be shut up."

Infected homs get 24/7 surveillance two watchmen: "these watchmen have a special care that no person go in or out of such infected houses whereof they have the charge, upon pain of severe punishment."

They'll also get you groceries and lock up your shop.

Women "of honest reputation" are appointed by physicians as "searchers" to inspect the dead and determine cause of death. Searchers are helped by newly appointed "able and discreet chirurgeons," charged with ensuring that "a true report made of the disease."

Nurse-keepers have to be quarantined for 28 days after their patients die.

If plague is found in a house, the whole household is locked in for 28 days. Prior to sequestration, their personal effects have to be aired, treated with fire, and then perfumed. Anyone known to have visited a plague house is locked down for 28 days, along with their household, with the same airing, flaming and perfuming business.

Plague-dead may only be buried after sunset and before sunrise, with no mourners in attendance. No sermons or eulogies allowed. Graves must be 6 feet deep. All funerals are banned. Personal effects of the plague-dead must be destroyed, not given away or sold.

Public notice: "Every house visited be marked with a red cross of a foot long in the middle of the door.. and with these usual printed words… 'Lord, have mercy upon us,' to be set close over the same cross, there to continue until lawful opening of the same house."

Cab drivers can continue as normal, but if they carry someone thought to have plague they have to retire their hackney-coaches for 5-6 days and give them a thorough airing.

[[I sense that this may be a weak spot in the whole plan]]

There's also new sanitation rules requiring regular sweepings and rakings of "filth" from the streets, with all the human waste being dumped far from the city and not in local gardens. Smelly or rotten food-sales are banned.

Cops are charged with sweeping up and punishing beggars, who are banned from the streets.

No live entertainment: "all plays, bear-baitings, games, singing of ballads, buckler-play, or such-like causes of assemblies of people be utterly prohibited."

All restaurants are closed. Feasting is banned.

Bars are OK, but under suspicion, and must close by 9PM. The rule covers "tippling in taverns, ale-houses, coffee-houses, and cellars."

[[Again, this seems like a weak spot]]

This day in history (permalink)

#15yrsago Andre Norton, RIP https://web.archive.org/web/20050318045717/http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/books/03/17/obit.norton.ap/index.html

#15yrsago Orrin Hatch is head of new IP subcommitee https://www.technewsworld.com/story/41548.html

#10yrsago Is the UK record industry arrogant or stupid? https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/mar/18/digital-economy-bill-calculated-loss

#10yrsago Entertainment industry sours on term "pirate" — too sexy https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2010/03/piracy-sounds-too-sexy-say-rightsholders/

#10yrsago YouTube: Viacom secretly posted its videos even as they sued us for not taking down Viacom videos https://youtube.googleblog.com/2010/03/broadcast-yourself.html

#10yrsago Michael Lewis's THE BIG SHORT, visiting the econopocalypse through the lens of LIAR'S POKER https://boingboing.net/2010/03/18/michael-lewiss-the-b.html

#5yrsago Insider view of the cash-for-gold ripoff https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/swindle-fraud/we-buy-broken-gold

#5yrsago Terry Pratchett's advice to booksellers https://www.thebookseller.com/blogs/advice-booksellers

#1yrago Facebook's year-old "improvements" to the newsfeed have elevated enraging Fox News posts to the service's dominant form https://www.niemanlab.org/2019/03/one-year-in-facebooks-big-algorithm-change-has-spurred-an-angry-fox-news-dominated-and-very-engaged-news-feed/

#1yrago Electronic Health Records: a murderous, publicly subsidized, $13B/year grift by way of shitty software https://khn.org/news/death-by-a-thousand-clicks/

Colophon (permalink)

Today's top sources: Mitch Wagner (http://mitchwagner.com/blog/), Kottke (https://kottke.org), Laurent Stanevich (https://twitter.com/LairBob), Naked Capitalism (https://www.nakedcapitalism.com), Slashdot (https://slashdot.org).

Currently writing: I've just finished rewrites on a short story, "The Canadian Miracle," for MIT Tech Review. It's a story set in the world of my next novel, "The Lost Cause," a post-GND novel about truth and reconciliation. I've also just completed "Baby Twitter," a piece of design fiction also set in The Lost Cause's prehistory, for a British think-tank. I'm getting geared up to start work on the novel next.

Currently reading: Just started Lauren Beukes's forthcoming Afterland: it's Y the Last Man plus plus, and two chapters in, it's amazeballs. Last month, I finished Andrea Bernstein's "American Oligarchs"; it's a magnificent history of the Kushner and Trump families, showing how they cheated, stole and lied their way into power. I'm getting really into Anna Weiner's memoir about tech, "Uncanny Valley." I just loaded Matt Stoller's "Goliath" onto my underwater MP3 player and I'm listening to it as I swim laps.

Latest podcast: The Masque of the Red Death and Punch Brothers Punch https://craphound.com/podcast/2020/03/16/the-masque-of-the-red-death-and-punch-brothers-punch/

Upcoming books: "Poesy the Monster Slayer" (Jul 2020), a picture book about monsters, bedtime, gender, and kicking ass. Pre-order here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781626723627?utm_source=socialmedia&utm_medium=socialpost&utm_term=na-poesycorypreorder&utm_content=na-preorder-buynow&utm_campaign=9781626723627

(we're having a launch for it in Burbank on July 11 at Dark Delicacies and you can get me AND Poesy to sign it and Dark Del will ship it to the monster kids in your life in time for the release date).

"Attack Surface": The third Little Brother book, Oct 20, 2020. https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250757531

"Little Brother/Homeland": A reissue omnibus edition with a new introduction by Edward Snowden: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250774583

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unorthodoxsavvy · 7 years ago

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Taggity-Tagged

Wowie so I got tagged by my friend Ginny, or @dead-nightingale to answer these 92 truths about yourself (myself). And at the end I’m going to tag 25 people.

Here we go!!

THE LAST

1. Drink: Hot Chocolate

2. Phone Call: My boyfriend last night

3. Text Message: “When I was trying to fall asleep last night, Cece was walking on my side and trying to find a spot to lay down on me. And then this morning she laid down on my stomach and I was petting her.” from my boyfriend.

4. Song You Listened To: I’m listening to “Wanting More” by Memphis May Fire.

5. Time You Cried: Sunday.

HAVE YOU EVER

6. Dated Someone Twice: No, haha, no one makes that mistake twice

7. Been Cheated On: No

8. Kissed Someone And Regretted It: No.

9. Lost Someone Special: Yeah. On my birthday.

10. Been Depressed: My entire life??? Okay, kidding. But yes, I have PDD.

11. Gotten Drunk and Thrown Up: No, I don’t drink.

LIST 3 FAVORITE COLORS

12. Metallic silvery-blue.

13. Black

14. Aqua

IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU

15. Made New Friends: Only like 50, give or take.

16. Fallen Out of Love: Yeah, but not completely, and I was still willing to try and right myself because I know it was all just because of the amount of confusing things going on at the time.

17. Laughed Until You Cried: Probably?

18. Found Out Someone Was Talking About You: Yeah, and I thought it was fucking hilarious.

19. Met Someone Who Changed You: Yeah................................. let’s not talk about that right now

20. Found Out Who Your True Friends Are: This year was the year of finding out who my true friends are lmao. And sometimes I was wrong. I’m glad my real friends pulled through despite my doubts about them.

21. Kissed Someone On Your Facebook: The day I own a Facebook is the day I’ll send myself to a Nunnery.

22. How Many of Your Facebook Friends Do You Know in Real Life: Seriously? Let Facebook burn in the pits of hell.

23. Do You Have Any Pets: Yeah, I temporarily have a pet cat, I have an old doggo some of you might know named Bailey, I have Marian, of course, my gecko, and a fish named Vic. We used to also have Kellin but we don’t have Kellin anymore.

24. Do You Want To Change Your Name: Yes. My middle name can burn in the puts of hell next to Facebook.

25. What Did You Do For Your Last Birthday: Shit what did I do? Uhhhhhhhh.... let me ask my boyfriend. Well he doesn’t know either. OH! I remember: I made a weird cake with cookie dough and stuff and we had other cake and I went to Boston for a Teen Author convention and also my mom’s best friend died and I cried on my boyfriend a lot. I think I kind of blocked that day out of my memory.

26. What Time Did You Wake Up: 8:30ish

27. What Were You Doing at Midnight Last Night: Watching Gintama lmao

28. Name Something You Cannot Wait For: WARPED TOUR, PRIDE, and LOCAL AGRICULTURE FAIRS! And for me to actually get a job.

29. When Was The Last Time You Saw Your Mother: Between 10-11 last night.

30. What is One Thing You Wish You Could Change About Your Life: Getting a job :’) plz someone hire me :’) I know I’ve only applied like 2 places but like c’mon

31. What Are You Listening To Right Now: Chemical Kids and Mechanical Brides

32. Have You Ever Talked To a Person Named Tom: Yes, I have.

33. Something That Is Getting On Your Nerves: People flirting with other people and me whoops. Me flirting with other people. Myself. People. Trump. The not-so-slow decline of humanity. My own saltiness rn.

34. Most Visited Website: Google

35. Elementary: Like elementary school? There was cool art on the pillars outside the office. I met my best friend there and had my first kiss in elementary school. Someone threw a brick at my friend’s head. I was smol and had long blonde hair. Someone who I’m now friends with pushed me and I fractured my wrist and the school told me I was exaggerating and didn’t even tell my mom what had happened and she said that when she reached for my arm to like help me out of the car I would pull away and finally she took me to the doctor’s and found out and she was pissed at the school. I got stuck in the playground. Field Day was fun. I miss the sketch playground they had.

36. High School:

Freshman Year

What to heck I actually have friends, I’m popularish? People don’t treat me like shit? Boys are flirting with me? I have drama? What? I’m so confused. I’m going to just stick with playing with the animals in the barn and crying over the fact I forgot to put my seatbelt on the first time on the tractor. The Golden Trio.

Sophomore Year

First real boyfriend

Traumatic experiences ----->emo

Junior Year

I’m emo

DNT TOUCH MEH

I LIKE GIRLS??????????

Wow that fanfiction though

Wow I have a crush on a Trans Guy? Guess I really am bi

Wow I’m dating a Trans Guy (it needs to be caps in my head, sorry lol) Guess I am bi but also can we appreciate what a cute fucking bean he is???

Omg! Full time Natural Resources Student! The Dream Come True!

Depression

Anxiety

Senior Year

I hate you all

I hate you too Emory

If you don’t want to hang out with me that’s fine but don’t expect me to hang out with you.

Wow all my friends desserted me.

What friends

Oh those friends

Yeah they aren’t my friends today

Wow I’m some elite choir student

My choir teacher is still sketchy af

My natural resources teacher is actually letting us pick him out an outfit to buy at GAP.

My natural resources teacher’s wife is actually letting us browse for like an hour and 45 minutes in Barnes and Nobels looking for That Gay Shit

We didn’t find That Gay Shit but I bought a Fun. album and DAPGO so that’s pretty much the same thing

I’m pretty sure we all just outted ourselves to our teacher’s wives

Wow I’m making an album

Wow I’m not taking any real classes I’m just passing the time cuddling dogs

Wow friends from Freshman Year throwback

California is Gay

Boston wasn’t supposed to be Gay but we snuck into Pride

I cried a lot during graduation because at that point a bunch of people were horrible to me and I couldn’t take it anymore but then also my teacher got me a scholarship and I cried during that too

Let’s party and stay up at school until 5:30am

37. College/University: What’s college

38. Hair Color: 50 shades of cool colors but not green

39. Long Hair or Short Hair: Shorter than a Corgi’s tail

40. Do You Have A Crush On Someone: Yeah, and I really wish I didn’t.

41. What Do You Like About Yourself: Gay

42. Piercings: Over my needlephobic body

43. Blood Type: Does anyone actually know this? I’d kill someone before I’d let them near enough to me to find out

44. Nickname: Savvy

45. Relationship Status: (If you didn’t get this by now, I’m dating @ancient-hero)

46. Zodiac Sign: Libra af

47. Pronouns: She/her

48. Favorite TV Show: Fairy Tail

49. Tattoos: I waaaaaaant but neeeeeeeeedles

50. Right or Left Hand: Righty

FIRST

51. Surgery: None

52. Piercing: Ears in 3rd grade

54. Sport: Dance

55. Vacation: Gosh idk I was probably still in the womb

56. Pair of Trainers: What? How about first pair of Converse? I like that better. My first pair of Converse was in like 6th grade and my friend was like “ohmigod, how have you never owned a pair of Converse before? They’re your shoe.”

57. Eating: What does this even mean?????? How about this: the first time I ate blueberry pie, it was heavenly and I was in Maine and now I love blueberry pie.

58. Drinking: Let’s talk alcohol.I said I don’t drink, and that’s true. My first alcohol was this year, my mom gave us champagne. That doesn’t count as drinking, we all know that.

59. I’m About To: Keep writing this post. And doing all the other tags I’ve been tagged in, and then try and schedule them so I don’t flood people with useless info about me. I might take a break though because I’ve been here almost an hour.

60. Listening To: Bulls in the Bronx.

61. Waiting For: A Sign A Job Me to stop catching feelings Warped Tour

62. Want: Warped Tour!!! (And more specifically to actually know bands and songs playing more than I do now. I’m trying to crash course myself in bands like a week before again)

63. Get Married: YES YES YES

64. Career: Music Video Producer and Storyboarder and Filmer

YOUR TYPE

65. Hugs or Kisses: Hugs

66. Lips or Eyes: Eyes

67. Shorter or Taller: Ahhhhhhh I’ve had a bit of both idk which one I like better maybe shorter cause I’m short anyone “tall” towers over me

68. Older of Younger: Older

70. Nice Arms or Nice Stomach: ??? A girl is a girl?? A boy is a boy?? I don’t like buff people? I like squishy people??

71. Sensitive or Loud: Both! I want both, dammit! I can’t take just one or the other, it won’t work.

72. Hook Up or Relationship: I wouldn’t know.

73. Troublemaker or Hesitant: Once again, both. Either of a lot is too much. I feel like most people I’m comparing are polar opposites and that’s why things haven’t/aren’t working.

HAVE YOU EVER

74. Kissed a Stranger: NO BUT I WANT TO (just not while dating anyone)

75. Drank Hard Liquor: Still no

76. Lost Glasses/Contact Lenses: Who owns a pair who hasn’t? If you own either you have.

77. Turned Someone Down: Lmao no

78. Sex on First Date: Nooooooooo

79. Broken Someone’s Heart: Once again, hasn’t everyone? And if they haven’t, they will.

80. Had Your Heart Broken: Once again, hasn’t everyone? And if they haven’t, they will.

81. Been Arrested: No, but had the cops called on me, yes.

82. Cried When Someone Died: Yes, on my birthday, in my kitchen, on my boyfriend.

83. Fallen For a Friend: I don’t fall for anyone seriously who isn’t a friend.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN...

84. Yourself: Yes.

85. Miracles: Yes.

86. Love at First Sight: It’s called lust, look it up.

87. Santa Claus: No, sorry.

88. Kiss on First Date: Sure, that’s cute.

89. Angels: No

OTHER...

90. Current Best Friend’s Name: Olivia. Best friends since Kindergarten. Just with a few gaps and rough patches.

91. Eye Color: Blue

92. Favorite Movie: Stand By Me

Wow I need a break before I even tag anyone.

Okay, so after everyone’s read through all this nonsense, here is to whome I bestow this task:

First off I probably owe @ancient-hero to be tagged since he’s mentioned so much.

@articulate-mess, @teatowelhowell, @sleepyphil, @danisthirsty, @weirdkidstories, @fondan, @pocketcow, @memory--ghost, @mymagnificentself, @gods-not-on-a-flatbread, @cushionstaxk, @xloonaticbloodx, @liabilitylester, @kendellisnotonfire, @smoltheatrekid, @softcharizard, @vgetables, @thebookofmadison, @infidany, @i-craft-ladders, @alecdoesnotmakepie, @astonishowell, @deadpan-trashcan @smolphaniel

Wow, okay, cool. Obviously if you don’t want to do it I’m not going to fly to you and kick down your door and make you. So, have fun, do the thing if you want, sorry if not, and have a nice day!

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kentremendousblog · 8 years ago

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There are many reasons to root against the Patriots in the Super Bowl. There are also many reasons to root for them. Which team you root for really depends on which team you prefer. I am describing sports fandom! This is fun.

Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times has written an article about the Super Bowl teams, in which he has listed twenty (!) reasons to root against the Patriots.

Old habits die hard:

It’s a coach wearing a hoodie against one who dresses in Navy SEAL mottos. The Super Bowl pitting the New England Patriots against the Atlanta Falcons features competing auras as clear as the rumple in Bill Belichick’s sweatshirt or the curl of Tom Brady’s upper lip.

1. You made two references to Belichick’s hoodie (which, FWIW, he doesn’t really wear anymore) in the first two sentences.

2. “Competing auras?”

3. “The curl of Tom Brady’s upper lip” is not a thing that I think of as “clear,” in terms of like “famous” or “legendary” or “anything.”

4. “One who dresses in Navy SEAL mottos?” Like...sewn into his clothes, or something?

5. What?

According to Public Policy Polling, the Patriots are the most disliked team in pro football for a second consecutive season. By comparison, the relatively blah Falcons are beloved.

The “relatively blah” Falcons are “beloved.” You wrote that sentence, saw nothing wrong with it, agreed with its internal logic, and never looked back.

Even with this week’s revelations about the Falcons’ past concerns over their players’ use of pain medication,

First, you made the sentence wonderfully passive (”...their players’ use of...”) instead of what it should’ve been, which is active, because they were concerned that their team doctors were actively giving the players too much pain medication. Second: you can’t just drop that in and hope we don’t notice that it utterly undermines the premise of your article. Or can you?!?! (No, you can’t.)

this truly feels like a Super Bowl of not just David vs. Goliath, but that old favorite, Good vs. Evil, and here are 20 reasons why:

Gonna go out on a limb and say “20″ is an overreach. But let’s see what you got.

1) The Patriots are convicted scoundrels, from Spygate to Deflategate, the most untrustworthy sports franchise in America since the 1919 Black Sox. Remember, Brady was suspended for the first four games this season for his alleged involvement in the deflation of footballs. The Falcons are too trusting. They panicked during Monday’s media night when offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan briefly lost a backpack that contained the team’s game plan. Seriously, who still carries their game plan in a backpack?

I’m not going to re-litigate SpyGate or DeflateGate here. But I do take issue with the idea that the Falcons are “better” than the Patriots because their coach lost his backpack during Super Bowl week. That doesn’t seem like the opposite of a scandal. It seems utterly irrelevant.

You also conveniently ignored that recent time the Falcons pumped noise into their stadium, illegally, and were fined $350,000 and a draft pick. As well as the aforementioned (by you) revelation that they were doping their players like racehorses. But a coach lost a backpack, so they’re...nice?

2) The Patriots are led by the Trump Trinity: owner Bob Kraft, Coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Brady are all confirmed devotees of President Trump.

No argument here. Sucks. Hate it.

The Falcons use an official hashtag of #RiseUp, which coincidentally was also the hashtag for the worldwide protests to Trump’s recent controversial executive order on immigration. This is why thousands of tweets filled with scathing Trump criticisms contained a Falcons logo.

Not sure they chose “Rise Up” to fight Trump, but I’m giving you this one. This should be the entire article. Stop here. Don’t go for twenty...I beg you...

3) Upon arriving at the glitzy media night, Brady said, “For us, now, it’s just trying to ignore all this.” Upon his arrival at the same event, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan said, “To get here and see this deal tonight, it’s pretty cool.”

4) Asked about Trump’s immigration edict, Brady said, “What’s going on in the world? I haven’t paid much attention.” Asked a similar question, the Falcons’ Mohamed Sanu said, “I hope we can pray as a country for the world to be united.”

...Kind of feels like (3) is neutral and (4) is a subset of (2), but I’m feeling generous, so I’ll let you have these as well.

5) Asked to sign a soccer ball, Belichick refused “because it’s not a football.” Asked to speak into a giant turkey leg, Falcons center Alex Mack agreed but only if he could later have a bite.

Yeah, see, you’re reaching, a bit. “Bill Belichick doesn’t like soccer balls” and “Alex Mack likes meat” doesn’t seem like “evil” vs. “good,” to me.

6) During a joint interview with the teams’ owners, the Patriots’ Kraft was asked to name the most famous person in his cellphone. The Falcons’ Arthur Blank interrupted and said, “Trump.”

Again, we’re kind of back at (2), here, man.

7) The Patriots’ success began with “The Tuck Rule.” The Falcons’ success began with “The Dirty Bird.”

A team of scientists from the Institute for the Discovery of Something has examined this statement, and determined that it is exactly nothing.

8) Brady announced that his 9-year-old son Jack has a certain cool NFL running back on his fantasy team. That running back is the Falcons’ Devonta Freeman.

The team of scientists from the Institute for the Discovery of Something just read this and committed suicide, because it is so thoroughly nothing that they realized their entire careers have been meaningless.

9) Off the field, the Patriots often wear ski caps with fuzzy balls on top that make them look like 12-year-olds. The Falcons wear dark caps with “The Hood” imprinted in red, which is short for the “Brotherhood” theme preached by Coach Dan Quinn.

You’re only at the ninth reason (out of 20) that the Patriots are evil and the Falcons are good and you are Mr. Incredible-style reaching for “preferred head wear.” Sure you don’t want to rethink the premise?

10) LeGarrette Blount, New England’s star running back, has quit his way to the Super Bowl. When he was unhappy in Pittsburgh in 2014, he walked off the field before the end of a game and was kicked off the team, only to be signed by the Patriots three days later. The Falcons’ two running backs, Freeman and Tevin Coleman, selflessly share carries and catches and even touchdown celebrations, with Quinn using video of one of their end-zone hugs for inspiration.

Blount has had his ups and downs, temperament-wise. But why do Freeman and Coleman get points here for sharing carries? They don’t call the plays. And Blount shares carries with Lewis and White. What are we even doing here? (Answer, for me: procrastinating from real work.)

11) Asked if he knew any Lady Gaga songs, Belichick responded “Next.”Asked the same question, Freeman said excitedly, “Lady Gaga? Of course, that’s Lady Gaga!”

Not caring about Lady Gaga = evil. Knowing about Lady Gaga = good.

12) Less than 24 hours before kickoff in the 2012 Super Bowl against the New York Giants, the Patriots infamously cut Tiquan Underwood, a wide receiver so devoted he had the team logo cut into his hair. The Falcons aren’t cutting people, they’re adding them, with owner Blank flying about 150 employees to the Super Bowl game with rooms and tickets at a cost of more than $1 million.

The Patriots aren’t bringing anyone. The Patriots are luring orphans to the game with fake tickets just to laugh in their faces when they are turned away. The Patriots cut a guy five years ago. The Falcons have never cut anyone. The Falcons have a roster of 4,000 players on the payroll because they care. No one from the Falcons has ever made an illegal three-point turn. The Patriots yell at dogs for no reason. The Falcons founded Doctors Without Borders.

13) The Patriots’ most famous cheerleaders are the dudes who dress up in Revolutionary War attire and shoot muskets in the end zones. They once fired off a round during a kickoff that so startled the opposing team that a complaint was filed to the league office and the guns were silenced except for after scores. The offended team was the Falcons. The Falcons’ most famous cheerleader is Samuel L. Jackson, who performs in a pregame “Rise Up” video in which he sounds like he just discovered snakes on a plane.

Yes, you correctly remembered that Samuel L. Jackson was in “Snakes on a Plane.” Well done. Then you used it as a way to suggest that the Falcons are “good” instead of “evil” (represented here by having Revolutionary War cosplayers standing in the endzone). Not well done. Badly done.

14) The Patriots are known for the giant touchdown spike of Rob Gronkowski, who will miss this Super Bowl because of a back injury. The Falcons generally allow their offensive linemen to deliver the touchdown spikes in honor of their shared effort. The linemen actually brag about who can bounce the ball highest. Ryan Schraeder, a tackle, even posted photos of one of his spikes on the walls of the team practice facility.

The implication here is that the Patriots are evil because their tight end is injured. That is reason 14 that the Patriots are evil. Gronkowski, who spikes footballs after touchdowns, is hurt. Reason 14.

15) The Patriots brag about following “The Patriot Way.”The Falcons brag that their 74-year-old owner boogies with the team after games, with Blank admitting, “I love to dance, I look like a chicken.”

I think, now that we are at #15, here, that this might have been better if you had just listed “reasons to love the Falcons” or something. The point-counterpoint thing is where you got into trouble. Thank God we’re done, though, because oh wait we’re not close to being done.

16) One of Brady’s nicknames, “Tom Terrific,” was lifted from former New York Mets pitcher Tom Seaver. Ryan’s nickname, “Matty Ice,” is the completely original idea of some of his high school buddies from Penn Charter School in Philadelphia.

I want you to go back to the beginning of this piece, that you have written, and remind yourself of your own premise. The premise is: The Patriots are Evil and the Falcons are Good. Right? Okay. Now come back and look at reason #16 that you cite as evidence of that premise. Tom Brady’s nickname was also used for Tom Seaver. Matt Ryan’s nickname was given to him from some of his friends. Does that fit your premise?

And by the way, “Matty Ice” is pretty clearly a ripoff of “Natty Ice,” a slang name for Natural Light Beer, and a catch-all term for any awful, high-alcohol, poor-tasting beverage. I’ll just go ahead and show you what the Urban Dictionary has to say about it:

So, piece of good evidence #16 that you cite, to make your claim that the Patriots are evil and the Falcons are good, is that the Falcons’ QB’s nickname is a reference to something that is cheap, dangerous, of low quality, and vomit-inducing.

17) Two of the last big postseason defeats suffered by Brady came at the arms of quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning. Ryan said this week that two of his closest mentors, through texting and phone calls, are Peyton and Eli Manning.

“And therefore, your honor, and members of the jury, I have proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that the Patriots are evil and the Falcons are good. The prosecution rests.”

“Sir, it’s four in the morning and you are very drunk. Please leave this Cheesecake Factory.”

18) The Patriots’ locker room is a stark, somber testament to one of their mantras, “Do Your Job.” When the Falcons redesigned their locker room last summer, they brought in a ping-pong table. It became so popular, there are now three.

It’s been a while since I did one of these, and I forget: what’s dumber: the journalist for writing a piece like this or me for spending the time to comment on it? I honestly don’t remember. It’s me, right? I’m dumber?

19) The Patriots defeated the Rams by 16 points. The Falcons defeated the Rams by 28 points and, if this seems like a completely irrelevant comparison, it’s been 22 years since I could make fun of our football team in a Super Bowl story, so bear with me.

Literally don’t even know what this means. Completely lost. It’s definitely not a “reason” why the Pats are evil and the Falcons are good. I mean, if you are a Rams fan, wouldn’t you prefer the team that only beat them by 16? It’s almost like the “20 Reasons Why” gambit was a bad idea!

20) If the Patriots win Sunday, they made it clear they will not be comfortable accepting the Lombardi Trophy from Commissioner Roger Goodell, whom they blame for the Deflategate debacle. Tom Brady Sr., the quarterback’s father, recently reflected this sentiment when he called Goodell a liar and said, “Somebody that has Roger Goodell’s ethics doesn’t belong on any stage that Tom Brady is on.” The Falcons will gladly accept the trophy from anybody. It would, after all, be their first.

Reasons!

#FJM #Plaschke #superbowl #reasons

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businessliveme · 5 years ago

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From Amazon Ring to NASA Moon Project: 15 Predictions for 2020

(Bloomberg Opinion) –It’s been my habit, as the year draws in the day, to offer my predictions for the coming year, but only after doing what every commentator should do — assessing my predictions for the year just ending. So before I get to my predictions for 2020, in the second half of this column, let’s see how I did in 2019.

Let’s put one of last year’s prediction right up top:

“The Washington Nationals will overcome the loss of superstar Bryce Harper in free agency and win the World Series over the Houston Astros.”

Nailed it precisely! If you need end-of-the-year help, Las Vegas or ESPN, give me a call.

The 2019 Scorecard

Now, as to the others, I predicted:

That Amazon would react to bad publicity during its 2018 HQ2 search by promising to put another headquarters in an economically distressed part of the country. Instead, the company is donating millions of dollars for “affordable housing” in Northern Virginia, where its new campus is planned. Mostly false, but I did get Amazon’s motive right.

That President Donald Trump would achieve neither his border wall nor a Fed hewing more closely to his views. True.

That the level of CO2 in the atmosphere would continue to rise. Although final figures for 2019 are not in, this one will almost certainly wind up in the “true” column.

That the melting Arctic ice cap would continue to pour thousands of gallons of water per second into the oceans. True, and true again.

That significant numbers of U.S. armed forces would remain in both Afghanistan and Syria. True, despite the president’s efforts in Syria.

That the New England Patriots would win Super Bowl LIII. True. Not a hard prediction but still true.

That allegations of fraud in the settlement fund established to pay former professional football players who have suffered neurocognitive damage would turn out to be a big story. Sadly, true. This month’s federal indictments were big news.

That despite investigations of Trump’s conduct, no resolution of impeachment would reach the floor of the House of Representatives for a vote in 2019. False, but so, so close. If they had but waited two more weeks!

That special counsel Robert Mueller’s final report would find no clear evidence that Trump committed a crime (true) and that NeverTrumpers would try to raise $1 billion to pay the president to resign. (I was mostly kidding but I wasn’t wrong.)

That homeschoolers would turn to virtual reality as a principal educational tool, and that over time others would embrace the idea. Still feels inevitable, but much too early to tell.

That during the summer of 2019, Marvel would finally announce a release date for the second “Black Panther” movie (true, right down to the time of year); that the highest-grossing film of the year would be “Avengers: Endgame,” if we count actual revenues during calendar 2019 (true, both worldwide and domestic); and that if we were instead to count all revenues for the movie’s run, the late-December-premiering “Star Wars: Episode IX” would win (I thought this was a slam dunk, but between tepid reviews and fissures in the fan base, I now believe this one may not work out.)

That despite the openly expressed skepticism of the federal judge overseeing the case, the $69 billion merger of CVS and Aetna would go forward. True.

That wealthy progressives who continue to sneer at the Republican tax cut as a giveaway to the rich would not offer the U.S. Treasury their gains from the rate reductions. True — and now members of Congress from high-tax blue states are demanding that their well-heeled supporters get an even bigger cut.

And that — sorry, but I can’t resist repeating — the Washington Nationals would win the World Series over the Houston Astros!

2020’s Predictions

Now we come to my predictions for 2020. As always, not all are seriously meant but some are meant more seriously meant than they might appear. I will leave it to the reader to figure out which are which.

1. Except for Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, the Democratic presidential candidates will condemn the Secure Act’s new limits on the ability of non-spouses who inherit retirement accounts to stretch their disbursements over a long period of time. In particular, the candidates will agree that adult children who inherit should be able to leave the money invested for as long as they like. (Those who voted for the new rules will say they didn’t understand the implications.) Most of the candidates will stop short of promising repeal, however, and will instead promise unspecified adjustments.

2. Due less to government spying than to the growing popularity of Amazon’s Ring and similar devices, the number of surveillance cameras in the world will blow swiftly past recent estimates of one billion. By the end of 2020, all but a fraction of the outdoor spaces in most cities around the world will be recorded on video somewhere, and significant inroads will have been made in suburbs and towns. (Say goodbye to the “shadow map.”)

3. Speaking of technology, for the second year in a row, the final appropriation for NASA will be insufficient to allow any significant progress on its goal of returning to the Moon by 2024. Rather than surrender the dream, proponents will push the realization a couple of years further down the road.

4. Despite concerns by consumer activists, the merger between T-Mobile and Sprint will survive judicial scrutiny.

5. The New England Patriots will win Super Bowl LIV in February. No, I’m not a particular Patriots fan. But I pick them every year anyway, because … well, come on. Even if you’re a Patriot hater, you know I’m right.

6. Due to global warming, the rate at which the Arctic ice cap is melting will continue to increase. (This has become an even easier prediction than picking the Patriots.) Meanwhile, such innovative ideas for mitigation as pumping river water southward instead of letting it flow north will be rejected by climate change skeptics as too expensive and by climate change activists as a distraction from the urgent need to sign lots of treaties.

7. Swirling rumors that Russia might annex its longtime ally Belarus will drive dictator Alexander Lukashenko to seek rapprochement with the U.S. and the West. Already Belarus imports nearly half a billion dollars worth of goods from the U.S. annually, with fertilizer leading the way. Russian boss Vladimir Putin will view closer ties between Washington and Minsk as a strategic threat and begin to rattle his sabers. President Donald Trump will assure everyone that his “good friend” Putin will “allow Belarus to go its own way.” Pundits will jump not only on “good friend” but also on “allow.”

8. The highest grossing film of the year will be Warner Brothers’ “Wonder Woman 1984.” People will look around and say, “Wait, this intellectual property isn’t owned by Disney? Is that even allowed?” Disney, wondering the same thing, will take swift measures to fix the problem.

9. A congressional near-ban on vaping products will pass and be signed into law by President Trump, well in advance of serious clinical studies about potential health hazards.

10. Despite news reports to the contrary, Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax, accused of rape by two black women, will announce unequivocally that he will not be seeking the governorship of the state, or even another term in office.

11. The U.S. stock market will continue to rise through the first half of the year, bringing several new highs. As the political conventions approach during the summer, the market will begin to stutter. When the election season reaches full swing, we will see a significant drop, which the left will call a collapse and the right will call a correction. After the election, the markets will rise sharply.

12. The Los Angeles Angels will be the surprise team of the baseball season, but will lose in the playoffs to the Houston Astros, who will go on to defeat the Atlanta Braves (the other surprise team) in the World Series. (Bonus prediction: If Braves star Josh Donaldson jumps to the Washington Nationals, then the Nationals will reach the World Series once again, where the Astros will get revenge for 2019.)

13. Speaking of sports, nobody in the news media will offer any but the most half-hearted apology for the cravenness and stupidity of running all those photos of the Army-Navy game and asking whether the cadets who circled thumbs and forefingers were flashing white power signs.

14. Despite concerns raised in other countries, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will adhere to its position that there is no scientific evidence of any health problem from the trace amounts of nitrosamines in some prescription medications.

15. In the presidential election, the Democrats will flip Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin but the Republicans will flip New Hampshire. The result will be a tie in the electoral college. Under Article II, section 1, of the Constitution, the choice must then be made by the House of Representatives. Democrats cheer the perspicacity of the Framers until they realize that when the House sits to break an electoral tie, each state gets one vote. At that point Democrats remember that the Framers were white supremacists trying to protect slavery, and that the opinions of such monsters should play no role in contemporary governance.

The 26 states that have a majority red House delegation will vote Republican; the 22 states that have a majority blue delegation vote Democratic. The other two states, where the delegations are divided, will cast no vote, resulting in another tie.

The issue will be thrown to the courts. A letter signed by several hundred law professors will argue that all judges and justices appointed by President Donald Trump should recuse themselves, as they are likely to be biased. Television commentators will take up the cry. Conservative bloggers will reply that the argument is “another” attempted coup d’état.

Before the courts can rule, the political parties will agree to hold a new presidential election in February of 2021. Under the agreement, Trump will remains in office until that time but can take no action without the concurrence of Congress. Lawsuits will immediately be filed to block the plan, including by Trump himself, who will claim that not having been defeated in the election, he should win by default.

Alas, we don’t know how the lawsuits will come out, because my crystal ball runs only through 2020.

Those are my predictions for 2020. For you, my loyal readers, I wish a new year full of awe, joy, rationality, civility, and love.

The post From Amazon Ring to NASA Moon Project: 15 Predictions for 2020 appeared first on Businessliveme.com.

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cbholganza · 5 years ago

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Once again, cage fanatics were treated to loads and loads of sizzling action this week. From the exciting new line-ups in the NBA, to the mad rush among PBA teams to join the last bus to the playoffs, to the thrill-a-minute battles that characterized the finals in both the NCAA and UAAP collegiate wars, and finally, to the preparations to defend the cage crown in the incoming Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games), Pinoy basketball diehards have had frenetic non-stop action at its best. Being a bonafide hardcourt fan and a couch potato myself, I could hardly leave my seat to get my fill of popcorn and pizza, as the boobtube action presented highlight after glorious highlight of fun and energy.

Hmmm…. It’s the Los Angeles Lakers against …hmmm… is that the Ateneo Blue Eagles? (courtesy of imgaracade.com)

A world away, spanking new line-ups and alliances in the NBA are battling it out in what are enticing appetizers to determine who will step forward for the epic battles come the playoffs next April.

After 5 months of jostling and jawing for top stars and dominant rookies, the NBA season got underway in spectacular fashion. It’s a wide open race for the crown this time; and each week, we have been regaled with match-ups made in Hoop Heaven. Not a week goes by without dynamic duos such as the Lakers’ King Lebron and Anthony Davis, or the Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, or the Rockets’ James Harden and Russell Westbrook, or the Sixers’ Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons or the Celtics’ Kemba Walker and the Jayson-Jaylen twins locking horns, matching wits against each other. And it certainly looks like it will be an exciting race for the playoff.

In the Eastern Conference, the top seeds Milwaukee Bucks (12-3) and Philadelphia 76ers (9-5) are being challenged strongly by the surprising Boston Celtics (11-3), the under-the-radar Miami Heat (10-3), and reigning but Kawhi-less Toronto Raptors (10-4). The Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo will not give up his regular season MVP crown without a fight. After a strong start, Embiid and Simmons have been in and out of sick bay, hence the Sixers low flight in the past weeks. The Celtics, despite losing Kyrie Irving and Al Horford, are showing that good teamwork will always trump individual talent. Boston’s diminutive Kemba Walker is showing far better leadership than the stylish Kyrie, squeezing more juice from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, sustaining the Celtic charge despite the injury sidelining Gordon Hayward. The Raptors, starring budding star Paskal Siakam, are using last year’s playoff experience to push themselves despite Kawhi’s flight and the absence of Kyle Lowry due to injury.

In the Western Conference, the LA’s Lakers (12-2) and Clippers (10-5) are revving an inter-town rivalry. But they too are challenged, as the Denver Nuggets (10-3), the Houston Rockets (11-4), the Dallas Mevericks (9-5) and the Utah Jazz (9-5) are flexing their muscles for all to see. After a forgettable first game against the Clippers, King Lebron’s Lakers are finally showing steady progress. The Clippers, on the other hand, have shown glimpses of greatness, with Paul George reporting for court duty. But the load management program that has Kawhi missing some important match-ups is not sitting well with some fans. In Houston, the fragile Harden-Westbrook alliance seems to be holding. We’ll see how it goes when the going gets tough in the playoffs. In Dallas, Rookie of the Year Luka Doncic is taking it a step higher with his sizzling MVP numbers.

#gallery-0-13 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-13 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-0-13 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-13 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Giannis and Embiid duke it out in the East. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

The James – Russell partnership seems to be holding. (Odds Shark)

Kawhi beat Lebron in their 1st encounter (Silver Screen and Roll)

Luka, with fellow Euros Nikola and Juan (Mavs Moneyball)

AD and Kawhi square off at the Staples (NBC at Los Angeles)

Luka takes on Lebron. (Mavs Moneyball)

The Lebron-AD combo starting to purr. (Silver Screen and Roll)

Jayson Tatum showing he’s got what it takes. (For the Win)

George shows off Clipper potential in the game against Boston. (Boston Globe)

In the Southeast Asian scene, the Philippines’ newest version of the Gilas squad is getting ready for the SEA Games. It is the last international bastion of glory that cage-crazy Pinoys are holding on to, but the Thais and the Indons have slowly been inching closer with their new breed of players. With a mix crew of oldies and newbies, resurrected national coach Tim Cone hopes that he doesn’t end up with the ignominy of being the coach that gave it all away.

Veterans June Mar Fajardo, LA Tenorio, Japeth Aguilar and Roger Pogoy will lead the campaign. Notable absentees are the wily court leader Jayson Castro, Ginebra’s behemoth Greg Slaughter and crowd favorite Terrence Romeo. The tourney will kick-off on December 4 here in Manila.

Coach Tim Cone in practice session with the Gilas team. (ESPN)

In the PBA scene, the elimination round is over, and the 8 qualifiers for the next round step forward. The NLEX Warriors, Meralco Bolts and the TNT Katropa finished with similar 8-3 slots as the wild regular round-robin ended. The three were joined by crowd favorite Ginebra Kings to gain top honors and twice-to-beat advantage in the playoffs. The powerhouse San Miguel Beermen have their dreams of a rare sweep in jeopardy as they landed 5th in the elimination round. The PBA will take a break as the SEA Games take center stage this early December.

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Christian Standhardinger will make the Northpoint more dangerous. (PBA.ph)

Japeth Aguilar will be pitted against the talents of San Miguel. (PBA)

Bemedalled vet June Mar Fajardo tries to lead SanMig to the promised land. (NBA)

Vic Manuel’s heady play allowed him to take a slot in the Gilas team to the SEA Games. (PBA)

In the NCAA, the storied rivalry between the Letran Knights and the San Beda Red Lions hit the roof, with the Knights nipping the Lions 81-79 in Game 3 of a heart-stopping best-of-3 Finals series. In 2015, the Knights had spoiled the Red Lions’ bid for a glorious 6-peat, carving out a hard-earned overtime win in another Game 3 series. Once again, the Knights have stopped the Lions’ 3-peat bid on its road to another championship. Before a sellout crowd of over 19,000 at the MOA Arena, the Knights’ Jerrick Balanza – making a heroic comeback this year after a risky brain surgery – unleashed 27 points to break the hearts of the Lions’ fans.

And over in the UAAP, the Ateneo Blue Eagles completed a rare tournament sweep, with 16 straight wins covering the eliminations up to the final round. But the dream feat was by no means easy, as the UST Growling Tigers kept pounding till the end. UST had almost capped a cinderella season, coming from behind countless times to take the second Finals slot away from erstwhile tourney favorite, UP Fighting Maroons.

But the Eagles simply would not be denied. Thirdy Ravena, for the longest time playing under the shadow of his multi-awarded big-bro Kiefer, became the first and only 3-time MVP in UAAP’s Men’s Basketball Finals, with a Finals average of 29.5 points, 8 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 2.5 blocks per game. And cerebral Coach Tab Baldwin deflected the praises ever so coolly, opting to pour love and extreme compliments on his wards. Indeed, the Eagles have soared so much higher for anyone to catch.

There you have it, folks. The week that was. Will El-Ay’s Lakers and the Clippers duke it out for the Western Conference crown in the NBA? Or will the Rockets spoil the Laker-Clipper thriller? Will the Celtics be able to slip past the gauntlet set by the Bucks and the Sixers in the east? Will the Philippines keep its last international basketball crown in the international arena? Will the San Miguel Beermen be able to achieve that rare sweep of the year’s 3 PBA tourneys? Stay glued.

Last week’s offerings have been good for sports fanatics like me. Tune in for more next week.

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Before an overflow crowd at the MOA…(Inquirer.net)

Frenzied action pitting the Knights and the Lions… (Business World)

The fiery Jerrick Balanza squeezes through. (Inquirer.net)

A double teaming defense… (Slam Online)

Knights rejoice after the buzzer. (Inquirer.net)

Letran celebrates after defeating San Beda in the NCAA Season 95 Finals Game 3 at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, November 19, 2019 (Rio Deluvio)

Thirdy Ravena leads the Eagle attack. (CNN Phil)

Thirdy’s heady play leads to his third Finals MVP.

UST’s Chabi Yo gets triple teamed under the basket. (Rappler)

The Blue Eagles take their 3rd consecutive UAAP crown. (ABS-CBN)

Thirdy Ravena is King of the UAAP wars for the third time. (Tiebreaker Times)

UST’s glorious push runs short. (Phil Star)

A Wild, Wicked Week for Cage Addicts Once again, cage fanatics were treated to loads and loads of sizzling action this week. From the exciting new line-ups in the NBA, to the mad rush among PBA teams to join the last bus to the playoffs, to the thrill-a-minute battles that characterized the finals in both the NCAA and UAAP collegiate wars, and finally, to the preparations to defend the cage crown in the incoming Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games), Pinoy basketball diehards have had frenetic non-stop action at its best.

#NBA #NCAA #PBA #Philippine Basketball #UAAP Basketball

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getseriouser · 5 years ago

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20 THOUGHTS: Trade Radio Ga Ga (’is this real life or just a fantasy?’)

WHAT a stupid year.

The losers of the NRL Grand Final are paid out as winners by bookmakers, and not because of a silly betting promotion but because the code and its officials are as relevant and effective in their jobs as contraception to Irish catholic newlyweds on their honeymoon.

Where Donald Trump himself is evidence our species might now be regressing, the fact endless hours of Trade Radio always have talkback callers is the proof in that devolution pudding.

And in a year where all the conservatives and right-wingers in this country should be as excited as a Beagle on full lipstick following ScoMo’s Steven Bradbury effort in May, they’re got their pantyhose and pressed slacks in a twist because of what some Volvo factory-worker’s teenage daughter has to say about the inclement weather conditions.

There was chaos and anarchy on Swan Street for the second time in three years last month but Hold Kong locals asked Richmond fans if they could hold their beer. We lost Polly and Spud, and said vale, gone too soon, to Saturday Night Rove. Five clubs let go of their coaches, Pope Francis delisted one of his cardinals, and a ginger from Christchurch defeated his own country by the virtue of most boundaries.

But at least we retained the Ashes in England.

1. Let’s start with the footy, trades season is almost done. Hutchy to his credit was a genius for seeing revenue opportunity in this trade period, with an ‘insert sponsor here’ open line and hours and hours of coverage, its been a windfall and then some for his business. But I reckon we’re only a year or so away from the unwashed realising there’s no relevance in any of it until the final day. There’s only so many Terry Wallace orations on the merits of list analysis before your average punter switches off. Know when to hold them, know when to fold them, Craig.

2. The biggest name out there with a day to go is Joe Daniher. Was that meeting with Tom Harley a personal one or an actual, official Swans’ approach? Soft tacos, hard tacos, why not both? Now we have Essendon playing hardball and who knows if it gets done. Chances are it does, Geelong last year with Tim Kelly was more exception than example, if the Swans want him bad enough, they’ll lump up the pieces, especially if they fear as I do that Bud’s barely got ten more games in him in a market that requires a star.

3. St Kilda has a lot on. Jack Steven and Josh Bruce are two big losses, but getting in Dougal Howard, Bradley Hill, Zak Jones, Paddy Ryder and Dan Butler are some nice pieces. If Ratten can indeed coach, and as an ex-Clarko assistant he should be just fine, next year looks properly solid down at Moorabbin.

4. Whats the thinking with the Dogs? Aaron Naughton looks like a key forward gun, and Josh Schache was just starting to show something as a footballer without being a star. Yet they’re throwing all the cash at Josh Bruce for a go at a third flag? I do know he was free to a good home because the Saints were hellbent Max King’s twin at the Gold Coast would head home next year – not now after that re-signing yesterday. Couple big mistakes there for mine.

5. Tom Papley worth pick nine? Righto. And the Masked Singer will be popular on Australian television too, right?..... Yep, pick nine sounds about right then, forgive me.

6. Jack Martin though, to Carlton, that’s the steal of the whole thing. Martin is a freak, who has gone underappreciated playing in the ghost town that is Gold Coast, for a horribly weak side, in a club that can’t develop anyone not named Tom Lynch. But has talent to burn and could easily become one of Carlton’s top 10 players next year, in fact based on the player he can become, he should. Think 2019 Michael Walters. Seriously. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

7. Collingwood have cap issues? Really? Firstly who really knows, unlike North American sports where contracts are public, only each club really knows how much room they’ve got and how that ever would be divulged puzzles me. And yes they have to pay Grundy, De Goey and Moore next year, although the latter won’t be all that much given his hamstrings are like an Uber driver with turrets, unreliable and could snap at any time. But given the Pies were offering Tom Lynch the same financial terms as Richmond this time last year, with Scott Pendlebury out of contract next year and coming down in salary, with less stars to pay than West Coast, how is this a thing? It isn’t. Chris Mayne is overpaid, sure, but that’s it. Wells has retired, Beams took a cut, and unless George Calombaris oversaw their player payments and there’s backpay to cover off, I think it’s a total beat-up. But sure, let James Aish being wanted by his former backs coach at Freo to fuel that fable.

8. Crows hired Matthew Nicks. Reckon that’s got fail all over it. Adelaide’s list is in a heap, the review basically said their post Grand-Final plans two years ago totally wiped the place out like a broken toilet on a buck’s weekend, and not seeing to the damage since has only exacerbated the crap spilling out all over the shop. Good half dozen or so quality players leaving this offseason, Walker and Sloane are the wrong side of 30 and they’ve got only a few good kids, most clubs around them have better youth and are more rapidly improving. Either Nicks can’t coach at the level or he can but the Crows will be a bad side regardless, either way it doesn’t see him making a new contract beyond whats given out today.

9. NRL. Definiton of a pub league. Your local Wednesday night basketball is better run. And with better officiating. That Six Again controversy was the most befitting thing you’ll ever see to a sport, a sport where 13 of its 16 clubs run insolvent, but that’s ok because all their giant pokies-infested leagues club venues write them all a cheque to cover the losses each year. Absolute pub league.

10. If an umpire or referee makes a bad call, it’s only made worse by changing that decision midstream. If a player marks the ball, but then the umpire overrules saying no, it was touched, its no mark, and because you’ve claimed it and made no attempt to get rid of it its now holding the ball, you just can’t do that. Kids are taught to play to the whistle. Except in rugby league then. Because chances are what the ref just said isn’t what he is about to mean in a couple seconds time, just be patient. That referee shouldn’t be crucified for what’s essentially just one error, but in the grand scheme of things, he needs witness protection. Or better yet, stay off the roster for trips to Canberra next season.

11. It was mentioned in the preamble but no wonder SportsBet paid out all Canberra to win bets. The Raiders had all the momentum, it was 8-all, and it was near the Roosters tryline. They were no guarantee to score off that play, at best they might have got a repeat set. But if there was anyone more likely to break that deadlock given who was playing better but also, more importantly, the territory battle, it was the Green Machine. This isn’t SportsBet just being philanthropic, the result is just that shady.

12. Speaking of Sportsbet – Western United. Made their A-League debut on the weekend, won one-nil in front of some fans at Wellington. But it was midweek that we saw their announcement which said “we are proud to announce SportsBet has joined the club as its exclusive sports wagering partner”. Firstly, poor form, in a city where all the AFL clubs are quite publicly backing out of gambling revenue, to be going the other way stinks big time. But secondly, what does that even mean? That if I go into a TAB all Western United games are unavailable to bet on. Coz that’s just not even close to true. Dumb and stupid in all of the ways, that.

13. So the new boys have their home opener this weekend down at Geelong, even though they’re a team based out of Tarneit. Melbourne Victory when they’ve ventured down to Sleepy Hollow attract 14,000 or so, who knows how many turn up for the novelty first time around this Saturday. But going forward, given Melbourne City don’t exceed 10,000 and they play in town, if they’re getting anymore than 5,000-6,000 in what’s otherwise a 36,000 AFL venue, its going to look oh so pretty on television. What’s the opposite of the eggplant emoji?

14. Few more on the A-League, firstly, why have your opening round smack bang in the middle of an international window? They were so hyper vigilant to schedule their opening round after the AFL and NRL had ended they failed to recognise all of the good Aussie players will be off winning 28-nil against Chinese Taipei or Christmas Island or whoever it was. Its like Victoria Police planning a social function on New Year’s Eve. No-one’s going to be able to make it you morons.

15. And you open up with the Melbourne Derby. Lucky Victory is a terrifically run club with a strong, loyal fanbase. But only 33,000, with zero promotion? These should be nudging 50,000.

16. Lastly, you know they’re going really well when the free-to-air partner this season is the ABC. Even the VFL got a commercial broadcaster, yet the country’s premier round ball competition shares a channel with Gardening Australia and Four Corners. And the cherry on the top is when it comes to finals, and I’ll quote the ABC press release on this one, where “one A-League match per round broadcast live on ABC TV and iView around the country… and a selection of A-League finals on delay, including the grand final.” Delay?! Remember those days? You can’t make this stuff up.

17. Darren Weir got done for using jiggers. Rest of racing stays dead quiet. Right. Now is that because Darren is their mate and despite the heinous crimes blood is thicker than water in the industry and they have some empathy for him? Or is it a case of if he can get caught, then maybe some of the others equally as guilty could so easily as well, and staying mum is step one of avoiding such scrutiny? I wonder.

18. So, Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge broke the two-hour barrier for running a marathon. Phenomenal achievement, just ridiculous to even comprehend the feat. Amazing. But it won’t count as a world record. Why? Well it wasn’t a race. Old mate contrived the event with a couple dozen pacers to help him do it and that’s it. It’s like if me and some mates hire lane eight down Altona Pool Thursday morning, and fresh off a high-protein breakfast and a quick hit of flakka happen to break 20 seconds for one-lap of freestyle – you think FINA will recognise it? You think Kieran Perkins will shout me free Light Start for life off the back of it? As a milk crusader I could only dream of such a reward but yeah nah. Nice stunt Eliud, you’re a freak of a human. But we’re in the same boat brother.

19. Tough one, not just for boxing because its bigger than that, but Patrick Day is in real bother and sincere optimism about his recovery to one side, so is his sport. Day was knocked out in the tenth round in a bout with Charles Conwell in Chicago in the weekend, which in itself is not unusual. But the consequences of the blow are such that Day is in a coma and in an “extremely critical condition”. Again, nothing but positive wishes about his eventual recovery first and foremost, but in an era where concussion in the football codes is as alarming as ever, combat spots’ existence, like boxing, could/would/should be on borrowed time with cases like this.

20. TV ratings worry the pants off me. By far the most important and major revenue source for all the sport we love to watch, it helps grow the professionalism and the standards, and the access really. But as TV viewership declines, so does the viewership with live sport. And we all waited with bated breath for the NRL Grand Final numbers in the hope maybe they would be good, and it wasn’t just sport in general in trouble, that maybe rugby league was still on an upward trajectory and its just everyone else.

Nope, it was down too. Usually something that rates at times near 3m nationally, it was around 1.8m. The AFL Grand Final, with an engaged Sydney audience, has been on a trajectory over 3.5m, topping 4m occasionally, it was under 3m for the first time in years. Australia Open primetime slots were down, cricket was good but still down, be it the summer on Seven or The Ashes mid-year on Nine.

What does this mean? It means less people are watching live sport. And when advertisers hear that, they’ll be paying less to the networks for the privilege of putting 30 seconds of their product in front of the eyeballs of footy fans. And that then means TV networks will hand over less cash, subsequently, to the sporting bodies for the rights to broadcast their fixtures.

It doesn’t mean that we’re all destined to see the days of the 1980s return where players need a job outside of footy and only one game is broadcast a week and all that nostalgia. But the idea that salaries will keep going up and up is gone, the idea the game can grow at the same rate looks doomed. So unless someone makes Foxtel honest (nudge nudge Amazon Prime) or this is only a lull, and once we get over Fortnite and Korean boy-bands we will all fall back in love with Friday night in front of the telly watching footy, it’s a big, big concern.

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flauntpage · 5 years ago

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Your Monday Morning Roundup

What a wild Sunday in the NBA.

Let’s focus on the Sixers, who started out very slow. Immediately once the clock hit 6 PM, JJ Redick was going to New Orleans and Elton Brand was working on an extension with Ben Simmons. Players that fans wanted did not go to Philly. Optimism was bleak.

And then the news started, beginning with Tobias Harris running it back and signing a 5-year max to stay. Confirmed non-b***h Mike Scott also signed back up with Philly on a two-year deal. That was part one of the night.

Part two began with Jimmy Butler going to Miami in a sign-and-trade for Josh Richardson, at least, and Al Horford signing.

There’s a lot about the former deal that developed throughout the night. Here’s a timeline:

9:17 PM: 76ers and Heat were looking for a third team to complete the Butler deal.

9:38 PM: It was the Mavs and they’re getting Goran Dragic.

10:19 PM: Lol they weren’t. They’re getting Kelly Olynyk and Archbishop Carroll product Derrick Jones Jr. from the Heat. They loved Dragic, but didn’t want to lose flexibility on making more moves later in the summer.

10:55 PM: There’s still a piece needed.

11:19 PM: Heat don’t want to part with Jones and say they have to find a way to trade Dragic to make the cap math work.

And a little before that:

i've also been told the deal is believed to be dead https://t.co/wTaRGKyuBS

— Tim Cato (@tim_cato) July 1, 2019

So there you have it. It does sound like the Butler-Richardson swap part is done. It’s just Miami trying to find a third team to make the trade complete, perhaps looking to another place to trade Dragic.

The Sixers currently have 11 guys on their roster if you include Richardson for now. They still have a few spots left to fill and they still need shooters. But their starting five looks very good. Just worry about the bench for now, especially when one of your best shooters is gone.

Before we continue, the sponsors:

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The Roundup:

I guess we have to talk about the Phillies now. Simply but, the bamboo is a fluke.

They lost their first game since the plant became a team fixture, falling 6-2 to the Miami Marlins on Friday.

Saturday was much worse. The Phils had a 6-1 lead entering the bottom of the sixth. They gave up two runs in the inning before Juan Nicasio and Adam Morgan blew the lead with a six run seventh en route to a 9-6 loss.

The team salvaged the series with a 13-6 win yesterday. Good for them.

They’re off today but start another pivotal series with the Braves in Atlanta on Tuesday. They’re 5.5 games back of first in the division after an 11-16 June. Yikes.

On the brightish side, J.T. Realmuto will be the Phils’ representative in the All-Star game.

The Union fell to NYCFC 4-2 Saturday night at Yankee Stadium.

In other sports/NBA news, the Nets landed Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and DeAndre Jordan.

A crap ton of other moves happened, including Malcolm Brogdon to the Pacers.

The NBA is also looking at adding a coach’s challenge.

Nationals second baseman Brian Dozier twerked on a team staffer. His team won the game. It works.

Mike Trout turns down a Home Run Derby invitation again. Stop doing this, MLB.

In the news, the owners of Hahnemann have filed for bankruptcy.

Donald Trump was the first President to set foot in North Korea.

Maybe we should write-in Kevin Kinkead for President in 2020.

The post Your Monday Morning Roundup appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Your Monday Morning Roundup published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

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goarticletec-blog · 6 years ago

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A Lazy Person's Guide to the 2018 Winter Olympics

New Post has been published on https://www.articletec.com/a-lazy-persons-guide-to-the-2018-winter-olympics/

A Lazy Person's Guide to the 2018 Winter Olympics

The Summer Olympics are not designed for the lazy person. It’s hard to feel good about yourself, lounging in a La-Z-Boy and crushing some beers, while nearly-nude specimens are sprinting by in a blur, their muscles rippling and gleaming with sweat.

That’s why the Winter Olympics are so swell. With all the athletes covered up in parkas, ski caps, and goggles, and it being freezing outside in most of the country, being a lazy ass is way more acceptable.

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Of course, the Winter Olympics is more esoteric than the Summer Games. There’s no running, jumping, or throwing shit—the general basis of athletic endeavor. The Winter Games are dominated by sports you’ve never even heard of, can’t believe are real—like, who the hell came up with skeleton?—or can’t afford to play anyway.

There’s no time to learn everything, so you’ll need a lazy person’s crash course to the two-week spectacle.

1. It’s being held in South Korea.

That’s the “good” one. (Although host city PyeongChang is just 50 miles from the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea.)

2. They’ve hosted once before.

Ben Johnson before the start of the 100 meter semi-final in Seoul, South Korea, in 1988.

Getty Images

That time it was the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, 78 miles west of PyeongChang. It was the last-ever Olympics to include the Soviet Union and East Germany. That was also the Olympics that a ’roided-up Ben Johnson ran the 100 meters in, like, four seconds.

3. North Korea is participating.

The North and South Koreans formed a joint team. That should go smoothly.

4. Russia isn’t competing, though.

The Olympic Athletes of Russian during PyeongChang opening ceremonies.

Getty Images

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That’s because of mass doping allegations. Nevertheless, certain (clean) Russian athletes are competing. I know, it’s odd. They’ll march under a flag for OAR, Olympic Athletes of Russia.

5. It’s already tomorrow in PyeongChang.

South Korea is 14 hours ahead of the East Coast. That means whatever you are watching on primetime TV is probably live and NBC can’t do their typical bullshit where they edit taped events together like some reality show and then tease the one event you actually want to watch for three hours before airing it a few minutes before midnight.

6. The one U.S. Olympian you’ve probably heard of is still pretty good.

Many experts place Lindsey Vonn as the favorite in the women’s downhill, even though since the 2014 Olympics she’s severely fractured her humerus, suffered a major back injury, made Toni Lehren yell on Fox News (but who hasn’t?), and faced typical airlines nonsense to actually get to Korea.

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7. Oh wait, you’ve heard of Shaun White, too.

Getty Images

Remember the Flying Tomato? He’s still pretty good at snowboarding and a contender in the halfpipe—despite the fact that late last year he crashed so badly he needed 62 stitches. Even if he doesn’t win, he’s worth $40 million, which will buy a lot of Mountain Dew Ice and legalized edibles.

8. Is that Bode Miller guy still around?

Getty Images

No. Er, yes, but he’s now an NBC analyst. He’ll probably still figure out a way to clip a gate and crash.

9. Who is going to be the previously unknown U.S. darling of this Olympiad?

Getty Images

Even after a poor start to his Olympics on Thursday night, 18-year-old figure skating prodigy Nathan Chen is your best bet to make it on a Wheaties box.

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10. The US Hockey team is not the Dream Team.

The Games have gone back to using non-NHL players for the first time since 1994. The U.S. team, made up mostly of washed-up former players like 39-year-old Brian Gionta, is not expected to medal.

11. Just like Ghostbusters, Cool Runnings is being remade with women.

Getty Images

The Jamaicans sent a women’s team to compete in bobsled this year, and they’ll be driving a rental sled. Even if John Candy comes back from the dead to coach them, they are unlikely to make the podium. (Side note: The Montego Bay airport has a Cool Runnings-themed bar that plays the movie on a loop 24/7. Worth a visit!) Nigeria is also sending a women’s bobsled team to PyeongChang, making it the first African Olympic Team to compete in the sport.

12. Curling rules!

Getty Images

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Curlers wear blousey sweatshirts and ugly slacks and their sporting equipment is a damn broomstick. Yet somehow, this slow-moving sport is incredibly captivating and these curlers are still a ton more flexible than you are. Did you really think a bunch of Molson-guzzling Canadians would play something boring? Plus, for the first time, there’s “mixed doubles” curling this year.

13. Another cool first-time event is mass start speed skating.

It’s like a fucking roller derby on ice!

14. Yet the only event with guns is surprisingly boring.

Getty Images

That’s biathlon. Cross-country ski for five kilometers, shoot a rifle at a still target, ski some more, shoot some more. So boring. Having said that, Susan Dunklee has a good shot to be the first U.S. Olympian to ever medal in the event.

15. Johnny Weir is still fabulous.

Getty Images

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The figure skating announcer is making Liberace look demure these days and continuing to infuriate the kinds of Twitter users who use Pepe the Frog as their avatar.

16. There’s an openly gay Olympian that refuses to meet Mike Pence.

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The vice president and his wife, Karen, are leading the US delegation in South Korea. Current US figure skater Adam Rippon, the first openly gay American to quality for the Games, made some remarks about Pence last month, telling USA Today: “You mean Mike Pence, the same Mike Pence that funded gay conversion therapy? I’m not buying it.” (The same Mike Pence who President Trump allegedly said wants to hang gay people.) Pence, however, really wants Rippon to know there’s no hard feelings.

.@Adaripp I want you to know we are FOR YOU. Don’t let fake news distract you. I am proud of you and ALL OF OUR GREAT athletes and my only hope for you and all of #TeamUSA is to bring home the gold. Go get ‘em!

— Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) February 8, 2018

17. The hunky Tongan is back.

Getty Images

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Remember Pita Taufatofua walking into the Rio 2016 Opening Ceremony looking like a bucket of Turtle Wax had been dumped over his torso? Well, guess what, he’s back for the Winter Games. He wasn’t particularly great at tae kwon do and he’s not particularly great at cross-country skiing either. As Tonga’s only Winter Olympian he was again their flag bearer and, even with temperatures below freezing in PyeongChang, he went shirtless. Don’t feel bad, he may have better abs, but in two weeks he’ll have the same numbers of Olympic medals as you.

18. The Olympic rivalry most likely to be made into an I, Tonya-like movie in 20 years.

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American Alpine skier Ted Ligety versus Austrian star Marcel Hirscher. Ligety got steamed when a giant slalom race, in Austria of all places, was canceled due to “inclement weather” (even though there wasn’t any) at the same time Hirscher was nursing an injury. Like any good American, Ligety went bonkers on Twitter, which is how we handle things these days as opposed to hiring mustachioed hitmen.

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Seems odd to have a race cancelled at 645am in Austria when their biggest star is temporarily out… 🤔

— Ted Ligety (@tedligety) October 29, 2017

19. No, the U.S. will not win the most overall medals.

Norway, Germany, or even Canada will. Yes, Trump will likely tweet-blame Democrats or undocumented immigrants for this, maybe both.

Aaron Goldfarb is the author of How to Fail: The Self-Hurt Guide, The Guide for a Single Man, and The Guide for a Single Woman. Follow him on Twitter.

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365footballorg-blog · 6 years ago

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Warshaw: Handicapping the 2018 MLS Western Conference playoff race

USA Today Images

September 14, 201810:10AM EDT

Six weeks left in the regular season. The playoff push is fully initiated. Andrew Wiebe covered the biggest race in the East on Thursday. Let’s take a look at the odds over in the West.

The playoff line in the Western Conference currently resides at 41 points, one point above seventh-place Vancouver.

You know how you’ve looked at your team’s upcoming schedule to calculate probably points? Well, players do it, too. They know what’s ahead and the mountain – or relative mole hill – they have to climb.

Methodology

If I put my player hat on and look at the schedule, here’s how I would view each game, independent on what team I’m playing for:

Consider it an L

Marked in red below

at Atlanta

at LAFC

at Red Bulls

at Dallas

at Sporting KC

at Seattle

at Portland

at NYCFC

Not easy, but should go for the points

Marked in blue below

at New England

at Colorado

at Minnesota

Home vs RSL

Home vs LA Galaxy

Home vs Philadelphia

Home vs Vancouver

Home vs D.C. United

Tough but doable

Marked in yellow below

at Columbus

at Montreal

at LA Galaxy

at Philadelphia

at D.C. United

at Toronto FC

at Vancouver

at RSL

Home vs Portland

Home vs Seattle

Home vs Sporting KC

Home vs LAFC

Home vs Columbus

Home vs FC Dallas

Home vs NY Red Bulls

Home vs NYCFC

Home vs Toronto FC

Home vs Atlanta

Gotta get ‘em

Marked in green below

at San Jose

at Chicago

at Orlando

at Houston

Home vs Chicago

Home vs Orlando

Home vs San Jose

Home vs New England

Home vs Minnesota

Home vs Montreal

Home vs Houston

Home vs Colorado

Using those, we can build a general probability of each team making the playoffs. I’ve also included the FiveThirtyEight projections.

My “BW Probabilities” are based on four factors:

Difficulty of remaining schedule

Form

Injuries, suspensions, any bubbling issues

Overall team quality

Dallas aren’t really on the bubble. I just personally don’t like saying teams are a lock if they aren’t actually a lock. If NYCFC can go on a 1-win-in-8-match run, it can happen to anyone. (I’m trying not to bring up Dallas’s 2017 collapse, which fully implanted the “Well, anything actually can happen” seed flowering here.) That said, Dallas are as close to clinched as a team can be.

Current points: 49, eight above the line

BW probability: 95%*

538 probability: 99%

Remaining schedule: Columbus, @Vancouver, @Portland, Orlando, @D.C. United, Sporting KC, @Colorado,

Recent form: L-W-D-L-W

*NOTE: I’m not 99% confident in anything in life

Sporting KC

Same as Dallas: Sporting KC are clinched as clinched can be … without being clinched.

Current points: 48, seven above the line

BW probability: 95%

538 probability: 99%

Remaining schedule: @San Jose, @Philadelphia, Real Salt Lake, LA Galaxy, @Vancouver, @FC Dallas, LAFC

Recent form: W-W-W-L-W

LAFC have a major question to answer with how they replace Laurent Ciman: aggressive, athletic, technical center backs don’t grow on trees, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see the team regress slightly. But they also have the easiest remaining schedule. They could — probably should — win the next six games. If you’re in a pool to pick the top seed in the West, I’d go with LAFC right now.

Current points: 46, five above the line

BW probability: 95% **

538 probability: 98%

Remaining schedule: New England, San Jose, @Chicago, @Colorado, Houston, Vancouver, @Sporting KC

Recent form: L-W-W-D-W

Real Salt Lake

RSL haven’t lost more than two in a row all year and haven’t gone more than three in a row without winning this season. And they look better now than they have all year; they’ve been great to watch lately. But I’d be lying/wimping out if I said I fully trust them. We could try to break down RSL’s level, but the numbers tell the clearest story: They win at home (10-1-3) and lose on the road (3-9-2). RSL finish with four away from home, plus Portland at Rio Tinto wedged in there, so they could conceivably lose all five of those final games. If I had more faith in Vancouver or the Galaxy I would put RSL’s percentage lower. RSL will probably get in … but I wouldn’t take it for granted yet just yet.

Current points: 44, three above the line

BW probability: 65%

538 probability: 85%

Remaining schedule: Minnesota, @Atlanta, @Sporting KC, Portland, @New England, @Portland

Recent form: D-L-W-W-W

Portland have a game in hand on RSL, thus the higher percentage. I realize Portland haven’t exactly been rock solid lately, losing four in a row last month. But I trust Portland in a do-or-die game if it were to come to that, given Portland have the best trump card if they ever really need points — fully commit to the sit-and-counter philosophy nobody could beat over their 15-game unbeaten run.

Current points: 44, three above the line

BW probability: 70%

538 probability: 87%

Remaining schedule: @Houston, Columbus, @Minnesota, FC Dallas, @Real Salt Lake, Real Salt Lake, @Vancouver

Recent form: L-L-W-D-W

The game against Vancouver on Saturday (10pm ET | TSN — Full TV & streaming info) is big – for everything Seattle have accomplished, their Cascadia neighbor could knock them below the playoff line again. But that final run is just so cushy. It’s tough to imagine the Sounders don’t take nine points in there, and nine points would likely get the job done.

Current points: 41, just above the line

BW probability: 88%

538 probability: 91%

Remaining schedule: @Vancouver, Philadelphia, @LA Galaxy, Colorado, Houston, @Orlando, @Houston, San Jose

Recent form: W-W-W-W-W etc. etc. … If you haven’t heard, Seattle are on the longest win streak since shootouts were a thing.

Most have already written Vancouver off, but the Whitecaps refuse to go quietly. They deserve a ton of credit for it. But look at that schedule …

I would like to see Alphonso Davies make a playoff run before he departs for Bayern, but it would take a ridiculous run for the ‘Caps to get there.

Current points: 40, one below the line

BW probability: 15%

538 probability: 29%

Remaining schedule: Seattle, FC Dallas, @LA Galaxy, @Toronto FC, Sporting KC, @LAFC, Portland

Recent form: D-W-D-W-W

I’m giving the Galaxy the inverse of RSL’s probability. I see one slot coming down to either of those two clubs (since Vancouver has such a tough schedule). With RSL sitting on 44 points, the Galaxy need to make up six points + the six we’re assuming Mike Petke’s group will add (win vs. Minnesota + win vs. NE or multiple draws) from their remaining games, for a total of at least 12 points. Do the Galaxy have four wins in them?

If you say no, I think you’re crazy. If Zlatan, Gio, Jona et al. decide their careers/legacies are on the line, they could kick into a gear that any team would struggle to handle. Yet there’s this:

That got left on the cutting room floor. Here’s what Schmid said about that: “I think probably this weekend you’re going to see nine guys behind the ball and one center forward.” https://t.co/e9lAbYgj9P

— Jeff Carlisle (@JeffreyCarlisle) September 13, 2018

I’m somewhat surprised to hear the Galaxy may try to defend deep to solidify the defense, but I can’t blame them for it. Can the Galaxy make up the points? For sure. Will they? I’m keeping my money in my pocket.

Current points: 38, three points below the line

BW probability: 35%

538 probability: 11%

Remaining schedule: @Toronto FC, Seattle, Vancouver, @Sporting KC, @Minnesota, Houston

Recent form: D-D-L-D-L

Current points: 29, 12 points below the line

BW probability: If the computer model says you’re projection is below 1% …

538 probability: <1%

Current points: 24, 17 points below the line

538 probability: <1%

San Jose were mathematically eliminated from playoff competition on September 2.

Series:

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dailyonionsite-blog · 6 years ago

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2017-18 NHL Season Recap

It's been a little over a month since the 2017-18 NHL season ended, and it was definitely one for the record books. This was a year that saw many firsts, and sadly, many lasts. Let’s take a look at everything that transpired this past year. Starting with the firsts? Obviously expansion was the biggest story this season, as the 30 team National Hockey League became 31, with the Vegas Golden Knights joining the league, becoming the first expansion team in the NHL since the Columbus Bluejackets and the Minnesota Wild at the start the 2000-01 season. However, before it was all said and done, the Knights would go to do things the Jackets and the Wild (and pretty much any expansion team before it) could only dream of doing in their first NHL seasons. But more on that in a few... Continuing with a first (of sorts), for the first time since 1994 the NHL did not participate in the Winter Olympics, with the league announcing this towards the end of the previous season. Several players vowed that they would participate anyway, however this would not come to fruition as the NHL and International Ice Hockey Federation established a blacklist prior to the season that forbid national teams from offering invitations to NHL players that were currently under contract. The regular season began on October 4th with the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins, opening up at home against the St. Louis Blues. The Blues would upset the Pens in OT, to spoil the fun on a night Pittsburgh raised their 5th Stanley Cup banner in from of their home town fans, and the 2017-18 NHL season was off and running. The aforementioned Vegas Golden Knights established early on that they were not your typical expansion team, coming out of the gate with an 8-3-0 record in the season's first month, including a 6-1-0 record at home. In fact, they were so dominant at home, that it would not be until the middle of February before they lost more than 1 home game in a month. The Knights would go on to have the strongest debut season for any expansion team in North American Profession sports history, and becoming the first NHL team since the 1926-27 New York Rangers to win their division in their inaugural season, not counting the Western Division in the 1967 NHL expansion, which consisted of all expansion teams. This would be just one of many highlights in a historic season for the first year club. As the NHL season rolled along, other highlights would include 3 outdoor games, continuing what has become both a tradition, and a big money maker for the league. The first of these (continuing the league's year long celebration of the NHL's 100th anniversary) was the NHL 100 Classic, which was held on December 16, 2017 at TD Place Stadium in Ottawa, as the home town Senators defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-0. The outdoor festivities continued on New Year's Day at the annual Winter Classic, as the New York Rangers defeated the Buffalo Sabres in overtime 3-2, on a goal by JT Miller. This game was held at Citi Field in Flushing, NY, home of the New York Mets, and despite being billed as an "away" game (for tax exempt purposes), the Rangers played to a packed house full of mostly diehard blueshirt fans. The outdoor games concluded on March 3, 2018 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, in Annapolis, Maryland, as the home town Washington Capitals defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2. In between the various outdoor games was the annual NHL All Star Game, held on January 28th, at Amalie Arena, home of the Tampa Bay Lightning. In a format established two seasons earlier of 2 separate games featuring division vs division from each conference first, eventually the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division faced the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, with the Pacific prevailing 5-2 in the final game. Rookie Forward, Brock Boeser of the Vancouver Canucks was named All-Star Game MVP. In series of lasts, sadly the end of an era came for 2 future Hall Of Famers, as the Sedin Twins, Daniel and Henrik, announced their retirement, having played their entire careers together with the Vancouver Canucks, and having mirroring careers, both playing in over 1,300 games, both amassing over 1,000 points, and both winning the Art Ross and King Clancy Trophies. Also announcing their retirements were Nashville Center, Mike Fisher, long time Chicago Blackhawk Winger, Patrick Sharp, and veteran Forward, Radam Vrbata of the Florida Panthers. As the NHL regular season wound down, it became clear that the NHL playoffs would feature numerous teams that had not made the postseason in several seasons, and a few perennial playoff teams that would fail to qualify for the first time in many years. The New York Rangers saw their streak of 7 straight playoff seasons (and 11 out of the last 12) end, as did the Chicago Blackhawks streak of 9 straight seasons, and the St. Louis Blues streak of 6. Teams returning to the playoffs included the New Jersey Devils for the first time in 5 seasons, the Colorado Avalanche for the first time in 3 seasons, and the Winnipeg Jets for first the time in 2 seasons, and of course, the Vegas Golden Knights for the first time ever. They were joined by perennial playoff mainstays the Washington Capitals, The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Tampa Bay Lightning in the East, and the San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks and the Nashville Predators in the West. It has long been said that the Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy to win in all of professional sports, and that can never be understated. The NHL playoffs in general are the most grueling of all the 4 major sports, featuring 16 teams and four rounds of grueling 7 game series that takes around two months to complete. This year's playoffs were no exception, as 4 of the 8 first round series went at least 6 games, with one of them going the full 7 games. The 2nd round was even tougher as 3 of the 4 rounds went to at least 6 games, and one going to 7. In the East, there were 3 compelling stories. The first was whether or not the Pittsburgh Penguins could become the first team since the New York Islanders in the 1980's to win 3 consecutive Stanley Cups. The second was if Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals could finally get over the hump after many years of high expectations, and just get past the 2nd round. And the third was if the #1 seeded Tampa Bay Lightning, who were referred to as the "New York Rangers South" after having acquired JT Miller and Rangers Captain Ryan McDonagh at the trade deadline to add a team that already featured former Blueshirts defensemen, Dan Giradi, Anton Stralman, and former Captain Ryan Callahan, could fulfill their designation as the odds on favorite to win the Cup. All 3 teams answered the bell right away, winning their first round series' against the Flyers, Columbus and New Jersey, respectively. Boston defeated Toronto in 7 games, and the 2nd round was set. In the West the story, of course, was the Vegas Golden Knights. The team that had shocked the world in the regular season with an expansion team record of 109 points faced off against the Los Angeles Kings in a first round match up. The Knights trumped the Kings in 4 straight, making short work of a team that 4 seasons earlier had won their 2nd Stanley Cup in 3 years. San Jose also swept the Anaheim Ducks, and powerhouses Winnipeg and Nashville prevailed in their series against the Wild and the Avalanche, setting the stage for the always grueling second round, which is probably the toughest round in the playoffs to win. The Washington Capitals are perennial second round losers. I mean, what else do you call a team that hadn’t gotten out of the Eastern Conference Quarter Finals since 1998, when they went to the Stanley Cup Finals, and routinely lost in the middle round to both the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins (6 of the last 9 times in fact), dating back the 2008-09 playoffs? Well, this was the year they finally got over the hump. And what better team to get over it against than the aforementioned Penguins, who had almost been as much a thorn in the Caps sides as the Rangers? It took 6 games, but Washington finally took out the defending Cup Champions, setting up an Eastern Conference Finals showdown against the Tampa Bay Lightning, who made short work of the Boston Bruins in 5 games. Out in the West, the power struggle between the top 2 point getters in the entire NHL went the full 7 games, with Winnipeg Jets prevailing against the defending Western Conference Champion Nashville Predators. In the meantime, the Western Conference version of the Capitals, a.k.a. the San Jose Sharks fell to the freight train that was the Golden Knights in 6, setting up two conference finals match ups that would, at the very least, guarantee a team would win the Stanley Cup that hadn’t done so in 14 years, but making even more likely the chance that we would actually see a team that had never won before, get a chance to hoist Lord Stanley. Who would it be? As previously mentioned, the second round of the NHL playoffs is probably the most difficult to win, but the Eastern Conference finals is the one that gets more of the spotlight, simply because that’s the round that decides who actually gets to play for the 35.25 inch, 34.5 lb fabled chalice known as the Stanley Cup. Out in the West, Vegas once again proved that not only do expansions rules not apply to them, but they are disregarded with relative ease. Sure the Jets gave them a wake-up call with a Game 1 victory in a packed Bell MTS Place full of Winnipeg fans all decked out in white…but after that, the Golden Knights won 4 straight games ensuring themselves a full week’s rest before they had to worry about another game. Meanwhile over in the Eastern Conference, you had the Washington Capitals, finally getting past the second round after years of playoff letdowns, and the Tampa Bay Lightning, appearing in their second Eastern Conference Final in 4 years, also with the pressure of being the team everyone felt was the odds on favorite to win it all. Who would prevail? Well, it was my thinking that once the Capitals got past the Penguins, there was no stopping them, and I was right. But it wasn’t easy, as it took 7 games, with the Capitals shutting out the Lightning 4-0 in Tampa Bay. This set the stage for the Stanley Cup Finals, featuring 2 teams who had never won a championship before. The end result would either be a long time contender, and a hall of fame player in Ovechkin, finally fulfilling years of promise, or the biggest upset in the history of organized sports taking place. The Stanley Cup Finals are no different than any of the other final championship rounds or games in professional sports. Like the World Series, the Super Bowl and the NBA Finals, it is often dragged down by too much advertising, ridiculous start times, and celebrity and corporate sports “fans” who either want to be “seen”, or entertain clients. It’s annoying at times, and disheartening as a true sports fan, but it is what it is. The fact remains, this is what the players have fought, scratched and clawed for all season long, and after months of hard work, this is the round where a champion will finally be crowned. With more points than Washington in the regular season, The Vegas Golden Knights had home ice advantage in the Stanley Cup Finals against the Capitals, and immediately took advantage with a 6-4 victory in Game 1, but the Caps bounced back with a 3-2 win in Game 2, as the series shifted to Washington. This was where the Capitals put an end to the dream season for Vegas with a 3-1 victory in Game 3, and 6-2 trouncing in Game 4, setting the stage for the Capital to win the Stanley Cup back in Vegas for Game 5. After a scoreless 1st period, Washington took the lead early in the 2nd on a goal by Jakub Varna. The Knights would tie the game shortly after on a goal by Nate Schmidt, but Washington would regain the lead on a power play goal by Alex Ovechkin. However, Vegas would not go down without a fight as they rattled off 2 consecutive goals to take a 3-2 lead into the 3rd period. The Capitals would tie the game halfway through the third period on a goal by Devante Smith-Pelly, and less than 3 minutes later would take the lead for good on a goal by Lars Eller with 7:37 remaining. The Knights would pull goaltender Marc Andre-Fleury for the extra skater and make a final push, but it was to no avail as the Capitals hung on to win their first ever Stanley Cup, and set off a wild celebration in Sin City. Alexander Ovechkin, with 15 goals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP. As a long time Rangers fan, I was obviously disappointed that my team did not make the playoffs this past year...however, this was one of the more memorable NHL seasons I can recall in recent memory. From an expansion team shocking the world, to a memorable Winter Classic featuring my Rangers, to the retirement of 2 legendary players, to the fulfillment of a long time destiny by another, I already cannot wait for the 2018-19 season to start. Who knows what surprises lay ahead? Read the full article

#follow #followme #hockey #instagood #instagram #news #nhl #sports #thedailyonion

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investmart007 · 6 years ago

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TURNBERRY, Scotland | The Latest: Supporters cheer as Trump nears Helsinki hotel

New Post has been published on https://is.gd/U2euYa

TURNBERRY, Scotland | The Latest: Supporters cheer as Trump nears Helsinki hotel

TURNBERRY, Scotland — The Latest on President Donald Trump (all times local): 9 p.m. Several dozen supporters of President Donald Trump, many waving American flags and sporting “Make America Great Again” caps, have cheered as the U.S. leader neared his hotel in Helsinki before his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Dozens of police cordoned off a small area Sunday night at an intersection along the route of Trump’s motorcade near the posh waterfront hotel where he and his wife, Melania, are staying. The Trump fans, several from the True Finn anti-immigration party, said they wanted to make a show of support in a country where many people have criticized his policies.

A few scattered boos rang out from across the road. Trump and his wife waved at the supporters, two of whom held up a handwritten banner that read “God Bless D & M Trump.” ___ 6:50 p.m. President Donald Trump has arrived in Finland for his closely watched summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump landed in the capital city, Helsinki, late Sunday. He planned no public appearances until Monday, when he heads to the Presidential Palace for breakfast with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto. Trump and Putin meet later Monday at the palace.

The president flew in from Scotland, where he and his wife, Melania, spent the weekend at a golf resort he owns there. Trump heads into the summit with little clear agenda other than to strengthen his personal rapport with Putin, which he thinks is crucial to improving relations between Washington and Moscow.

Finland has a long legacy of hosting U.S.-Soviet and U.S.-Russian summits because of its geographic location and perceived neutrality. ___ 6:10 p.m. President Donald Trump says the testimony of an FBI agent who was removed from the special counsel’s Russia investigation was “an absolute disgrace.”

Trump tells CBS News that he watched some of Peter Strzok’s (struhkz) testimony to Congress while traveling in Europe. He says, “I thought it was a disgrace to our country.”

Strzok was removed from the investigation following the discovery of anti-Trump text messages last year that he traded with an FBI lawyer in the run-up to the 2016 election. The texts opened the Justice Department up to claims of institutional bias. Strzok vigorously defended himself during last week’s hearing.

Trump accuses Strzok of lying and making up excuses. He says cases like Strzok’s hurt relations with Russia and other countries. Trump taped the interview Saturday in Scotland. CBS News released excerpts Sunday. ___ 6 p.m. President Donald Trump is calling the U.S. news media “the enemy of the people” as he prepares to meet with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, who has cracked down on the free press at home.

Tweeting as he flew to Finland for Monday’s meeting with Putin, Trump says, “No matter how well I do at the Summit” he’ll face “criticism that it wasn’t good enough.” He writes, “If I was given the great city of Moscow as retribution for all of the sins and evils committed by Russia over the years, I would return to criticism that it wasn’t good enough — that I should have gotten Saint Petersburg in addition!”

Trump also writes: “Much of our news media is indeed the enemy of the people.” His summit with Putin is on Monday. ___ 4:15 p.m. President Donald Trump is on his way to Finland for a high-stakes summit with Russia’s Vladimir Putin. Trump’s plane departed Glasgow, Scotland, just after 4 p.m. local time Sunday for the approximately three-hour flight to the Finnish capital, Helsinki. The president has no public appearances planned after his nighttime arrival. He is due to meet with Putin on Monday.

Trump and his wife, Melania, spent the weekend at his eponymous golf resort in Turnberry, Scotland, about an hour’s drive from Glasgow. The president hit the links both days. On Saturday, he appeared to wave to a group of people who staged a protest picnic near several holes of the course that are visible from a nearby beach. ___ 4 p.m. President Donald Trump is describing the European Union as a “foe” in an interview taped in Scotland. Trump told CBS News in an interview Saturday that he thinks the U.S. has “a lot of foes,” including the bloc of European nations that are among America’s closest allies.

He says, “I think the European Union is a foe, what they do to us in trade.” He adds: “You wouldn’t think of the European Union, but they’re a foe.”

He also says that Russia is a foe “in certain respects” and that China is a foe “economically.” He says of China: “But that doesn’t mean they are bad. It doesn’t mean anything. It means that they are competitive.”

Trump is departing for Helsinki on Sunday for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday. ___ 3:40 p.m. A U.S. senator says it’s inevitable that Russia is going to interfere in American elections and that it’s pointless to confront Russian President Vladimir Putin about it.

Sen. Rand Paul tells CNN’s “State of the Union” that the U.S. shouldn’t seek accountability from Russia. In Paul’s words — “They’re another country. They’re going to spy on us. They do spy on us. They’re going to interfere in our elections. We also do the same.” The Kentucky Republican says Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election isn’t “morally equivalent” to U.S. interference in Russian elections. But he says, “I think in their mind it is.”

Paul also says Putin isn’t going to extradite the 12 Russian military intelligence officials charged with hacking Democrats. So Paul says “it’d be a moot point” for President Donald Trump to ask about it at their summit Monday. ___ 2:50 p.m. National security adviser John Bolton says President Donald Trump has a stronger hand going into the Russia summit because of U.S. charges against 12 Russian military intelligence officials related to the hacking of Democratic targets in the 2016 presidential election. Bolton tells ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday that the indictments show that the American justice system is aware of Russian efforts to meddle in U.S. elections.

He says Trump can now say to Russian President Vladimir Putin that “this is a serious matter that we need to talk about.” Trump has said he will raise the issue when he sits down with Putin in Helsinki on Monday. Bolton also says he finds it “hard to believe” that the Russian intelligence officials could conduct such an operation without Putin’s knowledge. ___ 2:35 p.m. The top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee says he’s worried about President Donald Trump meeting one on one with Russia’s Vladimir Putin during their summit in Finland. U.S. Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia says, “We know that Trump doesn’t do a lot of prep work for these meetings. He kind of goes in and wings it.”

Warner notes Putin’s KGB background and fears Putin could “take advantage” of Trump during Monday’s summit. Warner says he’d “feel much better if there were other Americans in the room making sure that we make the point that the first and top point of this agenda should be no further Russian interference in our elections.” Warner tells NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that Trump “has been completely reluctant to call out Putin as a bad actor.” ___ 2:20 p.m. President Donald Trump’s ambassador to Moscow says he hopes Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin have “a detailed conversation about where we might be able to find some overlapping and shared interests.”

The leaders are holding a summit Monday in Helsinki. Ambassador Jon Huntsman says the two countries now have a “fraught bilateral relationship.” The diplomat adds that “the collective blood pressure between the United States and Russia is off-the-charts high, so it’s a good thing these presidents are getting together.”

Huntsman tells NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he expects that the two presidents will talk about “everything from meddling in the election to areas where we have some shared interests.” He says, “The objective here is to meet, to put our cards on the table.” ___ 11:56 a.m. President Donald Trump says “nothing bad … maybe some good” will come out of his summit Monday with Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Finland.

Trump says in a television interview that he’s going into the meeting with “low expectations. I’m not going with high expectations.” The president also tells CBS News that he “hadn’t thought” about asking Putin to extradite the dozen Russian military intelligence officers indicted this past week in Washington on charges related to the hacking of Democratic targets in the 2016 U.S. election, but says that “certainly I’ll be asking about it.”

The United States has no extradition treaty with Moscow and can’t compel Russia to hand over citizens, and a provision in Russia’s constitution prohibits extraditing its citizens to foreign countries.

By Associated Press

#Britain Trump Visits #Donald Trump #Helsinki #Helsinki hotel #Latest news #Scotland news #Supporters cheer Trump #The Latest #TodayNews #TURNBERRY news

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ultrasfcb-blog · 6 years ago

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Croatia v England in World Cup semi-final: Will expertise trump youth?

World Cup Catch-up: England marching on, soccer coming residence

Croatia v England Date: Wednesday, 11 July (19:00 BST). Venue: Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow. Protection: Hear stay on BBC Radio 5 stay, with stay textual content commentary on-line.

Neglect the match favourites. Certainly one of England or Croatia will compete within the World Cup remaining on Sunday.

Their semi-final has been billed as the most recent step in an unusually engaging route by means of the knockout phases for the Three Lions, however Croatia are a facet filled with intensive expertise, whereas Gareth Southgate’s squad is the second youngest in Russia.

13 of the Croatian gamers are showing at their second successive World Cup, whereas 18 of England’s 23-man celebration are on the match for the primary time. Solely two of the English 5 to have skilled a World Cup earlier than – Raheem Sterling and Jordan Henderson – have been common starters.

We check out the stark distinction between skilled Croatia and a new-look England.

Age and expertise

If Southgate names an unchanged beginning line-up on Wednesday, it’s going to include solely three gamers who had been born when England misplaced their final World Cup semi-final, towards West Germany 28 years in the past.

Ashley Younger was 4 years previous, whereas Kyle Walker and Jordan Henderson had been infants when the late Bobby Robson’s facet suffered penalty heartbreak in Turin.

“It’s scary to suppose that 17 of the 2018 squad weren’t born when that match was performed,” mentioned former England captain Alan Shearer.

In distinction, eight of Croatia’s facet that began Saturday’s quarter-final win over Russia are aged 28 or over – together with their formidable midfield trio of Luka Modric, 32, Ivan Rakitic, 30, and Ivan Perisic, 29, in addition to ahead Mario Mandzukic, 32.

Certainly, the typical age of the Croatia facet that beat the hosts was 29.1, with 5 gamers – together with goalkeeper Danijel Subasic and defender Ivan Strinic – aged 30 or over.

England’s squad contains simply three gamers aged over 30 – Younger, Jamie Vardy and Gary Cahill.

Younger, 33, has clocked up 372 minutes of motion in Russia, however England boss Southgate has used Vardy and Cahill sparingly.

Cahill, 32, has managed simply 90 minutes at this match, with Vardy, 31, used for 119 minutes.

Croatia have relied closely on their skilled gamers, not least Modric, who has began each sport – even the ultimate group match towards Iceland when his facet had already certified.

For a participant whose World Cup expertise goes all the way in which again to the 2006 World Cup, might one other 90 (or 120) minutes be a stretch too far?

Event know-how

As greater than half of this Croatia squad competed on the final World Cup in Brazil 4 years in the past, Jordan Pickford had not lengthy completed a mortgage spell at non-league Alfreton City, whereas Harry Maguire and Dele Alli had been taking part in in League One. It was one other 12 months earlier than the latter earned a career-changing transfer to Tottenham.

In truth, 9 of England’s beginning facet in Saturday’s 2-0 quarter-final win over Sweden are showing at their first finals, together with Younger, the oldest member of Southgate’s squad, which matches to point out how little match know-how England have.

“This squad has bought power and youth,” added Shearer earlier than the beginning of the match. “There appears a real pleasure and happiness to be concerned.”

It’s a very totally different image for Croatia.

Modric, at his third World Cup, has mixed with Rakitic, Mandzukic and Perisic to type the core of this group over the previous decade.

That quartet have amassed 366 caps between them. That’s 32 greater than the mixed complete of the 12 gamers listed as midfielders and forwards in England’s squad.

That profitable feeling

One group on Wednesday will characteristic three gamers who’ve received the Champions League six instances between them. The opposite will characteristic six League Cup winners.

Whereas Modric is a four-time European champion with Actual, Rakitic received it with Barcelona in 2015 and Mandzukic celebrated the prize with Bayern Munich in 2013.

The one Champions League winner in England’s squad is Cahill, who’s as soon as once more more likely to begin on the bench.

And Croatia’s group is sprinkled with gamers who’ve received titles throughout Europe’s high leagues. Because the graphic under exhibits, their gamers have received league titles in seven nations, England’s gamers solely of their homeland.

Subasic received Ligue 1 with Monaco in 2017, whereas ahead Andrej Kramaric was on Leicester Metropolis’s books once they received the Premier League in 2016 – though he solely made two top-flight substitute appearances that season.

Mandzukic received back-to-back Bundesliga titles earlier than leaving Bayern Munich in 2014, occurring to win three straight Serie A titles with Juventus.

Perisic additionally received the Bundesliga in 2012 with Borussia Dortmund, whereas Modric helped Actual Madrid win La Liga in 2017.

England are more likely to have 4 Premier League winners of their facet once they take to the sector – Walker, John Stones, Raheem Sterling and Younger.

Not like the well-travelled Croatians, none of their squad has ever received a league title exterior of England.

Objectives, targets, targets

Whereas Harry Kane is leading scorer at this match with six targets, Mandzukic has constantly delivered in entrance of objective for Croatia.

Having made his senior worldwide debut in 2007, the Juventus ahead has 31 targets in 87 video games for his nation and is second on Croatia’s listing of all-time high scorers behind Davor Suker.

Croatia’s established midfield is all stuffed with targets – Perisic, Rakitic and Modric have 48 between them. In distinction, Henderson is ready for his first England strike after 43 appearances, whereas Sterling has not scored for England since October 2015.

Towards Sweden, Alli grew to become the second-youngest participant to attain for England on the World Cup (22 years and 87 days), behind solely Michael Owen (18 years and 190 days).

In doing so he grew to become the fifth totally different England scorer in Russia after Kane, Stones, Jesse Lingard and Maguire.

Croatia’s 10 targets have been unfold proper throughout the group. Eight totally different gamers have scored for them prior to now 5 video games – Modric, Ante Rebic, Rakitic, Milan Badelj, Perisic, Mandzukic, Kramaric and Domagoj Vida – they usually have additionally benefited from an personal objective.

Whereas England failed to attain against Belgium of their remaining group sport, Croatia have discovered the online in every of their previous 9 World Cup matches – a run stretching again to 2006.

Nevertheless, England nonetheless have another objective than Croatia at this match.

Will that also be the case after Wednesday?

“We all know that free-kicks and corners are the large issues Croatia can be anxious about on Wednesday, however I do not take a look at them and see something to be afraid of,” mentioned Shearer.

“In fact they have some technically gifted gamers – like Modric and Rakitic, who’ve been excellent on this match – however they appeared useless on their toes throughout further time of their quarter-final towards Russia.

“We’ve got to respect them due to the standard they have, however we must always not worry them and I do not suppose the England gamers will both.”

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How athletes are turning their shoes into political symbols

Washington (CNN)The white Obama “O” logo pops on the black sneaker. Below, written in all caps is “MBK Alliance,” for the former president’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative. And on the midsole, the “SC” logo for Steph Curry’s shoe line. It’s an all-star collaboration between one of the biggest brands in politics and one of the biggest brand in signature sneakers, a one-of-one, worn by Curry once, at Washington’s Capital One Arena in February. Curry put them up for a charity campaign this week, with fans able to donate $10 for a chance to win them.

So Curry’s shoes felt like an exclamation mark on the trip. They were a show of support for the previous president and his work, but also a show of contempt the current one, and in the heart of his adopted presidential hometown no less. And they were part of an emerging trend.

As politics has collided with professional sports during Trump’s time in office, athletes have turned to fashion to send a message. Cleats and sneakers have become a canvas of political and social expression for some of today’s biggest and most outspoken sports stars — and a way to make a statement while standing.

Customized causes

Marcus Rivero — who goes by @solesbysir on Instagram — paints shoes for athletes. He started doing them for members of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, and by now he’s made custom-painted shoes for at least one player on every team in the NFL, as well as for athletes in the NBA and MLB, soccer players overseas, and boxers.

“When I first started doing this custom painting stuff, it was just changes blue to yellow, changes purple to black, and then it started becoming more messages,” he told CNN’s COVER/LINE. “Then they started to get deeper meanings.”

In 2014, the Washington Redskins’ DeSean Jackson, a longtime client for Rivero, had a specific request. He wanted “something cool” on his cleat, Rivero recalled him saying, but he wanted something else too. A New York grand jury had just decided to not indict a police officer in the death of Eric Garner and Jackson wanted his cleats to read “I can’t breathe,” the words Garner could be heard struggling to say in a video as the officer held him in a chokehold.

“It was my first political shoe,” Rivero said. “I really wasn’t trying to take a stand for anything, my stuff was just artwork, and when he told me that, I said, ‘OK, I’ll come up with something.'”

The result was a snakeskin pattern in Washington’s colors, burgundy and gold, with the words written across the front, fading out at the end.

“That went pretty viral pretty fast,” Rivero said.

While most of the shoes he paints are apolitical, he’s begun to receive more requests for paint jobs related to news events. Following the 2016 Dallas shooting, he painted another pair for Jackson, this time, sky blue covered in bright yellow caution tape, as a statement against violence. After the Las Vegas shooting in October, the Washington Nationals’ Bryce Harper wore “Pray for Las Vegas” cleats with various images from the Strip.

For week 13 of the most recent NFL season, the league encouraged players to support charities through its My Cause, My Cleats initiative. It’s Rivero’s biggest week of the year, and he starts working on cleats far in advance to fulfill all his client’s requests. Tennessee Titans’ Rishard Matthews selected Know Your Rights, the charity of his college friend Colin Kaepernick, and Rivero painted Kaepernick’s name and an image of him kneeling with his hair styled into a fist.

“That one probably got the most political attention, and it was very controversial,” Rivero said. Matthews didn’t end up playing that week, due a hamstring injury. Still, “the shoe had made its mark even before the game started,” he said.

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An advocating addition to a uniform

Athletes are restricted in what they can wear on the court or field. But their shoes can be an exception.

“The only way that most guys in the league can get away with expressing themselves is their footwear,” said Rachel Johnson, a stylist who’s worked with some of the NBA’s biggest stars, including LeBron James, Chris Paul and Amar’e Stoudemire. Sneakers, she said, are, “the smartest and most innovative way that they can express themselves without getting fined.”

While the NFL has traditionally had strict guidelines about cleats, down to the color of the laces, rules have loosened. In 2016, a half dozen players wore red, white, and blue cleats for the 15th anniversary of 9/11, and none of them were fined, and last year, personalized cleats were allowed for pre-game. The NBA has also relaxed its shoe rules. While the league once required players to match their teammates, athletes are now allowed to mix and match from their team’s color palette and wear special colors for events and holidays. It’s allowed athletes greater expression, and opened the way for shoes with political or social messages.

Curry’s first Obama sneaker came just days into Trump’s time in office, on MLK Day 2017. It was a Curry 3 with a presidential seal on the tongue, Obama’s signature on the sole, along with the phrase “Back2Back” a reference to Curry’s back-to-back MVP titles and Obama’s back-to-back electoral college victories.

Shoes with the American flag or to honor service members are popular. Baseball’s Harper wore a fatigue brown “Honor The Fallen” version of his Harper 2 on Memorial Day. Michael Bennett — the son of a veteran who was then with the Seattle Seahawks and now with the Philadelphia Eagles — was one of the NFL season’s earliest anthem protesters and wore cleats with the image of a kneeling soldier for POW/MIA. His Seahawks teammate Blair Walsh supported The Bully Project with cleats covered in the words “Speak Out,” while the San Diego Chargers’ Kellen Clemens wore cleats for National Right to Life.

The Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade turned his sneakers into a tribute to Joaquin Oliver, a Wade superfan and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student killed in the shooting. Wade wrote Oliver’s name on his shoes and gifted Oliver’s family a pair of his Way of Wade brand sneakers customized with Douglas High’s eagle mascot.

The statement LeBron James made with his sneakers was “Equality,” written in gold all-caps across the back of his LeBron 15s.

James debuted the 15 during New York Fashion Week in September 2017 at a show for the brand Kith. The 15 was sleeker and sexier than some of his most recent sneakers. Previous editions of the line were bulky and muscular, built like a superhero, but the 15 was built for someone who has a runway show at 7 and a basketball game at 8. The day of the Cavaliers opening game, James appeared in photos for a GQ cover story wearing a gold pair of his sneakers along with $845 Dolce & Gabbana pants and a $3,395 Alexander McQueen peacoat with the collar popped. And then that night, they became political symbols.

Cleveland played the Boston Celtics at Quicken Loans Arena, their home court (and previously, the site of the 2016 Republican National Convention where Trump was made his party’s nominee). James wore pair of black “Equality” 15s, a continuation of the Nike campaign he helped introduce in 2017. When the Cavs came to Washington, he wore them again, this time one black, one white.

“We’re not going to let one person dictate us, us as Americans, how beautiful and how powerful we are as a people,” he said after the game, referencing Trump, according to the Washington Post. “Equality is all about understanding our rights, understanding what we stand for and how powerful we are as men and women, black or white or Hispanic. It doesn’t matter your race, whatever the case may be, this is a beautiful country, and we’re never going to let one person dictate how beautiful and how powerful we are.”

The shoes aren’t sold in stores, but in early March, Nike held a 400-pair giveaway, 200 in white, 200 in black, with proceeds going to the same African-American history and culture museum visited by the Warriors in February.

Feet do the talking

This NBA season has seen other examples of clothing being used as a vehicle for political speech. The Sacramento Kings and Boston Celtics wore shirts that read “Accountability. We are One” following the killing of Stephon Clark in March. And a special Nike City Edition line of uniforms for the league included jerseys for the Memphis Grizzlies inspired by the Civil Rights-era “I Am a Man” protest sign, while the Phoenix Suns had the latest edition of their “Los Suns” jerseys, used previously following the passage of controversial immigration enforcement legislation in Arizona in 2010.

But shoes offer players a level of individual expression shirts and jerseys do not. And they play a particular role in fashion for the American man.

Shoes — and sneakers in particular — are where many American men first began to express themselves. As the suit, the traditional uniform of masculinity, gave way to new ideals like sneakers-wearing sports stars and tech bros beginning in the ’80s, it gave men permission to express themselves through their footwear.

“Sneakers were the first way that men could start to take sartorial choices and I think that men continue to take their greatest sartorial choices at the footwear level,” said Elizabeth Semmelhack, senior curator at the Bata Shoe Museum and author of “Out of the Box: The Rise of Sneaker Culture.” “

The colors that you see in sneakers, the bold designs, oftentimes you don’t find those reflected necessarily in other garments that men wear,” she said.

Sneakers remain “at the vanguard of male fashion,” she added, and because they’re associated with athletic masculinity, “they almost don’t feel like fashion, which is often feminized, because of these hyper-masculine associations.”

And they’ve proven an effective way to make a statement. While anthem kneeling became partisan and divisive, sneakers and cleats have not yet risen to that level. When Fox News’ Laura Ingraham went after James and the Warriors’ Kevin Durant, saying they should “shut up and dribble” in February, it wasn’t over their shoes, it was over what they said about Trump in an interview. Shoes are more subtle, less in your face. Yet at the same time, they rebel against the call to not speak out as wearable pieces of political pop art.

Johnson, James’ stylist, sees political shoes as a sign of athletes maturing. As a generation of players have grown up, they’ve realized they can use their voice and platform to do more than sell products, and they’ve become fathers.

“Watching their own children grow up heightens that level of responsibility for them,” she said.

Johnson likened the political shoe trend to the sartorial glow-up the NBA has experienced since the mid ’00s.

“There was just bad fashion being passed along from season to season and now that there’s been this huge fashion evolution, younger players come in and they really understand that they can utilize fashion as a vehicle to express themselves, to express their brand,” she said. “I think that that same kind of freedom, and that same kind of courage, that same kind of level of expression is going to be handed down to the young players as they come up, through the political lens.”

Johnson said she expects the trend will continue, especially if people tell athletes they can’t express their views.

“As long as there are people telling players to shut up and dribble and that they don’t have the right to kneel at football games, there’s going to continue to be an uprising in the way that players are expressing themselves.”

Instagram gallery photo credits: 1. Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images 2. Patrick Smith/Getty Images 3. Patrick Smith/Getty Images 4. Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images 5. G Fiume/Getty Images 6. Alessandra Mondolfi 7. Nike 8. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images 9. Soles by Sir 10. @stephencurry30 11. Patrick Smith/Getty Images 12. Soles by Sir 13. @Manny_Navarro 14. Rod Mar/Seattle Seahawks 15. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images 16. Soles by Sir 17. @bharper3407