183 Comments

YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE! Quick reminder, we've got the Axe. Do carry on.

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Very comforting

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I just put out a replica Axe in my office :)

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where'd ya get it? I think I might need one!

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I think it was originally from Big Game, but I was able to get one from Cal Athletics!

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I'll try and track one down!

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Probably from the Big Game last year. I will have mine on display when we have the Axe and put it away when we don't.

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I didn't get up there until it was way too late.

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Philly

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A place where it is always sunny.

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I need to watch that show…heard it’s good.

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in the same boat, but I have a hard time starting a show with so many seasons in the books.

altho did start The Mindy Project – which has like 22 eps per season – and haven't regretted it so far.

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There is a lot of it to watch!

I think the early seasons (1-5) are the real golden age.

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The episodes are 30 mins, ya?

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30, yes.

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Lost the World Series, Super Bowl, and MLS Cup....

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Had the privilege of watching the Grateful Dead play Unbroken Chain for the first time ever at the Philly Spectrum in 1995.

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Hopefully it will apply to 2023 defense:

Roll you down the line boy

Drop you for a loss

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Feb 13, 2023·edited Feb 13, 2023

A truly awesome city, with truly awful people, at least sports fans.

Not surprisingly, the miserable entity that is the former Mrs. Chitwood is from 45 minutes outside Philly. It’s a glorious Monday following an Eagles gag job.

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I thought that you and your ex had a cordial relationship ;-)

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Oh, ya, we’re just lifelong friends…;-)

She’s the kind of person that roots for Walmart to come in, destroy Main Street, put Mom and Pop outta business and kill the town….then she’ll swing by on the way home, kick your dog and let the parakeet out. Booooo.

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altho maybe you have a database of them from your 12-step meetings

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I was trying to come up with a "you know, like xx and yy", but couldn't come up with famous exes who hate each other

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Amber Heard and Johnny Depp

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yeah, I avoid celeb stuff, but was hard to avoid that one. shoulda come to mind

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cream cheese. It's fine and I buy it nearly 100% of the time when I need cream cheese. But I was blown away in Berkeley when I had proper, fresh cream cheese.

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up in Tahoe and the local health food store didn't have Philly, but rather a pro-biotic brand – overcomes 'sore ski leg' laziness to go and check the fridge – called Nancy's. This morning, had sub-par everything bagels (Alvarado St...super crumbly) with Nancy's...it's like a hybrid of cream cheese and sour cream.

4/19 WNB

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I usually buy trader joes cream cheese if I'm using it for the cinnamon rolls frosting or in smoked salmon dip since the quality doesn't matter as much. When my ex would make cheesecake I made sure to buy Philadelphia.

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pretzels ..

from out discussion last week (i think it was in DBD)

a friend ordered some Philly pretzels for the game last night.

they were pretty good but not outstanding. there was a separate salt packet that you used at the last minute.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Ado7ygruA3ttXnAL9

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On pretzels: my Wisconsonite friends swear by https://www.milwaukeepretzel.com/

My Bavarian friend says the shape isn't authentic, but would be willing to try them. For those in the East Bay, she does like Squabisch, but the sweet ones are a step too far for her! http://squabisch.com/

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my Bavarian friend bristles at "Pretzel"...should be Bretzel

gonna be there in April, so I'll see what the signs say

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Cheese steak

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Eagles

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It's also the unofficial mascot of Liberty, since their official one is the flames. I'm still confused about Auburn.

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Feb 13, 2023·edited Feb 13, 2023Author

Southern Miss, Marquette, Boston College, and UNT.

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Eastern Washington.

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Hotel California

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Elon musk restricts military use of the satellite service he gave Ukraine to control drones. If you ask me, I think he's indirectly asking the US DoD to pay him for his donation of satellite stations

https://www.politico.eu/article/spacex-restricted-internet-ukraine-prevent-escalation-elon-musk-russia-starlink-ww3-gwynne-shotwell-drones-infrastructure/

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Well, he's made bunches of money off direct and indirect government subsidies in SpaceX and Tesla, it would be no surprise he's trying for leverage here as well

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Valentine's Day

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Hallmark holiday bullshit and those celebrating it should be summarily put to death

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I really believe this and wish my wife also believed it.

But since she does not, I must celebrate.

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my wife and I have never celebrated V-Day, at least not on V-Day. It was always dinner the night before, or (hey, I have a biz trip to NYC a few days later...let's celebrate then).

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Fire Starkey cements his already well established reputation as a buzz-kill curmudgeon who is the death of the party!

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I thought that was my title.

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harsh but fair

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Tomorrow will be the 94th anniversary of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Valentine%27s_Day_Massacre

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My great grandma claimed to have seen the dead bodies! She worked nearby. Crazy that it was in Lincoln Park; it would be like having a famous gang shooting in SF’s Marina

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YES!

Makes me wanna get a cat, just because….

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I hadn't even seen this before my comment above...

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Me neither!

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PRO

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Pitchers and catchers, any day now...

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Let's Go!! I can't wait for the WBC and spring training.

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I haven't really paid much attention to the WBC in the past, but for some reason am really looking for it this year.

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I'm going to the Sunday game US/Mexico. Would be pretty cool if it was Kershaw and Urías. Then the Wed US/Columbia game is being sponsored by two Bluetooth SIG sponsors.

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Derek Carr will refuse any trade offer, Raiders expected to release longtime QB this week, per report [opportunity for Chase?]

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/derek-carr-will-refuse-any-trade-offer-raiders-expected-to-release-longtime-qb-this-week-per-report/

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I think it will be fascinating if the Raiders cut Derek Carr, only to sign Jimmy Garoppolo…

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Especially if Derek Carr leads his new team to a win that eliminates the Raiders next year. But the 49ers need to keep a good insurance policy in Jimmy G on hand, so the latter part shouldn't happen anyway.

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Isn't Jimmy an FA?

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Yes, but that doesn't mean the 49ers can't sign him. Or that they shouldn't. As we learned, 4 competent QBs wasn't a sufficient supply to get through the season. Like this year, he would be a heck of an insurance policy, or better, in case Purdy's surgery is a little behind schedule on its rehab.

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Feb 14, 2023·edited Feb 14, 2023

Tim Kawakami pointed to serious static between Shanahan/Niner front office and Garoppolo. Rumor is Jimmy G was healthy enough to play v. Philly as QB2, and refused…who knows the veracity.

Kyle was terse about him, stating in the media recap last week there’s no chance he is back.

I’ve heard they may look at Andy Dalton or another veteran, because they could use another guy…then again, never say never with that guy! Haha.

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unrelated to Pro, but what is considered correct?

An FA (based on the fact that the pronunciation starts with "ef")

or

A FA (based on the word starting with "F")

I'm an "an FA" guy, but Word, etc. usually disagrees. I assume since it doesn't pronounce it, but rather just looks at the first letter

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In the bluetooth sig they want "an fa" because "F" starts with a vowel sound. Not sure if that's standard or not.

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Yes. Unrestricted.

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To quote Ken "Hawk" Harrelson, "He Gone"

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or Trey "Bust" Lance

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Can't wait for my steak...steak in Gainesville just tastes better, especially when it's on someone else's tab... ;-)

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I’ll also take this bet. Trey won’t be very good.

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Feb 13, 2023·edited Feb 13, 2023

That bet was made months ago and is unfortunately off the table given Purdy’s meteoric rise from Mr Irrelevant to NFCCG starter that no one saw coming.

But we should get a steak in SD regardless.

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Warriors agree to have GP2 sit in civvies rather than pay Wiseman's contract

https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2023/2/12/23597191/report-detrout-pistons-warriors-allow-trade-to-go-through-james-wiseman-headed-to-detroit

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Feb 14, 2023·edited Feb 14, 2023

crazy nuts! I'd love to keep wiseman for the long-term play, but maybe "he could be great, but not in this system and not with Steph" might be correct.

But, the saving grace was getting another PoA defender to shore things up for the last 30 games. oh well...as you were, Warriors defense.

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Yeah, if now all we get is a guy who is too injured to play, I feel like I would have preferred to rescind and trade him for picks at least

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fun aside on this story. a guy who is an NBA exec in the legal circles was over at our house last night to watch the game.

he was on his phone a lot during the game and i asked if "trade deadline was keeping him extra busy"

he said, "yes, the GP2 trade is blowing up my phone, as we speak"

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Reporter: “Augustus, how do you feel now that you’ve found a Golden Ticket?”

Augustus: “HHHUUNNNGGGRRRYYY”

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and then his dad eats the microphone...

found out that WW was filmed in Munich (which is where they cast the Gloops), with the Wonkavator flyover being a town about 100 miles to the NW.

I thought it might have been England until the flyover, at which point it's German-ness was pretty obvious. sure wasn't anywhere in the US

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just watched Willy Wonka with 7-yo for the first time last night, so a well-timed story!

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SUPERB OWL

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After winning his second SB ring, QB abruptly announces his retirement

https://www.nfl.com/news/chiefs-qb-chad-henne-announces-retirement-following-super-bowl-lvii-victory

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ESPN2 counterprogramming during the game - spikeball, pickleball, axe throwing, and cornhole. Probably didn't draw many of the 200 million or so who didn't watch the game.

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Chris Stapleton's performance of the National Anthem was epic.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1624914471549554688

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One of the best.

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The opening ceremonies kept dragging on and on, but he put on a solid performance.

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Pre game ceremony creep is real and must be stopped.

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They do THREE anthems now!

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really? which ones?

there aren't any Canadian teams.

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1. Lift Every Voice and Sing

2. America the Beautiful

3. Star-Spangled Banner

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Dude, interminable.

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It’s becoming the pumpkin spice latte of the NFL.

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They had those out in August, bud....TOO F-ING SOON!

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Rihanna

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I enjoyed the stage and the stay-puft dancers, but Rihanna's performance was pretty dull. She seemed bored out there.

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I liked it. I suspect it was really good in person.

The issue I noticed was the pinkish-red was sooo bright, and with no backlight, some shots actually color-bursted on my tv. I thought I had some adjustment problem at first, but not all the camera angles (and there were a lot of them) had the effect. And the rest of the game broadcast was fine. So it was a camera exposure effect exacerbated by the lack of backlight. Everyone with any photographic or video experience has experienced this to some degree at some point. Mrs. Panda hardly noticed, but she doesn't watch stuff with nearly the eye for technical details I do.

Once I got past the surprise distraction of the technical issue, and aside from that, I thought it was one of the better halftime shows I've seen at the Super Bowl in recent times.

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well, she makes her money of cosmetics and clothes now, so this is more of a hobby performance

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Perhaps some of that was due to her being pregnant? She looks like she is 4-5 months pregnant right now.

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I think she just had a baby too…

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I am bemused by the universal acclaim for her performance. Her music isnt my thing and I thought it was fine but really? So much whatever

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Commercial

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Alex Morgan shows up

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If you replaced the word Jesus with Mohammed, this commercial probably would have been banned - which makes me wonder why they allowed it. I mean, apart from the obvious reasons

https://twitter.com/andrewperezdc/status/1624933657122115584

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I lost the larger message because I was too distracted by that one kid kneeling on the floor in front of a urinal (blech) so his friend could stand on him.

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Hobby Lobby

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The little tug as the WR was coming out of his break is probably holding by the textbook definition. Still thought it was a pretty soft call and kind of ruined the end of the game from an entertainment standpoint (great, now let's watch KC kneel down and kick a chip shot field goal . . . not fun).

That said, after the NFC Championship I am not shedding any tears for the Eagles not getting calls from the refs.

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I wondered if it was at least partly a makeup call.

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That's what we were saying too.

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Feb 13, 2023·edited Feb 13, 2023

I didn’t think they called the hand on JuJu’s left hip tho - it’s when Bradberry tugs the jersey near the 9 when Smith-Schuster’s coming out of his break to cut up field. Dunno, I’m always for refs swallowing the whistle, but do think that’s a pretty clear hold as you can see the jersey grab.

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Oh totally! It was called on the right hand that stopped the wideout’s upfield cut. I feel like that happens all the time and is pretty much always called, not sure what the complaints are about. Ironically, would have been better to not hold and let him score!

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I think once the refs see the jersey tug, automatic flag. No jersey tug, just an arm around the waist, they kinda let it go.

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I did notice the flag came out very late…

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I wish they hadn't made the call, but also not a bad one.

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I can see why they called it, but my issue is earlier they did not call a similar, but far more significant, hook and hold that was more impactful, so I was surprised. It's always really hard when the standard of calls changes significantly as the game proceeds.

The Chiefs were already in FG range, so they probably score anyway, but it was the clock-changing affect that meant the Eagles would not have a chance to answer that was impactful. It's possible the Chiefs' D shuts down the Eagles anyway, but we don't and won't know.

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If I were an Eagles fan I would be really upset. To stop them on 3rd down and then first down is awarded.

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I thought it was a bad call. That could be called on just about every play.

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considering what gets called and not called during a game, that was sofffffttttt and handed the game to KC

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Feb 13, 2023·edited Feb 13, 2023

They love their Patrick…overturning the DeVonta catch that would’ve put Philly in prime position to go up 2 TDs at half was puzzling. That review took way too long to say it was conclusive.

As usual, the NFL has a major officiating problem. The stripes are just too visible.

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It's like the opposite of the NBA. Almost anything goes in the playoffs in the last couple of min of the game.

Reggie Miller said he pushed off on Jordan because he knew they weren't going to call it.

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DBD AV CLUB

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Just watched Poker Face ep 5. Loved seeing S. Epatha Merkerson and Judith Light swearing and carrying on. It was hilarious. The whole series so far has been great on Peacock. Though I'm not watching through Peacock. 17/19 WB.

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Never heard of this but I really like both of them. Thanks for the heads up so I can check it out.

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Judith Light was also in the new movie with Ralph Fiennes and Anna Taylor-Joy about the hoity-toity restaurant. (Don't want to say more, since it's a clever movie.)

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Great episode.

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Dear Edward (AppleTV, 16/19)

Touching drama…I’d even say poignant.

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really? I had no interest in it at all, based on the trailer.

But I think our shows overlap a fair bit, so will give it a try.

(maybe it's not TV, but rather Mozilla)

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Feb 14, 2023·edited Feb 14, 2023

I am admittedly all over the f-ing map in terms of my TV series’ interests - as this is written, I am lining up to watch my regular Sunday shows: 1) Mayor of Kingstown (Paramount+); 2) The Last of Us (HBO) 3) 1923 (Paramount +); 4) Your Honor (Showtime). Poker Face on Peacock is in the kitty as well…funny, I am usually less critical of TV shows and movies…usually give them a pretty decent chance to hold my interest…plus, I save my criticism for a Head Coach that set fire to my most beloved sports team, and, well, you know who.…

Honestly, despite my passionate and vigorous FireFox campaign that saw Jim Knowlton block me on Twitter, I do have a sensitive side and as such I am truly enjoying the various storylines in this Apple TV drama.

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It is a really good book (haven't seen the show).

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I can confirm that the book was good. Believe you recommended it to me.

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Rome (HBO) - rating undecided

this could have gone in the Eagle category because the first episode was titled the "Stolen Eagle" referring to Caesar's golden eagle standard that was stolen in the episode.

was trying to get my daughter (15) to see something w/ Roman history this weekend after the failed attempt w/ Ben Hur.

this was definitely a little faster paced and dramatized in the standard way that HBO shows are. but i was surprised that it was more like a documentary than i expected.

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She ever been in a cockpit before? Does she like movies about gladiators?

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was that the scene with LeBron James? (I recall it was the NBA all-time scoring leader...)

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did you watch it all? I really liked it when it came out

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we just saw one episode so far. looking forward to more though

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ok so be warned, if this is a concern for you, there is some spectacular nudity and borderline NC17 human beast with 2 backs action in the series

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they definitely let it all hang out in some scenes

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ISWYDT

;-)

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I immediately just put Rome on my list…thanks FS.

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dude, I had no idea who Polly Walker was until this show. Lawdy

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good to know. it is a little strange watching nudity/sex w/ your 15 yr old daughter. but i assume they see more/worse on a regular basis.

at least the older one did at the same age ..

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how about with your parents?

my mom picked Black Swan for xmas moving back in the day. obviously they had no idea what it was about.

when Mila went down on Natalie (or vice-versa), I side-eyed my mom to see what her reaction was, but didn't sweat it, since she picked the movie. her own damn fault...

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I took advantage of being sick in bed with what apparently was just a throat infection for four day by binging on nearly every Bon Appetite YT video. Too bad it was a Cal alumnus' who blew that team up by being toxic.

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OUR CRUMBLING DEMOCRACY

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Times are so tough that they're laying off people because consumers are not buying money

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-royal-canadian-mint-temporarily-lays-off-56-workers-at-its-winnipeg/

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FEC tells George Santos to clarify his intentions for re-election

https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/10/politics/fec-george-santos-campaign-fundraising/

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College Board gets off its back, covers up belly, and says it will now fight DeSantis' racist BS

https://allaccess.collegeboard.org/our-commitment-ap-african-american-studies-scholars-and-field

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Feb 13, 2023·edited Feb 13, 2023Author

US shoots down fourth UFO over North America. Somewhere out there, you know there are people who had previously claimed that they were abducted by aliens are getting all worked up. The good news is that we probably now have more volunteer kamikaze pilots for our Independence Day War.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/12/politics/unidentified-object-canada-alaska-military-latest/index.html

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Exciting time to be a fighter pilot!

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ELSEWHERE IN COLLEGE

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[MBB] NMSU forfeits the rest of their season due to hazing, which included sexual assault

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/35647642/new-mexico-state-men-basketball-resume-season

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Turn your volume on and put a smile on your face by watching this student putt 94 yards for a car.

https://twitter.com/AuburnTigers/status/1624531019511607305

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You know Lynch Toyota is like, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit.

He missed out on going down the line and hugging all the cheerleaders.

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if they didnt buy insurance, they deserve the pain. A buddy of mine worked in that industry for a while, it is pretty interesting (although a slightly different flavor). He would talk to companies who were doing promos and if he thought participation would be less than the rebate total would be, they would sell an insurance policy to the company. So for example, the company issues a rebate promo with a total exposure of $1M. The company doesn't want the risk of the full value so they pay a flat fee for the "promo" to my friends company for $500k, thus giving them a predictable exposure. My friend thought that the total exposure would be $250K, so if he is right, his company profited by $250k. If he is wrong, they have to pay for everything so if exposure was $750K, his company would lose $250K. Sounds like a nerve wracking business where you can't be wrong hardly ever...

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haha thats awesome

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ICYMI: NAU scores clutch go-ahead 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left and then this happens...

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/35640286/portland-state-sinks-n-arizona-buzzer-full-court-lob

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The NAU go ahead would itself have been the Sportcenter play of the day. Then arguably the play of the year happened.

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That’s nuts…what a play.

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CAL

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On Friday Cal guard Jayda Curry broke the Pac 12 record for most consecutive games hitting a three pointer then broke that record on Sunday. She's currently on 47-game streak.

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That record will probably continually change every game until she runs out of eligibility.

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Go Bears!!!

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[Minnesotan] "Ope! Good gravy, there's a sleepy bear trapped outside my house. Wouldntcha know that I'm outta pop and hotdish, so I guess the best I got is Pop Tarts and Fancy Feast."

https://www.facebook.com/MinnesotaDNR/posts/pfbid0dFwS6QvF2NMq1fAqJUjrfaC8YX7RNKE5rNQJndpTm2xNnouY9Mc2YDDmnLzs86oml

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[Rugby] #5 Bears beat #14 UCLA 50-13. Looking ahead, Cal will end the regular season with a tough set of #6 Army at home on Mar 4, #1 Navy @ Annapolis on Mar 11, #4 St. Mary's in Moraga, and #9 BYU on April Fools in Provo.

https://calbears.com/news/2023/2/11/rugby-bears-roll-past-bruins-clark-collects-700th-win.aspx

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ummmm, why are we #5? Time to blow up the program!

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calbears.com has the only Cal loss a 7s loss by the developmental team vs St Marys, who are #4. weird.

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[MT&F] Cal does really well at Don Kirby Invitational, including Garrett MacQuiddy running a sub-4 minute mile

https://calbears.com/news/2023/2/11/track-field-three-more-school-records-shattered-on-day-two.aspx

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Can David Foster catch? He set a school record 6.65 in the 60m.

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[LAX] Cal loses to Central Michigan 15-12, on the heels of winning their opener 17-9 vs. Linwood on Friday. Cal hopes to improve on the 2-16 record from last season

https://calbears.com/news/2023/2/12/lacrosse-bears-fall-to-central-michigan-15-12.aspx

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[SB] Cal splits pair of games on Sunday, beating Utah State 13-0 by batting around twice in the fifth. Cal lost its first game of the season to CSU Fullerton 6-2 as the Halajian was tagged for 6 runs in the 3rd.

https://calbears.com/news/2023/2/12/softball-bears-split-final-day-of-easton-classic.aspx

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