Ship that attacked Snake Island apparently got hit by Grad - unguided truck-mounted rockets -- and sank. In the second clip, you can hear the reported attack, which includes my second favorite Russian swear word - cyka ("soo-kah"), which roughly means the b-word. You can hear the guy say "papali sooka", which means "Hit 'ya, bitch"
Poland announces approval of 3-way deal. Free MIG-29s to the US, approximately 28. Poland gets used US fighters, US gives the jets to Ukraine. Poland also indirectly calls upon Bulgaria and Slovakia to do the same.
It was just a couple days ago they added the 4 to the front of the price at the station near the Kennedy Center, which is one of the highest around. Not sure when the one near the embassy jumped so much.
On rising gas prices, supply & demand for oil in the US, I would be curious to see what the current US demand for oil/gas is compared to say 1990.
I only ask because I would assume that oil/gas demand can’t be much higher than the 90s due to the rise of EVs, hybrids, Toyota Prius, and overall fuel efficiency for all vehicles.
I believe EVs make up 4% of all US vehicles nationwide but are about 22% of California vehicles. I would assume California has the most hybrid EVs and Prius’s on the road as well. I guess what I’m saying is it seems like Californians have reduced their oil demands but the price continues to increase. I also think this is evident due to California raising its gas tax, since drivers are driving as many or more miles than they did in the 90s but we aren’t filling up at the pump as much.
Too many SUVs. SUVs are based on the pickup truck platform. Ergo fleet mileage is more closely tied to that of pickup trucks.
I posit that if station wagons hadn't been supplanted by SUVs fleet mileage would have increased, further suppressing demand.
Detroit's emphasis on SUVs is helping to fuel (no pun intended) the move to EVs as the cost of oil and gas rises. My guess is that there will be a glut of SUVs in the next 3-5 years as EV production takes off.
I've noticed a spike in BART ridership in the last week. I thought it had to do with folks coming back to work in office buildings. Now, I'm thinking it has more to do with spiking gas prices.
Putin’s price hike at the pump. That was a good line by Biden. Now Biden and the Dems need to stay on message and continue to hammer that line into the American consumers head.
Also would be beneficial to pressure oil companies to stop hiking prices and increase their potential production domestically. It's not like they are hurting for profits.
On my BART ride back home I noticed a 76 station and an independent gas station at the corner of MLK Jr Way and 55th St are selling gas for $5.499/gal. Ouch. Costco Richmond is relatively cheap at $5.059/gal.
According to GasBuddy.com, the Chevron closest to my home (at The Alameda & Hopkins St) is $5.579/gal. The Valero at MLK Jr Way & University Ave. is selling regular for $5.599/gal., which is not much differential from Chevron. It's usually 20 cents more per gallon.
The Shell station on Fulton St. and Durant Ave. is $5.709/gallon. Again, this is a smaller differential from Chevron. Often it's at least 20 cents more per gallon and sometimes as much as 30 cents more per gallon.
Gas has gotten much more expensive lately, but the variation in price among brands of gas seems to be narrowing.
EDIT - Arco at San Pablo Ave & Marin Ave in Albany is at $4.999/gallon. The Shell station on the opposite side of Marin Ave is at $5.249/gallon. Often the differential is anywhere from 40 cents to 50 cents higher at the Shell station. At least that Shell station also has a car wash. It also amazes me that Shell is cheaper than Chevron. That is almost always *not* the case.
that station at San Pablo and Marin is a pain in the ass to get in and out of. Plus the gang of wild turkeys who like to hang out at that intersection really eff things up
I assume the station you're referring to is the Arco station. It's always been difficult to get into and out of because of how the pump islands are situated relative to the entry; everything is cramped. I hate that station's layout.
Those turkeys are a pain in the ass. They're often blocking traffic and they're oblivious to anything going on around them.
wiki says he left the service as assistant division commander of army corp of engineers - but I am unable to find a rank equivalency, but it looks equivalent to a lt. colonel (or maybe colonel)
A big part of it is probably that football season is over, and even then I missed most of the games this year through the pandemic, and at the moment I don't want anything to do with men's basketball until Mark Fox is replaced, so I'm relatively checked out from Cal sports news these days, and so I'm just not on the site naturally as much. I do really miss the community though, I should try to hang out more.
Also, things are pretty hectic in my personal life too (getting married in a couple months, and looks like we're having a kid this fall).
My MIL used to watch The Love Boat, so I've "seen" it when visiting, can't say I ever watched - it looked like a really dumb sit-com. Love American Style (at least in my memory, which can't always be trusted) was goofy fun at least.
That got me thinking - were there any good sit-coms from the 60's? The only two I can think of were Get Smart and Green Acres - although Gilligan's Island had its moments.
Something which is probably only known to a niche community (mainly Taiwanese diaspora globally) but the Taiwan government runs (ran?) a culture, language and exchange program for older high school through college aged Overseas Taiwanese to go back and learn their home language and culture. From what I understand, almost zero culture and language was learned, as kids formed immediate friend circles all of which included at least one kid who spoke decent Chinese and as they snuck out and wandered the streets of Taipei after hours, that one kid would arrange cabs, negotiate at night markets and try to talk them into night clubs.
The program was nicknamed "Love Boat" because so many of these kids were under very tight restrictions at home . .. . and then unleashed in a foreign land, with minimal supervision love (or lust) blossomed. a lot.
While I did not go (Hong Kong origin) when I was working in Hong Kong 20 years ago I would often see the kids come through HK after their 6 weeks in Taiwan - again traveling in big groups, but often then attached to the one kid who kinda-sorta knew Cantonese.
1) I did Loveboat the summer between high school and college. Two of my friends who got together on that trip are still together today (married)! The other "relationships" seem to have all petered out. I'm still friends with and in touch with a handful of people, though.
2) I became friends with a person on Loveboat mainly because he was from Ohio, and so four years later, when I moved back to Ohio for grad school, he introduced me to his high school friends, who became the basis of much of my social life there. One of those high school friends got married in August 2021, and I attended her wedding in Cincinnati (though the Loveboat friend who introduced us was not invited).
3) I watched this Loveboat documentary SFSU professor Valerie Soe and learned how SUPER KMT its origins were...apparently, back in the day, they had to wake up early every morning to do military drills! https://www.loveboat-taiwan.com/bio
Yes, I always explain to people that Loveboat is "Birthright for Taiwanese kids." Also, zongzi are Taiwanese tamales (funny enough, I asked my coworker in Taiwan how I should describe tamales, and she Googled, yielding 墨西哥粽子, or "Mexican zongzi")
That’s right, that’s what they call it. I remember now. I dated a couple of Jewish girls my sophomore year at Cal and they both did their birth right trip. I had no idea that was a thing until they told me about it.
No. I already pared down my equity exposure in 2021, switching it to real estate and re-establishing new cost basis. If anything, I'm looking to put some reserves back to work in equities. I'm currently looking at Russian ADRs/GDRs now, especially banks. If I decide to not invest there, I'm looking at non-energy commodities.
I'm playing the long game so expect it'll bounce back. My only concern is if I need to sell stock to buy into the new franchise the missus and I are thinking about
Selling low is not a good idea (to me) as it locks in losses. The glass is half full perspective says that it's a good opportunity to pick up more shares on the cheap.
Started Suicide Squad last night and bailed at about 30min in, then started The Suicide Squad and have thoroughly enjoyed the first 45min. We'll probably finish it tonight, but it's amazing how much better the James Gunn directed projects are than any other DC movie.
It's a pumpkin soup originally, hence it named after jack-o-lanters. But modern pumpkins are grown for size and carving, not flavor - so I'm using butternut squash instead.
1 large butternut, peeled, cored & chopped, then tossed with olive oil
1 red onion, diced
2T butter
2 cloves garlic, smashed
3.5 c chicken stock
1 can of cannellini bean, drained
1t dried sage
1t smoked paprika
1/2 t pepper flakes
Some half & half
S&P
Roast butternut at 375 convection in oven on parchment for about 25 minutes until brown on edges, rearranging them once or twice for evenness of toastiness.
Sautee onions in butter over medium-low heat. Should take more than 10 minutes. Add garlic when there's 3 minutes left. All four ingredients are now primed to have the best carmelization of the sugars in it. Add the spices & broth. Blend with a blender or with a hand blender. Simmer for 20 minutes covered.
Add beans. S&P to taste.
Ladle into bowls. Drizzle half & half into portions to desired creaminess.
It's just me for dinner, so I guess I'm having soup for lunch tomorrow too.
I made Guinness beef stew the other night, it was pretty good. Used a bit too much thyme but other than that it was solid. Looking forward to the leftovers which will have had even more time to soak in flavor.
Hong Kong continues to be beset by the worst covid outbreak in two years - and now has the world's highest infection and death rate over the last 2 weeks. Which happens to coincide with the time I've been here. I have 6 more days here to dodge covid. Did my last supermarket run today so I should be ok until I go to the airport. (if not I can still get delivery food too)
My friend's husband got permission to teach remotely from Taiwan for the rest of the year (everyone is remote, I guess, but he needed permission specifically to go to Taiwan rather than stay in HK), so they're moving back posthaste.
SCOTUS refused to hear redistricting map cases in NC and PA. Dem's will likely gain a US rep seat in NC. GOP is 30.3% of registered NC voters, but they hold 8 of the 13 seats. The new map removes some of the gross gerrymandering around Charlotte & Raleigh. There are now 14 seats and 6 of them are DEM leans/likely and 1 toss-up. I may be in the toss-up district, but I'm not sure as I'm right on the border. Looks like I gotta go volunteer to go get the vote out in the norther part to overcome the chicken-fried towns that are 15 minutes away.
I don’t think they are. The AFC west is a tough division, I don’t think they have enough talent to win the division. They might be able to get a WC spot.
I think that's ridiculous. Unless you are Rams and have a loaded roster minus above average QB, it doesn't make sense to give up all those future talents. With the rise of Chiefs, Chargers and Raiders, Broncos may feel pressed to take significant action.
I hesitate to place this nugget in the "pro" section but Everton managed to lose 5-0 to Spurs yesterday. I kept the game on because apparently I wanted to punish myself.
This season's promotion campaign is simply the most dominant sports season that I'll ever get to root for (except for something like Cal Rugby)
Currently the goal differential between Fulham and Bournemouth (third place, but has 4 games in hang on second place Huddersfield) is more than Bournemouth and 16th place Swansea.
Alexsander Mitrovic has 34 goals in 32 games. Games in which he nets one goal bring his average down - he already has the Championship record with 12 games to go and he has an outside shot at the 42 goal record when it was the First Division.
Also, they've already had two away games with 7 goals (and they snuck a 5-2 victory in-between those games too)
Hopefully we go up - and we'll need new players if we hit the Premier League (I think right now, Mitro, Wilson, Seri, Reed, Tosin are Premier League Level - maybe Cariney, Robinson, Kebano, Tete are rotation level but that's a lot of players to sign. And maybe keep Liverpool loanee Neco Williams. And hopefully we won't (although we probably will) lose Carvahlo in the next window - Liverpool almost signed him the last window.
At the risk of sounding like I've absorbed the vulture capitalism mindset, I found myself wondering if it would be cheaper and easier to get tickets to an Everton home game if they get relegated
down in the 3rd tier, my beloved Oxford are leading the league in goals scored but shipping them at an absurd rate recently. Every game seems to be 3-2 one way or another as the manager decided "defenders werent a priority" so they only have 5 senior defenders total...and one is injured. They switched to a 3-5-2 and the goal explosion started but the defense is leaky AF. At least they're entertaining? Just doubting they can get promoted through the playoffs with that D though (Rotherham and Wigan are 99% certs to go up in the auto spots)
Is Ryan Day actually a good enough coach to be top 25, let alone top 5?? I thought Utah's whole strategy in the Rose Bowl was to force their coaches to have to coach, because OSU's athletes are better than their coaching staff.
ICYMI: USC's backup QB Mo Hassan ruptured his achilles. Miller Moss moves up from fifth string to 2nd string by attrition. USC only has 2 scholarship QBs.
UC Berkeley grad moves to Silicon Valley, settles down and is considering starting his family this year. Meanwhile, his sister - a mother of two - is still stuck on Alcatraz.
Ukraine
Russian Warship... got itself f***ed.
Ship that attacked Snake Island apparently got hit by Grad - unguided truck-mounted rockets -- and sank. In the second clip, you can hear the reported attack, which includes my second favorite Russian swear word - cyka ("soo-kah"), which roughly means the b-word. You can hear the guy say "papali sooka", which means "Hit 'ya, bitch"
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/russian-warship-that-attacked-ukraines-snake-island-is-destroyed-h279r25pc
https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1500766151848116227
Poland announces approval of 3-way deal. Free MIG-29s to the US, approximately 28. Poland gets used US fighters, US gives the jets to Ukraine. Poland also indirectly calls upon Bulgaria and Slovakia to do the same.
https://www.gov.pl/web/diplomacy/statement-of-the-minister-of-foreign-affairs-of-the-republic-of-poland-in-connection-with-the-statement-by-the-us-secretary-of-state-on-providing-airplanes-to-ukraine
UPDATE: United States says NYET to free Migs. Doesn't want to do it for [checks notes] important reasons. We stand up to bullies*.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/08/politics/poland-jets-ukraine-russia/index.html
Brilliant.
US gives Poland (a member of NATO) used US fighters. Ukraine gets MIGs which, presumably, their pilots are trained to fly.
...and repair.
It seems like this is the most on again, off again deal since Let’s Make a Deal.
Also, IMO, this is a bit risky as this could be viewed as a major escalation by Putin/Russia.
He kinda has his hands full at the moment.
Who? Putin? He most certainly does but he can basically hit “kill mode” and nuke the board.
For 14 old MIGs? Unlikely.
Seems like NATO is concerned about this as well. Putin is crazy enough to use those 14 old MIGs as a reason to go into and attack Poland.
Gas prices
$3.99/gallon
Where? Oklahoma?
Where the winds come sweeping down the plain.
I WISH!
Costco's around 4.89-5.15. Wow..yesterday I went to the one in Danville and it was 4.89. Today it looks like it's 5.09.
It was just a couple days ago they added the 4 to the front of the price at the station near the Kennedy Center, which is one of the highest around. Not sure when the one near the embassy jumped so much.
You must've gotten there before me. I was at the Danville station and it was $4.99 shortly after 6:00 p.m.
Yeah I was there around 230 or 3 maybe.
Further enjoying the switch to electric. Seeing lots of high $5s and low $6s in LA.
My guess is that this round of spiking gas prices will move some folks to EVs. Quickly and soon.
Relative to fleet mid and lower range vehicles, a good portion of EVs are still priced out of a significant number of people's price range.
On rising gas prices, supply & demand for oil in the US, I would be curious to see what the current US demand for oil/gas is compared to say 1990.
I only ask because I would assume that oil/gas demand can’t be much higher than the 90s due to the rise of EVs, hybrids, Toyota Prius, and overall fuel efficiency for all vehicles.
I believe EVs make up 4% of all US vehicles nationwide but are about 22% of California vehicles. I would assume California has the most hybrid EVs and Prius’s on the road as well. I guess what I’m saying is it seems like Californians have reduced their oil demands but the price continues to increase. I also think this is evident due to California raising its gas tax, since drivers are driving as many or more miles than they did in the 90s but we aren’t filling up at the pump as much.
Ta da! Demand is slightly higher, but effectively flat over the last decade
https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=pet&s=wgfupus2&f=4
Basically, its as necessary as food, housing, etc. You need it or your unable to conduct business.
Thank you for this very helpfully link.
Well it isn't wikipedia so how do we know it's not Fake News?!
Too many pick-ups is the problem.
Too many SUVs. SUVs are based on the pickup truck platform. Ergo fleet mileage is more closely tied to that of pickup trucks.
I posit that if station wagons hadn't been supplanted by SUVs fleet mileage would have increased, further suppressing demand.
Detroit's emphasis on SUVs is helping to fuel (no pun intended) the move to EVs as the cost of oil and gas rises. My guess is that there will be a glut of SUVs in the next 3-5 years as EV production takes off.
But even pickups are getting much better MPGs than they were 2 or 3 decades ago.
When my nephew visited over President's Day he commented on the low number of Teslas here as compared to California.
Yes, now we just need to find a solar installer who is willing to work on our old clay tile roof and we can be 90% off of fosssil fuels
$4.49 at the station a couple blocks up from the Russian Embassy.
pqtm
Within the last 30 minutes, got an email from sfgate.com with a photo of gas pump prices in Mendocino -
$8.459/gallon for regular.
$8.549 for midgrade and
$8.689 for premium.
Based on the photo, I'm reasonably certain these are at a Chevron station.
I've noticed a spike in BART ridership in the last week. I thought it had to do with folks coming back to work in office buildings. Now, I'm thinking it has more to do with spiking gas prices.
Family reports it's as high as $5.90 in Santa Rosa.
Ouch.
Putin’s price hike at the pump. That was a good line by Biden. Now Biden and the Dems need to stay on message and continue to hammer that line into the American consumers head.
[Narrator]. But they didn't.
Also would be beneficial to pressure oil companies to stop hiking prices and increase their potential production domestically. It's not like they are hurting for profits.
Yeah, this to and Biden talked about this very thing during his speech this morning.
I don't know, I haven't had to put gas in my car in 2 weeks.
I'm a month,easy. I've gone 115 miles.
Carmel Mountain Costco (N. County San Diego) was $5.18 yesterday afternoon.
I went to Mission Valley Costco yesterday and it was $4.99.
$4.99 at my local Costco. $4.20 tribal fuel center.
On my BART ride back home I noticed a 76 station and an independent gas station at the corner of MLK Jr Way and 55th St are selling gas for $5.499/gal. Ouch. Costco Richmond is relatively cheap at $5.059/gal.
According to GasBuddy.com, the Chevron closest to my home (at The Alameda & Hopkins St) is $5.579/gal. The Valero at MLK Jr Way & University Ave. is selling regular for $5.599/gal., which is not much differential from Chevron. It's usually 20 cents more per gallon.
The Shell station on Fulton St. and Durant Ave. is $5.709/gallon. Again, this is a smaller differential from Chevron. Often it's at least 20 cents more per gallon and sometimes as much as 30 cents more per gallon.
Gas has gotten much more expensive lately, but the variation in price among brands of gas seems to be narrowing.
EDIT - Arco at San Pablo Ave & Marin Ave in Albany is at $4.999/gallon. The Shell station on the opposite side of Marin Ave is at $5.249/gallon. Often the differential is anywhere from 40 cents to 50 cents higher at the Shell station. At least that Shell station also has a car wash. It also amazes me that Shell is cheaper than Chevron. That is almost always *not* the case.
that station at San Pablo and Marin is a pain in the ass to get in and out of. Plus the gang of wild turkeys who like to hang out at that intersection really eff things up
I assume the station you're referring to is the Arco station. It's always been difficult to get into and out of because of how the pump islands are situated relative to the entry; everything is cramped. I hate that station's layout.
Those turkeys are a pain in the ass. They're often blocking traffic and they're oblivious to anything going on around them.
Fed: LOLD
PI DAY IS NEXT WEEK!
It is also when I will be back on PST (assuming covid free)
Unfortunately, dcblue is correct. PDT starts on March 13 officially at 2:00 a.m. PST when the clock advances one hour to 3:00 a.m. PDT.
I think PDT since we move clocks forward clocks this weekend.
I don't believe in dst, and I won't participate.
Given all your travels I can see where time zones could be fluid.
Will there be a thing?
We should.
But on a Monday?
Next Monday to be precise.
Really? Where at?
She said next week which is a "when", not a "where".
Do people keep track of March 14, 1:59:26 pm?
Not me. But I suppose I could set an alarm for 1:59 PM which would alert me that the nearest second to the value of Pi is approaching.
What’s Knowlton’s rank, anyone know?
(3) Colonel. Only the Marshall, General, and bomb can defeat him.
Somebody set us up the bomb
How do ya know the bomb isn't Knowlton's MBB hires?
His formal title is “Not Mike Williams”
pqtm
He is Rank.
Broo-tul.
wiki says he left the service as assistant division commander of army corp of engineers - but I am unable to find a rank equivalency, but it looks equivalent to a lt. colonel (or maybe colonel)
Buttocks
Knowlton is formally "Director, Intercollegiate Athletics". According to the org chart he reports directly to the Chancellor.
You can find the campus org charts here -
https://chancellor.berkeley.edu/about-office/organizational-charts
I looked at the Chancellor's and EVCP's Direct Reports org chart (should be the first one listed in the right hand column).
last
Whatever became of the formerly prolific Atoms Are Enough? He is active on Twitter but haven't seen him post anywhere on WFC in many moons.
Someone lit the atoms signal!! I'm touched ❤
A big part of it is probably that football season is over, and even then I missed most of the games this year through the pandemic, and at the moment I don't want anything to do with men's basketball until Mark Fox is replaced, so I'm relatively checked out from Cal sports news these days, and so I'm just not on the site naturally as much. I do really miss the community though, I should try to hang out more.
Also, things are pretty hectic in my personal life too (getting married in a couple months, and looks like we're having a kid this fall).
Hey double congrats!!!
Thank you!!
Wow. Two life changing events in short succession.
BILLY FLYNN: Can you count?
AMOS HART: Well, that doesn't make sense. That can't be right!
We've missed you, man.
Thank you, sir! I'll try not to be such a stranger.
Congratulations atoms!
Thanks man! Refresh my memory; I'm pretty sure you got married in the last few years, did you also have a kid?
No kids, but we just reached the four year mark in February.
Fantastic 😊
HOLY SMOKES! I love that you casually dropped these bombs in a parenthetical. Congrats!
Now go out there and buy yourself a new Cal hat so you have something to hold the fuck onto. It's about to get wild.
lolol I didn't have a better way to mention it, but I figured I owed y'all some updates
I think that qualifies as pretty hectic. Double congrats.
Thanks!! Feels a bit like I'm in the shadow of a tidal wave though 😅
Ignore the tidal wave and enjoy the ride.
Having babies is the best. Congratulations. (If it's a boy will you name him Oski?)
LOL! So, true story... if we were having a boy, the name we were thinking of would have translated in various languages to Victory Bear.
It's gonna be a girl though, so I'm really excited about that 😊😊 really looking forward to teaching her all kinds of stuff
Congrats. From someone that has 3 boys, I do wish we had a girl. Maybe not as a teenager though.
Ruprecht is the best boy name. Or Anaxamander
Congratulations! I just got married (again) last week myself. Highly recommended.
Hah! Ever the romantic 🙂 congrats to you as well, I'm so happy for you!!
wait what. Married? You tricked someone into agreeing to that, didnt you
It's happened before 😛
you really are a magician
It's an important life skill to have
Wow, congratulations!
Thanks!!
I miss Atoms!
I think I saw him post in a couple of the front page posts.
Tweet him to tell him to not forget about the DBD.
It could be that the substack doesn't work well for him at work?
Or that’s he’s over everyone’s bullshit here
No comment 😉
Ooooo. That's a thought.
He has posted from time to time on WFC.
The Love Boat
Priestley 7th floor intramural soccer team in 1989 was "Vicki Stubing's Illegitimate Children"
Vicki was such an annoying character.
TIL Harrison Ford was on Love American Style... which isn't the topic lol
Talk about a blast from the past.
I recall seeing Jodie Foster on Love American Style, before she was famous....since you altered the topic.
My MIL used to watch The Love Boat, so I've "seen" it when visiting, can't say I ever watched - it looked like a really dumb sit-com. Love American Style (at least in my memory, which can't always be trusted) was goofy fun at least.
That got me thinking - were there any good sit-coms from the 60's? The only two I can think of were Get Smart and Green Acres - although Gilligan's Island had its moments.
Somehow a random quote from the show has stuck around - "He was only kissing me with one lip!"
It’s almost up there with “well I have to eat”.
Something which is probably only known to a niche community (mainly Taiwanese diaspora globally) but the Taiwan government runs (ran?) a culture, language and exchange program for older high school through college aged Overseas Taiwanese to go back and learn their home language and culture. From what I understand, almost zero culture and language was learned, as kids formed immediate friend circles all of which included at least one kid who spoke decent Chinese and as they snuck out and wandered the streets of Taipei after hours, that one kid would arrange cabs, negotiate at night markets and try to talk them into night clubs.
The program was nicknamed "Love Boat" because so many of these kids were under very tight restrictions at home . .. . and then unleashed in a foreign land, with minimal supervision love (or lust) blossomed. a lot.
While I did not go (Hong Kong origin) when I was working in Hong Kong 20 years ago I would often see the kids come through HK after their 6 weeks in Taiwan - again traveling in big groups, but often then attached to the one kid who kinda-sorta knew Cantonese.
My sister went on this the summer before, I think, senior year of HS. I think she had fun.
so you're saying she borked a lot of dudes on that trip. Got it
When I would work in Taipei during the summer, they were ALWAYS at TU, Opium Den, Roxy 99 after having snuck out on Thursday and Friday nights.
What is mainly spoken in Taiwan? Cantonese or Mandarin?
Mandarin, Taiwanese (a Hokkien dialect), Hakka, some indigenous languages...
1) I did Loveboat the summer between high school and college. Two of my friends who got together on that trip are still together today (married)! The other "relationships" seem to have all petered out. I'm still friends with and in touch with a handful of people, though.
2) I became friends with a person on Loveboat mainly because he was from Ohio, and so four years later, when I moved back to Ohio for grad school, he introduced me to his high school friends, who became the basis of much of my social life there. One of those high school friends got married in August 2021, and I attended her wedding in Cincinnati (though the Loveboat friend who introduced us was not invited).
3) I watched this Loveboat documentary SFSU professor Valerie Soe and learned how SUPER KMT its origins were...apparently, back in the day, they had to wake up early every morning to do military drills! https://www.loveboat-taiwan.com/bio
Israel has something similar for American Jewish kids.
I did once talk to the people manning those "free trip to Israel" tables and got told that that's not meant for me. #FalseAdvertising
Yes, I always explain to people that Loveboat is "Birthright for Taiwanese kids." Also, zongzi are Taiwanese tamales (funny enough, I asked my coworker in Taiwan how I should describe tamales, and she Googled, yielding 墨西哥粽子, or "Mexican zongzi")
g.oso did not accept our 墨西哥油条
Birthright trips
That’s right, that’s what they call it. I remember now. I dated a couple of Jewish girls my sophomore year at Cal and they both did their birth right trip. I had no idea that was a thing until they told me about it.
My wife's niece apparently took them up on it despite not having made any effort to, you know, be observant before or since.
I always thought that whole deal was mainly about Israel, not Judaism so much. But what do I know?
DBD Have you exited all of your stock holdings yet?
No. I already pared down my equity exposure in 2021, switching it to real estate and re-establishing new cost basis. If anything, I'm looking to put some reserves back to work in equities. I'm currently looking at Russian ADRs/GDRs now, especially banks. If I decide to not invest there, I'm looking at non-energy commodities.
Hell no. I'm still up 36% in the last year.
sup girl
Oof, no, why lock in the loss? Unless you think WW3 is breaking out, in which case your 401k may be the least of your concerns
I'm playing the long game so expect it'll bounce back. My only concern is if I need to sell stock to buy into the new franchise the missus and I are thinking about
porno arcades?
A needed service but no, looking at Rumble boxing to expand into
Breaking news: Area man starts foxy boxing club to feed his growing list of fetishes.
guilty, 60+ year old Karens got old so I am moving to 30 year old Karens
Makes sense, tough market to find qualified jizz moppers
its a job Americans dont want. This is why we need to open the borders
welcome Ukrainian refugees!
Selling low is not a good idea (to me) as it locks in losses. The glass is half full perspective says that it's a good opportunity to pick up more shares on the cheap.
Should I have?
I don't think so.
DBD AV Club
Started Suicide Squad last night and bailed at about 30min in, then started The Suicide Squad and have thoroughly enjoyed the first 45min. We'll probably finish it tonight, but it's amazing how much better the James Gunn directed projects are than any other DC movie.
Yeah, that original Suicide Squad is a mess. Only good thing that came out of it was Margot Robbie's take on Harley Quinn.
Margot Robbie is a treasure.
The Suicide Squad is so much better than Suicide Squad.
DBD Test Kitchen
"Lantern Soup".
It's a pumpkin soup originally, hence it named after jack-o-lanters. But modern pumpkins are grown for size and carving, not flavor - so I'm using butternut squash instead.
1 large butternut, peeled, cored & chopped, then tossed with olive oil
1 red onion, diced
2T butter
2 cloves garlic, smashed
3.5 c chicken stock
1 can of cannellini bean, drained
1t dried sage
1t smoked paprika
1/2 t pepper flakes
Some half & half
S&P
Roast butternut at 375 convection in oven on parchment for about 25 minutes until brown on edges, rearranging them once or twice for evenness of toastiness.
Sautee onions in butter over medium-low heat. Should take more than 10 minutes. Add garlic when there's 3 minutes left. All four ingredients are now primed to have the best carmelization of the sugars in it. Add the spices & broth. Blend with a blender or with a hand blender. Simmer for 20 minutes covered.
Add beans. S&P to taste.
Ladle into bowls. Drizzle half & half into portions to desired creaminess.
It's just me for dinner, so I guess I'm having soup for lunch tomorrow too.
I made Guinness beef stew the other night, it was pretty good. Used a bit too much thyme but other than that it was solid. Looking forward to the leftovers which will have had even more time to soak in flavor.
Ukraine
Today in Covid 19
Hong Kong continues to be beset by the worst covid outbreak in two years - and now has the world's highest infection and death rate over the last 2 weeks. Which happens to coincide with the time I've been here. I have 6 more days here to dodge covid. Did my last supermarket run today so I should be ok until I go to the airport. (if not I can still get delivery food too)
:/ take care
My friend's husband got permission to teach remotely from Taiwan for the rest of the year (everyone is remote, I guess, but he needed permission specifically to go to Taiwan rather than stay in HK), so they're moving back posthaste.
so we're blaming you is what you're saying
Typhoid Terence
Our Crumbling Democracy
SCOTUS refused to hear redistricting map cases in NC and PA. Dem's will likely gain a US rep seat in NC. GOP is 30.3% of registered NC voters, but they hold 8 of the 13 seats. The new map removes some of the gross gerrymandering around Charlotte & Raleigh. There are now 14 seats and 6 of them are DEM leans/likely and 1 toss-up. I may be in the toss-up district, but I'm not sure as I'm right on the border. Looks like I gotta go volunteer to go get the vote out in the norther part to overcome the chicken-fried towns that are 15 minutes away.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/07/politics/supreme-court-2022-election-pennsylvania-north-carolina/index.html
I am almost more offended that the Supreme Court keep insisting they're non partisan than I am about them being partisan
Right? At least just be honest about it and drop the pretense.
pqtm
Voter fraud.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/03/08/mark-meadows-his-wife-debra-their-trailer-home-voter-registration/
And its potential consequence.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/03/07/bob-good-jarome-bell-endorsement/
Pro
Broncos gets Russell Wilson
https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1501266969944858630
Are they a good QB away from the playoffs? I would guess no, but I don't follow them closely. If so, that's a dumb trade.
I don’t think they are. The AFC west is a tough division, I don’t think they have enough talent to win the division. They might be able to get a WC spot.
Maybe they think they can be Rams
I wonder what Seattle gets
Actually I just read it. 2x first round picks, 2x second round picks, 1x fifth round pick, Drew Lock, Noah Fant and Shelby Harris. Not bad
That's a terrible trade. Elway must be doing some Stanfurd math.
oh wow. That's insane.
I think that's ridiculous. Unless you are Rams and have a loaded roster minus above average QB, it doesn't make sense to give up all those future talents. With the rise of Chiefs, Chargers and Raiders, Broncos may feel pressed to take significant action.
Jordan Love to the transfer portal?
https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1501234757543383040
That would make sense for the Packs, especially with this QB draft class being supposedly poor.
Wow...
That’s a lot of horse paste
Golfer finds out what happens when you run out of balls during a tournament. He thought it would be a DQ, but it turned out to be a -3 penalty.
https://twitter.com/ChampionsTour/status/1500841196817633289
Golf is the dumbest
It is also a waste of land and water.
It's also a giant tax dodge. Thanks an effing lot, Bob Hope.
https://www.pushkin.fm/episode/a-good-walk-spoiled/
"giant" and "dodge" in the same sentence when it should be Spring Training.
cruel.
I am always happy to see a golf course close in San Diego, which has been happening a lot lately in San Diego.
Kirk Herby to call TNF on Amazon. He is going to keep ESPN college job on Saturdays. Will we ever get him to call Cal game again?
NFL TNF? Wow, they must have dumped money on him because he's sorta soiling his brand as the voice/face of college football.
I think he did an NFL playoff game or two, right?
Yup, but it did feel odd.
Yes. Looks like he's keeping college job too.
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10028934-peter-king-amazon-settles-on-espns-kirk-herbstreit-to-call-nfl-tnf-games
I hesitate to place this nugget in the "pro" section but Everton managed to lose 5-0 to Spurs yesterday. I kept the game on because apparently I wanted to punish myself.
This season's promotion campaign is simply the most dominant sports season that I'll ever get to root for (except for something like Cal Rugby)
Currently the goal differential between Fulham and Bournemouth (third place, but has 4 games in hang on second place Huddersfield) is more than Bournemouth and 16th place Swansea.
Alexsander Mitrovic has 34 goals in 32 games. Games in which he nets one goal bring his average down - he already has the Championship record with 12 games to go and he has an outside shot at the 42 goal record when it was the First Division.
Also, they've already had two away games with 7 goals (and they snuck a 5-2 victory in-between those games too)
Hopefully we go up - and we'll need new players if we hit the Premier League (I think right now, Mitro, Wilson, Seri, Reed, Tosin are Premier League Level - maybe Cariney, Robinson, Kebano, Tete are rotation level but that's a lot of players to sign. And maybe keep Liverpool loanee Neco Williams. And hopefully we won't (although we probably will) lose Carvahlo in the next window - Liverpool almost signed him the last window.
35 goals in 33 games. MITRO'S ON FIRE
At the risk of sounding like I've absorbed the vulture capitalism mindset, I found myself wondering if it would be cheaper and easier to get tickets to an Everton home game if they get relegated
down in the 3rd tier, my beloved Oxford are leading the league in goals scored but shipping them at an absurd rate recently. Every game seems to be 3-2 one way or another as the manager decided "defenders werent a priority" so they only have 5 senior defenders total...and one is injured. They switched to a 3-5-2 and the goal explosion started but the defense is leaky AF. At least they're entertaining? Just doubting they can get promoted through the playoffs with that D though (Rotherham and Wigan are 99% certs to go up in the auto spots)
After you guys thrashed Leeds.
Other College
Welp, I guess New Mexico and New Mexico State now have a much bigger pool of walk-on players
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/07/us/new-mexico-college-tuition-free-cec/index.html
TheAthletic.com ranks the top 25 CFB coaches: https://theathletic.com/3165768/2022/03/08/stewart-mandel-ranks-the-top-25-college-football-head-coaches/
Nick Saban, Alabama (2021 rank: No. 1)
Dabo Swinney, Clemson (2021: No. 2)
Kirby Smart, Georgia (2021: No. 6)
Brian Kelly, LSU (2021: No. 3)
Ryan Day, Ohio State (2021: No. 5)
Lincoln Riley, USC (2021: No. 4)
Kyle Whittingham, Utah (2021: No. 15)
Luke Fickell, Cincinnati (2021: No. 11
Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M (2021: No. 7)
Jeff Monken, Army (2021: No. 13)
Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss (2021: 24)
Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State (2021: NR)
Jim Harbaugh, Michigan (2021: NR)
Mark Stoops, Kentucky (2021: NR)
Dave Clawson, Wake Forest (2021: NR)
Matt Campbell, Iowa State (2021: No. 10)
Mario Cristobal, Miami (2021: No. 19)
Paul Chryst, Wisconsin (2021: No. 14)
Bill Clark, UAB (2021: No. 16)
P.J. Fleck, Minnesota (2021: No. 18)
Kalani Sitake, BYU (2021: NR)
James Franklin, Penn State (2021: No. 17)
Hugh Freeze, Liberty (2021: No. 20)
Kirk Ferentz, Iowa (2021: No. 21)
Lance Leipold, Kansas (2021: No. 22)
So I guess this means Wilcox is at 26.
Is Ryan Day actually a good enough coach to be top 25, let alone top 5?? I thought Utah's whole strategy in the Rose Bowl was to force their coaches to have to coach, because OSU's athletes are better than their coaching staff.
Fuck Jim Harbaugh.
Jimbo Fisher is garbage and a dinosaur. List invalid
WELCOME TO MOC MADNESS!!!
https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1501018332765429770
So THAT'S how you're supposed to play college basketball?
Not exactly, Furman didn't miss a single shot in overtime and still lost so we can assume defense fouled out.
Tough break for Furman though, they haven't been to the Big Dance in 40 years.
Furman has a beautiful little campus in Greenville.
I know one person who went to Furman, and he was afraid to try fried rice
This is peak Texas A&M engineering. It's all downhill from here.
https://twitter.com/LibraryMedlin/status/1500827837690888196
ICYMI: USC's backup QB Mo Hassan ruptured his achilles. Miller Moss moves up from fifth string to 2nd string by attrition. USC only has 2 scholarship QBs.
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Article/USC-senior-QB-Mo-Hasan-announces-major-Achilles-injury-aims-to-return-for-2022-season--183737726/
ASU QB Jayden Daniels transfers to LSU [not Cal]
https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/jayden-daniels-transfers-to-lsu-former-arizona-state-quarterback-set-to-join-spring-position-battle/
Cal
UC Berkeley grad moves to Silicon Valley, settles down and is considering starting his family this year. Meanwhile, his sister - a mother of two - is still stuck on Alcatraz.
https://twitter.com/CalFalconCam/status/1500966443298471937
Go Bears!!! But now there will be fewer students doing the cheering.
but basketball will have more that won't show up.
Exactly- MBB will hardly notice an enrollment freeze.
Three Cal MBB players get post-season honors
https://calbears.com/news/2022/3/8/mens-basketball-cal-trio-earns-pac-12-postseason-honors.aspx
Man, really wish Sam had gotten 20+ minutes a night, at least the last month or so. Such a serious whiff, yet so on brand for Fox.