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DBD AV Club

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I happened by his show on ESPN while having lunch today. I really don’t like watching him.

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Neighborhood nonsense

This past Monday was the start of summer camp at a neighborhood religious institution. Folks in the neighborhood have had complaints about noise from the camp, and we're sympathetic. But for us, the problem has always been parking. Not that the counselors use the available parking in the neighborhood, but that when they do so, they are either (1) inconsiderate or (2) flat-out rude.

We live on a narrow street (less than 24 feet wide, curb-to-curb). But there's also very often plenty of space for parking that could allow for as many as 10 vehicles on the either side. Our issue isn't that camp counselors park in our neighborhood without the required parking permit. Our issue is that when they do park on our street they leave less than a foot between our car's bumpers and their bumpers. It's very difficult if not impossible to get out when that happens (a few inches makes a big difference).

As I said, Monday was the start of camp and our car was boxed in. There were several unused parking spaces on either side of the street. So, Mrs Slug did the only reasonable thing one could do: she called parking enforcement. One car was ticketed. The next day (Tuesday), two cars were ticketed. Yesterday was a holiday, so no problem getting in or out; camp was not in session.

This morning, camp was back in session. No camp counselor cars were parked on our street. Apparently, early and vigorous enforcement is sufficient deterrent.

EDIT: this is not the first year we've had this problem. This goes back to 2006 when this particular institution relocated close to Casa de Slug. This is the first year, though, where we've been pushed into the IDGAF stage from the get-go and have resorted to early enforcement.

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I assume it's the usual Berkeley parking where it's like 2 or 4 hours without a permit. Does that mean that Berkeley parking doesn't come check for the proper stickers unless someone complains? Unlike closer to downtown?

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It is a 2 hour zone. Enforcement is spotty at best in areas farther from campus. The City has claimed for decades that the cost of permits doesn't pay for enforcement. And it probably doesn't now that spaces have been freed up for residents to use.

We live almost exactly one mile from North Gate (Hearst & Euclid). Before we had a Residential Permit Parking Zone in our neighborhood, the streets in our neighborhood were parked up regularly by 9:00 AM, Monday through Friday, without fail. Students were parking a mile away and hoofing it to campus without hesitation. Interestingly enough, two blocks further away doesn't have an RPP zone and they never had one. I think that was the limit line for students to park and walk to campus.

By the Fall of 1988 we had a RPP zone in our neighborhood. That's when parking spaces in the neighborhoods became available and you could actually run errands and have a space somewhere close to home when you returned.

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Tell the DBD about a now worthless but previously valuable commodity

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200 text messages per month.

"you mean that I can email an unlimited number of 20MB files, but if I type 'Sure' into a text thread, I've used 1/2% of my monthly allotment? "ok"...crap, that was Text 201. It cost me 5¢!

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Beanie Babies

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Mobile phone minutes

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Free calling after 6 PM though. So unless it's an emergency, I'll call you after 6PM.

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I once had a discman (portable CD player). I was the envy of the neighborhood. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discman

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wZCNlOfieA

Gary Gulman, so Very Safe for Work

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Going even further back in time, I heard a news story yesterday that cassettes are making a bit of a comeback.

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Rotary phones

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The stamps that you used to be able to get when getting gas. Blue chips (?)

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Blue chip stamps and S&H Green stamps.

There was a place in Berkeley to exchange those stamps for merchandise. It was in the same space on San Pablo Ave. that now houses REI, and has since 1975.

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I remember being dragged there by my mother and grand mother. Those stamps were a big thing for a lot of people.

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I think there was a stamp redemption place, not sure which color, out across from the Coliseum.

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Which reminds me that there was a Montgomery Ward catalog store in East Oakland. I seem to recall reading a few years back that the building was slated for demolition.

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I remember my parents taking me to that MW catalog store at Christmas time. They had a great selection of toys.

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I wonder if that was Eastmont Mall? I don't think there were many malls in East Oakland. I think that's still around and I sometimes drive by it when going the back way to Oakland airport. Maybe off 98th?

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So, because I wasn't sure where it was, I googled it. The results say 2825 E 14th St, Oakland, which is in the Fruitvale District. I do remember that the building was visible from BART between the Fruitvale and Lake Merritt stations.

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My parents lived near there when I was born. Moved to a small house they bought after I came along.

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Nothing quite like full disclosure. That listing has it.

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OUR CRUMBLING DEMOCRACY

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Witness testifies to House Ethics Committee that Matt Gaetz paid her for sex

https://abcnews.go.com/US/witness-tells-house-ethics-committee-matt-gaetz-paid/story?id=111217102

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Louisiana passes law requiring the King James version of the 10 Commandments be posted in every public school.

https://www.woodtv.com/news/national/ap-us-news/ap-the-ten-commandments-must-be-displayed-in-louisiana-classrooms-under-requirement-signed-into-law/

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TFG's spiritual advisor steps down from his church after admitting he diddled a 12-year old

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-spiritual-adviser-robert-morris-resigns-amid-allegations-he-molested-12-year-old

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PRO

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Scotland's Olympic hopes took a ding as their 2-time Olympic cycling champ had a freak accident in the garden that will keep her out of this summer's Olympics

https://www.instagram.com/p/C8b6zmHsxEZ/?hl=en&img_index=1

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That sucks. To train the majority of your life and lose out on going to the Olympics on a freak accident. At least it isn't her first time and it would be unlikely she would go in the future.

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A’s claim series victory over Royals with 5-1 win

https://www.athleticsnation.com/2024/6/19/24182085/as-claim-series-victory-over-royals-with-5-1-win

Maybe all the A’s ever needed was a little home cooking.

After dropping nine straight games, most of them on the road, the A’s have now bounced back with back-to-back commanding wins at home over the Kansas City Royals. Tonight, Luis Medina led the way with his best start and first win of the season.

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Soler’s slam excites...but doesn’t win game

https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/2024/6/19/24182154/mlb-final-giants-cubs-6-19-2024-recap-jorge-soler-kyle-hendricks

On a muggy afternoon in Chicago, the San Francisco Giants couldn’t replicate Friday night’s 9th inning magic in their rubber match against the Cubs.

They teased it though. They teased a comeback hard, and the gag got some of us reeeeeeaaaaalll good.

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In Bobby Miller’s return, Rockies get all the fun with walk-off win

https://www.truebluela.com/2024/6/19/24182169/bobby-miller-dodgers-bullpen-rockies

What goes around comes around and for a Dodgers team that won in the most thrilling of ways on Tuesday, they dropped Wednesday’s game in walk-off fashion, 7-6 to the Rockies.

It wasn’t nearly as thrilling as the Dodgers win on Tuesday, but the Rockies take what they can get these days. What was a 6-4 game in favor of the visiting team in the seventh became a Rockies win with a walk-off sac fly in the bottom of the ninth by Brenton Doyle.

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The penalty for a bad hire is losing the value of the contract and the damage to the franchise's reputation. Given the circumstances of Williams' hiring a year ago, this was a foreseeable outcome.

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I wonder if the Lakers are going to regret hiring JJ Reddick. If LeBron doesn't like him and makes the Lakers fire him, it probably won't cost the Lakers 6

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65 M

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And the check swing that maybe, perhaps, wasn't a check swing. OK he went around.

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wow! and they started in 2022, so at least they've been able to go to bars their whole relationship.

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DBD AV CLUB

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I recently borrowed a Hawkeye Pierce quote from M*A*S*H (the movie) as a tag line for one of our dogs -

"I will follow you anywhere, sir!"

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Gone with the Wind (the book) was written by Margaret Mitchell. However, the book was obvious adapted into a movie screenplay, done by Sidney Howard (BA English, UC Berkeley 1915). He tragically died in an accident at his own farm about 15 weeks before the release of the movie. He posthumously won an Oscar for his screenplay. He had also won a Pulitzer Prize 15 years prior and was nominated a total of four Oscars.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidney_Howard

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ELSEWHERE IN COLLEGE

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CAL

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Nikki Remigio is impressing the Chiefs.

https://apple.news/AvRJ6Nt8bQmSbw0hcTan_DA

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[MSWIM] Bears Send Seven To Finals At Olympic Trials

https://calbears.com/news/2024/6/18/mens-swimming-diving-bears-send-seven-to-finals-at-olympic-trials.aspx

INDIANAPOLIS – California swimming affiliates made a thorough mark on the 2024 United States Olympic Trials on Tuesday at Lucas Oil Stadium, sending seven swimmers to Wednesday finals with multiple Olympic berths on the line.

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[MSWIM] Two More Bears Headed To Paris

https://calbears.com/news/2024/6/19/mens-swimming-diving-two-more-are-headed-to-paris.aspx

INDIANAPOLIS – Wednesday evening at Lucas Oil Stadium saw two more members of the California swimming & diving program punch their ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Rising senior Jack Alexy and Hunter Armstrong finished second and fourth respectively in the finals of the 100-meter freestyle at the United States Olympic Trials.

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[T&F] 4 Bears Headed To U.S. Olympic Team Trials

https://calbears.com/news/2024/6/18/track-field-4-bears-headed-to-us-olympic-team-trials.aspx

Four individuals with ties to California track & field are set to appear over the next two weeks at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, matching up with many of the nation's top professional and collegiate athletes at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials to compete for a spot on the world's biggest stage this summer at the Olympic Games in Paris. Fans based in the U.S. can watch the meet on NBC, Peacock, and USA.

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[NEWS] Cal BSAC Wins Student-Athlete Organization Of The Year

https://calbears.com/news/2024/6/18/athletics-news-cal-bsac-wins-student-athlete-organization-of-the-year.aspx

BERKELEY – Cal Athletics' Black Student-Athlete Community (BSAC) group earned the distinguished honor of 2024 Black Student-Athlete Organization of the Year, which it received at the annual Black Student-Athlete Summit in May.

BSAC was part of one of the largest contingents of student-athletes and staff from a single school to attend the summit – an annual multi-day event that aims to help Black student-athletes maximize their college experience and provide them with networking and professional development opportunities.

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[MSWIM] Thai To Compete At U.S. Olympic Diving Trials

https://calbears.com/news/2024/6/18/mens-swimming-diving-thai-to-compete-at-us-olympic-diving-trials.aspx

Rising junior Joshua Thai will make history later this week when he becomes the first California men's diver ever to compete at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Thai, who will compete in the platform dive, will go against the country's best for the chance to represent Team USA at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

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[MPOLO] Cal Trio Named To USA Men’s Water Polo Olympic Roster

https://calbears.com/news/2024/6/18/mens-water-polo-cal-trio-named-to-usa-mens-water-polo-olympic-roster.aspx

Three California men's water polo alumni will head to Paris next month after being named to the 2024 USA Men's Water Polo Olympic roster on Tuesday.

The Golden Bear trio is the same that competed in four international competitions with USA Water Polo's senior squad in 2023, consisting of attackers Luca Cupido and Johnny Hooper and goalkeeper Adrian Weinberg.

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[WSOC] Women’s Soccer Unveils 2024 Schedule

https://calbears.com/news/2024/6/18/womens-soccer-womens-soccer-unveils-2024-schedule.aspx

BERKELEY – The California women's soccer team announced its 2024 schedule Tuesday in preparation for its first season in the ACC, well regarded as one of the top conferences in the sport. The schedule details 12 matches at Edwards Stadium and a handful of contests against national contenders.

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[MGOLF] Morikawa, An To Play In 2024 Summer Olympics

https://calbears.com/news/2024/6/18/mens-golf-morikawa-an-to-play-in-2024-summer-olympics.aspx

BERKELEY – California men's golf alumni and current PGA Tour standouts Collin Morikawa and Byeong Hun An have qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, where they will represent the United States and the Republic of Korea, respectively.

The Golden Bears will play in the men's portion of the Olympic golf competition Aug. 1-4 at Le Golf National, located just outside of Paris in Guyancourt, France. The 60-golfer field – finalized Monday based on the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) – will play a single 18-hole round each day, with the top three finishers earning gold, silver and bronze medals, respectively.

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Go Bears!!!

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Cal gets a 3-star QB recruit to commit as a PWO for 2025

https://x.com/AlonzoEsparza1/status/1803256964333670777

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There are eight free parking-for-life spots for Nobel Laureates on UC Berkeley campus

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/nobel-laureate-parking-lots

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I liked this line from the story: "it’s since become standard practice—one that apparently sticks in the craw of the Laureates over at Stanford." Sucks to be Furd.

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With the abundant space over at 'Furd, you'd think they'd be happy to give parking for life to their Nobel Laureates. Seems kinda stingy that they don't.

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They would be so happy to give out, but they have no one to give out to.

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Say Hey!

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I had the privilege of seeing him play when I was a kid. I specifically remember watching him hit three home runs. Also got his autograph on a photo of him at a baseball card show. Being in his presence was like standing near Shakespeare or DaVinci.

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I remember sitting in those high school type bleachers behind the cyclone fence in right field watching him in CF.

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My old roommate's mom lives across the street from Willie Mays. A couple of years we went over to his house and had a small costume party and would go trick or treating. One year No 1 was a baseball, ex wore a Nomo jersey, and I was dressed as the guy behind home plate at Dodgers stadium with the radar gun. We went over but Willie didn't answer the door. He used to give out signed baseballs (not his signature, at least not that year). We heard some years he would answer the door.

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