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Freeze

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Frozone .. one of my favorite movie characters.

https://the-incredibles.fandom.com/wiki/Frozone

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in the bad guy category, Captain Cold was in the Legion of Doom.

https://superfriends.fandom.com/wiki/Captain_Cold

Captain Cold is a supervillain with a weapon he calls the freeze gun. His freeze gun is capable of freezing anyone or anything it strikes. Captain Cold is a member of the Legion of Doom, and he's one of Flash's worst foes.

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SHE BLINDED ME WITH...

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Unimpressive space walk. They never completely left the spacecraft--their feet stayed inside.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjHzpOqu5iU

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i recently had to decline an invite to give a talk at Ball St about quantum computing mostly because of a bisy fall travel schedule.

on the other hand a friend of mine who works in sales at United asked me to talk to his team about quantum computing and just explain the basics.

i hope that the rest of his team is "smarter" than he is because when told him about regular computers and 0's and 1's being binary, he said it was already too much for him!

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OUR CRUMBLING DEMOCRACY

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Remember yesterday when I was like "who are these undecideds?"

https://apnews.com/article/trump-harris-debate-pennsylvania-voters-a077717b399dbb9322a347d10c6e761b

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CAL

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Sounds like they're almost sold out of Big Game tickets, so if you want some, get on it.

When I bought 3 for my kids, they were way up near the top of A or AA, and that was a couple of weeks ago.

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A quick look at the map reveals that tickets are available in Sections W, WW, X (many) available), B, BB, C and Field Level FF, GG, H, whatever "S" level is for Sections Ff, G, GG, and H.

The cheapest seats are in Section X (North End Zone two sections off from the North Tunnel).

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[WGOLF] Bears Save Best Score For Last In Season-Opening Tournament

https://calbears.com/news/2024/9/11/womens-golf-bears-save-best-score-for-last-in-season-opening-tournament.aspx

LAKE ELMO, Minn. – The California women's golf team closed out its first tournament of the 2024-25 season Wednesday at Royal Golf Club, posting its best team score of the week with a 2-over-par 290.

Led by their underclassmen, the Golden Bears carded an 8-over 872 through 54 holes, settling in seventh place out of 12 teams. Sophomore Constance Fouillet (75-67-72 | 214, -2) tied for 11th place individually, followed by freshman Marie-Agnes Fischer (75-73-71 | 219, +3), whose 1-under 71 in round three went down as Cal's top score for the day.

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[MBB] Cal Men's Basketball: Meet The Bears - DJ Campbell

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzw0CT62o1E&ab_channel=CalBears

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[RUGBY] Remembering American Hero Mark Bingham

https://calbears.com/news/2024/9/11/rugby-remembering-american-hero-mark-bingham.aspx

On the 23rd anniversary of September 11, 2001, California rugby remembers and honors Mark Bingham for the ultimate sacrifice he made on board United Airlines Flight 93.

The morning of Sept. 11, 2001, the United States erupted into chaos and devastation as terrorists carried out attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and at the Pentagon in Washington D.C. Flight 93 emerged as another hijacked plane that was threatening an attack on the U.S. Capitol Building. Former Golden Bear Mark Bingham was a passenger on that flight.

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The gym that I play hoops in — in the Castro — is named after him.

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Coincidentally, I was reading this article when I heard "Mark Bingham" being spoken by someone on TV. It was a National Geographic program on 9/11, interviewing Mark Bingham's mother. Very moving.

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Sep 12·edited Sep 12

It’s time again for Oski Disciple’s Bear Facts.

In the opening game of the 1940 season the Bears were blown out at Memorial Stadium by Michigan, 41-0. The day was noteworthy for the efforts of one Wolverine superstar and one drunken Cal fan. Tom Harmon ran the opening kick-off back 94 yards for the first score of the game, ran back a punt 70 yards for the second and had an 86-yard run from scrimmage for the third. He also booted the extra points. On his third TD, a drunken Bear fan named Harold Brennan decided he’d had enough. Brennan, a chubby, bald, middle aged man, dashed onto the field and made a futile effort to tackle Harmon. He was soon escorted from the premises by gendarmes. Contemporary accounts of the incident treat Brennan’s missed tackle lightheartedly.

Oski Disciple’s Bear Facts appears Tuesday through Thursday on the DBD throughout the 2024 college football season. This feature is brought to you by a grant from the Guggenheim Foundation.

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That description actually sounds like Oski, and something Oski would do, at least after he & the observer both have had a liberal application of adult beverages.

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Was Harold Brennan any relation to the founder of the well-known local restaurant and watering hole called Brennan's?

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The Harmon Gym Harmon?

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I doubt they'd name a gym after an opposing player. Tom Harmon won the Heisman that year. His son Mark played QB at UCLA but made his name as an actor.

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In 1878, Albion Keith Paris Harmon, an Oakland businessman, donated $15,000 ($490,500 in 2023 dollars) to the University for the construction of a gymnasium and assembly hall, which was to be named in his honor

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmon_Gym_(1879)

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A video of the actual event:

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

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PRO

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A’s clinch final Astros series with big McCann blast

https://www.athleticsnation.com/2024/9/11/24242593/oakland-athletics-houston-astros-kyle-mccann-brent-rooker-lawrence-butler

Rewind to May 16. The Houston Astros just completed a four-game sweep of what looked like the same old Oakland Athletics, headed for another dismal season in the AL West cellar.

Fast forward to today and a vastly altered bright-future A’s team just clinched their second series win in a row against those very same Astros. Though still the division leaders, they’re a surmountable four-game lead over the Seattle Mariners and would rather coast into the playoffs than crawl into it.

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Giants beat the Brew Crew 13-2

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Dodgers rally late to salvage a game vs. Cubs

https://www.truebluela.com/2024/9/11/24242628/dodgers-cubs-tommy-edman-gavin-lux-shohei-ohtani

Shohei Ohtani was responsible for a considerable chunk of the offense, but it was Gavin Lux and Tommy Edman playing the role of heroes in a hard-fought 10-8 win over the Cubs.

After ups and downs through the first few innings, things were tied at 7-7 in the seventh. Lux was up in his second at-bat coming off the bench to pinch-hit for Chris Taylor and had a two-out chance with runners at the corners.

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A'Ja Wilson sets WNBA single-season scoring record - has four more regular season games to score 44 more points to exceed 1,000 - which should be cake since she averages 27 ppg

https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/41224807/aces-aja-wilson-breaks-wnba-single-season-scoring-record

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all 4 MLB teams that i follow more closely than average won yesterday, Yankees, Mets, A's, Giants. doesnt happen too often.

that being said, i dont follow too closely and in this current world of YouTubeTV most Yankees and Mets games are blocked out because i dont pay for their private channels.

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Sep 12·edited Sep 12Author

Shannon Sharpe apologizes for accidentally Instagram livestreaming while smashing [NSFW].

https://x.com/unlimited_ls/status/1833935780370387179 [corrected link]

Update: he originally went with IWUZHACKED defense, but now came clean about doing the dirty

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Wrong link, though I'm not sure I want to see the right link...

Though I guess it's just him apologizing.

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Dodgers Anthony Banda: - when you give up 2 runs in relief, do you a) have a short memory and shake it off or b)... ?

https://sports.yahoo.com/dodgers-reliever-anthony-banda-breaks-064826801.html

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As soon as I heard he was headed to the IL with a fractured hand I knew he hit something. Unfortunately no one taught him that he has to use his non-pitching hand.

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ELSEWHERE IN COLLEGE

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Looks like private schools are not included, because there's no way Notre Dame wouldn't be on the list.

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Right. Private schools don't publicly disclose their revenues. Same with football HC contracts.

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I'm surprised Cal is on the list.

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That's because we were getting payouts for Pac-12 media rights.

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Maybe we need to pay UCLA instead.

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There is a lot of variety in accounting tactics in play, and that tends to skew things. Also, WILD differences in local circumstances and the cost of doing business that requires revenue to pay for the same thing that costs twice as much or half as much just up the road.

Also, Calimony.

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Sep 12·edited Sep 12

Wow. I would not have expected aTm to be anywhere in the Top 3 much less #2. And, there's a sizable gap between Texas (at #3, $271M) and Michigan (#4, $229M).

EDIT: I'd guess that aTm rises to #2 on the strength of SEC media rights distributions, which Texas did not have in 2023.

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author
Sep 12·edited Sep 12Author

This is interesting as it is not what was widely speculated to be the optimal path: dissolution of the MWC, followed by 8 schools moving to join the Pac-2 making it the Pac-10. I imagine that there must have been a financial incentive for the four new Pac-6 schools (Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State, and Colorado State) to pay an exit fee to the remaining MWC schools.

Having said that, it seems that the remaining MWC schools cannot afford to make the jump to the Pac and probably found themselves in a confounding situation where, without guarantees, they would be taking huge risks when they could have guaranteed cash by simply sitting on their hands. Oh, well.

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Those left behind: SJSU, UNLV, Hawaii, Utah State, Nevada, New Mexico, Wyoming, Air Force

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It’s kind of cool tbh - we will have another option when the ACC collapses. They need two more, wonder who that will be - maybe like San Jose State and UNLV?

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Sep 12·edited Sep 12

This is getting interesting. I’m curious to see what happens with PAC-12 vs. ACC recruiting for local kids, especially if PAC-12 is able to recoup its automatic playoff bid. Even if not, the PAC-12 brand carries name recognition and may have the appeal for athletes and their families not having to travel so far for games.

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If geography doesn't mean anything anymore, they might be best served poaching the best of the American. Memphis or the service academies, maybe? (Army and Navy aren't the greatest football programs, but they do get TV viewership.)

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Sep 12·edited Sep 12

At some point, traveling distance becomes a factor if the conference media rights don't yield much revenue. It's just not worth it to travel for paltry financial returns.

EDIT: This is also why schools west of the Rockies are at a disadvantage. Longer distances to travel to get to fewer possible opponents. Losing the LA schools brought about the demise of the Pac-12, certainly. It may have ripple effects in the scheduling of mid-majors in the West if it reduces the number of games with former Pac-12 schools. Ripple effects TBD.

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That's true they'd have to make the travel worthwhile if trying to lure eastern schools from other G5 leagues. Could maybe get around this by forming a larger conference with a kind of eastern division. We'll see!

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Plenty of room for Cal!

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Sep 12·edited Sep 12

If the ACC collapses, I fully expect Cal and Stanfurd to attempt to gain admission to the Big XII. Cal and Stanfurd would have natural rivalries with the Arizona schools, Colorado, and Utah.

Getting a B1G invite would be nice, but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for one.

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i am still holding on to my Pac 2 t-shirt for now!

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DBD AV CLUB

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sort of interested in seeing the Transformers One movie. i like the more old-school cartoon like graphics and this seems closer to that than the recent movies.

i have been a big fan since it came out when we were in HS

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Sep 12·edited Sep 12

Pretty funny Auburn reaction video: the guy on the right is especially entertaining when he gets going.

https://www.youtube.com/live/P3CgtHk16Uk?si=Fh1GSgKwW8ZqaZq0

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I am not sure if it's this video or one of the many Auburn fan youtube videos I've watched, but these guys have cognitive dissonance. They spent all of last week saying how they were going to crush Cal because pffffft it's nerdy Cal and they always suck + huge influx of talent + most-improved Payton Thorne. Then this week they gnash teeth and rend hair saying how disappointed they are in Auburn but then turn around and also say how unimpressed they were with Cal and how we're still "mid" and remain a 6-6 team despite beating them. Bro, assuming we can beat SDSU - if we can't beat 3 more ACC teams, we are way worse than "mid".

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I mean, they are idiots but not in a way markedly different from the fans of any other team. Delusions of grandeur in August, grappling with failure in Sept/Oct, resorting to philosophical understandings of human existence in November/December … a familiar pattern!!!

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Cal fans are leaders in this, aren't we? We could say, "Welcome to my world!"

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I feel seen.

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