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DBD gift ideas. Please post something that you would like for Christmas in the hopes that perhaps it is an inspiration for someone else as a gift idea for their loved ones.

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- get some art and posters framed, stuff that has been just sitting around and should be on the walls.

- a proper knife for cutting sushi/sashimi

- solo ultralight backpacking tent

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I highly recommend Tarptent if you are going single wall. The is an independently owned company and the owner is very kind. My friend is a middle school counselor and Henry donated tents for his backpacking program to get kids out in the woods. Tents are durable, simple, and lightweight. https://www.tarptent.com/tents/

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nice. good to know of small companies like that making quality gear

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Nov 14·edited Nov 14Author

A proper bird feeder, an 8-quart Cambro container, headphones, a new Athletic Director, a knife roll, a large hardcase suitcase, a duffel bag, a PS5, and a new phone, and maybe a big fake tree I can put in my office.

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No 2 had a great idea. He is getting some baseball cards for each of us of players born on our birthday. Depending on who is available, he is either trying to get really old players (replica cards) or someone that played for the Dodgers, or good players.

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ISWYDT.

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An ISWYDT T-shirt. Or button.

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huh....haha.

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DBD JUKE BOX (go ahead a post a tune you want people to listen to)

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Nov 14·edited Nov 14

finale from my spin class today .. it was a fun mini dance party

I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) by The Proclaimers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbNlMtqrYS0

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I always picture Ted and Marshall in a Fiero when I hear this song.

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Nov 14·edited Nov 14

Send in the Clowns. I always heard the Judy Collins version. Last night on the Voice, a guy sang his rendition of the Frank Sinatra version. It was great, so I looked up Frank's. Wonderful.

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

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In honor of today's DBD title: Signs - The Five Man Electrical Band

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9lh7lqZojc

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imagine that

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Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft sing "Sweet Georgia Brown" in Polish

https://youtu.be/6SiBS2kqgYM?si=MwTOKdHjmUN4Ni1-

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"ooh la la" by Run The Jewels

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQnZre5MNUU

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DBD STREET JOURNAL

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As a former litigation lawyer, I often advised clients that the notion of "justice" in civil litigation comes down to little more than cash, and that they should not expect at the end of litigation to be emotionally satisfied if they win. This result is as close to tangible "justice" as I have ever seen, especially with the Onion involved in conjunction with some of the parents of the Sandy Hook victims. Wonderful!

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Six Flags announces a billion dollar capital investment program. On the flip side, rollercoaster fans are mourning the retirement of Kingda Ka

https://twitter.com/ElToroRyan/status/1857048719016833106

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Six Flags Great America will celebrate its 50th anniversary, debuting a new kids’ area, commemorative events and park enhancements

I thought Great America was closing down at some point. Didn't the city of the 9ers buy the land?

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LIKE A LITTLE SHAKESPEARE?

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Shakespeare, a 2001 Kentucky foal by Theatrical (IRE)….a helluva turf horse trained by Kieran McLaughlin, whose brother and Assistant Trainer, Neal, lived next door to me in Saratoga Springs.

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THE WACKY ZANY WORLD OF POLITICS

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RFK Jr is pushing to be the Health & Human Services Secretary. He believes in several health-related conspiracy theories that I won't explicitly state because they are also espoused by a DBDer.

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Russian asset Tulsi Gabbard in charge of the country's intelligence communities? It's about to be very unhealthy to be a spy.

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Matt Gaetz for attorney general? I guess Sean Combs wasn't interested.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2k0472q8v0o

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So Trump and MAGA adopts a bunch of QAnon BS. And we're literally getting deep state with (alleged) an child molester for AG. Projection. It's always projection.

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Nov 14·edited Nov 14

Former US Rep Charlie Dent says Gaetz' nomination is "gobsmackingly bad". Maine Senator Susan Collins says she was "shocked" by the nomination. Senator Collins has failed to indicate if she will vote to approve.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-will-have-to-withdraw-matt-gaetz-nomination-former-gop-congressman/ar-AA1u5srO?ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=42296aaefc75440aa816cbbbbbb01966&ei=13

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They'll probably vote him in, and it will all end badly for everyone.

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Of course she is going to approve. Gotta keep on orange man's good side.

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Apropos: Matt Gaetz resigns his House seat

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I wonder if this wasn’t an excuse for him to resign before the ethics report is released. Seems like, at least initially, there is some pushback even from Republicans to his nomination.

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I think that's at least part of the reason, whether he gets the job or not.

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DBD AV CLUB

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Started S2 of The Diplomat, on Netflix…Keri Russell. S1 was awesome.

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I'm probably 3 episodes in. Like it so far.

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PRO

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RJ Barrett does a double-take on Jamie Lannister

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1K-MrU8r38

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Wanna see something wholesome? How about a whole stadium cheering for a visiting player?

https://twitter.com/mollyhannahm/status/1855829136318574630

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LIndsey Vaughn (40) says she is going to unretire. She was washed up in 2019, so I'm pretty sure that this is just a marketing attempt to keep her influencership alive. I guess you can say her career is going... downhill.

https://www.espn.com/olympics/skiing/story/_/id/42385506/skier-lindsey-vonn-40-ending-retirement-6-years-last-olympics

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this seems quite strange for someone so firmly retired.

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I would guess she needs the money. Otherwise, why come out of retirement?

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makes me think about my non-retirement plans. i am perfectly happy working into my 70s.

rather than worry about running out of money, ideally i would like to stay engaged doing something fruitful. less about $ and more about keeping bisy and doing something productive and interesting.

the idea would be that as long as the thing made some non-zero amount of $ it would 1) keep me young, and 2) draw down retirement fund less and have it last longer

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I hear you about being engaged and doing something fruitful (productive). It gives a person purpose and meaning in their life. Which is why I don't understand the "conservative" opposition to welfare when people are out of a job. I also don't understand the "conservative" opposition to lifting people out of poverty or paying taxes to help others be more productive and *happy* in their lives. I have a problem with the "conservative" label.

Anyhoo, I have non-retirement plans, too. But it's unfortunately because I'm concerned about the impacts of an Orange Man presidency on Social Security, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act. It could deeply affect me and Mrs Slug and I'm inclined to stay with my current employer until AFTER the Circus Maximus has run its course.

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ELSWHERE IN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

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You're probably breathing in a bit of Jim-Bob's remains

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/42368374/ashes-buried-college-football-stadiums

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Nov 14·edited Nov 14

Let's remember that Andy Smith's ashes were dropped from a plane over Cal Memorial in 1926.

Certainly, none of his ashes remain there, though. Even if the ashes had been there in the soil as late as the 1980 season, they would have been covered over by asphalt when AstroTurf was laid down on the field. Then, in 1995, the AstroTurf and the underlying asphalt were taken up, and the crown of the field was removed along with about 2 feet of the soil to put in a state-of-the-art drainage system.

All of that was removed with the West Side Improvements project, when the field level was lowered another 4 feet.

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It's the House that Andy built. You can see a bit of Andy all over CMS.

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Until recently, his bench was also inside.

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CAL

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One of Cal's top WSWIM recruits decommits. Hopefully temporarily.

https://swimswam.com/alex-shackell-decommits-from-cal-will-defer-college-enrollment-for-a-year/

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[MBB] Bears Dealt First Loss Of Season

https://calbears.com/news/2024/11/13/mens-basketball-bears-dealt-first-loss-of-season.aspx

NASHVILLE – California could not overcome a turnover-prone performance and was handed its first loss of the season at Vanderbilt, 85-69, on Wednesday night at Memorial Gymnasium.

The Golden Bears (2-1) turned the ball over a season-high 20 times, including 12 in the first half, and never led against the Commodores, who remained undefeated on the season at 3-0. Andrej Stojakovic led four Bears in double figures with 17 points, while BJ Omot, DJ Campbell and Jovan Blacksher added 15, 12 and 11, respectively.

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Nov 14·edited Nov 14

Trying hard not to overreact to a road loss v an SEC team, BUT, that effort, especially on defense, was not even close to good enough…didn’t necessarily NEED to win this one - an L @ Vandy is not crippling, like say a home lose to Montana State is.

But like we talked about during the scrimmage, is there enough here to make a Bubble run, and sadly, nothing last night says this roster has anything close to what it takes to make the Dance.

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I'm glad I didn't watch this game. I did ask No 1 and 2 if they wanted to fly there to watch. I've always wanted to watch a game there and check out their court and never did it while they were there.

I've always thought it would take some number of games for the players to figure out how to play together. Let's see how the rest of the non-conf games go.

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I was more concerned with just how easy Vanderbilt was able to get WAO looks on O, and conversely how they completely shut down the Cal offense despite the presence of a veteran PG with 100 career starts that’s supposed to be able to run the offense.

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I was going to watch some but by time I finished dinner and tuned in it wasn’t worth it.

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[MSOC] Carmichael, Adimabua Earn All-ACC Honors

https://calbears.com/news/2024/11/13/mens-soccer-carmichael-adimabua-earn-all-acc-honors.aspx

California men's soccer seniors Kevin Carmichael and Nonso Adimabua – who have been instrumental to the success of the Golden Bears this season – were named to the All-ACC Second Team and Third Team, respectively, the conference announced Wednesday.

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[WGYM] Cal Women’s Gymnastics Pens 2025 Recruits

https://calbears.com/news/2024/11/13/womens-gymnastics-cal-womens-gymnastics-pens-2025-recruits.aspx

BERKELEY – The reigning national runner-up California women's gymnastics team signed three members of its 2025 recruitment class as announced Wednesday by co-head coaches Liz Crandall-Howell and Justin Howell. Tonya Paulsson, Sophie Stuart and Quincy Walters will join the Golden Bears next fall.

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[SB] Cal Softball Signs 2025 Class

https://calbears.com/news/2024/11/13/cal-softball-signs-2025-class.aspx

BERKELEY – The California softball team signed four incoming freshmen in the Class of 2025, announced Wednesday by head coach Chelsea Spencer, who continues to find success in the California recruiting pipeline as all four signees decided to remain close to home, like a year ago, as she welcomes her fifth recruiting class.

"We believe the 2025 class is one of the top classes in the country," Spencer said. "We have four exceptional athletes coming in that are going to make an impact on our program from day one. They are all extremely athletic, competitive, and have high academics. They come from great families and fit the mold in all aspects of what it means to be a Bear. The future of Cal softball is going to be very bright. Go Bears!"

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[VB] Bears Sign 3 To 2025 Squad

https://calbears.com/news/2024/11/13/volleyball-bears-sign-3-to-2025-squad.aspx

BERKELEY - California volleyball announced the addition of three incoming freshmen to its 2025 squad Wednesday, with Arissa Carbonara, Annemarie O'Gara and Francesca Popescu officially signing with the Golden Bears.

Carbonara, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter from Cuero, Texas, who owns the Cuero High School records for both single-season and career kills, has posted 731 kills this season -16th-most in the nation – and is a member of the 2024 Texas Girls Coaches Association (TGCA) All-Star Team. In 2023, she was named All-State by the Texas Sportswriters Association (TWSA), the District 28-4A Offensive MVP and the Victoria Advocate Area Offensive Player of the Year. Carbonara's athletic achievements also include four letters in basketball (and a TCGA 4A All-State nod in 2024); she is also a jumper on the Cuero High School track & field team and played varsity softball as a freshman.

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[MBB] Cal Signs Pair Of Prep Standouts

https://calbears.com/news/2024/11/13/mens-basketball-cal-signs-pair-of-prep-standouts.aspx

BERKELEY – ?The California men's basketball? program signed Class of 2025 standouts and in-state recruits Semetri "TT" Carr and Jovani Ruff? on Wednesday. The two Golden Bears – Carr, a 6-foot-0, 165-pound guard from Mill Valley, and Ruff, a 6-foot-5, 175-pound guard from Long Beach – will join the Cal program ahead of the 2025-26 season.

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[XC] Cal Heads To NCAA West Regionals

https://calbears.com/news/2024/11/13/cross-country-cal-heads-to-ncaa-west-regionals.aspx

The California men's and women's cross country teams head to Colfax, Washington for the NCAA West Regional Championships that begin Friday at the Colfax Golf Course hosted by Washington State University. The race begins with the women's 6k race at 11 a.m. PT followed by the men's 10k at 12 p.m. PT.

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[WBB] Cal Signs 4 To 2025 Class

https://calbears.com/news/2024/11/13/womens-basketball-cal-signs-4-to-2025-class.aspx

BERKELEY – The California women's basketball team added four incoming freshmen to its 2025 class as announced Wednesday by head coach Charmin Smith, whose recruiting class for the second straight year includes two players ranked in the ESPN Top 100 list. The class features Aliyahna "Puff" Morris (No. 24) and Taylor Barnes (No. 70) along with Grace McCallop and Isis Johnson-Musah.

"We're excited to yet again bring in another elite recruiting class that will continue to help us level up," Smith said. "The quality of talent in the classes we've brought in these last two years shows that this program is on the rise and we're building something special here in Berkeley."

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Nov 14·edited Nov 14

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

It was the biggest game in Memorial Stadium since 1958. On October 26, 1968 number 11 California (4-1) hosted number 10 Syracuse (3-1). A crowd of over 50,000 fans (including a young Oski Disciple) packed Memorial Stadium and a fair share of the college football world was actually interested in what was happening in Berkeley. The Bears had been through a terrible nine-year stretch that featured zero winning seasons and six years with three or less victories. But the ’68 Bears and their Bear Minimum defense were soaring having beaten Michigan in Ann Arbor and owning an empathic 39-15 win over UCLA. Cal did not fold on the big stage. The Bears built a big lead (17-0 after the first quarter) and kept on going defeating the Orangemen 43-0. Among the game’s highlights were a 47-yard punt return for a touchdown by Gary Fowler, the then longest field goal in Golden Bear history, 50 yards by Ron Miller (who also connected on 30 and 37 yarders), Bernie Keeles’ 45-yard interception return on the game’s final play and TD runs of eight and ten yards by quarterback Randy Humphries. The defense was led by end Irby Augustine who was in on nine tackles, five unassisted, broke up one pass and intercepted another. After the game-ending interception California fans stormed the field. I came across kicker Miller who was trying to find someone to hold for his extra point try, bizarre given the circumstances. (Though many have disbelieved the story, the aforementioned Fowler who I sat next to for many years at Bear games, confirmed it.) Sports Illustrated was on hand for the game and gave it a big write up in their next edition, a very big deal in those days. Sadly this ended up being a good season rather than a storybook one for the Bears. A week later the Bears were held to a tie in Seattle, they lost at U$C the following week then had two more wins sandwiching a face plant to Furd, 20-0. Cal finished at 7-3-1 and the next season were back at .500.

Oski Disciple’s Bear Facts appears Tuesday through Thursday on the DBD throughout the 2024 college football season. There will be a bonus Bear fact on the space tomorrow.

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Listened to that Seattle UW game. We were on the goal line with few seconds left and Randy, I believe, fumbled and huskies recovered.

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That game was an early experience for me in Cal football induced frustration. More on that tomorrow in a Bonus Bear Facts.

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Author's request: Before suggesting a mistake or omission, please read the post carefully. The mistake may be your own.

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Words to live by.

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