117 Comments

And in TYPICAL 2020 fashion, Mack Brown's daughter is the reigning Jeopardy! Champion, with >$22k in winnings.....

As much as I wanted to root against her bc of her sniveling whining weasel of a Dad, she seemed like a pretty cool lady and I was kinda pulling for her. SHE probably lost some things she cherished in her sniveling whining weasel of a Dad's house fire a few years back, so I guess it's a fair wash.

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79th anniversary of a day that continues to live in infamy.

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This society isn’t strong enough for another Pearl Harbor or WWII type sacrifices to be made. Could you also imagine how QAnon and all the conspiracy idiots would reach to Pearl Harbor today.

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I think it would take that kind of effort to possibly stop climate change, but without a tangible enemy, it might take a catastrophic tragedy (like a city being wiped out) to spur action.

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Maybe, but it's worth noting that people probably thought that in the 20s and 30s before Pearl Harbor happened. You can't be sure what will galvanize people.

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Well the roaring 20s and its laissez faire capitalism probably wasn’t prepared for any real sacrifices but the Great Depression and FDRs New Deal

policies helped paved the way for a society that was more about communal/societal good and sacrifice over individual wealth and freedom of the 20s.

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True, there was a step-by-step process there. I guess this is an opportunity for Joe Biden.

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Depressing thought, but I agree.

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I wondered if anyone would reference this.

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It was [only] one of the pivotal dates in modern world history. Lots of reasons to not forget.

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When I lived in Hawaii our house was about 800 feet from the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial

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Stocking stuffer ideas

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A lot of cute options on this Keep Oakland Alive site https://keepoaklandalive.com/

I picked this dinosaur coloring poster for a (virtual) White Elephant party: https://keepoaklandalive.com/products/adventure-toys-giant-coloring-poster-day-at-the-museum-dinosaurs

A plug for my friend's illustrations: https://society6.com/juliakuo (mainly because I am FINALLY, after 6 years of the iPhone 6, getting a new phone and want to get an ice cream on my phone case, so she obligingly put up an ice cream phone case for me)

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For Teens/College age children: a leatherman mulit tool.

for me? high end chocolates.

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Is "mini-movie" just a euphemism for a commercial?

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I don't know, to be honest, and I'm waiting for Twitter to tell me.

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There is a trailer that is floating around online. The acting in it is so over the top that this has got to be just a parody (or the same category as that Crocodile Dundee sequel that turns out to be just a commercial for Australia).

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Rudy Giuliani has been taken to Walter Reed Pool Supplies.

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Terry's chocolate oranges nom nom nom https://www.carambarco.com/en/brands/terrys/

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Better to eat those things separately I think. Or, just have a drink instead.

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🤮

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more for me then

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we do those

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Nest

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A bluetooth OBD II module for a car guy. Inexpensive but useful.

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I have one of those. I have mixed feelings: on the one hand, I can confirm if there is in fact a problem with the car. On the other hand, confirming that there is no problem means I can't grumble.

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Today in Covid

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"Trump administration officials passed when Pfizer offered in late summer to sell the U.S. government additional doses of its Covid-19 vaccine, according to people familiar with the matter. Now Pfizer may not be able provide more of its vaccine to the United States until next June because of its commitments to other countries, they said."

Because of course they did. (NYT)

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testing ...

i went to my regular coronavirus testing site after returning from Indiana (land-of-coronavirus). it is normally not crowded and takes a total of 10-15 min.

today i was told no walk-ins were allowed and that it was by-appt only because there is a strike by the nursing staff at the hospital.

luckily the drive thru one nearby was still fully operational and i was done in about 15 min.

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There were two tents set up, about a half mile apart, along the Georgetown waterfront when I was on my run Saturday morning about 9. No one was taking advantage at the time. A running friend had stopped at one of them a couple months ago and they gave him a test even though he didn't have his ID or medical care card with him on his run. Just told him to email it in later. Coincidentally, he got the test at the time because he was going to Indiana with his girlfriend to help take of her deceased father's affairs.

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That’s a bit unfair to single out Indiana as the entire US is really the land-of-coronavirus right now.

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Did they tell you to wait 5 days before testing? (obviously not I guess) That's what my urgent care wanted when you haven't been in close contact with someone that has tested positive. For me it was when I flew back. Here the free places around are usually at least 5 days full.

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Paul Pogba says that recovering from the 'rona is no joke: https://twitter.com/goal/status/1335557097975508996?s=20

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Rudy has the 'rona. I guess he really is America's mayor now.

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Not just a positive test either; he's in a hospital.

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Maybe it will make his dementia worse.

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Elsewhere in college

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BYU finally plays a decent team and they lose! Good! Expose those frauds and keep them away from any decent bowl game.

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The end of the Louisiana vs. App State game was bizarre. Here's Jomboy's take on it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc4hUBa-554

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When KJ Costello got injured vs. Alabama, the Pirate went with freshman Will Rogers at QB. Rogers threw a nice pass vs. Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl...

https://twitter.com/john_keeler/status/1333570726436204545

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I thought KJ got benched a long time ago

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I saw this. I'm glad the ref didn't overreact and realize that it wasn't intentional.

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Add the LA Bowl to the list of games that won't be played this season.

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I think that still makes about 35ish bowls for 2020...with 4 of them in the state of Alabama.

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#15 Marshall did their own version of the Cheez-Its Bowl vs. Rice, getting shut-out at home for the first time in 38 years.

Rice only gained 213 yards (before penalties) and still won because Marshall had 10 possessions that ended in:

2 punts

5 INTs (including a pick-six)

3 turnovers on downs

https://www.espn.com/college-football/boxscore?gameId=401257812

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Allowing for the fact that they might not have been at full strength on Sunday due to 'rona among the offensive line, I can't say I expected a day when SC simply couldn't run the ball against Washington State. Or anyone really.

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Harrell's inability to use weapons in the rushing game that are the equal of those in the passing game to any reasonable level is puzzling, even in the context of everything else going on.

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I didn't even notice how badly they ran the ball because I was in awe of how spectacularly they beat down the Cougs in the first quarter.

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it looked a little worse than it really was because of the sacks, but still.

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After about the middle of the 2nd quarter, the way the game unfolded probably shouldn't be used as an indication of anything. Up to that point, it looked like an advertisement for how giving USC time to rest and get healthy and get things timed out might not be a good idea for anyone else.

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the part that I found interesting was that they were able to rotate in a lot of second string players on defense without losing too much. I know that they were playing against 2 freshman QBs but Washington State's WRs are no joke, so the fact that the backups acquitted themselves well was a pleasant surprise.

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OUR CRUMBLING DEMOCRACY

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NC Labor Commissioner is in the pocket of Big Virus

https://twitter.com/sophie_kasakove/status/1335985473278369803?s=20

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I would think increasing the impact of one's agency is part of the political appointee's job?

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Eff you, Cherie Berry

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more like Dumb Plum amirite?

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# of workplace deaths in North Carolina in 2019: 53

# of Covid deaths in 2020 through yesterday: 5,593

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PRO

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RIP Dick Allen, maybe shoulda been Hall of Famer?

https://twitter.com/Phillies/status/1336043247639154688

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I think he will get in via the Veteran's committee after getting quite close last time. Even though there were no fans, the Phillies did have a ceremony to retire his number this season.

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Raiders look to give the Jets their first win of the year, but with 11 seconds left the Jets do what they do best.

https://twitter.com/johnbreech/status/1335693524721938432

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#tankfortrevor

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Jets DC inexplicably calls Cover 0 for final play. Gets fired because of it.

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Watching this live I wondered how in the hell a guy could get that open deep when it's the only thing that can beat you. Then I see it's a blitz with no safety help. WTF?

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It was the 2nd straight play, although the play before there was safety help. Carr just missed the first throw.

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Oh I can explain it...

<<M1Abrams.gif>>

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Greggggggggg Williams getting it done for the tank but too obviously

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Raiders did their best to make Darnold look like a HOF QB, at least the first few drives of the game. Until he went fumble, int, fumble.

It wasn't even the Jets doing their best to Jets. I think the coaching staff called the blitz and have no safety coverage because they tried to give the Raiders the best chance to win the game to preserve the tanking. It made it look like they were trying to win but allow a chance for a TD.

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Jared Goff fights off criticism, leads Rams to win.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/gametracker/recap/NFL_20201206_LAR@ARI/

Aaron Rodgers continues his probably-MVP-season.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/gametracker/recap/NFL_20201206_PHI@GB/

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i wonder if Goff is talking about Cal football

''I responded exactly how I expected to,'' Goff said. ''I have been through a lot of bad things in my football career before

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I mean, his first season at Cal was certainly pretty bad.

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The worst.

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Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers fastest to 400 career touchdown passes

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/30465452/green-bay-packers-qb-aaron-rodgers-fastest-400-career-touchdown-passes

Rodgers is the only quarterback who had fewer than 100 interceptions (he has 88) at the time he reached 400 touchdowns.

"Now, I'm going to see if I can get to 500 before I throw 100 picks," Rodgers said.

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Wow...he'd have to go 10:1 TD to INT to get there. Over his last 3 seasons (2020 included), he's 87:10. I wouldn't bet against him.

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I was switching between both games all afternoon. Had switched from the GB game because it looked like they had it wrapped up, then switched back because the Rams ended up comfortably ahead and the Packers O went into a shell and Jalen Hurts lead the Eagles back

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CAL

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For all the crap that people give Bill Musgrave, I love how this play is designed. Worked like a charm.

https://twitter.com/CalFootball/status/1335409613248757760

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Yep. If we can't consistently get separation on go routes, then that's a great alternative, especially against a confusion-prone secondary like Oregon's.

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I think it's especially unfair to dump on him given: New scheme; very limited practices. Also, in the Oregon game I think we saw the outlines of a successful offense.

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Nam pointed this out on the Rivals board

"Through four weeks, he's (Musgrave) asked Chase to:

-Run a power run, tight end heavy offense through walk-ons and missing OL

-Throw downfield very little, mostly to the flats, occasional screen game, etc

-Throw primarily to only one side of the field, a deficiency I am still unsure as to why it exists, given that the skill position talent and what Chase showed last year already"

-Run a little bit, but not consistently each game.

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Saturday felt like we finally had a coherent offense, where plays build on each other to bait the defense out of position.

Except the consecutive runs up the middle in the red zone. Those were still frustrating.

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Seemed like the same old inefficient offense that had a lot of three and outs. Oregon’s defense gives up 28 points a game and we could barely muster 21 points. That 10 minute scoring drive was largely aided by Oregon penalties and not Cals offense making plays.

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It was definitely an inefficient slog, but it felt like what we were doing made some degree of sense rather than throwing a random selection of plays at the wall to see what sticks. Of course, that leads to the obvious question of why we are stuck running a coherent but ultimately ineffective offense rather than something that can move the ball.

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Overall talent/speed deficiency might be a consideration...

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Saturday forecast for Pullman is snow showers in the evening. Pac-12 after dark with some of the white stuff. Temperature in the low 30's, so not too bad.

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Kind of a beatdown for men's BB vs. UCLA. I turned it off when it was 31-11.

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Which Pac-12 teams could MBB beat? I'm not sure there are any OSUs out there this year.

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We are shooting a lot more 3's this season, so there would probably be a game (or even two) where statistical fluctuation is in our favor for an upset win (or two).

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we would rule NAIA though. Can't see us losing more than 5 or 6 games against those teams

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none

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Unfortunately, while we'll for the most part be borderline competitive, we're gonna take a step back from last year's signs of life...Anticivich is not a P12-caliber starter, our bigs are unskilled, we have limited PG play at best, and Bradley was benched, so something's amiss with our star.

Wyking Jones ruined this program.

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Go Bears. Tame the Cougs.

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I thought Cal did a good job of not playing down to the opposition on Saturday.

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I'm growing weary of this "score enough points and let the defense win us the game in the final two minutes" version of Cal football

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in contrast, my brother (an Oregon alum) is already done with the Cristobal version of Oregon.

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Perhaps you can interest him in becoming a Clay Helton proponent?

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Anything that keeps Clay at SC benefits us all.

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The same Cristobal who went 9-4 his first year, won Pac-12 Coach of the Year, and led Oregon to a Rose Bowl victory last year? And whose Ducks only need to beat UW to earn another trip to the Pac-12 title game?

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A bag of used jock straps could have coached that Oregon team to 9-4. Cristobal was OC under Taggart and he kept a lot of the staff when Taggart left for FSU. Continuity counts for something.

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After bottoming out under Helfrich in 2016 they've gone on to win 7, 9, and 12 games, so they've been on an upward trajectory. I credit that staff with maintaining that upward trajectory. This season is an aberration, especially due to all their opt-outs. If this year's issues on defense persist next year, Oregon fans may have reason to worry. Otherwise, it still seems like they're the clear top dog in the Pac-12 North.

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Yes. I mean unless there's another Mario Cristobal? With a comedy mustache?

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It’s one thing to be able to recruit all that talent and another to coach them into a cohesive killing machine which Cristobal has not done.

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Cristobal cant coach for shit

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My Oregon fan friend said "being undisciplined like that, they will never be an elite team" - after the loss.

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RS Fr QB, some drops, and a ton of key opt outs, incl. the #3 pick in the Draft...while I love seeing Oregon fans fume, this is hardly the year to indict Cristobal.

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I get that, but I really liked the "going for it on fourth down" new-Wilcox.

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I don't have a problem with going for it, but if you are going to go for the first down, then for the love of God, actually call plays for the whole series that are designed to do that. Three conservative runs while in FG range makes it seem like the plan was to play for the FG and then it looks like the plan abruptly changed.

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It’s lack of faith in special teams imo

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...and rightly so

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It’s lack of faith in special teams imo

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Absolutely. Can't risk a block there....hope Chase can get more consistent on the "out" throws next year...

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...and rightly so

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