The College Football Playoff and ESPN have signed a five-year, nearly $1.7 billion deal that will expand the field to 24 teams in 2027 with ESPN as its continued broadcast partner, sources told ESPN, a seismic move that also eliminates the lucrative Power 4 conference championship games.
Which is crazy because I remember in 91 driving from Pensacola to Orlando for the citrus bowl, I was doing 85ish and getting passed by big rigs doing 90. I still assume people in Florida drive fast between large cities.
Another instance of FAFO. This will hurt people who can afford it least, and yet voters in counties that could afford it least voted in favor of the tax measure. Kinda like Prop 13 in California.
Last year, it rained during Holi. I have a shit ton of powdered color ready and two sets of clothes ready to go. I may get one more Holi before I leave for France.
My neighborhood is >90% Indian. There was a crazy amount of fireworks, day until late at night. This is funny because these types of fireworks are banned in NC, but undoubtedly everyone drove to Pedro's at the Border in SC to buy them.
interestingly since i am ethnically Bengali (eastern India), Diwali is not something i ever really knew about or celebrated grown up. in fact i have more holiday/family/celebration associations w/ all-American holidays like Thxgiving and Xmas.
in West Bengal, Durga (mother goddess) is the one is most celebrated around the same time of year. in fact the 10-day Durga Puja festivities just finished up.
our family owns some land in a small village 2 hours outside Kolkata, and every 4 years we are in charge of hosting the village Durga Puja celebration. i'll be going for the first time, next year.
i seem to have barely inched ahead the average person as of late. not sure how much better one can do overall if i am tied w/ WordleBot and the difference is so slight.
I forgot to play Saturday. Sunday morning I see a message from my sister complaining about the word. Not sure I would have gotten it. I get the impression lots of folks weren’t happy.
not the most normal word but if you started w/ TARPS which is WordleBot's preferred favorite, you would have been "extraordinarily lucky today. You’ve eliminated all but two of the words in my dictionary"
i ended up guessing wrong since i picked the more normal work and got it in 3.
Exactly this. I would also like it if they kept statistics for another of their puzzles - Pips. I play Pips every day and would like to know how I'm stacking up against the general audience/Pips player.
It's a busy time at Cal Athletics, with our fall season winding down and our winter sports - including both basketball teams - just getting started. Co-Directors of Athletics Jenny Simon-O'Neill and Jay Larson provide key departmental updates in this video edition of Jenny and Jay's Journal. Please make sure to click the play button above to watch, and thank you for everything you do to support our Golden Bears.
LAKE TAHOE – The California women's basketball team had four players score in double figures led by Jovana Jevtovic's career-high 18 points (8-for-9) in a dominating 87-65 win over San Francisco at the Caesars Lake Tahoe Classic on Sunday afternoon. The Golden Bears' (3-0) win over USF (1-1) marked their third straight by over 20 points.
BERKELEY - The California rugby team had five players score multiple tries as the Golden Bears opened the XVs season with a 103-5 victory over Western Washington at Witter Rugby Field on Saturday afternoon.
BERKELEY – For the first time since 2022 the No. 1 California men's water polo team went undefeated at home defeating No. 5 Fordham 20-19 in overtime Friday to improve to 8-0 at Spieker Aquatics Complex.
The Senior Night matchup and penultimate game of the regular season was one for the books as the newly-appointed top-ranked Golden Bears (15-4) were pushed to the brink by the Rams (23-2) who entered the evening with just one loss in 24 games this season.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The California Golden Bears sent two pairs to this weekend's AVCA Beach National Championship.
Cal's representatives were Emma Donley and Julia Sprecher, who were the No. 6 overall seed, and Grace Hong and freshman Sarah Gyepes, who were the No. 20 overall seed.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. –Dominique Phills came off the bench to register seven kills in the fourth set alone and middle blocker Sawyer Thomsen recorded 12 kills without an error as the travel-weary California volleyball team came all the way back to notch a 22-25, 20-25, 25-22, 25-18, 15-8 Atlantic Coast Conference victory over Florida State on Friday evening at Tully Gymnasium.
Cal Men’s Tennis Wraps Up ITA West Sectionalshttps://calbears.com/news/2026/11/6/mens-tennis-cal-mens-tennis-wraps-up-ita-west-sectionals
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The California men's tennis team completed play at the ITA West Sectional Championships on Friday.
In Thursday's doubles round of 16, seniors Alex Aney and Timofey Stepanov earned their second ranked win of the season, defeating No. 73 Zoran Ludoski and Tristan Berard of Arizona 6-4, 6-4. Lenn Luemkemann and Paris Pouatcha also won in straight sets, topping Santa Clara's Luca Lemaitre Vilchis and Ferran Redza 6-4, 6-4.
I will have to say we got blitzed in the first 6-8 min. I think Houston scored on their first 8-10 possessions. It was clear they were more athletic at almost all positions. But, we did settle the ship and even had 2-3 runs. Got it down to like 7, then they got it back up to 15.
Ross looked more aggressive scoring the ball.
Dut was getting shoved around and when he did have a chance to score, looked over matched.
Cooper can shoot.
Kočanas lost a bunch of weight over the summer but is still way too slow for top 20 teams.
Sami had some good drives.
Nojus got bottled up. I think Houston identified him as someone they needed to defend closely.
Overall, we did about as well as we could. Last year's team would've been blown out by at least 40.
LAKE TAHOE, NEV. — The California men's basketball team came up against a tough ranked foe in Lake Tahoe tonight, taking an 86-68 loss to No. 10 Houston at the Tahoe Blue Event Center in the inaugural Caesars Lake Tahoe Classic. The Golden Bears are now 2-1 overall, and the Cougars are 2-0.
Brock Purdy airmailed a 3rd-and-2 pass to George Kittle on the opening drive, but the two connected on fourth down to keep the drive alive.
Kaelon Black had a nine-yard run. Brandin Cooks caught a 13-yard pass, and Christian McCaffrey’s 11-yard gain put the San Francisco 49ers in a goal-to-go situation. After Kyle Juszczyk’s first carry of the season, McCaffrey scored a touchdown for the seventh straight game to give the 49ers an early 7-0 lead.
Other college
not unexpected
The College Football Playoff and ESPN have signed a five-year, nearly $1.7 billion deal that will expand the field to 24 teams in 2027 with ESPN as its continued broadcast partner, sources told ESPN, a seismic move that also eliminates the lucrative Power 4 conference championship games.
No reason to play a conference championship game and risk getting knocked out of the CFP
POLITICS
Florida already voted to do away with state tax.
On Tuesday, they voted to create a $250k exemption to property taxes.
Drive exactly the speed limit in Florida, folks, because revenue generation is going to get really aggressive there.
https://www.rawstory.com/florida-gop-2678331374/
Which is crazy because I remember in 91 driving from Pensacola to Orlando for the citrus bowl, I was doing 85ish and getting passed by big rigs doing 90. I still assume people in Florida drive fast between large cities.
the radio people were saying things like "watch out for non-FL drivers this time of year because they dont drive as fast as well do"
Another instance of FAFO. This will hurt people who can afford it least, and yet voters in counties that could afford it least voted in favor of the tax measure. Kinda like Prop 13 in California.
Diwali and other Indian holidays
Last year, it rained during Holi. I have a shit ton of powdered color ready and two sets of clothes ready to go. I may get one more Holi before I leave for France.
My neighborhood is >90% Indian. There was a crazy amount of fireworks, day until late at night. This is funny because these types of fireworks are banned in NC, but undoubtedly everyone drove to Pedro's at the Border in SC to buy them.
interestingly since i am ethnically Bengali (eastern India), Diwali is not something i ever really knew about or celebrated grown up. in fact i have more holiday/family/celebration associations w/ all-American holidays like Thxgiving and Xmas.
in West Bengal, Durga (mother goddess) is the one is most celebrated around the same time of year. in fact the 10-day Durga Puja festivities just finished up.
https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/durga-puja-in-kolkata-00703
our family owns some land in a small village 2 hours outside Kolkata, and every 4 years we are in charge of hosting the village Durga Puja celebration. i'll be going for the first time, next year.
that being said, in the current moment given how much awareness there is of Indian cultural things, it is nice to be a part of it.
Digital Diversions
Worldle
#Worldle #1753 (09.11.2026) 3/6 (100%)
🔥 Current Win Streak: 1 days
🟩🟩🟨⬜⬜↙️
🟩🟩🟩🟩⬜⬆️
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🎉
https://worldle.teuteuf.fr/share
I thought about the answer for 2 but the distance and direction didn't seem right.
recent Wordle stats.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/XYin3bScviAjCDLh7
i seem to have barely inched ahead the average person as of late. not sure how much better one can do overall if i am tied w/ WordleBot and the difference is so slight.
I forgot to play Saturday. Sunday morning I see a message from my sister complaining about the word. Not sure I would have gotten it. I get the impression lots of folks weren’t happy.
I'm wondering if we're hitting the less popular words now since it's been going for quite a while.
It is an *unusual* word, though some folks use a synonym that is has similarities - prattle.
I earned a Sea of Greens for that puzzle. It also took me 5 guesses to solve.
not the most normal word but if you started w/ TARPS which is WordleBot's preferred favorite, you would have been "extraordinarily lucky today. You’ve eliminated all but two of the words in my dictionary"
i ended up guessing wrong since i picked the more normal work and got it in 3.
to be fair, it is a short term thing, only last 12 games.
i wonder why they dont have more long terms stats for consumption given how much people love these things.
Exactly this. I would also like it if they kept statistics for another of their puzzles - Pips. I play Pips every day and would like to know how I'm stacking up against the general audience/Pips player.
maybe i'll write an app for it.
solid start to the week.
Wordle 1,969 4/6*
⬛🟨⬛⬛⬛
⬛🟨⬛🟨⬛
⬛🟩🟩🟨⬛
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
WordleBot
Skill 92/99
Luck 41/99
Wordle 1,969 4/6*
⬛⬛🟩⬛⬛
⬛⬛🟩🟩⬛
⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Didn't even know this was a word.
Wordle 1,969 3/6
⬜🟨🟩⬜⬜
⬜🟩⬜⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
WordleBot
Skill 88/99
Luck 83/99
Wordle 1,969 4/6
⬜🟨🟩⬜⬜
⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜
⬜🟩🟩🟨⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
WordleBot
Skill 93/99
Luck 54/99
Our 3rd and 4th guesses appear to be the same. I wonder why my luck score is higher.
Cal
[NEWS] Jenny and Jay's Jourrnal: Back On The Hardwood
https://calbears.com/news/2026/11/8/athletics-news-jenny-and-jays-jourrnal-back-on-the-hardwood
It's a busy time at Cal Athletics, with our fall season winding down and our winter sports - including both basketball teams - just getting started. Co-Directors of Athletics Jenny Simon-O'Neill and Jay Larson provide key departmental updates in this video edition of Jenny and Jay's Journal. Please make sure to click the play button above to watch, and thank you for everything you do to support our Golden Bears.
[WBB] Cal Dominates In Win Over San Francisco
https://calbears.com/news/2026/11/8/womens-basketball-cal-dominates-in-win-over-san-francisco
LAKE TAHOE – The California women's basketball team had four players score in double figures led by Jovana Jevtovic's career-high 18 points (8-for-9) in a dominating 87-65 win over San Francisco at the Caesars Lake Tahoe Classic on Sunday afternoon. The Golden Bears' (3-0) win over USF (1-1) marked their third straight by over 20 points.
[RUGBY] Bears Open XVs Play With Win Over Western Washington
https://calbears.com/news/2026/11/7/rugby-bears-open-xvs-play-with-win-over-western-washington
BERKELEY - The California rugby team had five players score multiple tries as the Golden Bears opened the XVs season with a 103-5 victory over Western Washington at Witter Rugby Field on Saturday afternoon.
[MPOLO] No. 1 Cal Outlasts No. 5 Fordham In Overtime 20-19
https://calbears.com/news/2026/11/6/mens-water-polo-no-1-cal-outlasts-no-5-fordham-in-overtime-20-19
BERKELEY – For the first time since 2022 the No. 1 California men's water polo team went undefeated at home defeating No. 5 Fordham 20-19 in overtime Friday to improve to 8-0 at Spieker Aquatics Complex.
The Senior Night matchup and penultimate game of the regular season was one for the books as the newly-appointed top-ranked Golden Bears (15-4) were pushed to the brink by the Rams (23-2) who entered the evening with just one loss in 24 games this season.
[BVB] Cal Has Strong Showing At Day One of AVCA Pairs National Championships
https://calbears.com/news/2026/11/6/beach-volleyball-cal-has-strong-showing-at-day-one-of-avca-pairs-national-championships
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The California Golden Bears sent two pairs to this weekend's AVCA Beach National Championship.
Cal's representatives were Emma Donley and Julia Sprecher, who were the No. 6 overall seed, and Grace Hong and freshman Sarah Gyepes, who were the No. 20 overall seed.
[VBALL] Bears Storm Back to Defeat Florida State
https://calbears.com/news/2026/11/6/volleyball-bears-storm-back-to-defeat-florida-state
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. –Dominique Phills came off the bench to register seven kills in the fourth set alone and middle blocker Sawyer Thomsen recorded 12 kills without an error as the travel-weary California volleyball team came all the way back to notch a 22-25, 20-25, 25-22, 25-18, 15-8 Atlantic Coast Conference victory over Florida State on Friday evening at Tully Gymnasium.
[MTEN]
Cal Men’s Tennis Wraps Up ITA West Sectionalshttps://calbears.com/news/2026/11/6/mens-tennis-cal-mens-tennis-wraps-up-ita-west-sectionals
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The California men's tennis team completed play at the ITA West Sectional Championships on Friday.
In Thursday's doubles round of 16, seniors Alex Aney and Timofey Stepanov earned their second ranked win of the season, defeating No. 73 Zoran Ludoski and Tristan Berard of Arizona 6-4, 6-4. Lenn Luemkemann and Paris Pouatcha also won in straight sets, topping Santa Clara's Luca Lemaitre Vilchis and Ferran Redza 6-4, 6-4.
Houston won the tip-off and scored, never trailing. Never in doubt.
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/matchup/_/gameId/401918053
I will have to say we got blitzed in the first 6-8 min. I think Houston scored on their first 8-10 possessions. It was clear they were more athletic at almost all positions. But, we did settle the ship and even had 2-3 runs. Got it down to like 7, then they got it back up to 15.
Ross looked more aggressive scoring the ball.
Dut was getting shoved around and when he did have a chance to score, looked over matched.
Cooper can shoot.
Kočanas lost a bunch of weight over the summer but is still way too slow for top 20 teams.
Sami had some good drives.
Nojus got bottled up. I think Houston identified him as someone they needed to defend closely.
Overall, we did about as well as we could. Last year's team would've been blown out by at least 40.
[MBB] Cal Falls 86-68 To No. 10 Houston In Lake Tahoe
https://calbears.com/news/2026/11/8/mens-basketball-cal-falls-86-68-to-no-10-houston-in-lake-tahoe
LAKE TAHOE, NEV. — The California men's basketball team came up against a tough ranked foe in Lake Tahoe tonight, taking an 86-68 loss to No. 10 Houston at the Tahoe Blue Event Center in the inaugural Caesars Lake Tahoe Classic. The Golden Bears are now 2-1 overall, and the Cougars are 2-0.
By time I turned the game on Cal was down by twenty. Didn’t watch for long.
PRO
Sloppy Raiders blown out in return to Bay Area
https://www.silverandblackpride.com/las-vegas-raiders-game-information/144371/las-vegas-raiders-san-francisco-49ers-live-updates
49ers force four straight turnovers in blowout win over the Raiders
https://www.ninersnation.com/san-francisco-49ers-analysis/165386/49ers-force-four-straight-turnovers-in-blowout-win-over-the-raiders
Brock Purdy airmailed a 3rd-and-2 pass to George Kittle on the opening drive, but the two connected on fourth down to keep the drive alive.
Kaelon Black had a nine-yard run. Brandin Cooks caught a 13-yard pass, and Christian McCaffrey’s 11-yard gain put the San Francisco 49ers in a goal-to-go situation. After Kyle Juszczyk’s first carry of the season, McCaffrey scored a touchdown for the seventh straight game to give the 49ers an early 7-0 lead.
Red-hot Warriors escape Orlando Magic to snatch seventh straight win
https://dubnationhq.com/p/red-hot-warriors-escape-orlando-magic
Warriors dominate the 1st half, turtle in the 3Q, and then just barely survive in OT.
Caleb Williams unrepentant in throwing four picks against the Bucs because they won some how.
https://www.nfl.com/news/bears-qb-caleb-williams-undaunted-by-4-int-night-in-win-over-bucs-i-m-going-to-keep-grippin-it-keep-rippin-it
Three seconds left, down by 7 at the opponent's 31:
[Jayden Daniels]: "Say no more, fam."
https://x.com/NFL/status/2119538595916636544?s=20
A big topic on the radio post game and this morning.
I've seen enough Jayden to think he has golden athleticism and a pyrite brain.
a lot of low scoring affairs w/ lots of FG's in the NFL this weekend it seemed.