179 Comments

I miss DBD on the weekend! So I'm continuing to write here until Monday.

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Night Comes to the Cumberbund.....almost completely here dark now.

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He's right; I definitely did not see this coming: https://twitter.com/baraGodzilla/status/1258682943716782080?s=20

@baraGodzilla: im losing my mind. there is no way you're going to be able to predict what this ad is trying to sell you

finally, now more than ever, women can buy our product

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May 8, 2020Liked by SGBear

Great excitement in the house as the 17 y.o. just got admitted to Vassar, which was her original first choice. Now she has to mull.

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Awesome!! congrats! I forgot what her current first choice is.

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She signed on the dotted for Bryn Mawr last week but will have a rethink.

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Dotted line that is

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Congrats!

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Congratulations to her!!!

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US: [Reminder] Mother's Day is this Sunday

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https://twitter.com/michellelegro/status/1258744644055244802?s=20

@michellelegro: I regret to inform you your new favorite natural wine was developed by a Nazi.

@leahrosenz reports for @GENmag on the origins and namesake of zweigelt, and the man who moved Austria’s wine market forward under the Third Reich.

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Thanks to my general out-of-the-loopness, I am glad to say I'm not drinking Nazi wine...?

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Which elicited this response: https://twitter.com/amyshearn/status/1258747031855792133?s=20

@amyshearn: If there’s one thing I learned editing JSTOR Daily it’s that almost everything in American history is somehow the Nazis’ fault.

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For the first time in fucking forever, I have a zero Home Depot bill.

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My Amex bill for next month will likely be a credit, due to refunds from all my canceled travel. Never happened before.

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I’m spending down small credits on Amex and another card from trip cancellations.

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Mind you, the other suppliers have gone up, but the insane lines at HD mean I don't send my guys there now.

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When you go seems to matter. I ran into that once, and the next time I needed to go there, I was somewhat dreading it, but was pleasantly surprised to encounter zero delay. Sunday mid-day when all the gardeners are there is not an optimum time to arrive!

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VE Day. 75th anniversary of victory in Europe in WW II. Fairly significant event.

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Cal making it’s next Rose Bowl will rocket up the charts and arguably be a close 2nd on the significance scale

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We should also have a 9 jet multicolored Blue and Gold flyover, for the Rose Parade.

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The Blue Angels are almost the perfect colors. I think they only have 8 though including the 2 extra 2 seater planes.

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Very much so.

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Today in Coronavirus-19

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This is like the inverse of the Waffle House index

https://twitter.com/vladsavov/status/1258828355647893504?s=21

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This thread is interesting, informative, and has gifs: https://twitter.com/EpiEllie/status/1258607277357006849?s=20

@EpiEllie: There’s a new paper circulating today about “risk factors” for COVID19 which is getting misinterpreted in a pretty common way: applying conclusions about causation to results obtained via methods designed only for finding correlations.

It’s time for a #tweetorial!

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an interesting dive into also how correlations can be as hard to tease out of this sort of data as causations.

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Oddly, somehow I'm getting span right-wing emails for the first time ever, man is their algorithm off.

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Spam!

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White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany confirmed that a member of Vice President Pence’s staff tested positive for the coronavirus, but did not reveal who or how closely that person worked with Pence.

Pence’s flight to Iowa was delayed an hour this morning as several staffers were removed from Air Force Two.

This is the second White House employee to test positive in two days.

Asked how Americans should feel about going back to work when people in the administration were still getting sick, McEnany said only that the White House is following all the expert guidelines for businesses with essential workers “to keep this building safe.”

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FDA commissioner now in 2 week quarantine after exposure

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It’s Stephen Miller’s wife!

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[oh please oh please oh please]

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Gosh, a person who has never made any poor life choices before. What a tragedy.

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Would these be the guidelines that they don’t want to post online?

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Whatever they are they apparently don't include masks as I've read almost no one in the WH has been wearing one.

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I'm wondering whether I should move back to Taiwan for the duration of telecommuting.

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Why would you want to get on a plane right now?

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My friends' parents moved back to Taiwan - it was a big to-do because the dad is so immuno compromised that he hasn't left his house in 3 years. and the daughter (my closer friend, who speaks better Chinese) had rotator cuff surgery so was unable to lift her right arm to do anything for 8 weeks, so the son had to accompany them - and he hadn't been back to Taiwan since he was a teen. They had to arrange a long-term Air BNB, navigate quarantine, and settle into Taipei life when their main helper had iffy Chinese. But according to Facebook things are good now.

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Good for them!

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I would be considering Australia, if they didn't insist you stay in some crap Sydney motel for 2 weeks before letting you go anywhere. If I could self isolate at the beach, that's what I'd be doing.

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It has to be a bad hotel?

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I don't actually know what hotel it is, just that the government picks it to keep everyone in the same place.

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It’s how they show you that you’re not really welcome (unless you’re a refugee trying to make it without permission in which case you get put in an internment facility)

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My friends who moved back to Singapore quarantined in the Intercontinental Sentosa (for free!) paid for by the Singapore government. They didn't have full use of hotel services - the food wasn't provided by the hotel and obviously there was no room cleaning daily - but still pretty nice. They had a view of the Merlion from their room.

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Our neighbor’s daughter fell in love with a joint Israeli - Arab IB school last summer, having never shown any interest in Israel to that point, and enrolled. She had to come home and for a while was trying to stay on their remote learning schedule which is 7 hours ahead - didn’t go well

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Yeah, the working hours thing is my main hangup right now. My boss just texted to ask if I could fill in for her at a meeting, and well, that would not be possible if I were sleeping.

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Aren't you always sleeping?

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I have enough trouble with conference calls while I’m awake.

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my mom is considering going back to korea for a little bit too...though, even if she does go back, it still still means that she'll be quarantined for 2 weeks before she can start going outside and living a normal life.

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I am...Mama Lee?

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Morning Consult Poll: 14% of Americans say they will refuse to get a CV19 vaccine if it is created

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I am shocked to discover that there might be an overlap between the reactionary right and the anti-vaxxer crowd

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I get the differences of opinion on the economics vs exposure and open/reopen issues; its a risk reward calculation, with different answers for people under different conditions.

What I do not get is how we allow anyone to make decisions as an adult on any matter whose judgement is so poor that they would be opposed to preventative measures. Scope, scale, and impact of the virus and responses to it are matters for debate, but its obvious to every reasonable person that this thing is a dangerous thing, and a serious threat to at least some (in one way or another), that we would be better off without.

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I think that’s the part that befuddles me: I can understand having a different level of risk acceptance, I can’t wrap my head around refusing to consider that mitigation might be necessary far less desirable

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The feedback loop of stupidity and bullshit that we've created in our society is... quite something.

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Ipsos Poll: Very interesting demographics as to opinions & practices related to la Rona

https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/news-polls/abc-news-coronavirus-poll

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pretty standard splits, though maybe larger than for most things.

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What cancelled TV show do you wish got brought back?

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The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

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I really enjoyed this show. I even got my Brisco County Jr DVD set sleeve signed by Bruce Campbell few years ago.

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Heh, fun show, but not great, not nearly as good as Wild, Wild West - I used to watch it with my son, only one season IIRC

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Sliders. But with the original cast.

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And they could (and should) easily retcon it to wipe out the horrible seasons 3 through 5 from canon.

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Gas leak seasons!

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Thanks for this comment--I didn't know this term. Interesting! Did Dallas do the same thing?

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It was only Community I believe.

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Honestly, if it's many years later then I would say, "None." Pretty much every time that's tried we find that it's pretty much impossible to recapture the magic.

But if we could build a time machine and restart a show in its time? My So-Called Life.

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I'd pick Firefly.

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Solid choice.

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I liked My So Called Life. That was one show that I wish didn't end. <spoiler>@She grows up to work for the CIA@</spoiler>

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I have 1.5 seasons of Homeland left to watch. I almost couldn't make it through season 6 when they moved the show to NYC.

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I still have the last 5 episodes of this year. Probably going to wait a couple more weeks then binge watch them. I do like the last couple of years better than the ones before.

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And he grows up to be The Joker.

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Though really I would expect Brian to become the Joker.

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I had to google that. I didn't know there is a new Joker movie.

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The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Lena Heady before GoT as Sarah, Summer Glau as Cammeron the terminator who is trying to help.

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May 8, 2020Liked by SGBear

MLB

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nba

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We'd be knee-deep in the playoffs right now and it would be glorious.

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sigh...i should be watching lebron and ad destroying dudes in the playoffs right now.

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There was a TV show called Pretender back in the 80s. It was about a guy who could impersonate any profession. Anyways, the TV show was ended by NBC and they were going to make three 2 hour movies to finish up the storyline. They made 2 and never got the funding to make the 3rd. I really want to know how the story finished up.

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That was a mid to late 90's show, but it does have the feel of the 80s show with just one main protagonist and a revolving door of supporting characters every week (like MacGyver or Knight Rider or Magnum PI).

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oh yeah I guess it was the 90s. I want to know what was in store for Jarod and Miss Parker.

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90s shows certainly followed that as well - Quantum Leap was a big one.

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True. I do wonder how much of the change is due to modern TV being more complex (there was a famous early 2000's NYT article on how modern TV requires smarter viewers due to the interweaving multiple plotlines) and how much is due to the stronger actor's union to get the supporting TV actors better deals (in order to have them available for a few appearances per season, they have to be regular cast member and have to now appear in X number of episodes). It's all about an ensemble cast now.

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But in the 2000s all of the procedural shows (CSI, NCIS, etc) are self-contained stories of the week as well

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That's part of the story, but not the most important. Shows like The Sopranos begat The Wire, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Deadwood, The Americans et. al. - the truth is these are stories that can't be told in a movie format and ONLY can be told on TV.

Sure, there's still lesser fare, but a lot of the best culture has moved to TV.

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True, procedurals are still a thing, but those shows are definitely ensemble shows.

Here is the article that I was thinking about: it had the eye catching headline of "Watching TV makes you smarter". https://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/24/magazine/watching-tv-makes-you-smarter.html

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Cumberbunds

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May 8, 2020Liked by SGBear

The pleats go up to catch the crumbs!

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Last one I wore was to my parents wedding in 98. The standard switched to bow tie and vest sometime around 99.

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...or at least it my world it did

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Thought better of posting pic of my C-bund collection in the closet. Some are quite colorful let alone the sequined ones.

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eh. prefer a vest, but whatever.

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I think I might have worn one to prom my junior year in HS. Otherwise I haven’t had many reasons to wear one.

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I used to own a tuxedo, got it at Nordstrom Rack, for a little more than renting.

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I still own a tuxedo, but do not fit into it anymore. The guideline was if you need one more than twice a year it was better to buy - between 2002 and 2007 I was attending 3 galas a year where a tuxedo was necessary.

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I went to 2 proms senior year so bought a tuxedo, less than renting. Only need one hand to count the number of times I’ve rented one since then.

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2 Proms?! Must have been quite the party school!

I'm seeing more clearly how you were so well prepared for a USC experience.

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Har har. My prom date went to a different school so we went to one another’s.

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To each their own. Matter of personal choice.

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Who (besides Leland) actually spells it this way? I've always seen it written "cummerbund" (2 m's, 1 b).

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Goddammit.

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I blame Benedict Cumberbatch.

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They originate in the Cumberland Gap area?

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I looked it up, because Leland is normally pretty on top of spelling and grammar.

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I had a feeling it was vaguely Indian in origin. "Cummer" means waist.

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it means other things in English too

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(and the "bund" part means to tie)

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Ah, but the Bund in Shanghai derives from Indian English and it means "Muddy Embankment"

Hong Kong has a lot of Indian English as well, one is the use of "shroff" as a place to pay for your parking.

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True. Cummberbund is an eggcorn. It's cummerbund.

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it's only supposed to go with three-piece suits, right?

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Only with a tuxedo

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clearly I'm not well-dressed

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The opposite.

They are in lieu of a vest.

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oh huh

I thought it was supposed to cover that awkward gap between the vest and the belt

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Use braces or pull your pants up to your navel. Or do what the rest of us do and fill that annoying gap with a fat gasket.

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hehe...fat gasket.

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I did a vest for my wedding instead of cumberbunds. Black tie and vest for the groomsmen and white for me.

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I'm also team waistcoat

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TIL what a waistcoat is.

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It's just a vest, yeah?

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A low one in front, not a "normal" one.

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When I lived in England I wanted to buy my husband one. When I asked for a vest, they showed me undershirts so now I always say waistcoat unless we are talking about a sleeveless sweater...

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the groomsmen were more interesting in watching the end of the playoff game (Oakland vs someone i think) as opposed to getting to wedding on time

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I had forgotten about that. I think a few of us got there later than we were supposed to.

Another wedding of a Campo friend was the same night as the Dodgers/Giants game. And there were fans of both teams. Much time was spent in the room with the TV during the reception.

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Dumpster. Fire. DC

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Hey! Oh

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Grab your fire extinguisher and try to mop that up, would you?

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Fire extinguishers make terrible mops.

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Pro

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Oakland A's Herb Washington

One of the great career stat lines

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/washihe01.shtml

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As a track fan I knew Herb Washington to be the world record holder in the 60 yard dash. Didn't have the next gear for the 100 yards, but the fastest over the first 60. So Charlie Finley hired Herb to be a "designated runner". Basically a gimmick. Herb only played baseball in high school. Went back to pro track after that.

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

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He has a World Series ring...interesting...

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Wow. For a guy who Only Had One Job, he... wasn't particularly good at it. No wonder he didn't stick.

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Whoa, took me a moment to interpret that stat.

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https://twtranslationproject.blogspot.com/2020/05/baseball-terms-in-taiwan.html

Example: knuckleball (English) - butterfly ball (Mandarin) - windblown ball (Taiwanese)

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You want a project that will stress your self-perception of how good your Chinese is? Try explaining American football in Chinese.

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Or as one of my Korean cousin's describes it, a bunch of fat guys in helmets standing around doing nothing most of the time.

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Yeah, I would assume that there are just a lot of jargon terms that I don't know. I also can't explain the physics that I do in Chinese either. It would be using the English terms, then try to give dictionary explanations of these terms in Chinese.

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Hard enough to do in English!

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sigh...they geoblocked all the korean streams of the kbo last night...no more kbo on on the regular internet streams in korea on naver/kakao/twitch.

means if i want to watch, i have to watch on espn which i don't want to do...

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No 3 and his mom looked for a KBO team to root for. Went over the ESPN write up on teams and chose NC Dinos as their team.

The game I went to last June at Jamsil Stadium was I think the LG Twins vs the Lotte Giants. The stadium wasn't super full but the atmosphere was amazing. The fans having separate cheers for each batter. Between innings the cheerleaders got the fans to cheer and each team's fans had calls and responses. It was pretty amazing.

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Go (Doosan) Bears.

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Yessssss, I've been looking for a KBO team and I kinda decided I might as well pick the Bears. Someone said it's like picking the Yankees, but whatever. Apparently the LG Twins are the Dodger's sister team or something, and they're rivals of the Bears, but I dunno.

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The twins are like curse era red Sox/Cubs. Popular teams...great expectations...always losing.

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The Yankees would be the Tigers. They've won the most championships.

The Bears would be like the Dodgers or Cardinals. Popular team, lots of fans, winning history, always in contention.

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That's what I was saying to Rob and Terence!!

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Go Bears!!

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I would've guessed the Twins are the Minnesota Twins sister team .

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one might think

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Dude, Clara Lee throwing out the first pitch...of course it HAS to be the Doosan Bears. I'm just pissed there's no Dreams like in the TV show. I feel like I was robbed

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So hawt.

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VPN?

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yeah. if i must i guess.

just sucks knowing that something that been free and easily accessed for years is suddenly not.

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Why not ESPN? You want the Korean announcers?

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Yup. Rather have the Korean announcers than hear all the names get butchered.

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I also believe that ESPN only has the right to one game per night. Because of the rain delay on that first night of KBO on ESPN, I ended up watching more of the games on Twitch. Too bad that they have opted to block it (I actually got a message saying that the stream wasn't going to be available but it still streamed nonetheless earlier this week).

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May 8, 2020Liked by SGBear

Cal

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Calympian Kathleen Baker is concerned about returning to sports since she has Chron's Disease (the treatment for which weakens her immune system). https://www.yahoo.com/sports/larry-nance-kathleen-baker-return-to-sports-amid-covid-135312968.html

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Go Bears.

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Only at black tie events.

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Last time I wore one was ten years ago at the National VC Association Dinner in D.C.

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I thought you were a lawyer. Are you in VC?

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I've been in private equity/venture capital since 1999.

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