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These are a bit older, but…

These are a bit older, but highly recommend "Empire of Pain" (about the Sacklers and oxycontin) and "Say Nothing" (the Troubles), both by Patrick Radden Keefe. 

Currently working through the Slow Horses series by Mick Herron and "Sea People" by Christina Thompson (settling of Polynesia).  Project Hail Mary on hold at the library. Usually, I look for cozy mysteries, and if I like an author, go through their entire oeuvre. The Amelia Peabody egyptology series was a delight (especially read by Barbara Rosenbladt). 

I made it to about Book 6 of the Wheel of Time series, and it seems to be getting repetitious. If I ever get a week or two off, I plan on finally tackling Discworld. 

Yup, these are the Turnover…

Yup, these are the Turnover Buffs that Will Johnson sells on his website (gold legs, blue lenses), not the Cartier buffs (white bone legs, brown lenses). Ordered a pair myself!

Hey, it was good enough for…

Hey, it was good enough for Lynn Swann.

I don’t see it as an olive…

I don’t see it as an olive branch. It sounds more like a rationalization for why the NCAA violated its own rules to share information with the Big Ten prior to concluding its investigation. He can now say the wins were achieved “fair and square“ because the allegations were BS to begin with.

2 physical copies bundled…

2 physical copies bundled with a “Business is Finished” shirt like the old kickstarter days, please!

That struck me more as a …

That struck me more as a “Sam Sheepdog and Ralph Wolf” moment. Everything is contrived for the cameras, and they all work for the same corporate sponsor.

Defense is sexy. There was a…

Defense is sexy. There was a highlight clip of the 2006 defense’s hardest hits set to Pantera that was so good. We watched it dozens of times before it was taken down.

Glorious! Never doubted.

Glorious! Never doubted.

I recommend the film, “The…

I recommend the film, “The Admiral: Roaring Currents” for a dramatization of the great admiral’s exploits.

On TV, the crowd looked…

On TV, the crowd looked overwhelmingly red, but I could hear the Michigan fans loudly. Mobile phone videos from the game showed there was indeed a lot of maize in the audience. You have to wonder if ESPN uses a color tint in its broadcasts.

Congrats to the ewe and you…

Congrats to the ewe and you. By any chance, have you read, “Three Bags Full,” a murder mystery investigated and narrated by sheep? I wondered how diverse sheep personalities can exhibit themselves.

Boo the man. He probably…

Boo the man. He probably never gets told he’s wrong in his life, so he needs to hear it loudly that he is disliked and wrong.

You mean a lid.

You mean a lid.

Execute a one-page addendum…

Execute a one-page addendum that says for the remainder of the season, Harbaugh’s title will be “Consultant,” payable in step with his regular contract.

If this dumbass issue ever…

If this dumbass issue ever goes to trial, airing the out-of-focus cellphone footage that NCAA/Big10 claim are the smoking guns should be like the OJ/gloves moment.

“If you can’t see, set Harbaugh free”

Is this more “intel” being…

Is this more “intel” being dropped by the PI firm OSU hired? 

It’s weird that we can’t get…

It’s weird that we can’t get a definitive answer on this. Stalions and CMU are the best parties to admit or deny that it was Stalions on the sideline, but instead, the media is building an entire case around what might be just another goateed staffer on the CMU sideline. Subpoena them, for god’s sake!

They’re free to read and…

They’re free to read and copy this diary too.

It’s probably because Tony…

It’s probably because Tony is a Harvard grad that they took the language of the Big10’s bylaws and twisted it to obtain a result that was in direct contradiction of its purpose. Trying not to be political, but Chesebro, another Harvard Law grad also tortured the language of the election laws to propose a possibility outside the normal course of events dictated by the plain language reading of the laws. If that’s the stuff they’re teaching at Harvard Law, perhaps they need to shut down the program for 3 years while they investigate exactly what’s going on.

Same. Had to start day…

Same. Had to start day drinking to calm the nerves.

I’m loving the liberal use…

I’m loving the liberal use of alliteration in the Counterpunt. “Porky provocateur” and “swine skirmish” are some delectable wordsmithing!

I had no idea that Rece…

I had no idea that Rece Davis was such a sanctimonious ass. He’s talking about the punishment to be recruiting restrictions for the equivalent of parking tickets (unproven as of yet). Just surprised he hasn’t called for a public guillotining of Harbaugh. 

There was a comment on the…

There was a comment on the original diary that said something like, ‘I’m researching this and coming up with similar analysis. Would you care to discuss further?’ I wonder if that was the lawyer who wrote that section of the letter.

Right. Just like Iowa has a…

Right. Just like Iowa has a good team every 3 years when their young players are seasoned veterans (and Ferentz’s contract is coming up for renewal). Or is it that Iowa steals signs only once in 3 years?

Yes, but even in Deflategate…

Yes, but even in Deflategate, there was a thorough investigation, and punishment was doled out at the beginning of the next season. That’s good precedent for not doing anything precipitously.

It’s irresponsible reporting…

It’s irresponsible reporting that doesn’t meet journalistic standards. All the early reporting showed they had very little information, so their reporting was in the form of, “We don’t know if Michigan did X but if they did Y, that’s highly illegal and should be punished to the full extent.” And then social media would run with “Michigan did Y! Death penalty!” And then they would report, “Fans and coaches are outraged and calling for the death penalty.” They essentially created the story and sensationalized it for weeks.

Money under the table = ok

Money under the table = ok

Cheeseburgers = YOU MUST BE PUNISHED!

I think Maurice Clarett is…

I think Maurice Clarett is spot on. They’re after Harbaugh because he suggested revenue should be shared with players. They will shank him for threatening their profits.

Someone should remind…

Someone should remind Sparties not to commit crimes while they have their names written on their shirts. 

We live on the 2nd floor, so…

We live on the 2nd floor, so it's all container plants: heirloom tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, habanero, guajillo and jalapeno peppers, and mostly herbs: parsley, cilantro, basil, dill, mint, thyme. They grow surprisingly well, so we don't have to buy tomatoes or herbs during the summer. 

My favorite part of the…

My favorite part of the indictment is where one of the parents is like “this is not going to work at Notre Dame or any school where people follow recruits intensely" https://t.co/RKC70uZryQ

— Jane Coaston (@cjane87) March 12, 2019
There's an inordinate amount…

There's an inordinate amount of attention being paid to the two actresses. What's more shocking for those of us living in New York is that one of the parents was the Chairman of Wilkie Farr (a big law firm), and another was the head of a hedge fund. These people could easily afford the "let me endow a chair at your school, if you'll take another look at my kid's application" price. Instead, they wanted a sure thing and went the illegal bribery route.  

What's more egregious is that these people took advantage of programs that were designed to assist people who needed help, such as claiming falsely their child was disabled, so they could get a private testing room with a paid-off proctor who switched answer sheets.  Or running their payoffs through charitable foundations so that they could write off the "donations." 

The former is illegal; the…

The former is illegal; the latter is not. 

That’s so stupid. What…

That’s so stupid. What difference does it make what side of the field he was on when they marched over the entire length of the field?

Cadbury mini-eggs

We probably go through 5 lbs of the mini-eggs every Easter.  We don't have any kids.

Non-easter favorites: Maynard's wine gums, Dark chocolate Reese's mini-cups.

Chase could have his own

Chase could have his own spinoff show, and I would watch a season of Mo Hurst driving around on his Uber gig:

Clueless passenger: "Do you have season tickets?"

Mo: "...Yeah." 

 

Wilton comes off as

Wilton comes off as insecure.  He's constantly talking about what fans are saying online about him.  Also, I can't believe Pep Hamilton has to tell him how to talk to his own team.  He must be really deficient in leadership ability not to have an instinct about it (contrast with Baker Mayfield, for example).  Chase is the breakout star so far.

Best part

They mentioned Sister Jean but didn’t show her. Or if they did, I missed it. Other than the incongruity of a broadcaster saying “we,” I didn’t think the coverage was too biased, but that may come from my impression that the national feed announcers love to talk up whatever team Michigan plays against. Brian Griese seems to be able to call things neutrally without being a homer; why can’t others?

Loyola

I grew up in Chicago back when Loyola last made its tournament run. Its law school is notable in the sense that if you want to enter Chicago politics, Loyola is where you should go. Otherwise, it's a decent local college, not a national name like Michigan, and the two are not comparable. 

Nanking

It's part drama, part documentary (actors reading out loud survivors' accounts).  I couldn't finish hearing about the atrocities, especially considering they were all true, unlike the above-mentioned horror films.  

Agree

Deadspin did the most comprehensive job covering the Penn State/Sandusky issue, and they've far surpassed anyone in covering the Nasser/gymnasts story.  

Disagree.  I thought they

Disagree.  I thought they developed the characters quickly enough such that I cared when they died.  It's basically the plot of The Dirty Dozen.  One of my favorite sci-fi films is the feature length "Serenity" based on the Firefly series.  I watched the movie first (without knowing the characters) before I saw the series, but once they were in peril, the stakes were higher just knowing any or all of the characters could die. I thought Rogue One had the same level of high dramatic tension that adds to what is a simple heist story. 

It’s a joke. They did the

It’s a joke. They did the same thing last year, and Saban won as a write-in candidate.
https://deadspin.com/deadspin-awards-most-insane-coach-1783222708

I don't know how fast food

I don't know how fast food places in NYC survive, unless they are entirely patronized by tourists.  Why go to McDonald's when for about $5, you can get delicious street meat, $2 for a slice, or for $10, get a pound of salad at a corner deli. I would have put down Shake Shack or sweetgreen if they qualified. The last time I had actual fast food was when I drove down to State College in 2010, and I couldn't find anything else along the highway.  The food was as disappointing as the game, and the bad memories of both lingered longer than you would have wanted. 

My mom always poured the milk

My mom always poured the milk first and put it away before I even came out for breakfast.  I hated it, because the cereal would float on top rather than absorb the milk, which made some of the rougher cereal (Apple Jacks, Cheerios) impossible to eat without scraping off the roof of my mouth. But she's an immigrant, so she didn't know any better.  

QBs

The only reason we won 10 games is because Harbaugh got Ruddock to transfer.  You're saying a Shane Morris-led team would have won 10 games that year? 

Seconded

That was a fun game to attend in person, and it was glorious to watch Jabrill light it up in front of his home crowd. 

It broke my heart to see

It broke my heart to see Metellus and Gary crying at the end of the game. It wasn't their fault.

Insert Good Will Hunting gif.

Read

Here, read Jabrill's own words on how he idolized Charles Woodson. It's not so weird that he'd want to come to Michigan.

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/jabrill-peppers-michigan-ohio-state/

18 U.S. Code 227

Tump as a private person may, but the president cannot.

18 U.S.C. § 227 - U.S. Code - Unannotated Title 18. Crimes and Criminal Procedure § 227. Wrongfully influencing a private entity's employment decisions by a Member of Congress or an officer or employee of the legislative or executive branch

 Whoever, being a covered government person, with the intent to influence, solely on the basis of partisan political affiliation, an employment decision or employment practice of any private entity-- takes or withholds, or offers or threatens to take or withhold, an official act, or influences, or offers or threatens to influence, the official act of another, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for not more than 15 years, or both, and may be disqualified from holding any office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States.

 In this section, the term “covered government person” means--a Senator or Representative in, or a Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress; an employee of either House of Congress;  or the President, Vice President, an employee of the United States Postal Service or the Postal Regulatory Commission, or any other executive branch employee (as such term is defined under section 2105 of title 5, United States Code ).