So a lot has happened since my previous post last Friday. The Super Bowl and halftime show. (For what it's worth, Twitter during the halftime show is my favorite 20 minutes of twitter for the entire year.) There was the New Hampshire primary elections last night that saw Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders get big wins.
But I want to talk about my dog today. We adopted Wrigley about three years after my wife and I got married. She's a beagle mix (with what, we're not sure as we rescued her) that is just about the perfect dog for us. At this point, she's about 11 years old and while she doesn't have the energy she used to, we don't either, so it works out well. She's gotten to the point that she doesn't even like to go for walks with me anymore because apparently the two miles I go is too far for her.
But unlike most dogs who are super excited to see their owners when they come home, Wrigley doesn't even acknowledge when I walk in the door. No greetings, no excitement, no "I'm glad you're home now let me out."
Instead, I she's excited when I leave.
She used to get very anxious when we would go to work in the mornings, so we would give her a rawhide bone to chew on to work off that anxiety and keep her from chewing up my son's stuffed animals (RIP Lion). But that got expensive, so we switched to giving her a dog treat before we left. Understandably, this was exciting for her. And it happened day after day.
And now, anytime I look like I'm going to leave, she runs to the pantry expecting a treat. So if I'm going to the mailbox to get the mail, she thinks it's treat time. If I'm just going to the garage to put something away, she thinks it's treat time.
Basically, she now believes me leaving is cause for a celebration, and I'm not sure how I feel about that.
On to the links:
We Are Hopelessly Hooked - The average person checks their phone every 4.3 minutes. That seems like a lot. I mean, who does ..... ohhhh, twitter notification, be right back.
Stick to Sports? Never! - Craig Calcaterra with a look at where sports writing is heading and why that's a good thing.
The Enduring Solidarity of Whiteness - Black Poverty is fundamentally distinct from White Poverty - And so cannot be addressed without grappling with racism.
Why is the NFL Giving More Super Bowl Ad Time to its Favorite Sham Domestic-Violence Group - Remember that Super Bowl ad for No More? This article takes a look at what the charity actually does.
Is Solitary Confinement Torture? - More and more, I feel like the answer is yes.
Roger Goodell Defends the Indefensible - Sally Jenkins takes the NFL commissioner to task for his comments on the risks of football.
Hang Up and Listen podcast - Ok, so not an article, and I'm not even recommending you listen to the whole thing, but from the 55:40 mark to the 1:00:30 mark, Stefan Fatsis discusses an article in which high school football coaches are asked what they'd say to parents of kids who want to play football but are concerned with concussions and brain injuries. Some not-safe-for-work language, but close your office door for five minutes and you'll be fine.
The tales, legends and observations of a man who wakes up every morning expecting the Spanish Inquisition.
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Friday, February 5, 2016
Always the Last to Know
The Super Bowl is this weekend. Cam Newton vs. Peyton Manning. Carolina vs. Denver. You won't be able to miss it and even if you don't watch, if you show up to work on Monday or visit anywhere on the internet, you'll be able to find out who won. It'll be impossible to avoid.
Which is why I love that every year there is a contest to try to be the last person in America not to know who won the game. It's called the Last Man and it's played entirely for pride. It's done on the honor system and players self-report their "deaths" in the game. It seems awesome and fun and I'd last about two seconds.
If you decide to play, good luck and I'm sorry I won't be hearing from you until you find out.
Also, for what it's worth, my prediction is Carolina 31, Denver 10.
On to the links:
Prehistoric Mystery Meat: It's What's for Dinner - Legend has it Wolly Mammoth meat was served a the 1951 Explorers Club Dinner. An investigation to find out if it was or not.
Wife Crashes Her Own Funeral, Horrifying Her Husband, Who had Paid to Have Her Killed - I think the headline pretty well describes what happened here.
'Concussion' Film Inspires High School Football Star to Reject College Scholarships - If this becomes a trend, the NFL will eventually feel the effects. Granted, a lot of kids who want to go to college may not have any other choice.
NFL Donations to Brain Research Benefits League-Linked Doctors - If the NFL is trying to influence the outcome of studies, then they really don't care about the dangers and are only trying to prevent stories like the previous one from happening.
Obama, Thomas Jefferson and the Fascinating History of Founding Fathers Defending Muslim Rights - With President Obama speaking at a Mosque this week, a good story on the history of defending the rights of Muslims in this country.
Willie Wood Mad the Most Memorable Play of Super Bowl I. He Has No Recollection - Sad story of a man many cheered for.
Which is why I love that every year there is a contest to try to be the last person in America not to know who won the game. It's called the Last Man and it's played entirely for pride. It's done on the honor system and players self-report their "deaths" in the game. It seems awesome and fun and I'd last about two seconds.
If you decide to play, good luck and I'm sorry I won't be hearing from you until you find out.
Also, for what it's worth, my prediction is Carolina 31, Denver 10.
On to the links:
Prehistoric Mystery Meat: It's What's for Dinner - Legend has it Wolly Mammoth meat was served a the 1951 Explorers Club Dinner. An investigation to find out if it was or not.
Wife Crashes Her Own Funeral, Horrifying Her Husband, Who had Paid to Have Her Killed - I think the headline pretty well describes what happened here.
'Concussion' Film Inspires High School Football Star to Reject College Scholarships - If this becomes a trend, the NFL will eventually feel the effects. Granted, a lot of kids who want to go to college may not have any other choice.
NFL Donations to Brain Research Benefits League-Linked Doctors - If the NFL is trying to influence the outcome of studies, then they really don't care about the dangers and are only trying to prevent stories like the previous one from happening.
Obama, Thomas Jefferson and the Fascinating History of Founding Fathers Defending Muslim Rights - With President Obama speaking at a Mosque this week, a good story on the history of defending the rights of Muslims in this country.
Willie Wood Mad the Most Memorable Play of Super Bowl I. He Has No Recollection - Sad story of a man many cheered for.
i finally saw the jeb! “please clap” video and nothing is the same anymore— Erik Malinowski (@erikmal) February 3, 2016
Thursday, February 4, 2016
Is there a Book Club for Articles
So you may have guessed by the number of articles I try to post, I read a lot. But as I've mentioned, I don't read a lot of books and mostly save articles to the app Pocket where I do most of my reading.
Well, earlier this week I got an email that makes me feel better about not reading books (not great, mind you, as I know I need to read more books, but better.)
According to the email from Pocket, I read roughly 2.5 million words on the App last year, which using whatever metric they use, equates to 52 books, or one a week.
I'm not sure where I'm going with this, other than to try to justify to myself that I don't take the time or have the discipline to read more long-form writing (even the long articles I read wouldn't be more than a chapter in a book.)
Now that I've complained about reading articles instead of books, here are some articles I've read that I liked.
Ken Stabler, a Magnetic NFL Star, was Sapped of a Spirit by a Disease of the Brain - On the same day thousands of high school football players signed scholarship offers, we were reminded of the toll the game takes on players.
After Racist Episodes, Blunt Discussions on Campus - A look at the University of Missouri's efforts to talk about race and difficulties surrounding even having the discussion.
What O.J. Simpson Taught Me About Being Black - Life experiences play a large part in our perception of the world.
An Open Letter to Ta-Nehisi Coates and the Liberals Who Love Him - A critique of Coates call for reparations and his criticism of the Bernie Sanders' campaign not to make them a part of his agenda.
The goodbye:
Well, earlier this week I got an email that makes me feel better about not reading books (not great, mind you, as I know I need to read more books, but better.)
According to the email from Pocket, I read roughly 2.5 million words on the App last year, which using whatever metric they use, equates to 52 books, or one a week.
I'm not sure where I'm going with this, other than to try to justify to myself that I don't take the time or have the discipline to read more long-form writing (even the long articles I read wouldn't be more than a chapter in a book.)
Now that I've complained about reading articles instead of books, here are some articles I've read that I liked.
Ken Stabler, a Magnetic NFL Star, was Sapped of a Spirit by a Disease of the Brain - On the same day thousands of high school football players signed scholarship offers, we were reminded of the toll the game takes on players.
After Racist Episodes, Blunt Discussions on Campus - A look at the University of Missouri's efforts to talk about race and difficulties surrounding even having the discussion.
What O.J. Simpson Taught Me About Being Black - Life experiences play a large part in our perception of the world.
An Open Letter to Ta-Nehisi Coates and the Liberals Who Love Him - A critique of Coates call for reparations and his criticism of the Bernie Sanders' campaign not to make them a part of his agenda.
The goodbye:
if you started a sabermetrics site that analyzed the bungled misstatements of politicians, would you call it … FanGaffes?— Erik Malinowski (@erikmal) February 4, 2016
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
National Signing Day
Today is National Signing Day. If you don't know what that means, that's probably a good thing. First off, no, it's not a day to promote American Sign Language, though that would be a good thing as being able to communicate with those who sign is a good thing.
Instead, it's a day when high school athletes are allowed to sign their national letter of intent to play football at the college of their choice. Sure, it's framed as perusing their education at this school or that, but fans of teams don't obsessively follow the decisions of these high school kids because they actually care about their education.
Schools aren't sending the Chair of the chemistry department or the best history professor to recruit these soon-to-be college students. Coaches of the teams are going, and in the case of Michigan's Jim Harbaugh, actually sleeping over at the kid's house, which if you even stop and think for a second about that, is just creepy and weird.
"Jim, honey, were are you going tonight?"
"Sweetheart, love you and we've been married for 23 years, but there's this kid who runs a 4.3 40 and has excellent athleticism, so I'm going to spend the night at his house."
"Ok babe, just get some milk on your way home."
I understand fans obsession with the next recruiting class and finding out about who they'll be cheering for in the Fall, but I don't get it. But if that's your thing, you do you.
And now the most interesting articles I've read since my last post:
Dead Certanity: How 'Making a Murderer' Goes Wrong - Spoilers included, but a look at the case from outside the lens of the filmmakers and where it goes wrong.
Meet One of the 12 People Who Voted For Jim Gilmore - Sure, Trump, Cruz, Rubio and the others got the attention, but Jim Gilmore had 12 people show up to vote for him Monday night. Twelve. In the entire state of Iowa.
The Electability Spin Machine - The news media need a story, and election results last for a night, but meeting or not meeting expectations - expectations set by the same news media - is a story that can be debated for days.
Owners Are Worried About Tanking - MLB owners appear to be worried that teams are acting based on the incentives they themselves set up.
L. Jon Wertheim - Former Sports Illustrated writer Jeff Pearlman does a weekly Q&A with people from all walks of life. They're usually pretty good, but I found this one with current Sports Illustrated editor Jon Wertheim to be really well done.
Instead, it's a day when high school athletes are allowed to sign their national letter of intent to play football at the college of their choice. Sure, it's framed as perusing their education at this school or that, but fans of teams don't obsessively follow the decisions of these high school kids because they actually care about their education.
Schools aren't sending the Chair of the chemistry department or the best history professor to recruit these soon-to-be college students. Coaches of the teams are going, and in the case of Michigan's Jim Harbaugh, actually sleeping over at the kid's house, which if you even stop and think for a second about that, is just creepy and weird.
"Jim, honey, were are you going tonight?"
"Sweetheart, love you and we've been married for 23 years, but there's this kid who runs a 4.3 40 and has excellent athleticism, so I'm going to spend the night at his house."
"Ok babe, just get some milk on your way home."
I understand fans obsession with the next recruiting class and finding out about who they'll be cheering for in the Fall, but I don't get it. But if that's your thing, you do you.
And now the most interesting articles I've read since my last post:
Dead Certanity: How 'Making a Murderer' Goes Wrong - Spoilers included, but a look at the case from outside the lens of the filmmakers and where it goes wrong.
Meet One of the 12 People Who Voted For Jim Gilmore - Sure, Trump, Cruz, Rubio and the others got the attention, but Jim Gilmore had 12 people show up to vote for him Monday night. Twelve. In the entire state of Iowa.
The Electability Spin Machine - The news media need a story, and election results last for a night, but meeting or not meeting expectations - expectations set by the same news media - is a story that can be debated for days.
Owners Are Worried About Tanking - MLB owners appear to be worried that teams are acting based on the incentives they themselves set up.
L. Jon Wertheim - Former Sports Illustrated writer Jeff Pearlman does a weekly Q&A with people from all walks of life. They're usually pretty good, but I found this one with current Sports Illustrated editor Jon Wertheim to be really well done.
Monday, February 1, 2016
Suvival Skills
Every so often I think about what would happen if I ended up in some kind of post-apocalyptic hellscape and was forced to use only the skills I have to survive. I quickly realize I'd have to join up with some other people into a roving band of survivors hoping to eek out an existence while we hope to rebuild society.
And while that may help me for a short while, eventually our little group would realize that I don't have a lot of skills to aid in survival. I'm not especially handy with my hands and don't have a lot of useful knowledge. I check out youtube for even the most basic home repairs. I don't hunt, don't really cook, and I know the concept behind starting a fire without a match, I couldn't do it myself.
Eventually I settle on the fact that I'd be a bard, a storyteller. But you know what groups of people struggling for survival don't need? Someone to sit around the fire someone else started and telling stories. While I'd hope the group wouldn't outright murder me, I do get the feeling I might just wake up one morning and my group would have abandoned me because in post-apocalyptic hellscapes, storytellers aren't overly useful.
Basically, what I'm asking here is that if there's some kind of world catastrophic event, please take me with you.
***
So I managed to spend most of the weekend offline. It was a gorgeous weekend so I was outside a lot and then visiting with family so only two links for you, and one of them is actually something I wrote.
Local Archer to Compete Overseas - A Georgia Southern junior is competing in the World Indoor Archery Team for the United States in Turkey. I was privileged to interview her and the story ran this weekend.
An Oral History of the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster - I was in my first grade when the shuttle exploded. I'd read more about it as I got older, but this is a really well done story from the people who lived and experienced the tragedy.
And while that may help me for a short while, eventually our little group would realize that I don't have a lot of skills to aid in survival. I'm not especially handy with my hands and don't have a lot of useful knowledge. I check out youtube for even the most basic home repairs. I don't hunt, don't really cook, and I know the concept behind starting a fire without a match, I couldn't do it myself.
Eventually I settle on the fact that I'd be a bard, a storyteller. But you know what groups of people struggling for survival don't need? Someone to sit around the fire someone else started and telling stories. While I'd hope the group wouldn't outright murder me, I do get the feeling I might just wake up one morning and my group would have abandoned me because in post-apocalyptic hellscapes, storytellers aren't overly useful.
Basically, what I'm asking here is that if there's some kind of world catastrophic event, please take me with you.
***
So I managed to spend most of the weekend offline. It was a gorgeous weekend so I was outside a lot and then visiting with family so only two links for you, and one of them is actually something I wrote.
Local Archer to Compete Overseas - A Georgia Southern junior is competing in the World Indoor Archery Team for the United States in Turkey. I was privileged to interview her and the story ran this weekend.
An Oral History of the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster - I was in my first grade when the shuttle exploded. I'd read more about it as I got older, but this is a really well done story from the people who lived and experienced the tragedy.
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