#draft from feb 10. very true!

[gooferdusted]

sam is so drastically little brother shaped in the pilot and then... never again. heartbreaking

[bongaboi]

UConn: 2024-25 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Champions

TAMPA, Fla. -- It has been a nine-year wait for UConn to get its 12th national championship. But in a lot of ways, it came at exactly the right time.

The No. 2-seeded Huskies finished their run through three No. 1 seeds, culminating in an 82-59 victory over South Carolina in the NCAA final on Sunday to claim a title that perhaps means a little more because of the journey the program and senior star Paige Bueckers has been on to get it.

After winning four championships in a row from 2013 to 2016 behind superstar Breanna Stewart, the Huskies hit a series of roadblocks with tough losses and injury heartbreaks.

But Sunday, the Huskies moved to the top of the women's basketball world again, sending Bueckers -- who is expected to be the WNBA's No. 1 draft pick on April 14 -- out with her first national championship.

A tearful Bueckers buried her face in coach Geno Auriemma's shoulder as they hugged on the sideline when she exited the game with just over a minute left, mission at last accomplished.

With guards Bueckers and Azzi Fudd, who missed most of last season with a knee injury, healthy at the same time, and the top freshman in the nation in forward Sarah Strong, UConn looked like so many of its championship teams of old. Not just the best team, but the team that also played the best.

Fudd and Strong both finished with 24 points, and Bueckers had 17. Freshman Joyce Edwards and sophomore Tessa Johnson led South Carolina with 10 points each as the Gamecocks fell short of repeating as national champions and finished 35-4.

UConn now has 12 wins in the Final Four by 20 or more points. All other teams in Division I women's history have 11 combined.

Bueckers was asked before Sunday's game how she would like to be remembered at UConn.

"As a great teammate, a great leader. I think those are the two most important things to me, just being somebody that people love to play with, make their teammates better, wears a UConn jersey with pride," she said.

Now, she also will be remembered as a national champion. Admittedly, there were points in her career where it didn't seem that would happen. UConn's disappointments go back, in fact, to the end of their 111-game winning streak at the Final Four in Dallas in 2017. The Huskies were defeated on a buzzer-beater in overtime in the national semifinals by Mississippi State.

Then in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2024, the Huskies also lost in the national semifinals. They fell in the 2022 national championship game to South Carolina, and missed the 2023 Final Four -- the only time since an Elite Eight loss in 2007 that the Huskies have not made the season's final weekend. Bueckers missed the 2022-23 season with a knee injury.

With Fudd out last season, the Huskies went down to the wire with Iowa in the national semifinals, but lost 71-69. That set up a lot of pressure on Bueckers and the Huskies to make their dreams come true this year.

UConn wasn't perfect this season, as has been the case with six former UConn championship teams. But after an 80-76 loss at Tennessee on Feb. 6, the Huskies didn't lose another game. They won the Big East regular-season and tournament titles, then dominated their way through the NCAA tournament (including wins over 1-seeds USC, UCLA and South Carolina) to finish 37-3.

Sunday, the Huskies took a 19-14 lead after a first quarter that featured a very fast pace and some intense defense inside from UConn. The Huskies set the tone by shooting 52.9% from the field in the opening period, while holding the Gamecocks to 40%. Unlike UCLA in its semifinal loss to UConn, South Carolina was working the ball into the spots it wanted, but didn't finish well.

Strong's emphatic block of a Raven Johnson layup attempt at the 9:04 mark of the second quarter sent a message, as did her play throughout her first postseason.

Strong set a record for points by a freshman in a single NCAA tournament with 114, passing Tennessee's Tamika Catchings, who had 111 in 1998. That year, incidentally, Strong's mother, Allison Feaster, led Harvard as a No. 16 seed past No. 1 Stanford in the NCAA tournament. Feaster went on to a 10-season career in the WNBA, where her daughter will be headed in a few years.

Strong is also the first player (regardless of class) to have at least 100 points, 25 assists and 10 blocks in a single NCAA tournament since blocks became an official stat in 1988.

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley predicted on Saturday that over the next few years, Strong might end up as the best Huskies player of all. Which is saying a ton considering UConn boasts former players such as Stewart, Diana Taurasi, Swin Cash and two of the most recent Naismith Hall of Fame inductees, Maya Moore and Sue Bird, who were honored at Sunday's game.

UConn, which entered Sunday averaging 8.7 3-pointers per game, had just one in the first half, but that one shot -- by Ashlynn Shade from the left corner with nine seconds left -- gave the Huskies some momentum going into halftime up 36-26.

The Huskies continued to control the game throughout the second half. UConn is now 91-2 when leading by double digits at halftime in the NCAA tournament. The two losses were the 2001 national semifinal (up 12 at the half), when it lost to eventual champion Notre Dame, and in the 1989 first round (up 10) against La Salle.

Auriemma was coaching in his first NCAA tournament in 1989, in his fourth season at UConn. The Huskies have now appeared in 36 NCAA tournaments and 24 Final Fours. Auriemma, who turned 71 in March, is the first coach to win a championship at age 70 or older in Division I women's or men's basketball.

He joked before the game that he thought about quitting multiple times during the season the past few years, but then would go to practice and always be drawn back in.

"I think there's a lot of people counting on me to keep doing what I'm doing at UConn -- all my team, all my staff," Auriemma said. "I think they're counting on me to keep going and keep impacting and keep doing what we do."

[atimefordragons]

ROOP AISA SUHANA MERA CHAAND BHI HAI DEEWANA MERA

☾♔; March 12, 2024 ☾♔; 12:19pm ☾♔; sotd: Chammak Challo (iconic forever Akon) ☾♔; cotd: Artizea Rozan Evron ☾♔; Thistle Grove Academy ☾♔; Audition

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: adapted lyrics from Bole Chudiyan, the original lyrics are "roop aisa suhana tera, chaand bhi hai deewana tera", basically translates to "You're so pretty, even the moon is crazy about you", and I just changed the you to me.

urg, remembered why I do not like making sets on urstyle. the page fucking AUTORELOADED, got stuck, had to reload my draft and of course, items shifted. luckily I only finished one tiny corner and didn't have to start over. what bakwas yaar. and I forgot to do the zoom trick the first time I published! I can't see it, but shit probably shifted somewhere. 😩😩😩😩😩

https://urstyle.fashion/groups/thistle-grove-academyhttps://urstyle.fashion/groups/thistle-grove-academyhttps://urstyle.fashion/groups/thistle-grove-academy

a not insignificant amount of my inspiration came from the Ambani wedding, because holy fuck. you might be rich, but are you not THAT rich. And fr, it really highlighted a lot of vieux vs nouveau riche differences, cause the richest man in the world is again Jeff Bezos, but he would not be able to get celebrities to pile onto greyhound buses to attend AND perform at his wedding.

𝐂𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐍𝐚𝐦𝐞: Peony 𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐍𝐚𝐦𝐞: Laila Raichand (hindi: लैला रायचंद, arabic: رايشاند ليلى) 𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞(𝐬): Lulu, Laddo (not a fan of either, use of the latter is limited to Dadi and Daddy) 𝐀𝐠𝐞: 17 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫: cis-female 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐬: she/her 𝐒𝐞𝐱𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: heterosexual 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲: Feb 19 ��𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐜: Pisces

𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐬: her family. asoiaf (always with daenerys, the one true EMPRESS). dior. cold coffees. caramel. journaling (she does exchanges with her cousins, it's fun and cute watching bade bhaiyah try). red lipsticks. seaside views. karan johar films. yash chopra films. FROZEN (lovesss Elsa, though relates more to Anna). villainess manwha. sailor moon. chanel. disney.

𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐬: game of thrones. the goddamn patriarchy, like come on. america (just as a whole, she's written it off, just become a new country and try again). western perceptions of south asia and the middle east. culottes. bugs, just no. oversharers, like people who've known you for only 10 minutes and proceed to dump their WHOLE tragic life story on you, buddy, I don't know you, I don't want to know about your traumas.

𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐨𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭: Recruit.

𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: Laila is headstrong, opinionated, and very stubborn. She knows what she likes and doesn't like, and has no qualms about making those feelings known. She does not believe in "giving grace" to people's bullshit, you can have grace if you're a kid, if you're old enough to know better, you should act better. She can seem mean, and that's not unfair, she's VERY biased towards everyone who she considers as part of her circle, if you're outside of that, she can be extremely vicious, especially if you dare to hurt even a hair of one her people. She's not a big believer in forgiveness or second chances. One and done, hun.

Laila is very much the spoiled youngest child, and spoiled only child. She's the only child of her parents, and the youngest of all her cousins, thus getting double doting, and that shows. She's always done whatever she's wanted and gotten away with it very easily. She can be a little (a lot) narcissistic, and vain, but she's not naive nor does she live in a delusional, la la land fantasy where everything is about her and she's the centre of the universe. She does not think that, HOWEVER, she is very aware that due to her very lucky circumstances, a loving, powerful family, she can do whatever the fuck she wants, she doesn't have any pressure to do anything, there's no "you must marry a good/rich man, you must do this job, you must inherit this magic or this business", she's the baby princess, and she knows well how to take full advantage of that.

Laila is a little aloof and not particularly easy to get close to, though she can get along perfectly fine with people, she doesn't really bother to get to know them herself, and considers anyone outside of her circle as simply an extra in her life. She's not interested in being the centre of everyone's attention, except of course when it comes to her family, but that's just youngest child things. She has no problem speaking up in class, but prefers to do her own thing with her friends, and can be a little snobby, especially towards strangers. While she's not inconsiderate, she also won't act to spare someone's feelings. If you're not her friend, you're not her friend, she'll absolutely help a girl out in a sticky situation (always be a girl's girl), but you don't need to have brunch with her afterwards.

𝐒𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞: Laila's personal style is "whatever I like", but in general her wardrobe tends towards classic, chic, and preppy clothes. When it comes to "ethnic" wear, she generally prefers Pakistani salwars, and relies on big brands like Sabyasachi and Manish Malhotra for more oppulent event wear. She also prefers salwars and lahengas over sarees, they're pretty but a hassle to wear. She can wear it so long as someone puts it on for her. She also HATES that the culotte trend is back and cannot wait for it die again. Laila is also very much a heel girl, from the first moment she ever got a pair. She's tiny, she needs that feeling of power.

𝐁𝐢𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐲: Daughter of Turkish business woman Aleyna Burakgazi and Indian RAW Agent Vikrant Raichand, Laila is a djinn through her mother, though her father's family is no stranger to the supernatural either. While her father is by all means a normal (aside from his abs, they are not normal), her grandmother is an Astradhari, the bearer of an astra, a divine weapon, specifically the Agneyastra, the astra of the God Agni. She is also deeply knowledgeable about Kala Jadoo (black magic), but claims she does not practise it. It's a very unreliable claim 'cause it's well known that Dadi (paternal grandma) will fuck you up. While their grandmother has not yet decided which heir to make her successor and pass her astra on to, she has made sure to educate all of them of the power of Astras, the Gods, and kala jadoo.

Laila lived with her mother and more immediate extended paternal family (so her father's brother, his family, and their mother) in India until she was about 7, at which point she and her mother moved to Dubai, where her mother took over Raichand Industries Middle East interests. Her father often travels for work, and cannot maintain contact for extended periods of time, so his presence wasn't as constant as his family's, but whenever present he is always doting and spends time with her and her mother. She is definitely a daddy's girl, he's not the whole cause, but a significant amount of her being spoiled is absolutely his fault. But she is also very close to her mother and admires her very much.

Laila does not exactly have the best track record of controlling her djinn abilities, especially when she's angered. It wasn't too much of a problem growing up, she's mostly a homebody and surrounded by family, and people who know about the magical world, so losing control could be easily covered up and often didn't even need to be. However, one time, she, her best friends Kiran and Isabella, and some other friends went to a concert and as they were leaving, some grown ass adult kept hitting on Kiran, and they were literally 12 years old at the time, how disgusting. It was a kids concert too, like what is that guy even doing? Trash. In her annoyance, Laila exploded his hands, she wasn't aiming to do that, but she has no regrets either. That was a little bit harder to cover up, since it was in public, but ya know, it's Dubai, they're rich, buh-bai pedo. This was not the only time she lost control, but she assumes it was probably this incident that got her on the academy's radar.

Before getting the email, Laila was all set to continue her high school level education at the private school she was attending. Honestly, at first she thought it was spam, all the magic training she's received so far has been passed down generation to generation within family, so she wasn't even aware of Thistle Grove Academy's existence. She was unsure of whether or not to attend, she's already got her dadi and taiji (paternal aunt-in-law) for deeper magical instruction, her mommy for the basics, and she's a Raichand, she can get anything she needs at any time. Ultimately, she was convinced to attend by her one of her besties, Isabella, who is a legacy at Thistle Grove and also got the email.

𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬: Djinn (also romanized as jinn, anglicized as genies, as a being can also be analogous to an angel, demon, or fairy, but none are entirely accurate)

𝐀𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 & 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜: Laila has a number of abilities as a Djinn, such as shapeshifting, mind control, astral projection and body possession, however, ultimately each distinct ability is governed by the same factor and all of them can be classified under the singular power of "Essokinesis", the ability to control reality, though Laila was taught that her power is to make HER wishes come true. Some guy touches her friend and she wants his bones to explode? Okay, boom. Papa's work trip is taking too long, oops, suddenly he's back in India. She wants Valyrian silver-gold hair, she got Valyrian silver-gold hair, that one can at least be hidden easily, you know how awkward it is when you're in the middle of a gun fight in an undisclosed location, and then suddenly poof into the centre of a massive Diwali celebration?

Because her magic is linked to her thoughts and desires, it's hard for Laila to control her abilities and prevent herself from making the silliest thing reality, to forcibly keep her powers from manifesting, she usually wears a simple gold taweez (amulet) given to her by her aunt-in-law's father, Zafar Khan Qadri, who is a Sufi of an Indian branch of the Qadiri Order (as a VERY quick, oversimplified explainary, a Sufi is basically someone who practices Islamic mysticism, honestly of the ones I've met and have been told about, they're more like nerds about magic in relation to Islam rather than a magical priest, but whatever, also Sufism is divided into a bunch of orders which all eventually trace back to Mohammad cause he the OG of everything).

𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬: Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, Turkish, English, French, Portugese (Brazilian), Italian, Russian

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐲? Pretty chooses pretty? She honestly doesn't know, the general meaning of Peonies is shame, bashfulness, and anger, and like, anger makes sense, but shame? bashfulness? Laila is opposite of that, she's not cinderella, she's the Prince, what does she have to be ashamed about? The meaning of Peonies in China however fits her more, or rather her family, prosperity and honour certainly vibe with the Raichand's and how they value and market their family name.

𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦: Bahar Şahin

𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝: https://urstyle.fashion/styles/3630790 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: https://urstyle.fashion/collections/229400 𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭: https://www.pinterest.ca/evewinterdragon/villainess-barbie/ 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1CHLJ7232UMzgbBRjmzTuh?si=bbaeb3521df34663

[lyninabin]

got 71 drafts

a good portion of them are tag games that i put in drafts so i dont lose them and can do them soon (aka after about 14hrs from now)

a better number on the older end is posts that i wanted to reblog with x but felt it was too weird and so i didn’t (i do have some self control, as opposed to what .. the same ppl that i have those drafted reblogs of say)

and between those two..

is three posts(that i remember writing very clearly, but not what’s in them, for i wrote my heart out to clear my mind) but possibly more, two of these three has had me reach the typing limit (yes there’s one), had my phone going slow for a bit while writing them, and also me venting, ranting, and (i hope i didn’t slander, but) im sure i wrote uncomfortable truths of those same people

now a little something is that i don’t want to keep them to myself to my grave, and i hadn’t yet checked when’s the longest i can schedule something in the future on the website, i know on the app i can reach somewhere in feb 2039 and thats.. like 13~14 years in the future, it does feel so far away but also so close, about 148 months, and i think maybe, those vents i’ll make them post then, maybe even closer, like the day i graduate college or something, and thats cutting it by half the time, cause like even if i go for a phd thats only 6-10 years (according to a couple of sites i saw, dont @ me)

and like, i know i changed enough between when i wrote them and now, and by that time i would’ve changed a lot from who i was, or maybe even embrace it because it was the true me, idk

what i do know it’s gonna be different, and i might take the time to actually re read them one day, i hope

i want a day where i look at my inbox and it’s zero(unless maybe some asks from shadowbanned accounts are there which would fuck it up) and my scheduled are zero (or as close to it as i can since i do have some like good posts i scheduled for like the end of time lmao) and my draft to also be zero(if i could, since some of those earlier ones are reblogs to deleted accounts now 🤷‍♀️, idek why they delete their blogs to make another one again with the same name and such, i think i saw it was either because of hate comments, but like using the same url and such is telling me its not it, so the other reason i remember was.. imposter syndrome?)

[nongnaos]

bl / gl tag game

I was tagged by @icouldhyperfixatehim in probably Feb/Mar but I literally just had not watched enough bl/gls to actually do this. Then got tagged again by @talays-portkey recently (it is no longer recently, this has been in my drafts, 98% done for a month??) and was like ohhh I can probably do this now!

your all time favourite bl character and why

I'm gonna say Pat and Pran both bc bb is SO dear to my heart and I feel like they are a good representation of "opposites attract" bc they handle things/think differently a lot but are so similar it works.

what's your one character from a bl you wanted to punt into the stratosphere ( you only get one so choose wisely )

Honestly none? If there has been any show where I've really disliked the leads then I've probably given up watching, as for side characters I'm willing to forgive a lot in fiction that I probably wouldn't IRL. Also shitty people give the story more drama and I do live for the drama. One thing that I do find bizarre and I struggle with are characters who ship other characters in the show and will tell them, or post about them on social media... it's just something I would feel weird about if it happened to me (and I can't imagine that happening realistically as someone who grew up in Ireland in the 2000's.)

the best music moment from a bl

Ok ok, living for bb and the rooftop kiss but the very specific moment when Pat is telling Pran all the things he liked when Pran was gone (I didn't need to compete, or be paranoid, or know what your GPA was etc) and Pran is clearly upset about it and then he says "but it was so depressingly lonely for me" and Pran looks back at him and it's the moment where everything starts to change and just as Pran looks back into Pat's eyes with hope for the first time there's a little 4 note drum roll (@10:14) and it just perfectly encapsulates that feeling of anticipation when your heart skips a beat, I just [muffled screams into a pillow]. Also the Not Me industrial sounding background music. It was so different for a bl but works perfectly with the aesthetic and the feeling of the show. Same with Heartstopper, great soundtrack, perfect vibes for the show. Also the intro song for The Eclipse, I really love it too!

what's a popular heterosexual text that you would like to see adapted into a bl / gl ?

Looove a cheesy romcom so maybe a GL 10 Things I Hate About You, or maybe one day my dream of seeing A Cinderella Story with Austin Ames realising she's a trans girl will come true!!! Or the lesbian 13 Going On 30 where she goes to the future to realise she's in love with her best friend (a girl, sorry Mark Ruffalo) and realises she's gay and maybe that's why people picked on her at 13 bc they all knew she was ✨️different✨️ and she goes back and is like "i know being gay is scary rn but it actually does get better and I've seen it!!". Coyote Ugly!! The Prince and Me!!!! Gimme lesbian romcoms I beg!!! Most of these gave off wlw vibes anyway, making them gay now would just be righting the world.

a scene from a bl that always makes you laugh ?

We Best Love where they almost get caught on the couch and Shuyi introduces himself overly formally and Shide just laughs at him and Shuyi gives him the 👀🤨 (gif)

Also, that moment in Semantic Error after Jaeyoung gets asked to work on Sangwoo's project and he's in slow-mo dancing down the stairs like "yeah, I'm gonna ruin this kid's life".

what two random bl/gl characters would make hilarious exes ?

Not hilarious but Namu from Not Me and Ink from Bad Buddy. They meet when Ink is taking scenery photos and sees Namu's graffiti and they get to talking and they have similar ideas and ideologies, Namu starts bringing Ink to protests and Ink brings her to some exhibitions etc etc they stay friends after bc wlw.. and then in the future the BB gang inkpa&patpran all start attending protests together. (Didn't P'Aof say patpran would definitely be joining those protests if they were in the same show? Like it all makes so much sense)

biggest disappointment ?

The way Not Me just sort of fell off in terms of storyline in the second half. Its only a disappointment bc those first episodes were incredible and the show deserved better.

who would be the funniest person to watch a bl in its entirety and which one would you make them watch .

Tankhun, and seeing as we've seen his reactions to steamy scenes and action or horror shows I feel like we should watch Manner of Death? I haven't seen it yet but I've heard it's steamy and mafia based so he could pick apart the mafia stuff and go wild at the smut.

best wardrobe moment / or character wardrobe from a bl

Shuyi's emo boy wardrobe from season 1 of We Best Love.

Wei Wuxian's emo boy wardrobe but make it historical.

Ink's lesbian art teacher vibes from Bad Buddy. (Extra shout out to Pat's ep 12 teal shirt and Pran's jumpers)

Tagging: @wkxs @talaypuens @wahgifs @snimeat @surajmukhis no pressure if you don't have time or energy! 🥰🥰

[sterekreversechallenges]

Sterek Reverse Bang 2021: Updated Timeline, Sign-Ups Now Open!

TIMELINE 

Nov 15th, 2020 - Sign-ups open. Sign-up via Google form. 

Jan 17th, 2021 - Art due; sign-ups close 

Jan 21st, 2021 - Prompts go up for viewing 

Jan 23rd, 2021 - 7 pm UTC - Claims round 1 

Jan 24th, 2021 - 7 pm UTC - Claims round 2, if there is any art left, or multiple claims round if there are any authors who haven’t been able to claim a prompt yet. 

Jan 25th, 2021 - 7 pm UTC - Claims round 3, if necessary and until all art has been claimed. 

Jan 31st, 2021 - Check-in 1: Teams must confirm that they have made contact and are good to collaborate. 

Feb 14th, 2021 - Informal intra-team update: Writers submit an outline of 200-500 words to their artist for comment.

March 14th, 2021 - Check-in 2: Teams must confirm that they are on schedule to post. Writers will receive a link to a Google form for submitting their drafts. Drafts should be 80 % done with any parts/scenes that are not yet complete outlined. 

Mar 28th, 2021 - All collaborations posted to the Mod Account.

April 1st, 2021 - Moderated posting starts and runs until all collaborations have been posted.

Rules and Expectations for all Participants 

Sign-ups open November 15th via Google Doc. 

By signing up to participate you acknowledge that you have read and agree to the rules. 

While the mods will send out reminders, it is your responsibility to meet the Sterek Reverse Bang deadlines. If you have a true emergency regarding the deadlines (failure to plan is not an emergency), please contact the mods. 

Communicate with your partner within 48 hours of your claim being confirmed. Mandatory partner check-ins should be met. This is meant to be collaborative and fun. 

Participants must be 18 years or older. 

A Discord account is necessary to join. 

Participants need an email address that they check on a regular basis. 

Any questions, issues, or disagreements should be taken to the mods. 

RULES for ARTISTS 

 In the regular reverse bang round the following types of art are accepted: 

painting/drawing (traditional, digital, mixed) 

mood boards 

fanvids (min 30 sec) 

original gif sets (min 6 gifs) 

>> All art will be uploaded through a Google Form. PLease keep in mind that Discord has a limit for file sizes. If the piece cannot be uploaded to Discord directly, it has to be hosted in a way that doesn’t reveal the identity of the artist. 

>> In the spirit of anonymous claims, no watermarks, signatures etc. are permitted! If you are worried about art theft, you can add “Sterek Reverse Bang” as a watermark. Signatures may naturally be added for the final posting with the fics.  

>> Artists can submit up to three pieces. 

>> Art must not have been published before, been a commission, or be associated with a fic at the time of claims. 

>> When you submit your art, it should be finished. You may of course keep working on it until posting.

>> You may choose to create more art for longer fics but this is not a requirement.

RULES for WRITERS 

>> Minimum word count for fics in this challenge is 5k. Artists have the option to offer more art for longer fics. 

>> Artists’ prompts need to be followed unless writer and artist agree to do something else. 

>> Squicks and triggers have to be followed without discussion. 

>> Authors may not demand or request changes to the art. The artists may offer to do this, but that is up to the discretion of the artist. 

>> Fics must be in English. 

>> Submitted drafts must be typed and be in a standard document form (.docx or Google Drive). iOS extensions or photos will not be accepted. 

>> Writers must follow the check-in dates including sharing a 80% completed draft with the mods (check-in 2). 

>> All fics should be posted in their entirety on the submission date. 

>> You must tag for any of AO3’s major warnings and use appropriate tags, including the Sterek Reverse Bang tag. 

>> All fics need to be beta read. If you need help finding a beta reader, you can ask on Discord. Mods for the bang will not assign beta readers. 

Like a regular Bang, a Reverse Bang is meant to be a collaboration between artist and writer. Think of your artist like a partner in your creative process and follow the sharing guidelines that we have laid out in terms of sharing outlines and drafts. Everyone has their own creative style, but do be willing to listen to the input from your artist as you write. One of the joys as a writer is having a collaborative partner to bounce ideas off of and talk through your WIP. Your artist will probably love to be part of this process. 

Please be gracious about all pieces and remember to keep all discussion about the art and what you want to claim in #strb-writers-chat. Flailing and praising is permitted in #strb-general, but please refrain from mentioning any specifics. Artists are very anxious about their art getting claimed and we don’t want to add to any fears about any piece of art not receiving the attention it is due.

SUBMITTING PROMPTS 

>> All art will be submitted using a Google Form. [link coming soon]. 

>> Be ready to give the following information when submitting art: 

title of art: 

rating of art: 

highest rating the fic can have: 

any warnings (you must warn for archive warnings!): 

main pairing (obviously Sterek for this bang, but e.g. if you’d be ok with a second main pairing or changing your main pairing if your art permits): 

acceptable background pairings: 

short description of art/ prompt: 

likes: 

dislikes: 

eligible for multiple claiming: 

willing to make more art: 

willing to make more art for longer fics: 

Keep in mind that the more detailed the prompt, the fewer the people who might feel up to fill it. Also, be aware that cross-overs can be difficult as well.

CLAIMS 

>> Art prompts will become available for viewing in #strb-prompts-and-teams on Jan 21st, 2021. 

>> Prompts will be numbered - this number will be needed for claims. 

>> Claims will be on Jan 23rd, 2021 - 7 pm UTC (Universal Time Coordinated - takes care of time zones as well as winter times). 

>> Claims will take place in a Google form that will be posted in Discord #strb-claims as soon as claims open. Only registered writers can make a claim. 

>> Claims will be assigned on a first come first serve basis. Claim confirmation will be sent from the official mod email (sterereversechallenges@gmail.com). 

>> All claims have to be kept confidential until claims are over. Please be respectful to artists and conscious of their feelings - nobody likes to hear that their piece is bad, unpopular, or left over. 

>> Authors will submit between 3-10 choices in order of preference. 

>> If there is any art left after the first round, there will be as many rounds as needed to get everything claimed. If there are authors left, art eligible for double claiming will be put up again for authors to double claim. Second round in either case will be on Jan 10th at 7 pm UCT. 

POSTING 

Open posting or moderated posting is still up for discussion.

>> Open posting: every team posts sometime between April 1st and April 11th 2021 on the day of their choice.. 

>> Fixed posting dates: all collaborations are posted to the Mod Account by March 28th, 2021. Moderated posting will then start on April 1st and run until all collaborations have been posted.

Art should be embedded in the fic or be linked, depending on the preferences of the team.

Teams will:

make a master post on Discord in #strb-gallery, using the pinned format template. 

add the fic with the art or a link to the art to the AO3 collection. 

voluntary: submit a post to the challenge tumblr at sterekreversechallenges.tumblr.com using the same format as for the master post in #strb-gallery 

Teams are of course welcome to also make posts on any platform of their choice to promote their work and the bang.

DROPPING 

>> Should any participants drop before claims, no harm done, no worries.. 

>> Should any participants drop out after claims without a very good reason and extenuating circumstances, participants may not be allowed to take part in the next round. In any case, talk to your mod! There is usually a solution, both for the person dropping and the person remaining in the bang (e.g. finding a pinch hitter).. 

>> Should a team wish to drop out by mutual consent, they may do so, but may not post their work as part of the Sterek Reverse Bang Collection.. 

COMMUNICATION 

The STRB is meant to be a collaborative effort between artist and writer. Part of the fun of the process is working with another creative person to make something new in the Sterek fandom. With that in mind, we have a set of things you should be talking about with your partner.

Artists and writers are free to decide mutually on how much contact they wish to have and in how much detail they wish to collaborate. However, as this is a bang based on art prompts, artists and writers should collaborate on the plot, unless the artist choses differently. Minimum Requirements:

>> By Jan 31st, 2021 (=Check-in 1): Talk to your artist/author partner and exchange: 

Names and pronouns

Account names (AO3, Tumblr, Discord)

Best way to communicate

How much do you want to communicate/ how much interaction are you looking for?

Time zones

Are there any times/dates when you won’t be available?

Any general ideas you have

>> By Feb, 14th 2021: Writers submit an outline of 200-500 words to their artist for comment. 

>> By March 14th, 2021 (=Check-in 2): Fic rough drafts due. Rough drafts need to be 80 % complete of the projected final word count. Any scenes that aren’t finished need to be outlined. Writers will share their rough drafts with their artists and submit them to the mods via a Google form that will be sent out closer to that time.

Apart from sign-ups, the bang will be run via Discord, i.e. a Discord account is necessary to join.

By submitting this form you acknowledge that you have read and understood the terms and conditions and consent/agree to the challenge rules listed above.

Sign-up now: https://forms.gle/HM6y6zC9FwDY8RaT9

[sevenfactorial]

Info about applying to PhD programs in pure math

This is... basically what it sounds like. I’m sure a lot of this is applicable to other PhD applications but I’m only very familiar with pure math. This is aimed at current seniors about to apply, but there is a section about prepping for applications in advance.

The highlights:

Recommendation letters are the most important thing. Most schools ask for 3ish. Try to get people who know you well, not just a student in the class. Someone you've conducted research with and one from a different institution are ideal if possible

Ask for rec letters at least a month before the due date is a good rule of thumb.

Research experience is probably the second most important.

Get the opinion of multiple professors who know you in order to build a list of potential schools. Then widdle it down to your will-actually-apply list (probably 8-14 ish). 

My opinion but please apply to at least 3-4 safety/match schools. Even when you're fully qualified, acceptance rates are simply low enough that a bit of bad luck means getting rejected or waitlisted from a few of them.

Most pure math due dates are in early-mid Dec but a few schools are in Nov and some are as late as mid-Jan. 

Schools will generally have their own graduate application portals. Some are better organized than others. Some require you to submit all your material before you can send a request for submitting rec letters so plan accordingly.

Acceptance letters will very slowly start going out in mid-Feb but the vast majority of programs won't send out anything until like, March and not be done until later than that. Accordingly, wait until at least mid-March to begin freaking out if you haven't been accepted anywhere.

You should 100% be expecting a tuition waiver and stipend from a program if you're applying for a PhD.

The rest of the posts is.... ridiculously long so I’m putting it under a cut. I mention things to do in advance to help you decide if grad school is right for you and things that make your application look good, give a full time line of the process, a list of things applications commonly ask for, and some miscellaneous notes. (The points above are repeated in more detail).

In addition, some links to other resources math students may appreciate:

an old post of mine about grad school apps (overlaps a lot and features some ranting from during the application process)

about REUs including my addition specifically about math ones

summer programs for undergrads that aren’t REUs by @counter-example and @jungleuniversity

Tips for prospective grad student visits 

Also about prospective grad student visits by @thisurlhasbeenleftasanexercise

Also for context, I went to a large state school in the US for undergrad. I started as a CS major and added on math as a secondary major after my first year and dropped CS during third year. I’m primarily interested in discrete and algebra, though I have a significant topology background from undergrad too. I got most of my advice from people around the department, as I became pretty involved during my third year. Now, I’m a first year grad student at another large state school in the US, generally considered pretty decent though not a “top math program” at all. Not that much else has happened so far.

Things in advance (aka things to help you decide if grad school is for you and things that look good on an application)

Take the standard classes. For pure math, this is at least one semester of linear alg, abstract alg, and analysis each. Linear and analysis are also good for applied math but I'm not sure what else if anything is considered standard.

Take some grad classes if you have the option. Most people are not ready for this until senior year, but some do manage as juniors. Talk to people who know you well and the prof teaching the class before you do this though.

Try to get involved with research whether this is through independent studies at your home institution, REUs, internships, or other stuff.

Be involved in your department. This helps with getting you more personalized advice for applying.

The rough suggested timeline (assuming junior yr is your second to last year and senior is your last of undergrad)

Junior April: Take the math subject GRE so you can take it again in Sep or Oct if desired (perhaps not applicable atm). The general can be taken kinda whenever; I suggest fall of senior year.

Junior April/May: Start talking to professors/post docs/mentors/etc. about programs you may be interested in. Write/type it down. Don't worry if it gets long, you will shorten again later.

Summer: Do some research if possible; an REU or research at your institution (if an REU, also get your mentor's opinion on potential schools towards the end as well)

Senior Sep: Start whittling down your list. 8-14 seems to be the "normal" range of schools to apply to but some people panic and do more. Remember that asking for waivers is completely acceptable but applying is still just generally expensive (I spent around $800 for 10 schools)

Senior Sep: Apply for the NSF GRFP. You can apply as an undergrad senior and once during your first or second year of grad school if you didn't already get it. The due date is in mid-late OC but ideally you'll have a draft of your essays and ask for rec letters by the end of Sep, if not earlier.

Senior early Nov: Ask for rec letters if you haven't already. The rule of thumb is a month before the due date. Provide them a list of schools you want to apply to including due date and where/how to submit as soon as possible (as well as anything else they request of course; many ask for a resume and a draft of your personal statement).

Senior Dec-Jan: Submit stuff! Pure math programs typically have deadlines in Dec or early Jan. I think the big days are Dec 10th, Dec 15th, and Jan 15th but some are earlier or later. (applied math masters tend to be earlier I think; in Nov). I suggest putting them all into a list or calendar. In addition, some schools won't let letter writers submit until all of your stuff is submitted so start applications early, even if you don't finish them immediately.

Senior Feb: Programs will slowly start sending out offers in early Feb and pick up in mid Feb, but don't fret until AT LEAST the beginning of March! Grad programs are just way too slow at getting out offers for it to be worth worrying until then (and even then, it's definitely not time to panic but mathematicians are frequently anxious people so I get it). Waitlists are slower to come out; usually starting in early March. Also note, there are many programs that don't actually send out replies to everyone unfortunately.

Senior late Feb-early April: prospective student days! They might be online in 2021 unfortunately but try to attend whatever form they're in if you can (only one of my visits during spring 2020 was online since the others happen to be very early and safely beat covid in the US). Be warned, it's very possible to get offers of admissions and to visit very last minute. I do not have advice for how to make that less stressful.

Senior April 15th: Common reply deadline. If you got your offer in the first round or two, this is probably your deadline to accept. In addition, this means more offers will likely come out shortly after once more people have declined. 

Senior summer: graduate. Send a completed, official transcript to your new institution. Check your new email account for stuff you're suppose to do. Some programs have some sort of program during the summer for in-coming students. Most places have graduate student training of some sort for a week or two before semester starts. 

Some common things to be asked for in applications

Not actually a thing asked for but many graduate schools have their own portal for which you will have to make an account to submit an application. A few use a common system that kinda sort shares a database of accounts? Some are fine and some massively suck.

Personal Statement/Statement of Purpose: Occasionally called something else and once in a while actually separate things; will usually have a prompt of wildly differing specificity. Sometimes, the prompts come from the department itself and sometimes from the university's graduate school. I suggest having one or two "base" essays then tweaking them for each school. Sometimes a word/page limit is specified but if it's not, around 2 pages/1000 words is pretty reasonable.

Transcript. Some accept unofficial but some require official but generally not an unsealed one. I ordered myself one official transcript and sent it to multiple schools instead of paying for them to be sent to each school during the application process.

Resume or CV: Most ask for either a CV or is fine with either, in which case I give them my CV. I sent more or less the same one everywhere.

Some other notes

Yes, ask for application waivers. Just be polite about it.

Your goals for your essays are primarily to show that you're interested in math and math research and are capable of like…. writing things that make sense

Do not start out an essay with either "I loved math since I was little" or "I actually didn't like math when I was young" or any variations of those. (I had one essay that started with a mildly humourous anecdote from undergrad combinatorics and another that talked about how my undergrad department has greatly affected me).

You should 100% expect to get a tuition waiver and living stipend as part of a TA fellowship (or more rarely, an research fellowship) as part of your offer of acceptance for a math PhD program (pure or applied). Health insurance is also frequently part of the package. This is not true of masters programs unfortunately.

How schools do waitlists depend wildly though most don't have super long ones like prestigious undergrads do. If you're still interested in a place you're waitlisted at, follow their instructions to confirm your placement on the waitlist then wait until April before following up again, expressing your continued interest and asking for an update. You might even want to wait until around the common deadline, April 15th. The number of people who declined before April is just really really low so nothing really happens until then.

[martinnecas]

Quick Guide | Carolina Hurricanes: Meet The Team - Opening Night 2019-20

New season means a new quick guide to the roster 

2018-19 season

This took me a couple of days to put together so please appreciate it

Want to know how to pronounce a players name? 

Click this link!

*All gifs made by me* 

Forwards: 

☞ Sebastian Aho™️ #20

Yes there is another “Sebastian Aho” from Sweden but he’s usually in the AHL (Bridgeport/Islanders)

Born: July 26, 1997 (22 years old/Leo) from Rauma, Finland

6′0, Centre, 35th overall CAR 2015

Nicknames: Fishy, Seabass, Sepe, Sebu

He’s the face of this franchise and the only player on this team that the Canadian media knows about

Is being held against his will in Raleigh because he wants to play for Montreal if you don’t know the actual story MTL sent him an offer sheet that he signed because he wanted the money and knew Carolina could pay it, but you know how Habs twitter can be.

Possibly the messiest Hurricane 

Who’s my daddy?! 

Spirit animal is a lion, hear him roar

Avid coffee drinker

Baby face

Painted a picture of his cat one time

☞ Ryan Dzingel #18 

Born: March 9, 1992 (27 years old/Pisces) from Wheaton, Illinois

6′0, Centre, 204th overall OTT 2011

Nicknames: Zinger, Dizzy, Dzingel Bells, D-pingel

Played with the Ohio State Buckeyes for 3 seasons, recorded the first hat trick in Big Ten history against Xichigan

Traded to CBJ Feb ‘19, signed with CAR as a free agent summer ‘19 

Might need glasses, he squints like that ^ a lot 

Golfs... A L O T 

Wants to produce for the team so he can stay here in Raleigh and make it his home ♥︎

Jeep guy 

Looks uncomfortably similar to Tripp Tracy 

UNC fan 

☞ Warren Foegele #13

Born: April 1, 1996 (23 years old/Aries) from Markham, Ontario 

6′2, Left Wing, 67th overall CAR 2014

Nicknames: Foegs, Foegdaddy 

Best friends with Andrei Svechnikov and Dougie Hamilton

Duke fan 

Accidentally broke Osh*e’s collarbone but TJ and C*p fans will claim he tried to murder him

Spirit animal is a tiger, also hear him roar

Very easily scared 

Duke fan

☞ Erik Haula #56

Born: March 23, 1991(28 years old/Aries) from Pori, Finland

6′0, Left Wing, 181st overall 2009 MIN

Nicknames: Hauls, Haulsy  

Moved to Minnesota in 2008 to play hockey in boarding school

Played for the University Of Minnesota Gophers for 3 seasons

Signed with MIN in 2013, was picked up by the VGK in 2017 as a free agent in the Expansion Draft, then traded to CAR summer of 2019 (for Nic Roy & draft pick)

Suffered a pretty bad knee injury in the 2018-19 season 

CAKE 

Got married this past summer ♥︎

Currently living in Calvin de Haan’s old house 

☞ Jordan Martinook (A) #48

Born: July 25, 1992 (27 years old/Leo) from Brandon, Manitoba

6′0, Left Wing, 58th overall 2012 PHX

Nicknames: Marty, Marty Man, Marty Party 

Signed with PHX/ARI in 2012, traded to CAR in 2018 (for Krüger)

Raw chaotic dad energy 

Doesn’t like corndogs and has a very high pitched scream

His wife gave birth to their first son last season before he got his downstairs fixed in the offseason

LETS GO SVECH

Spirit animal is a dolphin because he has a great impression 

There is so much more I want to put on here but you should really just follow his Twitter 

☞ Brock McGinn #23

Born: February 2, 1994 (25 years old/Aquarius) from Fergus, Ontario

6′0, Left Wing, 47th overall 2012 CAR

Nicknames: Ginner, Brock McWinn, McPing, the new Mr. Game Seven (that one is kind of a joke though), Big Cock Brock 

Single handedly defeated evil not only once but twice on April 24th, 2019, earning him the nicknames “Brock McWinn” and the new “Mr. Game Seven”

Has two brothers who also play professionally; Jamie (NHL) and Tye (AHL) McGinn

Co Owner of the Roanoke Rail Road Dawgs with his brothers and father

His daddy is Bob

Has a high probability of burning his whole house down 

Used to be a fighter, but he didn’t fight anyone last season 

Thor

Was 3rd in the league with most MsS Post (10) in the 2017-18 season earning him the nickname Brock McPing 

☞ Martin Nečas #88

Born: January 15, 1999 (20 years old/Capricorn) from Nove Mesto na Morave, Czech Rebublic

6′2, 12th overall 2017 CAR, “He plays, like, Centre”

Nicknames: Neči, Marty, Nacho, Marto 

Your 2019-20 ****** ****** winner 

He’s here to fix out PP units, quote me on that

Little hockey stick chain ^ 

Is known for falling while scoring 

Is it avocado or avocaydo?

Hidden talent: Belly dancing 

Almost killed the entire team with a golf club last season  

Don’t mess with him

Just won the Calder Cup with the Checkers :) 

☞ Nino Niederreiter #21

Born: September 8, 1992 (27 years old/Virgo) from Chur, Switzerland

6′0, Right Wing, 5th overall 2010 NYI

Nicknames: El Nino

Was the highest drafted Swizz born player until Hischer in 2017 

Signed to the Islanders in 2010, traded to Minnesota in 2013, then traded to Carolina in January 2019 (for Rask)

Was about to take a nap when he was traded

Just when canes fans almost lost hope, Nino showed up and saved our season

When he came to Carolina, someone gave him sweet tea and he really liked it

Was voted best dressed by a couple teammates

Loves the surge

Supports women’s hockey

☞ Jordan Staal (C) #11

Born: September 10, 1988 (31 years ago/Virgo) from Thunder Bay, Ontario

6′4, Centre, 2nd overall 2006 PIT

Nicknames: Stallsy, Jordad, Gronk

Arrested at his brother’s bachelor party

Won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 2009 

Jordan is the youngest out of the other brothers (Eric, Marc) in the league (NHL) 3rd brother is the youngest and is now a coach 

Signed with PIT in 2006, traded to CAR in 2012 (for 8th overall pick, Brandon Sutter and Brian Dumoulin)

Named Captain in the 2017-18 season, became Alternative Captain in 2018-19, is now Captain again in 2019-20 

Great at dad jokes 

☞ Andrei Svechnikov #37

Born: March 26, 2000 (19 years old/Aries) from Barnaul, Russia

6′2, Right Wing, 2nd overall 2018 CAR

Nicknames: Svech, Mother Russia 

Svech is ready

“Just win every game” 

Wears #37 because that’s what his brother, Evgeny Svechnikov (DET), wears

Russia = Cold, Raleigh = Hot

Apparently his biggest talent outside of hockey is… magic? 

Best friends with Warren Foegele and Dougie Hamilton

Likes to shovel the ice during practice 

Me?

Terrible at golf..

.. I mean like really bad  

☞ Teuvo Teräväinen #86

Born: September 11, 1994 (25 years old/Virgo) from Helsinki, Finland

5′11, Left Wing, 18th overall 2012 CHI 

Nicknames: Turbo, Teukka

Shortest Hurricane 

Began with CHI in 2014, traded to CAR in 2016 (along with Bickell for 2nd round pick)

Won the cup with CHI in 2015 (Along with van Riemsdyk)

Has the worst sense of smell ever

I mean come on.. pumpkin? toothpaste? 

I could keep going with this I don't know what’s wrong with his nose

Most likely the messiest Hurricane 

Would dump Sebastian on the side of the road after 100km 

Gets scared REALLY easily

His sisters plays hockey over in Finland (and is pretty good at it too) 

☞ Lucas Wallmark #71

Born: September 5, 1995 (24 years old/Virgo) from Umea, Sweden

6′0, Centre, 97th overall 2014 CAR

Nicknames: Wally

My daddy!?

His spirit animal is… a horse? 

^ He enjoys watching horse racing

*Straight face* “Snacks!? Candy!?” 

Deal with it

Showed up to a U12 and U18 team practice to work on skills with kids 

Owns a pug named Lovis

Defense 

☞ Joel Edmundson #6

Born: June 28, 1993 (26 years old/Cancer) Brandon, Manitoba

6′4, 46th overall 2011 STL

Nicknames: Crop Top King, Eddy

Won the cup in 2019 with STL and partied in a crop top 

True Canadian, ate poutine out of the cup

Traded in September 2019 to CAR (along with Bokk for Faulk and draft pick)

Going to strengthen our PK I promise 

Finally, an enforcer 

Forgot to take his skate guards off during his CAR preseason debut in front of 18,000 people 

Is a barbie girl, living in a barbie world 

☞ Haydn Fleury #4

Born: July 8, 1996 (23 years old/Cancer) from Carlyle, Saskatchewan 

6′3, 7th overall 2014 CAR

Nicknames: Fleurs 

Beat his little brother Cale (MTL) during his NHL debut 

Best friends with Trevor van Riemsdyk

Has the cutest dog named Kobe

Won the Calder Cup along with Nečas :)

If you want to giggle watch this 

Has the worst witch cackle you will ever hear 

Apparently the best golfer on the team

Big Duke fan

☞ Jake Gardiner #51

Born: July 4, 1990 (29 years old/Cancer) from Minnetonka, Minnesota 

6′2, 17th overall 2008 ANA

Nicknames: Gards 

Played for the University of Wisconsin for 3 seasons 

Traded to TOR in 2011, signed as a free agent to CAR in summer 2019

Has the cutest baby 

Denied several offers from other teams mtl to play with us instead 

Hands down had the best Halloween costume two years ago

☞ Dougie Hamilton #19

Born: June 17, 1993 (26 years old/Gemini) from Toronto, Ontario

6′6, 9th overall 2011 BOS

Nicknames: D-Ham, Doug the Thug, well his real name is Douglas so I guess Dougie is technically a nickname

Tallest Hurricane 

Both of his parents are Olympians, brother also plays professional hockey 

Started with BOS in 2012, traded to CGY in 2015, then traded to CAR in 2018 (Last remaining player from the huge Hamilton, Ferland & Fox for Lindholm and Hanifin trade)

Best friends with Andrei Svechnikov and Warren Foegele 

Porche guy 

Grew out a mullet because his hair salon couldn’t take him as a walk in

Jack Edwards complained that he was wearing a number retired from the Whalers so he taped a 6 over the 1 in 19 to make 69

Goes to children's hospitals dressed as woman characters 

Lowkey shootout king

Floss

Another Duke fan

Wears the same blazer to every road game

☞ Brett Pesce #22

Born: November 15, 1994 (24 years old/Scorpio) from Tarrytown, New York

6′3, 66th overall 2013 CAR

Nicknames: Pesh 

“I play defense bro”

Played for the University of New Hampshire for 3 seasons (2 of those seasons with van Riemsdyk)

Pretty ^

Wears 22 for his dad 

He’ll break your ankles

Fortnite squad

Brought his wonderful brother on the mentors trip

Allergic to cats

☞ Jaccob Slavin (A) #74

Born: May 1, 1994 (25 years old/Taurus) from Denver, Colorado

6′3, 120th overall 2012 CAR

Nicknames: Slav-o

The second ‘c’ stands for captain

Faith and family

Played for Colorado College for two seasons 

Adopted a beautiful baby girl with his beautiful wife

Has an instagram for his two dogs

His daddy is “Robert” 

Not afraid of snakes at all 

☞ Trevor van Riemsdyk #57

Born: July 24, 1991 (28 years old/Leo) from Middletown, New Jersey

6′2, Undrafted 

Nicknames: TVR, Riems

Agreed to terms with CHI in 2014 

Won the cup with CHI in 2015 (along with Teräväinen)

Was picked up by the VGK in the 2017 expansion draft 

The next day traded to CAR (for 2nd round pick)

James van Riemsdyk (PHI) is his older brother 

Played with the University of New Hampshire for 3 seasons (2 of those seasons with Pesce) 

He’s too tired to be scared 

March Madness

Best friends with Haydn Fleury 

Pride representative for the team 

Goalies 

☞ Petr Mrázek #34

Born: February 14, 1992 (27 years old/Aquarius) from Ostrava, Czech Republic

6′1, 141st overall 2010 DET

Nicknames: Mrazzle Dazzle, St. Petr

Moved to Ottawa at age 17 

Signed with DET in 2014

Was HUGE for them during the 2015 playoff run

Traded to PHI in Feb ‘18, signed as a free agent with CAR in July ‘18

Stylish 

He had custom hats made for every player on the team

Always has Peter Griffin in his helmet design 

Signature move: Poke Check  

☞ James Reimer #47

Born: March 15, 1988 (31 years old/Pisces) from Morweena, Manitoba

6′2, 99th overall 2006 TOR

Nicknames: Optimus Reim, The Statue, Reims

Debuted with TOR in 2010, traded to SJS Feb ‘16

Signed with FLA as a free agent summer ‘16, traded to CAR summer ‘19 (for Darling and a 2020 6th round pick)

Has two kids 

Really good swimmer

You may recognize this famous goalie meme, that’s right, that's him

Optimus Reim helmet art

He looks so much like Weston from Love Island USA 

Honorable Mention

☞ Julien Gauthier #44

I’m including him because everyone expected him to make the team as he did phenomenal in the preseason (playing all 6 games) but due to cap space (and our horrid pp units), he was sent back down.

Born: October 15, 1997 (turning 22/Libra) from Pointe-aux-Trembles, Quebec

6′4, Right Wing, 21st overall 2016 CAR

Nicknames: Goat, Gauths, Jules

Big boy

Bilingual (French/English)

Cute accent

His uncle played 554 games in the NHL (Denis Gauthier) 

Both his father and grandfather were professional bodybuilders

That explains his muscles

The best thighs in the league (not up for debate) 

Also won the Calder Cup this past season with Haydn Fleury and Martin Nečas

Head Coach

☞ Rod Brind’Amour #17

Roderick Jean Brind’Amour

Born: August 9, 1970 (age 49 years/Leo) from Ottawa, Canada

6′1, Centre, 9th overall 1988 STL

Nicknames: Rod the Bod, RBA 

Played with Michigan State for one season

Started with STL in the playoffs of ‘88, traded to PHI in ‘91, traded to CAR in 2000

Captain of the 2006 CAR Stanley Cup winning team

Played 20 seasons, 1,484(GP) 452(G) 732(A) 1,184(P)

Became head coach for the 2018-19 season

First year as HC broke the team’s 9 year playoff drought and brought them all the way to the ECF

Is known for his extreme workouts

Still in better shape than 98% of the league

Could very well still lace up and play better than 80% of the league 

Lives rent free in W*lson’s and Reirden’s heads

Gives the best post-game speeches

President & General Manager

☞ Don Waddell

I really just wanted an excuse to put this gif in here 

Coached the 1998 DET Stanley Cup winning team 

Named Pres. & GM of CAR in May ‘18

Owner

☞ Tom Dundon 

Lives rent free is Habs fans minds

Estimated net worth is $1.1 billion?

Majority owner of TopGolf (55%)

Chairman of the Alliance of American Football

Purchased 52% of CAR in January 2018 for $420million

Likes to hang around team/fan events 

Stays in the same hotel as me lol

[lambourngb]

Behind the Scenes- Last Year’s Wishes

@zuluoscarecho - ““Oh man you have been busy! I’m glad the writing Has been going well for you. I would love to hear about your process when you get a chance if you’re keen. Like whether you plotted it out, whether the whole fic came to you (more or less) or how hard you had to work to fill in the gaps to get you where you wanted to go, whether you’re a “push through” kinda writer and just sit down and do it or whether you scribble stuff down all day and then type it up at the end or whatever. Many questions I have”

Oh boy, these are great questions- my approach to writing has changed from how I started “Last Years Wishes” and how I’m finishing it. First of all, I was out of practice. The last long story I tackled and finished on my own was in 2002-2003 on ff.net  (for a moment I thought it was 2012-2013 but I just looked it up and still can’t believe it was that long ago, hahah) Then I wrote a follow up with a co-writer that ended …poorly due to stuff outside of writing with that person. I hit a very bad depressive cycle and didn’t write again until 2019 and RNM.

The idea came after I watched some true crime story in August- I think it was “Murder Comes to Town” - which is all small town population less than 10,000 gets hit with a salacious murder. I immediately thought about Michael, and first I thought he could be blamed for Max’s disappearance, but then I remembered how visible Noah was to the town, and I was off plotting. Carina said on twitter- oh lord what a loaded sentence that is - that we don’t know when Alex was at the Airstream or what he had to say- which fine, but that made me think about juggling the time a bit, letting the police show up first, then Alex go to the wild pony, THEN MAX, and yeah boom! Conflict! Alex knows Michael wants to be with someone else, but he just gave him an alibi. They are stuck! Fuck Alex’s whole life, amirite? That part of the idea came all at once.

I wrote the first draft of the scene for Tumblr - August 8th - started it before work when I like to write- kept writing once I got to work (bad employee!) posted it and as the comments and likes rolled in, I kept writing. First day was like 6,000 words.

Then I didn’t really touch it for 2 weeks. I kept adding stuff here and there, using WIP Wednesday to motivate me to share a bit. In one month though, the story was at 10,000 words by September 12. Mainly because I just wrote as it came to me, and let my brain just fuck off on Tumblr or reading other fics. I wasn’t really serious about it. Six weeks later it was 15,000 words by the end of October. This time I thought the reason I didn’t have more progress on it was because I didn’t have the practice of finishing a story- so I attempted at the very beginning of October to do Whumptober. I managed to write 2 stories - truth (to the people we love) and If You Regret (What You Know).

So two stories finished, I went back to Last Year’s Wishes and used everyone working on NaNo for November to buckled down. I wrote out a rough outline of future scenes. I made a point to write, if I could, every day something. I do try and write in a linear fashion, but if I couldn’t move forward in the story, I would go back to previous stuff to add in descriptions, put in some introspection- sometimes a whole scene needed to be inserted, then I could push forward again.

The story grew from 15,000 words on Nov 1 to 28,000 words by Dec 1. Nearly double in size. And the more I put my ass in the chair to write, the easier it became to focus. It will never be easy to focus for me- I really like scrolling on my phone, chatting with other people, etc. But I had to build a muscle in my brain from the ground up with no real belief that I would succeed because I thought depression and anti-depressants had broken my brain. But Malex kept me interested.

By the time December rolled around, I made a goal of finishing it by New Years, but then my outline kept growing. I kept thinking about the underlying plot, I kept thinking about how big the communication divide was- I couldn’t just say “they talked, they fucked HEA!”. As December came to a close, I realized I had written 32,000 words in the month of December but I was only half done with the story. So while I was disappointed I hadn’t hit my goal of being done, I was very pleased at the progress. The story was around 60,000 words by the end of the year.

January- I increased my goal of 1,000 words a day, to 2,000 words a day.  I really believed I could finish it in one sustained push. I wrote nearly 40,000 words in the month of January- bringing it to just under 99,000 words but…it still wasn’t done. My assistant quit. I got sick. Progress stuttered. But I felt like the end was in site- so I contacted  betas, two of which came through- tasyfa and Maura - and kept writing. I thought it was just 20,000 words to go, and since I just wrote 40,000 in one month, I could easily write 20,000 2-1/2 weeks, right????

February- beta comments were great, I started releasing it publically in chapters, and then the feedback started rolling in- and instead of motivating me forward, I started obsessing over the next thing people would read- I wanted it to be perfect. I started inserting new scenes, fleshing out other areas- driving my betas crazy I think- because I kept poking at it. I wrote those 20,000 words easily as the story was getting posted, but they were all in the existing frame of the plot. New stuff … that didn’t really start happening until March.

Another thing that I realized was my outline needed to be supportive but flexible. Originally (which remind me once it’s complete) but I had some different ideas for how the last few chapters were going to go, and I had to let those narratives go because it no longer felt natural to me with the narrative I had established.

Even now I have 5 scenes outlined for chapter 22, but as I started writing it this morning, I am leaning toward blending it into 4 or 3 scenes. Oh- my scene should have a standalone point to accomplish, and if that point isn’t clear or can be accomplished in another way, then it gets moved or blended. I don’t really jot things down on paper- but I have two documents- the writing doc, and the story doc. Writing doc has the outline, I always write with my outline heading just below my cursor so I can keep looking down at my goals and construct the scene from there. The story doc is where I cut and paste it into the whole thing. Sometimes as I scroll to find where I am in the doc, I will add something or edit something, before putting in the next bit at the end.

This is what chapter 18-19-20 looked like on Feb 9th in my outline : [1.. After their pathetic attempts to decorate Alex‘s leg was starting to bother him. Michael took one look at him and advised that he remove the prosthetic. Alex protested mildly about being seen that way. Michael reassured him that Isabell not only knew but didn’t care.

1a. - Isobel and Kyle arrive- she found him in the grocery store attempting to leave with the last baked ham - Mom working a double, Rosa was going to midnight mass with Arturo and Liz- 1b. Isabell and Michael have a quiet talk that Alex overhears while he changes and removes his leg for the night-. He discusses talking to Maria and reframing some of what Alex had said. 1c- walks past them to the kitchen with Kyle]

[2.  Isobel and Kyle show up  to the cabin for Christmas Eve- Isobel sleeps over. Michael offers the spare, Kyle takes the couch, Alex objects to Michael sleeping in the airstream. ]

[ 3. Alex wakes up to an alert on the day after  Christmas Day that gets an alert about someone at the cave. Finds Michael staring at Jesse and not Max.. Why did you think you were like him- that night that Noah died. What did that mean. It means he was ruthless about his agenda and so am I. I’ll do anything to protect you. Michael is silent and closed off, but follows him back to the cabin - knowledge from the ship piece ]

ONE MONTH LATER on March 10 the notes looked like this based on how the story looked: [2.  Isobel and Kyle stay in the face of the weather- Isobel sleeps over. Michael offers the spare, Kyle takes the Airstream ,Michael volunteers himself to sleep with Alex - Michael quietly explains he isn’t going to have a conversation with anyone afterward, Christmas gift exchange- Michael gives him the handprint- remnant from the console and his mother, sharing the intensity - they have sex  ]

[ 3. Alex wakes up to intense sorrow by Michael via the handprint n the day after  Christmas Day that gets an alert about someone at the cave. Finds Michael staring at Jesse and not Max.. Why did you think you were like him- that night that Noah died. What did that mean. They discuss Alex’s family and the future- do you think you would ever forgive them? I’ve been mad at Max, but if he came back today I would take him back, What about Flint and what he did ? Do you think he’s sorry? knowledge from the ship piece- soul mates, forever tied together ]

Err— I’m long winded, so did I answer your questions? Feel free to ask more!!

[douchebagbrainwaves]

YOU KNOW THAT YOU'RE SHIPPING SOMETHING LOADED WITH BUGS, AND YOU'VE EVEN SET UP MECHANISMS TO COMPENSATE FOR IT E

Constraints give your life shape. And yet these ideas turn out to be ridiculous, it's almost as if they were true or not. The unusual conditions that prevailed in the mid twentieth century there was a strong middle class it was easy for the rider. It was not easy to find. But what they're really saying is they want both. If there are three reasons. Notes Steep usage growth will also interest investors. You have to at least look at the average outcome rather than the other students, and this must be free. The country is shifting to the left or the right, have a man come through a door with a gun in his hand. It was like someone getting fouled in a soccer game and saying, please let us build this thing to make money from.

His response was to launch with the simplest possible terms what McCarthy discovered. Anyone who's worked for a time as the manager of a silver mine. This is the lowest form of response to an argument is simply to look the other person in the next. With Web-based applications, the software will work better, the servers will be better at running their companies than investors. Many more than most people realize, because companies don't advertise this. But we also raised eyebrows by using generic Intel boxes as servers instead of industrial strength servers like Suns, for using a then-obscure open-source language effort like Perl or Python. Common Lisp had powerful string libraries and good OS support. I'm not saying that if you can. My mother doesn't really need a desktop computer, and there was a problem with options, it's that they succeed or fail based on the total number of new users was a function of the interest other VCs show in it.

If you know nothing more than a question of just solving a problem. It's the same all over Silicon Valley like the one the Valley has over New York or LA. The topic sentence is your thesis, chosen in advance, the supporting paragraphs the blows you strike in the conflict, and the power of investors as a whole started to get richer very rapidly. It's not so important what you work on matters of passing importance. They care what the market thinks of you and what other VCs think of you seems the most successful ones. It's the middle one you get wrong when you're inexperienced. Nearly all the code you write this way will be reusable. If you're going to need to do is not squash it if it starts to own you rather than the topic, it's a great advantage to be able to get big fast. It helped us to have Robert Morris, Geoff Ralston, and Garry Tan for reading drafts of this; Daniel Giffin who is also writing the production Arc interpreter for several good ideas about filtering and for creating our mail infrastructure; Robert Morris, Neil Rimer, Hugues Steinier, Brad Templeton, Fred Wilson, AirBedAndBreakfast Founders date: Mon, Feb 9,2009 at 11:08 AM subject: Re: meet the airbeds I'd recommend having the debate after meeting them instead of climbing it. Not Yet a Police State. And I worry that if they wanted to; they're probably required to by law. I still don't even have a name yet.

We could bear any amount of nerdiness if someone was truly smart. To do good work, on an absolute scale, as you approach in the calculus sense a description of Y Combinator that the most valuable things you could be 36 times more productive than you're expected to be rewarded with high-paying union job. The thing is, they're not. Miss out on what? I've seen the lever of technology grow visibly in my own time. The woman in charge of engineering at Yahoo, we got an email from a partner you should try charging customers right away. In the graduation-speech approach, you decide where you want to inhabit. You can come along at any point and make something better designed. Just two or three to one would be $1 million. Theirs was not to reason why; theirs was to build what product managers spec'd. But can you think of one that had a round fall through at the last minute two parts don't quite fit, you can tell that from indirect evidence. But if you have eager first investors is raise money from them is worth one dollar.

By granting such an over-broad patent, the USPTO are not hackers. Instead of making n constant, it might be helpful to look at, because they treat this as evidence of laziness. And only good people can ride the thermals if they hit them anyway. When specialists in some abstruse topic talk to one another, this could cause some friction. After barely changing at all for decades, the startup should raise more now, and what's good design for one group might be bad for another. They may have to wait for Python to evolve the rest of the world is going. It would be helpful just to realize it, but several planned to, but instead spent all your time working on new stuff.

People look at Reddit and think the founders were Robert Morris's grad students, not professors. In a place where there are a lot of stigma attached to failing in other places are just doing what startups naturally do: fail. Which is precisely my point. So probably the limiting factor. Where does it go wrong? Historically there have always been occasional cases, particularly in winter, and there's something very pleasing about small things. Founders April 2009 Inc recently asked me who I thought were the 5 most interesting startup founders of all ages to build things in Lisp, you could just show a randomly truncated slice of life, and there will be more of a hiring bonus than an acquisition.

Or 10%? If the company does badly, he's done badly. Your prestige was the prestige of the institution you belonged to. Relativism is fashionable at the moment; if anything Boston is falling further and further behind. Http:///home/patrick/Documents/programming/python projects/UlyssesRedux/corpora/unsorted/marginal. This tradition continues today. Other domains change fast. The designer is human too. I started using it out of necessity, there must have been a lot of things that matter, most wars in recent history. Compositional symmetry yields some of the current super-angels make more investments per partner, they have no idea what they mean is decreasing poverty.

A phone-sized device that would work as a way of picking a winner. So if you want to make. You won't get to, unless you got the right answers, and that's one of the top two computer science departments. Worse still, instead of admitting frankly that it's boring, we try to standardize everything that doesn't need to rely on benchmarks, for example. But when you ask that question, and it is a huge one. It was pretty advanced for the time. But increasingly startups are evolving into a vehicle for several different types of investors. Could you turn theorems into a commodity? Unfortunately, patent law is inconsistent on this point. You're all smart and working on promising ideas. 1-x Though I can't off the top of the possible rewards, you thereby decrease people's willingness to take risks. But the margins are greater on products.

[news-mashable-yahoopartner-blog]

Why is everyone obsessed with this Taylor Swift stan account's prison story?

There are two things Na'ama is deeply passionate about: stanning Taylor Swift and denouncing Israeli occupation in Palestine. 

The Israeli-born fan is so fiercely for Palestine, in fact, that she says she went to prison for two months for refusing to enlist in Israel's mandatory military service. She still managed to slide in a hot take about Swift's pregnancy rumors, though. Twitter users are obsessed with her story. 

It started on Tuesday morning, when Na'ama tweeted a bizarre update after a two month period of laying low.

"As many of you know, I haven't been very active in the past couple of months because I was in prison," she said from her stan account @LegitTayUpdates, adding that she planned on returning to updating her followers on the latest Swift gossip. 

💬| UPDATE|| As most of you know, I haven't been very active in the past couple of months because I was in prison :/ I'm back now though :) more Taylor Swift updates coming soon!

— Taylor Swift Updates (@LegitTayUpdates) April 2, 2019

When another Twitter user asked why Na'ama was imprisoned, she casually dropped that she refused to comply with Israel's mandatory military service out of support for Palestinian freedom. Na'ama didn't respond to Mashable's requests for comment. 

SEE ALSO: Twitter's new dark mode is actually black and it's glorious

💬| I refused to join the IDF lmao

— Taylor Swift Updates (@LegitTayUpdates) April 2, 2019

💬| The least I could do, honestly. And I'd do it again in a heartbeat 🇵🇸

— Taylor Swift Updates (@LegitTayUpdates) April 2, 2019

The series of tweets quickly went viral as other Twitter users posted screenshots of the absurd story. 

this might officially be the new best 3 tweet story ever pic.twitter.com/Gls3NP7Rx1

— slim shady 'larry' (@penis_hernandez) April 2, 2019

this is the stan twitter I so dearly love pic.twitter.com/BOLA2YgQMm

— hattie (@hattiesoykan) April 2, 2019

Most Israeli citizens over the age of 18 are required by law to serve in the Israel Defense Forces. Men are required to serve three years and women must serve for 21 months. Those who refuse to enlist, sometimes out of opposition to Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories, are punished with prison sentences. According to Huck Magazine, "refuseniks" who dodged the draft have been imprisoned for various sentences, including 98 to 110 days. Those who claim to be conscientious objectors must defend their principles in front of a panel of military officers. 

There are exemptions for mandatory service, such as marriage, pregnancy, or Orthodox religious reasons, but Na'ama says she didn't get a moral waiver because she "wasn't a true pacifist." 

"I told them I'd punch a Nazi," she tweeted. 

It's worth noting that both her Taylor Swift stan account and her personal account (@iknowplacesmp6) are relatively anonymous; anyone could make this up. So she can either be tweeting the truth or doing an elaborate months-long bit.

Na'ama told her followers that she was going offline because of her prison sentence on Feb. 1, adding in another tweet that she didn't know how long she'd be in for. 

"Some people do 10 days, other well over a year," she said. "I'll have a pretty short notice of when I'm getting released."

💬| So I think most of you know (?) but I'm going to prison tomorrow for refusing to enlist to the military, which I know sounds kinda funny, but it also means I'll be gone for a while (not sure how long). So uhhh no more me pissing you guys off for a while. What a relief, huh?

— Taylor Swift Updates (@LegitTayUpdates) February 1, 2019

Despite the limited internet access, Na'ama still managed to stick to her stan roots. When a friend visited and updated her on Taylor Swift's baby bump rumors, she provided a handwritten tweet for them to post, 24 days after she announced her incarceration. 

"I'm still in prison lmao but I asked a visiting friend to post this," she wrote on a sheet of graph paper. "Can y'all ... stop making comments on Taylor's body ... she'll let us know when/if she's pregnant. Calm down." 

Notice the hand drawn speech bubble — Na'ama has a brand and she maintained it!

💬| pic.twitter.com/uRvUyZ3Vk8

— Taylor Swift Updates (@LegitTayUpdates) February 25, 2019

Unless she's going for the long con, spacing out tweets weeks apart like that takes immense planning. 

Her other account was more active, as her friend Noya passed on messages and posted diary entries on her behalf. Among details about meeting another girl and complaining about the lack of pop culture, Na'ama also wrote about, unsurprisingly, Taylor Swift.  

sorry for the quality (i took this on na'ama's phone) but she wrote down some thoughts over the last 9 days that she wanted to share lol pic.twitter.com/GOzw9zIxaw

— Na'ama, A FREE WOMAN (@iknowplacesmp6) February 11, 2019

na'ama's thoughts from prison, 4th & final edition: pic.twitter.com/yGjFfERR4J

— Na'ama, A FREE WOMAN (@iknowplacesmp6) March 25, 2019

She also tweeted from this account as soon as she was released. 

WAKE UP SWIFTIES I GOT OUT OF PRISON AND MISSED YOU

— Na'ama, A FREE WOMAN (@iknowplacesmp6) April 2, 2019

I'm out of prison you can release new music now @taylorswift13

— Na'ama, A FREE WOMAN (@iknowplacesmp6) April 2, 2019

That, dear Swifties and confused internet dwellers, is why everyone on Twitter is talking about stan culture and Middle Eastern politics. 

WATCH: Elon Musk drops rap song “RIP Harambe”

[justanothercinemaniac]

Epic Movie (Re)Watch #113 - Groundhog Day

Spoilers Below

Have I seen it before: Yes

Did I like it then: Yes.

Do I remember it: Yes.

Did I see it in theaters: No.

Format: DVD

1) This film is a holiday classic associated with one of the less popular American holidays out there. Hell, this film probably made Feb. 2nd an even bigger deal than it was before.

2) The first thing we experience as an audience member of George Fenton’s quirky score over the opening credits. Fenton’s music I think is one of the more underrated aspects of the film as there is a lot of range to this particular score. There is the quirky comedy music, the kinda faster actiony stuff, but my favorite part is the romantic score featured in this film. You should give the soundtrack a listen if you have the opportunity, it’s pretty damn good.

3) Bill Murray as Phil Connors.

Director Harold Ramis, who frequently collaborated with Murray (mostly notably in the two Ghostbusters films) originally wanted Tom Hanks to play Phil but thought he was, “too nice,” and hired Murray instead. That’s great for us as the audience, because the role is one of Murray’s best. He is able to believably take us through this journey of character, playing the lovable but jerky Phil in the beginning with just as much believability as the guy who’s actually trying to do some good at the end. Murray’s improv is on full display with the film and that helps with the reality of his character.

Unfortunately, this would be the last film Murray and Ramis would collaborate on. An ongoing debate between whether the film should be more dramatic (Murray’s stance) or comedic (Ramis’ stance) was a contributing factor. As well as this, according to IMDb:

Bill Murray was undergoing a divorce at the time of filming and was obsessing about the film. He would ring Harold Ramis constantly, often in the early hours of the morning. Ramis eventually sent writer Danny Rubin to sit with Murray and iron out all his anxieties, one of the reasons why Murray stopped speaking to Ramis for several years.

I don’t know if they ironed out their issues before Ramis’ untimely death in 2014, but I hope so.

4) Chris Elliott as Larry.

This is probably Elliott’s most famous role, which is saying something considering he’s mostly the comedic camera man who’s tired of Phil’s bull. But Elliott’s performance makes it funny and memorable, delivering some of the best lines in the films (more on that later).

5) Andie Macdowell as Rita.

Rita is actually a character who is surprisingly well developed but in a lot of little ways, and I’ll elaborate more on that as I go. MacDowell is wonderful in the part, making Rita a positive upbeat person but believably so instead of just a “life force” character. She plays Rita (and it is written) with some flaws too which helps make her interesting, but again more on that later. Her biggest asset is probably that she can hold her own with Bill Murray in a scene. You can tell (or at least I can guess) in certain scenes that Murray is improvising and that MacDowell is sharp on her toes with a comeback. It makes their relationship a believable one. Especially considering there is a line later how Phil fell for Rita as soon as he saw her. You can sort of see that when you look for it. It’s small, but it’s there. A testament to both actors.

6) Although this film takes place in Punxsutawney, PA it was actually filmed in Woodstock, IL. I was there back in fall of 2015 and the town square where they filmed most of it is pretty much still the same. They even have a black on the corner where Bill Murray stepped into the really bad puddle. It was pretty cool. (Only this time however did I realize one of the signs style reads “Woodstock Jewelers”.)

7) Remember how I said Larry has some great lines/observations?

Phil [after Rita says she booked him a nice hotel]: “You know I think this is one of the traits of a really good producer: keep the talent happy.”

...

Larry [to Rita, after Phil has left]: “Did he just call himself the talent?”

8) “I Got You Babe”, the Sonny & Cher song that plays every morning when Phil wakes up, was the song that was in the very first draft of the script and carried through until the end. The song probably became more popular (or at least, popular for a longer time) BECAUSE of its use in this film.

9) Ned! Ryerson!

Like a lot of characters in this film, Ned Ryerson could have just been a throw away and forgettable little gag. This guy who supposedly knows Phil from high school and is an insurance agent now. But actor Stephen Tobolowsky totally MAKES this role. There’s nothing insincere about Ned. He doesn’t feel like a leech, he feels like an overly enthusiastic and genuine guy who’s absolutely hysterical. Tobolowsky plays Ned over the top in the tradition of Abbott & Costello and it works wonderfully!

Also Ned has the best lines.

Ned: “Am I right or am I right or am I right? Right? Right right right right!”

Ned: “Watch out for that first step there, it’s a DOOZEY!”

These lines on there own are not necessarily interesting but Tobolowsky just gives them such life it is a treat to watch.

10) This film has so many great lines.

Police Officer [when Phil is out in the street in a blizzard, trying to get to Pittsburg]: “Now you can go back to Punxsutawney, or you can freeze to death.”

[Phil takes a minute to stand in the snow. He looks back at Punxsutawney and then at the road ahead.]

Phil: “I’m thinking.”

11) There is never an explanation given as to why Phil is relieving Groundhog Day over and over again. I think in one draft of the script it was a spell cast by a jilted lover, but in the final film and for most drafts there’s no explanation. I think that’s the reason the film works so well. It’s not some Harry Potter fantasy. It’s just a comedy/drama with one fantasy element.

12) It’s fun rewatching this film again because you get to realize that characters who just have a throw away line earlier in the film end up being like Phil’s piano teacher or the drunks he meets a few Groundhog Days later.

13) I love that when Phil asks Rita for a good hard slap across the face she doesn’t hesitate and he’s not pissed about it. They’ve got each other. ;)

14) This line.

15) I like that Phil always goes to Rita for help with his Groundhog Day problem. She has no experience with this! There’s no reason for him to go to her with his problems other than he trusts her and respects her.

16) Hey look, it’s director Harold Ramis!

17)

Phil [to two drunks]: “What would you do if you were stuck in one place and nothing you did mattered?”

Drunk: “That about sums it up for me.”

18)

Phil [after one of the drunks decides not to drive and stumbles]: “You wanna throw up here or you wanna throw up in the car?”

Drunk: “I think...both.”

19)

Phil [while driving towards a train on train tracks]: “I’m betting he’s gonna swerve first.”

20) When Phil realizes his actions don’t have consequences the film gets fun real fast.

21) I find it a little pretentious that Rita’s reaction to this:

Is to quote a Sir Walter Scott poem at him which says he’s egotistical. Like, really? You’ve got this whole poem memorized JUST to call people egotistical? I mean I like it from a writing standpoint, it makes her kind of flawed, but also she comes off as pretentious. Not that she’s wrong, it’s just she’s very in your face with it.

22) The original plan for this film is that we as the audience would not see the start of the loop, instead just picking up on an “average” day and wondering how Phil knew the things he did. Harold Ramis promised he wouldn’t change this to the screenwriter but ended up changing it anyway (I think with the screenwriter’s blessing, but maybe not). I think this works better. It allows us to invest in Phil as a character more.

23) Phil’s attempts to seduce Rita - I think - start out with him trying to genuinely get to know her. He asks her about her life and only then goes down the route of, “Who’s your perfect guy?” I think he does have real feelings for her he just doesn’t know how to handle them in a healthy way so he uses this time loop to his advantage.

24) It’s interesting to see the repeated attempts of Phil trying to win over Rita, with each mistake done over until it’s not a mistake. You can tell that each time is a little less sincere, and the times when they connect the most are typically when he’s being honest with her and just letting things happen.

25) Another flaw of Rita’s:

Rita: “What should we drink to?”

Phil: “To the groundhog!”

Rita: “I always drink to world peace.”

THEN WHY THE HELL DID YOU ASK HIM WHAT YOU SHOULD DRINK TO!?!? I like it, it fleshes out her character, but it’s an annoying thing to find in a real person (and I know men and women who act like this).

26) I have so many questions.

Rita [on her ???? date with Phil]: “Do you ever have deja vu?”

Phil: “Did you just ask me that?”

This is the only time we EVER have another character show a hint of someone being aware of something is going on. WHY RITA!?!? WHY NOW!?!? WHAT IS HAPPENING!?!?!?

27) The best example of what I was talking about in note 24 is the snowball fight Phil & Rita have with the kids. Phil didn’t know that was going to happen, he didn’t know what Rita was going to say, that’s the first time he ever got that far. And he’s being honest with her! It’s such a nice scene between the two of them. And then when he tries to recreate it the next Groundhog Day it feels super awkward, incredibly forced, and wildly uncomfortable.

28) I think this is such an incredibly important concept.

Phil [after Rita says he’ll never love anything because he only loves himself]: “That’s not true! I don’t even LIKE myself!”

Keeping this in mind as Phil begins his downward spiral tells you A LOT about his character. And it’s that downward spiral that pushes this film from fun comedy to great movie.

29) And you thought this would be a light hearted comedy!

Phil: “I’ll give you a winter prediction. It’s gonna be cold. It’s gonna be gray. And it’s gonna last you the rest of your life.”

30) At one point Phil throws his radio on the ground and the speaker/song is still going.

According to IMDb: 

The scene where Phil picks up the alarm clock and slams it onto the floor didn't go as planned. Bill Murray slammed down the clock but it barely broke, so the crew bashed it with a hammer to give it the really smashed look. The clock actually continued playing the song like in the movie.

31) The entire scene with the car chase and the quarry, where Phil kidnaps the groundhog and attempts suicide (which is a more entertaining scene than it sounds), is very well done. It shows just how desperate Phil is to end this nightmare. And it also gave us some pretty great lines.

Larry [after Phil drives into the quarry and the car crashes]: “He might be okay. (Car explodes) Well no, probably not now.”

32) The montage of Phil’s attempts at suicide is good for two reason: it gets across where he is at this point in the film, and it’s short. If it were too long this scene would get too depressing too fast.

33) I love this fucking scene.

Phil has relieved the same day over and over again for what has probably been years and he’s so damn tired he just wants to talk to someone about it. So what does he do? He goes to Rita. He tries to convince Rita and succeeds wonderfully. This scene is a prime example of this film’s beating heart, of why it’s a great feel good movie. Phil knows everybody! He knows all their stories, their names, everything about them, because he’s been living the same day over and over again. It’s wonderful. Even without trying it all just sinks in. And guess what? He knows Rita the best.

Phil: “You like boats but not the ocean. You go to a lake in the summer with your family up in the mountains. There's a long wooden dock and a boathouse with boards missing from the roof, and a place you used to crawl underneath to be alone. You're a sucker for French poetry and rhinestones. You're very generous. You're kind to strangers and children, and when you stand in the snow you look like an angel.”

THIS is why I love this film! This emotion! This heart! And there is a beautiful piece of score on the soundtrack called, “You Like Boats But Not The Ocean,” which sums those feelings up perfectly in music and I love that too! Everything about this just makes me feel good! Also how strange and insightful a little detail about Rita like, “you like boats but not the ocean,” is! 

34) And so begins the good Phil tour. The amazing final act of the film where Rita has convinced Phil that he can maybe do some good with this “curse” of his and which carries the same wonderful emotion that was present in the diner scene where Phil convinces Rita he’s serious.

35) Bill Murray improvised this:

Phil [after Ned comes up to meet him and he hugs Ned]: “I don’t know where you’re going but can you call in sick?”

36) But even as Phil works to helps people’s life, he can’t save everyone.

This old homeless man is someone who Phil passes everyday and, when he starts acting kind, gives a ton of money to everyday. Towards the end of the film Phil meets the man and takes him to the hospital where he dies. So the next day Phil tries to save him. He takes him to a restaurant, gives him a big meal, and the man still dies. The man dies everyday. And that scene is heartbreaking and adds such weight to the film and I love how sad it makes me every single time.

I wish I were this kind, but honestly I’m scared to be. I’m scared to be taken advantage of but there are people out there who need help and hopefully I’ll be better about giving it in the future.

37) If you pay attention to the people in the background at the hospital you’ll see this kid:

Remember that kid. You only notice him when you’ve watched the film ten times (that’s not a hyperbole either), but remember him.

38) The final Groundhog Day is a wonderful thing to behold. It starts with us hearing the end of Phil’s report on the groundhog.

Phil: “When Chekhov saw the long winter, he saw a winter bleak and dark and bereft of hope. Yet we know that winter is just another step in the cycle of life. Put standing here amongst the people of Punxsutawney, and basking in the warmth of their hearts and hearths, I couldn’t imagine a better fate than a long and lustrous winter. From Punxsutawney, it’s Phil Connors. So long.”

And EVERYONE is paying attention to it, hell rival news networks are recording it! It’s THAT moving!

39) Do you remember the kid?

Continuity! (Boom)

40) The final party is a great scene too. It’s the culmination of probably Phil’s best Groundhog Day yet. He helped as many people as he could and even plays for their pleasure at the party. It is his least selfish and the only time in the film we ever see the party, even though it was happening every single night. And also Rita spends $300+ to win Phil in a bachelor auction when the highest bid before that was $60.

41) Kneel before Zod!

42) I love this.

Phil [after ice sculpting Rita]: “I know your face so well I could’ve done it with my eyes closed.”

43) And then tomorrow finally happens.

A great end to a great film.

Groundhog Day is just amazing. It has a heartwarming story, a feel good vibe, an intriguing concept, and a wonderful cast. It is just so good for so many different reasons and if you haven’t seen it yet you should. Right now.

[tomdwilliams32]

Poll: Voters ambivalent about Russia probe

Republican voters are skeptical of the investigation into Russia’s intervention in the 2016 election and any connection to President Donald Trump’s campaign, according to new POLITICO/Morning Consult polling.

But the House GOP memo Trump says “totally vindicates” him hasn’t been the game-changer for which the president and his allies may have been hoping.

In a survey conducted over this past weekend, three-in-10 voters say they think the contents of the memo, drafted by the staff of House intelligence committee chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) are “mostly true,” and 22 percent think the contents are mostly false. Nearly half, 48 percent, don’t know or have no opinion.

POLITICO and Morning Consult conducted two separate polls: our regular, weekly survey, and a second, separate survey to gauge opinions on the Republican memo. The initial survey was conducted Feb. 1-4; the supplemental poll was conducted Feb. 3-4.

The entire debate over the Russia investigation has become muddled, and voters are dividing along partisan lines. In the initial survey — with interviews conducted both before and after the memo’s release last Friday — 39 percent of voters say the investigation into Russia’s influence has been handled “very” or “somewhat” fairly. But 35 percent say it hasn’t been handled fairly — either “not too fairly” or “not fairly at all.”

More than a quarter of voters, 26 percent, have no opinion.

Ambivalence toward the investigation extends to the man running it: Despite a sterling military and law-enforcement career — staying out of the public eye during this investigation — nearly as many voters have an unfavorable opinion of special counsel Robert Mueller (30 percent) as view Mueller favorably (32 percent).

"Republican skepticism has grown around the Russia probe and special counsel Robert Mueller,” said Morning Consult Co-Founder and Chief Research Officer Kyle Dropp. “Only 22 percent of Republicans have a favorable opinion of Robert Mueller, and just 25 percent say the investigation has been handled fairly.”

Voters divide equally on whether the Trump campaign worked with Russia to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election: 40 percent say they think it did, 40 percent say they think it didn’t, and the remaining 20 percent are undecided.

But slightly more voters, 44 percent, say Trump “has tried to impede or obstruct the investigation into whether his campaign had ties to Russia.” Fewer voters, 38 percent, say they don’t think Trump has tried to obstruct the investigation.

The full, initial poll surveyed 1,985 registered voters, while the second poll surveyed 1,993 registered voters. Both polls carry margins of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.

Morning Consult is a nonpartisan media and technology company that provides data-driven research and insights on politics, policy and business strategy.

More details on the poll and its methodology can be found in these two documents — Toplines (regular poll): http://politi.co/2GWcNOu | Crosstabs (regular poll): http://politi.co/2BKjXGD | Toplines (post-memo poll): http://politi.co/2nK9y4M | Crosstabs (post-memo poll): http://politi.co/2E5YCZr

from Tom Williams Blog https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/07/poll-nunes-memo-mueller-russia-probe-395961

[tifanykbaret84]

Poll: Voters ambivalent about Russia probe

Republican voters are skeptical of the investigation into Russia’s intervention in the 2016 election and any connection to President Donald Trump’s campaign, according to new POLITICO/Morning Consult polling.

But the House GOP memo Trump says “totally vindicates” him hasn’t been the game-changer for which the president and his allies may have been hoping.

In a survey conducted over this past weekend, three-in-10 voters say they think the contents of the memo, drafted by the staff of House intelligence committee chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) are “mostly true,” and 22 percent think the contents are mostly false. Nearly half, 48 percent, don’t know or have no opinion.

POLITICO and Morning Consult conducted two separate polls: our regular, weekly survey, and a second, separate survey to gauge opinions on the Republican memo. The initial survey was conducted Feb. 1-4; the supplemental poll was conducted Feb. 3-4.

The entire debate over the Russia investigation has become muddled, and voters are dividing along partisan lines. In the initial survey — with interviews conducted both before and after the memo’s release last Friday — 39 percent of voters say the investigation into Russia’s influence has been handled “very” or “somewhat” fairly. But 35 percent say it hasn’t been handled fairly — either “not too fairly” or “not fairly at all.”

More than a quarter of voters, 26 percent, have no opinion.

Ambivalence toward the investigation extends to the man running it: Despite a sterling military and law-enforcement career — staying out of the public eye during this investigation — nearly as many voters have an unfavorable opinion of special counsel Robert Mueller (30 percent) as view Mueller favorably (32 percent).

"Republican skepticism has grown around the Russia probe and special counsel Robert Mueller,” said Morning Consult Co-Founder and Chief Research Officer Kyle Dropp. “Only 22 percent of Republicans have a favorable opinion of Robert Mueller, and just 25 percent say the investigation has been handled fairly.”

Voters divide equally on whether the Trump campaign worked with Russia to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election: 40 percent say they think it did, 40 percent say they think it didn’t, and the remaining 20 percent are undecided.

But slightly more voters, 44 percent, say Trump “has tried to impede or obstruct the investigation into whether his campaign had ties to Russia.” Fewer voters, 38 percent, say they don’t think Trump has tried to obstruct the investigation.

The full, initial poll surveyed 1,985 registered voters, while the second poll surveyed 1,993 registered voters. Both polls carry margins of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.

Morning Consult is a nonpartisan media and technology company that provides data-driven research and insights on politics, policy and business strategy.

More details on the poll and its methodology can be found in these two documents — Toplines (regular poll): http://politi.co/2GWcNOu | Crosstabs (regular poll): http://politi.co/2BKjXGD | Toplines (post-memo poll): http://politi.co/2nK9y4M | Crosstabs (post-memo poll): http://politi.co/2E5YCZr

from Tiffany Favorites https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/07/poll-nunes-memo-mueller-russia-probe-395961

[footballghana]

Eric Frimpong: Soccer star to jail time

It’s March 3, 2008, a brilliant day in Santa Barbara. But for Eric Frimpong, it feels like hell. He’s in Superior Court, encircled by sheriff’s deputies, making one more trip to the Department 2 courtroom. This is his last stop on the outside for a while, a painful reminder of how far he has fallen. He left his native Ghana in 2005 to play soccer for UC Santa Barbara; a year later he became a campus hero while leading the Gauchos to their first-ever national championship. If the immigrant experience can have a sound, Frimpong’s sound was a raucous stadium. But in 2007, just weeks after being selected by the Kansas City Wizards in the MLS draft, he was accused of raping another student on the beach near his house. Now he’s a convicted felon.

Frimpong enters the courtroom, which is packed with students and parents, former teammates and coaches — row upon row of supporters. They’ve come for the sentencing that concludes a trial that has rocked this community: People v. Eric Frimpong. Or more accurately, People v. Eric Frimpong and His People.

A victim’s advocate reads a statement on behalf of the accuser, referred to in this story and in news coverage throughout the trial as Jane Doe. “I don’t care that he’s a soccer star…and I’m a nobody,” the statement says. “Eric Frimpong ruined my life.”

There’s a rumble in the gallery. If his supporters could chime in now, they’d say that the kid in the prison garb has never spoken an unkind word or acted aggressively toward anyone. They would remind the court of the points made at trial: that his accuser was a woman with little memory of what happened that night because of a near-toxic blood alcohol level; that Frimpong’s DNA wasn’t found on the victim; that semen found on her underwear belonged to a jealous boyfriend, a white student who was never a suspect. They would argue that overzealous law enforcement was determined to nail a high-profile athlete, facts be damned, and that this was the Duke lacrosse case all over again — except that the defendants in the Duke case were white men from affluent families with the means to navigate America’s justice system, unlike Frimpong, who is poor and an immigrant.

Judge Brian Hill, citing Frimpong’s clean record and “a lot of community support,” delivers his sentence: six years in state prison. As Frimpong is led away, many people in the gallery are crying. Out in the hall, Paul and Loni Monahan stand solemnly while the courtroom empties. Their son, Pat, was Frimpong’s teammate, and the Monahans — a white, middle-class family — had embraced “Frimmer” like a son and a brother. Loni distributes copies of a printed statement: “We will continue to fight for Eric. We will not rest until he is exonerated and the ugly truth of his wrongful prosecution and conviction comes out.” When the leaflets are gone, she leans against a wall, tears flowing. “Eric believed in our system,” she says. “He believed justice would prevail.” Then she straightens. “Before I was sad,” she says. “Now I’m mad.”

Something good happened in Santa Barbara. Even now, as Frimpong sits behind a glass partition in the visitors’ room of a California jail, he smiles easily while talking about where he’s come from and what he has achieved. The way he sees it, he has always been fortunate.

Back in Ghana, in western Africa, he and his three younger siblings were raised by their mother, Mary, in the poor farming community of Abesin, but her job as a typist with the government forestry department allowed the family to have plumbing and electricity, unlike many of their neighbours. Eric was an engineering major and a midfielder for Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, in Kumasi, when he caught the eye of UCSB assistant Leo Chappel, who attended a 2005 match to scout the son of a Ghanian pro but ended up offering a scholarship to Frimpong instead. The first words out of Frimpong’s mouth? Thank God. The next: What’s UCSB?

By that August, the Gauchos had a crafty midfielder with intangibles to burn. Frimpong’s intelligence, instinct and vision, along with his speed and touch, made him an on-the-ball force. He also had a winning personality. “Frimmer was very humble and considerate, on and off the field,” says head coach Tim Vom Steeg.

As a senior the next year, the 5’6″ Frimpong developed a reputation as a lockdown defender in leading the unseeded Big West champs to a string of improbable NCAA tournament wins. When the final whistle blew on the 2006 national championship game, the Cinderella Gauchos had defeated four-time king UCLA. Frimpong earned All-Big West honours, a spot in the MLS supplemental draft and the gratitude of his peers. “He was the heart and soul of the team,” says Pat Monahan. “Eric won us that championship.”

Everyone around Frimpong was buoyed by his success: his mother, friends and classmates, prominent locals who had helped him out along the way with invites to dinner, rides to the store and, when he struggled with homesickness during his junior year, a fund-raiser that yielded $3,000 for a ticket to Ghana. “We all tried to pitch in, because Eric’s so darn likeable,” says Tim Foley, a booster who made Frimpong a regular guest at his family’s home. “He was an American success story.”

The Monahans were especially proud. Frimpong had met his “American parents” on move-in day in 2005, and they promptly invited him to spend Thanksgiving in San Diego. They gave him his first cell phone and laptop and took him on family vacations. They sat in their kitchen for hours listening to his stories about Ghana. They were also impressed by his knowledge of the Bible, and his quiet spirituality helped bolster their own faith. “He was going to graduate, play professionally, make more money here than he ever could in Ghana and bring it back to support his family,” Loni says. “Eric really had it all.”

Something bad happened in Santa Barbara. On Feb. 17, 2007, sometime after midnight on a fast-eroding bluff of beach right below 6547 Del Playa Drive, Jane Doe was raped. She said Eric Frimpong did it, and an all-white jury agreed. But the nature of the case, and some of the more slippery details surrounding it, has divided the community, raising questions about the reliability of the victim’s memory, the true character of the accused, the motives and tactics of law enforcement, even the fairness of the justice system. Amid all the controversy, though, two simple truths remain: A young woman was victimized, and a young man’s dream was shattered.

UCSB is among the nation’s top party schools, and oceanfront Del Playa is the belly of the beast. Even a model student-athlete like Frimpong, who maintained a 3.0 GPA while working on a double major in applied mathematics and business economics, found it hard to skip the party entirely. After the Gauchos won it all, they were the toast of the town, especially Frimmer. As Pat Monahan puts it, “You’d walk into apartments and see Ghanian flags hanging over people’s beds.”

Frimpong’s journey from soccer hero to convicted felon began a little more than halfway through his senior year. (The account that follows is based on police reports, interview transcripts, court proceedings and comments from trial observers.) The night of Feb. 16 began for Frimpong in the same place where he started most Friday nights, on the couch in his house at 6547 Del Playa Drive, watching a movie with housemates. His girlfriend, Yesenia Prieto, was working late, but Eric had reason to celebrate, fresh off an impressive 10-day tryout for the Wizards, so he showered and went to meet friends at a party at 6681 Del Playa Drive. It was outside that home, at about 11:30 p.m., that Frimpong met Jane Doe, a UCSB freshman. They struck up a conversation, then walked back to his house to play beer pong. They arrived just before midnight, and Eric introduced Jane to his roommates before taking her to the patio, where the two of them played beer pong for a few minutes until, according to Frimpong, Doe said she wanted to smoke, so they headed for the park next door. At the park, he says, Doe approached another male, who appeared to have followed them. When she walked back to Frimpong, she started kissing him, but he wasn’t interested because she smelled of cigarettes. Doe became aggressive, he says, and stuck her hand down his pants. He pushed her away, then headed to the home of his friend, Krystal Giang, who’d been expecting him. By 4 a.m., he was in bed at Prieto’s apartment.

About an hour and a half earlier, Jane Doe, accompanied by her sister and two friends, checked into Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital emergency clinic, claiming she had been raped. She was transferred to the Sexual Assault Response center downtown, where a nurse discovered a laceration to Doe’s external genitalia and bruises on her body, findings consistent with sexual assault.

“Yesterday was a really good day,” Doe told sheriff’s detectives Daniel Kies and Michael Scherbarth when they arrived at her dorm room the next morning, according to a police transcript. The reason for cheer: The 18-year-old Doe had just regained her driver’s license following a juvenile DUI conviction. At around 9 p.m. on Feb. 16, she went to a party with her sister, Elizabeth, and friends Mia Wolfson and Lakshmi Krishna. After stopping at a second party, Doe left the group and headed for a fraternity bash on Del Playa. “That’s where I saw the guy,” she told police.

From there, Doe’s story is mostly consistent with Frimpong’s, up to and including their game of beer pong. “He was really nice,” she said. But their accounts differ sharply after that. According to Doe, the next thing she remembers is being on the beach, where the nice guy turned violent, knocking her to the ground, striking her in the face, holding her throat and raping her before fleeing. Having lost her purse, Doe walked to Del Playa, where she stopped a passerby, student Justin Hannah. Using his cell, she phoned a friend, her father and then Wolfson and Krishna, who picked her up around 1:30 a.m. Doe, who admitted to drinking heavily throughout the evening, couldn’t remember anything between stepping into their car and going to the hospital — a period of one hour — but her friends would fill in the blanks: At first Doe didn’t want to go to the hospital because she was worried about getting in trouble for drinking. But back at the dorm, her friends kept urging, and she relented. Sitting with the detectives that morning, she described her attacker as a black male who spoke with an “island accent” and had “big lips” and short hair. His name? “Eric, I think.”

Sometime around noon on Feb. 17, Kies and Scherbarth spotted Frimpong hanging out with friends at the park on Del Playa. When Kies asked if he would accompany them to the station to talk about “what happened last night,” Frimpong agreed to go, despite being unsure what the detective meant. Once at the station, Kies reminded Frimpong that he had come voluntarily and asked him to describe what he’d been doing the previous night. According to the police transcript, Frimpong told Kies about watching a movie at home, then going to a party and eventually meeting Doe, whom he described as one of the “random soccer fans,” and playing beer pong with her before heading to Giang’s house and later to Prieto’s. Kies then asked for Frimpong’s consent to collect the clothes he’d worn the night before. “Yeah,” Frimpong responded, “but I still don’t know what’s going on.” Kies explained that the girl said that they’d “had sex” on the beach.

“Wow,” Frimpong responded.

Kies then informed Frimpong that he was being detained and read him his rights. Minutes later, he explained the rape accusation. “I didn’t have sex with her,” Frimpong insisted. Charged with felony rape, he phoned Paul Monahan, who spread the word. Vom Steeg couldn’t believe it: “I’m thinking, Frimpong? Rape? No way.” (The coach later asked Frimpong directly. “I said, ‘Eric, is there any chance you had sex but you thought maybe it was consensual?’ He said, ‘Tim, I never pulled my pants down.’ I said, ‘If you did this, DNA will prove it.’ He said, ‘Coach, I’m not stupid.’ “)

By the next day, Frimpong supporters had mobilized. Vom Steeg arranged for Paul Monahan to meet with Foley, and it was agreed that Monahan would fund a defense while the $100,000 bail would be paid by Foley and Cam Camarena, a former UCSB soccer player who helps finance Right to Dream, a program that brings Ghanian players to America. Based on a referral, they hired attor­ney Robert Sanger, and funds were bolstered by the campus-based Eric Frimpong Freedom Fund, which raised $25,000 within months. When Frimpong was released on bond, teammates were waiting outside the police station. “Nobody knows Eric like we do,” says former teammate Alfonso Motagalvan. “And he’s just not capable of doing something like this.”

When the test results came back in March, Frimpong’s DNA hadn’t been found on Jane Doe’s clothing or body, but Doe’s DNA had been found on Frimpong: in two nucleated epithelial cells, found on his scrotum and penis, and in an unspecified trace under his fingernail. (Epithelial cells are found inside the body and in body fluids like mucus, saliva and sweat. These tested negative as vaginal cells, but such tests can be inconclusive. When the case went to trial that November, the defense argued that the findings were consistent with Frimpong’s claim that Doe had grabbed his genitals.) Also, semen found on Doe’s underwear didn’t match Frimpong’s — but it was a match for that of Benjamin Randall, Doe’s sexual partner throughout her freshman year. Randall told authorities that he and Doe had engaged in intercourse seven days before the rape; Doe said they’d had sex four days prior but that she thought she was wearing different underwear, and she told a nurse that they’d used a condom. (During the trial, Doe and Randall confirmed they’d been together at parties the night she met Frimpong. Randall testified that, while en route to a friend’s house, he spotted Doe and Frimpong walking on Del Playa at about 11:40 p.m. Randall then called Doe, and she told him she was headed to “Eric’s house to play beer pong.” Under cross-examination by Sanger, Randall admitted, “I might’ve been a little upset. I guess you can call that jealousy.” He also testified that after the call, he returned to his dorm at Santa Barbara City College, where he spent the night alone.)

Despite having DNA evidence matched to him, Randall was never a suspect. Neither was the man who retrieved Doe’s purse, which she said she’d lost either on the beach or at Frimpong’s home. It was delivered to the sheriff’s department the next day, minus $30, by someone described in the police report as a “can recycler.” But because of a “language barrier,” he wasn’t questioned.

Frimpong was the only suspect, even though there was no apparent sign of sexual activity — no blood, semen, vaginal secretions — or any scratches or other telltale marks of rape on his body or clothes. The absence of abrasions was odd. Doe told authorities she was wearing a “thicker ring” on her right ring finger and that she hit her attacker so hard, “all my knuckles were screwed up.” There was also very little sand found on his clothes. (At the trial, Dianne Burns, a criminologist who examined the physical evidence, testified to the presence of two small vials’ worth of sand in the cuffs of Frimpong’s jeans and in one pocket.)

Still, the district attorney’s office pressed on, in a case reminiscent of one that was unraveling on the East Coast. “There was always a strong parallel to the Duke case,” Vom Steeg says. “From the start, the sheriff’s department felt like they had their guy. But when the evidence didn’t turn out the way it was supposed to, their position became, ‘If she’s willing to testify, we’ll go forward.’ ”

Using phone records, authorities estimate that the attack took place between 12:15 and 1:15 a.m., a time period for which Frimpong did not have a solid alibi. James Jennings, a bicycle taxi driver, said he gave Frimpong a lift between 12:30 and 2 a.m. and that the player acted like “the happiest guy in the world.” Giang told authorities that Frimpong arrived at her home sometime between 11 p.m. and midnight. But a 1:34 a.m. phone call from Frimpong to Giang seemed to place his arrival later than she had estimated. Also thorny was the testimony of Hannah, the student who had lent Doe his phone. He said that while Doe “looked like she had just come out of a traumatic experience,” her clothing didn’t appear to be dirty or sandy. He also said that she told him that she “didn’t know what had happened.”

Throughout the investigation and during the trial, Doe admitted to gaps in her memory. In her interview with detectives, she claimed she had consumed “a couple shots of vodka” before leaving her dorm. In an interview that April with assistant district attorney Mary Barron, the lead prosecutor, Doe said she’d consumed more throughout the evening. “I know I had beer,” she said. “And I know I had rum.” She also acknowledged that her memory after beer pong was hazy. “That’s when it starts to, like, cut out,” she told Barron. According to the transcript, Doe had little memory of going to the beach, and her recollection of the rape itself was scattered. Asked whether she recalled going outside to smoke, Doe said she “probably” smoked but didn’t remember when. “I don’t even know, since there’s that chunk missing.”

So what happened on the beach? Doe said Frimpong may have tried to kiss her, but when pressed by Barron she admitted, “I have no clue. I’m just assuming…” She also said, ��I remember him biting me on my face,” even though she had told the emergency room doctor she thought she’d been hit, and when questioned by detectives, she said she didn’t know about being bitten — despite Kies’ saying, “That’s definitely, most definitely, teeth marks, dude,” about the bruise on her cheek. When Barron questioned her about it, Doe said, “But later, when they’re, like, ‘It looks like teeth marks’ …I remember that happening.”

Doe continued, “I saw him, like, feel around — take off his belt — or something on his pants — I don’t know.” She said she remembered being penetrated, and “it felt like a penis.” Barron asked if the attacker was the same person she’d played beer pong with. Doe said that while she couldn’t recall going to the beach, she remembered the attacker’s accent, his eyes (“They were white”) and his lips (“They’re big”). She was also fairly confident that the rape lasted “15 minutes at the most… but then, since there’s that huge chunk of time that I don’t remember, it could be anything.”

Many of Frimpong’s supporters believe that race is at the heart of the case. Santa Barbara County has nearly 425,000 residents, but only 2% are black. “I love this town,” says Foley, a resident for 30 years, “but there’s no question there’s racism here.”

Thanks to Frimpong’s celebrity status, he wasn’t flying under the radar. “I’m 100% convinced that they were going to nail this guy before he walked into the station,” Foley says. (At the trial, Burns testified that in a Feb. 22 phone call from Kies, the detective asked her to expedite her usual process, reminding her that this was a “high-profile case.”)

Back on campus, media coverage led to an unwelcome surprise for the defense: After reading about Frimpong’s arrest, another student came forward claiming that she too had been assaulted by him. This new Jane Doe told police that a few weeks before the rape, he had acted aggressively toward her, grabbing her buttocks and tackling her on the beach. The DA used the accusation to charge Frimpong with misdemeanor sexual assault, which made for a second count at trial. (He was found not guilty.) “The DA’s office filed a weak claim of sex­ual assault to portray Eric as a serial sexual predator and bolster the flawed rape claim,” wrote Kim Seefeld, a local defense attorney and former prosecutor, in a blog post on Jan. 15, 2008. “The allegations severely prejudiced him before the jury.”

The second charge also sent Frimpong back to jail, where friends say he was taunted by deputies. When Paul Monahan picked him up later that day, after Foley and Camarena paid the additional $250,000 bail, Frimpong broke down in tears.

There was no trip to the White House with the rest of his teammates. After the second arrest, Frimpong went into seclusion, moving to an apartment with Pat Monahan and relying on friends to run errands and deliver food. He still ventured out for dates with Prieto, and he remained active on the field, playing in an intramural league and with the semipro Ventura Fusion. He also took a part-time job with Foley. “I tried to give him pocket money, but he wouldn’t take it,” Foley says. “He was a different kid, just as sad as can be.”

Meanwhile, a battle raged among the student body. On one side were Frimpong’s loyal backers, who attested to his character in TV interviews and who carpooled in large numbers to his hearings. On the other side were victims’ rights advocates, who responded with rape awareness presentations on campus and a confrontation with Frimpong supporters at an MLK Day rally. “It was ugly, with a lot of people saying a lot of dumb things,” Giang says. “People just forgot that at the heart of this are the facts, not just vague concepts.”

None of it kept Frimpong from graduating in June 2007. “Nine out of 10 kids would have dropped out,” Vom Steeg says. “It says a lot about his character.” Adds Camarena, now the head coach for the University of Hawaii at Hilo: “Eric never blamed corruption, never called anyone a racist, never called the girl a liar. He continued to uphold American values. And he maintained faith that our justice system would see him through.”

Frimpong put that faith in an all-white jury of nine women and three men. His trial began on Nov. 26, and for three weeks Department 2 was home base for Team Frimpong. Many supporters came with notebooks, and during recess they would go to the café across the street to discuss the latest unfavorable ruling. They point to the time, for example, when Barron may have implied to the jury that Frimpong had chosen not to testify, even though the prosecution is not allowed to refer to the defendant’s right to remain silent. While Judge Hill said that there were “possible inferences,” he denied Sanger’s motion for a mistrial. Also, during jury deliberations, Hill refused to dismiss juror No. 5 after her arrest for drunken driving. (The defense argued that the juror, whose case was in the hands of the DA, couldn’t remain impartial.)

Perhaps the most troubling ruling, as far as the defense was concerned, involved bite mark analysis. The prosecution’s forensic expert, Norman Sperber, testified that he couldn’t rule out Frimpong for causing the bite on Jane Doe’s face. But detectives failed to disclose that they had first approached another expert: Raymond Johansen would later testify, outside the jury’s presence, that after preliminary analysis, he told Kies that the bite mark was “vague.” Law enforcement is required to turn over evidence that doesn’t point to the defendant as the suspect; suppressing such evidence is grounds for a mistrial. But Kies failed to file a report of his conversation with Johansen. When questioned by Sanger, the detective stated that while he had indeed approached Johansen first, the dentist had failed to provide any opinion. Kies and senior DA Ronald Zonen both told the court that they had passed over Johansen because he wanted to charge for his services, and Sperber wasn’t charging. But Sperber testified that he always charges for his services, and he did so for this case, too. Judge Hill, who had served 19 years as a Santa Barbara DA prior to sitting on the bench, ruled that Johansen’s testimony was not exculpatory and denied that motion as well.

Nonetheless, Frimpong’s supporters save much of their scorn for Sanger. The prosecution rested its case on Dec. 12, having called 32 witnesses; Sanger questioned them all on the stand but called only one additional witness, a blood expert who testified that Doe’s blood-alcohol level at the time the sample was taken, 5:37 a.m., was .20 and that it could have been as high as .29 at the time of the incident — an almost lethal level. Sanger rested his case the next day. “The final score was 32-1,” Vom Steeg says. “I feel guilty like we didn’t do enough.” Loni Monahan spoke to Sanger throughout the trial about his strategy. “He told me, ‘The best defense was no defense, because it would demonstrate there’s nothing to defend,'” she says. “We made a mistake.”

The jury began deliberating on Friday, Dec. 14; the next Monday, just after 3:30 p.m., came the guilty verdict.

On Jan. 31, 2008, with Frimpong in jail awaiting sentencing, the defense filed a motion for a new trial, citing several factors, including a development with the jury: In a written declaration to the court, juror Ann Diebold stated, “I regret the decision I made in finding Mr Frimpong guilty.” Among her many points was the court’s refusal to provide the jury with evidence they had requested for review, including Doe’s testimony and Frimpong’s interview with Kies — the latter because some jurors stated that they wanted “the opportunity to hear Mr Frimpong’s side of the story.” (They were read-only Doe’s direct testimony, without cross-examination, because Judge Hill said “it would take some time to gather the additional information,” Diebold wrote.) Diebold also claimed that the jurors rushed through deliberations so they could conclude the case by the Christmas holiday. “I felt pressure from the judge and other jurors to reach a verdict by Dec. 18,” she wrote.

Sanger’s motion was a last-second heave, but it allowed him to put his own forensic dentist on the stand. Defense expert Charles Bowers fell ill during the trial and was unable to testify, but at the hearing on Feb. 28, he delivered his opinion: Frimpong’s teeth could not have made the bite, but Randall’s teeth could have. As Bowers spoke, there was a buzz in the gallery. But Judge Hill was unmoved. He began the hearing by saying that in his 27-year career, “I’ve not seen a rape case with so much incriminating, credible and powerful evidence,” and ended it by dismissing the motion. Three days later, he sentenced Frimpong to six years.

Today Eric Frimpong is prisoner F95488, a ward of the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi, about 75 miles northeast of Santa Barbara. Friends and supporters continue to fight for him, but none worries more than his mother. “She’s sick to death,” says Loni Monahan, who provides Mary with weekly updates. “We understand one of every 10 words, but we’re moms, so it’s enough.” Loni’s own son marvels at Eric’s almost preternatural calm in the face of adversity. “The kid’s in jail, and with all his issues, he’s the one keeping us sane,” Pat says.

Frimpong is small in size, but he seems to have avoided many of the pitfalls of life behind bars. He even calls many of his fellow inmates his friends. One of them is 45-year-old Terry Carter, who served time with Frimpong at Santa Barbara County Jail. “Eric was a godsend, just an amazingly positive influence,” he says. “It’s funny, but to guys twice his size, the kid’s a leader.”

Every day, Frimpong led group exercises in the yard, but his primary pastime was Bible study. Before his arrival it was Hispanics-only, so Eric started his own, and some of them joined his.

“It’s a terrible thing that happened to me,” Frimpong says. “Being in here, I keep asking myself why God put me in that situation. And then it struck me: Maybe I can reach more people, help more people if they hear my story.”

His supporters say it’s working. “All you have to do is look at Frimmer’s camp — he hasn’t lost anyone,” Vom Steeg says. “In fact, since the trial, he’s actually gaining supporters.” In Ghana, Frimpong’s plight is well-documented by the media. In Santa Barbara, people continue to proclaim his innocence, even when it’s not easy to do so. After writing several opinion pieces in the local papers, Kim Seefeld was inexplicably subpoenaed to appear at the hearings on the motion for a new trial. (She was never called to testify.) “I got harassed by the DA, subpoenaed and threatened, all because I stuck my neck out for someone I believe is innocent,” says Seefeld, who plans to continue her writing. “That’s what happens to a citizen who dares to question our justice system in Santa Barbara.”

And then there are the letters from all over the world, many containing donations. “These are people who don’t even know Eric, have never spoken directly to him,” Loni Monahan says with awe. “Eric was born to be a pro soccer player, but he’s realized he has more impact in the direction he’s going. There’s a groundswell going on.”

The key addition to Team Frimpong is Ronald Turner, a Sacramento-based, court-appointed appellate attorney who has filed the opening brief in an appeal with the Second Appellate ­District of California. The process gives Frimpong hope. So too does his dream of eventually attending seminary and becoming a priest. Not that he has given up on turning pro. “He’s very determined,” says Andy Iro, Frimpong’s friend and former teammate, now with the MLS’ Columbus Crew. “His reputation has been tarnished, but if anyone can come out of this a better person, it’s Eric.”

Many nights, Frimpong says, he dreams the same dream: He is running, but not from anyone or anything. His bare feet punch the shoreline, toes clawing the sand, while the sun sets on the Pacific Ocean. “My body can be in prison,” he says. “But my mind and soul are in Santa Barbara.”

Something bad happened there. Two young lives were suddenly, sadly interrupted. But in the end, something good may still come of it.

Source: espn.com

source: https://footballghana.com/

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All-Star Takeaways – The New York Times

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On a frigid Friday night in Chicago, before the annual Rising Stars Game, Pau Gasol joined the W.N.B.A. star Sue Bird at midcourt to pay homage to Kobe Bryant and the former N.B.A. Commissioner David Stern.

Gasol, one of Bryant’s favorite former teammates with the Los Angeles Lakers, told the story of how “my older brother Kobe used to say, ‘Do epic things always.’”

“So let’s have an epic weekend,” Gasol urged the United Center crowd.

Epic, in truth, was probably not a realistic target so soon after the deaths of Bryant and Stern, both last month. The leaguewide sense of loss is too great.

Yet the 2020 All-Star break did manage to produce memorable moments amid all the grieving. Challenging as it is to truly detach from such circumstances, here are my five biggest takeaways from what we saw (and didn’t see):

The Anthony Davis free throw that clinched the All-Star Game was not the biggest problem with the “Elam” scoring system.

The overwhelming reaction to Sunday’s fourth quarter was positive. Playing to a “target score,” with no clock — and with hundreds of youngsters, set to directly benefit from the outcome through charity, screaming from lower-bowl seats for their heroes — was a more successful formula than the league office ever could have dreamed.

So count me out if you’re looking for a sympathetic ear to join you in getting hung up on the fact that the game ended on a Kyle Lowry foul and Davis’s conversion at the line. This is professional basketball, not pickup at the playground. Fouls and free throws are part of the game.

So I’m holding firm on this one: Sunday’s fare was too unexpectedly uplifting to nitpick.

The real issue here, sadly, is that what so many of us loved about that fourth quarter is bound to backfire someday if the league sticks with this new format.

Just imagine if one of those All-Stars got hurt. The conversation would have changed so quickly if Lowry or Oklahoma City’s Chris Paul or anyone else who was throwing their body around Sunday night had sustained an injury of any note.

Instinct tells me that the Dallas Mavericks, deep down, didn’t mind one bit that Luka Doncic, fresh off a sprained ankle, got bumped out of the most intense quarter in All-Star Game history by Paul on the basis of seniority.

The biggest names in the game, playing as hard as they did, is what basketball romantics like myself have always hoped the All-Star Game could be. But “Elam” scoring will become the scourge of the league as soon as such intense play leads to an injury. Sad but true.

Improbable as this sounds, we’re not talking enough about Zion Williamson.

So much happened in Chicago that the rim Williamson bent in Friday night’s Rising Stars Game featuring first- and second-year players was easily forgotten.

Guard depth in the Western Conference is such that Memphis’s Ja Morant will have to be even better than he has been in a brilliant rookie season to become an All-Star in Year 2, like Doncic and Atlanta’s Trae Young. But I think we can safely say that Williamson, if healthy, is a lock to make it to the big game in Indianapolis next February.

Although his New Orleans Pelicans may run out of time to make up the 5 ½ games by which they trail Morant’s Grizzlies for the final playoff spot in the West, Williamson has been an absolute force in his first 10 regular-season games. In 27.4 minutes per game, Williamson is averaging 22.1 points (on 57.6 percent shooting) and 7.5 rebounds.

Get ready to enjoy him on the All-Star stage for years — health permitting (we repeat).

I can’t wait for March 25.

The Milwaukee Bucks play host to the Houston Rockets that night. It will be their teams’ first meeting since Milwaukee won at Houston on Oct. 24 in the season opener for both.

It will also be the first time Giannis Antetokounmpo squares off against James Harden after a couple of recent shots from Antetokounmpo about The Beard.

Remember how on Feb. 9, we wrote about how Antetokounmpo does anything he wants these days? This apparently now includes a little trash talk, something he had never really engaged in before.

Harden was a vocal critic of the news media’s voting of Antetokounmpo as last season’s regular-season most valuable player — over Harden and his league-leading 36.1 points per game.

Antetokounmpo said nothing at the time, but he has flicked a couple of jabs at Harden in the past few weeks that have been impossible to ignore.

During the All-Star player draft on Feb. 6, Antetokounmpo essentially said he didn’t select Harden for Team Giannis because he dribbles too much. Then on Sunday night, after the All-Star Game, Antetokounmpo announced that his team’s fourth-quarter strategy was essentially getting the ball to whomever Harden was guarding.

Given the prospects of a Bucks-Rockets matchup in the N.B.A. finals, March 25 is thus likely the last time this season that we’re bound to see Antetokounmpo and Harden share the same floor. I would advise you not miss it.

The Luka Doncic and Trae Young GIF from Friday’s Rising Stars Game, after Young dared Doncic to hoist a half-court shot that banked in, makes me laugh every time I see it.

To watch it, click here. To disagree with me, click elsewhere.

For the record: I also loved the modestly snowy Chicago weather for much of the weekend — once we got past a truly arctic Valentine’s Day on Friday — but don’t @ me about that, either.

Michael Jordan’s steadfast insistence on avoiding the spotlight, even for a few minutes, will never make sense to me.

The team Michael Jordan owns played host to the 2019 All-Star Game in Charlotte, N.C. The team Jordan led to six championships in the 1990s just played host to the 2020 All-Star Game in Chicago.

Jordan made the briefest of public appearances last year, when he was essentially considered the All-Star grand marshal, and then stayed completely out of public view this year.

Jordan defenders always tell me, when I bring this stuff up, that I cannot possibly understand how hard it is for His Airness to put himself out there. He’s a very private person, they always say, and makes it his mission to avoid the spotlight.

But Jordan had such direct ties to these last two All-Star Games. This has nothing to do with an ink-stained wretch from the news media like me wanting to interview him; this is about Hornets fans a year ago and Bulls fans worldwide this year who were desperate to see him.

The natural instinct Sunday night, when you saw Scottie Pippen being introduced to a roaring United Center audience, was obviously to ask: Where’s Michael?

One Jordan defender asked me why I haven’t made an issue of the fact that we never saw the Bulls’ team owner Jerry Reinsdorf over the past few days. Fair point. But who is really clamoring to see Reinsdorf except Bulls fans frustrated with the direction of their team?

Mortals like me will never be able to understand what it’s like for Jordan to put himself out there, true, but Barack Obama was an omnipresent figure throughout All-Star festivities. If arrangements can be made to allow the former president of the United States to comfortably serve as such an integral part of the weekend, surely there’s a way for Jordan to let himself be seen for the briefest of glimpses.

The only sure way to see Jordan at the first All-Star Game in Chicago since 1988 was to score an invitation to his exclusive annual party Friday night. Monday is when it really hit me how far behind the scenes he stayed all weekend, because the day after Sunday’s All-Star Game was Jordan’s 57th birthday.

Just as the whole party was leaving town, social media was awash with Jordan tributes and factoids. It’s hard not to be disappointed that Monday’s discourse was as close as the masses got to him.

The Scoop @TheSteinLine

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Corner Three

You ask; I answer. Every week in this space, I’ll field three questions posed via email at marcstein-newsletter@nytimes.com. (Please include your first and last name, as well as the city you’re writing from, and make sure “Corner Three” is in the subject line.)

Q: Are you surprised by the Lakers’ success? Is it purely because of LeBron James’s influence, or are they now a legitimately well-structured team? My hesitation with backing the Lakers is the potential for injuries to bring the whole program down. — David Redfern (Melbourne, Australia)

Stein: I certainly can’t say I expected the Lakers to hold the Western Conference’s best record (41-12) at the All-Star break and establish a 63-win pace. And, yes, much of the credit for that has to go to LeBron James.

If James did not pick the Lakers in free agency in the summer of 2018, Anthony Davis likely would not have followed via trade the following off-season. Those two are so good together that they can make a lot of people look smart.

The roster still has holes — playmaking beyond James, shooting, wing depth — but Lakers management can certainly celebrate its decision to hire Frank Vogel as coach. Although the search was as messy as possible in the moment, Rob Pelinka’s decision to go with Vogel after talks with Tyronn Lue collapsed — with a strong nudge from the team adviser Kurt Rambis — has been a hit.

Worry all you want about the health of James and Davis, but I try not to spend too much time fretting about injuries that haven’t happened yet. What good does that do?

The Lakers are obviously relying heavily on their two studs, but it’s the way it has to be this season. The Clippers have many of the same worries, too, so it’s not exclusively a Lakers problem.

The Lakers appear to have much stronger team chemistry than outsiders imagined, too, which is also largely attributed to James’s influence. Factor in how James has missed only two of Los Angeles’s 53 games, and it must be said that his 17th N.B.A. season is shaping up to be one of his best.

Q: Who was it named for before? — @joesanders33 from Twitter

Stein: Joe is asking about the N.B.A.’s All-Star Most Valuable Player trophy, which has been named in Kobe Bryant’s honor in the wake of Bryant’s death.

Before the change, which the league made official Saturday, its All-Star M.V. P. trophy did not bear a former player’s name. The N.B.A. finals M.V.P. award was named after Bill Russell in 2009.

Q: How far did N.B.A. players run in each decade? As a 72-year-old lifelong fan of the game, I am frustrated hearing about “load management” and how much harder players worked “back in the day” without any data to back up these claims. Where is the data? — William Briggs (Nalcrest, Fla.)

Stein: It’s a great question, William.

The basic eye test tells you that there is more movement in the modern game than ever before, but you’re absolutely right. You can’t say so conclusively without the data. And the sad reality is that the data you seek isn’t available.

The tools teams have to track these things are a relatively new phenomenon, so the data doesn’t go too far back. The only consolation I can offer is that I do believe such data will be available someday.

It’s impossible to say how long it will take, but people much smarter than me who are well-versed in the rise of artificial intelligence would surely tell you that technology will eventually allow the curious to review old games and compute approximate averages.

I don’t think the computing power for processing video is quite there yet, but it will get there. All it would take then is curious souls like you who are willing to do the research. It will happen.

Numbers Game

8

Eight of the 24 All-Stars who played Sunday were classified as international players: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece), Luka Doncic (Slovenia), Joel Embiid (Cameroon), Rudy Gobert (France), Nikola Jokic (Serbia), Domantas Sabonis (Lithuania), Pascal Siakam (Cameroon) and Ben Simmons (Australia).

8

Eight teams are on pace to win fewer than 30 games this season entering Thursday’s resumption of play following the All-Star break. They are: Chicago, Charlotte, Detroit, Atlanta, Cleveland and the Knicks in the East, along with Minnesota and Golden State in the West. There were only five sub-30-win teams last season.

7

Only seven teams in the league have winning records against .500-or-better teams. In the East, they are Milwaukee (12-7), Boston (13-9) and Miami (13-11). In the West, they are the Lakers (15-10), Denver (15-9), the Clippers (14-11) and Houston (14-11).

0

Another indication of the San Antonio Spurs’ struggles this season after making 22 consecutive playoff appearances: San Antonio had zero participants in the league’s various All-Star events for the first time since 1996-97. That was the season Coach Gregg Popovich took over for Bob Hill and, after the Spurs posted a 20-62 record, they won the draft lottery and the right to select Tim Duncan.

12

Dallas’s Luka Doncic and the Lakers’ LeBron James are tied for the league lead with 12 triple-doubles this season. Denver’s Nikola Jokic is just behind with 11.

Hit me up anytime on Twitter (@TheSteinLine) or Facebook (@MarcSteinNBA) or Instagram (@marcsteinnba). Send any other feedback to marcstein-newsletter@nytimes.com

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