WWTBAM Bored

Arizona passed 1,000,000 Covid cases reported yesterday.

Not exactly on point, but this is the closest thing to it.

The New Orleans Saints announced that their season-opening home game against the Green Bay Packers will be played in Jacksonville September 12. Much of New Orleans is still without power, and the Saints are practicing in Cowboys Stadium.

The Saints faced this same problem after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. That year the Saints played their first "home" game at Giants Stadium against the Giants. They wore their dark home jerseys and the logos on the field said "Saints" but the crowd was definitely pro-Giants and the Giants won the game handily. The Saints played the rest of their home games in the Alamodome in San Antonio and LSU's Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge. With all the stadium-hopping, they finished the season 3-13.

I first read about this study in the Washington Post, but it and other stories in American mass media seemed to me to be written by people who didn't really understand the science. What I posted above, therefore, is not the actual study (although there are links to it if you're interested), but a Stanford Med analysis and review of the study.

My shortened version:

Surgical masks work at limiting the spread of SARS-CoV-2
Certain interventions were effective at increasing mask participation in this population
The study was randomized and controlled, which is a first in the study of mask effectiveness
The findings were statistically significant, which to a researcher is almost like saying "this is a fact."
The study is not peer-reviewed yet, but it has been submitted.
Cloth masks were not included in the analysis, so no conclusions were attempted about their effectiveness.
And, shockingly, "more studies are needed."

Another football game relocation. Tulane's scheduled home opener against Oklahoma this Saturday is moving to Norman, OK, due to the conditions in New Orleans. This may be a good break for Tulane. They weren't going to beat Oklahoma no matter where they play the game, and Tulane remains the home team and gets to keep all the gate receipts. This game will draw more people in Norman than it would have in New Orleans under perfect conditions.

silverscreenselect wrote: ↑

Thu Sep 02, 2021 9:47 am

Another football game relocation. Tulane's scheduled home opener against Oklahoma this Saturday is moving to Norman, OK, due to the conditions in New Orleans. This may be a good break for Tulane. They weren't going to beat Oklahoma no matter where they play the game, and Tulane remains the home team and gets to keep all the gate receipts. This game will draw more people in Norman than it would have in New Orleans under perfect conditions.

But now a higher percentage of the fans in the stands will be drunk.

BackInTex wrote: ↑

Thu Sep 02, 2021 10:25 am

silverscreenselect wrote: ↑

Thu Sep 02, 2021 9:47 am

Another football game relocation. Tulane's scheduled home opener against Oklahoma this Saturday is moving to Norman, OK, due to the conditions in New Orleans. This may be a good break for Tulane. They weren't going to beat Oklahoma no matter where they play the game, and Tulane remains the home team and gets to keep all the gate receipts. This game will draw more people in Norman than it would have in New Orleans under perfect conditions.

But now a higher percentage of the fans in the stands will be drunk.

You must not know New Orleans well.

Bob Juch wrote: ↑

Thu Sep 02, 2021 10:50 am

BackInTex wrote: ↑

Thu Sep 02, 2021 10:25 am

silverscreenselect wrote: ↑

Thu Sep 02, 2021 9:47 am

Another football game relocation. Tulane's scheduled home opener against Oklahoma this Saturday is moving to Norman, OK, due to the conditions in New Orleans. This may be a good break for Tulane. They weren't going to beat Oklahoma no matter where they play the game, and Tulane remains the home team and gets to keep all the gate receipts. This game will draw more people in Norman than it would have in New Orleans under perfect conditions.

But now a higher percentage of the fans in the stands will be drunk.

You must not know New Orleans well.

And you've never been to an OU game in Norman. I've been to New Orleans and an OU game in Norman.

BackInTex wrote: ↑

Thu Sep 02, 2021 10:58 am

Bob Juch wrote: ↑

Thu Sep 02, 2021 10:50 am

BackInTex wrote: ↑

Thu Sep 02, 2021 10:25 am

But now a higher percentage of the fans in the stands will be drunk.

You must not know New Orleans well.

And you've never been to an OU game in Norman. I've been to New Orleans and an OU game in Norman.

Y'all crack me up. Ranger Jeff et al own Norman...
Actually all gate receipts will go to Tulane. Only half stadium will be open. A bunch of friends had arranged to go to original game but not now. Had to rebuy tics even if season holders, yada
Norman home games aren't debauches like OU Tex, LSU...

Police on-scene at Vail elementary school after group threatens to zip-tie principal over COVID-19 protocols

Last updated today at 1:06 pm
September 2, 2021
12:48 pm
Anthony Victor Reyes

TUCSON (KVOA) - A conflict over the COVID-19 quarantine policy at a Vail Unified School District elementary school has been resolved shortly after protesters threatened to make a citizen's arrest on the principal Thursday morning.

According to VUSD officials, a student at Mesquite Elementary School was asked to quarantine after he reportedly was in close contact with an individual who tested positive for COVID-19.

VUSD said this decision was made per state policy, citing that when a school in Arizona experiences a positive case of COVID-19, it is required to report the case to its county health department - in Vail's case, Pima County Health Department. Then, the county decides which individuals need to quarantine in order to prevent a potential outbreak in the community.

However, after hearing the quarantine request, three individuals and the child involved drove over to the school in order to protest the decision. The three individuals were later identified as one of the child's parents, another community member and a local business owner, who live-streamed the confrontation over his business' Instagram account.

Over the Instagram live, the business owner reportedly shared his discontent over the situation and threatened to use zip ties to arrest the principal of Mesquite Elementary School. The zip ties could also be seen in the video.

According to school officials, when the group went into the principal's office, the school's principal, Diane Vargo listened to their concerns. After a conversation, Vargo asked them to leave the school grounds.

After the group refused her request, the principal left her office without incident.

The group left the scene before Tucson Police Department officers arrived at the school.

VUSD said Vargo was not harmed in connection to the incident. The district has not yet decided if they will press charges against the protesters.

Actor Miles Teller has reportedly tested positive for COVID on the set of the upcoming Paramount Plus miniseries, "The Offer," about the making of the movie, "The Godfather." Teller plays Albert Ruddy, the movie's producer and the central character in the miniseries. Production has now shut down. Teller was not vaccinated. Ironically, Teller got the role when he replaced Armie Hammer, who was let go following the allegations of sexual misconduct on his part.

Hall of Famer and former Big Red Machine great Johnny Bench announced Friday afternoon via Twitter that he's tested positive for COVID-19 and will not attend the upcoming National Baseball Hall of Fame induction in Cooperstown, New York.

Bench, 73, who was in Cincinnati last week for former broadcaster Marty Brennaman's Reds Hall of Fame induction and a Reds Hall of Fame Legends Game in which he managed one of the teams, added that he's been vaccinated and credited the vaccine for not requiring hospitalization.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/m ... 720389001/

silverscreenselect wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 03, 2021 2:23 pm

Actor Miles Teller has reportedly tested positive for COVID on the set of the upcoming Paramount Plus miniseries, "The Offer," about the making of the movie, "The Godfather." Teller plays Albert Ruddy, the movie's producer and the central character in the miniseries. Production has now shut down. Teller was not vaccinated. Ironically, Teller got the role when he replaced Armie Hammer, who was let go following the allegations of sexual misconduct on his part.

So apparently Covid made him an offer he couldn't refuse.

The Brazil-Argentina World Cup qualifying game in Sao Paulo was suspended today shortly after it began when health officials objected to three Argentine players participating who supposedly violated quarantine rules. The Argentine players in question played in the English Premier League and under local quarantine rules, were required to quarantine for 14 days after arrival in Brazil. No decision has been reached as to the ultimate outcome of the game.

That's not the only game that was postponed today. The Guinea-Morocco match in Guinea scheduled for tomorrow was postponed after a military coup in the country. The Moroccan team is locked down in their hotel, trying to get out of the country.

silverscreenselect wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 28, 2020 11:16 pm

All three quarterbacks on the Denver Broncos roster have been ruled high risk for COVID and will not be dressed for tomorrow's game against New Orleans. The game will not be forfeited. Instead, running back Royce Freeman will be the emergency QB. The Broncos also have a receiver on the practice squad, Kendall Hilton, who played QB in college and will probably be activated for the game as well.

More came out about why Denver had to play with no QBs in a game last season:

John Elway, Denver’s president of football operations, made several frustrated pleas to Goodell to postpone the Sunday game until Tuesday, when the quarterbacks would be available. The league denied those requests because surveillance video from Denver’s facility showed the quarterbacks had tried to fool the system. They had removed their contact-tracing devices and put them in the four corners of the meeting room, then they sat together to watch film. That close contact automatically made them ineligible to play.

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/20 ... er-goodell

The new Spider-Man movie took in over $120 million at the domestic box office Friday, which is by far the biggest opening of any film since the pandemic. That's not surprising. What is somewhat surprising is that it's the biggest December opening ever of any movie, and second-biggest overall ever. Analysts had expected the movie to take in $130 total over the three-day weekend. Those projections have been raised to $240 million.

We drove past our neighborhood theater about 2:00 Friday, and the parking lot was 3/4 full. When we returned about 7:00 it was nearly entirely full. We drove to another theater to see Nightmare Alley. The parking lot there was just about full (Spider-Man was on four screens) and there were more people in the lobby and milling around than at any theater we've been to since the pandemic. When we got inside our auditorium, however, it was a different story. There were three other people in the theater for the opening day showing. I don't expect Nightmare Alley to do very well this weekend.

silverscreenselect wrote: ↑

Sat Dec 18, 2021 1:31 pm

The new Spider-Man movie took in over $120 million at the domestic box office Friday, which is by far the biggest opening of any film since the pandemic. That's not surprising. What is somewhat surprising is that it's the biggest December opening ever of any movie, and second-biggest overall ever. Analysts had expected the movie to take in $130 total over the three-day weekend. Those projections have been raised to $240 million.

We drove past our neighborhood theater about 2:00 Friday, and the parking lot was 3/4 full. When we returned about 7:00 it was nearly entirely full. We drove to another theater to see Nightmare Alley. The parking lot there was just about full (Spider-Man was on four screens) and there were more people in the lobby and milling around than at any theater we've been to since the pandemic. When we got inside our auditorium, however, it was a different story. There were three other people in the theater for the opening day showing. I don't expect Nightmare Alley to do very well this weekend.

I recently saw a trailer for a movie that's the first movie in years that's piqued my interest; it is called Lost City - looks entertaining. Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum and Daniel Radcliff

tlynn78 wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 20, 2021 3:14 pm

silverscreenselect wrote: ↑

Sat Dec 18, 2021 1:31 pm

The new Spider-Man movie took in over $120 million at the domestic box office Friday, which is by far the biggest opening of any film since the pandemic. That's not surprising. What is somewhat surprising is that it's the biggest December opening ever of any movie, and second-biggest overall ever. Analysts had expected the movie to take in $130 total over the three-day weekend. Those projections have been raised to $240 million.

We drove past our neighborhood theater about 2:00 Friday, and the parking lot was 3/4 full. When we returned about 7:00 it was nearly entirely full. We drove to another theater to see Nightmare Alley. The parking lot there was just about full (Spider-Man was on four screens) and there were more people in the lobby and milling around than at any theater we've been to since the pandemic. When we got inside our auditorium, however, it was a different story. There were three other people in the theater for the opening day showing. I don't expect Nightmare Alley to do very well this weekend.

I recently saw a trailer for a movie that's the first movie in years that's piqued my interest; it is called Lost City - looks entertaining. Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum and Daniel Radcliff

I watched Mother/Android on Hulu Saturday. A friend of mine wrote and directed it. I think you'll like it. My friend is 30.

Bob Juch wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 20, 2021 4:42 pm

I watched Mother/Android on Hulu Saturday. A friend of mine wrote and directed it. I think you'll like it. My friend is 30.

Your "friend" is 31.

Estonut wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 20, 2021 8:30 pm

Bob Juch wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 20, 2021 4:42 pm

I watched Mother/Android on Hulu Saturday. A friend of mine wrote and directed it. I think you'll like it. My friend is 30.

Your "friend" is 31.

And what's your point? That Bob is a year off in an off-the-cuff remark (which could well have been a generalization) about the age of a man who is several decades younger than him?

If Spock or Flock (when he was here) or BiT made a similar statement, I wouldn't be running to IMDB to see if I could catch them in a gotcha moment. Sometimes there's a point to your nitpicking, and sometimes you're just being anal.

silverscreenselect wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 21, 2021 12:01 am

Estonut wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 20, 2021 8:30 pm

Bob Juch wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 20, 2021 4:42 pm

I watched Mother/Android on Hulu Saturday. A friend of mine wrote and directed it. I think you'll like it. My friend is 30.

Your "friend" is 31.

And what's your point? That Bob is a year off in an off-the-cuff remark (which could well have been a generalization) about the age of a man who is several decades younger than him?

If Spock or Flock (when he was here) or BiT made a similar statement, I wouldn't be running to IMDB to see if I could catch them in a gotcha moment. Sometimes there's a point to your nitpicking, and sometimes you're just being anal.

1. Why would you assume his friend is a man or identifies as a man?
2. Did you notice that I put "friend" in quotes, or is that too subtle for you?
3. I know how old my actual friends are. Don't you?
4. Bob has a long history here of claiming as "friends" people who just aren't. Here are 2 examples, featuring a drive-by by the late Confessor.

Estonut wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 21, 2021 12:30 am

silverscreenselect wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 21, 2021 12:01 am

Estonut wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 20, 2021 8:30 pm

Your "friend" is 31.

And what's your point? That Bob is a year off in an off-the-cuff remark (which could well have been a generalization) about the age of a man who is several decades younger than him?

If Spock or Flock (when he was here) or BiT made a similar statement, I wouldn't be running to IMDB to see if I could catch them in a gotcha moment. Sometimes there's a point to your nitpicking, and sometimes you're just being anal.

1. Why would you assume his friend is a man or identifies as a man?
2. Did you notice that I put "friend" in quotes, or is that too subtle for you?
3. I know how old my actual friends are. Don't you?
4. Bob has a long history here of claiming as "friends" people who just aren't. Here are 2 examples, featuring a drive-by by the late Confessor.

I didn't assume the friend was a man. Once you made your point, I looked him up on IMDB, and here is what the article said:

Mattson Tomlin was born on July 16, 1990 in Bucharest, Romania. He is a writer and director, known for Mother/Android (2021), Little Fish (2020) and Terminator.

I did notice your putting "friend" in quotes. I took it as a snide putdown of Bob. As far as who is an "actual friend" versus some more casual acquaintance, people have different opinions about what constitutes a friend. And even for people that I am fairly close to, I don't know the exact ages of some of them because it's never come up in conversation and we don't go around checking each other's ID. I can make a pretty good guess based on what they've told me about themselves but it could easily be off by a year or two.

Texas A&M has withdrawn from the Gator Bowl, scheduled December 31st, because it cannot field a team due to COVID and other injuries. The NCAA Oversight Committee is looking for a replacement to play Wake Forest. According to bowl eligibility criteria, Rutgers at 5-7 would be the first in line.

The CFP has also decided that a team can advance if the CFP playoffs if its opponent forfeits due to COVID issues. If one of the teams in the Championship game forfeits, its opponent would be named CFP Champion.

The Critics Choice Awards, which were scheduled for January 9, have been postponed to a later date. So have the Oscars Governors Awards, which were scheduled for January 15. The Governors Awards are the Lifetime Achievement ("honorary Oscars") and similar awards, which used to be handed out during the main ceremonies, but have been shunted off to their own banquet so that the main event can be tighter and more exciting. Has anyone noticed?

This year, the lifetime achievement awards will go to Samuel L. Jackson, Elaine May, and Liv Ullmann, while Danny Glover will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. I have a feeling that anything Samuel L. Jackson would say at the Oscars ceremony, presuming it didn't get bleeped, would be much more interesting than this year's ceremonies.

The University of Hawaii, which was supposed to play Memphis in the Hawaii Bowl today, has pulled out due to COVID concerns. As a result, the game has been canceled. This game (and its predecessor, the Aloha Bowl) has traditionally been played on Christmas Eve and is usually the only major sporting event going on at that time.

The college bowl season continues to shrink. The Military Bowl in Annapolis, MD, scheduled for tomorrow between Boston College and East Carolina, will not be played due to a COVID outbreak on the BC team. Similarly, the Fenway Bowl in Boston, scheduled for Wednesday between Virginia and SMU. will not be played due to COVID on the Virginia squad.