For the New England Patriots, there's a major problem with how great legendary quarterback Tom Brady was: His apotheosis into football immortality was such that, in an abstract sense, he almost became bigger than the Patriots. And because of that, it is almost as if the Patriots aren't the Patriots without him.

And yet, when they finally get back to the practice field, the New England Patriots will begin living and playing in the post-Tom Brady era. While their longtime quarterback tries to continue his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the other stars of the Patriots - like center David Andrews, back after blood clots forced him to miss the entire 2019 season - will be back in Foxboro trying to determine how to fill the leadership role that Brady's persona and credentials commanded for nearly 20 years.

But in true Patriots fashion, Andrews stated during a conference call with local media that he didn't believe that anyone needed to force it or do "anything out of the ordinary."

"I think (with) leadership, sometimes you can see through it if there's some BS in it. Be who you are, do what got you here. Just do it better and do it more," said Andrews. "It is what it is, it's being in the NFL - It's part of this business. There doesn't need to be a Superman anywhere, we just need to go out there and do our jobs as collectively as a group, provide good leadership even if he was here or he wasn't here, whoever was here. That's our job and that's what we'll try to do."

For Andrews and every other player on the Patriots, there is indeed a life to be had after Tom Brady as well as an AFC East title to defend. Still, it isn't as though Brady won't be missed within the building. Particularly not by Andrews, who went from going undrafted out of Georgia in 2015 to snapping the ball to Brady in three Super Bowls, winning two.

"Obviously Tommy is who Tommy is, and what a great experience it was to get to play with him," said Andrews. "Appreciative of him and our friendship that we have. It was kind of the longest quarterback (& center relationship) I've ever played with in any stages of my football career. It's always a special bond, and we'll remain friends for life."

Exactly who the next quarterback Andrews plays with will be is a matter of great intrigue both in the New England region and around the league. Andrews believes he is in a fortunate position, as he has worked with second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham, seemingly the frontrunner for the job, as well as backup quarterback Brian Hoyer.

However, the Patriots' lack of star power at quarterback - at least to this point in the offseason - has resulted in plenty writing off the Patriots as being their usual, contending selves in 2020. All of which is nothing more than noise to Andrews, who prefers to let New England's destiny be decided by how they respond to the challenge ahead.

"There's always a new challenge in the NFL," said Andrews. "... It's just part of this business, part of this league. All this stuff about whatever anyone has to say - Everybody has an opinion. All we can do is go out there and control what we can control. ... Make the most out of each day, kind of put your head down and look up where you are later."

Continue reading here:
David Andrews: Patriots don't need to have a Superman - 247Sports

It isnt just that the mind boggles. Its that the mind boggles in several different directions at the same time. This multi-platform boggling started when Mr Putin, the 007 wannabe with notions of immortality who runs Russia with an iron hand, announced that his lab guys had come up with a vaccine. Sputnik 5, theyre calling it, which at least speaks to an endangered demographic; those old enough to remember when the USSR put the first satellite into space; the first Sputnik.

Now, of course, whole continents like India are saying Not fair! about Russia rolling out the vaccine two weeks from now, and the most popular Professor in Ireland, Luke ONeill, has curbed his innate enthusiasm about said roll out. He personally wouldnt be for having it jabbed into him until a lot more tests have happened.

But heres the thing. Vladimir saw Luke coming, so he did. Vladimir Putin sees around corners and would have anticipated nay-sayers, although, to be fair, our cheery Prof rarely fits under that particular heading. Also, Vladimir Putin is a master of propaganda.

Think of those heart-stopping shots of him, unclothed as to the chest, riding bare back on a horse whose happiest moment you just know was when it got to carry the great man. (The nausea you experience at the memory of the picture will quickly pass, although a lie-down while you chew a dry water biscuit may help.)

Anticipating that what we still, hopefully, call the free world would rain on Sputnik 5, Putin came up with a master marketing stroke, as a result of which the news went global. The marketing stroke? He jabbed his daughter with the vaccine and trust Vladimir on this shes only flying after it.

Thats where the first boggle surfaces. No before-and-after shots? Or blood tests? Did they take this volunteer, and, pausing only to ensure the vaccine had bedded down in her, shove her into a cave misted with Coronavirus to test if it worked? No details. Its a simple sum:

Putins daughter+vaccine=Russia wins the race.

The simplicity of it is nearly as appealing as President Trumps certainty that hydroxychloroquine is keeping him right. Of course, some of us very very nasty critics of Trump might want to ask if its the malaria drug that gives him the wobbles when he essays a mild downward slope, but let us rise above such negativity far enough to make a mild point about Putins daughter serving as poster girl for Sputnik-5.

The point being that we dont know her from a hole in the ground. Putins personal relationships have been shrouded in secrecy from the get-go. He has never deigned to share stuff about his family life, which is not a bad decision for a politician, but, having made that decision and lived by it for yo these many decades, it comes as something of a surprise when he suddenly springs a daughter on us, for no reason other than to fill her full of vaccination juice.

Its like producing a son nobody never knew you had in order to get him to do the Pepsi challenge. Although, in fairness, being volunteered for a largely untested vaccine is rather more serious than ascertaining soft drink preferences.

But heres the rub. If we dont know anything about the daughter, shes much the same as a character in a bad novel who is introduced in Chapter Four in order to be murdered by the serial killer in Chapter Five. If little Miss Putin (or large Ms Putin) keels over and breathes her last as a result of being volunteered for the coronavirus vaccine, whats that to us? She isnt exactly a richly delineated character.

Just someone hauled out of the wings, put centre stage for an injection and abandoned thereafter. She could have been anybody, you know?

(Well, she could have been anybody other than Mr. Happy, A.K.A. Prof. Luke ONeill, because hes ruled himself out of that role. The wider issue here is the question: What is it with male politicians and their daughters? Its a pretty grim recurring blot on the international political escutcheon, that relationship. Some of us still fight the urge to gag when we recall the Tory minister at the time of Mad Cow Disease, using his daughter to try to persuade the British public to go back to eating meat.

Gummer was the blokes name, and his daughter, back 30 years or so ago, was maybe six years of age when her father used her in a photo op where he tried (unsuccessfully) to get her to wolf down a Big Mac in front of the cameras. The kid baulked.

Undeterred, which is pretty much a constant state with Tory ministers, Gummer turned her to face the camera alongside him. Her gaze path took in the burger and her father with such equal terrified abhorrence, those of us who saw the picture at the time were sure shed retrospectively sue him for subjecting her to it. But no. Twenty five years later, it emerged that she was heavily involved in running his company.

That would be the company to which Minister Gummers Department had sent many bags of swag in the form of work contracts, which practice you, being naively ethical, might have considered a bit off. But you couldnt blame the woman, really. Not after such an Adverse Childhood Event.

Quite apart from forced-burger-inhalation, daughters also get paraded when a male politician, says or does something so egregiously sexist and misogynistic as to endanger his tenure. He can't say he didnt do it, because he did it while we all watched him do it.

So he falls back on that most creepy of defenses, the Thats not me plea. In other words, while casual observers might judge him, based on available evidence, as a paternalistic woman-hating bigot, theyre reading him wrong. Thats not him at all, at all, and he can prove it. (Pause for drumroll.)

The man then does a self-deprecating half-laughing sigh calculated to cause nausea-onset to a degree close to what the bare-chested, goldfish-gaze shot of Putin engenders. Him, sexist?

Perish the thought. How could he be, in a house dominated by women? He has, he enumerates, two, three, four or even five daughters, who would not tolerate sexist attitudes on his part. Not for a moment.

This claim is a little subverted, in some instances, by a photograph of him with all of them plus their mother, which makes you wonder about the decades of Valium-laced burgers he must have fed them all in order to get them to line up so subserviently.

And remember the politician who publicly admires one of his daughters and opines that if she were not so closely related to him, he might be dating her?

All this has to stop. Starting with no more politicians using their daughters to promote dodgy vaccines. Rigorous orthodox testing will be grand.

See the article here:
Terry Prone: We need rigorous testing, not propaganda, to find a vaccine - Irish Examiner

Artemi Panarin #10 (R) of the New York Rangers celebrates his second period goal against the New Jersey Devils and is joined by Jacob Trouba #8 (L) and Mika Zibanejad (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

The old saying is that records were made to be broken. When looking at some of the single season New York Rangers franchise records, there are some records that probably won t be broken. However, there are numerous New York Rangers team records just waiting to be broken.

What are the odds that this team of 20-somethings will be the ones to re-write the Rangers record book? Lets take a look.

Even strength assists: 46 Mark Messier 1991-92

When the season was shut down, Artemi Panarin had already tied Mark Messier with his 46 assists. With 12 games left, Artemi Panarin would have blown Messiers record out of the water. Theres always next season.

When you look at the best offensive seasons in the Rangers record book, there are a number of records that could easily be broken.

Goals: 54 Jaromir Jagr 2005-06

This one is within reach and Mika Zibanejad is the guy to do it. He scored 41 goals in 57 games this season and that would work out to a total of 58.9 goals if he played a full 82 games. The only thing standing between ZIbanejad and Ranger immortality is good health. If not Zibanejad, is Kakko a possibility? Only time will tell.

Assists: 80 Brian Leetch 1991-92

Brian Leetchs record was almost equaled by Sergei Zubov in 1993-94 when he totaled 77 assists. There is one current Ranger who has an excellent shot at besting Leetch and of course, that is Artemi Panarin. This season he totaled 63 assists in 69 games and over an 82 games season that would be 75 assists, good for third most in Ranger history.

Easily one of the most gifted playmakers in franchise history, consider that he did this with Jesper Fast on his right wing for much of the season. Put a more gifted scorer on Panarins wing and he could top the 80 assist mark as soon as next season.

Even strength points: 82 Jean Ratelle 1971-72

This is another record that was within reach of Artemi Panarin when the season was shut down. With 25 goals and 46 assists, Panarin had totaled 71 even strength points in 69 games and with 12 games to go, he had a good chance of topping Ratelles mark.

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What franchise records will these young Rangers break? - Bluelinestation.com

Indian history embellishes itself with the certitude that the Rajputs of Mewar stood up against any and all foreign intruders, into the revered grounds of Hindostan.

Have you ever seen the fire, blazing red, burning bright with the trail of warmth it leaves behind? Fire is considered a symbol of unison, of marriage, the altar being the holy epitome of the ceremony.

However, when you ask the residents of Mewar, the fire represents the valour of their womenfolk, their queens and damsels and signify that the maidens too, combat a battle with the ones who breach the impregnable walls of their territory, a deadlier battle in which the lusts of the advancing army remain unsatisfied and their sick ambitions are drastically defeated.

The Rajput valour adorns the Indian principality of Rajasthan.

Their warriors are recognised for their unbelievable strength and integrity in battle. Their women are known as sati, the faithful one who fights beside her man, until deathbed!

Indian history embellishes itself with the certitude that the Rajputs of Mewar stood up against any and all foreign intruders, into the revered grounds of Hindostan.

From Mahmud of Ghazni to the Mughal Emperor Babur, none could step into the Indian soil without waging a fierce battle with the warriors who protected its domain.

Towards the southern central part of Rajasthan, comprising the gallant districts of Bhilwara, Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Pratapgarh, Rajsamand, Jhalwara and extended parts of various districts of Gujarat, the kingdom of Mewar was an influential state that dominated the political scenario of the era.

It was protected by the Aravallis to the northwest, the Rajputs of Ajmer to the north, the Sultanate of Malwa to the southeast and the Hadotis to the eastern frontier.

This position was both militarily and commercially, strategically important to its kings.

Bappa Rawal is considered the founder of the magnanimous citadel. Way back in 730 AD, he asserted his independence on the region and took on the title of Rawal, thus commencing the reign of the legendary Suryavanshis over the area.

Historical texts and the sacred Ekalinga Purana credit Bappa Rawal with establishing the famed Eklingji temple in this region. Legends and folklores form a significant part of Bappas reign. It is widely promulgated that when Bappa went to visit a saint, he spit on the king, asking him to receive it in his mouth. However, the king, in disgust, allowed the spit only to fall at his feet and thus, the saints blessings of immortality remained ineffective.

However, since the spit fell at his feet, he is attributed to have become invincible to any weapon that opponents might hurl at him.

With this holy guardian, he went on a rampage against the invading Arabs, who had devastated the Mauryas of Mewar.

With his efficient generalship, the confederacy led by Bappa Rawal, won a decisive victory against the Arab commanders.

Indian history is not to be blamed for eclipsing the valiant efforts of the Rajputs, often victories, against foreign invasions.

Why are these victorious battles lost in the pages of history?

Colonial historians are the cause. In an attempt to divulge the religious sects, they brought out various distorted versions, where successful Mughals and the Muslim invaders were visualised as aliens and the Hindu kings were synonymous with ill treating their Muslim subjects, often being portrayed as powerless puppets, taking no note of the battles they won!

The Rawal dynasty decimated with Alauddin Khilji annexing its territories in 1303, assassinating the last Emperor, Maharawal Ratnasimha , the consort of the legendary Padmini or Padmavati, who committed Jauhar as an aftermath and Chittor was left deserted.

After the Guhilots, ruled the Sisodias, whose kings were equally known for their valour and defending their citadel.

Chittors history forms an undaunted fraction of the Indian historiography. Jauhar had been committed once again, in 1535, when Rani Karnavati was defeated by Bahadur Shah.

In 1567, with another siege laid by the Mughal emperor Akbar, the Mewar Suryavanshis migrated to a place higher up and named it Udaipur. Rana Udai Singh built the Udaipur as we know it today.

The most significant point in the architecture is about the Mughal styles intermixing with the traditional Rajput and Indian ones. Udaipur has various palaces to its name.

Today, this city alone, forms one of the most visited tourist destinations in Rajasthan, known for its epitome grandeur. Attributed the sobriquet of the City of Lakes, it has almost seven major and numerous minor water bodies. The luxurious city palace stands tall, along the banks of the Pichola Lake.

Although the Rajputs could never formally annex Chittor again, its astounding marvel awes spectators till today.

Notable among these are the imposing Vijaya Stambha, built as a minaret, after a decisive victory against Mahmud Khilji, way back in 1440 CE, the Kirti Stambh, constructed in the Solanki style of architecture with intricate carvings of Digambaras and an Adinatha statue, the revered Kalikamata temple and the nearby wildlife sanctuaries which include the Bassi, the Sitamata and the Bhainsrorgarh retreats.

There are immense instances of Jain architectural works in Rajasthan, the most noteworthy among all being the Dilwara Jain Temple atop Mount Abu.

Besides historical marvels and deserted palaces, there are numerous boat rides and folk artistic cultural practices that a tourist can immerse himself in.

Commencing with the Bharatiya Lok Kala museum, that houses the Rajasthani culture, food patterns, dresses, tribal jewellery, turbans, dolls, masks, musical instruments and musical devotional bhajans by Meerabai,the legendary devotee of the Krishna, paintings and puppets of the Rajputana era in Udaipur, one can entertain himself at the Sajjangarh Palace, viewing the breathtaking sunset, beyond the mounds.

Mewar is an oasis amidst the desert. The principality is known for the cornucopia of forts that jot the landscape along with the quaint lakes and baolis.

The exquisite efficacy of the Kingdom of Mewar can be best delineated by what Frank Genhry ingeminates.

Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness

See the article here:
Mewar: Oasis in the desert - The Sunday Guardian

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Netflix is releasing a new movie based on the legend of ChangE, the lady on the moon. If she sounds vaguely familiar, its because ChangE is closely tied to the annual Mooncake Festival, or the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The new show is called Over The Moon, in which a young Asian girl builds a rocketship to launch herself into the moon, chasing after her deceased mother, who was forced to leave the world just like ChangE.

Legend has it that ChangE took a magic elixir of immortality, forcing her to be separated from her beloved husband. She then took up residence on the moon with a magical rabbit, to be known as The Moon Goddess.

Over The Moon is proving to be a diverse addition to the heartfelt animated movies out there, as the trailer itself shows the vivid culture and traditions surrounding the Mooncake festival, such as lanterns, a family reunion, and even a beautiful snow-white bunny called Bungee.

What makes Over The Moon truly special is also the outstanding voice cast for an animated musical! Yes, there will be lots of singing and new songs for everyone to enjoy. Watch out for recognizable voices from Cathy Ang, Phillipa Soo (Hamilton), Ken Jeong (Community), John Cho (Harold & Kumar), Ruthie Ann Miles (The King & I), Sandra Oh (Greys Anatomy), Robert G. Chiu, Margaret Cho (All-American Girl), and Kimiko Glenn (Orange Is The New Black).

The show is slotted to premiere later this year, most likely around mid-autumn, so you dont have to wait too long to watch the movie!

Watch the trailer for yourself here (and prepare a tissue if you cry easily- I did!):

Share your thoughts with us on TRPsFacebook,Twitter, andInstagram.

Anne is an advocate of sustainable living and the circular economy, and has managed to mum-nag the team into using reusable containers to tapau food. She is also a proud parent of 4 cats and 1 rabbit.

See the original post here:
New Netflix Show Is Based On The Legend Of The Mooncake Festival - The Rakyat Post

Liverpool's win over Aston Villa on Sunday pushed the club's point total to 89 with five matches remaining. Immortality, going down as the team to finish with the most points in a single Premier League campaign (and they used to play 42 matches!) is now well and truly on the table.

Already, Liverpool's total of 89 points has pushed them past the following all-timers:

Those are some of the finest teams in league history, and Jurgen Klopp's side have already surpassed them with five games to spare. The next goal insight: Man City's Centurions.

City racked up 100 points during the 2017/18 campaign. With five matches left to play, this Liverpool side could end the season with an almost unfathomable 104 points.

After a rocky return to play -- the game that shall not be discussed in Manchester, the plodding performances against Everton and Villa -- it remains an open question whether or not Klopp's side will match or exceed City's record-breakers.

So we asked our writers: Will Liverpool break the record?

Kristian Walsh: I genuinely cant work out Brighton. Are they good? Are they bad? I really like Neal Maupay, and not just because he absolutely fronted Arsenals faux fume after accidentally injuring Bernd Leno. He takes a lot of shots, and Im all for a striker who takes a lot of shots -- providing theyre in decent areas (and judging by his xG, they are).

A lot will depend on Liverpool however, and I think that will be a recurring theme throughout. If Liverpool are motivated, and if Liverpool play their regular game, then they should. Brighton are better than their position suggests -- or so the underlying numbers tell us -- but a team with three or four changes still scrapes through. Liverpool win 2-1.

Joel Rabinowitz: I suspect this one might be a fair bit trickier than many many expect. Brighton are a better side than their league position would suggest, and their expected points total places them somewhere in between Arsenal and Tottenham, as opposed to the teams scrapping for relegation below them. They also made things really quite difficult for Liverpool at Anfield earlier this season, and it required two Van Dijk headers from set pieces to break them down.

All that said, I think Liverpool will have enough to get the three points, but I fully expect theyll be made to work hard for it. Liverpool win 1-0

Dan Morgan: I think this game will come down a lot to team selection, and I expect Liverpool to be strong. There is an argument that Klopp picked his Aston Villa team with his Brighton team in mind, and therefore I expect to see more control in midfield areas especially.

Brighton were strong and well setup when they came to Anfield, but their situation is different now. I think theyll take more risks against this Liverpool side and therefore could be opened up if Liverpool are firing. All that said, Im going for a Liverpool win, and of course Bobby will score away. Liverpool win 3-1

Ollie Connolly: Im with Joel. I think this will be a tough game, particularly with the manager likely to rotate the side. The most notable element of Liverpools post-pause play has been the lack of rhythm when the main first Xi is not in the lineup. Chopping and changing -- a Minamino for Firmino here, Keita for Wijnaldum there -- will inevitably distort the tempo we saw during the home game against Crystal Palace. Performances are likely to take on that Aston Villa-vibe, with excellent 10-minutes bursts surrounded by a heaping of blah. Still: I expect a moment of individual brilliance will be enough to pick up three points. Liverpool win 1-0

Josh Williams: I'd be surprised if Liverpool concede. Brighton are averaging roughly 13 shots per goal in the Premier League this season which is worsened by only Norwich City. They aren't very clinical while Liverpool are the opposite, scoring every 7.1 shots. If Klopp fields his first-choice XI, I'd expect his attack to have enough to find the net at least once, although it's worth noting that the absence of one integral player tends to drastically impact the effectiveness of the Reds in the final third. Liverpool win 2-0

David Hughes: Brighton have avoided relegation whilst implementing a new philosophy at the club under Potter, that will represent a decent season for them. Now, with very little to play for, I dont expect them to cause Liverpool too many issues. Theyre winless against any of the current top six this season (D4, L6), failing to score in six of those matches. There was also an obvious lack of ambition in their 3-0 home defeat to Manchester United last week, a game in which they registered just two shots on target. Liverpool win 3-0

KW: Burnley. The only side who can score against Alisson Becker from a corner, with an assist from the wind (ps: it was also a foul). Actually, Ive just realised weve been saying Alisson hasnt conceded a goal from outside the box in the league since joining Liverpool. Does this not count? Im very confused.

It doesnt happen this time anyway. Klopp plays the same team he did against Aston Villa, it toils for 60, and then the subs change it against the tiring visitors. Again. It wont be pretty. Liverpool win 1-0.

JR: With it being at Anfield and Burnley not really having much to play for at this point, this is probably Liverpools most favourable remaining fixture. That isnt to say Burnley cant put up a decent fight and pose some degree of threat from set piece situations, but Liverpool shouldnt (in theory) have too many problems getting the job done here. Theyll really want to keep that 100% Anfield record going, too. Liverpool win 3-0

DM: Hello darkness my old friend. No matter how good a champion you are, or how bad a season theyve had, theres always something about Burnley visiting which makes your stomach knot. Last season was one of the strangest in living memory with tornado conditions, clearly obstructive goals standing and an Adam Lallana cameo nobody saw coming.

It will be a trickier game than many anticipate, and team selection will be interesting if not crucial. All that said: Liverpool win 2-0

OC: There is a case to be made both ways: Burnley, the bastion of consistency, could turn up looking to muck things up. If Liverpools concentration wains or Jurgen Klopp rotates, theres the formula for a dull draw or a sneaky upset. But at some point, this Burnley side is going to be running on fumes. Theyve been unable to properly rotate given the financial/management difficulties at the club. Being asked to play three matches a week with a squad of only 15 real first-teamers is damn near impossible. Even if Liverpool arent all the way up for this one, I think they cruise to a win. Liverpool win 4-0

JW: Burnley have a knack for securing results despite performing to a relatively average standard in most contents, but they usually need a clean sheet to do so. Keeping Liverpool quiet will be tough and on the attacking side of the game, all but one of the goals that Dyche's team have scored since the restart have derived from set-pieces. The Reds are highly capable when defending corners and freekicks, and Burnley's aerial raid doesn't usually work that well against Liverpool largely due to the dominance of Virgil van Dijk. I can't see the Clarets scoring, but I reckon Klopp's men will have enough - especially at Anfield - to bag at least one themselves. Liverpool win 2-0

DH: Its probably gone under the radar for most, but Burnely are decent again. At the time of writing, they have lost just one of their previous 11 Premier League matches and have an outside shot of securing European football next season. They dont tend to do well against the leagues best on the road though, and you dont face much better than Liverpool at Anfield. They have lost six of their eight away matches vs sides in the top ten and conceded two or more goals in six of those games too. Therefore I anticipate if Liverpool get one, then the floodgates will open. Liverpool win 4-0

KW: Im just imagining the alternate scenario I concocted in my head around February time. Liverpool, champions, and 35 games without a league defeat, head to the home of the Invincibles -- well, sort of, they actually achieved that at Highbury -- in a face-off which would have Sky Sports going montage crazy.

But then, you know. Watford. COVID-19. So Liverpool play out a 1-1 draw to a bunch of red seats, leading to people asking if Arsenal can challenge under Mikel Arteta next season (spoiler: they cant). 1-1 draw

JR: The rational side of me says Liverpool should absolutely be able to go to the Emirates and win, because theyre a far, far superior side to Arsenal in every single department. Theres a very good reason why there are 40 points separating the two sides, after all.

However, for some reason, I have a feeling this might be a bit of a banana skin. After their dismal start to the restart, Arsenal have been much improved over the past few games and looked uncharacteristically resolute in their impressive away victory against Wolves at Molineux.

As much as deep structural issues remain throughout the side, they do still possess genuine quality up front capable of causing almost any team problems if they click, and while theyve only won 12 games from 33 in the league so far this season, they dont actually lose as often as youd think (especially at home). So, as pessimistic as it might sound, Im going for a point here. 2-2 draw

DM: This is interesting for the simple reason of Arsenals performance at Wolves. A 2-0 win away to Nuno Espirito Santos men should not be scoffed at, nor should Mikel Artetas switch to a 3-4-3 shape, with Eddie Nketiah central, Bukayo Saka right and Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang right of a front three.

Should he keep that shape, it will either cause Liverpool a raft of problems on turnovers or leave the home side wide open when the Reds retrieve the ball. I have a feeling it might be the latter. In my opinion, if Liverpool score one, Arsenal will implode. Liverpool win 4-0

OC: The start of a tricky double-header. The two questions for me: Will Klopp play his strongest XI in both the Arsenal game and the Chelsea one that follows? Do Arsenal have something tangible to play for? I think the answers are yes and yes.

Arsenals forward line is concerning. Liverpool have been off-the-boil defensively since the restart. Theyve been consistently overwhelmed in the middle of the pitch and have struggled with individuals straying out of position, most notably in transition -- Everton, Man City, Aston Villa. Thats where Arsenal can be ruthless.

With that said, Mikel Artetas team have some almighty defensive challenges of their own. A back-and-forth game would favour Liverpool. Liverpool win 3-1

JW: This one could be tricky. Arteta seems very smart but what will he demand from his players on the day? A high defensive line? Playing out from the back? If so, Liverpool are likely to benefit considering the error-prone defenders that are contracted to Arsenal. The Gunners tend to give away gifts to opposing players close to goal. In attack, Arsenal are surprisingly quiet with Norwich City and Aston Villa averaging more shots per 90 this season, but they do have great quality when it comes to finishing. Liverpool's uninspired performances of late still offer enough to beat most opponents, but Arsenal have enough to punish the Reds if they turn up to the Emirates with the wrong attitude. A lot will be determined by which team scores first in this one. 1-1 draw

DH: Arteta may be early into his tenure as Arsenal boss, but he is already learning some valuable lessons that are paying dividends on the pitch. One of which is protecting the erratic David Luiz with not one but two additional centre-backs. The teams switch to a 3-4-3 after the Brighton defeat looks to be boosting their capacity at both ends of the pitch in recent weeks. They still have a long way to go, but with European places still to play for, I am expecting this one to be tough for the Reds. Draw 2-2

KW: So I make that 96 points with two to play. Eeeeesh. And there will also be the added incentive of Liverpool lifting the Premier League trophy (as Dan mentions) as well as completing the 19-game set. Liverpool are not NOT winning this one. Thats it. Thats my analysis. Liverpool win 2-1.

JR: Chelsea are a mad team under Frank Lampard. Theyve got it in them to beat Manchester City, then theyll go and lose to West Ham the following game, before comfortably dispatching Watford. You just dont know which version will turn up on any given occasion.

If, by the time this one rolls around, Liverpool have beaten Burnley, then theyll be on the brink of becoming the first team in Premier League history to win all 19 home games in a season. That will simultaneously serve as an enormous incentive for Liverpool, but you can imagine Chelsea would absolutely love to be the ones to stop them doing it right at the death. Hopefully my prediction proves to be wrong, but I have a sneaking feeling they might succeed in doing just that. 1-1 draw

DM: Liverpool are lifting the Premier League trophy, Liverpool are lifting the Premier League trophy, Liverpool are lifting the Premier League trophy, Liverpool are lifting the Premier League trophy, Liverpool are lifting the Premier League trophy, Liverpool are lifting the Premier League trophy, Liverpool are lifting the Premier League trophy. Liverpool win 2-1

OC:I consider myself the Generalissimo of the Frank-Lampard-is-a-fraudulent-manager support group, but Lampards side has had some undeniably impressive performances against big clubs this season. While they lack the consistency to sustain at a high level, theyre capable of brilliant one-off displays. There's just something about Chelsea at Anfield, you know. Liverpool losing their unbeaten home record and then raising the title would feel wrong, so I'll plump for an up-and-down score draw. 1-1 draw

JW: Liverpool have faced Chelsea three times already this season, struggling performance-wise every time. The first meeting in the Premier League was decided by the set-piece expertise of Klopp's outfit, with both goals coming from freekicks in a 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge. The Blues are vulnerable from those situations, with Frank Lampard stating recently that the solution lies with signing 'taller players'. Chelsea are difficult to outplay and they have enough to prevent and hurt Liverpool on their day, especially considering they are still fighting for something meaningful this season. It's Liverpool's final match of the season at Anfield, but it could be the first one that doesn't result in three points being secured. 1-1 draw

DH: This game is by far the hardest to call. With the title in touching distance - literally, its unclear what the psyche of the Liverpool players will be. They put on a show vs Crystal Palace on the eve of their title confirmation at Anfield two weeks ago, and they could well repeat that here. However, should their interest waiver to events after the final whilst, then Chelsea could be the side to ruin their perfect Premier League home record (providing its still intact). All three meetings between the two this season have been settled by fine margins, I expect the same here. Liverpool 2-1

KW: Based on the underlying numbers, Newcastle should be bottom. The fact they sit in mid-table, safe from relegation, is an absolute miracle; one in the eye of all us data boys and girls (although it will bite them terribly next season if they dont splurge 500million if/when the takeover happens). Even since the restart, they are scoring more than they would be expected to, and conceding fewer.

But I just think one last lap will be harder than any of us might imagine. It will be the sixth game in 21 days after a prolonged three-month absence from competitive football. You would imagine Arsenal and Chelsea would be relatively high intensity games, and Newcastle have a few extra days off.

It is going to be a coin flip. 0-0 draw and Liverpool end exactly on 100 points.

JR: St James Park is very rarely an easy place to go, and on the sly Newcastle have been one of the standout teams in the league since the restart, producing a handful of really impressive performances and results (albeit against relatively low quality opposition).

The final day of the season can often produced the unexpected, but if Liverpool have the 100-point mark in their sights by this point, I think theyll give absolutely everything they have to at least equal Citys record and end this historic season with a flourish, even if they cant quite beat it, which would still represent a phenomenal achievement. Liverpool win 4-1 and end on exactly 100 points.

DM: Its after the Lord Mayors show slightly, and lets not forget Newcastle United are not a bad side. The Arsenal and Chelsea dates mean that the likelihood is well be stringent in selection in those games which could lead to mass changes here. It wont finish on a complete low, but I can see this as the only game in which we drop points. Liverpool draw 1-1 and end on exactly 102 points.

OC: By this point, I project Klopp will be happy to cede to a near-complete rotation of the starting XI. If ever there was time to give a full 90 minutes to the likes of Curtis Jones, Kai-Jana Hoever, and Harvey Elliott, it's in a dead rubber at the end of the season against a solid if unspectacular Newcastle team. Rotating would allow Klopp to give a little bit more rest to the key starters ahead of what will be a rapid turn around time before next season. Ideally, the rotation breaths a bit of life into a side that should/might/could be coming off the Arsenal-Chelsea double-header and having raised the trophy at Anfield. A Keita-Minamino double sends Liverpool into next season on a high. Liverpool win 2-1 and end on exactly 102 points.

JW: It's reasonable to suggest that this clash won't be the most competitive considering Newcastle are likely to be positioned in midtable. The Toon have defied logic this season, as their performances simply haven't aligned with their results. Steve Bruce has managed to refine a playing style that largely involves being dominated while retaining a notable threat on the break thanks to the qualities of Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron to name but two of the speedy attackers for the Magpies. If Liverpool manage counterattacks and set-pieces, United are unlikely to score, but the Reds will have to find a way through the lowest of blocks. This could be a boring 1-0 but depending on the focus of Bruce's team, it could very easily become a 4-0 drubbing. Liverpool win 2-0 and end on exactly 100 points.

DH: After disliking Newcastle for almost the entirety of the season, I have to hold my hands up and say they have earned my respect. All the underlying numbers point to them being one of the worst sides in the league, but then mind you, they also rank Man City as the best! Ultimately though, Newcastle have done a good job of honing in on their few strengths and grinding out some big results. Theyll likely sit back and frustrate Liverpool (and everyone watching) for 90 minutes whilst trying to get something on the break. Or they may fancy their chances from a set-piece - at the time of writing, they have scored as many set-piece goals as Liverpool with 12, which is impressive. But I suspect Liverpool may want to finish with a bang here and I back them to do it. Liverpool 3-1 and end on exactly 102 points.

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Liverpool are five games from immortality, but there are six special ways to achieve it - Liverpool.com

The form of immortality that members of the Old Guard are gifted with is apparently rare so rare that Andy and her team haven't met another like them in a very long time when they first encounter Nile. They connect with each other through dreams, and sometimes dream of each other's faces for years before they actually meet in real life. When they're mortally wounded, their bodies simply heal and they move on, no matter how gruesome or seemingly life-ending the injury might be. Despite all that, it was important to Rucka to introduce another key rule into this world: The characters are not fully immortal. They can die, and their death might come at any time. They just have no way of knowing if the next bullet will be the one that kills them.

"There was always the sort of existential uncertainty that at some point, it may end," Rucka explained. "And for Andy, who is extraordinarily old, the question has really become, 'Why hasn't it ended?'"

Though there are several clear rules that govern the world of The Old Guard, that question of why lingers over everything. Why can't these people die? Why does their time one day even if it's been centuries? And why has Andy, who has seen so much death around her, managed to avoid it for millennia? These are the questions at the heart of the larger narrative of the comic book series.

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Read this before you watch The Old Guard - Looper

The shady Drifter looks to be up to no good again as Bungie prepares to show off a new season of Destiny 2 in a June 9 reveal.

The next season of Destiny 2 is coming. Bungie has plans to show us whats on the way for the future of Destiny 2 and were going to find out when they show it all off in a June 9, 2020 presentation. As a taste of whats to come in Destiny 2s new season, we got a small trailer that teased what could be new content dedicated to the rogue Light-bearer and master of Gambit, The Drifter.

Bungie dropped a teaser about the future of Destiny 2 via the games Twitter on June 3, 2020. On June 9, 2020, at 9AM PT / 12PM ET, players and fans will get a glimpse at what Destiny 2 has in store for them in the latest season of the game. The tease came with a trailer. It wasnt much to go on, but it would appear that the shady host of the Gambit, The Drifter, will be squarely at the center of Destiny 2s latest adventures. Hes looking a little worse for wear in the teaser with what looks like some kind of rebreather, but his fiery sleight-of-hand tricks seem to be intact.

The Drifter has long been a fixture of Destiny 2, especially in regards to Gambit content and rewards where he has acted as the host. Hes even gotten his own specific Season previously in Destiny 2. As a rogue Light-bearer involved in many battles, the Drifter has no love for the Light, the Traveler, or the immortality it bestows. Whatever the Drifter is up to in this latest season of the game, it probably means a wealth of new loot for players, but at what cost?

Stay tuned for June 9 as Bungie goes live with the new season of Destiny 2 and find out what machinations the Drifter has in store for us this time around.

TJ Denzer is a player with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. When he's not handing out beatdowns in the latest fighting games, exploring video game history, or playing through RPGs with his partner, he's searching for new food and drinks in the constant pursuit of good times with good people inside and outside the South Texas area. You can also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.

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Destiny 2's June 9 season reveal shows the Drifter is up to more tomfoolery - Shacknews

It is What if? week at SB Nation, so well have a few posts throughout the week looking at some What ifs from Red Sox history. This is one of those posts!

I remember screaming at the television. I couldnt believe my eyes. This was it a chance at real baseball history, and not just the trivial kind. The etched-in-marble kind. The bases were loaded, and it was Daniel Navas debut, and the pitch came in on rails, and I waited for deliverance. Im still waiting.

Lets back up two innings. Then 27-year-old Nava hit the first pitch he ever saw in the majors for a grand slam. It is as crazy now as it was then, a full 10 years ago next month, coming in an interleague game against the Phillies. But dont take my word for it:

Nava later said that he felt compelled to swing at the first pitch at least partially because Joe Castiglione told him you only ever got one chance to maul your introduction to baseball, and you might as well take it. Small sample size and all, but the proof is in the pudding. If Daniel Navas story proves literally nothing else, it should be that the upside of striving for glory often outweighs the cost; greatness is in reach if we just grab for it. Immortality, even.

First off, imagine if theres no advice. Lets go as far as to say: no advice; no advice, no swing. Lets further say no swing on the first pitch, no home run. This is real butterfly effect stuff, but I have thought about it more than once. Its hard to separate oneself from a killer origin story, and in this case, why would you? Its the stuff of dreams.

Ones first at-bat is, in essence, completely divorced from the rest of ones career the same way Opening Day is from the rest of the baseball season. Its not just a semantic difference. Its psychological. The first day is for piss and vinegar the other days are not necessarily for either. Its a slog. Its hard to conceive now that were so desperate for it, but its a terrible, terrible slog.

Anyhow. Nava hits the grand slam. It really is something else, and the rest of his career will justify its wonder.. It is probably the best moment of Daniel Navas life outside of getting married, having children or winning the World Series. It might be better than those. I will never know, and thats what makes me different from him. He lived the dream. I just imagined it.

But what I knew then, that I know now, and has bothered me for a decade, is that unlike Nava, I was apparently cool-headed enough to fully realize the enormity of the opportunity that lay beyond his historic achievement. The second at-bat laid it all bare.

Look at Fernando Tatis. Hes probably better known at this point for his son, who figures to be a better ballplayer by a pretty decent margin, than he is for the fact he hit two grand slams in a single inning, a stat that only gets more insane as the years pass. Even accounting for the fact that big innings exist, the first grand slam would necessarily happen at least four batters into an inning, by definition. Which means the odds of things coming back around to a 13th spot in the order are very bad, like tiny percentages bad, and the odds of the bases loaded even less, and then, you know, the second homer. But it happened.

And why did it happen?

It happened because Tatis swung the bat. There is a lesson here. You must swing the bat.

Lets get to it. Against all odds, Navas second at-bat came against the same pitcher, Joe Blanton, in the third inning. Blanton had stopped the bleeding, but if anyone was capable of giving up two grand slams on consecutive pitches to a baseball player making his debut, it was Blanton. Its not even an insult. Its Major League Baseball. You gotta be good to be bad.

Anyhow as Im watching this game the only thing I care about is whether or not the bases will be loaded when Nava comes up again and reader, they are. The tension, if only in my chest, could suffocate a rhino. This is it. This is the moment. This is the moment everything changes. Blanton is dying out there, as someone who has given up a grand slam and is fixing to surrender another is likely to be. He cannot waste a pitch. It is time to party.

At this moment in time, the only other player in baseball history to hit a grand slam on their first career pitch was Kevin Kouzmanoff, who did so in 2006. Think of the odds, then, of a second grand slam, on the second pitch, after the first in the long list of records that would never be broken, youd have to have put it near the top. Daniel Nava. In the history books, forever. What a world!

Its not this world. Nava does not hit a grand slam. Here is what happens. Try not to scream:

He takes the 82 mile per hour pitch down the middle, and that is it. After that, I know its not happening. That was the one. The career, the life that Nava has built for himself its all wonderful, and the start was so good as to be scarcely replicable. Still, almost none of us will have a similar chance at history in our lives, and when we do, I hope we are keen enough in the moment to go for broke, if not for ourselves for everyone else.

It didnt take What if? week for me to mope about this; I think the sheer magnitude of the opportunity from time to time. It is quite a thing to see a portal to immortality open before your very eyes. Its also quite a thing to watch the opportunity vanish for it to be immediately memory-holed. Maybe everyone else forgot about this, but I didnt. I cant. And now you cant either.

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What if Daniel Nava swung the bat? - Over The Monster

Mental strength is a must for any true leader.

Gary Caldwell reckons its the quality that makes Scott Brown deserving of his place alongside Scottish footballs legendary nine-in-a-row captains Billy McNeill and Richard Gough.

The Celtic midfielder will join that duo of iconic figures when the SPFL officially confirm the Hoops as Premiership champions for 2019-20.

It isnt how Brown or anyone at Parkhead wanted to win it but having opened up a 13-point gap at the top before Covid-19 struck and shut down the game the title was all but theirs.

That means Neil Lennons side will equal the feat achieved by Celtic in 1974 and then Rangers in 1997 with McNeill and Gough as skippers.

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Brown will chase a record breaking 10th title next season in what is set to be his last year at the club.

Caldwell, who watched him come through the ranks at Hibs as a youngster before teaming up with him again at Celtic, is full of admiration for what the 34-year-old has achieved.

He never had any doubt that Brown would become a great player because even as a spiky-haired buzz bomb at Easter Road, Caldwell knew he was destined for the top.

But the former Scotland defender is in awe of Browns mental toughness, which developed at Celtic from his arrival in 2007.

The heartbreaking loss of his sister at just 21 to cancer thefollowing year would have broken lesser men but not Brown.

According to Caldwell, to come back from it and win nine titles, five Scottish Cups, six League Cups and 55 Scotland caps is nothing short of remarkable.

He said: When I look at Scott now, as the leader of this Celtic team and the centre of everything at the club, its hard to believe its that same kid I met at Hibs.

Even when he first came to Celtic, he had a difficult first couple of years.

He obviously he had a family issue, with his sister passing away, which was so tragic.

That really affected him but hes done amazingly well to come back from that and to grow as a person and as a footballer. Hes gone on to become a Celtic legend.

It takes a lot to come back from that because it could easily have gone the other way.

Thats probably Scotts biggest asset. When I think back to all of those young Hibs players at the time, he was the one who had that mental toughness, that resilience and character.

When things went wrong he was able to recover from it and get to the very top.

Hes needed that at many points in his career and hes shown hes got it in abundance.

In those first few years when I was at Celtic, I dont think anyone could have said that would happen for him, but hes gone on to be a fantastic player and someone wholl be remembered at the club for ever more.

Its incredible hell be in that company now, with McNeill and Gough. There wont be many more nine-in-a-row achievements in our lifetime and you can throw in the Trebles for Celtic as well.

There havent been too many of them in Scottish football history but hes got three in the last three seasons.

It shows how special a time it is for the football club and for Scott as captain. Thats what will put him right up there with the very best players whove played for Celtic over the years.

Caldwell left Celtic in 2010 just as Brown was given the captains armband by Gordon Strachan.

He might not have been one for rousing, motivational speeches before games but Caldwell says Browns leadership skills would come to the fore as soon as he crossed the white line.

He said: Being a leader wasnt something that jumped out at me with Scott early on. But as he got older, with experience, he became very professional.

He was always a figurehead in the changing room but being a captain wouldnt have been something I predicted when I left Celtic. Since hes had the armband hes shown what a leader he is. He leads by example.

Hes probably not a big talker or shouter before games for the sake of it, even though hell say something when he feels its needed.

On the pitch, hes someone who does the right thing atthe right time, like putting in a tackle when its needed.

Hell make a pass or score a goal when its really needed so he leads the team with performances more than anything.

He has more than matched the expectations I had of him when he was a kid at Hibs.

Scotts done what I thought he would do and probably more, in terms of the trophies hes won at Celtic. Putting himself in this small group of people, with McNeill and Gough, shows what kind of career hes had.

Browns anchoring of Celtics midfield under Brendan Rodgers and Lennon in the last few years has been key to the clubs success.

As he got older, he mastered that sitting role, dictating the teams tempo and rhythm.

Caldwell will never forget the buzz bomb he encountered at Easter Road almost 20 years ago but insists the respect Brown had for older pros at Hibs was a sign hed enjoy a fruitful career.

He said: I think he even dyed his spiky hair red once.

He was a bit different but a great lad in the dressing-room, full of energy and enjoying life.

He showed qualities and attributes that you knew could take him to the top.

Hes learned over the years and refined his game. Now, hes a very experienced and clever footballer.

There were a lot of young boys at that time. Scott and Kevin Thomson were good pals and you had Garry OConnor, Derek Riordan and Steven Whittaker.

They were into their banter but, especially from Broony, it was never in a disrespectful way.

He knew when to draw a line and focus on football. The older lads never had to bring him down a peg or two.

He was respectful of older pros like Gary Smith and Steven Glass.

You could see that he was keen to ask them for advice and learn from them and that has stood him in good stead for the rest of his career.

See more here:
The Scott Brown Celtic mentality factor that keeps him on the Billy McNeill path to immortality - Daily Record

Leroy San isn't a Bayern Munich player just yet, but when the Manchester City forward does return to Germany and starts calling the Allianz Arena home, the 24-year-old will be given the chance to create a legacy at a super club.

So soon after they left, San will have the chance to form a partnership which looks to fill the boots of Franck Ribry and Arjen Robben. Bayern Munich's famous double act, which was dubbed Robbery, tormented opposition sides domestically and in Europe for a decade.

Ribry specifically spent 12 years in Bavaria after joining the club from Marseille, and although Robben left at the same time as his partner in crime, he actually joined two years later. They made a combined 734 appearances during that time.

Players came and went around them too. Luca Toni, Miroslav Klose, Mario Gmez, Ivica Olic, Claudio Pizarro, Mario Manduki and Robert Lewandowski have all lead the line for the Rekordmeister during that time. But Robben and Ribry? They were a constant for Bayern Munich for a generation.

It wasn't the reliability of 'Robbery' to always be available which made them so feared though. Robben was directly involved in 245 goals during his 10-year spell at the club. Ribry's 306 goal contributions at Bayern Munich was just as impressive.

The key to Robben and Ribry's success at Bayern Munich was their understanding on the pitch, which helped them come up clutch whenever the Bavarians needed them most. In total, 79 games across all competitions were won thanks to goals from either one of their star wingers.

It sounds like a mountain to climb for San. In some ways, it is. But half the battle has already been won as the Germany international has a world class winger waiting for him at the Allianz Arena, one who won the club's Player of the Year award in his first season there.

Just five years ago, Serge Gnabry wasn't at the level to play for Tony Pulis' West Brom. Now, the Bayern Munich forward has scored the same amount of goals in London as Everton this season, and he's even scored one more in England's capital city than Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Since leaving England on a permanent basis, Gnabry's been taking the Bundesliga by storm.

He was involved in 12 goals in his first season for Werder Bremen. The following year, whilst on loan at Hoffenheim, Gnabry's tally was 17 goals and assists. That went up to 22 when he was voted as Bayern Munich's Player of the Year and this season it's increased even more, currently sitting on 29.

Even without San at Bayern Munich, Gnabry is already living up to his end of the bargain.

The Manchester City forward isn't as potent in the final third as Gnabry, but as a player who has be flirting round the edges of being world class for four years, a move to Bayern Munich could be exactly what the doctor ordered for all involved.

It won't be easy to properly measure how Gnabry and San compare to 'Robbery', although it's something which people will still try, but the two Germany internationals already have one foot in the door when it comes to achieving immortality in the stands at the Allianz Arena.

It didn't come easy for Robben and Ribry. It won't come easy for Gnabry and San either, but having two international forwards from your own country in a squad which is becoming increasingly multinational is something which would be a huge factor in most places on the planet - let alone somewhere with such a strong, hyper-local patriotism like Bavaria.

They will still have to immerse themselves in the Bavarian culture like so many have before, but Bayern Munich's next potentially generation-defining partnership do already have a headstart.

There's little doubt that between them, both players have more than enough talent to live up to expectations which were set over a decade earlier by 'Robbery', but to really have a lasting impact on Bayern Munich and even surpass their predecessors, Gnabry and San have to become bastions of their Mia San Mia mentality.

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Leroy San & Serge Gnabry Aren't Just the Heirs to Bayern Munich's Robbery Throne - They Could Be Better - 90min

Home Music Bono Posts 60 Songs That Saved His Life to Celebrate 60th Birthday,...

Bono has posted an eclectic list of songs that saved his life for his 60th birthday. His favorite song that saved his life his own recording ofg Miserere with Pavarotti and Zucchero. He also liked his duet with Sinatra, and a record he and U2 did with Kendrick Lamar. Not one song by a classic soul artist, just one from the Beatles, none from them individually, one early Stones single. Well, these lists tend to be subjective and immediate. Next year it could all be different. Happy Birthday, Paul Hewson!

1. Luciano Pavarotti, Bono & Zucchero Miserere2. Sex Pistols Anarchy in the UK3. Kanye West Black Skinhead4. Billie Eilish Everything I Wanted5. David Bowie Life on Mars?6. The Beatles I Want to Hold Your Hand7. Ramones Swallow My Pride8. The Clash Safe European Home9. Public Enemy Fight the Power10. Patti Smith People Have the Power11. John Lennon Mother12. The Rolling Stones Ruby Tuesday13. Elton John Daniel14. Andrea Bocelli Con Te Partiro15. Elvis Presley Heartbreak Hotel16. Johnny Cash Hurt17. This Mortal Coil Song to the Siren18. Kraftwerk Neon Lights19. The Fugees Killing Me Softly With His Song20. Prince When Doves Cry21. Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers Get Lucky22. Madonna Ray of Light23. JAY-Z featuring Alicia Keys Empire State of Mind24. Talking Heads Love Goes to Building on Fire25. Lou Reed Satellite of Love26. The Verve Bitter Sweet Symphony27. Joy Division Love Will Tear Us Apart28. New Order True Faith29. R.E.M. Nightswimming30. Adele Chasing Pavements31. Arcade Fire Wake Up32. Pixies Monkey Gone to Heaven33. Oasis Live Forever34. Iggy Pop Lust for Life35. Gavin Friday Angel36. Massive Attack Safe from Harm37. Kendrick Lamar featuring U2 XXX38. Bob Marley & The Wailers Redemption Song39. Echo and the Bunnymen Rescue40. Nirvana Smells Like Teen Spirit41. Pearl Jam Jeremy42. Bob Dylan Most of the Time43. Beyonc featuring Kendrick Lamar Freedom44. Depeche Mode Walking In My Shoes45. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds Into My Arms46. Simon & Garfunkel The Sounds of Silence47. Coldplay Clocks48. INXS Never Tear Us Apart49. New Radicals You Get What You Give50. Anglique Kidjo Agolo51. Lady Gaga Born This Way52. Frank Sinatra & Bono Under My Skin53. David Bowie Heroes54. Simple Minds New Gold Dream (81/82/83/84)55. Sinad OConnor You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart56. Van Morrison A Sense of Wonder57. Bruce Springsteen There Goes My Miracle58. Daniel Lanois The Maker59. Peter Frampton Show Me the Way60. Bee Gees Immortality Demo Version

Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. He wrote the Intelligencer column for NY Magazine in the mid 90s, reporting on the OJ Simpson trial, as well as for the real Parade magazine (when it was owned by Conde Nast), and has written for the New York Observer, Details, Vogue, Spin, the New York Times, NY Post, Washington Post, and NY Daily News among many publications. He is the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

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Bono Posts 60 Songs That Saved His Life to Celebrate 60th Birthday, Starting with Own Pavarotti Duet - Showbiz411

In an earlier segment of the podcast, Can We Upload Ourselves to a Computer and Live Forever?, Walter Bradley Center director Robert J. Marks and computer scientist Selmer Bringsjord discussed whether we could achieve immortality by uploading our minds to computers.

The basic problem with that idea is that human minds arent computable. Peter and Jane are not bits and bytes. Here, they continue the discussion, addressing the notorious Hard Problem of consciousness. People are conscious and even the most sophisticated foreseeable computers are not. And we are not at all sure what consciousness even is.

A partial transcript of the podcast follows (start at 8:50).

08:50 | Is consciousness a special case of cognition?

Robert J. Marks: In your paper, you claim that consciousness is a special case of cognition. Thats the first time Ive heard that sort of claim. Could you elaborate and unwrap that a little bit?

Selmer Bringsjord (right): Let me just say that I couldnt agree with you more about the delayed scrutiny [claims about uploading our minds to computers are pegged to an indefinite future] and the antidote to that is just taking a bet. But nobody wants to take the bets. So if Id been around when Herb Simon well, were talking the Fifties and he said, in a few years, were going to work it out. Or Marvin Minsky well, its a few summers or maybe even one summer, dont worry, well bring you back this AI.

What I dont get about this is, Well, really, heres five thousand dollars, heres fifty, heres a hundred, heres my entire 403B that says right now, you can take it and my descendants will sort this out. Lets work out the contract. Im willing to make a bet. Lets make a bet But no ones willing to take the bet.

Note: Its possible to get a great deal of attention for promising thinking computers in the indefinite future without making any bets as to performance or even being held accountable for lack thereof.

Herbert Simon (19162001): Machines will be capable, within twenty years, of doing any work that a man can do. (1965).

Marvin Minsky (19272016): Within 10 years computers wont even keep us as pets. (1967)

Robert J. Marks: Its kind of an algorithm of the gaps that someday we are going to have an algorithm that does this sort of thing, yet it has been promised since sixty years ago and nothing has really happened. And nothing has passed, as Ive seen it, the Lovelace test that you proposed about fifteen years ago. So, consciousness isa special case of cognition?

Selmer Bringsjord: Right. I certainly will agree that that is not in any way universally affirmed and some people steer clear of consciousness and try to prevent consciousness from entering the scientific discussion, whether its neuroscience or even sometimes things that are more formal like treatments in decision theorywhether its normatively correct, that is, whether the agents are good at it, whether theyre making bad decisions. No, no, lets come up with an account of decision-making that doesnt take the consciousness associated with desire seriously. So we dont have to worry about what desire really is and the consciousness associated with that, lets keep it separate

If were going to be honest with each other, you cant instantiate these things in agents, at least agents of the human variety, unless that agent has feelings. Unless there is something that it is actually like to be human, unless the human feels pain, unless the human feels pleasure Lets just write down the activities that are part of being a cognitive agent as opposed to just an agent because in AI a textbook can say that an agent just computes a function from the percepts of the environment to actions. So even something that computes the square root is technically an agent in AI. But when we say a cognitive agent, we cant suppress consciousness rising up before our faces and we have to deal with it. But again, some people can try to dodge it.

Note: Approaches to consciousness that are currently under discussion in science principally fall into one of three categories:

It is a material phenomenon: Philosopher Galen Strawson argues that, in order to exist in any scientific sense, consciousness must be wholly physical.

It is an illusion, naturally selected to aid survival: Neuroscientist Michael Graziano espouses this view. The problem is that, as Michael Egnor explains, If consciousness evolved as an aid to reproduction, there is little reason to credit it with any particular effectiveness as a tool for ascertaining truth. Its an aid to coitus, not contemplation.

It exists and pervades nature but we are only aware of human consciousness: Thats the panpsychist view: Scientific American, for example, has given panpsychism considerable respectful space in recent years because the alternative appear to make even less sense.

The idea that consciousness is a real but immaterial phenomenon is not at present considered a scientific idea, irrespective of evidence.

13:16 | Are consciousness and cognition non-algorithmic?

Robert J. Marks (right): So, if we have these things cognition and consciousness, which are attributes of humans, your claim in your paper is that they are non-algorithmic, that is, that you cant write a computer program to simulate them. They are not computable. What is your argument that cognition is not computable?

Selmer Bringsjord: Well, first, to be careful, some of them are not computable. Clearly, playing checkers is a computable process, provably so by definition. If we want a simpler case, applicable even to young children, then Tic Tac Toe. Even a very young child can learn an infallible algorithm for Tic Tac Toe but when they make those decisions theyre doing something thats computable. But Im talking about things that distinguish the human person.

14:48 | Examples of cognition that are not computable

Robert J. Marks: So what would be some examples of cognition that were not computable? Clearly, chess and checkers are computable.

Selmer Bringsjord: Well, at the top of the list is conjectured discovery and confirmation in the formal sciences orto use what is probably good enoughmathematics.

Doing mathematics where you are conjecturing and making discoveries and confirming them is untouchable. I have a booketernally undone but getting quite close nowon Gdels great theorems. If you just look at one little piece of his career, where he proves that the continuum hypothesis (basically that there is no set between the natural numbers and the reals) this is astounding. So when we talk about AI doing all this work, it doesnt really do anything in mathematics.

The great thing about that one is that we can inspect the output produced by humans that are playing in this space. So its not like they just give us vague reports about doing these amazing things. They write their results down. So we can look at the results and we can say, Can a machine generate something like this? and the answer is, flat out, with a ring of iron, no. This would be my number one.

Number two would be creativity As much as he was a maniac, Wagner. I mean, how does one human being create the storyline, the music, the libretto, which is essentially poetry, and produce that out of whole cloth?

Lets just think about love. Whats it like for one person to genuinely love another person and be loved by that person. Now, we cant mathematize that. Weve got no account of what it is. In fact, the leadng formal account of human emotionsthe so-called OCC account, which I like very muchhas come up totally empty on any kind of formal account of love. And yet, we love people and we want to be loved and we know what were talking about so every human being on the face of the planet can just see that there is a major problem here!

Note: Transhumanists do not usually try to explain how they would create immortality by capturing human consciousness in a machine so one can only evaluate the social movement in terms of the issues it would raise if their ideas were remotely possible. Here are a few questions that have been raised:

What does it mean for conventional notions of the person? As Jonathan Bartlett asks, If I kill you, but upload your mind into an android, did I murder you or just modify you?

Bartletts question is especially pertinent because schemes for reproducing you as a computer program may require killing you first..

Would you want immortal life as a computer program? What would be left of life as it matters to us? Heres a test question: Would you give up your right arm for a robotic device that performs better?

Next: Why a computer will not write the Great 21st Century Novel

Earlier: Can human minds be reduced to computer programs? In Silicon Valley that has long been a serious belief. But are we really anywhere close?

Robert J. Marks and Selmer Bringsjord were discussing issues around human vs. computer thinking abilities:

Thinking machines? The Lovelace test raises the stakes. The Turing test has had a free ride in science media for far too long, says an AI expert. (This is the partial transcript and notes to the earlier part of the podcast.)

and

Thinking machines? Has the Lovelace test been passed? Surprising results do not equate to creativity. Is there such a thing as machine creativity? The feats of machines like AlphaGo are due to superior computational power, not to creativity at originating new ideas. Dr. Bringsjord sees the ability to write, say, a novel of ideas as a more realistic test of human vs. computer achievement.

Here is the original post:
Why Our Minds Can't Really Be Uploaded to Computers - Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence

You know Michael Moore hit a bullseye in his new film Planet of the Humans when the first reaction of the professional environmental community has been to denigrate, name call, mischaracterize, dismiss and attempt to deplatform the filmmakers.

The tactics will be familiar to those who have endured being called deniers for pointing out much of what director Jeff Gibbs found to be the hidden truths behind the grandiose claims of the most outspoken green activists.

The aspirational vision of the green movement is described in the Leap Manifesto in this line, We could live in a country powered entirely by renewable energy, woven together by accessible public transit With his documentary, Gibbs drops a massive truth bomb. No, actually. We cant.

For years, the green movement would have had us believe that it was possible, and even desirable, to have an energy grid powered entirely by wind and solar, producing free, clean energy forever and ever, amen. We would switch to electric cars and electric heating and all our energy needs would be met. When the wind was blowing and the sun was shining, wed use what we needed and store the rest and Mother Earth would look upon us and say it was good.

But it is not good. Solar panels sterilize vast tracks of land and are created by crushing quartz with coal and superheating them with coal-fired power to fuse them into shape. Wind turbines massacre endangered migratory birds and are similarly rendered with heavy industrial processes and mined materials using fossil fuels. Neither work without a back up to stabilize the grid and the default baseload is increasingly natural gas, but powering up and down natural gas plants is inefficient and burns more energy. Batteries are laden with mined rare earth metals that also require fossil fuel-based industrial processes to create. Ethanol is made from fossil fuel-based industrial agriculture, corn, or by destroying and burning Amazon rainforest to plant sugarcane. Hydrogen comes from natural gas. Biomass burns everything from creosote soaked railway ties from Canada to commercially grown and harvested green forests ground into woodchips using heavy diesel-powered equipment.

Behold the underlying truth: The backbone of green energy is fossil fuels. The more green energy we use, the more fossil fuels we will need.

Former Green party leader Elizabeth Mays response was to call it a dreadful, ill-informed, and unhelpful film. She calls it a vanity project of two guys with no expertise. She quotes energy specialist Ketan Joshis blog that remarks in this film are toxic misinformation, on par with the worst climate change deniers. I read Joshis blog and he gamely tries to defend wind and solar as being much more efficient these days, but misses the point the vision of 100 per cent renewable relying solely on wind and solar is impossible.

May misses the point too. She ends her lament by saying, Be not dispirited, but take the time to reach out and educate everyone about the benefits of going 100 per cent renewable. Sigh.

Planet of the Humans has a fascinating segment on the religiosity of the environmental movement with Prof. Sheldon Solomon. In trying to understand his now shattered belief that green energy was the answer to everything, Gibbs asks the professor, Have we created a religion we are unaware of? To which Solomon responds, Absolutely. He explains: Every culture has an account of the origin of the universe, every culture has a prescription for how you are supposed to behave while you are here, and every culture offers its denizens hope for immortality, either literally or symbolically.

The greens are reacting the way they are because Gibbs just killed their god.

My problem with the documentary is its very dark undertone. In the opening, Gibbs interviews regular people about how long humanity has left on the planet. One person refers to humanity as cockroaches. He asks if it is humanitys time to go and ends by saying it is not the carbon dioxide molecule destroying the planet, its us. And so environmentalism has come full circle back to where it began with Paul Ehrlichs seminal 1968 book The Population Bomb, which advocated reducing the population of humanity lest we face mass starvation on a dying planet.

Really? Fifty years after the first Earth Day and that is the answer? Surely we can do better. How about a new vision for the environment that values both people and the planet?

Danielle Smith is a radio host on 770 CHQR. She can be reached at danielle@daniellesmith.ca

Excerpt from:
Danielle Smith: New documentary kills off the sacred gods of the environmental movement - National Post

With a sharp mind, a body trained for warfare, and the ability to control all electronics on Earth, Livewire is one of Valiant's deadliest psiots.

The formerly loyal student of Toyo Harada, Livewire, a.k.a. Amanda McKee, is one of the Valiant Universe's deadliest superhumans. A member of the psionically empowered species known as Psiots, Livewire is able to interact with and even control the planet's growing rate of electronic devices. Cunning, fierce, and unpredictably resourceful, Livewire's powers have been felt firsthand by the teens that make up the Harbinger Renegades and even the very Earth's entire electrical grid.

Here's a look at what the psionic body of Harbinger's second in command can do.

RELATED: A Brief History of Harbinger, Valiant's Super-Powered Team of Teens

Livewire's main ability as a psiot is interacting with and controlling technology. From there, she can actually control the various functions of machines, bending them to her will and making them an extension of herself. Shehas used this control over technology on a global scale and was actually able to usher the entire world into a blackout by depowering the electrical grid.

She can even assemble new weapons and gadgets by constructing them with her mind, using nearby scraps of metal and electrical panels to create whatever she chooses. After she connected with X-O Manowar's armor Shanhara (who she had forcibly separated from Aric), her abilities were increased even further. Now, she is essentially a living modem and is able to interface with pretty much any form of electrical technology on the planet, no matter where she is.

These technopathic abilities also make her very similar to Bloodshot, whose nanites she can likewise disable. The scariest part of her powers is how she discovered them, as well as how quickly she learned to use them. As an orphaned child, she was tormented by other children in the Youth Treatment Center. Soon, she discovered that she could interface with and control machines while playing a video game. Realizing this, she turned the game into a literal torture device against those who had mistreated her. This level of psionic power and misanthropyeventually attractedthe attention of Toyo Harada.

RELATED: X-O Manowar: Who Is Valiant's Time-Displaced Hero?

Beyond her psionic abilities, Livewire is also an unarmed threat. She has incredible physical and martial arts prowess, having been trained in a variety of different disciplines. This fighting skill was adept enough to allow her to go toe-to-toe with War-Monger, a woman whose immortality and savage fighting ability had caused immense suffering throughout human history.

She is also resourceful with numerous weapons, from long-range munitions to more close-range weaponry. Her danger level only increases if she's able to technologically interface with the weapon, making modern warfare particularly suited toward her skill set. Since deserting Harada's Harbinger Organization and striking out on her own, she has used her stealth and martial capabilities as a sort of partner alongside Ninjak.

RELATED: Valiant's Super-Powered Psiots, Explained

Livewire is one of the most intelligent individuals in the Valiant Universe and is perhaps second only to Toyo Harada himself. In fact, much of her training came directly from her former teacher, who personally fed her already incredible intellect.

To bolster her technopathic powers, Harada specifically taught her the ins and outs of A.I., computers, and various disciplines in engineering, allowing her to be able to pick apart and rebuild the most complex machines as if they were simple puzzles.

RELATED: Bloodhound: What to Know About Valiant & Bloodshot's Best Boy

After encountering Aric of Dacia and his alien X-O Manowar armor, Livewire constructed a version of the suit that was designed to work only for her. This armor was created to match her own body at the nano-molecular level, with its incredible abilities only further enhancing her own. The suit has numerous bristles throughout it, which function as wings that allow Livewire to fly effortlessly through the air.

These bristles also act as electric energy batteries, soaking up electrostatic energy to the point where Livewire can offensively expel the build-up as plasmoid bolts. The armor can even siphon more energy from plant matter, convertingit into a potentially eco-friendly, sustainable fuel source. Acting in accord with her enhanced technopath powers, the suit can rebuild and add onto itself using outside sources of metal and technology, crafting an endless supply of tools and weapons for whatever task Livewire needs to complete.

RELATED: Bloodshot vs. Ninja: Who's Actually More Powerful?

A more understated part of her technopathy is Livewire's ability to control and disrupt magnetic fields. By using electromagnetism, Livewire can control and animate nearby in a way similar to other comic book characters such as Magneto or Dr. Polaris. This ability explains how and why she is able to interact with metal that lacks any type of electronic component. It is a subtly understood quality of Livewire's powers in the current Valiant Universe.

In the Valiant Universe's original incarnation, however, it was much more emphasized, as it was effectively Livewire's only true power. This makes the modern version of Livewire, who lives in a world even more inundated with technology, far deadlier than possibly any other Valiant hero or villain.

KEEP READING: Get to Know Rai, the Japanese Swordsman Tied to Bloodshot

Legend of Korra: The Gaang Family Trees, Explained

Visit link:
Valiant Anatomy: The 5 Weirdest Things About Livewire's Body, Explained - CBR - Comic Book Resources

Pinatubo: last year's brilliant juvenile started his career at Wolverhampton

Edward Whitaker

A trainer and I stood in the centre of his yard at the start of last month gazing at a horse as she walked by, blissfully unaware, or perhaps unappreciative, of the potential cataclysm that was coming racing's way.

We stared appreciatively at this horse, a striking unraced two-year-old filly, and mused about what may lay ahead for her. "You can just imagine her charging up the hill at the July course", or words to that effect, were offered enthusiastically by the trainer. He was right, I could imagine it.

And that's what two-year-olds, like no other type of horse that is raced, offer; excitement and anticipation, disappointment and befuddlement, but the chance to dream and ponder "what if".

So, that is what I look forward to most when racing finally returns, the chance to see two-year-olds in action and the boundless possibilities almost each and every race for such horses presents through the year.

Newmarket July course: often anticipation before two-year-old races

Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

That is the beauty with juveniles. Yes, you are most likely to see a very talented horse running at the July course in the summer or at Newbury or York, the prize-money, prestige, programmes and racing surfaces at tracks such as these often make them the chosen places for the regally-bred and expensively-bought youngsters.

However, brilliance is not the preserved of these courses. Take, for example, a seemingly run-of-the-mill novice contest staged on a Friday evening at Wolverhampton in May last year.

That race was won by none other than Pinatubo, who didn't even start favourite but would end the year unbeaten and ranked among the best juveniles we have ever seen in Europe. Who could have predicted such a sequence of events that morning?

The excitement that fizzes around racecourses before the appearance of a well-touted two-year-old, particularly an unraced one, is a delight.

I have experienced this at the aforementioned July course more than any other racecourse. That tangible anticipation about what may happen was present before Motivator, winner of the following year's Derby, scored for the first time there, and it was the same when Rainbow View blew away her opposition on debut as well (she really was a wonderfully talented juvenile).

Frankel: made his debut at the July Course in Newmarket

Edward Whitaker

However, it was never more fevered than before an unraced Galileo colt in the Juddmonte silks stepped on to the racecourse for the first time on a Friday evening when rain lashed down from the sky in torrents.

Of course, you don't need me to tell you the horse in question was Frankel, starting out on his road to immortality. A two-year-old with countless potential whose trainer, the late Sir Henry Cecil, after the race stood sheltering from the rain, head characteristically tilted to one side as he absorbed what he had seen, pondering what he might do nextas those gathered around him waitedfor his customary "what do you think?".

From those exciting debuts, to the stakes races, nursery debutants and sales contests, where horses bought from relative peanuts can provide those who have invested their hopes and dreams with returns they couldscarcely have imagined a matter of months before, two-year-old racing offers so much to look forward to.

So, I hope to be at the July course later this summer with the sun warming my shoulders, watching the filly I let my mind's eye picture thundering across the turf do her thing. Who knows where it may lead?

Read this next:

What I'm looking forward to after lockdown: a cracking Monday night at Windsor

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Epic moments: relive some of the great performances over jumps and on the Flat

Keep up to date on the must-have news, tips, photos and more by following the Racing Post across all social channels

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What I am looking forward to after lockdown: seeing the exciting two-year-olds - Racing Post

In celebration of Earth Day, April 22, here are some of our favorite quotes about the distinctly profound nature of Mother Nature herself.

On the 50th anniversary of the planet's big day, the world is on lockdown and there will be neither parties nor parades in Earth's honor. And you know what? Mother Nature is doing a happy dance nonetheless. A pandemic is obviously devastating for humans, but pollution has plummeted and wildlife is enjoying the freedom to roam in places long off limits. Mother Nature's like, "this is the best Earth Day ever."

But just because we can't got out and sing our praises for the planet doesn't mean we shouldn't celebrate at home. TreeHugger has long echoed the cliche that every day is Earth Day, but we really take it to heart. So to help bang the drum for our favorite planet, here is a selection of some our favorite quotes on all things Mother Nature.

Lao Tzu: "Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished."

Isaac Newton: "Nature is pleased with simplicity."

John Muir: "Keep close to Nature's heart ... and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain, or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean."

Katrina Mayer: Time spent amongst trees is never wasted time.

John Muir: "Between every two pines is a doorway to a new world."

Felix Dennis: "Whosoever plants a tree / Winks at immortality,"

Ralph Waldo Emerson: "The earth laughs in flowers."

Aristotle: "In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous."

Carl Sagan: The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself.

Vincent Van Gogh: "If you truly love Nature, you will find beauty everywhere."

Henry David Thoreau: "I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees."

Pierre Trudeau: What sets a canoeing expedition apart is that it purifies you more rapidly and inescapably than any other travel. Travel a thousand miles by train and you are a brute; pedal five hundred miles on a bicycle and you remain basically a bourgeois; paddle a hundred in a canoe and you are already a child of nature.

Aldo Leopold: I am glad I will not be young in a future without wilderness.

Frank Lloyd Wright: "Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you."

Rembrandt: "Choose only one master nature."

And lastly, the great sage, Alex Trebek: "If you can't be in awe of Mother Nature, there's something wrong with you."

In celebration of Earth Day, April 22, here are some of our favorite quotes about the distinctly profound nature of Mother Nature herself.

Link:
Earth Day inspiration: Words on nature from our greatest thinkers - Treehugger

According to FOX 26s Mark Berman, Rudy Tomjanovich will be elected to the Hall of Fame. This is not a drill!

After nearly two decades of Rudy T Hall of Fame snubs, the beloved Rockets head coach will enter basketball immortality.

As a player, Tomjanovich spent 11 seasons with the Rockets averaging 17.4 points per game and 8.1 rebounds per game.

After his playing career, Rudy T entered the scouting department and moved to the coaching staff in 1983.

After eight seasons as an assistant to Bill Fitch and Don Chaney, he became the head coach during the 1991-92 season.

He held the position until 2003, leading the Rockets to their only two championships in franchise history and is the winningest coach in Rockets history.

During his coaching career, Rudy T also led the 2000 U.S. Mens Basketball team to a gold medal in Sydney, leaving his touch on the international game.

Every year, Rockets fans have scratched their heads wondering why Rudy T missed out, but the head scratching has now come to an end.

Rudy Tomjanovich is a Hall of Famer.

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At long last! Rudy T is Hall of Fame bound! - The Dream Shake

Ima take it slow just as fast as I can, purred wily country superstar Sam Hunt on his very silly 2017 smash hit Body Like a Back Road, and then, just to really drive the point home, he waited three full years to put that song on his new album. Yes, Southside, the hilariously long-awaited follow-up to Hunts cataclysmic 2014 debut Montevallo, finally came out Friday; yes, he fussed over this goddamn record for a solid half-decade, just to get everything absolutely perfect, only to release it [gestures futilely at recent world events] now. Amazing. You dont Google a song as old as Body Like a Back Road to remember when he put it outyou carbon-date it. That it sounds better now than it ever didstill pretty stupid, but winsome now in its flagrant naivetis a plot twist, kinda funny and kinda crushingly sad, and worthy of, yes, a country song.

Hunt, a Georgia native and minor college football star, is far from the first Nashville disruptor to try his hand at rapping, at oversharing, at charmingly arrogant self-actualization. (Think of him as the young zen quarterback, secure in his own immortality, who animates the lately rhapsodized Fountains of Wayne song All Kinds of Time.) But Montevallo, though familiar in its subject matter (see Break Up in a Small Town), crammed louche talk-sung verses into brash EDM-drop choruses (see Break Up in a Small Town again) and sounded like a revelation, a mainstream country landmark for a post-genre universe. I think about Hunts thing about the grass growing back on his front lawn where his ex used to park her car, like, once a week. (Same song.) Hes an everyman of almost superhuman vividness, and he was bound to turn the simple labor of putting out another album into a vaguely mystical and beyond-laborious ordeal.

Southside is 12 tracks and not quite 40 minutes long, and does not betray, from its hyper-casual cover shot on down, its status as probably the most anxiously awaited sophomore country album of Hunts generation. (The dogs not even looking at the camera.) Sometimes hes a staunch traditionalist: The albums very first line, a forlornly crooned Id put the whiskey back in the bottle, could be the first line of any country album released by anybody, ever. That song, 2016, is, like most of Hunts best songs, a tender and perceptive ode to romantic regret, sweet and remarkably apolitical given that its chorus expresses his desire to take 2016 and give it back to you. He sounds great, and reenergized, but not so much like a boundary-smashing iconoclast fixing to lead the revolution.

And then Hard to Forget happens. It kicks off with a sample of postwar honky-tonk giant Webb Pierces 1953 jam There Stands the Glass, chopping and stretching good ol Webbs nasal syllables as the brash beat kicks in, a feat of bumptious hick-hop sacrilege that powers, yes, a tender and perceptive ode to romantic regret. Got a bottle of whisky but Ive got no proof / That you showed up tonight in that dress just to mess with my head, Hunt quips in the chorus, a raucous house party raging all around him. Its all so simple, so ridiculous, so instantly indelible. This will be a fantastic summer song, my Ringer colleague Meg Schuster observed, if we still get a summer.

Like any early-2020 album served up by anybody, Southside was written and recorded (and frequently delayed) with no clue as to the tumultuous coronavirus-ravaged environment into which itd eventually be released. But Hunt knows a thing or two about inner tumult, about tenuous good times elucidated through gritted teeth, about pathos that feels communal even if its terribly specific to him. The narrative of this record, and really his whole career to date, revolves around his romantic partner, Hannah Lee Fowler: They split shortly before Montevallos release (its named after her hometown, and the split was his fault), and he spent much of the intervening years between that record and this one very publicly wooing her back. Southsides closing track Drinkin Too Muchwhich also dates to 2017, and in its moody solipsism is Hunts most Drake-like song amid fierce competitioncloses with this:

Hannah Lee, Im on my way to youNobody can love you like I doI dont know what Im gonna say to youBut I know there aint no wayI know there aint no wayNo there aint no way were through

Anyway, now theyre married. Repurposing this three-year-old, paralyzingly depressed jam as the albums dramatic conclusion is the most vulnerable sort of power move: See, I called my shot. Hunt, as you mightve guessed by now, has little use for chronological time. Drinkin Too Much is preceded by a clever and expertly lightweight anti-Instagram rant called Breaking Up Was Easy in the 90s; another moody and extra-bombastic breakup song, Downtowns Dead, is nearly two years old itself, and kicks off with Hunt singing, Thanks Hannah, thank you for coming back deep in the mix. Southside is the country-music equivalent of watching Memento, the narrative scrambled, our lovers torn apart or triumphantly reunited as the plot dictates.

Its all quite ambitious, even if the songs themselves are at their best when theyre at their humblest. Kinfolks and Downtowns Dead both have nimble and gigantic choruses that require no backstory; so does the melancholy Young Once, on which Hunt tosses off killer line after killer line that fully hits you only the 12th time you hear it. (Who knows how long were always gonna feel this way?) The woozy drum-machine backbeat mixes expertly with, yknow, the banjo on Let It Down. And if youre in it for the quote-unquote rapping, with Hunt somehow both at his bro-iest and most profound, then That Aint Beautiful is your jam, even if its mansplaining of the most mellifluous sort:

And you can split an AdderallWith a stranger in the bathroom stallSend a misspelled text to an exPut his fist through your bedroom wallCause bein treated like shitIs really comfortable to you

Sam Hunt songs are perspective-mangling magic tricks: Theyre reliably both not that deep and fathomless. Sinning With You is a sex jam that doubles as an alarmingly astute meditation on spirituality, and I feel as weird typing that as you do reading it, but sheesh: Your place or my place / His grace and your grace / Felt like the same thing to me probably wont take 12 repetitions to sink in. Southside is a huge deal in a monumentally casual way, and every track on it, however ancient it might be, is both deeply personal and totally perfect for general merriment and/or misery. Whether we get a summer this summer or not.

Read this article:
Sam Hunts Southside Is a Big Deal, Even If Hes Casual About It - The Ringer

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. (WLNS) Legendary Detroit Tigers right fielder Al Kaline died Monday afternoon at the age of 85.

In 22 seasons with the Tigers, the MLB Hall of Famer played in more games and hit more home runs than anyone else in club history.

The 18-year-old Kaline came to the Tigers in 1953 directly from high school, having never spent a day in the minors, and by the next season established himself as one of the games bright new talents. By 1955, at age 20, he became the youngest player to win a batting title when he hit .340, according to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Mr. Tiger was the 12th player in Major League Baseball history to reach the elite 3,000-hit club, and the second Detroit Tigers player following Ty Cobb.

On Aug. 17, 1980, the number 6 won immortality in Detroit when Kaline became the first player in Tigers history to have his number retired. 1980 was the same year he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The city of Detroit also honored Kaline, announcing when he signed his contract in 1970 that Aug. 2 would be known as Al Kaline Day.

I owe everything to baseball, Kaline said, according to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Without it, Id probably be a bum.

A cause of death was not immediately available. John Morad, a close friend of the family, confirmed the news to the Detroit Free Press after speaking with Kalines youngest son, Mike.

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Mr. Tiger, legend Al Kaline passes away at the age of 85 - KOIN.com