alietr wrote: ↑Tue May 15, 2018 11:32 am
Dapper Tom Wolfe, novelist ("The Right Stuff", "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test") and journalist is dead at 88.
9021amyers wrote: ↑Mon May 14, 2018 11:16 am
In a 7-2 decision, the Supreme Court has ruled the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 unconditional. The law, which placed a federal ban on sports betting in states where it was not already established (namely, Nevada), was challenged by the state of New Jersey. It, along with all other states, are now free to regulate gambling on sports in the manner they wish.
Somewhat ironically, PAPSA was sponsored by a senator from New Jersey (Bill Bradley); and the majority opinion in Murphy v. NCAA was written by Samuel Alito, a native of New Jersey.
By the way, Delaware was one of the states "grandfathered" by PAPSA. That state never offered single-game sports betting, but it does offer parley card betting on NFL games.
There's a clue in here somewhere, and I'm just going to quote the whole thing, but it'll probably be either a top or second row clue asking for 'diamond' so it kinda seems redundant...
A rare blue diamond that has spent the past 300 years in Europe's royal houses has been sold at auction in Geneva for $6.7m (£5m).
The Farnese Blue was given as a wedding present to Elizabeth Farnese, daughter of the Duke of Parma, when she married Philip V of Spain in 1715.
It then passed down through the generations, moving from Spain to France, Italy and Austria.
The 6.1 carat diamond comes from the famous Golconda mine of India.
It sold after just four minutes of bidding at Sotheby's, easily passing the auction house's estimate of $3.5m-$5m.
"We were expecting a good result but we started from $3.5m and we ended up with $6.7m, so we exceeded our expectation," said Sotheby's jewellery specialist, Daniela Mascetti.
"Good jewels, well-designed, well-made, with a signature, with a perfect... slot in time, in age, do very well."
According to the auctioneers' website, the pear-shaped diamond once formed part of a tiara owned by the ill-fated French Queen Marie Antoinette.
The identity of the new owner has not been revealed.
The Phoenix Suns, owners of the worst record in the NBA during the 2017-18 season, won the NBA Draft Lottery, thus being awarded the first pick in next month’s draft. This is not newsworthy in itself, except for two things:
2018 is the last year for the NBA Draft Lottery as currently devised, as the league is attempting to de-emphasize tanking: teams not in playoff contention deliberately play to lose in order to finish with the worst record (and the best lottery odds).
The Atlanta Hawks were awarded the third pick in the draft: they were represented at the draft lottery by ’80s teen actress Jami Gertz, who alongside her husband is the team’s majority shareholder.
And speaking of sports ... the guy who used to sit next to me in Finance class in business school is purchasing the Carolina Panthers for $2.2 billion.
alietr wrote: ↑Tue May 15, 2018 11:32 am
Dapper Tom Wolfe, novelist ("The Right Stuff", "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test") and journalist is dead at 88.
Also Bonfire of the Vanities
The Right Stuff" and "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" are nonfiction. "Bonfire of the Vanities" - definitely a novel
alietr wrote: ↑Tue May 15, 2018 11:32 am
Dapper Tom Wolfe, novelist ("The Right Stuff", "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test") and journalist is dead at 88.
Also Bonfire of the Vanities
The Right Stuff" and "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" are nonfiction. "Bonfire of the Vanities" - definitely a novel
You are correct, sir. I should have called him an author to be more accurate.
Hijacker D. B. Cooper has been identified (once again). This time it turns out he was former military paratrooper and intelligence operative Walter R. Reca of Michigan. You'll never have to know the name, of course, but there could be a clue about a former military paratrooper being identified as this long sought criminal.
Personally, I disagree. I identified Cooper years ago as a fairly well known public figure. Right after the hijacking he grew a beard to disguise himself. But nobody listens to Opus. Take a look at a side by side comparison and tell me I'm wrong. Spoiler
Plenty of trivia surrounding today's wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Most likely to come up: They are now known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex:
Can someone link the five biggest stories in space news from the last 14 months. A certain upcoming trivia competition likes questions about recent space news.
Attorney and presidential adviser Richard Goodwin, husband of author Doris Kearns Goodwin, has died at 86.
Not sure if his name's well-known, but may come up in regard to his writing LBJ's "Great Society" and "We Shall Overcome" speeches, Al Gore's concession speech in 2000, and his investigating the scandal of quiz program Twenty One (part of his memoir being a basis for the 1994 movie Quiz Show).