How is everyone’s weekend going? Thanks for spending a portion of it with the Sunday Six.
It’s cold here in the Midwest this weekend…but not blizzardly like the east coast. Those folks are getting pelted with snow and high winds. We’re all familiar with the term ‘nor’easter,’ as we’ve heard meteorologists refer to weather events that occur along the Atlantic, but a new phrase was injected into our vernacular this week – “bomb cyclone.”
I’m not going to use space here to explain it, only that it sounds like something no one wants to be living under while it happens. I’m sure our east coast brothers and sisters will survive the weather “bomb.”
Let’s proceed with the Six.
We remember how last fall, Virginia and it’s governor’s race became the backdrop for waging national debates – CRT, school boards, masking, etc. Glenn Youngkin, the state’s governor-elect, has been inaugurated. He wasted no time in following through on campaign promises, signing almost a dozen executive orders. One EO reversed a school mask mandate put in effect by the previous governor. But Youngkin’s move to reverse the mask mandate has not moved many of the state’s large unit districts that prefer to keep their children muzzled. The Bulwark has the story on Virginia’s mask fight that is far from over.
Ohio State On Cutting Edge of NIL Movement.
The concept of amateurism in college sports is rapidly eroding. For administrators at Power 5 conferences, the prevailing attitude must be we can either accept it or die. Some schools are embracing the name, image and likeness movement more than others. This article from Front Office Sports takes a look at Ohio State University, a school creating its own department to assist athletes with NIL deals.
Broken Windows Theory of Police and Neighborhood Safety.
For years, I’d heard commentators mention “the broken windows” theory when it came to dealing with crime in urban areas. I vaguely recall a college professor discussing it in a criminal justice class I took while an undergrad at Michigan State. I never knew the origins of the idea. The recent crime spike in major cities has revitalized the phrase “broken windows.” Here is the actual article first published in 1982 from The Atlantic that introduced the concept.
Why Don’t We Just Put Them All in the Hall?
This past week, the baseball hall of fame announced its 2022 inductees. More news was made by who didn’t get in – i.e., Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens – than who did (David Ortiz). I’m in the camp that it’s time to get over the PED era and put all of the worthy players of the 80’s and 90’s into the HOF. Joe Posnanski, a terrific baseball writer, agrees and argues in this piece that it’s best for the game if we just accept the sins of the era and recognize the accomplishments of Bonds, Clemens, Mark McGuire and many, many others.
“Mega” Iceberg Releases Billions of Tons of Water into Ocean.
In 2017, a huge chunk of ice broke off from Antarctica and traveled northeast. At one point, the iceberg was so big it measured half the size of the state of Connecticut, making it the sixth-largest iceberg on record. It’s now sizably smaller and rests around the island of South Georgia. Why is this significant? Scientists believe “the iceberg released roughly 152 billion tons of fresh water and nutrients into the ocean over the course of about three months. That amount of water could fill roughly 61 million Olympic-sized swimming pools. This significant loss could result in potentially impacting the island's rich ecosystem.” CBS News has video and text in this story.
A Sunday Six tradition returns…wacky animal stories! We pick up in our favorite state – Florida – home of so many loony events. Here’s the scene: a Daytona Beach dog owner tried to save his beloved dachshunds from a hungry grizzly bear that invaded his property. Security footage captured the man vs. wild exchange (everyone’s OK). Watch the local television story at the top of the article, which includes the 911 call. Absorbing stuff.
Have a great rest of your weekend everybody. Thanks for reading as always.
Have a suggestion for the Sunday Six? Send email to jon@jonjkerr.com