Briefly.
Waitress: “I see your glass is empty, sir. Would you like another?”
Me: “Why would I want another empty glass?”
Trivia #1: How large is the Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball in diameter? – 8 feet, 10 feet, 12 feet, 14 feet, 15 feet
Trivia #2: What two years did the Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball not drop, and why?
Trivia #3: Which conference has never sent a team to the College Football Playoff? – Mountain West, American, Sun Belt, Big 12, Merrimack Valley
Trivia #4: Which New Year’s Six bowl has Georgia never played in? – Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl, Bowling Bowl
On this date: December 27, 1831, the HMS Beagle, with Charles Darwin on board, departs England for a survey of South America, a voyage Darwin later said “determined my whole career.”
December 27, 1945, the World Bank was created with the signing of an agreement by 28 nations.
December 27, 1979, Sire Records releases “Pretenders”, the debut album of The Pretenders, in the US.
December 27, 2000, Pittsburgh Penguins center and part-owner Mario Lemieux scores a goal and 2 assists in his return to the NHL after more than 3 years out with injury problems and lingering cancer issues.
Were you able to delete your browser history before Santa got a hold of your phone?
Useless information supposed to fire my imagination: WalletHub released its 2024 list of the most festive and affordable cities in the United States after conducting research across all 50 states in key dimensions: traditions & fun, observance, generosity, shopping, and costs. They determined that Atlanta,GA is the best place to celebrate Christmas. What?!
Go away: 2024 – actually, it wasn’t the worst year ever but I do hope 2025 is better.
Education, you’re doing it right. 40 Notre Dame football players had finals the night before their College Football Playoff game last week.
“A great man is hard on himself; a small man is hard on others.” – Lao Tzu
This week’s sign of the apocalypse: Social media users, primarily young women, are fawning over Luigi Mangione, the suspect accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Briain Thompson. Mangione is charged with first-degree murder in furtherance of an act of terrorism, stalking and a slew of other state and federal charges in both New York and Pennsylvania, for allegedly gunning down Thompson, a married father of two from Minnesota. Since the attack and Mangione’s arrest, social media has erupted with positive posts about the murder suspect. A TikTok video of an artist sketching Mangione’s face over Alexander Hamilton’s face on a $10 bill to the sound of news anchors talking about the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” — the same words found on shell casings at the crime scene — has more than a million views and 234,000 likes.
Going for it, you’re doing it wrong. The college bowl season is always crazy, but on the day after Christmas, college football fans saw something they had never seen before. Thursday’s GameAbove Sports Bowl between Pittsburgh and Toledo took nearly five hours to finish as the contest saw six overtimes, the most ever in a bowl game, en route to Toledo’s 48-46 victory. Editor’s note: Pitt had a chance to win at the end of the 2nd OT but chose to kick a field goal when they had the ball on the 2-yard line on 4th down. Serves ‘em right.
Good news: I’m heading into 2025 on a pretty good streak of consecutive days alive. Here’s to 2025!
Bad news: Will Robinson, an Oklahoma high school basketball coach and his family, were reportedly driving in their SUV on Tuesday morning when the vehicle left the roadway, got caught in a drainage ditch in Sherman, TX and was carried away by strong currents. All six family members were trapped inside. Robinson did not survive, while four other family members were rescued. The family’s 8-year-old daughter has not been found. Terrible.
Article I’ll skip: Super Bowl champ, Martin Gramatica, shares heartbreaking details from childhood
Trivia #1 answer: How large is the Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball in diameter? – 8 feet, 10 feet, 12 feet, 14 feet, 15 feet – 12 feet
Trivia #2 answer: What two years did the Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball not drop, and why? – 1942 and 1943, due to wartime lighting restrictions in WWII
Trivia #3 answer: Which conference has never sent a team to the College Football Playoff? – Mountain West, American, Sun Belt, Big 12, Merrimack Valley – The Sun Belt conference
Trivia #4 answer: Which New Year’s Six bowl has Georgia never played in? – Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl, Bowling Bowl – The Fiesta Bowl
Before we work further on artificial intelligence, why don’t we try to do something about natural stupidity?
Don’t give up, don’t ever give up.
Be careful out there. (It’s a jungle!)
Happy National Fruitcake Day!
“The middle of the road is trying to find me
I’m standing in the middle of life with my plans behind me
Well I got a smile for everyone I meet
As long as you don’t try dragging my bay
Or dropping the bomb on my street”
– The Pretenders (Middle of the Road)
HAPPY NEW YEAR, everybody!
“Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne?”
Ed's Head On Friday 