Thought of the Day
The sage points at the moon and the fool looks at his finger.
February 15th 2025
Furry Friday: Meet Cobbler!
Are you an introvert who loves cuddling? Want someone around while you watch TV or play video games? Prefer to be inside where it’s comfy? We could be friends! I’ve been in my foster home for a while and they’ve learned I love sleeping on the couch, chewing a bone on the dog bed, and like humans more than dogs. Sometimes I’ll play with the other dogs, but I really enjoy hanging out with people. I need time to know other dogs are cool.
I have a big bark and spook easily so I’m looking for a home that likes things low key. Catch all my naps on Instagram @fosterofdogs!
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February 13th 2025
Thought of the Day
Stand up straight. Walk proud – and don’t moan.
NASCAR files appeal against 23XI and Front Row just 1 hour before Daytona 500 qualifying begins
By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — NASCAR filed a 68-page appeal Wednesday night — roughly one hour before the start of Daytona 500 qualifying — arguing a federal judge erred in recognizing 23XI Motorsports and Front Row Motorsports as chartered teams for 2025 as the two organizations sue over antitrust claims.
U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell of the Western District of North Carolina in December issued a preliminary injunction that allowed 23XI and Front Row to receive the same rewards as a chartered team while the lawsuit wades through the court system.
23XI Racing is co-owned by NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, while Front Row Motorsports is owned by entrepreneur Bob Jenkins.
Last month, Bell denied NASCAR’s motion to dismiss the suit, and also denied NASCAR’s request that the two organizations post a bond to cover any monies they are paid as chartered teams that would have to be returned should 23XI and Front Row lose the lawsuit.
“The district court’s injunction orders flout federal antitrust law; misapply the established rules governing the use of preliminary injunctions; ignore unrebutted, legally significant evidence; and have sweeping implications for NASCAR’s 2025 Cup Series season,” NASCAR wrote. “These injunctions misuse the judicial power to force NASCAR to treat its litigation adversaries as its business partners and confidants, undermining the mutual trust that has fueled NASCAR’s growth and success.”
The timing of the appeal — despite it hitting just one hour before time trials begin for Sunday’s season-opening Daytona 500 — was a coincidence in that Wednesday was a court-ordered deadline. NASCAR does not publicly comment on the lawsuit.
NASCAR has maintained that it will defend itself against antitrust claims and believes that 23XI and Front Row have a misguided case; the teams don’t like the terms of the charter agreement so were the only two out of 15 organizations that refused to sign the forms when NASCAR presented its take-it-or-leave it offer 48 hours before last season’s playoffs began.
Not liking the terms of a contract does not qualify as an antitrust case, NASCAR believes, and is willing to see the case through to trial. Should 23XI and Front Row prevail, it is believed NASCAR will eliminate the charter system outright rather than renegotiate new charters.
“While every other team owner that was offered a new Charter with these better terms accepted it, these two held out — raising concerns about several provisions but not the mutual releases,” NASCAR wrote. “NASCAR eventually withdrew its offers to Plaintiffs and moved forward with planning its 2025 Cup Series season without them as chartered teams. So 23XI and Front Row turned to the courts, attempting to transform the Charter’s standard release provision into a trump card to belatedly secure, outside of negotiations, the Charters they regretted rejecting — even though neither team owner ever raised that provision as an issue in two years of Charter negotiations.
“With neither the facts nor the law on their side, 23XI and Front Row argue it violates the Sherman Act for sports enterprises to include such standard releases in their agreements. The district court took the bait.”
At issue are the agreements that teams asked for and were granted in 2016. A charter guarantees each car that holds one a spot in the field each week, as well as guaranteed prize money and other financial incentives.
There are 36 guaranteed spots in each race, with four “open” spots for cars that do not hold charters. NASCAR believes 23XI and Front Row should be open cars since they did not sign the charter agreements.
NASCAR also did not want to approve the sale of charters from now-defunct Stewart-Haas Racing to the two teams, which each purchased one charter to expand their organizations from two cars to three. Had Bell not granted the injunction to recognize the two teams as chartered for 2025, a combined six cars between the two organizations would not have received an automatic berth into the Daytona 500.
23XI fields Toyotas for newcomer Riley Herbst, as well as Tyler Reddick, last year’s regular-season champion, and Bubba Wallace. Front Row field Fords for Noah Gragson, Todd Gilliland and newcomer Zane Smith.
“At this point, NASCAR would prefer to extend the perks of the 2025 Charter to owners committed to enhancing NASCAR’s competitiveness with other sports for fans, sponsors, and media dollars – rather than owners that undermine NASCAR’s brand,” the sanctioning body wrote in the appeal.
Monty the giant schnauzer wins Westminster dog show
By JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — This time, the giant schnauzer went the full Monty.
After coming close in the last two years, Monty the giant schnauzer won the top prize at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show Tuesday night, leaving handler and co-owner Katie Bernardin almost too emotional to speak.
“He always tries so hard, and we’re just proud of him,” she told the crowd at Madison Square Garden.
The spirited schnauzer bested six other finalists to become the first of his breed tapped as Westminster’s best in show, the most prestigious prize in the U.S. dog show world. The dog won the huge American Kennel Club championship in December, and he’d been a Westminster twice before.
A standout because of “everything from his attitude to his structure,” Monty is bold, cocky and fun, according to co-owner Sandy Nordstrom.
“He’s just a really cool dog,” she said in an interview before his win, which will be his last. The 5-year-old is retiring from showing.
The runner-up was, for the third time, a whippet known as Bourbon. Other finalists included a bichon frisé called Neal, a Skye terrier named Archer, and a shih tzu called Comet who’s been a finalist before.
Also in the mix were a German shepherd named Mercedes, who came in second last year, and an English springer spaniel called Freddie.
Each dog at Westminster is judged according to how closely it matches the ideal for its breed. Winners get a trophy, ribbons and bragging rights, but no cash prize.
During a break between semifinal rounds, security personnel surrounded and ousted someone along the sidelines of the ring. The group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which has protested the dog show for years, said on X that a supporter was removed after holding a sign.
Westminster says it celebrates all dogs. The show champions that compete also are household pets, and some do therapy work, search-and-rescue or other canine jobs.
“A good German shepherd is an all-purpose dog,” said Mercedes’ co-breeder and co-owner Sheree Moses Combs of Wardensville, West Virginia. Some of her pups have become service dogs for wounded veterans, she said.
“Dog shows are fun, but that is what our breed is all about,” she said.
While Monty got this year’s trophy, other hopefuls also scored points with spectators.
During two nights of semifinals, spectators shouted out breeds and names of canine competitors as if they played for one of the pro teams that call the Garden home, the NBA’s New York Knicks and NHL’s New York Rangers.
“Love you, Lumpy!” someone yelled to a Pekingese named Lumpy, who earned laughs for his ambling gait.
The arena erupted with cheers for Penny the Doberman pinscher and for a golden retriever named Tuffy, a representative of a popular breed that has never won. She also got some recognition from the judge, as did another crowd favorite, Calaco the Xoloitzcuintli. His breed (pronounced shoh-loh-eets-KWEEN’-tlees) are hairless dogs with deep roots in Mexico.
A trip to Westminster is a reminder of dogs’ variety, even just among purebreds. While big, “working” dogs had their day at Westminster on Tuesday, so did terriers.
First-round competitor Brina, for instance, is a 158-pound (71.6 kilogram) Neapolitan mastiff. The jowly breed was developed to be an imposing guard dog, but Brina’s owner, Yves Belmont, Ph.D., said he also is impressed by its intelligence. He keeps several of the dogs at his Atlanta-area home.
“I’ve been struck by this breed since I was 12. … They’re so unique,” Belmont said as Brina napped in her crate, equipped with a two-gallon (7.5-liter) water bucket.
Meanwhile, Tyra the miniature bull terrier also strutted her stuff in a first-round ring. Formally called GCH CH Rnr’s Top Model, she’s named after fashion model Tyra Banks.
The hardy terrier breed is “a big dog in a small package, but they always keep you smiling,” said owner and co-breeder Jessica Harrison of Austin, Texas. Asked where the 2-year-old Tyra falls on the mischief meter, Harrison smiled, “like a nine, for sure.”
“You can’t be upset with them because they’re just so cute,” she said as Tyra rolled on her back to get a belly rub from a passerby at the Javits Center, the convention venue that hosted the first-round judging of each breed.
Westminster also featured agility and obedience championships, held Saturday. The agility prize went to a border collie named Vanish, and an Australian shepherd called Willie triumphed in obedience.
Tar Heels GM Lombardi working to implement NFL-style approach under Belichick
By AARON BEARD AP Sports Writer
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Michael Lombardi is a key piece of Bill Belichick’s foray into college coaching, the general manager charged with reshaping North Carolina’s program into a mini pro franchise.
Fittingly, the former NFL executive’s days sound a lot like they did in the league — so he can be forgiven if he occasionally slips up with past terms like referencing a “draft board” when discussing recruiting.
“My day is pretty much spent like it was in the NFL: get here early, watch tape, study players, write reports,” Lombardi said Tuesday.
Lombardi’s news conference marked the first on-campus availability for the program since Belichick’s hiring in December as successor to fired coach Mack Brown — the program’s all-time winningest coach. Belichick immediately brought on the 65-year-old Lombardi, who spent more than 30 years in NFL front offices in a career that included being the GM of the Cleveland Browns in 2013 and working with the late Bill Walsh with the San Francisco 49ers in the 1980s.
What seemed then like UNC’s fanciful dalliance with Belichick has quickly turned into an audacious bet (and elevated commitment) that the coach who led the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl titles could elevate the program that has largely known only bouts of unsustained success. Belichick is counting on Lombardi to help change UNC’s system and structure to something resembling those NFL days.
“Everything we do here is predicated on building a pro team,” Lombardi said. “We consider ourselves the 33rd (NFL) team because everybody who’s involved with our program has had some form or aspect in pro football.”
Lombardi’s news conference came roughly a week after the program announced its second wave of signees of incoming high-school or transfer talent. The first came in December, and both — 19 college transfers and 21 high-school recruits — offer an indication of what Belichick and Lombardi are prioritizing in revamping the Tar Heels.
First, Lombardi referenced multiple times the importance of building up the lines. Notably, the classes include 10 defensive linemen, with three as transfers, and five offensive linemen — all transfers.
“It comes back to the philosophy, right?” Lombardi said. “If you believe in something and you want to improve in that area, you’re going to put your money where your mouth is. It won’t be hard to figure out where we’ll want to put it. We’re going to sign defensive and offensive linemen.”
Secondly, the school that has long had coaches touting the importance of recruiting instate talent is casting a wider search. The two batches include just two instate signees — one being four-star quarterback prospect Bryce Baker, who maintained his commitment through the coaching change — out of 21 prep recruits.
That’s the same numbers as Virginia, New Jersey and New York. Florida had the most with four.
“This UNC logo is worldwide, so we shouldn’t limit ourselves,” Lombardi said. “I think we can walk into any school and say, ‘We’re North Carolina, we have the greatest coach in the history of football, and we have a great university. Come play for us.’
“I think it’s a powerful message, so why should we limit ourselves to just a smaller footprint? And it allows you to look all over the country for the players that fit you.”
Lastly, UNC’s recruiting class is ranked No. 43 nationally by 247Sports and No. 46 by Rivals, with both listing the Tar Heels as 10th in the 17-team Atlantic Coast Conference. Yet when asked about recruiting less-heralded prospects, Lombardi said simply: “We believe in our eyes.”
“If you trust your eyes and you evaluate players, it doesn’t really matter if some other school wants them,” he said. “All I know is from my 35 years or more in the National Football League, I’ve drafted players that weren’t recruited out of high school. I’ve drafted players that had no scholarship offers coming out of high school.
“So there’s always going to be a lot of guys that get missed. I think you have to trust your instincts and trust your eyes.”
The team hasn’t set dates for its spring practices yet and is still working to build its personnel and coaching staff, though Belichick’s son Steve — who coached under him with the Patriots and spent last year in college coaching at Washington — joined him on one of his frequent media appearances on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” as the two recruited for the Tar Heels.
The pro influences reach all the way to Belichick’s college debut; the Tar Heels’ get their own version of Monday Night Football by hosting TCU on Labor Day night on ESPN.
But that’s a long way off to Lombardi with the work still ahead.
“I can’t even imagine Week 1,” Lombardi said. “I’m trying to get through Week 5 of the offseason.”
___
February 12th 2025
Thought of the Day
You get rich thanks to your friends, look elegant thanks to your wife, and buried in debts thank to your brothers. – Vietnamese Proverb
Seafood Gumbo
Seafood Gumbo
Seafood Gumbo Recipe from Foodnetwork
Prep time: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Cooking time: 3 hours and 50 minutes
Serving size: 12 to 15 servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups finely chopped onion
- 2 green bell peppers, finely chopped
- 1 blue crab
- 1 lobster tail
- 1/4 cup Creole seasoning (e.g., Tony Chachere’s)
- 4 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 pound crabmeat
- 1 bunch scallions, finely chopped
- 1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped
- Cooked white rice, for serving (optional)
Directions
- Prepare the Roux:
- In a wide Dutch oven over medium-low heat, combine the flour and vegetable oil.
- Cook, whisking constantly, until the roux turns dark brown, about 45 minutes.
- Remove from heat and set aside.
- Cook Vegetables:
- In an extra-large, wide pot, bring 10 quarts of water to a boil.
- Stir in the onion, bell peppers, and prepared roux.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very soft, about 45 minutes.
- Cook the Crab and Lobster:
- Add the blue crab and lobster tail to the pot and boil until cooked through about 15–20 minutes.
- Remove the lobster tail and crab. Discard the crab.
- Let the lobster cool slightly, remove the meat from the shell, cut it into small chunks, and refrigerate.
- Season the Gumbo:
- Add the Creole seasoning to the pot and bring to a boil.
- Cook until the liquid reduces by one-quarter, about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
- Add Seafood:
- Add the shrimp to the pot and cook over medium heat until firm, about 20 minutes.
- Stir in the crabmeat and reserved lobster meat, cooking for 10 more minutes.
- Finish:
- Add the scallions and parsley to the gumbo.
- Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
- Serve:
- Serve the gumbo over cooked white rice, if desired.
February 11th 2025
Thought of the Day
What is learned without joy is forgotten without sorrow.
Weird Laws
Strangest North Carolina Laws That Still Exist
No More Than 2 Sessions of Bingo
Starting off the list of weird laws, per § 14-309.8, Bingo can only be played twice a week, and you’ve got to wait a full 48 hours between your games. Each session is capped at five hours because, let’s face it, even Bingo needs a nap. The Bingo police, also known as ALE Special Agents and the Bingo Administration, are on patrol to keep everything in check. If you’re a charitable organization itching to shout ‘Bingo!’ you’ll need a Charitable Bingo License. Remember, this isn’t Vegas—it’s Bingo with a conscience! Oh, and no drinking either.
No Singing Off Key
It isn’t written in the law books, but the North Carolina Supreme Court once had to deal with a case of… bad singing. William Linkhaw, a member of the Methodist church and the Bad Singing Club, was indicted by his church for his musical crimes. Linkhaw, from Lumberton, took his case to the North Carolina Supreme Court, where the judge decided that the price for his singing was a single penny for ‘disturbing the peace.’ The court overturned this ruling a year later after Linkhaw appealed. Even the law has some sympathy for tone-deaf singers!
Stealing $1000 Worth of Grease is a Class H Felony
As of 2022 if you’re caught stealing a kitchen grease container, you’re in hot oil. For grease worth $1000 or less, it’s a Class 1 misdemeanor—a greasy slap on the wrist. But if you swipe grease valued at over $1000, you’re looking at a Class H felony. It’s also illegal to damage these grease containers or to slap your label on someone else’s container, claiming it as your own. All this falls under § 14-79.2 Waste kitchen grease; unlawful acts and penalties.
Shacking Up? Not So Fast!
In this neck of the woods, it’s illegal for couples to sneak into the same hotel room under false pretenses! If you’re caught pretending to be husband and wife for ‘immoral purposes,’ it’s a big no-no. The laws in North Carolina state, ‘Any man and woman found occupying the same bedroom in any hotel, public inn, or boardinghouse for any immoral purpose, or any man and woman falsely registering as, or otherwise representing themselves to be husband and wife,’ will be hit with a Class 2 misdemeanor. So, unless you’re legally married, don’t think about pulling a fast one!
Not So Silly (String)
In Mount Airy, North Carolina, Sec 10-14 of the Code of Ordinances lays down the law on party pranks: Silly String and Snap-N-Pops are strictly off-limits! If you’re caught using or selling these play items within city limits, you could end up with a misdemeanor. So, if you’re planning a party, leave the Silly String and Snap-N-Pops at home.
Sad Hours
Have you ever noticed that ‘Happy Hour’ in North Carolina just means discounted food? According to North Carolina’s ABC Rule 2S.0232 (b), bars and restaurants can’t offer drink specials unless they’re available all day long. So, your dream of half-price cocktails from 5 to 7 p.m. isn’t happening here. And forget about ‘Ladies’ Nights’. it’s illegal for places to offer special deals to only part of the population.
No Borrowing Your Neighbors’ Dog… Or Mule. Or Horse.
In North Carolina, if you’re thinking about borrowing your neighbor’s horse, gelding, mare, mule, or even their dog without asking, think again! According to § 14-82, it’s illegal to take someone’s animal without their knowledge. Depriving the owner of their special or temporary use of their pet or livestock will land you a Class 2 misdemeanor. So, unless you want to trot your way to court, always ask before you saddle up or leash up someone else’s friend!
Raking in a Felony
Finishing off the list of weird laws in North Carolina, keep an eye out for pine straw thieves! It’s illegal to steal or help someone steal pine needles or pine straw from another person’s property, as long as the owner has put up the right signs saying ‘Hands off!’ If you’re caught attempting to swipe some pine straw, you’re looking at a Class H Felony. Unless you want to turn your yard time into a hard time, leave those pine needles where they are!