PanthersATL

Probably the most important news article you will read today: https://metro.co.uk/2021/06/01/survey-finds-most-popular-underwear-for-men-is-the-tighty-whitie-14685509/

So far, hasn't disappointed. Heist stuff is fun Thx for the suggestion if you want more heist stuff that's a bit older, there's a collection from the same author, all different types of heists: 11 HARROWHOUSE, 18MM BLUES, and 19 PURCHASE STREET (and others by Gerald A Browne) are all kinda fun

Panthers Video/SM team for the win. Let's also give credit to Panthers mgmt for allowing that much access. Plus, it also helps shed a bit of light on the amount of work that goes into the draft (draft day and the weeks building up to it) to help quiet those nay-sayers who watch the draft and say "WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?"

Looking forward to watching this. In the meantime.... Caption this. Wrong answers only.

The Athletic is also "for sale this weekend" https://www.axios.com/new-york-times-nytimes-acquisition-athletic-7f1dabf4-9315-4975-93f9-68e13c642a43.html The New York Times is looking into a potential acquisition of The Athletic, three sources familiar with the matter tell Axios.

What are the best (or worst?) team crowd chants you've heard at various stadiums? Some examples: KEEP....... POUNDING! TAMPA..... BAY! WHO...... DAT! J-E-T-S JETS JET JETS GO PACK GO RISE.... UP If we were to have a 2nd Stadium chant to alternate with Keep Pounding, what would you like it to be?

Documentaries: CRIME OF THE CENTURY (HBO) - a look at the opioid crisis and how we got to where we are. It may be slightly biased in presenting a very specific view/side of the situation, but a lot of what they talk about may make you say OMG, that's crazy. LOSING SIGHT OF SHORE (TUBI) - an incredible look at four women who try to become the first crew to row a boat across the Pacific Ocean, with zero external support to help them along the way. Battery failure? Yes. Sunburn in uncomfortable places? Yes. Run out of food? You'll have to watch to see. THE MOLE AGENT (HULU) - a sweet, endearing documentary investigating nursing home abuse. Nominated for an Oscar this year. MIDSOMMAR (AMAZON PRIME) - An look at life in a secluded Swedish/Norwegian cult, and what it really means to be "family".

If you're looking for a traditional sports book, the closest one is probably Harrah's Cherokee or Harrah's Valley River. Either are a bit of a drive from Charlotte, South Carolina, or North Georgia - but on a nice day you can make an adventure out of it.

Eventually I hope we have a catalog of party/fight/tailgate/win-win-win songs like the Packers do: https://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/entertainment/music/2017/01/11/crank-em-up-10-best-packers-songs/96406616/

But other than a few people who like the nostalgia of it, nobody new cares for Stand and Cheer...

Something a little lighthearted? The Oral History of The Office is an interesting look behind the scenes of what it took to conceive, write, produce, film the TV show.

I liked American Gods (especially in combination with the Starz series). Quick background: it's a battle between the "old gods" (like... REALLY old, like Odin) and the "new gods" (technology, media) in the battle for Americans' devotion. And since the Starz program was cancelled after three seasons before getting to the final portion of the story, you can't rely on TV to give you that closure that the book will give you. Which... could be interpreted as the battle between "old god (books)" vs the "new god (TV)". Anyway, I found it a good read

Probably because the producer was in his ear, yelling “SAY ON THE AIR! ON THE AIR! KILL THE CALL! KILL THE CALL!”

quick typing during the segment.... =+=+=+== What are the pitfalls in the schedule? schedule starts out pretty good but November is a pain..end of season is brutal. If they can go 500 to the middle of the season that’ll be good, but not a playoff team this season this team has vastly improved, but the Panthers are likely either 2 or 3 this season. But once sam is comfortable in the scheme and gets off to a fast Start... will be a battle with the saints for 2nd place. carolina has a chance to be 8-8 instagram poll says 9-10 wins this season. If we can get 10 we have a shot.

Positive comments on Sam. Coming up, a look at the Panthers in the conference

Piece on Sam Darnold coming up after the break, as they look at some QB stuff.

He does (did?) put on a decent sing-a-long concert. So did Kenny Rogers, for that matter.

It's sung to celebrate wins in Ghana! But more importantly, it's still a thing

For Super Bowl odds, the top of the list I have is... Chiefs 5/1 Packers 10/1 Bills 11/1 Bucs 7/1 Seattle 20/1 (dropped from 12/1 in January) Bottom of the list is Jets 125/1 Bengals 125/1 Lions 125/1 Texans 125/1

The lastest William Hill-provided odds for the Panthers. Your local sportsbook may have different odds, so shop around if that's your thing. NFC Championship: 30/1 (opened at 35/1 in January) NFC South: +750 Super Bowl: 50/1 (opened at 75/1 in January)

If anyone has solid "here's how to buy a car/price negotiation" advice, would love to hear it.

Always recommend keeping a car for at least 10 years. The longer you can go without having a car payment to make, the better off you'll be. (And even in those months when you have no official car payment, make that payment to yourself into some savings/investment place that you would utilize for the next car purchase) Used is almost always going to be more cost-effective than new. Some have suggested never buying the first year of a new model or redesign. Let them work out the kinks before you buy in. Personally, I like buying the original extended car warranty from the dealer, but that may not be the best use of $$ vs dealing with individual repairs and maintenance. A lot depends on how long you intend to keep the vehicle. If you're planning on keeping it for a long time, then an extended warranty may be worth the investment for peace of mind.

If this gives you some idea about negotiation. if you're doing a trade-in, the wholesale data that I've seen suggests that the spread between trade-in price and what the dealer will sell it at retail is $8k-10k for "newer" models, and anywhere from $3k-5k for "older" models. Much depends on condition of the car and overall demand for that particular model. (example pick-up trucks aren't in high demand in the northeast, so they may be priced more to get off the lot than they are for profit) Dealers will also be more apt to lowball the trade-in if it's a car that they'd have to take to auction to get rid of rather than being able to sell in their own internal dealer system. Auctions will cost the dealer a minimum price to sell it, so they need to keep their investment in the deal down. There are positives about selling your car directly to CarMax or any other dealer that does a "guaranteed price" deal. You may end up getting more than you thought it was worth vs going through the hassle of selling it yourself via Craigslist or other method. Example: Had a 12-year old import with some miles on it - needed a new paint job, air conditioning didn't work, the electrical system needed some review (auto windows wasn't always happy; doors would lock automatically, whether you wanted them to or not). It was getting to be on its last legs, maintenance-wise. CarMax offered $5k for it. For us, that was a no-brainer to accept. Had a 14-year old SUV with about 175k miles. The sunroof leaked (ducktaped!) and the air conditioner didn't work. The thing ran great, but just had some quirks that needed some attention I couldn't give it. CarMax offered $250 (their minimum). Found someone to buy it for $1000 cash instead. Seemed like a good deal at the time.

The used car industry is crazy right now, in part because of the pandemic -- people who normally would use Uber/Lyft/Public Transport decided that it was safer to have their own vehicle rather than grab rides with strangers. This put a strain on the used car market, causing available inventory to plummet. And now that travel is picking back up, the rental car agencies are finding themselves scrambling to buy new cars to rebuild their fleets. Just like the insane housing prices right now, I don't know if I'd recommend buying a car "just because" vs "because you need one". That said, if you do purchase a vehicle, stay away from the 7 and 8 year loans. Try to stick with the 4-5 year loans if you need to go down the loan path. Those 8 year loans may make your monthly payments super-cheap, but it'll put you underwater in the vehicle equity for quite a long time.

What everyone else has said.... but let me throw in this: London in 2019 Wandering around the city, no matter where you went (and we wandered A LOT), you were never too far from running into other Panthers fans also celebrating a bit of vacation combined with supporting the team.