PicoBlog

Burgers have been on my mind and in my belly far more than they should lately. Sure, National Burger Month is coming, and a few days ago I shared news about Oklahoma’s burger game streaming before a potentially global audience. But it’s the reboot of my top 10 burger list that’s turned me into Wimpy. (Occurs to me Wimpy would’ve had to change his grift in the Venmo age.) This (mostly) delicious journey began with me believing we were in a  golden age for burgers in the 405 diningscape.

First, a little background. Long ago (2021) on a website called 4Chan (if you have to ask, don’t), a story circulated that a grad student had tested inmates at San Quentin State Prison on their ability to answer hypothetical questions. The claim was that low-IQ individuals can’t imagine things that might have happened, but didn't, such as: “how would you feel if you hadn’t eaten breakfast today?” So asking that question online is now a way of implying that your opponent can’t answer it, meaning he’s cognitively impaired.

Fear and money. That’s what makes Hollywood go.  Fear makes executives cautious—they don’t want to lose their jobs or face the rage of social media. And money makes them take risks. At least that’s how many people on the inside describe the dynamic to me.   Recently, I’ve been interviewing industry professionals about the state of free expression in entertainment and media— it’s part of a larger project that I will reveal in due time.

He guarded Ewing. He guarded Hakeem. He guarded Shaq. He guarded the Admiral. Kareem. Parish. Moses. The A-Train. He guarded them all. He guarded centers in the last era when centers were a dominant position league-wide with… ncG1vNJzZmiqlZaxq63CpGWsrZKowaKvymeaqKVfpXyjtculZJyZoqnEs7XGoatmrJiaerOxwJ2hmpubYravwMSrraKdpw%3D%3D

Team president and de facto co-owner Bill DeWitt III recently made an appearance on the Kilcoyne Conversation. The entire conversation merits your time and ears, but I’d particularly like to talk about one of BD3’s comments about attendance this season. I’ll call your attention to the 32:05 timestamp. His remarks begin thus:  “The thing I chuckle about i… ncG1vNJzZmiamaexusPOq6Jnq6WXwLWtwqRlnKedZL1wrsilo2aclay2tcCMoqCiZaSdtq%2B30mawqK1dl7K1wMSr

A quick note before we get going: the idea for this piece was submitted to me last summer when I asked for any subjects readers might want to see me delve into. Loyal subscriber Aileen Bowers came forward with this most excellent topic. I figured there would be no better time than Final Four weekend to put it together. Big thanks to Aileen and a reminder to all readers and subscribers (paid or free) that if there’s ever something you’d like to see examined in greater detail, please, please don’t hesitate to shoot me an email at bycraigmeyer@gmail.

The historic Frontier House in Lewiston has a new breath of life. In its 200th year, Billy Club owners Jake Strawser and Dan Hagen plan to return the two-century-old building to its original restaurant use, as Fairbanks. The building is alive again with the sounds of workers, not to demolish the building, but to save it for another generation. In its lifespan the building has been a tavern, the “finest hotel west of Albany,” and a McDonalds.

Weekly updates on energy, sustainability, and frontline struggles for environmental justice. Over 1,000 subscribers No thanks“Max is a powerful voice for all life. He works at the bleeding edge of industrial extractive civilization. He has a deep sense of the ancient and ever-present earth.” ncG1vNJzZmilka3EqrjBnqmtZqOqr7TAwJyiZ5ufonw%3D

I always thought “Watchmen” was the anti-superhero superhero movie, but this one takes the cake. It’s not so much against superheroes as movies based on their comic books, registering as a spit-flecked denunciation of the way such flicks saturate our culture, almost like a spreading disease that uses up actors’ careers and audiences’ time. “Birdman, or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” is an obsidian-black comedy about Riggan Thomson, an over-60 actor who played a costumed hero decades ago and has struggled to do anything equally consequential since.