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I've been compiling a shitlist on RBG, here's what I got so far.
Mirror on Lemmygrad

Ruth Bader Ginsberg

Much credit to David Kinder's current affairs article, the rise of the Ruth Bader Ginsburg cult.

Native peoples, immigrants, and treatment of minorities.

• Ruled against the Oneida tribe over a dispute regarding its territorial claim, her majority opinion stating: "We hold that the tribe cannot unilaterally revive its ancient sovereignty, in whole or in part, over the parcels at issue." 2
• In Navajo Nation v. United States Forest Service, she ruled against the Navajo nation, who have consistently protested US encroachment of a US forest-service run ski resort on Navajo territory known as the sacred San Francisco Peaks.
• In Inyo County v. Paiute-Shoshone Indians, the Paiute tribe asserted that it was against their privacy policy to allow Inyo county district attorneys to investigate their employees. They stated that their tribe's status as a sovereign nation made them immune to state processes under federal law and asserted that the state authorized the seizure of tribal records. RBG concurred with the supreme court in dismissing their complaint suit.
• In Salazar_v. Ramah_Navajo Chapter, the issue in question was whether the US government, when it enters into a contract with a Native American (Indian) tribe for services, must pay contracts in full, even if Congress has not appropriated enough money to pay all tribal contractors. In a 5-4 decision, Ginsburg sided with the minority that stated the government shouldn't have to pay.
• In Atkinson Trading Co. v. Shirley, the supreme court unanimously ruled against the Navajo nation that charged a hotel occupancy tax for providing services (police, fire, and ambulances) for fee land (non-indian territory within indian territory). The court ruled that the tribe's imposition of a tax upon nonmembers on non-Indian fee land within the reservation was presumptively invalid without establishing that the tax was related to a consensual relationship with Atkinson.
• In Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma v. Manufacturing Technologies, Ginsburg dissented with the majority, who ruled that an Indian Nation were entitled to sovereign immunity from contract lawsuits, whether made on or off reservation, or involving governmental or commercial activities.
• In Alaska v. Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government, the supreme court unanimously ruled against a tribal council who wanted to collect a tax from non-tribal members doing business on tribal lands. The Court decided unanimously that the land was not the tribe's land subject to the tribal tax, even though it was owned by the tribe, because it was not part of a Native American reservation. Because all but one reservation in Alaska (the Annette Island reservation of the Tsimshian) had been eliminated by the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971, the decision had the practical effect of prohibiting almost all Indian tribes in Alaska from collecting taxes for activities conducted on tribal land.
• In C & L Enterprises, Inc. v. Citizen Band, Potawatomi Indian Tribe of Oklahoma, Ginsburg in her unanimous court opinion stated that: "An Indian tribe has sovereignty and is immune from suit in a state court unless that immunity has been specifically abrogated by the United States Congress or clearly waived by the tribe. In this case, the Potawatomie Tribe entered into a contract, using a contract form that the tribe provided, that agreed to arbitration and to having the dispute heard in state court. This is a clear waiver of the tribe's sovereign immunity."
• A podcast by Red Nation, w/ Rebecca Nagle, on the Supreme court's Oklahoma Decision.
• Helped push through the Atlantic coast pipeline, to allow it to cross through federal and native lands., 2
  • Refused to block keystone XL pipeline.
• In her final supreme court decision, helped push through Trump's fast-track deportation bill., 2
• On Black Lives Matter / Colin Kaepernick's kneeling protest: "I think its dumb and disrespectful, but I wouldn't lock a person up for doing it." Later retracted her statement after receiving public backlash.
• RBG hired 1 POC staffer in 25 years. Kavanaugh, a conservative justice, has 25% POC out of his 48 law clerks. One writer noted that Kavanaughs views on affirmative action don't reflect his diverse hiring practices, while Ginsburg's progressive views don't extend to her chambers. This is an improvement from her 13-year tenure on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, when Ginsburg never had any black clerks. When this issue was raised during her Supreme Court confirmation hearings in 1993, Ginsburg said: “If you confirm me for this job, my attractiveness to black candidates is going to improve.” That promise was ignored. 2
• Her best friend on the court was the most racist, conservative justice in modern times, Scalia. In the fawning book Notorious RBG, one of the few mentions of race is in the book’s discussion of Bush v. Gore, the contentious decision that decided the 2000 presidential election. The authors mention that Ginsburg’s draft of her dissent had a footnote alluding to the possible suppression of Black voters in Florida. Justice Scalia responded to this draft by flying into a rage, telling Ginsburg that she was using “Al Sharpton tactics.” Ginsburg removed the footnote before it saw the light of day. This anecdote’s inclusion in the book is baffling, as Ginsburg contemplates calling anti-Black racism in the most facile of ways. But when her friend Justice Scalia plucks an argument straight from right-wing talk radio to shame her out of doing so, Ginsburg instantly capitulates. Scalia called the Voting rights act "racial entitlement", opposed women's rights, and consistently defended anti-gay measures, yet these views did not stop her calling Scalia her "best buddy" on the court, their families even spending every new year together.

Law and Order

• In Brogan v United States, ruled that due process does not apply to those being questioned by law enforcement.
• In Kansas v. Carr, the Kansas Supreme Court had overturned a pair of death sentences, on the grounds that the defendants’ Eighth Amendment rights had been violated in the instructions given to the jury. The U.S. Supreme swooped in, informing Kansas that it had made a mistake; nobody’s Eighth Amendment rights had been violated, thus the defendants ought to have continued unimpeded along the path toward execution. The Court’s decision was 8-1, with Ginsburg putting her name on Justice Scalia’s majority opinion.
• In Samson v. California, she went against the other liberal judges, on the issue of whether police could conduct warrantless searches of parolees merely because they were on parole. She sided with the police.
• In Heien v. North Carolina, Ginsburg held that the police may justifiably pull over cars if they believe they are violating the law, even if the police are misunderstanding the law, so long as the mistake was reasonable.
• In Plumhoff v. Rickard, she concurred with the court that held that the family of two men could not sue the police after they had shot and killed them for fleeing a police stop.
• In Taylor v. Barkes, she concurred with the Court that held that the family of a suicidal man who was jailed and then killed himself could not sue the jail for failing to implement anti-suicide measures.
• As a law and order liberal, she consistently stands with police against outspoken Justice Sotomayer.

Others

• Ruled that temp workers didn't deserve paid compensation for being required to watch amazon's anti-theft videos.
• Refused to retire in 2014 at 81 years old: "Tell me who the president could have nominated this spring that you would rather see on the court than me?"

I've been compiling a shitlist on RBG, here's what I got so far.
Mirror on Lemmygrad

Ruth Bader Ginsberg

Much credit to David Kinder's current affairs article, the rise of the Ruth Bader Ginsburg cult.

Native peoples, immigrants, and treatment of minorities.

• Ruled against the Oneida tribe over a dispute regarding its territorial claim, her majority opinion stating: "We hold that the tribe cannot unilaterally revive its ancient sovereignty, in whole or in part, over the parcels at issue." 2
• In Navajo Nation v. United States Forest Service, she ruled against the Navajo nation, who have consistently protested US encroachment of a US forest-service run ski resort on Navajo territory known as the sacred San Francisco Peaks.
• In Inyo County v. Paiute-Shoshone Indians, the Paiute tribe asserted that it was against their privacy policy to allow Inyo county district attorneys to investigate their employees. They stated that their tribe's status as a sovereign nation made them immune to state processes under federal law and asserted that the state authorized the seizure of tribal records. RBG concurred with the supreme court in dismissing their complaint suit.
• In Salazar_v. Ramah_Navajo Chapter, the issue in question was whether the US government, when it enters into a contract with a Native American (Indian) tribe for services, must pay contracts in full, even if Congress has not appropriated enough money to pay all tribal contractors. In a 5-4 decision, Ginsburg sided with the minority that stated the government shouldn't have to pay.
• In Atkinson Trading Co. v. Shirley, the supreme court unanimously ruled against the Navajo nation that charged a hotel occupancy tax for providing services (police, fire, and ambulances) for fee land (non-indian territory within indian territory). The court ruled that the tribe's imposition of a tax upon nonmembers on non-Indian fee land within the reservation was presumptively invalid without establishing that the tax was related to a consensual relationship with Atkinson.
• In Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma v. Manufacturing Technologies, Ginsburg dissented with the majority, who ruled that an Indian Nation were entitled to sovereign immunity from contract lawsuits, whether made on or off reservation, or involving governmental or commercial activities.
• In Alaska v. Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government, the supreme court unanimously ruled against a tribal council who wanted to collect a tax from non-tribal members doing business on tribal lands. The Court decided unanimously that the land was not the tribe's land subject to the tribal tax, even though it was owned by the tribe, because it was not part of a Native American reservation. Because all but one reservation in Alaska (the Annette Island reservation of the Tsimshian) had been eliminated by the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971, the decision had the practical effect of prohibiting almost all Indian tribes in Alaska from collecting taxes for activities conducted on tribal land.
• In C & L Enterprises, Inc. v. Citizen Band, Potawatomi Indian Tribe of Oklahoma, Ginsburg in her unanimous court opinion stated that: "An Indian tribe has sovereignty and is immune from suit in a state court unless that immunity has been specifically abrogated by the United States Congress or clearly waived by the tribe. In this case, the Potawatomie Tribe entered into a contract, using a contract form that the tribe provided, that agreed to arbitration and to having the dispute heard in state court. This is a clear waiver of the tribe's sovereign immunity."
• A podcast by Red Nation, w/ Rebecca Nagle, on the Supreme court's Oklahoma Decision.
• Helped push through the Atlantic coast pipeline, to allow it to cross through federal and native lands., 2
  • Refused to block keystone XL pipeline.
• In her final supreme court decision, helped push through Trump's fast-track deportation bill., 2
• On Black Lives Matter / Colin Kaepernick's kneeling protest: "I think its dumb and disrespectful, but I wouldn't lock a person up for doing it." Later retracted her statement after receiving public backlash.
• RBG hired 1 POC staffer in 25 years. Kavanaugh, a conservative justice, has 25% POC out of his 48 law clerks. One writer noted that Kavanaughs views on affirmative action don't reflect his diverse hiring practices, while Ginsburg's progressive views don't extend to her chambers. This is an improvement from her 13-year tenure on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, when Ginsburg never had any black clerks. When this issue was raised during her Supreme Court confirmation hearings in 1993, Ginsburg said: “If you confirm me for this job, my attractiveness to black candidates is going to improve.” That promise was ignored. 2
• Her best friend on the court was the most racist, conservative justice in modern times, Scalia. In the fawning book Notorious RBG, one of the few mentions of race is in the book’s discussion of Bush v. Gore, the contentious decision that decided the 2000 presidential election. The authors mention that Ginsburg’s draft of her dissent had a footnote alluding to the possible suppression of Black voters in Florida. Justice Scalia responded to this draft by flying into a rage, telling Ginsburg that she was using “Al Sharpton tactics.” Ginsburg removed the footnote before it saw the light of day. This anecdote’s inclusion in the book is baffling, as Ginsburg contemplates calling anti-Black racism in the most facile of ways. But when her friend Justice Scalia plucks an argument straight from right-wing talk radio to shame her out of doing so, Ginsburg instantly capitulates. Scalia called the Voting rights act "racial entitlement", opposed women's rights, and consistently defended anti-gay measures, yet these views did not stop her calling Scalia her "best buddy" on the court, their families even spending every new year together.

Law and Order

• In Brogan v United States, ruled that due process does not apply to those being questioned by law enforcement.
• In Kansas v. Carr, the Kansas Supreme Court had overturned a pair of death sentences, on the grounds that the defendants’ Eighth Amendment rights had been violated in the instructions given to the jury. The U.S. Supreme swooped in, informing Kansas that it had made a mistake; nobody’s Eighth Amendment rights had been violated, thus the defendants ought to have continued unimpeded along the path toward execution. The Court’s decision was 8-1, with Ginsburg putting her name on Justice Scalia’s majority opinion.
• In Samson v. California, she went against the other liberal judges, on the issue of whether police could conduct warrantless searches of parolees merely because they were on parole. She sided with the police.
• In Heien v. North Carolina, Ginsburg held that the police may justifiably pull over cars if they believe they are violating the law, even if the police are misunderstanding the law, so long as the mistake was reasonable.
• In Plumhoff v. Rickard, she concurred with the court that held that the family of two men could not sue the police after they had shot and killed them for fleeing a police stop.
• In Taylor v. Barkes, she concurred with the Court that held that the family of a suicidal man who was jailed and then killed himself could not sue the jail for failing to implement anti-suicide measures.
• In Nieves v Bartlett, agreed that cops should be protected from lawsuits as long as they cite probable cause in the original arrest.
• In Scott v. Harris, a high-speed chase involved a motorist being paralyzed after the cop ran his car off the road. Since the motorist had no charges or suspicion, the court was asked to decide whether the chase consititued unreasonable search and seizure, and whether running a car off the road constitutes deadly force that should be liable to lawsuits. Justice John Paul Stevens, the lone dissenter, argued that the videotape evidence was not decisive, as the majority claimed it to be, and that a jury should determine if deadly force was justified. He stated a jury should be used, instead of the case "being decided by a group of elderly appellate judges"
• As a law and order liberal, she consistently stands with police against outspoken Justice Sotomayer.

Others

• A primary reason for her continued support for Roe V. Wade and abortion rights, is to prevent "growth in populations we don't want too many of."
• Ruled that temp workers didn't deserve paid compensation for being required to watch amazon's anti-theft videos.
• Refused to retire in 2014 at 81 years old: "Tell me who the president could have nominated this spring that you would rather see on the court than me?"

Hello everyone,
First off we would like to thank everyone who participated, by either nominating and/or voting, in our Best of the Decade Vote. Below you will find the top 3 voted on books in every category. I would, however, recommend you also check out the nomination threads as quite a few great books are mentioned in there.
Best Science Fiction of the Decade - Nomination Thread
1st place: The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin - nominated by Speaker4theRest

Set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion. The result is a science fiction masterpiece of enormous scope and vision.

2nd place: The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin - nominated by sSlipperyPickle

This is the way the world ends. Again.
Three terrible things happen in a single day. Essun, a woman living an ordinary life in a small town, comes home to find that her husband has brutally murdered their son and kidnapped their daughter. Meanwhile, mighty Sanze -- the world-spanning empire whose innovations have been civilization's bedrock for a thousand years -- collapses as most of its citizens are murdered to serve a madman's vengeance. And worst of all, across the heart of the vast continent known as the Stillness, a great red rift has been been torn into the heart of the earth, spewing ash enough to darken the sky for years. Or centuries.
Now Essun must pursue the wreckage of her family through a deadly, dying land. Without sunlight, clean water, or arable land, and with limited stockpiles of supplies, there will be war all across the Stillness: a battle royale of nations not for power or territory, but simply for the basic resources necessary to get through the long dark night. Essun does not care if the world falls apart around her. She'll break it herself, if she must, to save her daughter.

3rd place: The Martian by Andy Weir - nominated by Aglance

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars.
Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there.
After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.Chances are, though, he won’t have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old “human error” are much more likely to kill him first.But Mark isn’t ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills — and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit — he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

Best Debut of the Decade - Nomination Thread
1st place: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi - nominated by okiegirl22

Two half-sisters, Effia and Esi, are born into different villages in eighteenth-century Ghana. Effia is married off to an Englishman and lives in comfort in the palatial rooms of Cape Coast Castle. Unbeknownst to Effia, her sister, Esi, is imprisoned beneath her in the castle's dungeons, sold with thousands of others into the Gold Coast's booming slave trade, and shipped off to America, where her children and grandchildren will be raised in slavery. One thread of Homegoing follows Effia's descendants through centuries of warfare in Ghana, as the Fante and Asante nations wrestle with the slave trade and British colonization. The other thread follows Esi and her children into America. From the plantations of the South to the Civil War and the Great Migration, from the coal mines of Pratt City, Alabama, to the jazz clubs and dope houses of twentieth-century Harlem, right up through the present day, Homegoing makes history visceral, and captures, with singular and stunning immediacy, how the memory of captivity came to be inscribed in the soul of a nation.

2nd place: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller - nominated by baddspellar

Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. By all rights their paths should never cross, but Achilles takes the shamed prince as his friend, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine their bond blossoms into something deeper - despite the displeasure of Achilles' mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess. But then word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus journeys with Achilles to Troy, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.
Profoundly moving and breathtakingly original, this rendering of the epic Trojan War is a dazzling feat of the imagination, a devastating love story, and an almighty battle between gods and kings, peace and glory, immortal fame and the human heart.

3rd place: The Martian by Andy Weir - nominated by TheItalianDream

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars.
Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there.
After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.Chances are, though, he won’t have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old “human error” are much more likely to kill him first.But Mark isn’t ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills — and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit — he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

Best Literary and General Fiction of the Decade - Nomination Thread
1st place: Circe by Madeline Miller - nominated by honeyiamsorry

In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child—not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power—the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.
Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.
But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.

2nd place: My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante - nominated by SinoJesuitConspiracy

My Brilliant Friend is a rich, intense and generous hearted story about two friends, Elena and Lila. Ferrante's inimitable style lends itself perfectly to a meticulous portrait of these two women that is also the story of a nation and a touching meditation on the nature of friendship. Through the lives of these two women, Ferrante tells the story of a neighbourhood, a city and a country as it is transformed in ways that, in turn, also transform the relationship between her two protagonists.

3rd place: A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara - nominated by Scurvy_Dogwood

When four classmates from a small Massachusetts college move to New York to make their way, they're broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition. There is kind, handsome Willem, an aspiring actor; JB, a quick-witted, sometimes cruel Brooklyn-born painter seeking entry to the art world; Malcolm, a frustrated architect at a prominent firm; and withdrawn, brilliant, enigmatic Jude, who serves as their center of gravity.
Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, tinged by addiction, success, and pride. Yet their greatest challenge, each comes to realize, is Jude himself, by midlife a terrifyingly talented litigator yet an increasingly broken man, his mind and body scarred by an unspeakable childhood, and haunted by what he fears is a degree of trauma that he’ll not only be unable to overcome—but that will define his life forever.

Best Mystery or Thriller of the Decade - Nomination Thread
1st place: Gone Girl by Gillain Flynn - nominated by johnnywash1

Marriage can be a real killer.On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

2nd place: 11/22/63 by Stephen King - nominated by thatgirl21

Jake Epping is a thirty-five-year-old high school English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine, who makes extra money teaching adults in the GED program. He receives an essay from one of the students—a gruesome, harrowing first person story about the night 50 years ago when Harry Dunning’s father came home and killed his mother, his sister, and his brother with a hammer. Harry escaped with a smashed leg, as evidenced by his crooked walk.Not much later, Jake’s friend Al, who runs the local diner, divulges a secret: his storeroom is a portal to 1958. He enlists Jake on an insane—and insanely possible—mission to try to prevent the Kennedy assassination. So begins Jake’s new life as George Amberson and his new world of Elvis and JFK, of big American cars and sock hops, of a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald and a beautiful high school librarian named Sadie Dunhill, who becomes the love of Jake’s life—a life that transgresses all the normal rules of time.

3rd place: The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton - nominated by mercutio_died

At a gala party thrown by her parents, Evelyn Hardcastle will be killed--again. She's been murdered hundreds of times, and each day, Aiden Bishop is too late to save her. Doomed to repeat the same day over and over, Aiden's only escape is to solve Evelyn Hardcastle's murder and conquer the shadows of an enemy he struggles to even comprehend--but nothing and no one are quite what they seem.

Best Short Story Collection of the Decade - Nomination Thread
1st place: Tenth of December by George Saunders - nominated by rjbman

In the taut opening, "Victory Lap," a boy witnesses the attempted abduction of the girl next door and is faced with a harrowing choice: Does he ignore what he sees, or override years of smothering advice from his parents and act? In "Home," a combat-damaged soldier moves back in with his mother and struggles to reconcile the world he left with the one to which he has returned. And in the title story, a stunning meditation on imagination, memory, and loss, a middle-aged cancer patient walks into the woods to commit suicide, only to encounter a troubled young boy who, over the course of a fateful morning, gives the dying man a final chance to recall who he really is. A hapless, deluded owner of an antique store; two mothers struggling to do the right thing; a teenage girl whose idealism is challenged by a brutal brush with reality; a man tormented by a series of pharmaceutical experiments that force him to lust, to love, to kill—the unforgettable characters that populate the pages of Tenth of December are vividly and lovingly infused with Saunders' signature blend of exuberant prose, deep humanity, and stylistic innovation.

2nd place: Exhalation: Stories by Ted Chiang - nominated by amyousness

This much-anticipated second collection of stories is signature Ted Chiang, full of revelatory ideas and deeply sympathetic characters. In "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate," a portal through time forces a fabric seller in ancient Baghdad to grapple with past mistakes and the temptation of second chances. In the epistolary "Exhalation," an alien scientist makes a shocking discovery with ramifications not just for his own people, but for all of reality. And in "The Lifecycle of Software Objects," a woman cares for an artificial intelligence over twenty years, elevating a faddish digital pet into what might be a true living being. Also included are two brand-new stories: "Omphalos" and "Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom."
In this fantastical and elegant collection, Ted Chiang wrestles with the oldest questions on earth—What is the nature of the universe? What does it mean to be human?—and ones that no one else has even imagined. And, each in its own way, the stories prove that complex and thoughtful science fiction can rise to new heights of beauty, meaning, and compassion.

3rd place: Homesick for Another World by Ottessa Moshfegh - nominated by ApollosCrow

There's something eerily unsettling about Ottessa Moshfegh's stories, something almost dangerous, while also being delightful, and even laugh-out-loud funny. Her characters are all unsteady on their feet in one way or another; they all yearn for connection and betterment, though each in very different ways, but they are often tripped up by their own baser impulses and existential insecurities. Homesick for Another World is a master class in the varieties of self-deception across the gamut of individuals representing the human condition. But part of the unique quality of her voice, the echt Moshfeghian experience, is the way the grotesque and the outrageous are infused with tenderness and compassion. Moshfegh is our Flannery O'Connor, and Homesick for Another World is her Everything That Rises Must Converge or A Good Man is Hard to Find. The flesh is weak; the timber is crooked; people are cruel to each other, and stupid, and hurtful. But beauty comes from strange sources, and the dark energy surging through these stories is powerfully invigorating. We're in the hands of an author with a big mind, a big heart, blazing chops, and a political acuity that is needle-sharp. The needle hits the vein before we even feel the prick.

Best Horror of the Decade - Nomination Thread
1st place: Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer - nominated by Bennings463

Area X has been cut off from the rest of the world for decades. Nature has reclaimed the last vestiges of human civilization. The first expedition returned with reports of a pristine, Edenic landscape; the second expedition ended in mass suicide, the third in a hail of gunfire as its members turned on one another. The members of the eleventh expedition returned as shadows of their former selves, and within weeks, all had died of cancer. In Annihilation, the first volume of Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach Trilogy, we join the twelfth expedition.
The group is made up of four women: an anthropologist; a surveyor; a psychologist, the de facto leader; and our narrator, a biologist. Their mission is to map the terrain, record all observations of their surroundings and of one another, and, above all, avoid being contaminated by Area X itself.They arrive expecting the unexpected, and Area X delivers—but it’s the surprises that came across the border with them and the secrets the expedition members are keeping from one another that change everything.

2nd place: The Fisherman by John Langan - nominated by ifthisisausername

In upstate New York, in the woods around Woodstock, Dutchman's Creek flows out of the Ashokan Reservoir. Steep-banked, fast-moving, it offers the promise of fine fishing, and of something more, a possibility too fantastic to be true. When Abe and Dan, two widowers who have found solace in each other's company and a shared passion for fishing, hear rumors of the Creek, and what might be found there, the remedy to both their losses, they dismiss it as just another fish story. Soon, though, the men find themselves drawn into a tale as deep and old as the Reservoir. It's a tale of dark pacts, of long-buried secrets, and of a mysterious figure known as Der Fisher: the Fisherman. It will bring Abe and Dan face to face with all that they have lost, and with the price they must pay to regain it.

3rd place: My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix - nominated by leowr

Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since fifth grade, when they bonded over a shared love of E.T., roller-skating parties, and scratch-and-sniff stickers. But when they arrive at high school, things change. Gretchen begins to act….different. And as the strange coincidences and bizarre behavior start to pile up, Abby realizes there’s only one possible explanation: Gretchen, her favorite person in the world, has a demon living inside her. And Abby is not about to let anyone or anything come between her and her best friend. With help from some unlikely allies, Abby embarks on a quest to save Gretchen. But is their friendship powerful enough to beat the devil?

Best Graphic Novel of the Decade - Nomination Thread
1st place: Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples - nominated by improveyourfuture

When two soldiers from opposite sides of a never-ending galactic war fall in love, they risk everything to bring a fragile new life into a dangerous old universe.

2nd place: Daytripper by Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon - nominated by RanAWholeMile

What are the most important days of your life?
Meet Brás de Oliva Domingos. The miracle child of a world-famous Brazilian writer, Brás spends his days penning other people's obituaries and his nights dreaming of becoming a successful author himself—writing the end of other people's stories, while his own has barely begun.
But on the day that life begins, would he even notice? Does it start at 21 when he meets the girl of his dreams? Or at 11, when he has his first kiss? Is it later in his life when his first son is born? Or earlier when he might have found his voice as a writer?
Each day in Brás's life is like a page from a book. Each one reveals the people and things who have made him who he is: his mother and father, his child and his best friend, his first love and the love of his life. And like all great stories, each day has a twist he'll never see coming...

3rd place: My Favorite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris - nominated by zedshouse

Set against the tumultuous political backdrop of late ’60s Chicago, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters is the fictional graphic diary of 10-year-old Karen Reyes, filled with B-movie horror and pulp monster magazines iconography. Karen Reyes tries to solve the murder of her enigmatic upstairs neighbor, Anka Silverberg, a holocaust survivor, while the interconnected stories of those around her unfold. When Karen’s investigation takes us back to Anka’s life in Nazi Germany, the reader discovers how the personal, the political, the past, and the present converge.

Best Fantasy of the Decade - Nomination Thread
1st place: Brandon Sanderson - nominated by holden147, AHerosJourneyPod & spaldingmatters

Brandon Sanderson is a well-liked and prolific author. This past decade he has published over a dozen books, novellas, short stories and graphic novels. The books that were nominated for this vote in particular were The Way of Kings, Oathbringer, Words of Radiance & A Memory of Light with Robert Jordan.

2nd place: The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin - nominated by cheesechimp

This is the way the world ends. Again.
Three terrible things happen in a single day. Essun, a woman living an ordinary life in a small town, comes home to find that her husband has brutally murdered their son and kidnapped their daughter. Meanwhile, mighty Sanze -- the world-spanning empire whose innovations have been civilization's bedrock for a thousand years -- collapses as most of its citizens are murdered to serve a madman's vengeance. And worst of all, across the heart of the vast continent known as the Stillness, a great red rift has been been torn into the heart of the earth, spewing ash enough to darken the sky for years. Or centuries.
Now Essun must pursue the wreckage of her family through a deadly, dying land. Without sunlight, clean water, or arable land, and with limited stockpiles of supplies, there will be war all across the Stillness: a battle royale of nations not for power or territory, but simply for the basic resources necessary to get through the long dark night. Essun does not care if the world falls apart around her. She'll break it herself, if she must, to save her daughter.

3rd place: Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft - nominated by ullsi

The Tower of Babel is the greatest marvel in the world. Immense as a mountain, the ancient Tower holds unnumbered ringdoms, warring and peaceful, stacked one on the other like the layers of a cake. It is a world of geniuses and tyrants, of airships and steam engines, of unusual animals and mysterious machines.
Soon after arriving for his honeymoon at the Tower, the mild-mannered headmaster of a small village school, Thomas Senlin, gets separated from his wife, Marya, in the overwhelming swarm of tourists, residents, and miscreants.
Senlin is determined to find Marya, but to do so he'll have to navigate madhouses, ballrooms, and burlesque theaters. He must survive betrayal, assassins, and the long guns of a flying fortress. But if he hopes to find his wife, he will have to do more than just endure.
This quiet man of letters must become a man of action.

Best Poetry Collection of the Decade - Nomination Thread
Not enough nominations for an award in this category.
Best Young Adult Novel of the Decade - Nomination Thread
1st place: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas - nominated by okiegirl22

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.
Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.
But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

2nd place: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo - nominated by Suzune-Chan

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone. . . .
A convict with a thirst for revenge
A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager
A runaway with a privileged past
A spy known as the Wraith
A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums
A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes
Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.

3rd place: One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus - nominated by AnokataX

Pay close attention and you might solve this.
On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High's notorious gossip app.
Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention, Simon's dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn't an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he'd planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who's still on the loose?Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.

Best Non-Fiction of the Decade - Nomination Thread
1st place: Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman - nominated by TriangleTingles

In the highly anticipated Thinking, Fast and Slow, Kahneman takes us on a groundbreaking tour of the mind and explains the two systems that drive the way we think. System 1 is fast, intuitive, and emotional; System 2 is slower, more deliberative, and more logical. Kahneman exposes the extraordinary capabilities—and also the faults and biases—of fast thinking, and reveals the pervasive influence of intuitive impressions on our thoughts and behavior. The impact of loss aversion and overconfidence on corporate strategies, the difficulties of predicting what will make us happy in the future, the challenges of properly framing risks at work and at home, the profound effect of cognitive biases on everything from playing the stock market to planning the next vacation—each of these can be understood only by knowing how the two systems work together to shape our judgments and decisions.
Engaging the reader in a lively conversation about how we think, Kahneman reveals where we can and cannot trust our intuitions and how we can tap into the benefits of slow thinking. He offers practical and enlightening insights into how choices are made in both our business and our personal lives—and how we can use different techniques to guard against the mental glitches that often get us into trouble. Thinking, Fast and Slow will transform the way you think about thinking.

2nd place: Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann - nominated by GanymedeBlu35

In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Indian Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe.
Then, one by one, they began to be killed off. One Osage woman, Mollie Burkhart, watched as her family was murdered. Her older sister was shot. Her mother was then slowly poisoned. And it was just the beginning, as more Osage began to die under mysterious circumstances.
In this last remnant of the Wild West—where oilmen like J. P. Getty made their fortunes and where desperadoes such as Al Spencer, “the Phantom Terror,” roamed – virtually anyone who dared to investigate the killings were themselves murdered. As the death toll surpassed more than twenty-four Osage, the newly created F.B.I. took up the case, in what became one of the organization’s first major homicide investigations. But the bureau was then notoriously corrupt and initially bungled the case. Eventually the young director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to try to unravel the mystery. White put together an undercover team, including one of the only Native American agents in the bureau. They infiltrated the region, struggling to adopt the latest modern techniques of detection. Together with the Osage they began to expose one of the most sinister conspiracies in American history.
A true-life murder mystery about one of the most monstrous crimes in American history.

3rd place: Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou - nominated by Flashy-Band

The full inside story of the breathtaking rise and shocking collapse of a multibillion-dollar startup, by the prize-winning journalist who first broke the story and pursued it to the end in the face of pressure and threats from the CEO and her lawyers.
In 2014, Theranos founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes was widely seen as the female Steve Jobs: a brilliant Stanford dropout whose startup "unicorn" promised to revolutionize the medical industry with a machine that would make blood tests significantly faster and easier. Backed by investors such as Larry Ellison and Tim Draper, Theranos sold shares in a fundraising round that valued the company at $9 billion, putting Holmes's worth at an estimated $4.7 billion. There was just one problem: The technology didn't work.
For years, Holmes had been misleading investors, FDA officials, and her own employees. When Carreyrou, working at The Wall Street Journal, got a tip from a former Theranos employee and started asking questions, both Carreyrou and the Journal were threatened with lawsuits. Undaunted, the newspaper ran the first of dozens of Theranos articles in late 2015. By early 2017, the company's value was zero and Holmes faced potential legal action from the government and her investors. Here is the riveting story of the biggest corporate fraud since Enron, a disturbing cautionary tale set amid the bold promises and gold-rush frenzy of Silicon Valley.

Again, thank you to everyone who participated.
Happy reading!

Pre-medical post-baccalaureate programs may be a somewhat confusing topic because they refer to several distinct types of programs. They boil down to two basic categories: (1) remedial programs for pre-meds who want to pad their GPAs and (2) “career” changer programs for students who have never taken premed course work. This article will focus on the latter, as I took this non-traditional path.
After getting a Bachelor's degree in the very employable field of liberal arts, I spent 3 years living abroad working at non-profit organizations and teaching English. (Somehow in post-bacc land this qualifies as a “career”.)
If you haven’t taken much of the premed course work but want to get up to speed to be competitive in the über competitive medical school admissions, a career changer premed post-bacc may be a good choice for you. Here are a few questions about such programs:

1. Are they expensive? Yes, absolutely. They cost about the price of a year at a private liberal arts college. Note that the most prestigious of these programs (the big 3: Goucher, Bryn Mawr, and Scripps) were founded in the 1980s at all-girls schools that were suffering financially with the rise in co-ed education. Premed post-bacc programs were an opportunity to get a year or two’s worth of tuition dollars without increasing undergrad enrollment.
   
2. But are they just a way to take your money? Well, not really. Simply put, these programs offer the absolute best opportunity to get into medical school.
   

In part this is from the phenomenal advising (read: handholding) during the entire admissions process. I kid you not: the director of my program would review each and every email I sent to the admissions departments of medical schools, including thank you notes.
Furthermore, from the perspective of the medical school, graduating from such a program is evidence of good pedigree. In the same way that going to Yale is proof that you’re smart and successful, going to one of these programs is evidence that you would make a great doctor.
In addition, the pre-med post-bacc move will likely play well in your medical school application because having gone to such a program brings much needed diversity to the traditional gung-ho premed stereotype of medical schools. Some of the most prestigious medical programs in the country including UPenn and University of Chicago pride themselves on having substantial students with non-traditional backgrounds.
All-in-all, The numbers speak for themselves: your odds of getting into med school should you get in to a post-bacc can be as high as 99.7% (Goucher). Suffice it to say if you’re serious about med school and do not have the correct prerequisite, you should consider this option.

1. Am I a good candidate?

This is now the crux of the issue. What you need to be a good post-bacc changes slightly with the tides. The GPA requirement for med schools increased slightly a couple years back, for instance and so the premed post baccs-whose primary purpose is to get you into med school have followed suit.
While each program is different, your ability to get into a program depends on 3 factors: (1) how good of a student you were in college and high school —yes, your GPA matters a lot more than you thought it did and so do your previous standardized test scores (especially SAT/ACT if you didn’t get a master’s degree); (2) pedigree - what college did you go to? Are you a medical school bound Yale grad who just didn’t happen to take any medical course work? Or did you just scrape by at a podunk West Virginia community college? This is especially important at the top-tier Bryn Mawr which values your undergrad institution substantially more than the other juggernaut Goucher; (3) your unique story and path to medicine.
What does (3) really mean? You need to have a compelling case for why you want to go to medicine. Come again? You must have shadowed with a physician for a substantial period of time and be able to write concisely about what you valued in this interaction with patients. (And no, watching surgery doesn’t count unless the physician actually speaks to the patient at some point.) Further, you must volunteer in a socially useful way to help the community and be able to relate this to your interest in medicine. Saying you want to help people is trite. Saying you volunteered for a year as a scribe in rural Oklahoma where you admired how this one incredible pediatrician related to her patients on an Indian reservation is a good opener.
Volunteering is ideally done in a medical setting, though it doesn’t need to be. And finally you have to have a cool backstory. If you were in the military, great! That counts because not many medical school applicants were in the military. If you lived abroad, that’s good. But if you did a 10 month stint teaching English that was funded by the Fulbright program or some other pedigree granting institution even better! If you made movies for years like my brother, great! Perhaps you were an EMT or worked for the CIA or wrote children’s books? It really could be anything substantially removed from the traditional med school applicant. You don’t even need to have done anything post college graduation. Many successful applicants to post-baccs comes straight from undergrad, which once again begs the question of why this is called a career changing program.
Summary: How do I know if I will be a good applicant?
You should have the following:

A high GPA, ideally a 3.7 or above but can be a little less. Please note that both Dan and I had GPAs below this cut off and we still were accepted into pre-med post-bacc programs because of our diversity Many volunteer experiences serving the community, ideally with folks that are poor or are “underserved” (generally understood to be individuals with disabilities, the elderly, and certain racial and ethnic groups) A good come-to-Jesus medicine story Great letters of recommendation. These are critical so please form great relationships with the people you work and volunteer with. And remember you can offer to draft letters if your letter writer is time constrained or not a gifted writer Not have taken many intro premed science classes (biology, chemistry, physics)—ideally zero but some programs will let it slide if you took only 1 or 2 classes 

Most of these features you can create over the course of a year or two. My brother and I have advised students before they begin to write their applications to ensure success on this path. If you’re interested in a free conversation or additional services to help you get into the increasingly competitive pre-med post-bacc programs, contact us at www.personalpremed.com

A common trait Assassin’s Creed groups have is the constant theorizing about future settings, because historical tourism is one of the best parts of the series. This series of posts will act as a counter to my Mildly Obscure setting discussions, but rather than looking at a single point, I will be taking a broad setting that is popular and looking at several potential settings to explore within it. Today’s setting is the United States. I want to say that I personally am not a huge fan of the setting, and like WW2, worry about whether or not Ubisoft could actually tactfully do these settings, but due to the lore potential, I’m willing to discuss them. Most of these settings would suffer from issues that plagued Syndicate such as proximity to the modern-day causing fake events and characters to be made to avoid lawsuits, parkour issues from wide streets and small buildings, or painfully tall buildings, and poor weapon variety due to legal carrying restrictions.
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Shays’ Rebellion
The American Revolution had a heavy toll on thousands of soldiers. Besides the loss of life and injuries, many men never received their full pay. In the early 1780s, this started to become a major issue, as men returning home from warlike Daniel Shay were being asked to pay large debts and taxes that they couldn’t afford because of the lack of pay. Many protests were held in Massachusetts from 1782 to 1785 against these taxes and to get the pay the veterans had earned. In August 1786, protestors organized to begin forcefully shutting down the courts. Government officials denounced the mob mentality but did nothing to stop it. Daniel Shays would start to organize more of these shutdowns and lead about 300 men to the Springfield Courts, which were then protected by William Shepard who held about 800 men at his command. After a day of demonstrations with no violence, Shepard led his men to the Springfield Armory due to rumors of the mob planning to attack it. By October of 1786 more protests had successfully shut down courts in Taunton, Great Barrington, and Concord. State officials now feared the violence and the potential for civil war and Samuel Adams worked with the state officials to draft a riot act to suspend habeas corpus and imprison the rioters without a trial while advocating for the execution of anyone who tried to rebel against the republic. With the new legislation in place, several of the movement’s leaders were arrested in eastern Massachusetts, causing 4,000 men to form an open rebellion against the “tyrannical state”.
The open rebellion caused Benjamin Lincoln to be granted money to form a militia and march west on January 19th. By that point, Shepard had amassed a local militia of 1200 men at the Springfield Federal Armory (a place he was not technically legally allowed to defend as a local militia)and Daniel Shays had coordinated with Luke Day to advance on the federal armory. Due to correspondence being stopped by Shepard’s men, Shays didn’t know Day was running late by a day and arrived at the armory on January 25th with no support from the west. Shepard had 2 cannons fired as a warning shot which scattered Shays forces. General Lincoln managed to track the army down to Pelham on the 4th of February during a snowstorm and capture about 150 men. Shay went into hiding as Lincoln’s army melted away from lack of funding. By the end of February, the 3000 man army dwindled to less than 200, and during that time a force of 200 men regrouped to attack Stockbridge on early February 27th. The remaining army eventually caught up with them in the night at Sheffield leading to the bloodiest battle of the rebellion with over 30 men killed, and 150 captured. Shays’ Rebellion was ultimately a failure, but it had a large impact on the creation of the modern US constitution and the creation of a standing army. I also think it may be interesting if Shay Cormac had taken the name Daniel Shays during the Revolutionary War to act as a Templar mole searching for the Piece of Eden George Washington would find and that the “little revolution” he referenced at the end of Rogue was not the French Revolution, but him orchestrating Shays’ Rebellion against the new republic that the Templars largely fought against. Daniel Shays would eventually die in 1825, and while Shay would be very old by that point, it would make sense to be that late due to Shay’s relationship with his grandson Cudgel.
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War of 1812
America’s relationship with Britain continued to strain during the years following the Revolutionary War. Britain used its colonies in Canada to give supplies and aid to Native American tribes with the intent of those tribes attacking American settlers. By 1805 a confederation of Native Americans formed in the great lakes and would actively kill any European-American settlers. Leading this was Tecumseh who was the brother of the original mastermind of the confederation. This conflict would lead the American government to lead the Battle of Tippecanoe against Tecumseh in 1811, and hostilities only increased from there. During the Napoleonic Wars, Britain set up large blockades of ports to stop Americans from trading with the French. While enforcing this, British ships had killed dozens of Americans and impressed even more into service. On June 1st, 1812, President James Madison sent Congress a list of grievances the United States had with Britain, and 4 days later, Congress voted to declare war for the first time.
The first stage of the war primarily took place in the North East US and Canada. I’d personally say that this should be the bulk of the main map with cities like Baltimore, Detroit, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Montreal, Toronto, and Quebec. And then we could see the other primary theatres as smaller self-contained maps. William Hull initially led the charge into Canada in early July of 1812, only to be chased back out by Shawnee natives combined with forces of the British Major General Isaac Brock who then laid siege to Detroit in August. Following Hull’s defeat, General William Henry Harrison took control of the American Armies and led them to victory in several battles around the Great Lakes, primarily against the Tecumseh Confederacy. On October 5th, 1813, Tecumseh was killed at the Battle of the Thames. The next year was a constant back and forth between Americans and British fighting over forts along the Canada-US border with several notable sieges at York (Toronto), Niagra, Fort Erie, and Plattsburgh. To the west, a series of battles were fought from 1812 to 1814 along the Mississippi River reaching down to St Louis.
The east coast of the US saw a lot of action during the war. Starting in 1812, the British set up a series of blockades around the US. The blockade ended up serving as a large way for Black Refugees to escape slavery and get to Canada where they’d be freed. It also gave partial control of the Chesapeake Bay, and despite attempts to fortify the Potomac River in 1813, by 1814 the British freed of the Napoleonic Wars sent more ships to the war in America, breaking through the fortifications. Their first major attack was the Burning of Washington DC in response to the Battle of York (Toronto) a year prior. The British then went north and led a land and naval battle at Baltimore (the naval bombardment of Baltimore was partially what inspired the lyrics of the Star-Spangled Banner). During the battle, the British General Ross was killed, leaving command to Colonel Arthur Brooke who after finishing the battle, commanded his troops and ships to New Orleans.
The Creek War was the southernmost war partially influenced by Tecumseh’s Confederacy. The Lower Creeks in Alabama had been trading partners for the US and Settlers, adopting many of their cultural practices, while the Upper Creeks controlled the rivers and were concerned about the loss of the culture and lifestyle to encroaching US settlers. Over the course of 2 years, General Andrew Jackson would lead US and Lower Creek troops against the Upper Creeks and ultimately gained 21 million acres for the US in what is now Alabama and Georgia. During this American General James Wilkinson took the city of Mobile and part of western Spanish Florida. At the end of 1814 and January of 1815, the British would lead multiple offenses against New Orleans and Mobile, losing each time. By that point, both the Americans and the British had sent delegates to Ghent to negotiate a stalemate. On December 24th the Treaty of Ghent was signed, but it wouldn’t be until February that the news reached America and the fighting ceased. The most lore we have is that every presidency was contested between Assassins and Templars and the first Templar President was Franklin D. Roosevelt. I do really like this period for opening up the capability of expanding Connor’s Story, tying up Shay, maybe meet Shay’s son. There’s a ton of lore possibilities here. We also know that the apple Connor dropped in the ocean was retrieved by the 20th century, so it’s possible that part of the heavy naval portion of this war and blockade was a British effort to search for the apple.
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Mexican-American War
In 1836 the Texas Revolution saw Texas freed from Mexico to the chagrin of Santa Anna, the sitting Mexican President. 9 years later, the Texas Republic continued to face threats from Mexico which did not view them as sovereign; the United States, as a result, annexed Texas. Texas, however, still claimed more land than it owned, and Mexico refused to recognize this, leading to American President James K. Polk to send an emissary to Mexico City to negotiate to buy land on good faith while also sending American troops over the border with the intention of provoking an armed military response. It did, and after American troops were fired upon at Palo Alto, America declared the Mexican-American War on May 13th, 1846. The war itself was largely controversial, including Abraham Lincoln; and many northern abolitionists saw it as a way to strengthen slavery in the south.
The first campaign of the war was to capture what became New Mexico. Santa Fe was captured by August of 1846 but rebels in the area led small assaults and raids for another year until the Battle of Cienega Creek. Following this, General Kearny marched his troops across the Sonoran Desert to California. It took 3 months for news of the war to originally reach California, and when it did, American troops planted flags in San Francisco. American armies would lead several battles just outside San Diego and Los Angeles, with small rebels popping up near San Francisco, but California was largely conquered by January of 1847.
Throughout 1846 troops marched from San Antonio and Corpus Christi to be met with battles in Monterrey and Buena Vista. By March 9th, 1847 General Scott was ordered to bring the war to a close by President Polk by capturing Mexico City. Commodore Matthew C Perry arrived at Veracruz on March 24th and opened it up with a naval bombardment. Despite several soldiers coming down with Yellow Fever during the 12-day siege, General Scott pushed on to Puebla and then Mexico City with Santa Anna expecting the diseases to wipe out the army. After a stop at Puebla due to the sick, Scott marched on to the Battle for Mexico City, a week-long series of battles that left Scott the military governor of the city on September 15th, 1847. Santa Anna then attempted to besiege Puebla but failed due to the Battle of Huamantla lifting the siege in early October. Following the defeat, a new Mexican Government led by Manuel de la Pena y Pena ceded over military control from Santa Anna to General Jose Joaquin de Herrera. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed on February 2nd, 1848, with nearly 339 million acres of land given to the United States while the US paid $15 million dollars (approximately 5 cents per acre). Once again there’s next to no lore in this area, and we could see Shay’s son or Grandson be active during the war. That said, the United States was extremely aggressive during the war, and making assassins allied with either the US or Mexico could feel somewhat forced, as this was ultimately two countries fighting over land.
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The Civil War
I personally don’t wish to discuss this setting too much, as I don’t believe Ubisoft could actually do this setting well, especially with the current lore. First of all, is the reasoning for the war. States' rights were ultimately the reason for southern secession; and slavery was the biggest of those concerns, and many smaller concerns revolved around slavery. Northern abolitionists had been sending over voters to commit voting fraud and try to force states below the Mason-Dixon line to not allow slavery. The Northern states refused to follow the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, multiple states were displeased with high federal spending, they had issues with the regulation of the banks which hurt southern states more than northern, Northern States ruled congress due to population density, and there were many questions about how the south would survive economically if slavery was abolished. While we all agree in the modern-day that slavery is wrong (and our assassin character should agree), people did not historically hold that view. And to be fair to their fears, following the civil war the southern economy did crash, affecting more than the 1% of land-owning slave owners. Even the now freed blacks had nowhere to go or anything to do because they spent their entire lives on plantations. This resulted in many blacks essentially becoming serfs for their former masters. Segregation and Jim Crow laws only increased after the civil war due to racism, and despite freed black men legally being able to vote, they rarely could because of new racist restrictions. The south wasn’t alone in enacting racist legislation though, as New York has been called the capital of Jim Crow. Northerners may have been against slavery, but that doesn’t mean they cared what came next. Templars were primarily behind the south and secession, while assassins backed the north and abolitionists. Abraham Lincoln’s election is what ultimately set off the secession despite not even being an abolitionist. He, despite being against slavery, agreed that it was sanctioned by the US constitution under the 10th amendment. He cared more about keeping the union together, and still, the south seceded. Lincoln couldn’t let that stand and put northern troops in Fort Sumter, squarely in southern territory. He loaded the fort with arms and rations enough to last a long siege. The newly forming Confederacy of the United States saw this as a threat and fired upon the fort. Just like with the Mexican American War, Lincoln could now claim that not only did he want to keep the Union whole, but the south fired first. Lincoln then (illegally) declared Martial Law in Maryland in order to make sure the capital (Washington DC) wasn’t surrounded by enemies.
Despite the Assassins backing the north, we know from the movie that Assassins also supported the south. Perhaps this was similar to how General Lee was a general for the confederacy because of his family ties despite being against slavery? Perhaps Assassins and templars in the South agreed about very real potential issues with civil rights in the wake of slavery’s abolition and felt the solution could be worked out more diplomatically. We also know Templars controlled major parts of the North. William “Boss” Tweed was the boss of Tammany Hall and played a major part in the Democratic Party’s organization and the corruption in New York City. He was also a Templar master who worked with Cudgel Cormac (the grandson of Shay), to orchestrate the New York City Draft Riots in 1863. An assassin, Varius, worked for the Union and delivered a PoE to General Ulysses S Grant. John Wilkes Booth, a templar affiliate, assassinated Abraham Lincoln and then was killed by assassins 12 days later. Lincoln’s successor, Andrew Johnson, would go on to ratify the 13th through 15th amendments. His presidency was also about when the gilded age began, a period of 30 years marred by mass corruption and monopoly overreach during intense industrialization. Personally, I don’t think Ubisoft should attempt this setting. The rampant racism, the debate over what was a state right, the rise of organizations like the KKK, the bloody battles, and intense politics all still heavily impact the united states. Some men and women today can still say that their grandparents were freed from slavery between 1863-1865. The racism and corruption that poured forth in the aftermath can still be felt by many within the United States, even if such institutions have been since criminalized. The Civil War can be a very sensitive topic to people all across the United States, and it should be handled sensitively. I think there can be some very nuanced lore about the assassins and templars' roles during the war and why they chose certain sides. But ultimately I do not trust Ubisoft to handle this setting well. Unity nor Syndicate maturely handled themes of extremism or marxism well, and Origins and Odyssey have just blatantly ignored a lot of historical sexism and slavery. Freedom Cry was about freeing slaves and yet the slave ship you board shows a handful of men all chained separately and sitting up rather than the barbaric and cruel reality of the transatlantic slave trade that intended to spread disease and filth to break the body and mind of the slaves. Ignoring Injustices does not respect them or what millions of people went through.
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Cowboys, Outlaws, and Indians in the West
The United States is incredibly beautiful, and the current games in this series have barely scratched the surface. Luckily, the westward expansion and wars America waged against the Native Americans are not only full of potential for fantastic (and tragic) stories but also can showcase a lot of America’s landscapes.
Founded in 1850 by Allan Pinkerton in 1850 the Pinkerton Detective Agency was a private security force that rose to prominence during and after the civil war. They’re well known for investigating and causing the collapse of several unions, investigating murders, serving as bodyguards for Abraham Lincoln, and infiltrating the Molly Maguires (a secret Irish organization in Pennsylvania). They famously were hired to hunt down Jesse James, the Reno Gang, and Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch. Outlaws were common in the south around Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Some like Jesse James and Black Bart were from farther North. Outlaws would generally prey on stagecoaches, trains, and banks, easy targets for quick money. Local sheriffs would then form posses to track down and bring the outlaws to justice. In cases of more notorious outlaws, detective agencies like the Pinkertons may be involved. Recently, however, the Pinkerton Agency has sued Rockstar for their portrayal in Red Dead Redemption 2; so it may not be possible to use them and we may see another Syndicate situation with Ubisoft making up fake gangs and agencies. Some towns and settlements began to pop up that supported outlaws. And these old west towns weren’t just down south in Texas and Arizona but stretched all the way north to the Dakotas, most famously including Deadwood where Wild Bill Hickock and Calamity Jane died. Some other famous towns include Tombstone Arizona and Cody Wyoming. Arizona was home to a number of towns like Phoenix, Tucson, and Flagstaff which was close to the Grand Canyon. Las Vegas existed as a small settlement in what is now Nevada, only a little to the west of the Grand Canyon, but wasn’t founded officially until 1905. California is home to Death Valley and part of the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts while also holding massive mountains and rolling hills covered in redwoods. To the east were cities like Albuquerque and John Cross ranch (now Truth or Consequences) in New Mexico, Amarillo, El Paso, Austin, Houston, and Dallas in Texas. North of Arizona is Utah, home of the Mormons and Salt Lake City, containing Arches National Park. Right next door is the rocky mountains and Denver that was founded during the gold rush. Wyoming contains Grand Teton, Devil’s Tower, and Yellowstone. Montana and the Dakotas are filled with forests and stunning hills and landmarks like the Badlands. Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Iowa are largely flat open plains, home of large cattle ranches and cowboys, and easy targets for the outlaws while Louisiana is just a flat swamp. East of the Mississippi are still some plains until you reach the Appalachians which border the east Coast. The only place I’d say we should go that’s east of the Mississippi is Detroit, which was called the Paris of the West and home to the Pinkertons.
Despite the fun lawlessness found commonly throughout the frontier as explored by Red Dead Redemption, America also had a much darker side. The westward expansion that exploded into the west following the Mexican-American War and the Gold Rush meant violently pushing Native Americans out of their land into reservations. This led to dozens of wars and battles in a series called the Indian Wars. I don’t have enough space to go into details about the wars, but between 1850 and 1900 there were well over 50 wars just west of the Mississippi between Native American tribes and the United States military. This is even ignoring the trail of tears in the southeast. Some of the more famous wars are the Sioux Wars and the bulk of these lasted from 1854-1890. They included some of the most famous American Generals and Native American leaders including George Cook, George Custer, Little Crow, Crazy Horse, and Sitting Bull. During the Great Sioux War Lieutenant Colonel George Custer and over 300 of his men were killed at the Battle of Little Bighorn. Years later in 1890, one of the most famous incidents occurred where Kicking Bull and Sitting Bull led to their deaths. The natives entered into Ghost Dance War, and during it, the US Army entered the native camp at Wounded Knee and after hearing a gunshot, massacred 350 native men, women, and children. Those are just 2 famous events, the map linked above under Indian Wars shows the locations of dozens more battles and forts. Once again, this setting would need a lot of care and respect to do it right and is something I’d be very concerned about Ubisoft doing well.

I dont know why the formatting added all the extra spaces after copy/pasting I apologize if it makes reading difficult for anyone
In response to:
"Let’s help the Bellefonte Area School District have a better mascot."
Message:
TaiGuey Natiaos Siyou Yuwi (Good Day Sisters and Brothers)
I do not know if you have reach a decision on your mascot yet or not. The most recent update on the website states “August 19, 2020” and seems to imply there has yet to be a change. I thought your discussion might benefit from some different insights and perspectives regarding the people your mascot “represents” in addition to some basic history that, as an originally public school educated mixed race citizen, I know is not taught on any level. Before continuing further, I feel it would be uncouth not to also acknowledge the sheer absurdity that this conversation must be had at all. All that has to be done, to not offend an entire peoples, is change a logo and a name. Even the most basic moral compass should not need an explanation as to why that should already have been accomplished. But here we are.
First it is important to also note without any misunderstanding, misrepresentation, or bias, that the current state of affairs in which we are faced with the context of this discussion is rooted in a multi-generational history of racism, genocide, and purposeful oppression and brutality. The Indian Policies which this country operated under, and openly funded with both massive manpower and financial resources in addition to the great efforts put forth in anti-indian propaganda production were directly praised by none other than Adolf Hitler himself. They would go on to serve not only as the inspiration for his camps and ghettos, but the Reservation systems *still in place today* would serve as the very model for his attempt at the complete division and eventual destruction of the Jewish people. That is a pretty uncomfortable thing to acknowledge, but it is a vital part of the American story if we are to understand it in its current form at all. It is well understood (or at least hoped) that the average American today probably does not support or even entertain the idea of genocide even in a general sense, but it is also necessary to see and understand that in the past however, that thought was not only commonplace but easily perpetuated.
In 1928, Hitler remarked, approvingly, that white settlers in America had “gunned down the *millions* of redskins to a few hundred thousand.” When he spoke of ‘Lebensraum’, as he often famously did, which was the German drive for “living space” in Eastern Europe, it well understood that he had a very American inspired sort of Manifest Destiny in mind. See also James Q. Whitman’s “Hitler’s American Model: The United States and the Making of Nazi Race Law” (Princeton) for more insight. Hitler praises America as the one state that has made progress toward a primarily racial conception of citizenship, by “excluding certain races from naturalization” and as such, the discussion of such influences on history and our own country to this day are either taboo or omitted entirely. Please keep in mind, the purpose of this information and this email is not to say “by having a red raider mascot you are perpetuating Nazism” I am simply providing a background for those who may not understand the broader weight such an image carries, and why it is inherently disrespectful and clearly rooted in racism and genocide and thus seen as a symbolic slap in the face to those who not only know their history, but are forced to live out the consequences of it struggling to retain their languages, traditions, and ancient histories already hanging in the balance for survival by a thread. Perspective is important. This leads me to an old dialogue I have heard shared in various forms to those who will listen over the years:
A white man and an elderly native man became good friends, so the white guy decided to ask him, “What do think about Indian mascots?”
The Native elder responded, “Here’s what you’ve got to understand. When you look at black people, you see ghosts of all the slavery and the rapes and the hangings and the chains. When you look at Jews, you see ghosts of all those bodies piled up in death camps. And those ghosts keep you trying to do the right thing. But when you look at us, you don’t see the ghosts of the little babies with their heads smashed in by rifle butts at the Big Hole, or the old folks dying by the side of the trail on the way to Oklahoma while their families cried and tried to make them comfortable, or the dead mothers and their infants displayed on the ends of bayonets for photo ops at Wounded Knee, or the little kids at Sand Creek who were shot for target practice. You don’t see any ghosts at all…
Instead you see casinos and drunks and junk cars and shacks. Well, we see those ghosts. And they make our hearts sad and they hurt our children. And when we try to say something, you tell us, ‘Get over it. This is America. Look at the American dream.’ But as long as you’re calling us Redskins and doing tomahawk chops, we can’t look at the American dream, because those things remind us that we are not real human beings to you. And when people aren’t humans, you can turn them into slaves or kill six million of them or shoot them down with Hotchkiss guns and throw them into mass graves at Wounded Knee. No, we’re not looking at the American dream. And why should we? We still haven’t woken up from the American nightmare. (Nerburn, 2009)
To contrast this, and better understand the kind of sentiment that not only allows for a Bellefonte Red Raider mascot to persist, in addition to the historical poison that is wrapped up in the term redskin we have the words of none other than L. Frank Baum, author of the Wizard of Oz, from a newspaper editorial published for all to read at the time:
“…The Redskin is extinguished, and what few are left are a pack of whining curs who lick the hand that smites them. The Whites, by law of conquest, by justice of civilization, are masters of the American continent, and the best safety of the frontier settlements will be secured by the total annihilation of the few remaining Indians. Why not annihilation? Their glory has fled, their spirit broken, their manhood effaced; better that they die than live the miserable wretches that they are.”
This was L. Frank Baum’s specific response to the tragic Massacre at Wounded Knee of an estimated 300 Lakota people, most of which were unarmed and many women and children. As referenced briefly in the other text above, this event was known for its unrivaled brutality in which US soldiers were issued multiple Medals of Honor (one of the highest military honors that exist) and yet we have these accounts from both sides:
“There was a woman with an infant in her arms who was killed as she almost touched the flag of truce, and the women and children of course were strewn all along the circular village until they were dispatched. Right near the flag of truce a mother was shot down with her infant; the child not knowing that its mother was dead was still nursing, and that especially was a very sad sight. The women as they were fleeing with their babes were killed together, shot right through, and the women who were very heavy with child were also killed. All the Indians fled in these three directions, and after most all of them had been killed a cry was made that all those who were not killed or wounded should come forth and they would be safe. Little boys who were not wounded came out of their places of refuge, and as soon as they came in sight a number of soldiers surrounded them and butchered them there.”
– Chief American Horse
“I know the men did not aim deliberately and they were greatly excited. I don’t believe they saw their sights. They fired rapidly but it seemed to me only a few seconds till there was not a living thing before us; warriors, squaws, children, ponies, and dogs … went down before that unaimed fire.”
– Edward S. Godfrey, Captain, Co. D, 7th Cavalry
“General Nelson A. Miles who visited the scene of carnage, following a three-day blizzard, estimated that around 300 snow shrouded forms were strewn over the countryside. He also discovered to his horror that helpless children and women with babies in their arms had been chased as far as two miles from the original scene of encounter and cut down without mercy by the troopers. Judging by the slaughter on the battlefield it was suggested that the soldiers simply went berserk. For who could explain such a merciless disregard for life?”
– Hugh McGinnis, First Battalion, Co. K, 7th Cavalry
This is just one isolated example of the kind of history a “red” mascot spits in the face of and enables, unknowingly or otherwise. A legacy of a merciless disregard for life. The conquest of this country by settlers consists of thousands of Wounded Knees. You either condone it or you do not. You are either a part of the problem, or a part of the solution. It really is that simple. We can not change history, but we can change how we react to it and how we teach it to our children. Showing respect and having a dialogue, and a willingness to learn about and overcome our uncomfortable yet undeniably shared histories should not be so much to ask for and changing a school mascot while it is a simple gesture, it is also a very big one. As an ancestor of the indigenous Taino peoples myself, the tribe of “first contact” whose numbers dwindled from 23 million to a mere few thousand after the arrival of Columbus- everywhere in America there are still stark reminders of colonialism, slavery, and hundreds of years of oppression and racism by people who once deemed themselves superior. At this point, a little basic respect goes a long way.
Thank you for your time, and hopefully your open hearts and minds.
Sincerely, (omitted from copy for privacy)
Tau Taino-Ti (Good Spirits Be With You)

Pre-medical post-baccalaureate programs may be a somewhat confusing topic because they refer to several distinct types of programs. They boil down to two basic categories: (1) remedial programs for pre-meds who want to pad their GPAs and (2) “career” changer programs for students who have never taken premed course work. This article will focus on the latter, as I took this non-traditional path.
After getting a Bachelor's degree in the very employable field of liberal arts, I spent 3 years living abroad working at non-profit organizations and teaching English. (Somehow in post-bacc land this qualifies as a “career”.)
If you haven’t taken much of the premed course work but want to get up to speed to be competitive in the über competitive medical school admissions, a career changer premed post-bacc may be a good choice for you. Here are a few questions about such programs:

1. Are they expensive? Yes, absolutely. They cost about the price of a year at a private liberal arts college. Note that the most prestigious of these programs (the big 3: Goucher, Bryn Mawr, and Scripps) were founded in the 1980s at all-girls schools that were suffering financially with the rise in co-ed education. Premed post-bacc programs were an opportunity to get a year or two’s worth of tuition dollars without increasing undergrad enrollment.
   
2. But are they just a way to take your money? Well, not really. Simply put, these programs offer the absolute best opportunity to get into medical school.
   

In part this is from the phenomenal advising (read: handholding) during the entire admissions process. I kid you not: the director of my program would review each and every email I sent to the admissions departments of medical schools, including thank you notes.
Furthermore, from the perspective of the medical school, graduating from such a program is evidence of good pedigree. In the same way that going to Yale is proof that you’re smart and successful, going to one of these programs is evidence that you would make a great doctor.
In addition, the pre-med post-bacc move will likely play well in your medical school application because having gone to such a program brings much needed diversity to the traditional gung-ho premed stereotype of medical schools. Some of the most prestigious medical programs in the country including UPenn and University of Chicago pride themselves on having substantial students with non-traditional backgrounds.
All-in-all, The numbers speak for themselves: your odds of getting into med school should you get in to a post-bacc can be as high as 99.7% (Goucher). Suffice it to say if you’re serious about med school and do not have the correct prerequisite, you should consider this option.

1. Am I a good candidate?

This is now the crux of the issue. What you need to be a good post-bacc changes slightly with the tides. The GPA requirement for med schools increased slightly a couple years back, for instance and so the premed post baccs-whose primary purpose is to get you into med school have followed suit.
While each program is different, your ability to get into a program depends on 3 factors: (1) how good of a student you were in college and high school —yes, your GPA matters a lot more than you thought it did and so do your previous standardized test scores (especially SAT/ACT if you didn’t get a master’s degree); (2) pedigree - what college did you go to? Are you a medical school bound Yale grad who just didn’t happen to take any medical course work? Or did you just scrape by at a podunk West Virginia community college? This is especially important at the top-tier Bryn Mawr which values your undergrad institution substantially more than the other juggernaut Goucher; (3) your unique story and path to medicine.
What does (3) really mean? You need to have a compelling case for why you want to go to medicine. Come again? You must have shadowed with a physician for a substantial period of time and be able to write concisely about what you valued in this interaction with patients. (And no, watching surgery doesn’t count unless the physician actually speaks to the patient at some point.) Further, you must volunteer in a socially useful way to help the community and be able to relate this to your interest in medicine. Saying you want to help people is trite. Saying you volunteered for a year as a scribe in rural Oklahoma where you admired how this one incredible pediatrician related to her patients on an Indian reservation is a good opener.
Volunteering is ideally done in a medical setting, though it doesn’t need to be. And finally you have to have a cool backstory. If you were in the military, great! That counts because not many medical school applicants were in the military. If you lived abroad, that’s good. But if you did a 10 month stint teaching English that was funded by the Fulbright program or some other pedigree granting institution even better! If you made movies for years like my brother, great! Perhaps you were an EMT or worked for the CIA or wrote children’s books? It really could be anything substantially removed from the traditional med school applicant. You don’t even need to have done anything post college graduation. Many successful applicants to post-baccs comes straight from undergrad, which once again begs the question of why this is called a career changing program.
Summary: How do I know if I will be a good applicant?
You should have the following:

A high GPA, ideally a 3.7 or above but can be a little less. Please note that both Dan and I had GPAs below this cut off and we still were accepted into pre-med post-bacc programs because of our diversity Many volunteer experiences serving the community, ideally with folks that are poor or are “underserved” (generally understood to be individuals with disabilities, the elderly, and certain racial and ethnic groups) A good come-to-Jesus medicine story Great letters of recommendation. These are critical so please form great relationships with the people you work and volunteer with. And remember you can offer to draft letters if your letter writer is time constrained or not a gifted writer Not have taken many intro premed science classes (biology, chemistry, physics)—ideally zero but some programs will let it slide if you took only 1 or 2 classes 

If you have additional questions, feel free to contact us here: www.personalpremed.com

Welcome to my little experiment that I call the Civil War Baseball League, where I have created a custom 50-team league—one team for each of the 50 U.S. states—and filled them exclusively with real-life active MLB and MiLB players from those states. (This is gonna be a long read but hopefully some of you enjoy it!)
I will be simming one season and playoffs under the following rules. This post is merely the introduction to the league, rules and teams makeups. I will make a separate post with the results and link that write-up here.
​
General Setup Rules

• Playing OOTP 21 in the in-game year 2020
• All ratings mentioned going forward are on the 20-80 scale relative to MLB (100% scouting accuracy)
• All park factors neutralized
• Player development off
• Chemistry, personalities and morale off
• Injuries off
• Suspensions off
• Transactions off
• Rainouts off
• All-Star game off
• Draft off
• 26-man rosters (usually 14 batters/12 pitchers but will allow wiggle room if teams can’t fill that)
• Two-way players allowed
• No roster expansion in September
• DH enabled (even though that’s not pure baseball)
• All-Star Game on (35 players per roster, each team does NOT automatically get an All-Star)
• 155-ish game schedule (I guess the game can’t handle 50-team leagues and I don’t know anything about custom schedules but who cares)
• Team split into two leagues alphabetically: the first 25 in the Alabama-Missouri League and the last 25 in the Montana-Wyoming League
• 12 team qualify for playoffs
• 4 rounds of playoffs:

o First round (best of 5, 2-2-1 format, top 2 teams from each league get a bye)
o Second round (best of 7 format, 2-3-2 format, 8 teams participate)
o Third round (best of 7 format, 2-3-2 format, 4 teams participate)
o Final Round (best of 7 format, 2-3-2 format, 2 teams participate)
​
Rosters

• Rosters for each team are comprised with active MLB and MiLB players born in that team’s state.
• Washington DC-born players are on Virginia’s team. (Sorry Maryland!)
• For this experiment, foreign-born players are not involved. (Sorry Dominican Republic, you would’ve crushed this league!)
• Rosters are initially auto-sorted by AI and rarely adjusted by me when necessary
• Teams that do not have enough home state players to fill a 26-man roster will be filled by cloning the players they do have (ex. If a team has one hitter, he will be cloned so there are 14 of him; if a team has two pitchers, each will be cloned so that there are six of each).
• All lineups and depth charts sorted by AI (though I reserve the right to adjust anything I find egregious)

​
Quickstart here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tN486yOQwZAvE_FyWpBeONXb3bxUktKN/view?usp=sharing
​
Now let’s meet the teams…
Alabama Alabamians
The pitcher staff is headlined by ace Corey Kluber (66) and rounded out by Casey Mize (50), Kyle Wright (48), Spencer Turnbull (47), and Kendall Graveman (47). Some good strength at the end of the bullpen with Craig Kimbrel (78) and David Robertson (61).
Offensively, they are led by OF David Dahl (52), who is joined by SS Tim Anderson (50), 1B Garrett Cooper (45), 3B Shed Long Jr. (45), and OF Phillip Ervin (44). No other hitters rate over 40.
Alaska Alaskans
It could be a tough year for the Alaskans, whose pitching staff is made up of six Tony Barnettes (35) and six Daniel Schlereths (20). Five of the Barnettes make up the starting rotation and the other is the closer.
It’s even worse offensively, as Padres prospect C Jonny Homza (20) had to be cloned 13 more times to fill out the roster. Heeeere’s Jonny!
Arizona Arizonans
Zach Davies (53) and Merrill Kelly (47) headline the rotation, while Aaron Bummer (49) serves as closer.
CF Cody Bellinger (77) is the obvious star of the Arizonans, though among those joining him are OF Alex Verdugo (52), OF Kole Calhoun (48), 1B Kevin Cron (47), 2B Scott Kingery (47), and Eric Sogard (45).
Arkansas Arkansans
NOTE: I initially left Arkansas off this write-up (though they were always in my save). Apologies, Arkansans and Arkansas enthusiasts!
Drew Smyly (46) and Jalen Beeks (41) lead the rotation as the only starters rated above 28. Closer Tyler Zuber (48), along with Ty Tice (45) and Hunter Wood (44) are the top relievers.
RF Craig Gentry (43) is easily the Arkansans’ best hitter, followed by LF Jonathan Davis (39). 24-year-old CF Torii Hunter Jr. (22) will try to make dad proud. Every other hitter is 20 overall.
California Californians
Easily the best team in either league, California has 15 players on its roster rated 68 or higher. The team is so good that players like Justin Turner, Mike Moustakas, Kyle Hendricks and Eric Thames will be wasted in AAA this season.
Their rotation is made up of all 68 or better players—Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg, Jack Flaherty, Lucas Giolito and Shane Bieber. Tyler Glasnow (80) and Max Fried (69) will fill the back of the bullpen, along with the likes of Trevor Bauer (60), Corbin Burnes (61), and Ian Kennedy (57).
It’s just as good on the offensive side, as 7 of their 9 starters rate 68 or higher. (C Austin Barnes at 50 and CF Joc Pederson at 57 are the only exceptions.) Leading the show are two 80-overall players (LF Christian Yelich and 1B Freddie Freeman), followed by 3B Nolan Arenado (77), RF Aaron Judge (74), 2B DJ LeMahieu (73), 3B Matt Chapman (69) and SS Marcus Semien (68). This team even has studs on the bench, including 2B Jeff McNeil (74), RF Giancarlo Stanton (66) and 1B Rhys Hoskins (62). (Alaska would like to know if they could borrow some guys!)
Colorado Coloradans
The Colorado rotation is headlined by Kevin Gausman (60), Marco Gonzales (56), and Kyle Freeland (47). They have a few strong relievers in closer Taylor Rogers (69) and Mark Melancon (56).
However, they may struggle offensively with their highest-rated player being 2B David Bote (46). 1B Greg Bird (42) and 3B Chase Headley (42) will try to help the cause.
Connecticut Connecticuters
Pitching-wise, Aaron Civale (47) is the only starter of note. Closer Matt Barnes (67) is easily the best of the bunch and Scott Barlow (49) will chip in as well. Matt Harvey (29) would have been useful some years ago but is a shell of his former self.
For run support, Connecticut will rely on former World Series MVP George Springer (66) and fellow outfielder AJ Pollock (49), because there isn’t much else around them (no one rated above 37).
Delaware Delawareans
This is another team that required a lot of cloning to fill the 26-man roster. Almost every pitcher had to be clones, giving them two Chad Kuhls (48) in the bullpen, but unfortunately every other pitcher—including the entire starting rotation—is rated 20 overall.
The good news about cloning is this team now has TWO Paul Goldschmidts (60 overall). But Joey Wendel (44 at 2B, 40 at SS) are the only other hitters of note. I don’t know if this team is gonna make Joe Biden proud.
Florida Floridians
Florida has some strong pitching, with a rotation of Jacob deGrom (80), Chris Sale (73), Mike Clevinger (66), Zack Greinke (66) and Lance McCullers Jr. (65). Austin Adams (73), Nate Pearson (69), Luke Weaver (61), Luke Jackson (59), and Andrew Miller (52) highlight the bullpen.
The offense is stacked as well, led by 1B Anthony Rizzo (73) who is actually forcing Pete Alonso (69) into a platoon role at DH. We’ve also got Manny Machado (63), OF/DH JD Martinez (61), Josh Donaldson (60), Andrew McCutchen (57), and many others.
Georgia Georgians
A solid but not spectacular team, Georgia’s rotation is led by Zack Wheeler (58), Adam Wainwright (50), and Brad Keller (49). Closer Will Smith (62) joins Richard Lovelady (53) and Drew Steckenrider (52) in leading the bullpen.
1B Matt Olson (67) is Georgia’s best offensive player, followed by LF Austin Meadows (59), RF Charlie Blackmon (56), CF Byron Buxton (56), and C Buster Posey (56). The team is actually so deep in the outfielder that Dexter Fowler and Josh Reddick couldn’t earn a spot on the roster.
Hawaii Hawaiians
Hawaii isn’t a deep team but they actually had more high-rated players than I expected. The rotation is rough, led by Jordan Yamamoto (42) and Rico Garcia (34), but they do have Kirby Yates (74) in the bullpen to close.
2B Kolten Wong (65) and C Kurt Suzuki (58) are easily the top two offensive players, with no one else cracking 43 overall. Kolten’s younger brother, Kean, starts at third base and has a 41 rating.
Idaho Idahoans
Idaho’s pitching staff required 4 clone players, giving them two each of CL James Hoyt (47), SP Damon Jones (42), SP Cy Sneed (41) and RP Josh Osich (33). Then you’ve got RP Stephen Fife (28) and a bunch of 20-overall players.
Idaho only had two offensive players—C Alex Guerrero (20) and 2B Jackson Cluff (20)—so 7 of each will be filling out the lineups. Their starting lineups will contain two Alex Guerreros (at catcher and RF) and seven Jackson Cluffs. That’s…not ideal.
Illinois Illinoisans
Illinois has a solid rotation of Jake Odorizzi (58), Collin McHugh (56), Mike Foltynewicz (50), JA Happ (49), and Trevor Richards (47). They’ve also got a strong closer in Nick Burdi (72).
C Carson Kelly (56) headlines the offensive along with RF Mike Tauchman (50) and 2B Nicky Lopez (43). Former Indians All-Star 2B Jason Kipnis (43) is notably relegated to the bench.
Indiana Indianans
Indiana has a solid but unspectacular rotation of Lance Lynn (59), Sean Manaea (52), Kyle Gibson (47), Jeff Samardzija (47), and Clayton Richard (41). Closer Zach Plesac (47) is one of three relievers rated 45 or higher.
C Tucker Barnhart (54) is the highest-rated offensive player, followed by CF Kevin Kiermaier (51), C Kevin Plawecki (46) and 2B Michael Brosseau (45). Veteran Adam Lind (31) provides a left-handed bat off the bench.
Iowa Iowans
It won’t exactly be a field of dreams for the Iowans, with only three pitchers—SP Mitch Keller (53), CL Tony Watson (52), and SP AJ Puk (47)—rated above 32 overall.
Likewise, RF Scott Schebler (43) is the only hitter above 35 overall, and I’d tell you more about the other guys but I’ve literally never heard of any of them. Like none of them.
Kansas Kansans
Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore, but if we were, we’d see that CL Ryne Stanek (49) is their best pitcher, followed by SP John Means (43) and Blake Treinen (43), who is somehow in the starting rotation because of lack of options I guess.
C Jacob Stallings (47) is the highest-rated hitter, followed by CF Nick Heath (39) and RF Bubba Starling (35). Not exactly a tornado of offense.
Kentucky Kentuckians
SP Walker Buehler (62) is ready to lead Kentucky, and he will have to as no other starter is rated higher than 37 overall. Trevor Gott (51), Nate Jones (45), and Tyler Clippard (44) will likely be relieved upon heavily from the bullpen.
Another young Dodger—C Will Smith—is easily the top offensive player at 67 overall. CF Jo Adell (49), SS JT Riddle (45), and 1B Adam Duvall (41) are the other hitters of note.
Louisiana Louisianans
The appropriately named Aaron Nola (64) leads the Louisianans’ starting rotation, joined by the likes of Wade Miley (50) and Cole “Have You Seen My” Stapler (42). Seth Lugo (59) and Taylor Guilbeau (56) lead the bullpen.
Aaron’s brother, Austin Nola, will be his battery mate at 45 overall. LF Mikie Mahtook (44), 3B Ryan Schmipf (43), CF Andrew Stevenson (42), SS Jordy Mercer (41), and RF Justin Williams (39) are the other main contributors on offense.
Maine Mainers
In a scarier situation than anything Maine native Stephen King has ever written, the Mainers’ entire pitching rotation will be made up of 12 clones of Cody Laweryson—a 14th-round pick by the Twins last year. He’s a 20-overall player (reminder: that’s the lowest possible rating).
It gets a little better on offense (but not much) with seven Ryan McKennas (who peaks at 39 overall as a center fielder) and seven Treyjn Fletchers (20). The game refuses to even put a catcher and shortstop into the lineup, but I guess they’ll start somebody once the sim happens.
Maryland Marylanders
Despite having 30 stamina, All-Star closer Josh Hader gets the call as one of Maryland’s starting pitchers and still grades out as a 56 overall. No other starter grades out above 35, but Bruce Zimmerman (34) is the closest. Adam Kolarek (53) and Brady Feigl (41) run the bullpen.
Outfielders Jake Fraley (41), LaMonte Wade Jr. (41), and Buddy Reed (35) are the highest-rated offensive players for Maryland—no one else cracks 31 overall.
Massachusetts Massachusettsans
Sean Newcomb (46) headlines the Massachusetts rotation, followed by Alex Cobb (44), who is as excited as anyone that injuries are turned off in this sim. Curiously, the game wanted to use Rich Hill (61) as a reliever, but I thought he’d be better served in the rotation, even with a drop to 45 overall. They’ve still got a strong pair in the bullpen with setup man Oliver Drake (53) and closer Scott Oberg (56). Steve Cishek is also in the mix but he’s no longer what he once was, sitting just 43 overall.
SS Nick Ahmed (57) is easily their best hitter, followed by LF Mike Yastrzemski (48) and 2B Isan Diaz (45). No other player is rated above 36.
Michigan Michiganders
Michigan only has one starting pitcher of note—Matt Shoemaker (48)—while no other starter is rates above 34 overall. The bullpen is also questionable with only one player above 42—James Bourque at 44.
It’s just as bad on the offensive side with 3B Jon Berti (46) grading out at the top. CF Ryan LaMarre (41) and SS Richie Martin (38) are the next-best hopes for run production.
Minnesota Minnesotans
Closer Nick Anderson (78) and reliever Brad Hand (63) are far and away the two best pitchers on the team. The rotation is rough, with Michael Baumann leading the way at just 38 overall.
Judging by the ratings, the Minnesotans’ offense will be colder than a local winter. Only one player rates above 35 overall—CF Michael Reed (41).
Mississippi Mississippians
Brandon Woodruff (62) should be a strong starter for Mississippi, with Chris Stratton (44), Justin Steele (35), Jacob Turner (35), and Michael Rucker (32) joining him in the rotation. Jonathan Holder (44) ranks as the best reliever and will serve as closer, helped by DeMarcus Evans (42) and Tony Sipp (31).
Offensively, Mississippi is OK but not great. RF Hunter Renfroe (51) leads the way, followed by LF Corey Dickerson (49), 2B Brian Dozier (49) and 1B Mitch Moreland (43). They’ve also got plenty of speed on the roster with Billy Hamilton and Jarrod Dyson.
Missouri Missourians
Missouri’s got a couple of Cy Young winners leading the way with Max Scherzer (80) and Jake Arrieta (47). Peter Fairbanks (52) and Trevor Rosenthal (50) headline the bullpen.
Offensively, Luke Voit (59) will DH while Logan Morrison (51) plays first base. C Austin Allen (48) and CF Monte Harrison (43) are the next-best offensive players.
Montana Montanans
Here’s the bad news: the pitching staff is made up of 3 clones each of Andrew Sopko, Gage Hinsz, Caleb Frare, and Brac Warren. Sopko is the highest rated at 33 overall. I think I’ve heard of Frare before.
Here’s the worse news: they don’t have any position players, so I had to bring real-life catcher Rob Johnson out of retirement at age 37 to serve as the entire offense. Johnson last played in 2013, has a career .200 average and a 20-overall rating in OOTP. He’s also listed as a two-way player so what the hell, we’ll let him pitch too.
Nebraska Nebraskans
Closer Jake Diekman is the highest-rated pitcher at 50, followed by real-life-but-not-in-OOTP switch-pitcher Pat Venditte (42). Kyle Kubat (37) is the only starting pitcher that isn’t a 20 overall.
We only had 9 hitters to work with, which mean we had to clone 5 of them to get us a full roster. I tried my best by cloning their five highest-rated players—Alec Bohm (45), Alex Gordon (39), Grant Kay (35), Jackson Reetz (35) and Darin Ruf (33). Bohm and Gordon are each starting at two positions.
Nevada Nevadans
There isn’t a lot of pitching to be had in Nevada, but CL Brandon Kintzler (52), SP Tyler Anderson (51), and RP Paul Sewald (41) lead the way. Chasen Shreve used to be good, but he’s a 28 overall so that doesn’t help much.
Offensively you’ve got some serious big boppers with RF Bryce Harper (71), CF Joey Gallo (66) and 3B Kris Bryant (65)—though I’m not sure about Gallo playing center field. LF Tommy Pham (59) is also no slouch, nor is 2B Garrett Hampson (45). Too bad they didn’t need anyone cloned!
New Hampshire New Hampshirites
The pitching staff is made up of six Kevin McGowans (29), who comprise the starting rotation and the closer spot, with all other relief duties going to six Will Gaddises (20). To quote Mad Men, “Not great, Bob!”
I had to clone a few guys to fill the 14-batter need, but it doesn’t matter who they are because they’re all 20 overall prospects. The one with the most potential is Grant Lavigne (who now exists 3 times) and sometimes becomes a decent power first baseman in my saves…but this league has no progression and only goes for 2020, so that doesn’t matter.
New Jersey New Jeseyans
Starters Charlie Morton (67), Zac Gallen (57), Anthony DeSclafini (52), and Rick Porcello (50) lead the rotation, while Alex Reyes (52) is the highest-rated reliever. However, the closer is actually Cody Stashak (48).
Best-player-in-baseball Mike Trout (80) is the obvious headliner here and will attempt to carry New Jersey along with guys like OF Jason Heyward (49), 2B Tommy La Stella (46), OF Matt Szczur (40) and Mark Zagunis (38). (What’s New Jersey’s obsession with current and former Cubs?) 3B Todd Frazier (47) is the second-best hitter behind Trout (But slightly less good).
New Mexico New Mexicans
New Mexico only had 9 pitchers so I had to clone 3 guys—lucky for them, one of the clones was 80-overall Ken Giles who is now setup man AND closer. Trevor Rogers (42) fills two rotation spots and is the only other pitcher above 25.
They also benefit from cloning on the offensive side, as they now have TWO Alex Bregmans playing shortstop (76) and third base (74), as well as two Mitch Garvers playing catcher (65) and first base (45). Everyone else is a 20 overall, so hopefully the Bregman clones can boost his teammates’ performances with some stolen signs.
New York New Yorkers
The big three in the rotation are Patrick Corbin (61), Marcus Stroman (58), and Steven Matz (50). Dellin Betances also stays in New York to represent the home state as the 65-overall closer. Adam Ottavino (54) and Tommy Kahnle (53) are strong setup men.
Defensive specialist OF Harrison Bader leads the hitters with a 57 rating, although the best actual batter is probably LF Jesse Winker (54). Nick Markakis (46) rounds out the outfield and is joined by C Tom Murphy (50), RF Tim Locastro (44), and Danny Mendick (44) as other notable hitters on the squad.
North Carolina North Carolinians
The Tarheel State has a deep rotation with Chris Archer (58), Madison Bumgarner (55), Alex Wood (54), Carlos Rodon (49) and Mackenzie Gore (48). Bryse Wilson (57) is the highest-rated reliever but will serve as setup man to Kodi Whitley (50). Veteran Greg Holland (43) is also present.
The Seager brothers, SS Corey (63) and 3B Kyle (53), lead the offense, joined by OF Brian Goodwin (47), 1B Wil Myers (47), 1B Ryan Zimmerman (56) and OF Cameron Maybin (46). 2B Brandon Phillips is also here but Is a 32 overall by now. (He’s like the Greg Holland of the offense.)
North Dakota North Dakotans
Clones of Matt Strahm and Ben Strahm (probably related?) comprise the entire rotation. Matt (43) is the only pitcher on the team rated above 20 overall. Clones of some dudes named Alex DuBord and Jay Flaa are the other relievers.
The offense is made up of 14 Andy Youngs, who peaks at 36 overall as a third baseman and can’t catch. This might not go well.
Ohio Ohioans
The pitching staff is deep and solid but without stars, as all players rate between 43 and 55 overall. Brent Suter (51), Chris Bassitt (47), and Caleb Ferguson (46) lead the rotation, while closer Andrew Chafin (55), Chaz Roe (51), Craig Stammen (49), and Joe Smith (46) represent the ‘pen.
Ohio’s got a handful of decent outfielders leading their offense, including Kyle Schwarber (56), Adam Eaton (52), Andrew Benintendi (50), and Derek Dietrich (50). C Sean Murphy rates as a solid 52, while the team has other players who have fallen off from their peak, like 3B Travis Shaw (47), 2B Scooter Gennett (41), and 3B Josh Harrison (37).
Oklahoma Oklahomans
Oklahoma’s got a solid, deep rotation with Garrett Richards (62), Jon Gray (57), Andrew Heaney (56), Michael Fulmer (52), and Dallas Keuchel (51). Archie Bradley (59) serves as closer along with notable relievers like Adrian Houser (62), Ryan Helsley (49), and Josh James (49).
Offensively, C JT Realmuto (80) is going to have to shoulder a heavy burden as the only player rated above 52 and one of just 3 players rated above 42. The next-best hitters are Brian Anderson (52) and Matt Kemp (43).
Oregon Oregonians
Pitching is gonna be rough for Oregon, with only 7 of their 12 pitchers rating over 20. CL Keynan Middleton (42) rates the highest, while the team’s top starters are Anthony Shew (39) and Bradley Shipley (38).
2019 first overall pick C Adley Rutschman may be a star in the making, but I don’t know if he’s ready to lead just yet. But he’ll have to do just that as the team’s highest rated player (46). 3B Jed Lowrie (45) will also contribute, but no one else on offense is notable or ranks above 36.
Pennsylvania Pennsylvanians
Pennsylvania’s best pitcher is two-way player Brendan McKay, who leads the rotation at a 56 overall rating. CL Dan Altavilla (48), Lou Trivino (47) and Ray Black (46) headline the bullpen.
Unfortunately, McKay isn’t much of a hitter yet despite his two-way status, with solid power (50) and eye (55) but just 35 contact. RF Derek Fisher (46) and 3B Ian Happ (46) are the team’s best hitters, followed by 1B Christian Walker (46) and CF Travis Jankowski (another 46). They’ve also got some veteran bats like C Devin Mesoraco (43), 2B Neil Walker (43), 1B Matt Adams (43), and hit-by-pitch specialist Brandon Guyer (37).
Rhode Island Rhode Islanders
EDIT II: I realized I left off this team initially. My bad, yal!
The Rhode Islanders are going with an all-lefty rotation featuring two Thomas Pannones (41), two Kyle Regnaults (27) and one Mason Feoele (20). Trevor Kelley serves as closer because I guess his 20 overall rating is somehow more impressive than everyone else’s 20 overall rating.
The team also required six clones on offense, giving them two Chris Iannettas (39) to lead the way at catcher and DH. Two clones of OF Nick Zammarelli III are 23 overall—the only other position player above 20.
South Carolina South Carolinians
South Carolina’s top 3 pitchers are all relievers—CL Chad Green (62) plus Carl Edwards Jr. (52) and Emilio Pagan (52). The rotation is led by Jordan Lyles (45), Zack Godley (43), and Grant Holmes (40).
Offensively, 2B Whit Merrifield (54), LF Brett Gardner (48), and 1B Justin Smoak (48) are the top bats, followed by CF Steven Duggar (46) and C Matt Wieters (43).
South Dakota South Dakotans
If you were to create a Mount Rushmore of South Dakota pitchers, you’d end up with three Sean Doolittle (60) clones, who will fill the two setup man spots and the closer role. RP Sam Wolff (45) also exists three times in this bullpen, while the rotation has another Sam Wolff (35) plus two each of Duane Below (20) and Tyler Mitzel (20).
The offense is made up of lots of clones of C Tyler Cropley, 1B Jake Adams, and SS Dusty Coleman. Coleman as a shortstop (23) is the only one rated above 20.
Tennessee Tennesseans
Tennessee’s got a deep rotation comprised of David Price (62), Sonny Gray (61), Robbie Ray (58), Dakota Hudson (51), and Mike Minor (51). Drew Pomeranz (55) serves as closer, while Phillip Pfeifer (48) and Cody Reed (46) are the next-best relievers.
Nashville native Mookie Betts (80) is the stud of this Tennessee team, followed by 3B Nick Senzel (49) and LF Bryan Reynolds (47). SS Zack Cozart (56), CF Tony Kemp (45), and 1B Austin Riley (45) are also solid bats. Brothers Caleb and Corey Joseph aren’t big bats, but at least they have each other! #familyfirst
Texas Texans
The best team in their subleague and probably the second-best team after California, Texas is unsurprisingly stacked. The rotation is comprised of Noah Syndergaard (77), Clayton Kershaw (69), Jameson Taillon (59), Chris Paddack (56), and Michael Wacha (49). The bullpen’s also strong with Corey Knebel (78), Jordan Hicks (72), Ryan Pressly (69), Chris Martin (61), and Will Harris (60).
Texas is tough offensively as well, led by 1B Max Muncy (72), SS Trevor Story (70), 3B Anthony Rendon (67), and 1B Josh Bell (65). RF Randal Grichuk (50) and LF Jay Bruce (49) fill out the outfield, while former All-Star and Silver Slugger Matt Carpenter can’t even crack the starting lineup and Brandon Belt (53) can’t make the team!
Utah Utahns
Utah had just enough homegrown pitchers to fill out the 12-man staff. Unfortunately, only closer Joe Barlow (42) and reliever Kolton Mahoney (34) are the only guys rated above 30. Brady Lail (30) headlines the rotation.
I basically recognize none of the players on this team and had to clone four guys just to get to 14 hitters. The only players above 20 overall are CF Brennon Lund (33), clone Brennon Lund (29), C Marcus Littlewood (28), and C Payton Henry (21).
Vermont Vermonters
If you’re a fan of Bernie Sanders’ Medicare For All plan, you’ll be less enthusiastic about the Bad Pitching For All plan. The pitching staff is comprised of six Theo McDowells (five in the rotation, one as closer) and six Rayne Supples. All of them are rated 20 overall.
Vermont had no hitters to add to this team, but that actually works in their favor as I just unretired the last MLB hitter they had, which turned out to be better than having a bunch of 20-overall prospects. Filling all 14 hitter spots are 34-year-old Daric Barton, who rates at 38 or 37 depending on the position he’s playing with solid contact (45), gap (50), eye (60), and K’s (55). Unfortunately, he’ll be playing out of position a lot, as the AI refuses to put him at any position in lineup except for first base, left field, and DH.
Virginia Virginians
Justin Verlander (76) will look to lead the rotation, and he’ll need to as he’s the only starting pitcher rated above 40. Closer Daniel Hudson (50) will work with Sean Poppen (54), Jeremy Jeffress (48), Zack Kelly (45), Tyler Zombro (44), and Tyler Webb (41) in the bullpen.
2B Brandon Lowe (53) is the highest-rated offensive player, followed by 1B Justin Bour (52), CF Jackie Bradley Jr. (52), and SS Chris Taylor (51). Outfielders Justin Upton (47) and Denard Span (45) platoon in left.
Washington Washingtonians
Blake Snell (71) leads the rotation along with Matthew Boyd (55) and Jon Lester (49). Andrew Kittredge (55) serves as closer and be helped in the bullpen by the likes of Trevor May (49), Drew Rasmussen (46), and Wyatt Mills (45).
A handful of decent players are present on offense, including RF Michael Conforto (61), LF Michael Brantley (51), C Reese McGuire 45), 3B Jake Lamb (43), and RF Steven Souza Jr. (43).
West Virginia West Virginians
Due to lack of pitchers available, three Jordan Montgomerys (47) and two Michael Groves (20) will fill out the rotation. Three David Carpenters (22) “lead” the bullpen. Yikes.
Similarly, three Jedd Gyorkos (46) lead the offense, along with a bunch of dudes I’ve never heard of. Gonna be a rough walk down that country road this season.
Wisconsin Wisconsinites
Closer Ben Heller (48) is the highest-rated pitcher on the team, while Jordan Zimmermann (42) is the only other pitcher above 40 overall.
Leading the offense is 2B Gavin Lux (55) who unfortunately won’t be able to progress into his usual “best player ever” in this sim. Two catchers rate the next highest—Danny Jansen (47) and Daulton Varsho (43). CF Jarred Kelenic is the only other hitter above 40.
Wyoming Wyomingites
Unfortunately, Wyoming doesn’t have a single pitcher in baseball right now. Which is why I brought 34-year-old Jeremy Horst (who had a solid 3.34 ERA from 2011-13!) out of retirement and cloned him 12 times. He rates as a 24-overall starter and 20-overall reliever. Best of luck, Jeremy!
In a beneficial situation, Wyoming ends up with seven clones of Brandon Nimmo (who peaks at 56 overall) on offense. He’s joined by seven Marvin Malones (20 overall). The game’s AI refuses to put anyone at catcher, second base, third base, or shortstop. Bold strategy, Cotton!
--------------------
In the next entry on Monday 5/25, I’ll look at the Preseason Predictions!

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Let’s dig in!

Oversight mechanisms not functioning

The coronavirus relief and stimulus bill, the CARES Act, was signed into law on March 27. In the 25 days since, the $2.2 trillion benefits have been doled out with little oversight. Indeed, only one man was monitoring the funds for the majority of the time: Bharat Ramamurti was appointed by Sen. Chuck Schumer on April 6 to serve on the Congressional Oversight Commission, which is meant to be a five-person panel that oversees the implementation of economic relief provisions, holding hearings, and submitting monthly reports to Congress.
Ramamurti was the only appointee until recently, when on Friday three more positions were filled on the commission - at least on paper. “At the moment, it’s me and my laptop, at home,” Ramamurti told Vice News in an interview published Saturday.

And despite Ramamurti’s attempts to get answers, it remains unclear who will get loans, or what the terms will be. “I’m really concerned that the lending that’s targeted at bigger businesses comes with no conditions on maintaining payroll or [preventing] share buybacks,” Ramamurti said. “You could see taxpayer money going to support a company that then turns around and fires a bunch of its workers, while paying out full executive compensation.”

There is only one vacancy remaining on the commission - the chair, to be filled by an individual jointly-appointed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The other appointees are: Rep. Donna Shalala (D-FL), a former Clinton administration health secretary appointed by Pelosi; Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA), a former chairman of the conservative Club for Growth appointed by McConnell; Rep. French Hill (R-AR), named by House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy of California; and the previously discussed Ramamurti, former aide to Sen. Elizabeth Warren appointed by Sen. Chuck Schumer (and also the only non-lawmaker on the panel so far).
Ramamurti has sounded the alarm already, writing in a New York Times op-ed that “the strings aren’t attached” to the unprecedented spending authorized by Congress.

Congress recently gave the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve broad authority to lend out trillions of dollars to businesses, states and municipalities...The key question is whether that money ends up helping working people or flows instead to the managers, executives and investors who have already taken so much of the income gains in the past decade.
...Congress placed certain conditions on some of the funds… But beyond those basic rules, the Treasury and the Fed decide who gets money, how much they get and on what terms… The lending program for big businesses, for example, comes with no requirement that beneficiaries keep workers on payroll and no restrictions on stock buybacks, dividends or executive pay.

The other oversight

Meanwhile, none of the other oversight mechanisms are functional. The panel of inspectors general (the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee) was interrupted earlier this month when Trump demoted Chairman Glenn Fine. A successor has not yet been named.
Congress also created a new IG position to oversee the CARES Act spending, called the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery within the Treasury Department. Trump nominated White House lawyer Brian Miller to fill this role, but it requires confirmation from the recessed Senate.
You may recall, Trump undermined the oversight and accountability mechanisms from the very start, issuing a signing statement that declared the provisions requiring consultation with and reporting to Congress were unconstitutional and he would not comply. Sen. Richard Blumenthal wrote a piece in Slate outlining how to ensure accountability by including protections in the next coronavirus relief package. For instance:

The next COVID-19 bill must protect the independence of inspectors general by ensuring that they can only be fired for good cause...this protection should apply to acting inspectors general, as well as to Senate-confirmed ones, to prevent presidential end-runs. The bill must also require the secretary of the treasury, the special inspector general for pandemic recovery, and the chairman and executive director of PRAC to send Congress weekly reports listing instances where the watchdogs have been denied information by some part of the executive branch.
...To ensure participation, there should be a stronger enforcement mechanism this time around. If the letter is not filed, then it should trigger a rider prohibiting the payment of the salaries of any political appointee in the Treasury Department, including the secretary, until the letter is submitted.
...the clause should make clear that, if the administration declares that it will not comply with the provisions requiring reporting to Congress or with the rider denying political appointees’ salaries in the case of noncompliance, then provisions giving the treasury secretary discretion to decide how certain funds will be spent must also fall away.

UPDATE: GAO taking up the challenge

It seems, since none of the built in oversight of the implementation of the CARES Act is functioning, Congress’s own independent watchdog has taken up the challenge. The Government Accountability Office is reportedly preparing a “blizzard of audits” into Trump’s handling of the $2.2 trillion fund. As part of the legislative branch, Trump does not have control over the GAO.
Politico reports that at least 30 CARES Act reviews and audits will be underway by the end of this month.

Topics will range from the government’s handling of coronavirus testing to its distribution of medical equipment, and from the nation’s food supply to nursing home infections and any missteps in distributing the emergency cash payments that began landing in millions of Americans’ bank accounts this week. The office’s top fraud investigator said it’s already received a complaint about a check landing in the account of a deceased person. [emphasis mine]

Handling of CARES Act

Congress rushed to pass the Cares Act while the economy rapidly tanked, but lawmakers and administration officials are only now beginning to understand some of the implications of the law. Many Americans are experiencing the damaging consequences firsthand, while reading about billions of dollars going to big business and the wealthiest among us:

• A report by the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation found that more than 80% of the benefits of a tax change tucked into the coronavirus relief package will go to those who earn more than $1 million annually. Less than 3% of the benefits go to Americans earning less than $100,000 a year. The provision was inserted into the legislation by Senate Republicans.
  
  • WaPo: Hedge-fund investors and owners of real estate businesses are “far and away” the two prime beneficiaries of the change, said Steve Rosenthal, a tax expert at the Tax Policy Center, a nonpartisan think tank.
• As a federal crisis fund of $350 billion established to keep small businesses afloat during the coronavirus pandemic ran out last week, we’ve learned that large companies were able to receive a big chunk of that money. Restaurant and hotel groups with no more than 500 workers at a single location could apply for the program. For instance, Sandwich maker Potbelly (whose CEO makes over $1.6 million salary) and Ruth's Chris Steak House (whose CEO makes more than $6.1 million) successfully obtained loans worth $10 million and $20 million, respectively.
  
• President Donald Trump's top economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, revealed that his artist wife easily applied for assistance through the small business loan program. Kudlow’s personal assets are valued at a maximum net worth of $2 million according to a 2018 Bloomberg report and his wife charges between $10,000 and $20,000 for commissioned paintings. It is unclear if she even has any employees.
  
• An analysis by Bloomberg found an uneven distribution of the first $342 billion of Small Business Administration coronavirus-relief loans. For instance, firms in Nebraska got enough money to cover 82% of the state’s eligible payrolls. It was a different picture in New York and California, where companies did only half as well - 40% in NY and 38% in CA. The states that got the most: NB, ND, KS, and SD. The states that received the least: DC, CA, NY, NV, WA, and NJ.
  
  • Jackie Speier: “I’m hard pressed not to think that this is political. Blue states like California got a pathetic number of loans issued.”
• Ten major U.S. airlines reached a deal with the Treasury Dept. to accept $25 billion in government assistance, only having to pay back a small portion. WaPo reports that “under the terms of the deal 70 percent of the money would be given to the airlines outright and 30 percent would have to be paid back to the government.”
  
• The Trump administration is allowing banks to collect the direct payments to Americans to pay off an individual’s debt. Ronda Kent, chief disbursing officer with the Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service, effectively blessed this activity in a call with banking officials last week. So far, only the governors of Illinois, Washington, and Oregon have signed orders to protect stimulus checks from garnishment.
  
  • Vox: Banks were reportedly told they would be “first in line” to take money from the stimulus money to cover things like delinquent loans or past-due fees.
• Six federally-recognized tribes have sued the Treasury Department over the disbursement of $8 billion of the CARES Act meant to go to “tribal governments” for assistance during the pandemic. The plaintiffs argue that the Treasury should not be allowed to give a portion of the aid to more than 230 Alaska Native for-profit corporations (ANCs), which are private corporations with shareholders that include both Indians and non-Indians.
  
  • Law and Crime: Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. called CARES funding “what Indian Country will rely on to start up again,” adding that “Congress surely didn’t intend to put tribal governments, which are providing health care, education, jobs, job training, and all sorts of programs, to compete against these Alaska corporate interests, which looks like a cash grab.”
  • The group of tribal leaders are also calling for the removal of Assistant secretary of Indian Affairs in the Interior Department, Tara Sweeney, over the decision to include ANCs in the emergency money disbursement. Sweeny is the former vice president of an ANC and thus “an interested party.”

More from Congress

Negotiations

Democrats are still negotiating with Republicans and the White House to obtain additional funding in exchange for the roughly $250 billion the GOP wants to use to replenish the small business program. The latest numbers being discussed in a “tentative” agreement include $300 billion for the small business program, $75 billion for hospitals, $50 billion for Economic Injury Disaster Loan assistance, and $25 billion for coronavirus testing.
MONDAY UPDATE: The snag in negotiations is reportedly the provisions regarding COVID-19 testing. Specifically, how to structure the funds for testing and if lawmakers should require the Trump administration to rollout a national testing strategy.

Remote voting

In a major shift, Speaker Pelosi and House Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern now support a rule change allowing House members to cast votes by proxy during the pandemic. Proxy voting, Politico explains, “would allow a member who is physically present in the chamber to cast a vote for lawmakers who are absent, only for a limited period of time.”

Biden probe

Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, is pushing forward with the investigation of Joe Biden’s son Hunter, planning to release a report in the summer.

Russia probe

Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee Chuck Grassley and Sen. Johnson are also continuing to pursue an investigation into the origins of the Russia probe, promoting recently declassified details from the Steele report as evidence that the FBI’s Russia probe was “tainted.” During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in December, DOJ IG Michael Horowitz said the Steele dossier “had no impact” on the initiation of the FBI’s investigation.
During Sunday’s rally coronavirus task force briefing, Trump called the FBI agents who worked on Mueller’s investigation "crooked ... dangerous ... very bad ... human scum." The president also praised Paul Manafort, Roger Stone, and Michael Flynn.

• Also… A FOIA lawsuit by Jason Leopold revealed that DOJ personnel sent Fox News talking points to promote then-regular-attorney Bill Barr’s “unsolicited” 2018 memo criticizing Mueller’s probe.

Gaetz controversy

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is under scrutiny for spending almost $200,000 of taxpayer money to rent an office from real estate developer Collier Merrill, “a longtime friend, adviser, campaign donor and legal client.” Both men admitted Gaetz “paid below market rent for the space — although Gaetz later shifted,” saying it was actually “at or below market rate,” which is against House rules.

Burr’s stock trades

Two articles to read on Burr came out last week: NPR’s “Sen. Richard Burr's Pre-Pandemic Stock Sell-Offs Highly Unusual, Analysis Shows,” and ProPublica’s “Senator Richard Burr Sold D.C. Townhouse to Donor at a Rich Price.”

Court cases

SCOTUS

For the first time in history, the Supreme Court will be holding arguments remotely while allowing the public to listen in real time. Ten cases have been scheduled for the first half of May, including three involving whether Trump may shield his financial records from Congress and from a New York state grand jury investigation. It appears arguments will be heard for these cases on May 12.

Stone

Last week, Roger Stone was denied a new trial by DC District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who ruled that the jury forewoman had not lied to the court about her opinions when she was screened for bias before the trial, as Stone alleged. CNN: “Stone could appeal over the next two weeks, but may be ordered to report to prison to serve his 40 months -- at earliest, two weeks from now.”
The ruling also removed the gag order that has been silencing Stone, resulting in his immediate appearance on Fox News where Tucker Carlson was able to posit that the president should pardon Stone. Trump had chimed in earlier in the day, calling the denial of Stone’s retrial request “a disgraceful situation.”

Amazon-Pentagon case

It appears that the White House stonewalled an IG investigation into a federal contract that is currently the subject of a lawsuit. Reuters reports:

The Pentagon’s inspector general on Wednesday said it could not determine whether the White House influenced the award of a $10 billion contract to Microsoft Corp over Amazon after several officials said their conversations were privileged “presidential communications.” ...Amazon, originally considered to be the favorite to win the award, has blamed President Donald Trump for bias against the company and for improperly pressuring the Pentagon.

Meanwhile, US Court of Federal Claims Judge Patricia E. Campbell-Smith granted the Defense Department’s (DoD) request to put a hold on the lawsuit, filed by Amazon, to allow the DoD to revise the contract in question.

Apprentice tapes

Two weeks ago, an SDNY judge ordered that MGM must turn over unaired footage from “The Celebrity Apprentice” to plaintiffs in a fraud and deceptive trade practices lawsuit against Trump and his children. The ruling specifically pertains to “hundreds of hours of recordings from two episodes of the show, when principals of the marketing company ACN Opportunity LLC were guests on the set.”

Trump and three of his children, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump, were sued in 2018 over their promotion of the marketing company from 2005 to 2015, during which Trump allegedly suggested that people could invest in a video phone from the company with little to no risk, Bloomberg News first reported. The Trumps have been accused of not disclosing that they were paid to endorse the company… Plaintiffs claim that they lost hundreds of thousands of dollars by trusting the promotion

Last week, the Trump family filed a notice of appeal, hoping to instead force the lawsuit into arbitration - keeping it out of the public eye.

Fox News lawsuit

Fox News has moved to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a Washington state group accusing the network of "deceptive" coronavirus coverage by arguing that the First Amendment protects "false" and "outrageous" speech.
...The Washington League for Increased Transparency and Ethics (WASHLITE) filed a lawsuit in King County earlier this month seeking a court order barring the network from "interfering with reasonable and necessary measures to contain the virus by publishing further false and deceptive content." (source)

Trump Not stepping up (or down)

• WaPo: In five U.S. cities where President Trump’s company operates large hotels — New York, Chicago, Miami, Washington and Honolulu — local authorities said the Trump hotel was not involved in their efforts to provide low-cost or no-cost rooms to those fighting the novel coronavirus.
  
• NBC News: Fourteen municipal governments — from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Wildwood, New Jersey — want Trump's campaign committee to clear a combined $1.82 million worth of public safety-related debt connected to Trump's "Make America Great Again" campaign rallies… [to] immediately help them grapple with the coronavirus crisis
  
• NYT: [Ivanka] Trump herself has not followed the federal guidelines advising against discretionary travel, leaving Washington for another one of her family’s homes, even as she has publicly thanked people for self-quarantining… Ms. Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, who is also a senior White House adviser, traveled with their three children to the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey to celebrate the first night of Passover this month.
  
• Vanity Fair: 153 non-essential staffers at the Palm Beach club, as well 560 workers at Trump Doral in Miami, have been furloughed… The president, however, issued no tweets about leading by example, minimizing his own profits and offering his workers wage security during these increasingly worrying times.
  
• Business Insider: Kimberly Guilfoyle, the girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr., and Lara Trump, the wife of Eric Trump, are being "secretly" paid $15,000 a month [$180,000 a year] each by the president's re-election campaign, White House advisers report… The payments are reportedly made through companies owned by Brad Parscale — Trump's re-election campaign manager — in order to skirt Federal Election Commission requirements that mandate political campaigns disclose detailed spending reports.
  
  • Stuart Stevens, a top aide to 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney’s campaign, was even more blunt: “That’s why Parscale has the job. He’s a money launderer, not a campaign manager.”

Immigration

The following is a selection of immigration-related news that broke last week:

• Daily Beast: In the middle of a pandemic that has killed 27,000 Americans and counting, the Army this week gave a politically connected Montana firm half a billion dollars—not to manufacture ventilators or protective gear to fight the novel coronavirus, but to build 17 miles of President Trump’s southern border wall… That works out to over $33 million per mile—steeply above the $20 million-per-mile average that the Trump administration is already doling out for the wall.
  
• WaPo: Smugglers sawed into new sections of President Trump’s border wall 18 times in the San Diego area during a single one-month span late last year, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection records… The agency said the average cost to repair the damage was $620 per incident.
  
• Miami Herald: National health experts say U.S. immigration officials are violating federal guidelines by grouping inmates together by the hundreds if they have COVID-19 symptoms or have been exposed to the coronavirus, according to a lawsuit filed in Miami federal court Monday.
  
• Two articles you should read about coronavirus in ICE detention: Mother Jones “At Least 20 People Have COVID-19 at One ICE Jail. Those Inside Say Many More Are Sick.” and ProPublica “At Least 19 Children at a Chicago Shelter for Immigrant Detainees Have Tested Positive for COVID-19.”
  
• NPR: Guatemala's Health Minister Hugo Monroy says migrants deported back to Guatemala from the United States now account for a large number of COVID-19 cases in the country.
  

Environment

The following is a selection of environmental news that broke last week:

• This NYT op-ed asks why Trump is focused on profits for the oil and gas industry while seemingly content to allow the USPS and hospitals to flounder. “First, since when is it the president’s job to organize international cartels? Second, why are higher oil prices in the U.S. national interest? We’re not a major oil exporter — in fact, we import more oil than we export… Trump says that it’s about jobs. But U.S. oil and gas extraction employs only around 150,000 workers. That’s less than 1 percent of the number of jobs America has lost in the past three weeks.”
  
  • The answer: “The oil and gas sector makes big political contributions, almost 90 percent of them to Republicans… Russia and Saudi Arabia are basically petrostates that export oil and almost nothing else. So propping up oil prices is a way for Trump to help his two favorite autocrats.”
• AP: Ten years after an oil rig [Deepwater Horizon] explosion killed 11 workers and unleashed an environmental nightmare in the Gulf of Mexico, companies are drilling into deeper and deeper waters, where the payoffs can be huge but the risks are greater than ever… safety rules adopted in the spill’s aftermath have been eased as part of President Donald Trump’s drive to boost U.S. oil production… the number of safety inspection visits has declined in recent years
  
• Vice News: Republicans Are Planning to Use Coronavirus to Gut Renewable Energy. Conservative groups aligned with the oil industry hope to block any aid for the solar and wind industries, which have been decimated by the pandemic.
  
• NYT: Disregarding an emerging scientific link between dirty air and Covid-19 death rates, the Trump administration declined on Tuesday to tighten a regulation on industrial soot emissions that came up for review ahead of the coronavirus pandemic.
  
• NYT: The Trump administration on Thursday weakened regulations on the release of mercury and other toxic metals from oil and coal-fired power plants, another step toward rolling back health protections in the middle of a pandemic.
  

Other

• Like ICE detention facilities, our "domestic" jails are facing similar crises: In just one Ohio prison, 1,828 inmates — 73% of the total — have tested positive for Covid-19, state officials say. The remaining 667 prisoners now are in quarantine. (tweet)
  
• The Stranger (a Seattle paper): For the second time in two years, Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson has filed suit against Facebook in a case that grew out of reporting by The Stranger. A complaint filed today by Ferguson in King County Superior Court alleges Facebook has "repeatedly and openly violated" state campaign finance law by failing to disclose required details about the money trails behind hundreds of local political ads that targeted Washington state's elections in 2019.
  
• CNN: The bump in coronavirus cases is most pronounced in states without stay at home orders. Oklahoma saw a 53% increase in cases over the past week, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Over the same time, cases jumped 60% in Arkansas, 74% in Nebraska, and 82% in Iowa. South Dakota saw a whopping 205% spike.
  
• Daily Beast: The state of Florida passed two milestones in the coronavirus pandemic this week: its deadliest day yet, and the reopening of several public beaches. Hundreds of people flocked to the newly opened beaches in northern Florida on Friday evening, just two weeks into Gov. Ron DeSantis’ monthlong stay-at-home order began
  
• Guardian: Thousands of people are preparing to attend protests across the US in the coming days, as a rightwing movement against stay-at-home orders, backed by wealthy conservative groups and promoted by Donald Trump, continues to take hold.
  
  • The Michigan Freedom Fund, which said it was a co-host of the rally, has received more than $500,000 from the DeVos family, regular donors to rightwing groups. The other host, the Michigan Conservative Coalition, was founded by Matt Maddock, now a Republican member of the state house of representatives.
• In a letter sent to Attorney General Bill Barr on Friday, the Conservative Action Project, a group of conservative leaders including Matt Schlapp of the American Conservative Union, Tom Fitton of Judicial Watch and Jenny Beth Martin of Tea Party Patriots, urged the Justice Department to sue state and local governments for enacting social distancing orders. “Many see this crisis as an opportunity to reduce liberty and enlarge government power in permanent ways,” the letter states. “We urge the DOJ to take numerous, specific actions, right now, to focus and act against this disturbing new danger to our country’s future.”
  
• Some good news regarding the stay-at-home protests: Those organized on Facebook in California, New Jersey, and Nebraska are being removed from the platform on the instruction of governments in those three states because it violates stay-at-home orders, CNN reports.