Daily Dose: 8/17/16

9:59 AMThis week on the podcast, we had to take things to a slightly more serious level. It was just one of those news cycles where the topics that mattered were ones that didn’t allow for too many jokes. Anyways, please do have a listen.

Donald Trump made his most ham-handed appeal to the black community yet, on Tuesday. Speaking in a basically all-white exurb of Milwaukee, the man who once publicly called for the death of the Central Park Five is suddenly trying to court black voters. The Republican presidential candidate even went so far as to connote that it is Democratic Party policies that have fostered the relationship between communities of color and the police. His campaign is going so well, by the way, that he just brought in a new manager, ABC News reports.

Remember what female gymnasts used to look like? Skinny little girls flying through the air, all while still overly appealing to classic European standards of beauty. And for what? Well, mainly because a lot of the people who controlled the coaching of the sport simply preferred that. It’s incredible what ingrained self-hate can do to the entire psychology of most disciplines. Anyways, once we figured out that skinny was bad science for good gymnastics, that all changed. VICE Sports Elle Reeve breaks down the progression.

Speaking of bodies, typically, drastic weight loss stories scare me. People start doing extreme things to change their appearance and risk their lives in unhealthy ways. But some people find a way to do it the right way and their stories can be really inspiring. Take the case of a man in Arizona, who when he went to the doctor weighing in at 600 pounds, decided to make some changes. He decided that every time he wanted to eat, he’d walk to Wal-Mart but wouldn’t consume until he got back. My man’s transformation is tremendous. Check it out.

I couldn’t care less if the U.S. men’s basketball team wins gold, after all the foolishness I have to listen to from other idiot Americans who couldn’t see their own exceptionalism if it were served to them on a hot dog. Which is not a sandwich. Anyway, for multiple reasons, this team was pretty poorly put together. Not to mention that they seem to have zero offensive sets beyond throwing a couple of off-ball screens and putting up a jumper. Win or lose, the team is not fun to watch, particularly. ESPN’s Marc Stein still has the United States atop his Olympic power rankings, though.

Free Food

Coffee Break: The cavalcade of nations that is the Olympics is just one part of the fun, what with all the cool uniforms and fun outfits during the opening and closing ceremonies and so on. But there’s another obvious marker worth checking out. Who’s got the best flag?

Snack Time: If you haven’t seen the trailer for the movie Hidden Figures about the black women who were instrumental in getting Apollo 11 to the moon for NASA (among other things), check it out here. Looks great.

Dessert: We’re worried about Bishop Eddie Long, y’all. This doesn’t look right.