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New England Patriots accused of cheating; White House takes on sexual assault; former “Tonight Show” host Johnny Carson died; The Byrds record a hit; and Germans carried out first air raid of WWI

 

⇒ What You Were Talking About This Week: Deflate-gate

The New England Patriots beat the Indianapolis Colts in Sunday’s AFC Championship game by a slight margin of 45–7. So naturally everyone started freaking out when reports broke that the Pats had deflated their footballs (to better grip their balls in the heavy rain). Each offense provides its own footballs for the games. In advance of kick-off, officials inspect each ball—gauging air pressure and weighing each ball—before they are tagged for game use. Balls must be inflated to 12 ½ and (a maximum) 13 ½ pounds per square inch, but as long as it is within this range, the teams can choose how much or little to inflate the balls depending on what their players prefer. Now that we understand game ball pressure, let’s better understand this national scandal, which deserves all of the media coverage it has received over smaller stories like Obama’s State of the Union address and the radicalization of the men who terrorized the streets of Paris.

The NFL continues its investigation, which began immediately following Sunday’s game and has included nearly 40 interviews to date. Both Pats head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady held press conferences to address the accusations though neither said anything remarkable, other than Brady who conceded the NFL had not yet contacted him regarding the investigation.

This is not the first time the Pats have been accused of cheating. In 2007, Belichick paid a fine after it became known he videotaped defensive signals of the New York Jets.

An aside: can we stop tacking on “gate” to scandals? It’s not “snappy” and is better reserved for scandals with actual consequences for the state and security of the U.S.

⇒ Last Year: Epidemic of Assault

The White House Council on Women and Girls released a report last year exploring rape at college campuses, concluding 1 in 5 female students were assaulted while only 1 in 8 student victims reported it. Moreover, campus perpetrators are often “serial offenders.” The report also details the devastating effects for victims, including depression, chronic pain, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

President Obama described sexual assault as “an affront on our basic decency and humanity” and urged young people “to realize that sexual assault is simply unacceptable.” To coincide with the report rollout, the President signed a memorandum creating a task force to respond to campus sexual assault. The task force delivered its report on April 29, 2014, which included recommendations for how colleges should prevent and respond to the issue, including by conducting anonymous surveys to gauge attitudes and better understand prevalence of sexual assault cases.

The White House action followed a string of high-profile assaults at premier universities across the country, that sadly continues today with news this week of rape at a Duke University frat.

⇒ 10 Years Ago: “Heeeeere’s Johnny”

On January 23, 2005, late-night pioneer Johnny Carson passed away at the age of 79. Carson hosted “The Tonight Show” for 30 years, taking over for Jack Paar in 1962. Once described as “the ace comedian top-dog talk artist of the universe” but more commonly as the “king of late night,” Carson brought pop culture mainstream, introduced audiences to then-unheard of names like Woody Allen, David Letterman, and (his eventual successor) Jay Leno, and helped heal the nation during hard times with his low-key charm.

Over the course of his long and storied career, Carson received six Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award and even the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Moreover, audiences adored him despite his carefully guarded private life. From monologues slyly poking fun at politicians to Carnac the Magnificent, an all-knowing seer, Carson charmed audiences and brought stability to late night TV. His final show in 1992 reportedly drew 50 million viewers.

The days of a reigning champ of late night are long gone, with competition spread from east (The Tonight Show’s latest host Jimmy Fallon) to west (Jimmy Kimmel) and network to cable TV, where “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart continues to dominate. Later this year, Letterman will leave his perch on CBS and Stephen Colbert will take over. These guys are funny (and seriously, where are the women?) but Carson did it first, and arguably best. Let’s make it “One for my baby, and one more for the road.”

⇒ 50 Years Ago: The Byrds Cover and Create a Classic      

On January 21, 1965, the Byrds entered a recording studio in Hollywood and recorded a cover of “Mr. Tambourine Man.” The Byrds’ cover (which was actually based on a demo from Bob Dylan) went on to top the Billboard charts—reaching no. 1 in the summer of 1965. It was their debut album.

Many consider the Byrds’ “Mr. Tambourine Man” as the birth of folk rock. The sound combined folk music with electric guitar, jangly vocals, and cool California vibe. Upon hearing the Byrds song, Dylan commented, “Wow, man, you can even dance to that!”

Bob Dylan is one of the most covered artists of all time. And there are many covers that became so popular in their own right that people don’t realize they’re Dylan originals. Consider Jimi Hendrix’s thrashing guitar on “All Along the Watchtower” or Peter, Paul & Mary’s version of “Blowin’ in the Wind.” Though, to be fair, it goes both ways. In February, Dylan will release a new album covering Frank Sinatra songs.

⇒ 100 Years Ago: German Air Raid

On January 19, 1915, in the throes of World War I, Germany carried out its first air raid on Britain. A pair of zeppelins dropped bombs onto Great Yarmouth and King’s Lynn in Norfolk along the English coast. Now a common element of war increasingly carried out by drones, the concept of targeted airstrikes did not exist before the use of zeppelins. Zeppelins were also used, arguably more effectively, to detect submarines and move cargo.

Invented by (and named after) Count Ferdinand Von Zeppelin, zeppelins were large, rigid airships filled with flammable hydrogen gas. To avoid being detected, Germans carried out their raids at night. This made accuracy more difficult (soldiers reportedly used city lights to determine targets), though the sheer size of the airships and threat of night raids left many terrified. In an article for Wired, Jeffery S. Underwood, a historian at the United States Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, noted, “They did more damage keeping people awake than actual physical damage.”

Over the course of the war, the Germans carried out 52 raids with zeppelins, even carrying out a raid on London, and killed more than 500 people.