Banter Bites

So Much Rides On The Ryder Cup

Golf may not be fore (sorry, couldn't resist the pun for those who know golf terms) you, but this year's Ryder Cup was the biggest blowout since the competition changed its format over 40 years ago.

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: The 43rd Ryder Cup (which is played every other year between teams from the U.S. and Europe) finished yesterday, so Red couldn't help but travel down memory lane (or should we call it "fairway") and remember watching the 1981 Ryder Cup with our dad. Not only did the Americans win with the largest margin against a European team (originally, the competition was a British team), but it featured some of the greatest golfers (from Jack Nicklaus to Tom Watson to Nick Faldo) of all time. That all changed yesterday when the Americans broke the 40-year record, and with a team where half the players were Ryder Cup rookies. (For a great recap, including a link to the most amazing chip shot, see Axios' "Team USA romps to Ryder Cup win.")

Black, who doesn't typically reminisce (and would prefer to talk about how golf has been having a record year and the associated business implications), remembers Jack Nicklaus' Concession in 1969. It was one of the greatest (and, at the time, controversial) acts of sportsmanship ever seen when Nicklaus conceded Tony Jacklin's putt causing a tie and allowing America to keep the Cup vs. going for an outright win. That single moment represented the spirit of the Ryder Cup, and this year marks the inaugural Nicklaus-Jacklin Award.

This is one of Red’s favorite Banter Bites in large part because of Black’s “corny” puns, but also because fresh corn is a summer staple – whether cooked on the grill or in the microwave, whether eaten on its own or as a primary ingredient in refreshing summer salads


This may be one of the corniest things you’ll ever read.

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: It’s just a vegetable, so how can it possibly elicit such a strong reaction from Red, while, for Black, it’s more a source of amusement and even, it turns out, admiration?

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Think you can avoid artificial intelligence? Think again …

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Red already fights technology at every turn, preferring to keep her ostrich head in the sand, plus, she finds Artificial Intelligence (AI) scary; whereas Black knows ignoring reality merely postpones the inevitable, so she’s started playing with AI to understand it better …

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A man better known for his death than his life, although Red, the straight-A student and history lover, immediately thinks of the costly and controversial movie of his life. (Well, technically, it was the life of Cleopatra.) Black, of course, focuses on business – leadership lessons, including the power of words, although she surprises Red with some food trivia. But the fact July’s named after him is the perfect excuse to rerun one of Red’s favorite Banter Bites …

Quick! If someone says "Julius Caesar," what comes to mind?

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Almost everyone has heard of Julius Caesar, but how many of us really know much about him, or at least that's what Red starts to wonder when she receives the usual flippant, but still accurate, reply from her sister, after feeling very proud that she knew that July was named after the famous Roman.

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