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5 things to talk about on the course: Usain Bolt, Ashley Madison, and "Bloodline"

August 28, 2015

From sports to TV to politics (OK, so mostly the first two), we offer five hot topics that are sure to liven up your round of golf:

1. Roanoke shootings: Sorry, but we're starting with something serious today. What happened on Thursday was disgusting. Sickening. Frightening. Regardless, as colleague Shane Ryan points out, it's better if we talk about it than hide from it. OK, end of mini-rant.

2. Ashley Madison: A hack of the adultery website has left its 37 million customers exposed. If you've found out about this via the news and it doesn't concern you, good for you. If you've found out about this the hard way, well, shame on you. OK, end of sermon.

3. Usain Bolt: The Jamaican won both the 100m and 200m at the World Championships in Beijing for his ninth and 10th overall gold medals at the event. Bolt is the fastest human in history and at 29, he's still the fastest human in the world. As long as he avoids anymore out-of-control Segways, he should be the man to beat at next year's Olympics.

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4. FedEx Cup Playoffs: The ninth edition of these are underway and there are plenty of story lines to follow. Just how historic will Jordan Spieth's 2014-15 season turn out? Will the winner of the $10 million bonus be another Billy Horschel-like surprise? Will whoever wins the money use it for something worthwhile like paying off OMEGA to stop running that Rory McIlroy-"Hall of Fame" ad? Sure, it's not as exciting as playoffs in other sports, but try to enjoy it because once it ends, the next major will still be more than six months away.

5. "Bloodline": I finally got around to watching this highly recommended Netflix original drama and it was fantastic. Friday Night Light's Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler) basically plays Coach Taylor again, but this time he's the leader of a family that's being torn apart by secrets from its past. Ben Mendelsohn is also great as the black sheep brother.