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Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

It’s time for the GOP to dust off that post-2012 autopsy, completely ignore it, and light the party on fire again.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

Meanwhile over at truth Social, the former president is busy confessing to crimes.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

Let’s finish the job.

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

People are complicated. Love is not.

The republican caucus is already covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.

Insiders who complain to politico: please report to the white house office of shut the fuck up.

Tick tock motherfuckers!

Fuck the extremist election deniers. What’s money for if not for keeping them out of office?

I was promised a recession.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

Despite his magical powers, I don’t think Trump is thinking this through, to be honest.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

Prediction: the GOP will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

I didn’t have alien invasion on my 2023 BINGO card.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

Infrastructure week. at last.

A lot of Dems talk about what the media tells them to talk about. Not helpful.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

When do the post office & the dmv weigh in on the wuhan virus?

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Open Thread

Open Thread

by John Cole|  August 29, 20097:56 am| 89 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

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I’m picking out a thermos….

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Previous Post: « Late Night Open Thread
Next Post: Sully stand-in shark watch »

Reader Interactions

89Comments

  1. 1.

    glasgowtremontaine

    August 29, 2009 at 8:05 am

    Thrift-store thermoses deserve favor for their charming patterns & color schemes. Shake them and listen closely to whether they rattle (= broken vacuum tube).

  2. 2.

    BrianK

    August 29, 2009 at 8:06 am

    The extra best thermos you can buy, with vinyl and stripes and a cup built right in?

  3. 3.

    Svensker

    August 29, 2009 at 8:12 am

    Is that the first step in going galt?

  4. 4.

    glasgowtremontaine

    August 29, 2009 at 8:23 am

    Rattling? I believe so.

  5. 5.

    WereBear

    August 29, 2009 at 8:24 am

    If you are going Galt, don’t forget your bag of salt.

  6. 6.

    guhm61

    August 29, 2009 at 8:26 am

    I recently purchased a 16oz. Nissan Thermos from Amazon that has a lid that you can pop open with one hand. Very handy to use driving to work. Keeps your coffee, tea, etc. as hot as the moment you poured it in. And it stays like that all day.

  7. 7.

    SGEW

    August 29, 2009 at 8:26 am

    In the spirit of “I want to focus my energies on positive things,” here’s some good news for today:

    North Korea Frees South Korea Fishermen

    North Korea has freed four South Korean fishermen and their boat, the South Korean Coast Guard has said.

    War in Sudan’s Darfur ‘Is Over’

    The six-year war between forces loyal to Sudan’s government and rebels in Darfur has effectively ended, the UN’s military commander in the region says.

    Iraqi Shoe Thrower To Be Released Early

    An Iraqi journalist jailed after hurling his shoes at former President George W. Bush will be released next month after his sentence was reduced for good behavior, his lawyer said today.

    <a href=”http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/29/world/americas/29silva.html?ref=world”A Child Of the Amazon Shakes Up Brazilian Politics

    For Marina Silva, life began in the heart of the Amazon. From the age of 11, she walked nine miles a day helping her father collect rubber from trees. These days, as an icon in the environmental movement, she has dedicated her life to protecting that same rainforest. . . . Last week Ms. Silva shook up Brazilian politics by announcing that, after nearly three decades, she was leaving Mr. da Silva’s Workers’ Party to join the Green Party, where she is likely to be its candidate in next year’s presidential election.

    “Men Who Stare At Goats” Movie Coming Soon

    The Men Who Stare At Goats is UK journalist Jon Ronson’s terrific, absurd, scary, and funny nonfiction book about the United States military’s weird experiments with psychic spying, “Jedi” powers, subliminal sound weapons, and, er, the ability to kill an animal just by looking at it (hence the title). The book is coming to the big screen November 6 in the form of a dark comedy starring Ewan McGregor, George Clooney, and Jeff Bridges.

  8. 8.

    SGEW

    August 29, 2009 at 8:28 am

    Oop. Previous “good news of the day to try and cheer John up” comment in moderation (too many links, I suppose), and one of the links is missing (missing link here</a?).

  9. 9.

    Kirk Spencer

    August 29, 2009 at 8:37 am

    Right. Remember, wide-mouth loses heat/cold faster but you can use it as a bowl. Steel cased are heavier but can be used as a wheel chock. And as noted above, if you shake it and it rattles, it’s no good.

    Oh, and some brand had to recall a bunch of their thermoses when the handles kept coming off.

  10. 10.

    JGabriel

    August 29, 2009 at 8:56 am

    @Kirk Spencer:

    Oh, and some brand had to recall a bunch of their thermoses when the handles kept coming off.

    The vandals stole the handles?

    .

  11. 11.

    debit

    August 29, 2009 at 9:00 am

    I hope it’s extra best thermos money can buy, perhaps with vinyl and stripes.

  12. 12.

    gnomedad

    August 29, 2009 at 9:16 am

    I like my all-steel Thermos. Does a decent job, and indestructible.

  13. 13.

    PeorgieTirebiter

    August 29, 2009 at 9:21 am

    @ JGabriel
    Yes, and it’s my understanding that they must bust in early May, orders from the D.A.

  14. 14.

    Notorious P.A.T.

    August 29, 2009 at 9:26 am

    Don’t name that dog “Livesaver”!

  15. 15.

    TimO

    August 29, 2009 at 9:27 am

    Search your feelings Jedi; close your eyes, feel the force flowing through the thermos and the right thermos will present itself. But first check consumer reports.

  16. 16.

    matoko_chan

    August 29, 2009 at 9:30 am

    Im really commenting on the last thread but im intimidated by the length.
    :(
    The situ is that the GOP has devolved into a party with a base that is so ….well…..stupid….that they dont understand that Social Security and Medicare ARE government programs, and a leadership so dishonest and desperate that they wont correct them.

    “I’ll be danged if I am going to give up my Social Security because of socialism,” councilman LeRoy Schaffer, addressing Michele Bachmann at a town hall.

    via Sully’s Borg.

    McArdle is just a baddie. If she was in your WoW guild she would show up for Yogg in rares and roll need on every drop.
    She gets welfare epics and mercy links from Sully because she is the only XX on the conservative side with an IQ over two digits.

  17. 17.

    matoko_chan

    August 29, 2009 at 9:31 am

    aww….moderation….what did i say?
    gamespk always sets the moderation filter off.

  18. 18.

    Froley

    August 29, 2009 at 9:32 am

    Oh, this is the best pizza in a cup ever. This guy is unbelievable. He ran the old Cup ‘o Pizza guy out of business.

  19. 19.

    shelley matheis

    August 29, 2009 at 9:33 am

    And don’t forget your pencil case!

  20. 20.

    mai naem

    August 29, 2009 at 9:36 am

    Okay I know some people are probably tired of TK coverage. I was stupid enough to tune into MSNBC a few minutes ago. Joe Scar, Pat Buchanan and Jon Meacham cannot stop talking about Ted’s shortcomings. Vickie turned his life around. He was jusr a drunk SOB before. He had Chappaquiddick. It was all wine, women and partying. Just wondering, did Pat and Joe talk about Ronnie Raygun’s commie pinko union background during his funeral? Were they talking about his non action on AIDS and Iran Contra during the funeral? I cannot stand Joe Scar and you could tell that Pat was really forcing himself to say positive stuff the morning after TK died(you have to figure there’s no love lost bet. Pat and the Kennedys because of how Kennedy won in ’60.)

  21. 21.

    r€nato

    August 29, 2009 at 9:41 am

    @mai naem:

    Anyone wanna bet that when George W Bush passes on, we won’t hear about his being a drunk until the age of 40, or how he ws a military deserter, or how he was probably a coke user as well, or how he ran all those companies into the ground, or how he profited from insider stock trading?

    I didn’t think so.

  22. 22.

    DougJ

    August 29, 2009 at 9:41 am

    That was the only really funny movie Steve Martin ever made.

  23. 23.

    Incertus

    August 29, 2009 at 9:44 am

    @r€nato: Oh, you’ll hear it from some of us, especially if he dies because he got sauced and tried to fly or something.

  24. 24.

    Rey

    August 29, 2009 at 9:47 am

    Just saw Jack Nicholson at the church, he looked very nice and sober.

  25. 25.

    SGEW

    August 29, 2009 at 9:51 am

    Ok, since it seems my moderated post isn’t gonna come out anytime soon, here’s your “Good News For The Day, To Cheer Up John ‘I Want To Focus My Energies On Positive Things’ Cole” repost w/out links:

    North Korea Frees South Korea Fishermen

    North Korea has freed four South Korean fishermen and their boat, the South Korean Coast Guard has said.

    War in Sudan’s Darfur ‘Is Over’

    The six-year war between forces loyal to Sudan’s government and rebels in Darfur has effectively ended, the UN’s military commander in the region says.

    Iraqi Shoe Thrower To Be Released Early

    An Iraqi journalist jailed after hurling his shoes at former President George W. Bush will be released next month after his sentence was reduced for good behavior, his lawyer said today.

    A Child of the Amazon Shakes Up a Nation’s Politics

    For Marina Silva, life began in the heart of the Amazon. From the age of 11, she walked nine miles a day helping her father collect rubber from trees. These days, as an icon in the environmental movement, she has dedicated her life to protecting that same rainforest. . . . Last week Ms. Silva shook up Brazilian politics by announcing that, after nearly three decades, she was leaving Mr. da Silva’s Workers’ Party to join the Green Party, where she is likely to be its candidate in next year’s presidential election.

    “Men Who Stare At Goats” Movie Coming Soon

    The Men Who Stare At Goats is UK journalist Jon Ronson’s terrific, absurd, scary, and funny nonfiction book about the United States military’s weird experiments with psychic spying, “Jedi” powers, subliminal sound weapons, and, er, the ability to kill an animal just by looking at it (hence the title). The book is coming to the big screen November 6 in the form of a dark comedy starring Ewan McGregor, George Clooney, and Jeff Bridges.

    Tho’ you have to see the trailer for “Men Who Stare At Goats”

    [If previous comment comes out of moderation, th’ mod gods can feel free to remove it to reduce redundancy]

  26. 26.

    asiangrrlMN

    August 29, 2009 at 9:51 am

    Is a thermos required to go Galt? If so, I better go see if I can find a nice black one.

    As I said in the last thread, last night, my dreams consisted of me getting into car accidents over and over and over again. Today doesn’t feel like it’s going to be a good day.

  27. 27.

    SGEW

    August 29, 2009 at 9:52 am

    D’oh! Now I see why my comment went into moderation: there’s a news story about the Iraqi [footwear] thrower.

    So much for good news.

    (gives up, for now)

  28. 28.

    gnomedad

    August 29, 2009 at 10:18 am

    I know about the hidden taboo word in soshulist, but does anyone know why [footware] gets you into moderation?

  29. 29.

    asiangrrlMN

    August 29, 2009 at 10:22 am

    @gnomedad: Sometimes, it’s best to just walk on by.

    Seriously, no. It’s not ho (I tried). It’s not hoe (tried that, too). It’s not even shoe. Apparently, the plural footware that gets one in trouble. One of life’s little mysteries.

  30. 30.

    MikeJ

    August 29, 2009 at 10:25 am

    hoes plural?

  31. 31.

    MikeJ

    August 29, 2009 at 10:26 am

    Nope, that shows up fine. I had never thought about the hoes angle, I just assumed it was in there because spammers advertise for footware a lot.

  32. 32.

    South of I-10

    August 29, 2009 at 10:27 am

    Oh I’m picking out a thermos for you
    not an ordinary thermos for you
    but the extra best thermos you can buy
    with vinyl and stripes and a cup built right in

  33. 33.

    asiangrrlMN

    August 29, 2009 at 10:28 am

    @MikeJ: Apparently not. oes? Let’s try that.

  34. 34.

    DemonDem

    August 29, 2009 at 10:29 am

    The ugly green Stanley steel-lined thermos is one of the most well-designed and indestructable things ever made. My father has one he used almost every day for 15 years, and you can still fill it at 6AM and have hot coffee at 2PM.

    I have one too, now, and I’ve put it through its paces, and I love it. Added bonus – as the outer casing gets dented and dinged I think they look cool – well loved and well used, kinda like a travelling trunk with stickers from around world all over it – you can tell its been places.

  35. 35.

    SiubhanDuinne

    August 29, 2009 at 10:29 am

    @matoko_chan/9:30 am

    If she was in your WoW guild she would show up for Yogg in rares and roll need on every drop.

    LOLWUT? I’ve read this about ten times and it makes absolutely no sense to me. Babelfish translation service doesn’t help.

  36. 36.

    Poopyman

    August 29, 2009 at 10:32 am

    Naw, I tried hoes a couple of days ago and it sailed right on through. It truly is one of life’s mysteries.

    Now I have to go solve another mystery: why the light over the garage won’t light. I already tried replacement bulbs. Wasn’t that.

    Bringing out the voltmeter ….

  37. 37.

    bedtimeforbonzo

    August 29, 2009 at 10:34 am

    It was heartening driving past a union hall yesterday here in Newark, Delaware, and seeing they were flying the flag at half mast, in honor of Senator Kennedy.

  38. 38.

    Chad N Freude

    August 29, 2009 at 10:36 am

    @SGEW:

    The Men Who Stare At Goats

    Wow! I was not aware of the book. I just added it to my must-read-or-at-least-buy-and-really-intend-to-read list. Thanks.

  39. 39.

    MikeJ

    August 29, 2009 at 10:36 am

    @asiangrrlMN: I don’t suppose you know which filter Cole uses, do you? I would be happy to hack on it to allow us to discuss soçialism. Or at least look at it and see if it was worth hacking on.

  40. 40.

    Incertus

    August 29, 2009 at 10:37 am

    @DemonDem: Seconded–I’ve got one, as does Amy, and we swear by them. Downside is that they’re a little heavy–upside is that you can slam it on your desk to get your students’ attention.

  41. 41.

    Chad N Freude

    August 29, 2009 at 10:38 am

    This is a test. shoes This is a test.

  42. 42.

    Chad N Freude

    August 29, 2009 at 10:41 am

    @asiangrrlMN:
    Just ran a test, and indeed, the post sits in moderationland waiting for removal of its immoderacy.

  43. 43.

    Chad N Freude

    August 29, 2009 at 10:42 am

    This is a test. socialism This is a test.

  44. 44.

    Max

    August 29, 2009 at 10:44 am

    Watching the funeral coverage, I’m struck by the heft of the democratic party and it does my heart good.

    I also love the visual of W surrounded by the powerhouses of the Obama’s, the Clintons and the Bidens (even the Carters). He looks very small – literally.

  45. 45.

    Chad N Freude

    August 29, 2009 at 10:46 am

    Just ran another test for the soshalizm word. The moderation rules here seem to have been modeled after the Human Resources Department rules at my workplace.

  46. 46.

    Max

    August 29, 2009 at 10:48 am

    Also. I love the fact that Obama walked over to Vicki Kennedy’s hotel this morning to meet with her privately. WALKED!

    Nothing like being in a solidly democratic city.

  47. 47.

    steve s

    August 29, 2009 at 10:54 am

    on another thread

    Standard index cards used to be 60-lb stock—now the ‘generic’ makes are 40-lb, or even 20-lb, which is barely stiff enough for stationery. The 100-lb stock is probably your best compromise. Do you remember when libraries had card catalogs? Those were normally 100-stock, and the only complaint I remember was that you could only fit half as many cards in a file drawer as with the 60-lb version.

    I was actually thinking about that as I typed. Friend of mine is a librarian, I used to use those things as index cards. I guess that’s why i find 20 and 40 weight pathetic. I’m going to swing by some print shops and check out 60, 70, 100 wt, and prob get some cut up.

  48. 48.

    Max

    August 29, 2009 at 11:03 am

    For those interested…

    Front cover of the program http://twitpic.com/fpdon

    and the Back http://twitpic.com/fpdp8

  49. 49.

    steve s

    August 29, 2009 at 11:08 am

    August 29th, 2009 at 9:30 am Reply to this comment
    matoko_chan
    Im really commenting on the last thread but im intimidated by the length.

    that’s what She said.

  50. 50.

    asiangrrlMN

    August 29, 2009 at 11:11 am

    @MikeJ: No clue. I would happily tell you if I knew. All I know is that Ajax is involved somehow.

  51. 51.

    Betsy

    August 29, 2009 at 11:24 am

    I’m watching the funeral, and am surprised to find myself really sad. Kennedy really did touch so many ordinary people’s lives, and when I think that he didn’t live to see his greatest political hope realized…it is really heartbreaking.

    Later I’m going to a full-mass wedding at a (different) Catholic church in Boston. I’m getting more Catholic today than in the last 10 years combined!

  52. 52.

    J.

    August 29, 2009 at 11:35 am

    How many thermoses with “Steelers” printed on them are there? Just grab the first one that isn’t banged up and be done with it.

  53. 53.

    Max

    August 29, 2009 at 11:40 am

    The children doing the Prayers of the Faithful are making me lose it.

    The young boy who spoke of health care rocked it.

  54. 54.

    Comrade Darkness

    August 29, 2009 at 11:44 am

    @asiangrrlMN: There is a little link in the footer describing Bad Behavior. I always assumed that was our overlord who objected to offerings of footwear and safety net government programs.

  55. 55.

    pikhoved

    August 29, 2009 at 11:44 am

    Arent they Kennedys stepchildren.

  56. 56.

    SiubhanDuinne

    August 29, 2009 at 11:44 am

    I am in floods of tears with all the nieces, nephews and grandkids. Beautifl.

  57. 57.

    Max

    August 29, 2009 at 11:46 am

    I don’t know how Vicki is holding it together. I”m crying and I didn’t even know the man. I would need to be severely medicated to be as strong as she is..

  58. 58.

    SiubhanDuinne

    August 29, 2009 at 11:48 am

    Also, very poignant whenever the camera is on Jean Kennedy Smith. I can’t imagine how that must feel, being the lone survivor of that generation of such a large and complex family.

  59. 59.

    MikeJ

    August 29, 2009 at 11:51 am

    @Comrade Darkness: I found where the list is coming from. Interesting what’s on it.

    http://codex.wordpress.org/Spam_Words

  60. 60.

    arguingwithsignposts

    August 29, 2009 at 11:51 am

    @steve s:

    Let us know what you find out.

  61. 61.

    Rey

    August 29, 2009 at 11:53 am

    Every time the camera is on W, he looks so shifty eyed, what is his deal? A social misfit, a retard ? Dear God, how did we make it through 8 years of this man…

  62. 62.

    Poopyman

    August 29, 2009 at 11:55 am

    @Mikej

    Well, there it is: s-h-o-e-s . Only the plural. Weird.

  63. 63.

    MikeJ

    August 29, 2009 at 11:56 am

    And to reply to myself, I’ve got an idea that Cole could try so we we could safely discuss soçialism. In the spam words file, add a space before and after (or even just before) the name of the boner pill.

    As for the footwear, I’d experiment with taking it out. If spam on that subject does start showing up, add it back to the list.

  64. 64.

    Poopyman

    August 29, 2009 at 11:57 am

    Eww gross. Mrs. K. got a kiss from Dubya.

  65. 65.

    matoko_chan

    August 29, 2009 at 11:58 am

    lawlz
    For translation go the UD (Urban dictionary).
    Gamerspk or l33tspk as it is sometime called evolved from texting and game chat.
    Gamerspk colonizes contemporary culture a lot….”epic fail” is gamerspeak….”all your base are belong to us” is gamerspk.
    A “baddie” is someone who shows for raids undergeared and unprepared, and rolls “need” for everthing when they should roll greed.
    A “scrub” is someone who doesn’t know how to play their class, like an ebay-toon or a player that paid to be power-lvl’d.
    “Welfare epics” are a kind of ingame affirmative action so bad players can get “carried” thru arena and pvp battlegrounds and raids by more skilled players.
    ;)

  66. 66.

    Max

    August 29, 2009 at 11:58 am

    @Rey: On the Twitter, I read this about that..

    If W. isn’t a pork chop at a bar mitzvah right now, no one is.

  67. 67.

    arguingwithsignposts

    August 29, 2009 at 11:59 am

    @matoko_chan:

    “Welfare epics” are a kind of ingame affirmative action so bad players can get “carried” thru arena and pvp battlegrounds and raids by more skilled players.

    So it’s like wingnut welfare in real life (Goldberg, McArdle, Lopez, Frum, et. al.). Who knew gamers had figured out the entire rightwing political system!

  68. 68.

    Rey

    August 29, 2009 at 12:01 pm

    @max

    Lol.. that’s it.

  69. 69.

    matoko_chan

    August 29, 2009 at 12:04 pm

    hehe, ….”thats what she said” is gamerspk.
    In my personal experience usually used when some wowgrrl (like meh) makes an unwitting statement with strong sexual double meaning.
    UD

  70. 70.

    SiubhanDuinne

    August 29, 2009 at 12:09 pm

    Also, the music is really gorgeous. Obama looks so sad.

  71. 71.

    asiangrrlMN

    August 29, 2009 at 12:09 pm

    Wow. Really? Shoe spam is really that bad? Who knew? So, s h o e s, it is!

  72. 72.

    lamh31

    August 29, 2009 at 12:12 pm

    For those who can’t wait, here’s a copy of President Obama’s speech:
    http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/8/29/773986/-President-Obamas-eulogy-for-Ted-Kennedy

  73. 73.

    arguingwithsignposts

    August 29, 2009 at 12:13 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Obama looks so sad.

    I know it’s a little out of place, but don’t you know his entire staff is wondering “what if we’d had TK in the Senate for this administration?” I don’t know of another Dem Senator who can knock heads and get things done like that.

  74. 74.

    arguingwithsignposts

    August 29, 2009 at 12:18 pm

    I did not know TK Jr. had lost his leg. That’s how much I follow the kennedys

  75. 75.

    SiubhanDuinne

    August 29, 2009 at 12:21 pm

    @arguingwithsignposts

    I don’t think that comment is out of place at all. I’m sure those thoughts are part of the complexity of his grief and his staff’s. They are of mine.

    If any typos (more than usual), please excuse. I can’t seem to stop my eyes from leaking.

  76. 76.

    JK

    August 29, 2009 at 12:22 pm

    Does anyone know where Dick Cheney is? I haven’t seen him on TV. Did I miss a camera shot of Cheney or is he holed up in an undisclosed location drinking blood?

  77. 77.

    Poopyman

    August 29, 2009 at 12:25 pm

    JK, I doubt he was invited.

  78. 78.

    SiubhanDuinne

    August 29, 2009 at 12:35 pm

    JK, you know it never even occurred to me to wonder. And earlier I was going through a mental checklist of current and past officials attending (“Mondale? Check.”) and my internal file clerk didn’t even come up with Darth’s name.

  79. 79.

    arguingwithsignposts

    August 29, 2009 at 12:36 pm

    And here is obama. i took a peek at the speech, but didn’t read it all. I hope he knocks it out of the park.

    (and note no teleprompter! – remember that meme? seems like years ago)

  80. 80.

    steve s

    August 29, 2009 at 12:37 pm

    @MikeJ: ooo, dang, i never picked up on the soC1AL1Sm aspect. That makes sense.

  81. 81.

    OriGuy

    August 29, 2009 at 12:44 pm

    I keep trying to post this nice story about sportsmanship but it doesn’t show up. Nothing about footware or political systems either. I’ll try again.

  82. 82.

    OriGuy

    August 29, 2009 at 12:46 pm

    One of the roots of my logon name is orienteering (the other is origami.) It’s a sport that involves running cross-country while navigating a course using only map and compass. At the international elite level, it’s highly competitive, with the top runners going full-speed through the forest. Suffice it to say that I’m not at that level.

    Anyway, at the World Championships Relay in Hungary last week, something happened that should get wider recognition. During the anchor leg, the leader, Martin Johanssen of Sweden, got a stick 10cm into his thigh. Thierry Gueorgiou (France), Anders Norberg (Norway), and Michal Smola (Czech Republic), who were close behind, stop to help. Other runners were out of earshot and unaware of what was going on.

    They managed to stop the bleeding. Norberg ran straight to the finish, while Smola got a cellphone from a hiker. He didn’t know a way to contact the organizers, so he called a friend in CR, who called the Czech coach. An ambulance came quickly and got Martin. The three who stopped, any one of whom could have won the race, ran the rest of it together and finished 25th-27th.

    There’s a lot of controversy about whether the results should have been voided, but everyone agrees that these guys are champs. A severe injury in the middle of the forest could have been a tragedy.

    More about it here.

    (By the way, the USA finished 24th, Canada was 29th.)

  83. 83.

    Political Pragmatist

    August 29, 2009 at 12:46 pm

    Is it only me, or is Obama going gray at an astonishing rate?

  84. 84.

    OriGuy

    August 29, 2009 at 12:47 pm

    How do I know if it’s in moderation? It didn’t show up.

  85. 85.

    Political Pragmatist

    August 29, 2009 at 12:56 pm

    Will Repubs agree that the funeral was not politicized but about Teddy’s life and our memories?

  86. 86.

    Political Pragmatist

    August 29, 2009 at 12:58 pm

    When will the repugnants start bringing up the name of Joan?

  87. 87.

    Andy K

    August 29, 2009 at 1:44 pm

    @DougJ:

    That was the only really funny movie Steve Martin ever made.

    It was definitely the funniest movie Martin made, but All of Me was pretty damned funny, as was Plains, Trains and Automobiles. I’ll give it up for The Lonely Guy and The Man With Two Brains, too, though the former plays a bit melancholy and the latter has some great bits, but isn’t great as a film.

    Also, this.

  88. 88.

    Comrade Luke

    August 29, 2009 at 4:23 pm

    I was in the dumps like the rest of you yesterday, but that Men Who Stare At Goats movie trailer has broken me out of my funk.

    Laughter really is the best medicine.

    (of course, I’m not watching any TK coverage at all, so that might have something to do with it)

  89. 89.

    Little Macayla's Friend

    August 29, 2009 at 10:58 pm

    Could the spam filter be approaching a state of human consciousness and lets s-h-o-e through, but not s-h-o-e-s, because it has figured out that vendors don’t sell them, and therefore advertise them, one at a time?

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