Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

A norm that restrains only one side really is not a norm – it is a trap.

I’d like to think you all would remain faithful to me if i ever tried to have some of you killed.

I am pretty sure these ‘journalists’ were not always such a bootlicking sycophants.

There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.

Today’s gop: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

“But what about the lurkers?”

Democracy cannot function without a free press.

Those who are easily outraged are easily manipulated.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

75% of people clapping liked the show!

“I was told there would be no fact checking.”

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

Wake up. Grow up. Get in the fight.

If you cannot answer whether trump lost the 2020 election, you are unfit for office.

“Just close your eyes and kiss the girl and go where the tilt-a-whirl takes you.” ~OzarkHillbilly

At some point, the ability to learn is a factor of character, not IQ.

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

Giving in to doom is how authoritarians win.

The next time the wall street journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

Today in our ongoing national embarrassment…

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Before I Waste Two Hours

Reader Interactions

107Comments

  1. 1.

    JenJen

    I’m reading thru this invaluable NFL Playoff Scenario piece in the New York Times. I’m obviously thrilled the Bengals have clinched, but I’d like us to be a 3rd seed, for example, and we need a little help.

    And quit giving me palpitations, Buckeyes! Dammit.

  2. 2.

    firebrand

    I have no idea what the consensus on Babylon A.D. is. All I can tell you is just from my experience alone: Run away from this movie. Run FAST.

  3. 3.

    demkat620

    Stuck inspired me. I am watching District 9. Great movie. Is Babylon AD that Vin Diesel thing? Cause that sucked.

  9. 9.

    Jason Bylinowski

    @demkat620: District 9. Yes. Great movie that I was told I would like, which naturally made me skeptical. I’m not sure it was the movie of the year, but it was certainly one of the most fun, with some great characters and great visual effects in an age where I usually get all cranky when they throw in the CGI stuff.

  11. 11.

    Yutsano

    @Jason Bylinowski: The smoothness of the CGI in that movie astounded me, especially when you consider the budget that film had to work with. One of the (many) things that excited me about that movie was that Johannesberg just entered on the List of Places to See Before I Die.

  13. 13.

    Yutsano

    @John Cole: You had me until the root beer. I’m gonna stick with my venti espresso truffle obtained from that evul Starbucks. We stole their CFO to be my company’s new CEO so it takes a little edge off the guilt.

  14. 14.

    BeccaM

    I’d rather watch Star Trek V than inflict Babylon AD on myself again. Although to be fair, I didn’t watch the whole thing; lasted about 20 minutes then switched off.

  20. 20.

    Violet

    Don’t even know what Babylon, A.D. is. Doesn’t sound very appealing based on these reviews.

  21. 21.

    Comrade Mary

    I had my usual breakfast of veggie and cheese frittata around 3 PM, along with a few leftover chocolate chip cookies, and I’m still not hungry now. Must be the last of the cold.

  24. 24.

    MattR

    @JenJen: Hopefully this is a beat easier to understand.

    If Denver wins, they are in if (a) either Baltimore or the NY Jets lose AND (b) either Houston wins, Pittsburgh loses or the other team from part (a) loses.

    If Denver loses, they need 4 of the following 5 things to happen: NY Jets loses, Pittsburgh loses, Houston loses, Baltimore loses, Jacksonville ties or loses.

  26. 26.

    PaulW

    Mater is an Auburn alum, so we went to the Outback Bowl in person this morning/afternoon…

    And, it rained. Welcome to sunny Florida!

    And, the referees sucked. Biased as hell. Half the calls they pulled on Auburn were questionable. They nailed the Tigers for two excessive celebration penalties, but whenever the ‘Cats celebrated (a guy on the sidelines crossed the whole field to hug a teammate? AHEM) nothing, nada, garrrrrrh.

    I can only hope the refs at tomorrow’s Toronto Bowl are more impartial (Go Bulls).

  28. 28.

    Punchy

    although I like that Bowden got to go out on top

    So his wife’s not into that kinky stuff, huh?

  29. 29.

    Yutsano

    :: Showing off my massive band nerd side ::

    I just about shit myself when they announced the director of the Oregon marching band. I’ve known him since he was a TA at my school. Really glad he’s got a good gig now.

  31. 31.

    donovong

    Well, since my team has already won (Go Clemson!) I will share my dinner menu – hot cornbread, black-eyed peas and collard greens.

    I am not the least bit superstitious, but by god, it is certainly true that NOT eating those isn’t going to help the financial situation. So, what teh heck….

  34. 34.

    arguingwithsignposts

    @El Cid:

    Saw that one earlier. Very cool. Lots of good stuff on NetFlix. Might I suggest “Top Gear” season 10 if you like high-end cars. “Doubt” if, like me, you think Phillip Seymour Hoffman is the bomb (also Meryl Streep).

  35. 35.

    xxxevilgrinxxx

    I think your time would be better spent reading Babylon Babies by Maurice Dantec, which is what the movie is based on.

    That being said, the movie isn’t bad, it’s just terribly edited (Damn you, FOX!) Some neat shots. It’s not a bad movie, it’s just not a terribly good movie, which is a shame because the Toorop character has incredible depth. It’s such a waste that it couldn’t be explored. I wouldn’t view it as time wasted though.

  38. 38.

    Violet

    @Yutsano:
    Did they show the Ohio band at all? I get really annoyed at all the chatter during halftime when all I want to do is watch the bands.

    @Punchy: Only if you can’t read.

  40. 40.

    D-Chance.

    @donovong: I always go with turnip greens (unseasoned) instead of collards.

    Add a small chub of country ham and some sweet tea and that’s the annual 1/1/xxxx dinner.

  41. 41.

    Yutsano

    @Violet: They did. Only time they show the bands during halftime. Both sounded dammn good, though I swear OSU’s director is older than Broder by now.

  44. 44.

    Violet

    @Yutsano:
    Yeah, I just saw it. Their director is old. Did they do the script Ohio? I love watching that. They didn’t show it from what I saw, but not sure they did it. Or do they do it every time?

  45. 45.

    Karatist Preacher

    I lost any respect for Bowden after the ESPN story about how many of his players were functionally illiterate if not borderline retarded.

    Yeah, it goes on at other places but FSU came across as particularly scummy.

  46. 46.

    Ruemara

    utter crapulence on crapcrackers with crap filling and cheesy crap on top. When even a dreck scifi watching geek like myself can’t stand it for half an hour, you are one hell of a bad movie.

  48. 48.

    demkat620

    @arguingwithsignposts: I love Top Gear. That show is great. Did you ever see the one where the bulit the amphibian cars for the lake? Not the Channel one. That is hilarious.

    I can honestly say I never expected to like a car show but that one is great.

  51. 51.

    Darryl

    I have to find the trip through Vietnam. Everyone keeps telling me about that.

    I thought the trip through the american south was humiliating, but not surprising

  53. 53.

    Darryl

    I lost any respect for Bowden after the ESPN story about how many of his players were functionally illiterate if not borderline retarded.

    My girlfriend went to high school with a guy who later played for FSU. She says his nickname in high school was “Reinard the Retard”.

  54. 54.

    anticontrarian

    i didn’t think it was that horrible, but then, i watched it during a period where any distraction was good distraction. can’t say as i remember much or even anything about it, except that, like somebody upthread said, it was terribly edited. you could kind of pick out the story and some character development, if you squinted and looked really hard, but some studio jackass decided that the people wanted action! and so it just turned out to be pure spectacle. unfortunately, almost everything they tried to do has been done better.

    in all, you probably haven’t lost anything by shutting it off.

  56. 56.

    Yutsano

    @Violet: Script Ohio is traditionally done during pregame. Plus it takes awhile to set up and the halftime during the Rose Bowl is really short. Trust me I’ve done it twice. :)

  57. 57.

    MattR

    Anyone else excited for not just one, but two, episodes of Better Off Ted after the Rose Bowl? You can’t be less excited than me.

  58. 58.

    Elie

    @John Cole:

    Brazilian black bean feijaoda with linguisa, ham, rice and all the trimings including sweet orange slices to cool the tongue from a little back note heat from the linguisa…

    Happy New Year to a community like an alternate family and weird but cool friends to me! May the next decade be much better than the last.

    Looking forward to many great conversations…

  59. 59.

    Violet

    @Yutsano:
    Ah! I didn’t know that! That’s cool you were in the band. I think Script Ohio is one of the coolest college traditions out there. It’s cool to watch, no one is making money off it (unless rich band alums give money), and everyone can appreciate it no matter who your favorite school is.

  60. 60.

    Yutsano

    @Violet: It really is something you do because you enjoy it. The perks are few (free football games and trips depending on how much the AD gives you or if you’re part of the music department and can squeeze the dollars out of them) but we really make our own rewards. Band people have a thousand inside jokes, we bond together like nothing else I’ve seen in college, and, well, EVERYONE in band gets laid.

  64. 64.

    ajr22

    I would really like to see Ohio State pull this one out. That was a ruff loss for Northwestern, but I really respect what Fitzgerald has done there. It’s nice to see the Big Ten playing good football. Have we had a movie of the year/decade debate around here? My movie of the year choice goes to Hurt locker. Ebert chose “Synecdoche, New York” as his film of the decade, which I thought was an interesting selection.

  66. 66.

    arguingwithsignposts

    @ajr22:

    Have we had a movie of the year/decade debate around here?

    Wow, that would be a tough call. I’d have to see a list of all the movies that came out since 2000, because I know there have been some good ones. There will be blood, doubt, no country for old men, etc. I think it would depend on the genre.

    BTW, I think the announcers are too Ohio State oriented at this point, especially Brent Musberger, whom I’ve never been impressed with.

    ETA: I thought Wisconsin did a good job the other night in their game.

  67. 67.

    Yutsano

    @arguingwithsignposts: Don’t you know there is no football west of the Mississippi unless you play for the University of Spoiled Children? Seriously, they think the reason the Pac-10 sucks is because no one team consistently dominates like the SEC. We all lose and beat up on each other so going undefeated in the Pac-10 is a near impossibility. But that’s seen as a weakness. It’s total bullshit.

  68. 68.

    Sly

    If anyone’s looking for a good laugh, you can look back on National Review’s predictions for 2009. The ones from Goldberg are, unsurprisingly, particularly hilarious. My favorite:

    “By the end of 2009, the biggest problem facing the U.S. economy will be rampant inflation.”

  70. 70.

    Ked

    +4 This Jameson stuff is okay, but I wish I’d gone with real bourbon.

    Wasn’t Babyon AD a bad remake of a really bad anime? Or maybe I’m mixing it up – there seems to be a fascination over there with… no, wait, I’m thinking of Babel. Grr. Better just stop thinking and turn the Mythbusters marathon back on.

    +5

  72. 72.

    mcd410x

    I feel like it’s fairly obvious that, even with some fun games, this is a down year for talent in college football.

  73. 73.

    South of I-10

    If it is clear where you are, walk outside and have a look at the moon. I hope it is as beautiful there as it is here.

  74. 74.

    Milo Johnson

    They should have made another Riddick movie, because that is just a poorly done Riddick flick. I guess they don’t have to pay the original creators that way…

  76. 76.

    ajr22

    I haven’t seen it on many list, but City of God is an amazing picture that is a must watch for any true movie fan.

  78. 78.

    Violet

    @ajr22:
    I thought The Hurt Locker was really good, and it definitely stuck with me. I’m not sure it’s film of the year, but I haven’t seen a lot of movies this year.

    *****Warning: Possible Spoilers for The Hurt Locker******

    I found Ralph Fiennes appearance to be really jolting. It took me completely out of the film. As in, “What is Ralph Fiennes doing in the desert?” type of jolt. I think a less well known actor would have worked a lot better there. It’s not like the part was big or had need of his acting ability or name.

    Also, when they found the place where the bombs were made, and the boy, there was that explosion outside. Who the heck puts an IED outside your own secret bomb-making building? Isn’t that asking for trouble? It didn’t make any sense from a “how things would really be” standpoint, although it worked in the story.

    *****end spoilers*****

    Other than that, I found it exceptionally compelling, a great story, and it felt very real to me as to how it is to be there.

  79. 79.

    GregB

    Sly,

    The idiocy on parade in that list of rightwing nutty-magic thinking is truly stunning.

    They get nothing right.

    And K-Lo predicting that Joe the Plumber will return as Newt Gingrich’s running mate is jaw dropping.

    They are children in fantasy land.

    -G

  80. 80.

    mcd410x

    @Yutsano: As someone who lives two hours away from Gainesville and is forced to watch His Every Move: that made me so happy.

    ETA: I’d really like Him to get drafted by Seattle or Oakland — somewhere far, far, far away.

  81. 81.

    Brick Oven Bill

    Today, in addition to exposing the corrupt, steaming pile of excrement that is the New York Times, and demonstrating how dumb Fancis Fox Piven is, I have made seven large calzones, to feed a group of people, who might support a sports team.

    There are:

    (2) Spinach Calzones;
    (3) Meat Calzones; and
    (1) Cheese Only Calzone

    The other Calzone (meat) has been partially eaten by me. It is very good. I sometimes impress myself. So perhaps I will now start drinking.

  82. 82.

    Yutsano

    @mcd410x: Heh. Tebow holding Hasselsack’s clipboard. Somehow I’d really enjoy that. That or watching him deal with the Crypt Keeper in Oakland.

  84. 84.

    Yutsano

    @Litlebritdifrnt: Washington state, which is also where I went to college. Might be angling for a move to the Seattle area in the spring but we’ll see how that plays out. Medford is a cute little town though I’ve only really driven through it.

  85. 85.

    Yutsano

    Tressel just gave mad props to the OSU band. Life is sweet even if the Ducks just got spanked.

  86. 86.

    ajr22

    @Violet: I think it was a down year for high quality movies. I found the scene in the truck with Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie towards the end of the film to be deeply moving. Also the image of Renner in the grocery store has really stuck with me.

  88. 88.

    mcd410x

    “You expect me to believe this is a straight stalker case?!?”

    There’s Something About Mary. On FX, now.

    What a great flick! And Shirley Bassey!

  89. 89.

    Mark S.

    All right, who is everyone rooting for in the Interim Bowl?

    edit: Oh, I guess Meyer is coaching tonight.

  90. 90.

    Violet

    @ajr22:
    Yes, the supermarket scene was fantastic. I really liked the interactions between all the main characters. It felt very real and they were all distinctly different in personality and style. Overall, I think it’s a profoundly affecting film and I can see why it’s getting lots of buzz. I just think there are things that are wrong with it that I haven’t seen mentioned.

  92. 92.

    Anne Laurie

    @arguingwithsignposts:

    “Doubt” if, like me, you think Phillip Seymour Hoffman is the bomb (also Meryl Streep).

    YES. Stunning work all round in that movie. We’d actually seen the play shortly before the movie came out, and I thought Shanley did a master-class-worthy job of re-writing his original work. DOUBT, the play, is a stunning piece that uses the minimalism of live theatre (four actors, bare sets) for great power through intimacy. DOUBT, the movie, uses 85% of the same script, opened up for the movie-based advantages of panoramic settings and highly specific period placement. In the early 1960s, I was a primary-aged student at a parochial school on the other end of the Grand Concourse; I know how right they got every little detail.

    Speaking of details, one of the play-to-movie changes I really enjoyed is that Shanley has inserted his own 12-year-old self into the film, not obtrusively. One of the classmates of the boy central to the DOUBT controversy is a Rosencrantz who slips along the edges of several scenes and finally, heartbreakingly, takes his own first step away from ‘the Mother Church’ near the climax of the film.

    Hot dang, Netflix has DOUBT available on ‘Play Now’. I may just go do that very thing!

  95. 95.

    Yutsano

    @Litlebritdifrnt: I went to high school just south of there in Siverdale. Poulsbo is a very cute little town very proud of its history as a Norwegian immigrant colony. In fact that was the place where I got my first (and last!) taste of lutefisk. No nastier food in existence IMHO.

  96. 96.

    Yutsano

    @mcd410x: Speaking of Jesus Boy, watching the Sugar Bowl right now. I will admit when Tebow is on he’s on, and he seems to be firing on all cylinders in this half at least.

  98. 98.

    Yutsano

    Bleah. Sugar Bowl commentators are all Florida all the time. Someone should check their tongues after the game to see just how blue and orange they are.

  100. 100.

    Jason Bylinowski

    @Yutsano: I know this is hours (and several drinks) later, but yeah I agree with you about Johannesburg, and all of South Africa is on my list of places to go before too long. I saw Invictus two nights ago and was instantly in love with the place, as you get to see a great deal of the country in that movie (all the rugby playoff events were held in the various cities). I really didn’t so much like the movie (Matt Damon did well on his accent (AFAICT), Morgan Freeman kinda got lazy there, bu the material was B-Reel in my opinion. Not a bad story to tell, but some of the dialogue was just fucking scary bad. The ending dialogue between Damon and Freeman on the winner’s podium was the pinnacle of bad writing. I won’t spoil it for those who haven’t seen it, because yeah, it’s still worth watching. Like I said, the scenery is great, the history is real and worth knowing, and Matt Damon is getting slowly but surely past his meathead reputation as an actor.

    +4 Luksusowa FTW

  102. 102.

    Yutsano

    @Jason Bylinowski: This is a sort of six degrees of separation thing, but I have a good friend wose husband’s sister is married to a South African. I haven’t met him (met her and she’s a sweetheart) but heard a few stories about him and his homeland. They’re unfortunately too poor to go back (she’s a student, I’m not entirely certain what he does) but I think that would be an awesome trip, not to mention something that not a lot of Americans can claim.

  103. 103.

    Bill H

    I realize this is a bit nit-picky but “general consensus” is redundant. A consensus is by definition general, so using the adjective is not needed. I don’t know why, but that phrase always rather jars me more than most other English misuse.

  107. 107.

    William

    Babylon AD was a really good bad movie. I recommend a minimum blood alcohol level of 0.20% and your snarkiest friends. By the end we were openly laughing in the theater.

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