My Duke Blue Devils are hosting St. John’s this afternoon with plenty of college basketball going on today, Belarus’s Victoria Azarenka smashed Maria Sharapova to win the Australian Open in women’s tennis, and Grover Norquist is high on cold medicine or something as he predicts President Obama will be impeached in 2014 if he doesn’t extend the Bush tax cuts.
Also, Chris Hayes.
<object width=”420″ height=”245″ id=”msnbc6866c4″ classid=”clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000″ codebase=”http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=10,0,0,0″><param name=”movie” value=”http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640″ /><param name=”FlashVars” value=”launch=46173676&width=420&height=245″ /><param name=”allowScriptAccess” value=”always” /><param name=”allowFullScreen” value=”true” /><param name=”wmode” value=”transparent” /><embed name=”msnbc6866c4″ src=”http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640″ width=”420″ height=”245″ FlashVars=”launch=46173676&width=420&height=245″ allowscriptaccess=”always” allowFullScreen=”true” wmode=”transparent” type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” pluginspage=”http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash”></embed></object>
With thread wide open.
The Other Chuck
Play that clip of Grover over and over, Dems. Play it so everyone knows the real agenda of Republicans.
Of course they won’t.
Brian R.
Aw, you’re a Dookie? Such a shame.
Villago Delenda Est
I’d say it’s more likely that Obama will be impeached over being near.
Having said that, what Obama should do is arrange for legislation to raise taxes on the rich, particularly trust fund parasites like Grover Norquist.
slag
Is that a cat under your bed or is your poltergeist misbehaving again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=iFk3wtkd1lQ# ?
Thanks for embedding the Chris Hayes vid. I forget that show is there since I don’t see it linked much on the intertubes.
John M. Burt
Who is Chris Hayes that thou art mindful of him?
[Clicks on video link]
Huh, one of those cable TV people.
Reminds me of why we don’t bother having cable TV anymore.
And we wouldn’t have cable anyway, since right now I am still looking for a job like I used to have, changing sheets in a nursing home.
Or maybe someone will buy my downloads posted (under the name “John M. Burt”) at Amazon.
J. Michael Neal
Since the open thread is the proper place for it:
Can we all laugh at the Poms now? All out for 72, when they only had to chase a target of 145? And the Indians completed their Australian disaster; at least they made it to Day 5 this time.
MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson
@J. Michael Neal:
You seem oddly obsessed with this topic. Are you looking for a fight with someone or just trolling at random?
Svensker
@J. Michael Neal:
Are you speaking English?
Anya
I love Chris Hayes. I don’t get people who don’t like him.
John PM
I will now have to reevaluate your posts in light of the fact that you are a Duke fan.
geg6
Up with Chris is, hands down and the competition isn’t even close, the best and most substantive political discussion show on tv right now. As good as the old Dick Cavett show but with more guests.
Anya
Why does Romney always sound like he’s dehydrated?
MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson
@Svensker:
I think “Pom” is some sort of strange Australian term. Or it might be from New Zealand. It’s always hard to tell the two apart.
Brian R.
@J. Michael Neal:
Right, and how about when the Mariners managed to miss 324 of their 382 wampum rides, while the Woozle Wuzzles went down to American Samoa with a final score of twelve to pi?
Anya
@geg6: The only thing that will make his show better is if it was on iTunes, like Maddow.
MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson
@Anya:
His handlers probably forgot to top up the lubricant in the speech-function valves.
Mr Stagger Lee
I hate Duke, I hate Dickie V sucking up to Coach K. ESPN’s basketball team(the other one is Syracuse). But Zandar I enjoy your articles still. Oh By the way Dickie V and Brent Musberger is calling the Duke-St.John game as we speak.
Zandar
@John PM:
People, I mentioned I was a Duke and Huskers fan in the beginning.
Gordon, The Big Express Engine
@Mr Stagger Lee: We used to call Duke “SUNY-Durham” back in the day…
slag
@geg6: Though, to be fair, he’s taking about 20 minutes to make a point that Jon Stewart was able to make in 2.
Hill Dweller
Chris Hayes is really good.
I’ve never understood why Sharapova was given the “fighter” and “mentally tough” tags. She can’t hit a serve in pressure situations, and gets bageled way too often. I saw Lindsey Davenport double-bagel her in Indian Wells a few years ago. That doesn’t happen to a mentally tough player.
Amanda in the South Bay
Isn’t Belarus just another part of Historic Rus as far as Russian Nationalists are concerned?
Anya
@MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson: ha!
Amir Khalid
@MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson:
Pom/Pommy is what Australians call an English person. J. Michael Neal’s talking international cricket. He and burnspesq and (I think) one or two others here are fans.
MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson
@Zandar:
We don’t judge people by their beginnings, Zandar. People can always change for the better in a supportive and compassionate environment. Can I get a Sí, se puede from you, brother?
MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson
@Amir Khalid:
Cricket is that game where Australia always loses to New Zealand, yes? Or am I thinking rugby?
TheColourfield
Cheering for Coach K= Rooting for Romney. Both are insufferable phonies (and K is a staunch repub).
Omnes Omnibus
@Amir Khalid: I don’t see why anyone would be a cricket fan when rugby exists. Of course I could never hit a ball with a bat, but I can run with one – a ball, that is (I suppose I could run with a bat as well, but that would be hurling, now wouldn’t it?).
MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson
@Hill Dweller:
I am not a fan of La Grunteuse, but hasn’t she had quite a few injuries?
Amir Khalid
@Omnes Omnibus:
Why would running with a cricket bat cause you to hurl?
@MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson:
Being neither an Aussie nor a Kiwi, I think it would be wise not to say anything about this.
Omnes Omnibus
@Amir Khalid: Perhaps if I did too soon after eating?
burnspbesq
@Zandar:
“My Duke Blue Devils are hosting St. John’s this afternoon with plenty of college basketball going on today”
We really sucked today.
burnspbesq
@Gordon, The Big Express Engine:
“We used to call Duke “SUNY-Durham” back in the day…”
I think you meant Rutgers-Durham. :-)
Tony J
@J. Michael Neal:
Laugh away. I mean, cricket?
OTOH, The Mighty Reds just knocked Mankychester United out of the FA Cup 2-1, three days after beating their Mankychester neighbours and current Premiership leaders City 3-2 (over two legs) in the semi-final of the League Cup.
Now that, that is funny.
burnspbesq
@TheColourfield:
Dear Sir or Madam,
You have no fucking idea what you’re talking about.
Tony J
@Hill Dweller:
And boom goes the dynamite.
Seriously, is that even legal in Riverside County?
J. Michael Neal
@MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson: Not looking for a fight, since all of the cricket fans here seem to be, roughly, on the same side.
And I learned my cricket from Australians, so I tend to use their terminology.
J. Michael Neal
@Tony J: Anytime Man U loses, God finds a home for a lost kitten.
Amir Khalid
@Tony J:
If only we could play like this in the league every week …
Royston Vasey
“Pom” is a term used by both Aussies and Kiwis to refer to the English.
In cricket, it’s the Aussies who normally beat the New Zealanders. Of course, NZ actually won a test match in December against the Aussies. First time in about 20 years!
NZ just wrapped up a one-off cricket test against Zimbabwe in Napier. NZ recorded their highest winning margin in a test:
NZ scored 495/7 declared in the first innings
ZIM scored 51 and 143 in their two innings.
NZ won by an innings and 301 runs.
BTW, The All Blacks (NZ) won the Rugby World Cup back in October.
Cheers, RV in NZ
Dekabrist
You spelled Dook wrong
Omnes Omnibus
@Royston Vasey: The refs kneecapped the Frogs in the first half.
J. Michael Neal
@Omnes Omnibus: And this is a problem?
Royston Vasey
@Omnes Omnibus: An 8-7 win is still a win.
And the nation gave a collective sigh of relief.
cmorenc
@Gordon, The Big Express Engine:
My older daughter (from Raleigh), who was near the top of her class in one of the best area high schools, took one of the prospective-applicant group tours at Duke the summer between her junior and senior years. As part of the tour, a senior assistant admissions director gathered all the prospective students and parents in a large lecture hall, and proceeded to ask where the prospective students in that session were from. “New Zealand…Chicago…Boston…Los Angeles…London…etc etc…my daughter was not just the only local, but the only North Carolina HS student at the session out of about 50 prospective Duke applicants. The Admissions rep said she was pleased by the geographic diversity in the room, because Duke sought a diverse student body. So, afterward my daughter approached the Admissions rep and asked her: “I’m from Raleigh; is there any disadvantage to being a local applicant form North Carolina?” The Admissions rep responded frankly: “As a matter of fact, we do have a quota of accepting a ceiling of NO MORE than 18% of our student body from North and South Carolina combined.” Out of a total undergrad student body of 6,000 that’s roughly 1500 in each entering freshman class, of which 18% is 270; allocate a guesstimate of roughly 20% of that for South Carolina, and that predicts that there will only be around 220 students from N.C. high schools out of each entering class of 1500, and maybe more like only 200 since the 18% is a ceiling quota to not exceed, not a floor quota to strive for. That’s way fewer than one per high school in N.C., and at most just one or two each for the largest, highest-quality urban high schools in N.C. My daughter wound up going to Davidson instead, where she was very successful and happy, with no regrets or resentment toward Duke (where she got on the wait list).
Point is, Duke is NOT a North Carolina school at all, except for the geographic accident of being located here in Durham. Not culturally, not in terms of the composition of its student body.
BTW: Davidson’s basketball team usually plays Duke every year, and my daughter’s freshman year Davidson played Duke @Duke on a night coinciding with the start of Christmas break, and so we went over to watch the game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Duke crazies are notorious for clever taunts of opponent, so guess what their loud chants at the Davidson players included? “SAFETY SCHOOL, SAFETY SCHOOL…”
J. Michael Neal
@Royston Vasey: It’s also worth that almost half of the “English” side isn’t. English, that is. Strauss, Petersen, Trott and Prior are all South African, plus that stupid rule that allows them to grab any Scottish or Irish cricketer that they want explains why Eoin Morgan is there. So, pretty much all of their batting is imported.
Benjamin Franklin
Gingko is a dangerous reptile…
“The bottom line for Gingrich is the U.S. military’s got to be ready to forestall that global economic calamity. “If we get to a point where the military believes that they are truly on the verge of getting a nuclear weapon, I would be prepared to use military force,” Gingrich told a New Hampshire editorial board in November.
Only it won’t just be a bombing campaign. The U.S. ought to also “wage real cyber warfare,” Gingrich told the board. Maybe he means something like the Stuxnet worm; he didn’t really elaborate.
But it also sounds reminiscent of the Israeli plan to spoof and jam Iranian air defenses as a bombing campaign unfolds. And it would go hand in hand with a broader effort at “maximum covert operations to block and disrupt the Iranian program,” Gingrich proposed in a November debate, “including taking out their scientists, including breaking up their systems, all of it covertly, all of it deniable.”
Still, Gingrich hardly thinks a military strike is the only way to bring down the Islamic Republic. There’s an inescapable economic component to it: “We ought to have a massive, all-sources energy program in the United States designed to … literally replace the Iranian oil.” Yes, the U.S. already produces more than four times the amount of oil Iran exports; but there’s still more to be drilled, Gingrich contends.
And there’s also a role for religion. Back in 2007, Gingrich seized on a florid religious reference in an open letter Ahmadinejad penned in 2006 to ask, “Is the dictator of Iran threatening to attack unless we convert to Islam?”
More recently, Gingrich and his wife produced a documentary lionizing Pope John Paul II’s 1979 visit to Poland as a Cold War turning point leading to the downfall of the Soviet Union. He told Fox News last March that could be a template for Iran’s downfall. All it would take would be a “very powerful Voice of America program” to get that inspiring moral message into the ears of the Iranians. “I think you would have so much fun,” he said, “it would be dangerous.”
How Gingrich would find a Shiite equivalent of the pope who shares his enthusiasm for the downfall of the Islamic Republic went unsaid. (The Iraqi Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who was born in Iran, has made no such John Paul-esque statements.)”
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/01/newt-vs-iran/
MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson
@J. Michael Neal:
You mean that none of these players have English parents or ancestry? I ask because this sounds suspiciously like immigrant-bashing jingoism from you and I’d like to be clear on what the facts are.
J. Michael Neal
And now I’m off to watch some hockey. Later.
TheColourfield
@burns
Are you saying K isn’t a republican?
Because has hosted a fundraiser for Liddy Dole.
As for phony? Nice situational ethics when it comes to finding jobs for recruits parents (Duhon + others)
So apparently you’re fucking clueless unless you meant something else.
Omnes Omnibus
@J. Michael Neal:
@Royston Vasey: I was rooting for the Frogs. No offense, RV.
WereBear
I understand curling better than I understand cricket, and I don’t understand curling.
J. Michael Neal
@MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson: Kind of in between. Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott were born and raised in South Africa, but opted to play for England instead. Matt Prior and Andrew Strauss were both born in South Africa but moved to England as children, the former at the age of 11 and the latter at 6. As for Morgan, there really is a rule that England can claim any player on the Irish or Scottish sides and have them play for England in all international events. It’s why the Irish win over England in the last World Cup was so sweet.
Royston Vasey
@MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson:
Andrew Strauss is the England cricket captain. He was born in South Africa but moved to England when he was 6 years old. He is an MBE and OBE.
Kevin Pietersen was born in South Africa, and moved to England in 2000. His English mother gave Pietersen eligibility to play for England, and after serving a qualifying period of four years playing at county level, he was selected for England in 2004.
MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson
@J. Michael Neal:
So these players do have English parents or ancestry? You seem to be squirming around this issue, which makes me wonder just what lies beneath your series of aggressively posturing posts on this topic. I am going to take a guess and say your team lost to the English big time and your ass is still stinging bright, bright red. I am right, aren’t I?
The Dangerman
Ain’t gonna be no impeachment when Obama is re-elected; the Republicans will be too busy fighting off the Tea Party Right for nominating Romney.
Royston Vasey
@J. Michael Neal:
The England cricket team represents England and Wales. However, under ICC regulations, players can qualify to play for a country by nationality, place of birth or residence, so (as with any national sports team) some people are eligible to play for more than one team.
ECB (English crickets governing body) regulations state that to play for England, a player must be a British or Irish citizen, and have either been born in England or Wales, or have lived in England or Wales for the last four years.
This has led to players of many other nationalities becoming eligible to play for England. ICC regulations allow cricketers who represent associate (i.e. non-Test-playing like Ireland and Scotland) nations to switch to a Test-playing nation, provided nationality requirements are fulfilled.
So, live in England or Wales for at least 4 years and then get selected for the cricket team.
Tony J
@J. Michael Neal:
So true it should be a tattoo. And this fact makes most Premiership referees over the last two decades objectively pro-kitten murder.
@Amir Khalid:
We didn’t even play that well, in comparison to the game against City we were pretty stagnant and created very few chances. OTOH, though we ceded the midfield to them for much of the game (apparently Paul Scholes has infectious gingerness, because no one went within ten feet of him when he had the ball) we restricted them to one or two chances at goal and, for a change, actually took our chances when we broke back.
The problem we’ve had for season after season is that when we play against anyone in the Top Ten we always seem able to bring our A-Game and, give or take a few defeats, have a great record. Where we’ve fallen down is when we play anyone in the bottom half of the table (and especially anyone in the bottom three) we dominate the game, create chance after chance, but somehow can’t convert those chances into goals. We’ve hit more woodwork this season than Noah building the Ark. It’s frustrating.
Point of fact, I expect us to suffer another mystifying defeat against Wolves in the next game and then come back to stuff United when we face them at Old Trafford. There’ll be joy at the result, but that’s still only 3 points out of 6, and that doesn’t win you any titles.
Royston Vasey
@MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson:
English cricketers Andrew Strauss, Matt Prior, Kevin Pietersen, Jonathan Trott, Craig Kieswetter and Michael Lumb are all South-African-born but qualify through British parentage.
All of them had to complete the 4 year residency requirements.
MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson
@Royston Vasey:
So you mean that Australia could, theoretically, qualify players born in say Pakistan or Holland or South Africa (just to be geographically diverse) and have them play as Australians?
MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson
@Royston Vasey:
So in other words this is perfectly acceptable, other teams can do it as well, and JMN is just expressing his inner sour grapehood about England beating his team?
burnspbesq
@TheColourfield:
Duke has never hired a recruit’s parent as an assistant coach, unlike several other schools I could name. Helping Ms. Harper find a private-sector job is not a violation of any law or NCAA rule.
So who’s guilty of situational ethics? Umm, that would be you. You’re pretending that something that isn’t wrong under any circumstances, is wrong when a school you don’t like does it.
K’s politics are irrelevant. I don’t like them, but so what?
Just out of curiousity, you wouldn’t happen to be a Gaddam Tarhole, would you? Or perhaps a Kentucky fan?
Amir Khalid
@Tony J:
We played well enough to survive United pressure and get the win, and that’s what counts.
Agreed about Liverpool dropping points against clubs from the EPL’s bottom half. Especially at Anfield. Damn it, if we’re good enough to beat Manchester, United and City, two games in a row, we should be picking up what are supposed to be the easy points. If we did, we’d be challenging for the title, not just a place in Europe.
gnomedad
It just occurred to me that the Wingularity will officially take place when the last remaining non-Tea Party Republican is called a RINO.
Royston Vasey
@MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson: I believe there is a similar system in Australia. As along as they pass the eligibility and residency requirements.
Of course, they’d have to be damn good to get into the Aussie team.
MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson
@Royston Vasey:
Just to clarify – did Australia recently lose some big game or event to England at cricket?
TheColourfield
Sorry that’s not gonna cut it. Duke is constantly praised for doing things “the Right Way” (how ironic
) and placing recruit’s parents in high paying jobs with boosters while preaching the high road is hypocritical bullshit.
Feel free to disagree.
And I’m neither a Heels or Wildcats fan. Live north of the border actually.
TheColourfield
Oh and just to add, while I think K is a phony, he’s no Calipari. Kentucky has likely been the most corrupt program in history.
Tony J
@Amir Khalid:
Egg-Zaktly.
Hopefully when Suarez comes back he’ll match up with Bellamy and Gerrard and the goals will come. Carroll may or may not go on a run (it would help if he got better service and was allowed to play his own game) but even without him, we’ve just got to start consistently taking our chances and picking up points in games where the opposition spend 85 minutes defending their 18 yard-box.
The last time we did that was a few seasons ago when, for about half the season, we literally could not lose. It was a standing joke in my place that we didn’t have to watch the first 70 minutes of a game. Whatever the score was at that point, we were still going to win.
Football, eh?
Royston Vasey
@MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson: England beat the Aussies in test match cricket 3-1 in January 2011 to retain the “Ashes” series win from 2009.
England have worked their way to Number 1 in the rankings throughout 2011, whilst Australia have slipped to #4. India (#3) have lost just this week to Australia 4-0, whilst also also losing to England 5-0 in England.
England are currently playing Pakistan in Dubai and are 2-0 down in the 3-match series after being bowled out for 72 (their lowest ever score against Pakistan).
New rankings appear on April 1
AxelFoley
@John PM:
This.
[gives Zandar the side eye]
burnspbesq
@The Colourfield:
I wasn’t aware that I needed your permission to disagree, but thanks for granting it. I shall, with your permission, continue to inform you when you are spouting nonsense.
In other news, the longest losing streak in Division 1 men’s basketball history has ended. Towson defeated UNC Wilmimgton earlier today.
The Tigers string of 41 losses didn’t come close to the 200-plus losing streak of Caltech, which plays (more or less) in a tough Division 3 conference.
J.W. Hamner
Ruth Reichl wishes she was a high school art teacher? Her “taste” would suggest so.
TheColourfield
@ burns
Shorter burnsie
I got nothing so I’ll go with condescending dookie prick. Pathetic sack of shit
Hey, why not give you the response you were hoping for.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@J.W. Hamner: Yikes. Beautiful? Hardly; that’s so crowded and jumbled it gives me a headache. Ick.
WaterGirl
@geg6: Completely agree! I haven’t watched *Rachel in awhile because she was starting to remind me of all the other political shows out there. But there is intelligent conversation on Up with Chris Hayes.
I also love that he takes a second to pause and share background information as they start to discuss a topic. And I have loved the tax expert he has had on the past 2 weeks.
Edit: *Though I am going to give Rachel another try now that she has taken Steve Benen from the Washington Monthly.
Meringue
Grover’s desperation is showing.
If the Bush tax cuts are allowed to expire across all brackets, suddenly the nations fiscal problems don’t seem so extreme and the impetus for the Republican’s extreme austerity agenda fades.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)
@MildlyAmusedRainbowPerson: If you’re still reading, fuck off. As you are prone to do, you have leaped to assumptions about my beliefs and motivations that aren’t true. It’s enough of a pattern that I don’t feel like trying to provide any further explanation. Just piss off.