So sorry I forgot to put this up. At least the night owls and west coasters will be able to play along.
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Come for the politics, stay for the snark.
Nothing says ‘pro-life’ like letting children go hungry.
Hey hey, RFK, how many kids did you kill today?
Find someone who loves you the way trump and maga love traitors.
The arc of the moral universe does not bend itself. it is up to us to bend it.
Someone should tell Republicans that violence is the last refuge of the incompetent, or possibly the first.
Tick tock motherfuckers!
Peak wingnut was a lie.
You’re just a puppy masquerading as an old coot.
Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.
When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty. ~Thomas Jefferson
Republican also-rans: four mules fighting over a turnip.
The fundamental promise of conservatism all over the world is a return to an idealized past that never existed.
Fight for a just cause, love your fellow man, live a good life.
T R E 4 5 O N
The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.
I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.
Sadly, media malpractice has become standard practice.
SCOTUS: It’s not “bribery” unless it comes from the Bribery region of France. Otherwise, it’s merely “sparkling malfeasance”.
In my day, never was longer.
Baby steps, because the Republican Party is full of angry babies.
The unpunished coup was a training exercise.
Celebrate the fucking wins.
rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius
Well, whatever it is, it’s better than being a Republican.
Corner Stone
Meh.
driftglass
David Brooks’ Excellent Olympic Adventure: bit.ly/N29bbW
Turns out he was against it before he was for it.
Corner Stone
These games have really been diminished for me. I’ll wait til I see tomorrow’s WaPo sub-edition before I decide how much I enjoyed them.
Thank you.
TheMightyTrowel
I’ve barely seen any of the games because stupid australian TV and stupid Foxtel are just as bad as NBC (although in different ways). Who the hell doesn’t have full streaming??? Ever???
danah gaz (fka gaz)
thread needs moar tunch.
Violet
I’m enjoying the Olympics. Even if I know the results of certain events, I’m still enjoying watching. All those competitors so excited to win–it’s just fun to see them. I always find myself caring about sports I have no interest in the rest of the time. Judo! Fencing! Skeet shooting! Fascinating stuff.
Enjoyed watching the cycling time trial today live. I love the guys who do the Tour de France commentary and they had them do the commentary for the time trial. The Brits were very excited since their Tour de France winner, Bradley Wiggins, was expected to do well. Not sure if the replay has played yet, so I’ll not comment on the results in the interest of not spoiling it for anyone who hasn’t seen it.
shortstop
@Violet:
Me, too, although I’ve always loved fencing and even trained in it. But I never get around to watching, say, archery, except when the Olympics roll around.
Cacti
China is quietly kicking ass in the gold medal count.
And by quietly, I mean, NBC only mentions China when absolutely necessary, I’m sure the rest of the world has noticed.
17 golds so far for the Dragon
US is #2, with a respectable 12
The plucky South Koreans are #3, with 6 golds
sb
West Coasters? Well, we’ve got the feed starting even as we speak. And I’m DVRing for at least an hour to avoid the commercials and ‘packages’.
So, I’m out this thread. Other than to say, beach Volleyball is very, very cool.
MattR
@Violet:
Obviously, you didn’t watch badminton yesterday.
PS. My comment
editingformatting buttons have disappeared.PPS. And now they are back. Nevermind. Go back to your exciting lives.
Violet
@Cacti: The track and field events haven’t started yet. I don’t think China dominates in those, does it? The US could catch up a bit.
@MattR: I heard about the scandal but didn’t watch it. I’m enjoying swimming a lot right now. And gymnastics.
amk
Except for the badminton fixing fiasco by chinese, south koreans and indonesians and a coupla racist athletes, who were rightly called off and the empty seats racket, the London Olympics so far has been very good. Eat that mitt, the twit.
And Phelps setting a new record on medal hauls was fantastic.
RoonieRoo
Man I hate NBC. Just saying.
edmund dantes
It’s the only crappy thing about the Olympics. China and US are both dominant Olympic teams, but unlike the Soviets there isn’t as much overlap for head to head up match-ups. Then when they do have to head to head, one is overly dominant.
ruemara
I adore the Olympics, to the point of crazed footballer, because I don’t care about the country medal counts. I just love watching so many wonderful athletes working hard in competition. Unfortunately, I’m on holiday/prospecting for jawbs trip here in the NYC summer swamp. Between refamiliarizing myself with the changed city and dealing with family, the 2 hours (maybe) of cumulative viewing has been just amazing fun. No job prospects so far, but I made almond and cherry stuffed rolls and found where the new bus stop is.
shortstop
@ruemara: You sound upbeat and relaxed — the trip is already a success. And almond and cherry stuffed rolls? Yes, please.
Martin
The only thing I don’t love about the Olympics is the seriousness and as a result the cheating. The x games are somewhat more enjoyable to watch as a result – it’s just fun. Wish we could get more of that back into the Olympics. But I’ll watch every Olympics event. Dressage. Ice dancing. Walking. I’m in.
ruemara
@shortstop: Oddly enough, it’s been rather fun. And I’m teaching my kiddest bro to make bechamel and the basics of cooking. Chopped marcona and fresh cherries mixed with brown sugar and vanilla with a touch of fresh allspice. But the silliest thing is discovering my Mom did not own a rolling pin. Insane! I had to use a large zucchini I bought for a shredded salad for the family bbq this sunday. Really. My own Mam. It’s like she was raised by wolves. What was I, spawned by a terrible baking soda accident?
The Dangerman
@Violet:
Paul Sherwin and Bob Roll; I met them after a Tour of California event in a wine bar and they are even funnier in person (could be the off camera thing or the wine thing). Really cool dudes.
Violet
@amk:
Yeah, what’s up with that? Empty seats even in big events, like the Women’s all around gymnastics finals. Did they give too many away to corporate types who aren’t using them or something? Tons of empty seats in the men’s gymnastics all around final they’re showing right now. Even seats down low near the floor. I don’t remember that at other Olympics.
Corner Stone
@RoonieRoo:
Amen, my friend. How could you fuck this up NBC? How??
MattR
@Corner Stone: Because their decision making process is based on what they think will allow them to maximize advertizing dollars. The consumer’s viewing experience is just a side effect.
Corner Stone
That was nasty my friend!
Corner Stone
@MattR: Yes, I get that. But why does their iPad app crater and not fucking work?
Bogus.
MattR
@Corner Stone: Because their decision making process is based on what they think will allow them to maximize advertizing dollars. The consumer’s viewing experience is just a side effect.
Mr Stagger Lee
Does the fact I am rooting for the sisters from Austria, in beach volleyball, make me a traitor to this nation?
Violet
@The Dangerman: Yeah, I just love them. I think Phil Ligget was doing the commentary today. Not sure if Bob Roll was there or not. I get such a kick out of their Tour commentary. It’s one of my favorite parts of the whole thing. Been watching them since back in the Outdoor Life Network days, or whatever they called it back then.
Corner Stone
@Mr Stagger Lee: Yes.
dead existentialist
Caught the third and decisive game in the women’s volleyball match twixt USA and China. 6 match points with the US winning 30-28. Hodges was awesome and scary with some of her spikes although she had the game-winner with an off-speed shot off the left outside block.
The fans were a hoot, everybody laughing and smiling and thoroughly enjoying the battle on the court. (I’m reminded how the College World Series here in Omaha was a festive occasion where the locals cheered the competitors for the simple reason that they’d made it here. Since the NCAA and corporate America took the CWS “downtown” and away from the funky working-class neighborhood around Rosenblatt Stadium, it’s not nearly the same. Sterile and crass, now. I haz a sad.)
Can’t wait for track & field. I’ll spend my last days of summer watching the livestreams.
ETA: Yeah, I think London was ready for these Olympics.
Corner Stone
Why are the US athletes wearing prison gray jackets?
Corner Stone
@dead existentialist: Logan Tom.
That is all.
MikeJ
@Corner Stone: NBC has had the Olympics for years and they’ve always fucked it up. Why is anybody surprised when they do exactly what everybody knew they would do.
In unOlympic news, I was on the USS New Orleans today. We sailed out of port and in three hours went all the way from Elliot Bay to Shilshole Bay.
Here’s a shot of the Seattle waterfront. Embiggen it. Here’s the rest of the album.
Violet
@Corner Stone: I’ve been wondering the same thing. They are really severe. What happened to red, white or blue? I blame Ralph Lauren. Maybe the Chinese offered a discount on gray cloth.
MattR
Colbert and his guest were just discussing the Mars rover and the 14 minute lag time that it takes for a signal to cross space from Mars to Earth at the speed of light. Colbert commented that NASA finds out what is happening on Mars faster than NBC can tell us what is happening in London
Martin
@MattR: Well, at $2B for the rights to a summer/winter cycle, it’s somewhat understandable. If we want the coverage to be chosen by who will provide the best viewer experience, maybe we shouldn’t make who will pay the most be the deciding factor as the two outcomes are rather orthogonal.
Hill Dweller
@Violet:
The corporate whores bought all the tickets but didn’t show up.
It’s been a huge problem at Wimbledon for the tennis events. Even players like Federer and Murray, who usually pack the stands during their practices, are playing matches to half full stadiums.
That Other Mike
Nothing to do with the Olympics, but I just got a job with the state. A union job with good pay and awesome benefits which gets me out of collections.
dead existentialist
@Corner Stone: Gah. And she’s the senior on the team. And what’s with volleyball players being so damn good looking overall?
Steeplejack
I’m in limbo. Moved out of my old apartment yesterday, but couldn’t get into my new place because carpet was being installed today. Then I got a call that the carpet didn’t come in, so it’s supposed to be installed “first thing” tomorrow. Fortunately I am able to crash at my brother’s house, and I put all my stuff into storage, but I felt weird all day today. Like I don’t “belong” anywhere.
Anyway, I’m excited about the new place. I got it in a rush at the last minute after a previous place unexpectedly fell through, so I have sort of an arranged-marriage/mail-order-bride feeling. What exactly did I get myself into? Plus I was in my previous apartment for 6½ years, so this is a big change.
Nothing much to add to that. I’m way behind on the Balloon Juice threads. Hope I didn’t miss anything earth-shaking.
Corner Stone
@Violet: Even the name/lettering on the back makes me think there’s a Bossman herding them from place to place at these games.
dead existentialist
@MikeJ: What’s that Ferris wheel doing there? That ain’t London.
Violet
@Hill Dweller: I think they should give people 30 minutes to take their seats and if they don’t, they allow people in for free or something. Tickets are already sold so it’s not like they’d lose money. In fact if people buy drinks and food, they might even make some money. Or they could sell the unfilled seats at a steep discount outside the venues via a “seats available now” kiosk. People would probably queue up for a shot to get in for cheap.
Corner Stone
@MikeJ:
Thanks bro. I’m kind of slow for thinking maybe shit gets better. Appreciates yas.
MikeJ
@dead existentialist: They built it practically overnight. It opened at the beginning of July.
Hill Dweller
@Violet: AELTC has that type of policy during Wimbledon, but they aren’t running the Olympics.
Jibeaux
@Violet: Oh man if China starts dominating track and field, we’re done for. Just sign up for the Mandarin classes already.
I’m enjoying all the sports I’ve seen, partly because everything I watch just has something in it that seems unpossible, or at least tremendously impressive. I didn’t watch badminton though.
Ruemara, good luck with the job search. Let me know if you’ve got more jewelry swag you need to sell.
dead existentialist
@MikeJ: Ok. I looked at your album and there were some cool pics there. (Ken Burn’s The War has been on PBS here soooo…) Are you in the Navy or were you hitching a ride?
(I have a politico friend who went out to Bremerton to ride on a submarine . . . the Nebraska.)
Googled to edit.
MikeJ
@dead existentialist: Just hitching. During Seafair they let people on for the parade of ships, but it means sitting on a ship in the sun for far longer than it takes to pass the reviewing stand. We did get real live navy mess lunch though.
Yutsano
@MikeJ: Saw a bunch of calamari when I got off work, but no Dawgs yet. I calmly reminded myself it’s early in the week yet. :)
@dead existentialist: It’s sort of a mini version of the London Eye. I forget whose vanity project it was.
Allen
Was watching rowing on the Beeb, when G.B. made a charge at 1K and I thought the announcers were going full Costas on us but Germany held them off for the Gold.
The prophet Nostradumbass
@Corner Stone:
Yes, we know.
chuck butcher
Since I’m not watching the Olympics I’ll just blogwhore borrowing my wife’s clothes
Triassic Sands
Olympics? What Olympics?
That’s not so much a slam at the Olympics, though personally I don’t care much, as it is an expression of the non-existence of the Olympics. I don’t have a TV (more accurately I don’t get television reception of any kind), and for those who don’t have television (cable specifically, I guess) NBC doesn’t provide any Internet access. So, even if I wanted to watch Olympic coverage, NBC thinks that I and my ilk are not worthy.
ruemara
@That Other Mike: Welcome to the employed side! Congratulations.
NotMax
Feel free to come to my place to watch.
So long as you bring your own TV to plug the cable into, and a set of headphones. I don’t care to watch any of it, not if it were the only channel available*. Last bit of any Olympics I saw (entirely inadvertently) was about 5 minutes of the winter ones from somewhere in Europe (Austria, maybe?) in the 60s.
Oh, and bring booze.
Good booze.
Lots of good booze.
I’ll provide the ice.
* If they bring back the naked Pankration, I might grudgingly make an exception. But would still have to have both arms twisted to do so. :)