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Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

“Can i answer the question? No you can not!”

Spilling the end game before they can coat it in frankl luntz-approved dogwhistles.

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

In after Baud. Damn.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

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

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

Polls are now a reliable indicator of what corporate Republicans want us to think.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

I was confident that someone would point it out and thought why not me.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

No offense, but this thread hasn’t been about you for quite a while.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

Schmidt just says fuck it, opens a tea shop.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

Michigan is a great lesson for Dems everywhere: when you have power…use it!

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. Go Senator Whitehouse!

‘Museums aren’t America’s attic for its racist shit.’

Jack Smith: “Why did you start campaigning in the middle of my investigation?!”

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

“In the name of Zandar, I will fight the Stupid!”

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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Open Thread

Open Thread

by Tim F|  February 4, 20135:08 pm| 115 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

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Fantastic game last night, if you can set aside that one clutch call that the ref might or might not have blown. My wife only watches football to a) see the steelers win or b) see the Ravens lose, and she yelled at me each time I looked away from the screen and glanced at my iPad during the fourth quarter.

Air your grievances before somebody else does.

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Previous Post: « Open Thread: Shakespeare, God, and the FFA
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Reader Interactions

115Comments

  1. 1.

    BGinCHI

    February 4, 2013 at 5:11 pm

    Bigfooting Shakespeare and Richard III with the Super Bowl?

    Shame.

  2. 2.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    February 4, 2013 at 5:12 pm

    My grievance is that I have seen no recent pictures of MAXpuppeh. I expect this will be remedied shortly. kthxbai

  3. 3.

    Cassidy

    February 4, 2013 at 5:12 pm

    It was so quiet. Cole should listen to his FPer’s more.

  4. 4.

    Ronnie Pudding

    February 4, 2013 at 5:12 pm

    No doubt blown, but I blame SF for not gaining a yard on the first three downs. Also, there was clearly holding on the punt/safety. Would have been a safety anyway, but why not flag it? Did the officials just shut down?

  5. 5.

    jlow

    February 4, 2013 at 5:13 pm

    As I intend to prosper and repent,
    So thrive I in my dangerous attempt
    Of hostile arms! myself myself confound!
    Heaven and fortune bar me happy hours!
    Day, yield me not thy light; nor, carpark, thy rest!

  6. 6.

    some guy

    February 4, 2013 at 5:15 pm

    clearly a hold on that last drive. a series of non-calls in the 2nd half screwed the Niners.

    Destiny’s Child reunion was awesome.

  7. 7.

    gnomedad

    February 4, 2013 at 5:15 pm

    #bringontheasteroid
    Conservatives Wrongly Blame Super Bowl Blackout On Energy Efficiency Measures

  8. 8.

    Yutsano

    February 4, 2013 at 5:15 pm

    @a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q):

    My grievance is that I have seen no recent pictures of MAXpuppeh

    This ad inifitum. MOAR MAXPUPPEH!!

    @Cassidy: I missed the vast majority of the FP banning kerfluffle because I was getting irradiated and eating nummy Vietnamese food. I heard tell it was quite the Charlie Foxtrot however.

    @gnomedad: I blame Obummer. IMPEACH NAOW!!

  9. 9.

    General Stuck

    February 4, 2013 at 5:16 pm

    Today is a good day. Today my first two issues of Glamour magazine arrived and I have no idea why? Just loves me some existential comfort from a mailing address, therefore I yam.

  10. 10.

    trollhattan

    February 4, 2013 at 5:16 pm

    Rick Perry says I should pack three things before I move to Texas: Booze, ammo and…uh…er…the… Was it ten-thousand dollars?

    Texas Gov. Rick Perry is criticizing California’s business climate and promoting Texas in a new radio advertisement airing in the Golden State.
    “Building a business is tough, but I hear building a business in California is next to impossible,” the Republican governor says in the ad. “This is Texas Gov. Rick Perry, and I have a message for California businesses: come check out Texas.”
    The ad, airing this week on six stations in the Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, Inland Empire and San Diego media markets, is the latest in a back-and-forth between Perry and California Gov. Jerry Brown about whose state is better for business. The ad cheers Texas’ “low taxes, sensible regulations and fair legal system.”
    Perry has boasted frequently about luring companies from California, while Brown, a Democrat, has touted the state’s green energy industries and venture capital investments. THe ad buy cost about $24,000.

    http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2013/02/texas-gov-rick-perry-rips-california-business-climate-in-new-ad.html#storylink=cpy

  11. 11.

    Cacti

    February 4, 2013 at 5:18 pm

    Bad play calling by Jim Harbaugh cost the Niners more than anything the officials did.

    1st and goal, but don’t give it to your hot running back with over 100 yards.

    Bush league.

  12. 12.

    Tim F.

    February 4, 2013 at 5:19 pm

    @Yutsano: Clearly I should read this blog once in a while, because I have no idea what you are talking about. Apparently I wasn’t banned.

  13. 13.

    Zifnab25

    February 4, 2013 at 5:19 pm

    @gnomedad: Yes, because when your stadium is still using high pressure sodium lighting, a technology that dates back the 70s, the problem is that your electrical equipment is just too modern and energy efficient. :-|

  14. 14.

    SatanicPanic

    February 4, 2013 at 5:20 pm

    @Yutsano: Who got banned?

  15. 15.

    scav

    February 4, 2013 at 5:20 pm

    @trollhattan: Scoolbooks? Judge: Texas School Finance Plan Unconstitutional

    All the school districts involved argued that funding levels were inadequate, regardless of what level of funding they received.

  16. 16.

    Cacti

    February 4, 2013 at 5:20 pm

    @some guy:

    clearly a hold on that last drive. a series of non-calls in the 2nd half screwed the Niners.

    I’m sure you were equally indignant about Sopoaga getting away with hitting Flacco 2 yards out of bounds, right?

  17. 17.

    bemused

    February 4, 2013 at 5:21 pm

    Jonathan Chait wrote yesterday about Republican disdain for majoritarian democracy. They whine that people in urban areas outvote people in small towns because there are more of them!

  18. 18.

    jo6pac

    February 4, 2013 at 5:21 pm

    Holding on the kickoff return for a touch down. The 9er in the middle was held by 2 ravens no call. Then 9er play calling was amazingly stupid at the end, how sad for us 9er fans.

  19. 19.

    gnomedad

    February 4, 2013 at 5:21 pm

    @Zifnab25:
    Energy efficiency is unmanly.

  20. 20.

    Yutsano

    February 4, 2013 at 5:21 pm

    @Tim F.: My understanding: a couple of FPers got ban happy. This made the mod filter go into meschugnah mode and JC spent a good amount of time fixing the mess up. In the meanwhile no one could comment. It was bizarre and fascinating all at once.

  21. 21.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    February 4, 2013 at 5:21 pm

    @Tim F.: Clearly if you read more often you’d know that we’ve been pininig for MAXPUPPEH pictures. Ahem.

  22. 22.

    Raven

    February 4, 2013 at 5:23 pm

    @Ronnie Pudding: They could have made the very same call on the last play of the Falcons game. Fuck Jim.

  23. 23.

    David in NY

    February 4, 2013 at 5:23 pm

    So, shouldn’t somebody DNA test the bodies found in the Tower in the 1670’s that might be those of the princes?

  24. 24.

    Cacti

    February 4, 2013 at 5:26 pm

    @trollhattan:

    Rick Perry says I should pack three things before I move to Texas: Booze, ammo and…uh…er…the… Was it ten-thousand dollars?

    California is terrible for business.

    It’s just a coincidence that Silicon Valley happened there and not Mississippi.

  25. 25.

    Roger Moore

    February 4, 2013 at 5:27 pm

    @trollhattan:
    I think you need to bring along your California educated employees, because you’re not going to get the same quality out of the UT system.

  26. 26.

    Maude

    February 4, 2013 at 5:28 pm

    @Tim F.:
    I read it and I don’t know what happened.

  27. 27.

    General Stuck

    February 4, 2013 at 5:28 pm

    @BGinCHI:

    Richard the third was a major asshole, but not as bad as Art Model.

  28. 28.

    Violet

    February 4, 2013 at 5:29 pm

    @gnomedad: Jeez, they’re dumb. Energy efficient lighting–you know, the kind that uses less electricity–caused a blackout? Because…less electricity was used? Huh?

  29. 29.

    cosima

    February 4, 2013 at 5:29 pm

    Had to leave home before halftime to take our 7 yr old to the ER. Concussion & CT scan. Thankfully CT scan okay, so she’s “resting” by building rockets out of tinfoil and recyclables.

    However, what I really want to ask BJers is this:

    What is the best way to sell a used vehicle? I’m kind of scared of Craigslist, to tell you the truth… Have sent around an email to our very small circle of acquaintances here in Denver asking if they can pass on info to anyone they know in the market for a great used car. Beyond that, what to do?

    Autotrader? Craigslist? One of those signs in the window?

    It’s an immaculate vehicle, and we won’t be selling it cheap (hoping for $20k or close to it), but it does need to be sold before we move in 3 weeks. I am really dreading this. We’ve always had people lined up to buy our vehicles, so this is our first foray into the land of questionable used car sales…

  30. 30.

    KG

    February 4, 2013 at 5:31 pm

    One thing I always learned from sports was that if you were in a position for the refs to “cost” you the game, it’s your own damn fault.

    The refs let them play yesterday, hell, there was an honest to Buddha fight in the middle of the game wherein a guy shoved a ref and all that came from it was offsetting unnecessary roughness penalties.

    The 49ers didn’t execute as well as the Ravens did, ergo, the Ravens won. I’m just surprised the 49ers made it a bit of a game post lighting malfunction.

  31. 31.

    scav

    February 4, 2013 at 5:32 pm

    @David in NY: ‘spose they might now that they have specimens to match, but I’m not sure what iding those bodies might resolve. (did they get samples from those bones that would work?) Won’t resolve who killed them and I don,t think not many believe they were living afterwards.

  32. 32.

    Pat

    February 4, 2013 at 5:32 pm

    grievance: hypersexual half-time show…..yikes! I must be getting grumpy & old

  33. 33.

    KG

    February 4, 2013 at 5:33 pm

    @General Stuck: just so I have my rankings right… Georgia Fonteirra, better or worse than Moddell?

  34. 34.

    Cacti

    February 4, 2013 at 5:34 pm

    Also too, I’d find that SF had a stronger “we was robbed” leg to stand on if not for…

    1. Baltimore never trailed at any point in the game

    2. SF never tied the game after 0-0

  35. 35.

    srv

    February 4, 2013 at 5:35 pm

    Crabtree would have had to be 9 feet tall to catch that ball.

  36. 36.

    Baud

    February 4, 2013 at 5:35 pm

    @gnomedad:

    If only they had used traditional light bulbs…

  37. 37.

    Raven

    February 4, 2013 at 5:35 pm

    @cosima: I’ve sold a couple through Craigslist. You have to use common sense, don’t meet them at your home but do meet them somewhere where there will be lots of people. Insist on cash, there are some stone rouges out there. Do you happen to be a USAA member? They offer a selling service that might be useful.

  38. 38.

    Cris (without an H)

    February 4, 2013 at 5:36 pm

    @KG: One thing I always learned from sports was that if you were in a position for the refs to “cost” you the game, it’s your own damn fault.

    I learned that from Bush v. Gore.

  39. 39.

    scav

    February 4, 2013 at 5:36 pm

    Note to self. Never change how you are constructing a sentence mid-stream. Remove as many negations as you please.

  40. 40.

    General Stuck

    February 4, 2013 at 5:38 pm

    @KG:

    No one is worse than Art Model, including Ernst Blofeld. Nobody who’s anybody cares about the NFC. Yawn

  41. 41.

    Mojotron

    February 4, 2013 at 5:39 pm

    The jackass in Georgia who shot & killed someone who pulled into his driveway accidentally due to a GPS mixup was just released on $10,000 bond. Because in Georgia a trigger-happy loon isn’t considered a threat to the community, he is the community.

  42. 42.

    trollhattan

    February 4, 2013 at 5:42 pm

    @cosima:

    Try Carmax. I know a few folks who’ve gotten what they wanted for their desirable used vee-hickles there and it’s one sure way to completely avoid the many perils of dealing directly with the public. It must be a model in high demand, though, to get a good price.

    There’s ebay, but it seems rather time-consuming from what I can tell.

  43. 43.

    trollhattan

    February 4, 2013 at 5:43 pm

    @Mojotron:

    Good lord, a multiple-offender shoplifter probably gets a higher bond.

  44. 44.

    Elie

    February 4, 2013 at 5:43 pm

    I don’t really care about either team (I dislike the 49ers going back to their bitter rivalry with the Bears but no biggie). To me, the 49ers didn’t look totally ready to play on defense at the beginning of the game. Their offense looked fine, but even then, the playcalling was not great. If Jim Harbaugh is doing the playcalling, that may be why. That guy needs to calm down and get his head focused instead of turning his eyelids inside out and having a major meltdown every two minutes. Its not good for his team to see his poor self control. His brother showed emotion but was more balanced and I think that it reflected in his team’s performance. The Ravens were all business right out of the gate.

  45. 45.

    cosima

    February 4, 2013 at 5:43 pm

    @ Raven —

    Thanks for the information. We are USAA members, so that’s fabulous information to have. I am going to consider Craigslist my very last option…

  46. 46.

    ? Martin

    February 4, 2013 at 5:47 pm

    @trollhattan:

    Good lord, a multiple-offender shoplifter probably gets a higher bond.

    Only if he’s unarmed. If he’s armed, he’s just standing his ground against high prices.

  47. 47.

    Beth

    February 4, 2013 at 5:48 pm

    @trollhattan:
    Well at least he won’t have to worry about the pesky media hanging out on his lawn looking for an interview.

  48. 48.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    February 4, 2013 at 5:50 pm

    Weird how Jim Harbaugh didn’t complain about any of the non-calls that went the 49ers way. But yeah, just piss poor sportsmanship to make a game in which they were losing hideously for the better part of three hours all about one debatable call.

    The better coach won.

  49. 49.

    trollhattan

    February 4, 2013 at 5:51 pm

    @Cacti:

    SF has improved personnel but a major problem remains from the ’11-12 season.

    Yesterday’s 3rd down conversions: 2/9.
    Last year vs. the Giants in NFC championship: 1/13.

    Will no-one think of the children?

  50. 50.

    The Dangerman

    February 4, 2013 at 5:51 pm

    @Ronnie Pudding:

    Also, there was clearly holding on the punt/safety.

    There will have to be a new rule given there really is no penalty (would be a safety anyway and there’s no way to put time back on clock). I read someplace this tactic is taught for that very reason. I thought it was blatant, but it was blatant and intentional.

  51. 51.

    gnomedad

    February 4, 2013 at 5:52 pm

    We already have an epidemic of gun violence, but mostly it’s the boring old kind that happens in “those” neighborhoods. But it really seems like there’s some kind of copycat thing going on when we see horrible weird shit like this on a daily basis. Or is it just getting more press nowadays?

  52. 52.

    Anne Laurie

    February 4, 2013 at 5:52 pm

    @David in NY:

    So, shouldn’t somebody DNA test the bodies found in the Tower in the 1670′s that might be those of the princes?

    Off the top of my head, the researchers were lucky that they found the last, middle-aged, childless male DNA-relative of Richard III to do the match-testing. I believe the whole point to disposing of the little princes is that they didn’t have any other male blood relatives left!

  53. 53.

    Comrade Dread

    February 4, 2013 at 5:56 pm

    There was a time when I wouldn’t have missed the Super Bowl for the world. But I didn’t watch the game or the 8 hours of pre and post game hype.

    I instead watched the Disney channel with my two toddlers and gave piggy back rides.

    I’m happy with my choice.

  54. 54.

    Cacti

    February 4, 2013 at 5:58 pm

    @trollhattan:

    SF has improved personnel but a major problem remains from the ’11-12 season.

    If Kaepernick continues to mature as a QB, I think that one will improve.

    Their biggest weakness that I saw was that their secondary has trouble with big, athletic wide receivers, and got smoked throughout the playoffs.

  55. 55.

    The Dangerman

    February 4, 2013 at 5:58 pm

    @srv:

    Crabtree would have had to be 9 feet tall to catch that ball.

    I don’t think “uncatchable” matters for holding…

    …but there’s no way a flag gets tossed there on what amounted to an emergency throw before the QB got his head removed from his shoulders.

    I haven’t heard anyone mention that the Niners would have had one more Timeout if they hadn’t nearly had a delay of game call in that last series. An extra 35 seconds would have meant no safety which would have meant….

  56. 56.

    Helen Bedd

    February 4, 2013 at 5:58 pm

    Bah, that game was full of non-calls. There were, I believe, 7 penalties called…

    And check where the pass landed on that SF 4th down play…I don’t see how any receiver could have caught it and still ended up in bounds..

    For me the single biggest play of the game was the Ravens’ blitz on SF’s two point conversion try.

  57. 57.

    PeakVT

    February 4, 2013 at 6:02 pm

    My grievance is that some parts of my body like caffeine, and others don’t.

    Ditto for sugar.

  58. 58.

    trollhattan

    February 4, 2013 at 6:04 pm

    @Cacti:

    I’ll add this: had Seattle done better time management in Atlanta, they’d have been playing yesterday, not SF.

    Yesterday the local (Calif) paper was whispering “dynasty” while dusting off Montana and Young’s jerseys. Today it’s all “Darn good for a rookie!”

    Honestly, I think Harbaugh is too nuts to keep this thing’s wheels on.

  59. 59.

    trollhattan

    February 4, 2013 at 6:06 pm

    The scoop from Alabama.

    MIDLAND CITY, Ala. (AP) — Officers stormed an underground bunker in Alabama where a 5-year-old boy had been held hostage for nearly a week, rescuing the child and leaving the boy’s abductor dead, officials said Monday.

    Steve Richardson with the FBI’s office in Mobile said at a news conference Monday afternoon that negotiations had deteriorated with 65-year-old Jimmy Lee Dykes, a man neighbors described as an isolated loner. Dykes had been seen with a gun, and officers believed the boy was in imminent danger, Richardson said.

    Officers stormed the bunker just after 3 p.m. CST to rescue the child, who was taken to a hospital in nearby Dothan. Officials have said the child has Asperger’s syndrome.
    However, it was not immediately clear how Dykes died.
    Melissa Nighton, the city clerk in Midland City, said a woman had been praying in the town center Monday afternoon. Not long after, the mayor called her with news that Dykes was dead and that the boy was safe.

    “She must have had a direct line to God because shortly after she left, they heard the news,” Nighton said.
    Neighbors described Dykes as a man who once beat a dog to death with a lead pipe, threatened to shoot children for setting foot on his property, and patrolled his yard at night with a flashlight and a firearm.

    Government records and interviews with neighbors indicate that Dykes joined the Navy in Midland City, serving on active duty from 1964 to 1969. His record shows several awards, including the Vietnam Service Medal and the Good Conduct Medal. During his service, Dykes was trained in aviation maintenance.

    He had some scrapes with the law in Florida, including a 1995 arrest for improper exhibition of a weapon. The misdemeanor was dismissed. He also was arrested for marijuana possession in 2000.

    He returned to Alabama about two years ago, moving onto the rural tract about 100 yards from his nearest neighbors.

  60. 60.

    Gravenstone

    February 4, 2013 at 6:11 pm

    Let me just say I was gravely disappointed by the BJ commentariat and their sci fi side conversation in the Impeachmentum thread below. Not one of you worthless wastes of electrons deigned to even mention Babylon V? For shame …

  61. 61.

    Cacti

    February 4, 2013 at 6:16 pm

    @trollhattan:

    Yesterday the local (Calif) paper was whispering “dynasty” while dusting off Montana and Young’s jerseys. Today it’s all “Darn good for a rookie!”

    The most satisfying part for me was after hearing Randy Moss declare himself the greatest WR of all time (on Jerry Rice’s old team no less)…

    He went out and completely backed it up played like a chump.

  62. 62.

    Anoniminous

    February 4, 2013 at 6:17 pm

    @trollhattan:

    Austin is a bit of a Tech Center and some of the biggies are opening facilities. Outside of there it’s Dumbfuckistan all the way down.

  63. 63.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    February 4, 2013 at 6:18 pm

    @trollhattan:

    The Politico headline read “decorated Vietnam Vet”

    from your link

    His record shows several awards, including the Vietnam Service Medal and the Good Conduct Medal.

    If that is a “decorated Vietnam Vet” then I’m a decorated Falklands War vet. What bullshit.

    @Gravenstone:

    Did you know that BBC America is celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Dr. Who right now, each Saturday night they are showing a retrospective of each Doctor followed by a full episode of one of the original shows. Last weekend was William Hartnell and they showed “The Aztecs”, because it shows the Doctor with a romantic side, accidentally proposing to a woman with whom he has grown close, and secondly because it is the first time he lays down the “rule” that history cannot be changed, it has to play its course and his “companions” are not allowed to interfere. It is fascinating.

  64. 64.

    Ted & Hellen

    February 4, 2013 at 6:18 pm

    @Cassidy:

    Start your own blog and ban all the interesting people.

    I’m sure it will be very popular.

  65. 65.

    ? Martin

    February 4, 2013 at 6:22 pm

    @Ted & Hellen: You’re not really interesting, you know.

  66. 66.

    Raven

    February 4, 2013 at 6:22 pm

    @cosima: Here’s a linky.

  67. 67.

    ranchandsyrup

    February 4, 2013 at 6:23 pm

    @cosima: Go to Carmax 1st. They’ll give you a quote of how much they’ll give you and that will help you price it if you’re going to do a private sale.

  68. 68.

    Raven

    February 4, 2013 at 6:23 pm

    @? Martin: About as interesting as a case of the bullhead clap.

  69. 69.

    Gravenstone

    February 4, 2013 at 6:24 pm

    @Litlebritdifrnt: I watched part of that episode. Although it showed on Sunday, rather than Saturday night. As a result, I couldn’t keep awake long enough to watch either the conclusion of the Aztecs, or the remainder of the retrospective that followed it. I’m sure they’ll repeat them all at some future point.

  70. 70.

    Argo

    February 4, 2013 at 6:24 pm

    @cosima: If you only have 3 weeks you better get it on Craigs ASAP.
    Just have good pics, and ALL pertinent info, Auto/Stick, engine size, miles etc.
    I don’t know why you would even hesitate to list on Craigs, unless you are completely naive of human behavior on the toobs.

  71. 71.

    ? Martin

    February 4, 2013 at 6:26 pm

    @Anoniminous:

    Austin is a bit of a Tech Center and some of the biggies are opening facilities. Outside of there it’s Dumbfuckistan all the way down.

    And yet Perry is actively trying to make Texas look more like Austin. Is he trying to help the GOP or hurt them?

  72. 72.

    Baud

    February 4, 2013 at 6:27 pm

    Via TPM:

    John McCain says he won’t support a filibuster of Chuck Hagel’s nomination.

  73. 73.

    trollhattan

    February 4, 2013 at 6:27 pm

    @Litlebritdifrnt:

    Sounds like he got a “you participated” trophy and a “good attendence” trophy. Not exactly bronze star territory.

    Another meme it puts to rest is, “if only gun nuts smoked more weed, they’d mellow out.”

  74. 74.

    Anoniminous

    February 4, 2013 at 6:28 pm

    @Anoniminous:

    And before somebody brings up TI:

    Speaking at the launch of Texas Instruments’ new Silicon Valley labs on Tuesday (March 13), TI executives rallied to deliver one clear message: that true innovation, at its core, would always be a disruptive force, and that TI was committed to playing a big part in both creating and harnessing that destruction

  75. 75.

    David in NY

    February 4, 2013 at 6:29 pm

    @Anne Laurie: Interesting. I hadn’t followed the DNA details. I now gather that they used mitochondrial DNA, which passes through the female line, and that it’s not exactly certain enough to establish the relationship all by itself, but was close enough in this case at least not to rule the skeleton out as Richard.

    The princes would not (I think) have been in the same maternal line as Richard was, so I suppose it’s possible that there is a descendant of someone in that line (Cecily Neville instead of Elizabeth Woodville?) that could be a source of DNA for the princes. But I’m not sure if I’m right about how this works, or what the exact relationships are.

    Anyway, as scav points out, it’s not clear what that would prove about who killed them (though I have the feeling it’s not good for Richard if they are the princes, but if not, it clouds the matter)).

  76. 76.

    srv

    February 4, 2013 at 6:29 pm

    @Gravenstone: The population here is so old they can’t remember if B-9 was in Leave it to Beaver or Lost in Space.

  77. 77.

    dr. luba

    February 4, 2013 at 6:30 pm

    @Anne Laurie:

    Off the top of my head, the researchers were lucky that they found the last, middle-aged, childless male DNA-relative of Richard III to do the match-testing. I believe the whole point to disposing of the little princes is that they didn’t have any other male blood relatives left!

    Mention was made today in another article I read that the male relative in Canada was a descendant of Richard III’s sister. This suggests to me that they used mitochondrial DNA testing to make the match. (Only the egg contributes mitochondria to the fetus.)

    It was also mentioned that an attempt was made to match using the Y chromosome, but the attempt was either inconclusive or incomplete at this time. (The Y chromosome is passed along from male to male only.)

  78. 78.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    February 4, 2013 at 6:31 pm

    @Gravenstone:

    I was struck at how clunky and utterly amateurish it looks to me now. I was three when the original series aired and I basically grew up with it. At one point there was a shot of the TARDIS and it looked for all the world like it was a cardboard box painted blue with a flashing light on the top (which it probably was). I do not remember any of that however, I do remember hiding behind the couch on several occasions because I wanted to watch but was too scared to. Dr. Who is in my DNA.

  79. 79.

    Cacti

    February 4, 2013 at 6:31 pm

    @Baud:

    John McCain says he won’t support a filibuster of Chuck Hagel’s nomination

    So in other words, the entire point of the “hearing” was to let McCain pull out his withered slab of bacon and give himself a public handy.

    Thought as much.

  80. 80.

    Anoniminous

    February 4, 2013 at 6:33 pm

    @? Martin:

    I think he’s trying to do what he always does: Pretend to do something without, actually, doing anything.

    I worked in Silicon Valley for a couple of decades. I know people who are working to GTFO, mostly because of housing costs. Not a chance in hell any of them would move to Texas.

  81. 81.

    trollhattan

    February 4, 2013 at 6:33 pm

    @srv:

    We’re so old we always have to ask, “Which ‘Battlestar Galactica’?”

  82. 82.

    Yutsano

    February 4, 2013 at 6:33 pm

    @? Martin: I think he’s trying to line up his post-gubernatorial bid. Possibly by getting enough jerb creators to get him some kind of sweet lobbying gig or even a few board seats.

  83. 83.

    JPL

    February 4, 2013 at 6:33 pm

    @trollhattan: The sheriff has been amazing, releasing statements saying that Dykes was taking such good care of the boy ..blah, blah, blah… I’m sure the entire time he was thinking, I so want to kill you.

  84. 84.

    Baud

    February 4, 2013 at 6:34 pm

    @Cacti:

    Yeah, I think I’ll go throw up now…

  85. 85.

    David in NY

    February 4, 2013 at 6:34 pm

    @Litlebritdifrnt:

    If that is a “decorated Vietnam Vet” then I’m a decorated Falklands War vet.

    Did seem to me that they were stretching to make some weird point. Pretty lightly decorated indeed.

  86. 86.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    February 4, 2013 at 6:35 pm

    @trollhattan:

    Yeah he got a “you were in the service at some point while the Vietnam War was fought” award and an “undetected crime” award (which is what we called our Good Conduct awards). That could never be described as a “decorated Vietnam Veteran” by any stretch of the imagination but I am guessing that the scribes at Politico have the combined military service of a fruit fly.

  87. 87.

    David in NY

    February 4, 2013 at 6:37 pm

    @dr. luba: The source I saw said they did use mitochondrial DNA. Not terribly conclusive, but close enough to say that Richard was not ruled out — so it’s him or some relation, and then there’s the scoliosis and the wounds.

  88. 88.

    IowaOldLady

    February 4, 2013 at 6:43 pm

    @Gravenstone:

    I loved Babylon 5!

    “You are the one. And you are the one, and you are the one.”

  89. 89.

    Roger Moore

    February 4, 2013 at 6:45 pm

    @David in NY:

    I now gather that they used mitochondrial DNA, which passes through the female line, and that it’s not exactly certain enough to establish the relationship all by itself, but was close enough in this case at least not to rule the skeleton out as Richard.

    At as far remove as this, even a mitochondrial DNA mismatch wouldn’t be conclusive, since you start getting into the murky world of whether or not somebody’s stated genealogy is accurate. Female descent is harder to get wrong than male, but in almost 20 generations there’s plenty of room for an unregistered adoption or an accidental baby swap to mess things up. IIRC, they’re trying to do a Y chromosome match, too, which together with a mtDNA match and the skeletal evidence would be about as conclusive as you’re likely to get.

  90. 90.

    David in NY

    February 4, 2013 at 6:51 pm

    @Roger Moore: I gather though, that if there were some adoption or the like, the test would be likely to come back negative — ruling out Richard. And it didn’t, so with the other circumstantial evidence it’s very likely to be him. I don’t get a sense of how close a match it was (if that’s the right way to put it).

  91. 91.

    Corner Stone

    February 4, 2013 at 6:53 pm

    Let the message ring forth from every orifice, “People of California, stay the fuck in California and stop ruining Austin, TX.”
    Fucking overpaid assholes.

  92. 92.

    scav

    February 4, 2013 at 6:55 pm

    @Litlebritdifrnt: I’m not sure when I saw my first Doctor but that sound of the Tardis is cerainly hardwired I find. Out the blue (heh) first time I heard it in the new series. Done.

  93. 93.

    JasonF

    February 4, 2013 at 6:56 pm

    Tell your wife to take some comfort in the fact that the Steelers still have sole possession of the record for the most Superbowl wins. Had things gone differently yesterday, they’d be sharing that record with the 49ers.

  94. 94.

    Corner Stone

    February 4, 2013 at 6:56 pm

    @srv:

    Crabtree would have had to be 9 feet tall to catch that ball.

    IMO, it was a good no call. But. That was a catchable ball for someone who didn’t have 200 pounds wrapped around his waist.

  95. 95.

    Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason

    February 4, 2013 at 6:58 pm

    @General Stuck: No one worse than Art Model? Try Robert Irsay. At least Model didn’t run his team into the ground while he was screwing his fans.

    /flame on/

  96. 96.

    Roger Moore

    February 4, 2013 at 6:59 pm

    @David in NY:

    I gather though, that if there were some adoption or the like, the test would be likely to come back negative — ruling out Richard.

    That was the point I was trying to make, but made a hash of. My point is that even a mismatch wouldn’t conclusively rule out Richard III, since there’s always a possibility that there was some difference between the modern guy’s actual and purported ancestry. Since it came back as a match, it’s very likely that the modern guy and the skeleton share an all-female-line ancestor, which is strong evidence that it really is Richard III. Add in the other details- the scoliosis, likely cause of death, postmortem mutilation of the body, location of the burial, etc.- and the ID should be strong enough to hold up in a court of law.

  97. 97.

    max

    February 4, 2013 at 7:00 pm

    @srv: The population here is so old they can’t remember if B-9 was in Leave it to Beaver or Lost in Space.

    Shouldn’t that be ‘everyone here is so old they look like G’Kar’? *

    @cosima: It’s an immaculate vehicle, and we won’t be selling it cheap (hoping for $20k or close to it), but it does need to be sold before we move in 3 weeks.

    Sorry about the kid. Anyways, if the car is newish and immaculate than Carmax or one of those chains is your first choice to move it quick. If they won’t give you the price you want, go with Autotrader – that’s where the used car types go. Use Craigslist if you want to advertise it as ‘previously cumstained’.

    OP: if you can set aside that one clutch call that the ref might or might not have blown.

    The fourth down possible pass interference call? Enh. The defender does get to push off (and by that I mean ‘throw headslaps’) and the receiver doesn’t get to grab the defender’s facemask and start trying to armwrestle in response. The only possible call was offsetting penalties.

    There’s a concept in hockey called ‘let ’em play’ which means that penalty calling gets relaxed in the playoffs rather than piss everybody off with nickle and dime calls. That seems to have been what the zebras were doing last night. I didn’t see any egregiously bad calls or non-calls last night. I did see some bad playcalling by Mr. Temper-tantrum.

    max
    [‘More fun than most Superbowls.’]

    * For some reason, people think that means I’m not supposed to know what LITB is, but they had the 50’s & 60’s reruns every afternoon back in the day, so I know more about the sitcoms of the 50’s and 60’s than I do about the sitcoms of the late 80’s and 90’s. And I’m OK with that.

  98. 98.

    Corner Stone

    February 4, 2013 at 7:00 pm

    @Raven:

    About as interesting as a case of the bullhead clap.

    Is that worse than the slow clap I sometimes receive?

  99. 99.

    Corner Stone

    February 4, 2013 at 7:01 pm

    @Anoniminous:

    Austin is a bit of a Tech Center and some of the biggies are opening facilities. Outside of there it’s Dumbfuckistan all the way down.

    Always enjoyable!

  100. 100.

    Roger Moore

    February 4, 2013 at 7:10 pm

    @max:

    There’s a concept in hockey called ‘let ‘em play’ which means that penalty calling gets relaxed in the playoffs rather than piss everybody off with nickle and dime calls.

    I hate the “let ’em play” attitude, at least when it’s used to justify calling fouls differently depending on the importance of the play or the game. Important plays and important games should be called the same as less important ones. To do otherwise is a de-facto rule change and tends to systematically benefit the team that is more brutal. The only exception is that the officials should be especially lenient about letting players and coaches vent about their officiating.

  101. 101.

    JWL

    February 4, 2013 at 7:27 pm

    I’m a lifelong Niner fan, and have no problem with last night’s officiating. They let ’em play, as is proper in play-off football.

    Congrats, Baltimore. I know it must be cool to have knocked off a heretofore undefeated Super Bowl team, especially the way the Ravens played. Believe me, Flacco’s performance makes the loss quite a bit more bearable than it might have otherwise been. That, and the fact I’m getting older, and older.. and older.

    I used to feel the pain decades ago, believe me. Consider this- from the early seventies to the late Nineties, Bay Area fans of both the Niners and Raiders (like me) watched with a genuine rooting interest more playoff games than any other fan base in the country. Year in and year out, the two teams competed at the highest level, and won seven Super Bowls between them (I include the LA Raiders in the equation). When Pittsburg would stuffed the Raiders in a the playoffs, it burned and gnawed at me. When a horseshit pass interference call against Ronnie Lott sent the Redskins to their first Super Bowl under the great Joe Gibbs, I was truly pissed off. The last time I vehemently emoted was during the Tuck Rule Game.

    Last night, the Ravens played well and the Niners not good enough. The better team won, and it only galls me a little to say it. And Colin Kap is returning next year.

  102. 102.

    Full Metal Wingnut

    February 4, 2013 at 7:31 pm

    Just got through freezing my balls off to see the daily show taping. Great interview, Jon seemed a little impatient with Michelle Rhee though. Took questions before, great reference to a stoner in the crowd at the beginning.

  103. 103.

    cosima

    February 4, 2013 at 7:49 pm

    Thanks for the car-selling tips. Had no idea about Carmax or the USAA selling help. Will explore both options. And thanks for the info about Craigslist — maybe will push the car off a bridge rather than consider CL as a last option.

  104. 104.

    Violet

    February 4, 2013 at 8:15 pm

    @Full Metal Wingnut: That sounds like fun. How do you get tickets? Can you get them ahead in any way? Or do you just stand in line and hope to get in?

  105. 105.

    burnspbesq

    February 4, 2013 at 8:20 pm

    I had a great day of sports-watching yesterday, none of which involved American football.

    Although I wasn’t terribly fond of the outcome, Man City – Liverpool was a hell of a match.

    The first half of the Duke-Carolina game was better than sex.

  106. 106.

    Steeplejack

    February 4, 2013 at 8:21 pm

    @Gravenstone:

    “The First Doctor” is on again at 4:00 p.m. Wednesday and 3:00 a.m. Thursday (EST).

  107. 107.

    Cermet

    February 4, 2013 at 8:22 pm

    @JWL: Not just be back next year but with CK as your QB you and your defense will kick butt and be a heavy threat to get back into the SB and win it; not so sure for the Rasvens making it to the SB – their cap numbers are really bad and some great players will be walking. CK is the best QB out there – RGII is a close second but will he ever recover enough to last a full year?

  108. 108.

    burnspbesq

    February 4, 2013 at 8:22 pm

    @cosima:

    Before you push it off a bridge, consider a charitable contribution if your tax situation is such that you can benefit from the deduction. I’m sure there is a battered women’s shelter or a pet rescue organization that could use a vehicle.

  109. 109.

    Full Metal Wingnut

    February 4, 2013 at 8:25 pm

    @Violet: It’s actually a major pain. http://www.thedailyshow.com/tickets

    Reserved them in december, stood in line to confirm them at 1:30, told to come back at 4:30. Worth it though.

  110. 110.

    trollhattan

    February 4, 2013 at 8:35 pm

    @Full Metal Wingnut:

    IIRC Stewart’s mom is a teacher, so I hope he gave the griftress what for.

    I’m sick, sick, sick of our city’s “first lady.”

  111. 111.

    David in NY

    February 4, 2013 at 8:48 pm

    @Roger Moore: Yes.

  112. 112.

    Full Metal Wingnut

    February 4, 2013 at 9:12 pm

    @trollhattan: As am I. I have to say I’m often disappointed in Stewart for not going hard enough when the interviewee deserves it, but I felt he did a good job here.

    Anyway, was worth taking the day off, despite all the standing around. He answered questions before the show, and was very funny in an off the cuff way. But it’s practically in the hudson-I think 52nd and 11th.

  113. 113.

    cosima

    February 4, 2013 at 9:19 pm

    @burnspb —

    Was joking — it was more about my aversion to craigslist (enhanced by some of the comments here)… Unfortunately our financial circumstances are such that we can’t really afford to do without the money that we’d get from its sale. And we definitely couldn’t realize much benefit from the donation of a $20k vehicle on our taxes…

    I’ve got my husband on the job of entering it into the USAA system, and if we don’t get any bites we’ll go the carmax route.

  114. 114.

    Uncle Cosmo

    February 5, 2013 at 12:41 am

    @General Shmuck:

    Richard the third was a major asshole, but not as bad as Art Model.

    Nice talk from an asshole who’s too stupid to spell Art Modell‘s name correctly. Go fuck yourself.

    So Art gets left out of HoF again because of the hate-soaked assholes of Cleveland. If I had a chance to say just one thing to his ghost I’d just borrow the last thing Nick Carraway says to Jay Gatsby: “They’re a rotten crowd. You’re worth the whole damn bunch together.”

    @Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason: Bingo. Sick of ignorant Cleveland assholes whining about 3 whole years with no NFL when Baltimore endured 12 & was forced to steal a team when the league repeatedly screwed them out of expansion franchises. Fuck you all very much.

  115. 115.

    General Stuck

    February 5, 2013 at 9:20 am

    @Uncle Cosmo:

    How long you had the stick in your ass, there Cosmo? People with some sense would have picked up a degree of tongue in cheek to my comments over Model. It’s fucking football, I don’t care enough about it to have a complete meltdown like you. Get some therapy , dude.

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