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Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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

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Let me file that under fuck it.

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Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

Fani Willis claps back at Trump chihuahua, Jim Jordan.

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Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

“But what about the lurkers?”

Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

Ah, the different things are different argument.

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

Balloon Juice, where there is always someone who will say you’re doing it wrong.

I did not have this on my fuck 2022 bingo card.

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Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Wednesday Evening Open Thread: Advantage Canada?

Wednesday Evening Open Thread: Advantage Canada?

by Anne Laurie|  February 12, 20146:04 pm| 110 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Sports

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Well played, Canada. Well played. "@Molson_Canadian's passport-enabled beer fridge in Sochi" http://t.co/aoYV7ECftc pic.twitter.com/6AjkDSWCrG

— Meredith Frost (@MeredithFrost) February 11, 2014

In other Sochi “news”, Joe DeLessio at NYMag:

How much better are the United States and Canada in women’s hockey than every other country on the planet? Since women’s hockey became an Olympic sport in 1998, the countries have combined to win every gold medal and all but one silver. Since the women’s hockey World Championships were introduced in 1990, the tournament’s been staged 15 times, and the two countries have met in the finals every single time. They’re so dominant, in fact, that the structure of this year’s Olympic tournament was changed in an effort to cut down on the number of times the U.S. and Canada would blow out opponents en route to the gold-medal game. There are story lines aplenty in the men’s hockey tournament, and lots of great rivalries in other sports during these Sochi Games. But no rivalry is fiercer than the one between the U.S. and Canadian women’s hockey teams…

Rather than have the U.S. and Canada as the top teams in two evenly divided groups in Sochi (which would have led to lots of blowout games), the top four teams this year were placed in one group, with all of them advancing automatically to the medal round, and the top two teams getting a bye to the semis. That meant that this year, the U.S. and Canada would meet in the preliminary round. “I would definitely say the rivalry with Canada is a nasty one,” says Kelli Stack, a forward on the U.S. team, in advance of today’s preliminary round game. “We don’t like them, plain and simple. We want to win that game no matter what – whatever it takes.”

That game, which aired live this morning because hockey fans won’t put up with the tape-delay nonsense NBC uses for other sports, was everything you’d hope for in an Olympic competition: Close, tense, and played at an extraordinarily high level. It also involved some controversy….

***********
Apart from the Games, what’s on the agenda for the evening?

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Reader Interactions

110Comments

  1. 1.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    February 12, 2014 at 6:10 pm

    RIP Sid Caesar.

    One of the best things I ever saw was a video called “Caesar’s Writers”, most of the old Show of Shows writers on stage reminiscing along with Sid Caesar himself. You can Google up some clips but I think also can just buy the whole thing at Amazon.

    I had heard all my young life that Carl Reiner based the abusive (and hilarious) boss Alan Brady on Sid Caesar, which everyone had just sort of assumed since he based the Dick Van Dyke character on himself when he was a writer for Sid. I’ve actually met Carl Reiner but didn’t get a chance to ask, but then one day I saw this:

    Q:About “The Dick Van Dyke Show” – the story is that Alan Brady was based on Sid Caesar.

    A: It was never Sid Caesar, because he was a very dear friend. We ate lunch together for years. We went on vacations together. No, it was based on – first of all, Milton Berle was notorious for yelling at his crew and ordering people around. It was an amalgam of him, several other characters and Jackie Gleason, who really was mean to his writers. I assiduously keep telling people it wasn’t Sid.

    Kind of nice to know, since I had always liked Caesar. He looks more the benign friend in that Caesar’s writer video than any sort of tyrant, that’s for sure.

  2. 2.

    HinTN

    February 12, 2014 at 6:17 pm

    Controversy? Please elaborate.

  3. 3.

    Geeno

    February 12, 2014 at 6:19 pm

    Luuuuuuuuuge

  4. 4.

    rikyrah

    February 12, 2014 at 6:20 pm

    That tweet is hilarious.

  5. 5.

    Mnemosyne

    February 12, 2014 at 6:25 pm

    I still can’t decide if this will make the Canadian teams popular, because FREE BEER, or not popular, because Molson isn’t that good.

  6. 6.

    Linda Featheringill

    February 12, 2014 at 6:25 pm

    Waiting for the storm. I’m sure I haven’t done enough to prepare for it but there you are. We have been threatened with snow and ice and snow and ice and . . . .

    People in Dixie are being hit hard. Hope they can keep warm, as they aren’t used to days of 25 degree weather.

  7. 7.

    srv

    February 12, 2014 at 6:26 pm

    If you enjoy (or enjoyed) roller derby, women’s hockey is exactly like that. Except all the blood and fighting is real.

  8. 8.

    Baud

    February 12, 2014 at 6:26 pm

    @Mnemosyne:

    Free beer in inherently good beer.

  9. 9.

    HinTN

    February 12, 2014 at 6:28 pm

    @Geeno: It beats the stuffing out of Budweiser.

  10. 10.

    Violet

    February 12, 2014 at 6:30 pm

    @Geeno: I love luge! It’s my favorite winter sport. I’ve never done it, but I love watching it. They’re just crazy. Congrats to the American woman for winning our first individual medal in the sport!

  11. 11.

    Death Panel Truck

    February 12, 2014 at 6:31 pm

    @Baud: Not drinking anything made by Molson Coors. Drink union-made beer, please.

  12. 12.

    schrodinger's cat

    February 12, 2014 at 6:33 pm

    Bobo wonders why Americans are pessimistic and completely misses the obvious.

  13. 13.

    IowaOldLady

    February 12, 2014 at 6:34 pm

    @srv: I’ve been to the roller derby here. We were invited by the people who also took us to the opera. The hometown Push-Up Brawlers crushed the Cedar Rapids Roller Girls.

  14. 14.

    Baud

    February 12, 2014 at 6:35 pm

    @Death Panel Truck:

    I actually don’t drink beer. But, then again, I haven’t had access to free beer (without better alternatives) for a while now.

  15. 15.

    raven

    February 12, 2014 at 6:35 pm

    @Violet: Hey, saw your note downstream. We’re ok being that we are in town and very very close to the power station.

    I went to a PT about my shoulder yesterday. He said he would have never thought I could have the strength and stability that I have if he had just read the MRI results. Seems like the torn labrum must be on the lower part of the socket. We’re going to work on some neck, back and shoulder strength and flex and see what happens.

  16. 16.

    MomSense

    February 12, 2014 at 6:35 pm

    @Bill E Pilgrim:
    My Mom’s cousin was in Make Mine Manhattan with him. I heard an interview where they talked about how Lawrence Welk killed their show and they couldn’t understand why until they watched it and found it ridiculously funny.

  17. 17.

    Omnes Omnibus

    February 12, 2014 at 6:36 pm

    @Violet: Skeleton is marginally better.

  18. 18.

    Baud

    February 12, 2014 at 6:36 pm

    @MomSense:

    Thanks for the update on the sink yesterday. Very funny.

  19. 19.

    Hungry Joe

    February 12, 2014 at 6:38 pm

    We got smoked, I mean, SMOKED in the San Diego mayoral race yesterday: Conservative Kevin Faulconer beat progressive David Alvarez something like 54-46 — I’ve been too depressed to check the latest tally. Only thing that got us through the night was that we’d walked precincts for six or seven hours and we slept like the dead.

    So of the ten largest U.S. cities, exactly one now has a GOP mayor. That would be us.

    My take: Blowback from the Bob Filner fiasco (“We gave the Democrats a chance and look what we got!”), Alvarez’s age (he’s just 33) and demeanor (very low key), and the fact that Faulconer comes across as a nice guy (Filner’s opponent, Carl DeMaio, was a hateful, wild-eyed lunatic) … all that was just too much. Throw in “Latino,” crunch the numbers, and you get 54-46. In San Diego, anyway

    We still have a solid majority on the city council, so we can limit the damage. Faulconer will definitely try to block any kind of minimum-wage increase, though.

    Just … goddammit, anyway.

    But we’ll get ’em next time.

  20. 20.

    Villago Delenda Est

    February 12, 2014 at 6:38 pm

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    It’s what the twit DOES, SC. Miss the point. Just like the salad bar at Applebee’s.

  21. 21.

    MikeJ

    February 12, 2014 at 6:40 pm

    Molson actually had the Canadian only fridge in a commercial a year ago. Guess they actually built it for the olympics. Still just Canadian budweiser though.

  22. 22.

    Baud

    February 12, 2014 at 6:40 pm

    @Hungry Joe:

    But we’ll get ‘em next time.

    Absolutely. It’s not like this is a historically blue city that went red.

  23. 23.

    Mnemosyne

    February 12, 2014 at 6:42 pm

    Also, if anyone has been wondering, What the heck is Johnny Weir wearing? he apparently was inspired by The Hunger Games. Just so you know.

  24. 24.

    Baud

    February 12, 2014 at 6:43 pm

    Rand Paul and Ken Cuccinelli accused of stealing NSA lawsuit

    Fein, who has not been paid for his legal work by Paul’s political action committee, was furious that he had been omitted from the filing he wrote. “I am aghast and shocked by Ken Cuccinelli’s behavior and his absolute knowledge that this entire complaint was the work product, intellectual property and legal genius of Bruce Fein,” Mattie Fein, his ex-wife and spokeswoman, told me Wednesday. “Ken Cuccinelli stole the suit,” she said, adding that Paul, who “already has one plagiarism issue, now has a lawyer who just takes another lawyer’s work product.”

    After the morning news conference announcing the suit, Cuccinelli told me that “Bruce Fein will be brought in later.”

  25. 25.

    Villago Delenda Est

    February 12, 2014 at 6:45 pm

    @Baud:

    Wingtard scum behaving like scum. So shocking.

  26. 26.

    Botsplainer

    February 12, 2014 at 6:46 pm

    Just bought a brand new car – only my second time ever. A 2014 Fusion Hybrid.

  27. 27.

    Baud

    February 12, 2014 at 6:47 pm

    @Botsplainer:

    How do you like it? I’m looking to buy a new car soon.

  28. 28.

    Baud

    February 12, 2014 at 6:47 pm

    @Mnemosyne:

    I thought he would be on fire.

  29. 29.

    lamh36

    February 12, 2014 at 6:48 pm

    Question for the techie here at BJ. My job allows us to remote acess to our webmail from home. You have to go to a particular access site, input your company info then click a link to the Outlook Web Access link for the company.

    Now as of 2 days ago, the email was working well. I acessed the email Sunday or Monday.

    Now though, I go to the access website, I input my info and when I click on the outlook link, the webpage pops up, but the page never loads and finally after a long wait, I get a message on screen that says:

    Http/1.1 Gateway Timeout

    I called the IS department at my job and went through a series of “fixes” but nothing worked. The dude said there was no other complaints out there, so finally just told me to uninstall and then re-install the CITRIX program and then basically call them in the morning. So I did ang guess what, didn’t work.

    So I can’t access my email at home. Which in and of itself is NOT a big deal, but I’ve gotten in the habit of checking my email from home when I’m off just to see if I missed something. Now I’ll just have to go back to only reading my emails at work.

  30. 30.

    PsiFighter37

    February 12, 2014 at 6:48 pm

    @Baud: If it’s any of the big-name light beers in America, I would disagree. I’d rather go sober the rest of my life than willingly drink another Coors Light ever again.

  31. 31.

    Mnemosyne

    February 12, 2014 at 6:50 pm

    @Baud:

    I’m not sure how else you would characterize that shade of pink. Maybe it’s my monitor.

  32. 32.

    eemom

    February 12, 2014 at 6:50 pm

    Here ya go, AL — you’ll love this.

  33. 33.

    Cassidy

    February 12, 2014 at 6:51 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: Did you like it while it was underground?

  34. 34.

    Botsplainer

    February 12, 2014 at 6:52 pm

    @Baud:

    It is beautiful. Red, butterscotch interior, sunroof. Seats are comfortable, plenty of pep and gets 47 miles a gallon. Pretty pricey, though, it was 34000.

    I pick it up tomorrow.

  35. 35.

    Baud

    February 12, 2014 at 6:54 pm

    @Botsplainer:

    I’d like at least a hybrid if not a full-blown electric. But that’s a little steep for me.

  36. 36.

    Baud

    February 12, 2014 at 6:55 pm

    @Mnemosyne:

    I assumed he was paying homage to Bob Costas’s eye there.

  37. 37.

    jl

    February 12, 2014 at 6:59 pm

    Enrollments on ACA exchanges piling up. If you add in the 2 or so million Medicaid enrollment attributable to the ACA, that is over 5 million.

    Obamacare Enrollments Continue Piling Up In January, Now 3.3 Million
    http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/obamacare-enrollment-january

    For those (unnecessarily IMHO) obsessing over the young adult enrollments, that share is up slightly too (from the link)::

    ” Enrollment among young people ticked up slightly in January; 27 percent of enrollees were ages 18 to 34, compared to the 24 percent in October through December. About 25 percent of its sign-ups are now in that core demographic, again well behind the initial projections, but at a level that experts say should allow for the law’s actuarial survival.”

  38. 38.

    Baud

    February 12, 2014 at 6:59 pm

    @eemom:

    Hmm. Did you notice that the quote about “banker-bashing” is Politico’s paraphrasing of what they say Hillary said? Whether or not Politico accurately captured Hillary’s comments, I can’t stand that type of reporting.

  39. 39.

    Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant)

    February 12, 2014 at 7:00 pm

    Duke-UNC postponed b/c SNOWMAGEDDON!

    Sorry to hear about Sandy Eggo. Filner did you no favors.

  40. 40.

    Botsplainer

    February 12, 2014 at 7:00 pm

    @Baud:

    I blinked and swallowed a few times, but the hybrid bit sold me. I drive 20000 miles a year and about half of that is work. Over the life I anticipate for it, there is about 20000 in tax deduction, maybe more. I’ll save probably 150 a month in gas, so there is several thousand more recaptured.

  41. 41.

    Dolly Llama

    February 12, 2014 at 7:01 pm

    I wish someone would start another “Phrases and memes and similar shit that we wished we’d never hear again” thread like the one that was going the other night. If that happened, I could post that all variations of the “popcorn” thing – “Pass the popcorn,” “Wish I’d have bought popcorn futures,” “Not enough popcorn in the world to handle this fight,” etc., etc., ad nauseam – have all been worn out. Several times over. It was perhaps clever the first six million times, but I’ll tell you, as a cliche, it’s not even doing a good job of standing in for original thought anymore.

  42. 42.

    Trollhattan

    February 12, 2014 at 7:01 pm

    @Baud:

    Why, yes, yes it is. I say that as a beer schnaab.

  43. 43.

    Omnes Omnibus

    February 12, 2014 at 7:03 pm

    @Cassidy: It wasn’t really underground. It originated in St. Moritz as a pastime for posh Brits and such.

    I prefer it because it is head first.

  44. 44.

    MikeJ

    February 12, 2014 at 7:03 pm

    @Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant):

    Duke-UNC postponed b/c SNOWMAGEDDON!

    Manchester United played in London (against Arsenal) and at the half they announced to the traveling supporters that all the trains back to Manchester had been cancelled.

  45. 45.

    jl

    February 12, 2014 at 7:08 pm

    @Baud:

    ” Did you notice that the quote about “banker-bashing” is Politico’s paraphrasing of what they say Hillary said? ”

    No, I wasn’t going to bother looking at it, but your comment got the best of me. “Banker bashing” is quote from another Politico story, and it is totally unclear whether those words is an actual quote, or even captures the spirit of what Hillary said.

    And a Politco reporter wants an idealistic missionary zeal out of poltiician, like Elizabeth Warren? Since when does that happen?

    And who is the author, ‘Krystal Ball’?

  46. 46.

    Trollhattan

    February 12, 2014 at 7:08 pm

    @Hungry Joe:

    Was discussing that with R&S in an earlier thread. Definitely too bad. Is this for the balance of Filner’s term? How long before it’s again contested.

    A couple of long-held CA-Dem house seats are now in play and as of today, a vulnerable R seat is likewise–Gary Miller.

    http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2014/02/in-vulnerable-seat-rep-gary-miller-says-he-wont-seek-reelection.html

  47. 47.

    EthylEster

    February 12, 2014 at 7:13 pm

    I haven’t watched one minute of NBC’s coverage. It’s CBC all the way for me. So I heard about the beer dispenser two days ago when CBC covered it.

    And I watched Canada play Finland. The Maple Leaf lovers are VERY good.

  48. 48.

    Bargal20

    February 12, 2014 at 7:13 pm

    Yeah, Australia and Mexico have always been pretty crap at ice hockey. I have no idea why.

  49. 49.

    Cassidy

    February 12, 2014 at 7:14 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: Would you like a PBR with that?

  50. 50.

    pseudonymous in nc

    February 12, 2014 at 7:15 pm

    Women’s ice hockey faces the same problem as softball in the Olympics: the IOC finally wants some kind of male/female representation in sports, but it doesn’t want team events that one or two countries consistently dominate.

    @MikeJ:

    Manchester United played in London (against Arsenal) and at the half they announced to the traveling supporters that all the trains back to Manchester had been cancelled.

    Fortunately, that only affected three of them, while the others headed off back to Surrey. Enjoy the veal.

  51. 51.

    Violet

    February 12, 2014 at 7:15 pm

    @raven: Sorry late back to the thread. Glad you’ve got power. And good deal on the shoulder! Sometimes rehab can do wonders. I hope it helps in your case. Keep me posted.

  52. 52.

    Omnes Omnibus

    February 12, 2014 at 7:18 pm

    @Cassidy: I see, it’s douchecanoe night for you. Noted.

  53. 53.

    The Dangerman

    February 12, 2014 at 7:21 pm

    @PsiFighter37:

    ….willingly drink another Coors Light ever again.

    Coors Light is just Budweiser’s industrial sabotage (it’s actually clydesdale piss).

  54. 54.

    Cacti

    February 12, 2014 at 7:21 pm

    In the first documented case of a foreign national exploiting the Citizen’s United decision to influence U.S. elections…

    The USDOJ is alleging that Mexican businessman Jose Susumo Azano Matsura funelled $500,000 into U.S. political races through Super PACs and shell corporations.

  55. 55.

    eemom

    February 12, 2014 at 7:24 pm

    @Baud:
    @jl:

    It’s an infantile piece, as befits a “Krystal Ball” (though she’s MSNBC, not Politico). I just linked to it because I’m evil.

  56. 56.

    Baud

    February 12, 2014 at 7:26 pm

    @jl:

    Ball is an MSNBC regular. She’s entitled to her opinion about who should be the Dem candidate (although I thought that article wasn’t particularly sophisticated). But I didn’t like that she attributed a quote to Hillary that the link indicated wasn’t an actual quote. I know it seems like a little thing, but it’s a rule that goes to accountability, and I think it’s important.

    @eemom:

    I know she’s MSNBC, but the key quote she used against Hillary was taken from a Politico article.

  57. 57.

    Hungry Joe

    February 12, 2014 at 7:27 pm

    @Trollhattan: I think it’s for the remainder of Filner’s term: three years. Otherwise, four. Bad either way. We’re trending blue, but you know — there’s that wretched step back after the giddy two steps forward.

    Even San Diego County recently tipped blue, though the supervisorial districts are so comically gerrymandered that four of the five supervisors are GOP. And until about a year ago it was five of five, for more than twenty years.

  58. 58.

    Cassidy

    February 12, 2014 at 7:28 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: Lighten up Francis.

  59. 59.

    Baud

    February 12, 2014 at 7:29 pm

    @Cacti:

    Didn’t Alito shake his head at Obama when Obama said that’s what Citizen’s United would lead to?

    If I were the defendant, I’d just play a video of that for the judge and get the case dismissed.

  60. 60.

    Gex

    February 12, 2014 at 7:29 pm

    @Baud: Theft of work product is the entire aim of conservatism. From slavery and slave wages all the way to plagiarism I guess.

  61. 61.

    Karen in GA

    February 12, 2014 at 7:31 pm

    @raven: Glad you’ve got power. Things are good in western Barrow County — sleet, snow, some ice, but for the time being we still have electricity.

    And we’ve learned that Iggy the Wonder Schnauzer doesn’t care about bad weather — he likes walks, period. If he can’t sniff the grass, he’ll sniff the ice.

  62. 62.

    eemom

    February 12, 2014 at 7:31 pm

    @Baud:

    But I didn’t like that she attributed a quote to Hillary that the link indicated wasn’t an actual quote. I know it seems like a little thing, but it’s a rule that goes to accountability, and I think it’s important.

    Not only are you absolutely right, but that is not “a little thing” at all. Attributing a quote, with actual quotation marks, to a person of something they did not in fact say is as irresponsible and wrong as it gets.

  63. 63.

    NotMax

    February 12, 2014 at 7:32 pm

    Gripe o’ the day.

    Whatever happened to the happy in Happy Birthday?

    Went looking for a birthday card for mother the other day (turns 86 on Monday). A plethora of rude, crude, lewd, insulting and outright nasty or unfunny cards in each location tried.

    Finally did find a suitable one, but it took a heap of searching through the dross.

  64. 64.

    jl

    February 12, 2014 at 7:33 pm

    @eemom: I agree with you. But, the quote was to copy from another Poltiico article, and just exactly who is Hillary Clinton compared to Politico, anyway? Politico wins the morning!

  65. 65.

    Baud

    February 12, 2014 at 7:36 pm

    @eemom:

    I learned a while ago to double and triple check before trusting any negative thing the media (including liberal media and blogs) says about any Democrat. Democrats aren’t perfect by any means, but for some reason, too many people feel entitled to make up and distort the truth about Democrats to make whatever point they want to make.

  66. 66.

    NotMax

    February 12, 2014 at 7:37 pm

    In the category of Good Things, a reminiscence about Shirley Temple which includes something very laudable.

  67. 67.

    raven

    February 12, 2014 at 7:37 pm

    @Karen in GA: Yea, we’re ok, glad you are!

  68. 68.

    Anne Laurie

    February 12, 2014 at 7:39 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Skeleton is marginally better.

    I’m told that ‘luge’ comes from the French word for sled, but ‘skeleton’ comes from the Norwegian word for sled. Since I married into a Norwegian-American family (not that there aren’t a few Viking in my personal genetic woodpile), it amuses me that the Norwegians would be the ones hurling themselves down the slopes face-first…

  69. 69.

    jl

    February 12, 2014 at 7:40 pm

    @Gex:

    ” Theft of work product is the entire aim of conservatism. From slavery and slave wages all the way to plagiarism I guess. ”

    I have no idea whether Paul and Cuccinelli stole legal work of someone else, or if it will seriously damage them if they did. But if they did I hope it does.

    So far the GOP field for 2016 is like a whack-a-mole game, except the moles whack themselves as soon as they pop up. It would be fitting and proper for Paul to go down the same road as Christie and others.

    Because I am evil and think it is hilarious and edifying entertainment.

  70. 70.

    Ruckus

    February 12, 2014 at 7:40 pm

    @PsiFighter37:
    The last free beer I was offered was a PBR. I declined. Best beer I never had. I have noticed that the only free beer I’ve been offered was bad beer. I think the people offering know it’s shit and just want to get rid of it before the smell escapes the can and stinks up the fridge.

  71. 71.

    Origuy

    February 12, 2014 at 7:42 pm

    Since this is in Sochi, the beer options are probably Baltika and a few German brands. Baltika makes a variety of brews identified by numbers 0-9 and 20, more or less increasing in strength. I haven’t had all of them, but the most widely available isn’t much to write home about. Probably take a Molson. Moscow and Petersberg have a few smaller brands, but I don’t know about their availability in the hinterlands.

  72. 72.

    Anne Laurie

    February 12, 2014 at 7:42 pm

    @Hungry Joe:

    We still have a solid majority on the city council, so we can limit the damage. Faulconer will definitely try to block any kind of minimum-wage increase, though.

    Boo to the GOP winning, but good for you, to keep fighting the good fight!

  73. 73.

    Bobby Thomson

    February 12, 2014 at 7:45 pm

    @jl: Krystal Ball apparently works for MicrosoftNBC now. She first came to fame as a Democratic candidate for a lean Republican seat when photos on the internet surfaced of her at a mildly racy party. (NSFW link.)

  74. 74.

    Elizabelle

    February 12, 2014 at 7:47 pm

    It’s snowing now in Northern Virginia. Light dusting out there.

    Let it snow, let it snow.

  75. 75.

    NotMax

    February 12, 2014 at 7:50 pm

    @Bobby Thomson

    Though the channel’s name did not change, Microsoft left the partnership some time back.

  76. 76.

    schrodinger's cat

    February 12, 2014 at 7:50 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est: He is not blind, he just pretends to be.

  77. 77.

    Gene108

    February 12, 2014 at 7:52 pm

    @pseudonymous in nc:

    There are plenty of countries with very good men’s ice hockey teams, other than the USA and Canada, so they should be able to field(?) competitive women’s teams, since people know how to play ice hockey.

    The fact that they do not should not be out problem.

    This is different than softball, because there are enough differences between baseball and softball that being good in one does not fully prepare you to play the other.

    For example,Jennie Finch, the best pitcher in softball, struck out the best batters in baseball.

    So in short you should not equate developing international softball with international women’s ice hockey. Plenty of countries have the knowledge and resources to field better women’s ice hockey teams, if they would try.

    A better comparison to women’s ice hockey, on the international stage, is the development of women’s soccer. The USA is one of the top women’s soccer teams, but other countries have good women’s soccer programs because the sport is basically the same as the men’s game.

  78. 78.

    feebog

    February 12, 2014 at 7:52 pm

    @Botsplainer:

    Cool. We will be looking soon for a new car and that is one I am considering. The Mrs. is not too excited over the styling, but I am a Ford man and definitely want to take a look. Please give us an update in month or so and let us know how you like it.

  79. 79.

    shelly

    February 12, 2014 at 7:52 pm

    Yup, like most folks on the Eastern seaboard, preparing for SnowPocalypse. The predictions for NJ are all over the place; just pray that the power stays on. During our last outage, I found that an old mink stole I found in the cedar chest doesn’t make all that warm a bed jacket.

  80. 80.

    burnspbesq

    February 12, 2014 at 7:57 pm

    @Hungry Joe:

    The question, I suppose, is whether there will still be a City of San Diego when the time comes for the next election, or whether it will all be owned by an LLC whose members are trusts for the benefit of Doug Manchester’s kids.

  81. 81.

    Anne Laurie

    February 12, 2014 at 7:59 pm

    @NotMax: Next time, try Barnes & Noble. They have tons of high-quality ‘art’ cards up near the checkout, many of them blank inside, but writing HAPPY BIRTHDAY in big letters is easy. The last couple I’ve sent my mother-in-law were British import fold-outs that actually came with a choice of stickers — the last one, with birds & laser-cut flowers, let me pick “Happy Mother’s Day” over “Happy Birthday”or “Thinking Of You”.

  82. 82.

    burnspbesq

    February 12, 2014 at 8:02 pm

    @Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant):

    Duke-UNC postponed b/c SNOWMAGEDDON!

    Rescheduled for Thu 2/20. Both teams will have to play two games in 48 hours. However, Carolina plays Wake on 2/22, while Duke plays Cuse. We kinda got hosed there.

  83. 83.

    ranchandsyrup

    February 12, 2014 at 8:06 pm

    @burnspbesq: if poppa doug has his way, SD will be the capital of the 51st state. So sayeth his editorial board. Will be named after reagan.

    http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/Nov/30/fixing-california-the-51st-state/

  84. 84.

    ? Martin

    February 12, 2014 at 8:06 pm

    @Gene108: Women’s ice hockey is competitive here and in Canada almost entirely because of Title IX. US universities along the Canada border, in an interest of fielding competitive mens hockey teams have been forced to support women’s hockey, and lo and behold it took off. It’s now a scholarship sport across parts of the US, and because of that, a lot of Canadians come down to study.

    It’s also why women’s soccer and softball are relatively well supported at the collegiate level and why we do well in those sports as well. Equal opportunities lead to equal results.

    Feel free to blame Obama.

  85. 85.

    Mike E

    February 12, 2014 at 8:07 pm

    @Ruckus: It’s my favorite bad beer, union made, so I gladly drink it. Plus when I can splurge and buy premium then that beer tastes even moar better.

    As far as my evening is concerned, I’m counting down the hours until loss of power, and/or daring to hope that dry gap in GA & SC lines up with our area and we can keep living in the 21st century.

  86. 86.

    PurpleGirl

    February 12, 2014 at 8:07 pm

    @shelly: I meant to do food shopping this afternoon but fell asleep after I got from running errands. Hoping that in the morning I’ll be able to get out. It’s not a great store but there is Key Food a few hundred yards from my apartment building. Not sure if I want to make a run now at 8 PM.

  87. 87.

    NotMax

    February 12, 2014 at 8:08 pm

    @Anne Laurie
    Round trip to and from Barnes & Noble (including finding parking and shopping) is close to 2 hours. Bit much and a lot of gasoline for just one card.

    I don’t care for blank cards, as I generally write extensively on the blank side facing the printed sentiment, using that as a springboard.

  88. 88.

    Baud

    February 12, 2014 at 8:08 pm

    @? Martin:

    Feel free to blame Obama.

    The Obama Administration is reversing a controversial Bush Administration Title IX rule that critics said put the onus on women students show interest in sports instead of on schools to prove that they offered sports opportunities to men and women on an equal basis.

  89. 89.

    Mnemosyne

    February 12, 2014 at 8:09 pm

    @Karen in GA:

    That’s because the ice smells like dog pee, too. You’re welcome. ;-)

    @feebog:

    The one problem I’ve had with Fords when we’ve rented them is that they had this weird hump in the middle of the driver’s side of the dashboard that was higher than usual and I had a hard time seeing over it. I’m not that short (5’2″), but if your wife will also be driving the car on a regular basis, that could be an issue since there would be a lot more seat adjustment needed between drivers.

  90. 90.

    Belafon

    February 12, 2014 at 8:11 pm

    OT: Dale Hanson at WFAA here in Dallas has a great rant about the NFL and Michael Sam. Well worth the watch. Got it from LGF.

  91. 91.

    Litlebritdiftrnt

    February 12, 2014 at 8:12 pm

    Trying to stay warm. Got a roaring fire going. Everything in the house is toasty but the power keeps going in and out. Columbus County (where my husband’s school is) is almost completely out of power, potentially for days. The trees crackle when the wind goes through them, it is quite eerie. Everything for miles around is covered in a couple of inches of ice. It is really quite frightening. We have a generator should the power go out, and of course the fire, but it could be nasty if an ice laden tree goes down on some power lines.

  92. 92.

    JPL

    February 12, 2014 at 8:21 pm

    @Litlebritdiftrnt: Stay safe. The winter mixture has changed to snow and hopefully we only get a few inches. My little mutt just loves slipping and sliding in the frozen slush. I have a towel near the door so I can dry him off.

  93. 93.

    Anne Laurie

    February 12, 2014 at 8:25 pm

    @Litlebritdiftrnt: Ugh, ice storms are the worst. You’ve probably already thought of this, but don’t forget to stash a flashlight ready to hand on both nightstands, in case you and/or your DH have to leap out of bed in the dark to deal with some emergency (pets love to create emergencies when the power goes out). Will keep you in my positive thoughts that it will be a totally unnecessary precaution!

  94. 94.

    JGabriel

    February 12, 2014 at 8:25 pm

    NYMag:

    “I would definitely say the rivalry with Canada is a nasty one,” says Kelli Stack, a forward on the U.S. team, in advance of today’s preliminary round game. “We don’t like them, plain and simple. We want to win that game no matter what – whatever it takes.”

    Oh for criminy’s sake, Kelly, they’re Canadians. How can you hate our friendly neighbors to the north? That’s like hating maple syrup and pine trees and single-payer healthcare.

    I think those comments are terribly unsporting, Kelly. Remember, it’s not winning but how you play the game that counts. Winning via whatever it takes is simply Machiavellian, and has no place in the fine amateur sporting events that are the hallmark of Olympic tradition!

    It’s just wrong, Kelly, it’s just wrong. Shame on you.

    (Nah, I’m just kidding. US Women’s Hockey Team: Go kick those Canuck asses!)

  95. 95.

    Violet

    February 12, 2014 at 8:30 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: For some reason Skeleton just doesn’t have the same appeal to me as luge. Don’t know why.

  96. 96.

    coin operated

    February 12, 2014 at 8:31 pm

    @Origuy: We have several craft beer stores in Oregon that carry the Baltika brand, and Baltika 4 is a pretty good amber lager. I’d agree with you on most of the other Baltika brews, but I’d take a No.4 over a Molsen any damn day of the week.

    When in Canada, I love me some Rickard’s Red. I’ve found it in lots of bars in Ontario and Quebec.

  97. 97.

    coin operated

    February 12, 2014 at 8:37 pm

    @Ruckus: Here in Springfield (affectionately called Springtucky) Oregon we have a lot of ranching and lumber industry around. It’s a bastion of redneck in what is otherwise a very progressive state. Several of the bars have a quarter-beer night, with PBR the slop of choice.

    No thanks…I’ll pay the $3+ a pint of quality brew.

  98. 98.

    Mnemosyne

    February 12, 2014 at 8:39 pm

    @NotMax:

    You may want to invest in a box of classy “all occasion” cards that includes birthday cards, sympathy cards, etc. — these are very fancy letterpress, but it gives you the general idea.

  99. 99.

    drkrick

    February 12, 2014 at 8:43 pm

    @HinTN: The controversy in the US – Canada women’s hockey game was about the second Canadian goal. The US goalie appeared to have the puck before it continued through her to the goal and a referee whistled the play dead just about exactly as it crossed the line. The TV guys thought it should have been waved off, I thought the puck made it across first – very close in any event, and they counted it in what ended up being a 3-2 Canada win.

  100. 100.

    burnspbesq

    February 12, 2014 at 8:51 pm

    @ranchandsyrup:

    if poppa doug has his way, SD will be the capital of the 51st state. So sayeth his editorial board. Will be named after reagan.

    Typical of Manchester to assume that OC will want to be part of his folly. News flash: we are SO not interested.

  101. 101.

    burnspbesq

    February 12, 2014 at 8:53 pm

    @coin operated:

    Several of the bars have a quarter-beer night, with PBR the slop of choice.

    I’m envisioning quarter-beer night in Springfield being invaded by carload after carload of Ducks. The brawls between cowboys and frat boys must be amazing.

  102. 102.

    ruemara

    February 12, 2014 at 9:05 pm

    @NotMax: This is why I go blank or make my own. I’m not an artist and photographer for nothing.

    Booked my tickets and I leave for LALA at 6:00am on Friday. I suppose this means I’m actually going. I didn’t want feel like I was going somewhere until I was holding tickets. I got tickets, the doctor has confirmed I’m just suffering from a wicked backache (and getting very fat), so I can truly go. Now I need to figure out what to do with myself. 3pm friday to some part of sunday. There has got to be a modicum of worthwhile trouble to get into. And if I should bring a camera.

  103. 103.

    Tripod

    February 12, 2014 at 9:19 pm

    @? Martin:

    Truth. The problem for any other winter Olympic nation, is they have to eat all those development costs that the NCAA covers. It’s a really expensive prospect for what is a single medal on the table. A better return is putting the funding into half-pipe or ski jumping or whatever.

    Along similar lines, there are American soccer fans that will tell you the US would be World Cup winning if development didn’t go through NCAA soccer (and even MLS). These people are fucking morons and should be ignored.

  104. 104.

    Linnaeus

    February 12, 2014 at 9:20 pm

    @Death Panel Truck:

    Not drinking anything made by Molson Coors. Drink union-made beer, please.

    While I share your sentiment towards Coors, Molson is union-made, even after the merger with Coors.

  105. 105.

    NotMax

    February 12, 2014 at 9:20 pm

    @Mnemosyne

    Good idea, but unfortunately know myself all too well. Would promptly store them someplace safe and when an occasion arose either forget about them altogether or be unable to find them.

    Actually did buy a variety of birthday cards I liked once, years ago, to have around. Haven’t seen them since.

  106. 106.

    Linnaeus

    February 12, 2014 at 9:24 pm

    I’m more of a Labatt guy, myself. I think that’s partly because you tended to find it on tap more frequently where I grew up.

  107. 107.

    Mnemosyne

    February 12, 2014 at 9:53 pm

    @ruemara:

    As soon as you get to Union Station, buy a TAP card and Metro Day Pass ($5) or 7-Day Pass ($20). That should let you get all around the area by rail or bus. Buses suck ass, so your best bet is to take Metro Rail when you can and then bus to your end point.

  108. 108.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)

    February 12, 2014 at 11:15 pm

    @Tripod: That’s not the big issue because NCAA schools recruit from Europe as well as the U.S. and Canada. Finland has two players currently on the University of North Dakota team as well as two Minnesota Gophers that graduated last year.

    The real problem is at the youth level. About 85% of all of the girls under 18 who are playing hockey are American or Canadian. A large chunk of the rest are Finnish. There are a total of about 500 registered female hockey players of all ages in Russia, which is about the same number as in Japan. (I have some suspicion that this significantly understates how many are really playing but it gives some sense of it.

    So the issue arises long before schools, either high schools or colleges, are funding development. And most of the European countries are cutting the amount of support they are giving to girls’ programs so I don’t anticipate the gap closing anytime soon. That said, the IOC announced today that they do not intend to drop women’s hockey from the Olympics going forward.

  109. 109.

    Jebediah, RBG

    February 13, 2014 at 12:56 am

    @Karen in GA:

    And we’ve learned that Iggy the Wonder Schnauzer doesn’t care about bad weather — he likes walks, period. If he can’t sniff the grass, he’ll sniff the ice.

    Little jealous of that – Chucky has gone on strike as far as morning walks are concerned. Or walks in the rain, despite her raincoat. Afternoon or evening, however, and she levitates in excitement. (Even if it is colder than it was in the morning.)

  110. 110.

    ruemara

    February 13, 2014 at 2:20 am

    @Mnemosyne: Good to know. Thanks.

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