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So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

Infrastructure week. at last.

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

The words do not have to be perfect.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

Republicans don’t want a speaker to lead them; they want a hostage.

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

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

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

Good lord, these people are nuts.

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You are here: Home / Sports / Cote d’Ivoire v Japan Open Thread

Reader Interactions

82Comments

  2. 2.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)

    This is refreshing after Italy/England: a game where my problem is that I’d like to root FOR both teams.

  4. 4.

    humboldtblue

    “Do you consider international soccer an excuse to celebrate past military victories? Yes? USA”

    That’s so damn true

  11. 11.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)

    Damn. We’re losing the satellite signal in the thunderstorm.

  12. 12.

    Alison

    I don’t know who to pull for here! Japan would be an upset, but I have a soft spot for Cote d’Ivoire.

    Incidentally…I always say Cote d’Ivoire instead of Ivory Coast because, I don’t know, I’m pretentious…but then obviously that name has some kind of colonial connotation. I wonder how residents of the country feel about it, and what name they prefer? And yes, I’m insufferable, sorry. Just like to think about things like this.

  13. 13.

    humboldtblue

    My 3-year old grand niece plays fiercer defense keeping me from her toys than IC does in defending

  14. 14.

    Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)

    @Alison:

    Despite the Ivorian government’s request, the English translation “Ivory Coast” (sometimes “the Ivory Coast”) is still frequently used in English, by various media outlets and publications

    According to Wikipedia. It’s official language is French.

  15. 15.

    Steeplejack

    Japan scores, and I saw a disturbing shot of some Japanese fans in the stands either wearing hazmat suits or doing some very weird cosplay.

  16. 16.

    Steeplejack

    Damn, Japan is hammering on the door. CIV better wake up and smell the [whatever beverage they drink for breakfast].

  18. 18.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Alison: I have a couple of former colleagues from Côte d’Ivoire, and I am the same as you: I always use the French name (because my friends, natives of the country, do) and I am rooting for them in this match.

  19. 19.

    Steeplejack

    @Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name):

    Okay, I’ve got a bit of a problem with that. It is a near-universal practice to refer to countries by their names in one’s own language. Spaniards refer to England as “Inglaterra,” and I haven’t heard of Japan demanding to be called “Nippon.”

  21. 21.

    Steeplejack

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    If I were talking with friends or colleagues from there, I would also use “Côte d’Ivoire” out of politeness, but if I were writing something for publication I would use “Ivory Coast.”

  26. 26.

    Steeplejack

    @Morzer:

    Yeah, it does sound like that. I was wondering what was producing those trumpet-like blats. I would have thought all likely-looking instruments would have been suppressed.

  29. 29.

    Garbo

    I was hoping to see more overly dramatic flopping about and anguished expressions. Or do the fouling performances come in the later games?

  30. 30.

    Morzer

    @Garbo:

    Generally you want a traditional Italian or Argentinean team for drama, flopping, brutal fouls and impersonations of cripples robbed by heartless thugs.

  32. 32.

    scav

    I either get kicked off the chart or I’m wandering down with the Cote d’Ivory (splitting the difference) or Ghana. I have to lie a bit to get to Belgium.

  34. 34.

    Alison

    @SiubhanDuinne: That’s what i was looking for – what do people from there call it. Obviously they won’t all be the same, but I’ll defer to the anecdata we have and stick with the fancy French name :)

  35. 35.

    Steeplejack

    @Morzer:

    Stealth vuvuzelas, maybe?

    Exactly. I was thinking maybe four people each bring in an innocuous object, then the parts get fitted together like a sniper rifle to create a horn.

  37. 37.

    ? Martin

    Japan is looking not terrible. I love the Japanese. They’re adorably unique.

    CIV is what, 2 players? Drogba and Toure, and Drogba is out?

  40. 40.

    ? Martin

    @scav: I get pretty directly to Belgium assuming I reject the US. My grandmother – the WWII nurse I’ve spoken of, was not liked by her parents. Not kidding about that in any way. In an act of rebellion she bought a car (in the 30s, in New York City) which was a black Ford. She named it ‘Satan’ and hung a little devil figurine from the rear mirror. Her parents and sister were impossibly Catholic – her sister went to church nearly every day of her life. Needless to say that didn’t help the relationship.

    So team nicknamed after Satan? I’m all over that. And I would like to support a team that can at least get out of the group.

    I’m still hopeful that the US will advance. There’s a non-zero probability that a meteor will hit Ronaldo in the next few days, and with Brazil at the equator that probability is slightly higher than usual.

  45. 45.

    Morzer

    @Garbo:

    I’ve seen that on three teams so far, so I guess it must mean something.

    UPDATE: Apparently Puma is making their athletes wear said shoes.

    It’s good of the CIV to provide a free pitch-rolling service to Brazil.

  46. 46.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)

    @? Martin: I thought Cristiano Ronaldo was annoying before I went to China. Six weeks seeing him on every other billboard and every third TV commercial in Xi’an convinced that he is, in fact, the most irritating person on the planet.

    Well, either him or Football Spice; he was plastered all over the place, too.

  49. 49.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)

    I guess that counts as one of the greatest substitutions of all time, even if Drogba didn’t actually score either goal

  55. 55.

    Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)

    I missed why Drogba wasn’t starting. Can someone catch me up?

  68. 68.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)

    Awesome. With Buffalo Wild Wings filling up for the UFC fight I volunteered to sit out on the patio so that they had another table to seat people. (It’s enclosed but for some reason they weren’t seating it tonight.) It’s got TVs so not only do I get to watch the World Cup, I don’t have to watch people trying to give each other brain damage. And for taking advantage of this opportunity, the manager gave me a free meal.

    This is 100% pure upside.

  70. 70.

    Morzer

    I am not sure which surprised me more.. Drogba missing or Drogba not falling over in the penalty area.

  73. 73.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)

    How is jumping on top of someone at the top of the box not a foul?

  76. 76.

    Steeplejack

    @Randy Paul:

    That’s true, but you probably refer to the Russian capital as “Moscow,” not “Moskva,” and to the Italian cities as “Turin” and “Venice,” not “Torino” and “Venezia.” And London is still “Londres” in Spanish. The conventions were largely laid down hundreds of years ago, by European writers who “named” the places they wrote about or referred to in conversation. Other places, that they didn’t care about or possibly even know about, didn’t have their names transmogrified.

  81. 81.

    Diana

    @SiubhanDuinne: Brilliant. I live in the East Village of NYC, where the world cup is a big deal because every nationality has not merely its own bar but more than one, and I’ve shown this chart to at least two people (one Italian, one Columbian) who found it fascinating. Thanks for posting.

  82. 82.

    pseudonymous in nc

    @Randy Paul:

    I would never say that this year’s WC championship is going to be played in River of January.

    True. But the govt of Côte d’Ivoire has asked nicely not to be called Ivory Coast by English-speaking governments (and especially not ‘the Ivory Coast’, with the ‘imperialist “the”‘) and most English-speaking governments are polite.

    If you want to see lots of people with too much time on their hands, the Wikipedia Talk page for the name of the page now called “Ivory Coast” is a prime example.

    Great substitution, great comeback. And I’m now footballed out.

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