I know, but someone’s gotta do it. Jeb Lund, at Rolling Stone:
As far as sports controversies go, you’d think blowing the whistle on FIFA’s alleged bribes and the open-air slave mausoleum being constructed in Qatar as a byproduct of erecting stadiums for the 2022 World Cup would be a no-brainer. Thankfully, the world, and sports fandom, will go and fuck that up for you…
Granted, the FIFA indictments are fun to read. The Swiss police arrested 14 FIFA executives and charged them with racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering tied to over $100 million in bribes to assign rights to FIFA-sponsored soccer tournaments in Latin America. Deadspin excerpted all the funniest bits: there were literally people stuffing envelopes with cash and trading briefcases full of bribes….
All of this is shitty and stupid and funny, of course, but how we know about it and what it means in context takes some of the shine off the gleeful schadenfreude. In context, it’s almost nothing. FIFA is so grandiosely historically corrupt that busting them for this, finally, feels like ignoring reports on Jeffrey Dahmer for years and then raiding his kitchen for health-code violations. Hell, John Oliver kicked off the World Cup with a 13-minute celebration of how ludicrously evil FIFA is. (Go watch it; summarizing its contents would be unfair to comedy.) As much as people might want to liken this to busting Capone for income tax evasion because that’s “how we could get him,” it almost feels like this is the first time in America anyone chose to give a shit, which only brings up the unpleasantly convenient timing of this FBI investigation and the United States losing out on the 2022 World Cup bid to a Qatari armada of overstuffed briefcases. And just how far across this earth do potentially tenuous links to crimes committed by persons from the United States in places that might not be the United States enable the U.S. Attorney from the Eastern District of New York to arrest people? Is this how we flex now? We will ford any river and cross any expanse on this globe if it means revenging ourselves on those who deprived Anheuser-Busch of primo ad space in American cities that were destined to lose money on a quadrennial event most Americans still don’t care about?….
***********
That being said, what other events are on the agenda this evening, sporting or otherwise?
rikyrah
they are not cheap Ho’s.
they made the bribers fill their bank accounts.
of course, the man has no shame.
MobiusKlein
Sporting Agenda: Gushing over that cute lil’ Riley, unofficial mascot of the Warriors.
Other sporting agenda: Drive 75 miles to regional U13 soccer cup.
Other Other agenda: Pretend Oakland A’s are not out of contention for 2015
rikyrah
OF COURSE, there is more than one.
who is stupid enough to believe there was ONLY ONE victim of this predator?
ABC News Politics ✔ @ABCPolitics
Sources say there is a 2nd individual allegedly victimized by Dennis Hastert: http://abcn.ws/1K1dOlt
MazeDancer
Sepp Blatter sounds like a name J.K. Rowling invented for a Harry Potter villain. “Everyone knew Sepptavian Blatter before the end of his first month at Hogwarts, because he made it his mission for precisely that to happen. Without magic.”
Sometimes I think that many of us here in America are just discovering the rest of the world, on many levels, including political, is as corrupt as Wall Street. Like countries that think it’s strange the US doesn’t haggle or bribe over everything.
Valdivia
Is the point that the US overplayed their hand with the indictment or that they indicted too few people and should have aimed for other crimes too? The author seems to not get that for fans of the sport the world over this is the first and only time that they are getting to see FIFA held accountable, no matter how known the corruption was, no one had done anything about it, so this indictment as flimsy as it sounds to him is a BFD.
No matter how dirty FIFA gets tough, on the pitch the beautiful game remains the beautiful game thanks to the players.
mai naem mobile
Dennis Hastert should have set up a sham contract with his victim/extortionist. He might have managed to take his crime to his grave.
Frankensteinbeck
Look, I’m one of the optimists on American foreign policy here, and I know the answer to that has always been ‘yes’. America is an exceedingly vengeful country.
JPL
Anne, I sent you a screen shot from my computer. I’m not sure whether or not you can use it.
Tree With Water
Today FIFA, tomorrow the NFL.. or the NCAA. Or MLB’s anti trust status, what’s that all about?
Hat tip to the blogger who put it in that perspective for me earlier today- I forget who..
Howard Beale IV
Who would win in a cage match: Sepp Blatter or Charles C Johnson?
Looks like the Rage Furby has spawned two new Twitter accounts. The Rage Furby says he’s got the down and dirty on Huckabee having gastric reduction surgery done, which Huckabee claims he didn’t have done, so I would love to see CCJ publish his ‘BREAKING-EXCLUSIVE’ on this.
If the Huckster did have this done, then this might be enough to take him out of the race and at the same time, the Huckster can go after the Rage Furby for possessing HIPPA-protected documents. OTOH, if the Huckster didnd’t have the surgery done then the Huckster can go after him for libel/slander.
One thing is really obvious-the Rage Furby is REALLY, REALLY UPSET that he can’t use Twitter. Seems to me we ought to start telling folks that using Twitter is a privilege, not a right-y’know, just like when we issue licenses for driving.
lamh36
Surprising no one…so which Megyn Kelly will they get, the usual Blond faux news stWofford wife or nah?
Fuq Ma and Pa Duggar
sharl
If you haven’t seen that John Oliver video linked in the OP, it really is worth it. It’s not real new (from a 2014 show IIRC), but I hadn’t seen it until coming across a Gawker comment a couple days ago that linked it.
Oliver is a passionate soccer fan, and commiserates with the many millions of others who, like him, are horribly conflicted by their deep love of the game while despising the utterly corrupt FIFA leadership. [The fact that the FIFA brain trust funded the expensive production of a self-glorifying movie was one of several amazing examples Oliver presented. They’re an utterly shameless lot.]
BillinGlendaleCA
@Howard Beale IV: But, But… FIRST AMENDMENT.
/Rage Furby
Emma
Because of course it couldn’t simply have been that the corruption got so bad that law enforcement all over the world had to sit up and take notice. Oh, no; it’s big, bad, only-mover-and-shaker-in-the-world Uncle Sam doing something predictably nefarious.
Being a cool cynic is ten times worse than being a religious fanatic.
Germy Shoemangler
@lamh36: Is it up to Megyn, or does she decide how to behave after reading a memo from Roger?
Baud
@Emma:
Why couldn’t one of those pure countries have taken action against this corruption?
Valdivia
@Emma:
I was going to say something similar. Of all things, to make this about the US always doing evil in the world? I think it goes beyond being a cynic and becomes being clueless. Or maybe the writer is just so US-centric he can’t help but see everything through US eyes, seriously this is a hot take! for the ages.
Tree With Water
@Emma: How much tax payer money and what allocation of resources will be devoted to this prosecution is an eminently reasonable question, moreover it’s one deserving of an answer. I, for one, don’t give a rat’s ass about corruption in international soccer. My initial reaction is that waste of time and treasure. This country has bigger fish to fry, don’t you think? Much bigger fish, closer to home.. I felt much the same about the feds pursuit of Barry Bonds for getting too cute in testimony before a grand jury. The effort simply wasn’t worth the expenditure.
Suzanne
@rikyrah: Mr. Suzanne and I were just commenting on the irony of impeaching Bill Clinton when he was the most innocent of them all involved at the time.
But he had a D after his name, so, you know, fuck that guy. Which makes today different from the late 90s in absolutely no way, shape, or form.
Omnes Omnibus
Honestly, that piece is one mention of the Gehlen Org. away from a BiP post.
Mandalay
Messi scores in the Copa del Rey today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KHUPzhM3nk
It’s becoming really tough to make the case that he isn’t the greatest player ever.
mai naem mobile
@lamh36: can you imagine how hard Josh Duggar must have been praying – Pleeeaze Lord let there be a tornado and category 5 hurricane to take off the spotlight off me. Please Lord let there be Joe Biden running for president to take the heat off me. Oh okay, please Lord let there be a Republican politician diddling with kids. I even promise I won’t do anything bad, ever if that takes the heat off me.
Valdivia
@Mandalay: he really is, and I say this when Barca is not even the team I root for.
@Omnes Omnibus: Biggest grin. Exactly my point, but wittier.
Germy Shoemangler
@mai naem mobile:
And his prayer was answered!
fuckwit
@sharl: Qatar is, if I remember correctly, a huge CENTCOM base with lots of American logistics, people, equipment, no? ISTR lots of military people spending lots of time there over the last 15 years or so. Is that how they get away with being a slave state?
Suzanne
@Germy Shoemangler: If anyone is ever praying for a Republican to have inappropriate sexual conduct, they should rest assured that they will never have to wait long.
Heck, Petraeus looks positively quaint. Cheating on his wife with a consenting woman who was of legal age? Dude has to step up his game.
Omnes Omnibus
OT: For Wolf Hall fans.
Mandalay
@rikyrah: The video in your link referred to “Individual A” as “the victim”, yet was careful to also call him “a male” rather “a minor”. Is the age of individual A at the time of the misconduct still unknown?
Mike in NC
Wasn’t Sepp Blatter tried at Nuremberg for his role in the Malmedy Massacre during the Battle of the Bulge?
Darkrose
@MobiusKlein: Riley is awesome. So are her parents–those are two insanely attractive people, and they’re so in love. It makes me happy just watching them on TV.
Omnes Omnibus
@Mike in NC: That was Sepp Dietrich.
shell
Great…..more sports talk.
Saturday is usually a pretty good movie night. But my local PBS stations are locked back in on pledge drive mode. Endless repeats of ‘Doo-wop classics of the 50’s” and health improvement shows aimed at us anxious baby-boomers. And at the pledge break everybody’s got a book and DVD to hawk. Aaargh.
But there’s always TCM. ‘To Kill A Mockingbird” at 8 pm!
gogol's wife
@Omnes Omnibus:
Interesting Cromwell!
danielx
My observation over the past decade and a half is that if forces in the US guvmint want somebody – anybody – for one reason or another and can come up with an indictable offense for that person (not difficult given the number of statutory offenses on the books), there is nowhere in the world that person can feel safe, with the possible exceptions of Moscow, Beijing or Pyongyang. I’ve heard/read one story, possibly apocryphal, about the DEA snatching somebody almost literally right off a surfboard in Australia. Which does sort of beg the question as to why all the forces and agencies of the criminal justice/national security industry have been unable to successfully indict, arrest and obtain guilty verdicts for so much as one Wall Street criminal asshole since the biggest ripoff of the past century.
But hey, bribery in major league soccer? They’re on that like white on rice.
Valdivia
@Omnes Omnibus:
“a little more King a lot less nuns”
Awesome link.
Also.Too. Some of those Horrible Histories songs are hilarious.
gogol's wife
@shell:
Yep, it’s To Kill a Mockingbird tonight. We overdid Midsomer Murders last night, so something a little more prestigious is on the docket.
Suzanne
@Darkrose: Agreed. Riley is so stinkin’ adorable. Little girls are the best.
sharl
@fuckwit:
I’m a bit more familiar with our Navy’s Fifth Fleet – a component of CENTCOM – being hosted by the odious, vicious leadership of Bahrain, but I just checked, and yep, Qatar does host Al Udeid Air Base. We’re everywhere (alas)!
Nothing would surprise me regarding the scheming that won Qatar the future World Cup hosting rights. But if our natsec folks did in fact quietly put in a good word for that awful decision, DoJ was apparently not copied in on those discussions.
Omnes Omnibus
@gogol’s wife: Lead lute.
gogol's wife
@Omnes Omnibus:
I would have expected him to be on shawm.
Suzanne
Maybe y’all can help me out. I need a laptop backpack, but a classy-looking one that I can take to work. I would prefer black or gray, and it needs to be comfortable, but also functional. I need something that is professional in appearance, but I can get away with looking a bit trendy/modern since I’m an architect and we’re weird. Any suggestions?
danielx
@Suzanne:
Don’t have any recommendations, but I’d be happy to send you a Flat 12 Bierwerks sticker for your laptop.
Steeplejack (phone)
@Suzanne:
How big is your laptop?
Keith G
Yet another violent thunder storm is rolling through central Houston.
Omnes Omnibus
@Suzanne: The ex had a nice one from Victorinox. Something rather like this.
Suzanne
@Steeplejack (phone): Company lappies are 15″ MacBooks.
Suzanne
@Omnes Omnibus: That looks nice, but a bit more camping-appropriate in style than office-appropriate. I’m actually currently using a Victorinox, and I want to replace it for something classier, even though it is a workhorse.
Goblue72
@fuckwit: Qatar is the forward HQ of CENTCOM. The domestic HQ is in Tampa. Large number of U.S. as well as UK and Australia military personnel based there. Qatar is also insanely rich, the vast majority of its population are foreign nationals (over 80%), and their capital city (Doha) is developing at lightning speed becoming one of the most modern cities in the region (which includes them currently building a subway system)
They are a Big Biden Deal in the region. And they’ve got the most powerful military on the planet as their personal security service. Why pay for a military when you can rent one for the price of an air base.
debbie
@Valdivia:
I think that reaction was to deflect from their own roles in the corruption (yes, Vlad, you).
Valdivia
Not sports related, but since it’s an open thread:
Many (many!) years ago I read Norman Juster’s The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics. Don’t know how many of you might have read it or know it, but I stumbled on a wonderful Norman McLaren animation of it from the 1960s. Simply perfect. Thought I’d share.
Omnes Omnibus
@Valdivia: Suzannah Lipscomb’s twitter feed is an interesting place.
Suzanne
@danielx: I can’t put a brewery sticker on a company laptop, but I want to try the beer! THX, though!
PaulW
Here’s the horrifying thing:
while we’re all cackling and hand-wringing over the bribery stuff involving FIFA, we are NOT DOING A DAMN THING TO STOP THE ONGOING MURDER OF CONSTRUCTION WORKERS STUCK IN QATAR BUILDING SH-TTY STADIUMS FOR A SH-TTY WORLD CUP.
Tree With Water
@mai naem mobile: Gary Condit doubtless felt much the same way, up until the terrible day of September 11th, 2001, when events indeed took their course that knocked him forever off the front page.
I bet the name rings a bell with a lot of people who can’t quite place him..
Baud
@PaulW: Any suggestions?
Goblue72
@Suzanne: These are appropriately creative class trendy –
http://www.sandqvist.net
Tommy
@Suzanne: I use a Timbuck 2. They cost a few bucks but functional, good looking, and maybe somewhat hip.
http://www.timbuk2.com/
geg6
Delmonicos, baked potatoes, corn on the cob, and vinaigrette marinated mushrooms and spring onions, all from the grill. Topped by a Cotes du Rhone and an almond cream cake.
Yum.
I have “Aquarius” recorded and we may watch that with dinner and dessert. Anybody watch it?
debbie
@Suzanne:
Apparently, some sportswriters are upset at her presence. She’s taking time away for their very serious questions.
Omnes Omnibus
@geg6: If I bring another bottle, may I come over?
debbie
@gogol’s wife:
I’d have thought he’d be standing by the speakers, observing.
Valdivia
@debbie:
yes, his crocodile tears for Sepp were so apt!
@Omnes Omnibus:
thanks you, it looks that way. have followed her.
@geg6:
your dinner sounds scrumptious. I watched the first two episodes. It’s a bit messy, it has the potential of a good show in it. Not sure it will actually gel into one though.
Tommy
@geg6: Not sure you want to watch with dinner and dessert. But I found it very entertaining. There are few shows I add to my Hulu watch list but this is one.
Steeplejack
@Suzanne:
Well, if Omnes’s Victorinox is not office-appropriate enough, at the high end there is this very nice Fossil leather backpack.
I couldn’t justify this for an instant, but I did lust over it in the store. And I think it would fit a 15" laptop.
One question: if you want classy and office-appropriate, why not a briefcase-type carrier rather than a backpack?
Tree With Water
@Keith G: Texans would be wise to ponder that if global warming is indeed not part of the equation, then it is likely a sign of God’s disfavor. Either way, the time is long overdue when Texans begin thinking in terms of repentance.
geg6
@Omnes Omnibus:
Absolutely! Bring two!
Emma
@Tree With Water: Says you. Says me, to some extent. But that wasn’t what I was arguing. I was merely commenting on the US-centric view that seems to be ingrained into almost any discussion of international matters.
Why the US got involved here might make interesting reading if our press got their heads out of their sphincters instead of playing “in-the-know” cynics.
Baud
Horrible news for Bernie
geg6
@Tommy:
Is it extremely violent? We can deal. But thanks for recommending!
Tree With Water
@Emma: Well then, Emma, you were preaching to the choir.
Baud
@Tree With Water:
To the wingnut mind, if God is angry, it’s because Texas hasn’t been conservative enough.
different-church-lady
@Valdivia: YouTube strikes again: that was done by the magnificent Chuck Jones.
Steeplejack
@geg6:
I recorded it but haven’t watched it yet. As someone old enough to remember that time, I am slightly leery from the promos.
Emma
@Suzanne: OGIO bags, I own the messenger bag in red http://www.amazon.com/Midtown-Womens-Laptop-Tablet-Messenger/dp/B0076D0JLY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1433027789&sr=8-1&keywords=ogio+laptop+bag+for+women and the bucket tote in black http://www.amazon.com/OGIO-Hamptons-Tote-Cobalt-Academy/dp/B00HO9KPUA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1433027847&sr=8-3&keywords=ogio+laptop+bag+for+women. Of the two, I prefer the tote. Zipper, not velcro.
Tommy
@geg6: No. I don’t have any kids but a wonderful niece. She six and going to grow up I think to be a wonderful women. The first show is about Manson getting woman to follow him. I find it hard to watch. I think of her and a predator.
Omnes Omnibus
@Valdivia:
I added her today as well.
MomSense
@Suzanne:
What’s your price range? I like the look of the Staad. It’s about &300 though. I Like the grizzly leather on waxed canvas but they have blacks and gray color ways too.
MomSense
@MomSense:
The chocolate leather on black ballistic looks good, too.
Suzanne
@Steeplejack: Briefcases and messenger bags, while awesome-looking, give me horrible back pain after carrying them for any length of time. I go from office to construction site, and between the laptop and iPad, then all the flashlights, tape measures (laser and metal), and PPE, I have to schlep a lot. Briefcase is just not up to the task. Backpacks let me evenly distribute all that weight.
@Goblue72: Those are sexy. Me likey. Not sure me-afford-y, but that is definitely in my wheelhouse.
Suzanne
@MomSense: I would love to keep it under $150, but I will save up my spending money for the right thing if it will last.
the Conster
Watched the first epi of Mr. Robot, which looks really interesting – kind of like Pi meets Conspiracy Theory. I had to watch it with Spanish subtitles to see it before it starts at the end of the month. Rami Malek is an interesting looking dude with those eyes that are a little too intense for a main character, but I find him transfixing. The only thing I remember him in is Larry Crowne, which I’m going to admit is one of those movies that if it’s on, I’ll watch it. Christian Slater hasn’t aged at all without having work done, which is something these days.
Valdivia
@different-church-lady:
oops yes, Mclaren did Dots. Thanks for the correction.
Dr. Dave
@Suzanne: I will second the recommendation from Tommy at #57 of Timbuk2. They have a nice range from sporty to classy in messenger and backpack styles. I frequently ride my bike to work so I went with a backpack that has numerous functional pockets and a padded sleeve with space for both a laptop and a tablet. I got mine at the local bricks and mortar EMS and have been using it daily for a year now without any obvious signs of wear.
shell
Poor Dick. The inside of his head is a rocky place where a seed could find no purchase.
Suzanne
@Dr. Dave: I have been considering a Timbuk2. I have one of their messenger bags from forever ago, back when I didn’t have to carry so much stuff and only worried about looking cool, and it has held up great. I am not as on love with their backpack selection, because I like the custom colors, but think the Prospect backpack is slightly odd-looking, but they absolutely do hold up great.
@Emma: I was kinda liking the Ogio Soho. Your bags have held up well? I certainly like the price point.
CONGRATULATIONS!
@Suzanne: Look at the Tumi stuff. It’s not cheap but looks great.
Omnes Omnibus
@CONGRATULATIONS!: I’ve got some Tumi luggage. Nice stuff.
Suzanne
@CONGRATULATIONS!: I will confess to Tumi lust. They do indeed look fabulous. Droooooooool.
Origuy
@Omnes Omnibus: I’ve followed Suzannah Lipscomb for a while. She’s made some very good history documentaries for BBC. Although, truth be told, I’d watch her reading the London A to Z.
NotMax
@Valdivia
Read it when it first came out.
Watched it when it first aired.
@Suzanne
Have had good luck (both for myself and for gifts) and saved $$$ by ignoring the computer departments and perusing the luggage and camera aisles of stores.
That said, also do check online at both tigerdirect.com and also at newegg.com – you’ll have to drill down through Laptops – Laptop Accessories – Laptop cases. Some nice looking ones, and often some sale prices. (No direct links due to FYWP link limit.)
Emma
@Suzanne: The velcro messenger bag lasted three years. I still use it at home to hold my laptop plus project papers and supplies so I don’t have to futz around looking for stuff. The bucket tote is still merrily going ( I bought them within 6 weeks of each other). What I like about them is how many pockets they have. Besides, they look amazingly chic in grey, black and red.
BTW, if it’s only your tablet that you need to schlep, the Brooklyn bag is nice http://www.amazon.com/OGIO-Brooklyn-Purse-Black-11400703/dp/B0076D0MYI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1433029211&sr=8-1&keywords=ogio+brooklyn
I will agree with some of the other commenters that if you want classic longevity, buy the best leather you can afford. I get bored with the same thing, so I tend to like functional variety.
Omnes Omnibus
@Origuy:
Well, there is that.
MomSense
@Suzanne:
One of my kids has a Timbuk2 and it’s almost so square and nerdy looking that it’s cool.
The other kid has a northface pack.
Both have held up really well.
Suzanne
@Emma: I was looking at that Brooklyn bag to use as a purse, which I what I carry everywhere that isn’t work or the gym. It’s super-cute. Love to take the iPad everywhere.
@MomSense: The Timbuk2 is definitely a possibility. North Face is a little sporty-looking for me. I’m definitely going to architect-douche-cool here.
SiubhanDuinne
@Valdivia:
That is one of my favorite books ever! And I remember the animation, too, although it’s been years since I last watched it, so many thanks for the reminder.
@group:
Anyone know whatever happened to randinho? You know I’m not much of a sports fan, but he always did a nice job of explaining futból to ignorant laypersons like me.
And while I’m wondering about temporarily absent front-pagers, has anyone heard from Soonergrunt? I think of him often and hope he’s finding what he needs, and that he’ll return with his good insights when he’s ready.
Also, dennisg (Dengre). I miss his FP posts and hope he comes back at some point.
Emma
@Suzanne: https://www.cambridgesatchel.com/. This is to be my birthday present to myself this year. Investment but so cool looking!
SiubhanDuinne
@MomSense:
A few years ago I had a carpool passenger, a co-worker who bought a Timbuk2. He was ridiculously proud of it, and on the slightest show of interest from anyone, would launch into a rhapsodic encomium, demonstrating every strap and pocket and compartment. If I hadn’t been on the cusp of retirement at the time I would definitely have bought one for myself. The thing is that cool.
Omnes Omnibus
@SiubhanDuinne: SG is active on twitter. I am sure he will be back here when he is ready.
Goblue72
@Suzanne: These are more affordable –
http://shop.herschelsupply.com/collections/backpacks
Origuy
Soonergrunt has been tweeting pics from the Dallas ComicCon today.
Omnes Omnibus
@Origuy: Everyone needs a hobby.
RepubAnon
@mai naem mobile: Wouldn’t even need a sham contract – a simple out-of-court settlement agreement with a confidentiality clause would have done it – legally.
On a side note, doesn’t FIFA sound awfully close to “thief-ah”?
SiubhanDuinne
@Omnes Omnibus:
@Origuy:
Oh, thanks. I don’t have a Twitter account so didn’t know. I’m glad he’s okay.
Omnes Omnibus
@RepubAnon:
Yeah, I’ve been thinking the same. This was such a dumb way of handling it.
the Conster
@Origuy:
some of those pics are… cool? I’m not a comic book person, but you’ve got to give major props to the time and effort it takes to make some of those get ups. Now, get off my lawn.
JPL
@SiubhanDuinne: type in soonergrunt twitter on google and you can read his tweets. You don’t need an account.
I just looked and he is retweeting someone else. I’m not sure what that means though because I don’t have an account.
seaboogie
@Suzanne: I’m beginning to think that Hillary’s campaign slogans should be “Projecting, much!?” and also “I know you are, but what I am I?”. I can’t gin up a lot of enthusiasm for her, OTOH, after what she has been through and is willing to face again, I am all for her calling the “vast right-wing conspiracy” on ALL their shit.
Omnes Omnibus
@JPL:
Think of it as forwarding an email.
JPL
billmon just had a great comment on his twitter feed
Fox News is a game changer.
SiubhanDuinne
@JPL:
Good to know, thanks!
OldDave
Sports tonight? NHL Western Conference game 7. Are you kidding? What else is there?
KG
@JPL: like every form of media, from hieroglyphs to the printing press to radio and television to the Internet, it depends on who controlled the means of communication
grrljock
@Valdivia: +1. We’re looking forward to watching the Women’s World Cup games, including the finals in person!
Mike in NC
@the Conster: He played a WW2 Marine on the HBO miniseries ‘The Pacific’ a couple of years ago.
Dr. McCoy
PUT UP A NEW LINK/TOPIC, OVERLORDS!
Something not so inane…..
Omnes Omnibus
@Dr. McCoy: If the all caps doesn’t work, try emailing Cole.
Tree With Water
@seaboogie: H.C. has endured the “attack(s) of the barbarians”* for decades with the aplomb of a saint. It makes her unwillingness to attack the Bush-Cheney administration as criminal all the more infuriating. Insulting even. It is sickening to hear a republican presidential candidate make mention of the War in Iraq as a just cause, based on the “best intelligence” then available, and reflexively add “just like Hillary Clinton believes”. I hope she has it in her to dig even deeper into her best qualities, and find an effective counter to that taunt. A lot depends on it.
*(a phrase used by Dean Acheson to describe elements of the republican party in his autobiography. Those same elements today are in total control of the republican party apparatus).
Dr. McCoy
@Omnes Omnibus: Yeah right. +0 = 0 fun.
chromeagnomen
jeebus but the rox suck this year
/fan for 60 years
fuckwit
@Omnes Omnibus: c.f. Falafel Boy: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/crime/oreilly-falafel-suit-turns-five
Omnes Omnibus
@fuckwit: That was also handled stupidly. With something like that, you settle as soon as you verify the shit alleged in the demand letter. Never let the complaint (a public record document) be filed. OTOH, I would bet Falafel Boy’s lawyers told him the same thing. People don’t always listen.
Steeplejack (phone)
@Omnes Omnibus:
Nobody puts Bill-O in the corner!
Omnes Omnibus
@Steeplejack (phone): That way he is publicly humiliated and gets to write a big check. Brilliant thinking.
Steeplejack (phone)
@Omnes Omnibus:
Nobody except Bill-O, I forgot to add.
schrodinger's cat
@Suzanne: Does it have to be a backpack?
ETA: Another suggestion: Get a neoprene sleeve for the laptop, then you can put your laptop in any shoulder bag or backpack that you want.
SiubhanDuinne
@Omnes Omnibus:
He loves that.
Valdivia
@grrljock: oh you’ll have to give us liveblog from the game :)
Omnes Omnibus
@SiubhanDuinne: I try to be helpful.
Valdivia
@NotMax: Some books just make a home with you, the Juster did. As did Flatland, which I think inspired it.
@SiubhanDuinne: I have been also missed Randinho, wishing we could have more good futbol threads. I am rubbish at explaining it, except for my wow’s and that was amazing kind of comments.
Valdivia
@Dr. McCoy: @Omnes Omnibus:
last night when it was late without a thread I was tempted to tweet at Zandar since I saw him posting there. But Betty came and saved the day.
schrodinger's cat
@Suzanne: Does it have to be a backpack? I have this LL Bean backpack that I use when I have a lot of stuff to lug around.
ETA: Another suggestion: Get a neoprene sleeve for the laptop, then you can put your laptop in any shoulder bag or backpack that you want.
Culture of Truth
So they should have been busted before, but this is nothing; it’s wrong because the US only cares because it lost a World Cup bid; and it’s unseemly because the U.S. indicted people abroad which offends his liberal sensibilities. Jesus, no wonder liberals are always disappointed.
SiubhanDuinne
@Omnes Omnibus:
I know. You give and you give and you give, and what do you get in return? Bupkis.
Omnes Omnibus
@SiubhanDuinne: I am glad that someone understands.
tybee
@Mike in NC:
damn. beat me to that one. :)
tybee
@Omnes Omnibus:
spoilsport.
Omnes Omnibus
@tybee: Blatter may have done a lot of awful shit, but I really do doubt that he was involved in killing POWs. OTOH, we should wait for the evidence to come out. I could be wrong.
Brachiator
@RepubAnon: I don’t think you can have an out of court settlement unless you first have a lawsuit, which would have meant some publicity, which of course Hastert wanted to avoid. And I haven’t read any of the details of this sad story, so I don’t know exactly what was done or when anyone sought any money. Also, I guess I don’t much care to speculate on how politician might best have covered up his depraved behavior.
BillinGlendaleCA
@SiubhanDuinne: Only thing Omnes gives is a hard time. I keed, I keed.
Valdivia
oh it looks like Biden’s son Beau just passed away.
very very sad: http://7online.com/health/beau-biden-son-of-vp-joe-biden-dies/756882/
Omnes Omnibus
@Brachiator:
You definitely can. It happens all the time.
@BillinGlendaleCA: ::side eye::
BillinGlendaleCA
@Omnes Omnibus: Heh.
mclaren
The solution seems simple. End sports. People who desperately want to run around and hit other people can be given pinatas.
Omnes Omnibus
@Valdivia: Damn.
Howard Beale IV
@Valdivia: Confirmed: Brain cancer
mai naem mobile
@Suzanne: may I suggest Jansport I’ve used a messenger style bag for work for years. What really sold me on Jansport was the bag I used before my current one.that lasted for 8 years of heavy use and abuse and the only reason I replaced it was that it started looking a little grungy but was not torn. My.current one is about 5 yrs old.and still looking good. They have a ton of laptopback packs too and they have pretty much everything available in black. They have a bunch of stuff under $50 with a lot of pockets and stuff.
Valdivia
@Omnes Omnibus: @Howard Beale IV:
So sad. One of the things I so admire about Biden is that in spite of the tragedy he has known in his life he seems always cheerful and embracing life. Terrible to lose his son.
Jim Parish
I have to ask: is the title a Saki allusion?
mai naem mobile
@Valdivia: oh wow I feel eeally bad for the Biden family. They’ve been through.enough.
Brachiator
@Omnes Omnibus: I suppose. Did either or both parties have lawyers, or were they (especially Hastert) paranoid about exposure or publicity?
Omnes Omnibus
@Brachiator: I have no idea whether anyone involved sought the advice of counsel. I can say that they should have.
Anne Laurie
@SiubhanDuinne:
Soonergrunt’s on twitter (you don’t have to join twitter to read someone’s feed). This weekend he’s at the Dallas FanExpo, and from his retweets seems to be enjoying himself…
I miss Randinho and Dengre, too. Hope they’re just so busy & happy they don’t have time or need to rant on the interwebz!
Brachiator
@Valdivia: Just saw this. Biden has had a tremendous amount of tragedy in his life. It has bent, but never broken him. This is so, so sad.
Anne Laurie
@the Conster:
Lots of the most elaborate costumes in those pics are actually from movies — or video games.
I dabbled in cosplay 40 years ago, before we had (or needed) a special name for it. Don’t recognize more than 15% of the modern costumes without a cheat sheet, but I give mad props to the people putting in all that creativity, effort, time & expense!
Valdivia
@mai naem mobile: @Brachiator:
it’s impossible not to be sad for him. Sigh.
rikyrah
@Valdivia:
Prayers to the family. He was young.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym
@Emma:
The U.S. got involved because it was a U.S. organization engaged in lots and lots of illegal activity and also too stupid to cover it up at all.
There are a couple of things about the coverage that have been highly misleading:
1) Those indicted are being referred to as FIFA officials (nine of them, along with five business executives). That’s true, but also misstates what actually happened. They weren’t indicted for actions in their roles as FIFA officials; they were indicted for for their actions in their roles as CONCACAF officials; there’s some overlap, of course, but it’s the latter that makes it a U.S. crime. CONCACAF is the organization that runs international soccer in North and Central America and the Caribbean. It’s headquarters is in Miami and it’s corporate charter is American. So this isn’t really about arresting internationals; even those who are foreign citizens, like Jack Warner, are officers of an American corporation. So U.S. laws apply. The most one could do is wonder why the investigation was opened in the Eastern District of New York rather than in Miami, but that probably has to do with the folks experienced in navigating foreign bank transactions being primarily in the New York offices, is my guess.
2) The timing of this really doesn’t have anything to do with Putin or wanting to give it to Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, or even not getting the 2022 World Cup. This investigation isn’t new; it started over four years ago. The DOJ got it’s first guilty plea back in July 2013, though that was sealed until this week so that those who pleaded guilty could be used as informants. I’m sure that the timing two days before the FIFA elections was partially deliberate on the part of the DOJ to fuck with Blatter’s re-election, but it was also so that all of the suspects would be in one place at one time so that the arrests could be simultaneous. That’s also why it took place in Zurich; that’s where the sorts of meetings that they would all be at are held. So the international reach of this portion of the investigation is easily explainable.
3) Despite what I said in #1, non-CONCACAF officials are out in pretty deep and dark waters, too. The DOJ will have a chance to go after some of them. If you believe their evidence, some of the money involved in the bribes people were indicted for was routed through FIFA bank accounts in Switzerland. That makes whoever’s bank accounts those are (the DOJ has been coy on that so far) an accessory to a crime in the U.S. and thus subject to prosecution here. There are other aspects of U.S. law, like the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and some (admittedly overstretched, in my opinion) post-9/11 anti-terrorism laws, that give them real reach.
4) More pressing to FIFA, though, is that Switzerland has announced that it has opened a criminal investigation, coordinated with the DOJ, into the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar. The most encouraging sign today is that Argentinian police raided the offices of three businesses involved in the U.S. indictments and indicated that they are investigating as well. Throw on top of that that Brazil’s government has started to make noises about joining this parade, and you realize that this most definitely is not just an American operation trying to be the world’s policeman. For a variety of reasons we had to be the ones to start the ball rolling, but once we did, others were happy to join in.
So, yeah, my sympathy for Blatter, and my outrage over the horrible mistreatment of Sad Putin is distinctly muted.
morfydd
@Suzanne: way late to the topic, but I love Tom Bihn bags. They’re expensive but made in the US and last forever. The Brain Cell inserts for laptops are crazy overkill and can be pulled out to carry by themselves.
Tree With Water
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym: Thanks for that explanation. I still don’t give a rat’s ass about corruption in international soccer, but heartily approve regulators busting U.S. chartered entities that break the law. I just wished they’d do it more often.
jafd
I’m looking for a laptop bag / briefcase, something that has both a ‘briefcase handle’ and ‘backpack shoulder straps’, room for laptop and some paperwork, looks reasonably conservatively business-like…
Thanks for the suggestions.
Tuesday’ll be primary day in New Jersey, I’ll be working for the Board of Elections behind the table in my home precinct. Since no contests in this district, looking for reading material to bring along…
Another Holocene Human
For some reason I am highly amused that his name comes out sounding like “stepladder” when English speakers say it.
Another Holocene Human
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym:
Hahahaha, that’s putting a nice gloss on it. When you said “Miami”, I nodded. It all falls into place. The corruption, the international connections, and the brazen criminality. A southeastern prosecution shop was never going to nail these guys.
They were probably spending their ill gotten gains in NYC, like all stupid Florida criminals who want to live large, and attracted NYS attention, who turned it over to the feds. Unlike Flori-duhhh, NYS tax inspectors are actively looking for suspicious transactions and people living above their means.
J R in WV
It sounds like FIFA is wholly corrupt, and need to be dug out root and btanch, like an invasive tree or shrub! (Mrs J’s hobby, digging up allanthus or autumn olive, or multifloria rose, all invasive plants here in the W Va hills – more work than you would thing!!)
Perhaps someone will make the decision ro go RICO on the dirty bastids, seize all the ill -gotten gains, throw out all the current people, and make a fresh start with (hopefully) honest folks.
Think how much good could be done in third world countries with that flood of money!!
Heliopause
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym:
Uh, the host selections were made in 2010. And even casual fans like me have been hearing these corruption stories for a quarter century. Cheap politics is obviously a part of this.
chris murphy
I have no problem without going after FIFA or the teacher and administrators involved in the Atlanta testing scandal. Howerver it’s astounding that the Justice department is willing to chase FIFA around the world and invoke RICO against a bunch of teachers but can’t find sufficient evidence to proceed against the continuing criminal enterprise that is Wall Street.