Tuesday Morning Open Thread

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Blog Related
Posted on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 08:48:00 AM EST
Tags: (all tags)

Share This: Digg!

World Cup - On paper, the Mexico-Uruguay match should offer a game where both teams pull out all the stops to win this game the reason is both teams are 3 points clear of the other two teams in the group, France and South Africa, and both hold large goal differentials over these two teams (France would have to pick up 5 goals on goal differential (or 4 goals with a +4 goals scored) to qualify.)

The incentive for winning Group A is playing South Korea or Greece instead of Argentina in the Round of 16. That is a pretty big incentive.In the other early game, France has disintegrated and South Africa is simply not very good.

Mexico-Uruguay is clearly the match to watch. I like Uruguay.

Final scores -Uruguay 1 - Mexico 0, South Africa 2 - France1. Uruguay wins the group and avoids Argentina. Mexico also advances but has to face Argentina in the round of 16.

Open Thread.

< Blagojevich Chief of Staff on Stand: Testifying for Reduced Sentence | Peru: The Rights to Remain Silent and To Counsel and the Insanity Defense >

Legal

Nothing on this site should be construed as legal advice. TalkLeft does not give legal advice.

TalkLeft is not responsible for and often disagrees with material posted in the comments section. Read at your own risk.

Tuesday Morning Open Thread | 51 comments (51 topical)

Readers Must Login or Create an Account to Comment

aurora seen from space (5.00 / 1) (#7)
by Capt Howdy on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 08:49:26 AM EST

cooooool

Argentina is the best team in the tournament (5.00 / 1) (#39)
by magster on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 03:18:53 PM EST

so far. They dominated the two games I've seen.

Ban Lifting Judge, Finger in the Till (5.00 / 1) (#45)
by squeaky on Wed Jun 23, 2010 at 09:32:42 AM EST

Looks like the Reagan appointed Judge, Martin Feldman, who lifted Obama's six month moratorium on deepwater drilling, has several investments in the oil biz, including Transocean the company that had the rig. Clearly he should have recused himself from anything that could be seen as a conflict of interest.

NEW ORLEANS -- The Louisiana judge who struck down the Obama administration's six-month ban on deepwater oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico has reported extensive investments in the oil and gas industry, according to financial disclosure reports. He's also a new member of a secret national security court.
U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman, a 1983 appointee of President Ronald Reagan, reported owning less than $15,000 in stock in 2008 in Transocean ( RIG - news - people ) Ltd., the company that owned the sunken Deepwater Horizon drilling rig....
Feldman's 2008 financial disclosure report - the most recent available - also showed investments in Ocean Energy, a Houston-based company, as well as Quicksilver Resources ( KWK - news - people ), Prospect Energy ( PSEC - news - people ), Peabody Energy ( BTU - news - people ), Halliburton ( HAL - news - people ), Pengrowth Energy Trust ( PGH - news - people ), Atlas Energy Resources ( ATN - news - people ), Parker Drilling ( PKD - news - people ) and others. Halliburton was also involved in the doomed Deepwater Horizon project....
He's one of many federal judges across the Gulf Coast region who have had money in oil and gas. Several have disqualified themselves from hearing spill-related lawsuits and others have sold their holdings so they can preside over some of the 200-plus cases.

Univision between soccer games (none / 0) (#1)
by magster on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 08:23:53 AM EST

is as bad as the SNL skits parodying Mexican tv make them out to be.

Jorge Ramos (none / 0) (#2)
by Big Tent Democrat on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 08:25:25 AM EST

is an excellent newscaster.


: He's not working today (none / 0) (#3)
by magster on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 08:27:55 AM EST

Well, Mexico does play next so maybe things are a little nutty on the set today.

I chose Mexico - Uruguay (none / 0) (#4)
by inclusiveheart on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 08:38:33 AM EST

even before watching, but I wish I didn't have to choose between games. I never understand why they do that.

NY State strikes again... (none / 0) (#5)
by kdog on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 08:39:23 AM EST

add another 1.60 per pack smokers, err smokers who haven't already turned to the native american tribes or the black market. Link
The bastards up in Albany got some nerve, I tell ya. If my people are gonna bail out there irresponsible spending arses time and time again, the least they can do is put some smoking lounges in government buildings.

When I read the article yesterday (none / 0) (#19)
by jimakaPPJ on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 10:39:53 AM EST

I thought you would have a comment.....

They look more expensive than MJ.

Why not just quit? Save money to use for booze and poker...plus, frustrate the bureaucrats.. Not to mention how much better you will feel.


I'll quit... (none / 0) (#21)
by kdog on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 10:49:57 AM EST

when I cease to enjoy it, I certainly won't be extorted into quitting...I'll tell ya that much.

Doesn't effect me much anyway...I've been a rez customer for awhile now...only in a pinch do I pay this outlandish vig.

Premium mj is still pricier, but a dose of crack or heroin is cheaper now in NYC than a pack of smokes...crazy but true. A six pack too.

Some perspective...in 15 short years a pack in NYC went from 2 and change to 12 bucks...all f*ckin' tax. Truth is stranger than fiction.


: Ever think about rolling your own? (none / 0) (#44)
by jimakaPPJ on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 09:23:46 PM EST

They use to have machines that you would use to roll your own that produced a pretty decent smoke. Bull Durham, Country Gentleman and Prince Albert has all be smoked by yours truly using the machine.
I could never free style one that was worth a flip.... My dad could drive a team of horses and roll his own and never miss a beat.

oh my (none / 0) (#6)
by Capt Howdy on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 08:42:24 AM EST

McChrystal Apologies for Incendiary Article

Half way through (5.00 / 1) (#22)
by waldenpond on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 11:10:53 AM EST

My top word after reading half the article.... disgust. That apology is just so much hypocrisy. Our 'professional' military sound like a bunch of yahoo punks, so ill-suited to lead and make decisions. Afghanistan failure is so apparent now. It so clearly reflects McChrystal and his staff personalities. I haven't figured out what it says about the Administration that not even this would get him removed.

Rest assured, the PR person who arranged the interview has been fired. pfft.


The Rolling Stone story on McChrystal is top notch (5.00 / 2) (#24)
by FoxholeAtheist on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 12:14:07 PM EST

Link, Runaway General. The article reminds us that McChrystal was a cheerleader and propagandist for Rumsfeld, Bush and Co. McChrystal defended, and concurred with, Bush's 'Mission Accomplished' lie; he was a central figure in falsifying the record and covering up the fact that Pat Tillman was killed by friendly fire; and he turned a blind eye to torture of detainees at Iraq's Camp Nama.

How interesting that McChrystal is being publicly excoriated now for his unflattering assessment of Obama and Biden -- rather than his prior misconduct and his current stewardship of the interminable, failing, counterproductive Afghanistan counterinsurgency.

Whatever the nature of the new plan, the delay underscores the fundamental flaws of counterinsurgency. After nine years of war, the Taliban simply remains too strongly entrenched for the U.S. military to openly attack. The very people that the counterinsurgency seeks to win over - the Afghan people - do not want us there. Our supposed ally, President Karzai, used his influence to delay the offensive, and the massive influx of aid championed by McChrystal is likely only to make things worse. Andrew Wilder, an expert at Tufts University who has studied the effect of aid in southern Afghanistan, said: "A tsunami of cash fuels corruption, delegitimizes the government and creates an environment where we're picking winners and losers" - a process that fuels resentment and hostility among the civilian population.
So far, counterinsurgency has succeeded only in creating a never-ending demand for the primary product supplied by the military: perpetual war. There is a reason that President Obama studiously avoids using the word "victory" when he talks about Afghanistan. Winning, it would seem, is not really possible. Not even with Stanley McChrystal in charge.

Here's hoping this catastrophy ends far sooner than later.


Ironic that a magazine (5.00 / 1) (#28)
by jondee on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 01:09:37 PM EST

ostensibly primarily devoted to rock/pop culture seems to be the only one that still employs journalists who do what journalists are supposed to do.


Rolling Stone... (none / 0) (#31)
by kdog on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 01:53:03 PM EST

does bring the hard-hitting investigative pieces the "mainstream" media chooses to ignore...I guess investigative journalism is now a form of rock-n-roll rebellion against the societal norm of "mainstream" media as corporate and government propaganda arm.


They used to call it muckraking (none / 0) (#34)
by jondee on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 02:32:30 PM EST

back before brown nosing for access and rubber stamping press releases became the norm..


: Lucky for we the people... (none / 0) (#35)
by kdog on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 02:40:11 PM EST

Rolling Stone only gets their noses browned to become part of the VIP backstage area club...I guess they couldn't care less about the Beltway club.
An example of good taste in brown-nosing:)

interesting (none / 0) (#8)
by CST on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 08:54:21 AM EST

all of the last group games happen at the same time after having 1 game per time slot in the first two games. Is this to keep teams from throwing matches?

Kind of stinks, it would be nice to be able to watch the other games.

I noticed the same thing. (none / 0) (#23)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 12:06:20 PM EST

My wife and I had all sorts of elaborate strategies for rooting for tomorrow's games, which depended on whether the US or England played first.

Now with them both playing at the same time, the only plan remaining is to root for the US to win and for England to lose...


U.S. to win (none / 0) (#25)
by CST on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 12:43:03 PM EST

by more than Uruguay and England to tie - then we get 1st place seeding


And by Uruguay (none / 0) (#26)
by CST on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 12:43:38 PM EST

I mean Slovenia...


: I like how you think. (none / 0) (#27)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 12:49:52 PM EST

Exactly. No collusion btw teams allowed anymore (none / 0) (#42)
by Ellie on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 06:07:00 PM EST

... to hack through a match for mutually assured advancement. The theatrics of diving are bad enough. I forget which scandal (back in the day) created the adoption of this scheduling.

I also like it better when allocating resources (like creatively using a mixed roster of stars, newbies and vets) is part of a team's strategy for the tournament. This WC has been thrilling right from Day One.

The sport's healthier for it, even if there are disappointments like S. Africa finding out they're not advancing despite a solid win today vs. Les Miz.

Besides, if that Côte d'Ivoire player who got Brazil's Kaka tossed in a bald case of cheating didn't win a Tony Award for individual performance, why should two teams be rewarded for playing to a collaborated script?


Mexico v Uruguay: (none / 0) (#9)
by brodie on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 09:06:33 AM EST

It would be nice to see our immediate neighbors to the south go far in this tournament for a change. I also like all their large pyramids down there. A bit of a mystery, that.

But there are other worthy countries out there, like Uruguay, whom I slightly prefer today. And Uruguay has the political advantage, with a left-of-center president who claims as his only asset a 23-yo Volkwagen Beetle. Cool fact, if true.

Uruguayans (rugby) were also involved in that fascinating and heroic Alive book/movie. And it's otherwise a kind of quiet, small SA country we usually never hear about up north, so another underdog to root for in that sense.

That was the best missed shot I've seen (none / 0) (#10)
by magster on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 09:27:39 AM EST

for Mexico. One 1/2 inch lower and it would have been a goal.

Red Card, Gourcuff, 25th minute (none / 0) (#11)
by scribe on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 09:31:29 AM EST

Elbow to the jaw of the SA player.

And, apparently, there's some pizza company somewhere going broke, b/c they have a promotion to give away pizzas every time France concedes a goal.

: SA 2, FRA 0 (none / 0) (#12)
by scribe on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 09:38:57 AM EST

and it isn't as close as the score suggests.

Is there a rule on contested headers (none / 0) (#13)
by magster on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 09:41:58 AM EST

about who is called for the foul? Seems like a few times today the Uruaguayans are more concerned about getting position without going for the ball, and the foul is called on the Mexican jumping for the ball.

Oh, my. Half time. Mexico is behind. (none / 0) (#14)
by oculus on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 09:56:14 AM EST

And time to p/u tutoree to go to school. Thank God for ESPN radio!

El Tri... (none / 0) (#15)
by kdog on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 10:08:18 AM EST

will equalize...I can feel it. They better cuz they sure as hell don't wanna face Argentina right out the gate in the elimination round.


noooo (5.00 / 1) (#16)
by CST on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 10:13:50 AM EST

I want a loser out of Mexico/Uruguay, don't care who but someone's got to lose.

And South Africa needs to score a few more goals... France has checked out anyway.

GO SOUTH AFRICA GO!


oh well (none / 0) (#18)
by CST on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 10:31:11 AM EST

france just scored. Guess that's it for the home team.


Yep... (none / 0) (#20)
by kdog on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 10:40:40 AM EST

And good for Mexico if they come up short...but Guadalajara's own Chicarito Hernandez is gonna find the net as a late sub...Vamos!


: No equalizer... (none / 0) (#32)
by kdog on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 01:54:45 PM EST

but the Mexicans advance...gonna have to beat one of the big boys sooner or later, maybe they'll catch the Argentines a little over-confident.

Mexico has been really close a few times (none / 0) (#17)
by magster on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 10:24:18 AM EST

Have to think they'll get one soon.

hmmm (none / 0) (#29)
by Capt Howdy on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 01:15:47 PM EST

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 57% of voters feel Clinton is qualified to be president, but 34% disagree and say she is not.
As for President Obama, 51% say he is fit for the job. However, 44% say he is not qualified to be president, even though he has now served 17 months in the job

: .."even though" (none / 0) (#30)
by jondee on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 01:21:58 PM EST

even though a lot of the respondees probably didn't vote for him in first place and are more-or-less psychologically primed to associate "bad stuff in the last 17 months" more with the sitting President than with Clinton.

And now (none / 0) (#33)
by CST on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 01:58:24 PM EST

onto rooting for Nigeria and Argentina to win big.

ONE of the African teams has got to make it.

Yay Mexico! Kudos to upstarts for making biggies (none / 0) (#36)
by Ellie on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 02:58:28 PM EST

... earn it. Mexico played their hearts out against a tougher opponent who had some real snipers out there.

And now Greece is making a real fight out of it. Some really epic saves by Greek keeper Tzorvas, supported by a stubborn Greek wall'o'D that Messi & Co can't seem to solve.

I'm torn on this one, but the local Greek contingent is just having so much fun being in the WC, I gotta say:

Gooooooooo GREECE!

Hard to root against Greece (none / 0) (#38)
by brodie on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 03:12:12 PM EST

birthplace of democracy and all that.

Of course, they took a timeout from that democracy stuff with the military generals in power a few decades ago. Tried to make up for it with a decent, but costly, 2004 Olympics.

Argentina, not such a long track record of democracy, and more than a few years with military generals in charge. Trying to make up for it now by scoring big for democracy with their current center-left president, who also scores well on my card for her personal charms.


: Also home of Greek tragedy ... Argies came thru (none / 0) (#40)
by Ellie on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 03:25:33 PM EST

... it's 2-0 now.
What an effort, though. Before the first Argie goal, Tzorvas twice warned his supporting D to clear the ball away from the Greek net.
Even though the Greek offense sometimes resembled kids' futbol -- a lot of chaotic ball-chasing with a few quick breaks -- it was still a fun game to watch. (Well, not for Maradona till 80-ish minutes into it.)
And it's done ... Argentina's through to the next round.

: I dont know how much (none / 0) (#41)
by jondee on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 04:10:11 PM EST

we can blame the Greek people themselves for that reign of Generals a few decades back; as I recall, they had a very big assist on that one from the Cold War jihadist wing in the U.S and Great Britain.

RayGUn's Reach Beyond the Grave (none / 0) (#37)
by squeaky on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 03:09:03 PM EST

WASHINGTON -- A federal judge in New Orleans on Tuesday blocked a six-month moratorium on deep-water drilling projects that the Obama administration had imposed in response to the vast oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
The White House swiftly said the administration would appeal the decision.
In a 22-page ruling, Judge Martin L. C. Feldman of Federal District Court issued a preliminary injunction against the enforcement of a May 28 order halting all floating offshore drilling projects in more than 500 feet of water and preventing the government from issuing new permits for such projects.
Citing the economic harm to businesses and workers in the gulf caused by the moratorium, Judge Feldman -- a 1983 appointee of President Ronald Reagan -- wrote that the Obama administration had failed to justify the need for the sweeping suspension, which he characterized as "generic, indeed punitive."

NYT

RSA's first goal on the French (none / 0) (#43)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Tue Jun 22, 2010 at 09:14:53 PM EST

was a hand (shoulder) ball.

Two deaths in gulf (none / 0) (#46)
by waldenpond on Wed Jun 23, 2010 at 11:15:47 AM EST

and cap is off because of hydrates.

We could use a Wednesday thread.

David Petraeus is actually (none / 0) (#47)
by Militarytracy on Wed Jun 23, 2010 at 12:27:25 PM EST

moving down the chain of command to take over Afghanistan. Has such a thing ever been done before?

Chess Pieces (none / 0) (#48)
by squeaky on Wed Jun 23, 2010 at 12:28:55 PM EST

Is there insubordinate treason in chess :)? (none / 0) (#50)
by Militarytracy on Wed Jun 23, 2010 at 12:32:37 PM EST

: Yeah (5.00 / 1) (#51)
by squeaky on Wed Jun 23, 2010 at 12:38:21 PM EST

Haven't you read Alice in Wonderland. Off with their heads.

Brilliant move though militarily (none / 0) (#49)
by Militarytracy on Wed Jun 23, 2010 at 12:31:53 PM EST

He slides into place a whole lot easier because Afghanistan moves have been all run through him (we hope). The troops won't feel a huge bump or glitch hopefully. And we will groom a new Commander, someone of the Pentagon and WH agreement and choosing. General McChrystal isn't even being allowed to return to Afghanistan and pack his belongings. That is being done for him.
