January 23, 2015

At the Capitol Café...

P1130872

... you can talk about anything you want.

(The photograph shows the Wisconsin State Capitol building from across frozen Lake Mendota.)

40 comments:

MaxedOutMama said...

A very beautiful and striking photo.

Left Bank of the Charles said...

What a lovely Midwestern scene.

David said...

Inflation, of course.

My theory is that the refs screwed up when they tested them.

Unless Belichick and Brady are bigger fools than they seem to be, lying was not in their interest.

lemondog said...

re: deflate-gate

While the evidence thus far supports the conclusion that footballs that were under-inflated were used by the Patriots in the first half, the footballs were properly inflated for the second half and confirmed at the conclusion of the game to have remained properly inflated.

In which half were most of the points scored?

chillblaine said...

Crystal-clear blue skies here today. Warm - strawberries are flowering. Saw the Google Street view car with the mounted camera tooling down Conrad Drive. I was walking the poodles and waved wildly. I wonder how long until I can see myself on street view.

Feministing linked to an article about "Radical Brownies" which was so ridiculous I had to blog about it myself. Radfem is such a target-rich environment, rhetorically.

chickelit said...

Time to whip out those old WIN buttons. If you can afFord one.

Browndog said...

Since it's turned into a national crisis....

The Pats are being framed.

yes, sabotage.

Nobody. Noooooobody noticed under inflated footballs until "somebody" alerted the refs.

Not enough for anyone to notice, enough to cause a "cheating again" shitstorm.

Find the source, you'll find the sabatour-

Fandor said...

"At the Capitol Cafe...you can talk about anything you want."

Ann, you may be interested in another political book after you finsh LBJ...

"The Greatest Comeback" by Pat Buchanan. I just watched a taped Q@A on C-Span between Brian Lamb and Buchanan about the "resurrection" of Richard Nixon's political career between 1962-1968.
I see parallels, lots of them, to our upcoming contest.

Fandor said...

Oh, nice picture.

It looks cold out there.

FleetUSA said...

Just saw American Sniper. Not an easy film for right or left, but a story that needed telling in only the way Clint Eastwood could do it.

The cinema was packed for a 6:30 showing.

Hagar said...

There are at least two things going on with "nuclear proliferation."

Iran is a nation state intending to become the hegemon in the "Arab world," so what it wants - and intends to have - is 50-100, or more, miniaturized devices with sophisticated triggers, fail-safes, etc. mounted in equally sophisticated missiles. It is going to take a bit of doing, but they are well on the way and will probably reach their goal before too long.

The crazies do not need all that. All they need are two bricks of fissionable uranium large enough that the two together will start a chain reaction. Two little girls, each carrying one, and they meet and embrace at the chosen location.

Or simpler yet, just some nuclear waste packed in with a load of C-4, and let the media and panic do the rest.

traditionalguy said...

The Hawks cruised past the Thunder tonight for a record 15th win streak. Those Western conference teams sure are easy to beat.

traditionalguy said...

The wife agreed to see American Sniper with me tomorrow afternoon, but I will owe her seeing Still April, The Theory of Everything, and another boring flick to be named later.

Browndog said...

Wife agreed to see American Sniper tomorrow-

...she doesn't know it yet.

This is the one that walked out of "Patton".

Yea, that long ago-

Gahrie said...

How come the cold weather didn't effect the Colts' balls?

Gahrie said...

John Bolton/Joni Ernst in 2016!

Lyle Smith said...

a nicely framed and layered photo

Coconuss Network said...

I might just have to print and frame this photo. It's beautiful. With your permissions of course.

Writ Small said...

So many observers fell prey to Eastwood's simple choice at the end of "Sniper": no sound during the credit roll. No lonesome trumpet. No military drumbeat. No country song about heroes. All you hear is the rustling and whispers of fellow movie goers. Such an inspired directorial choice! I expect it to be widely imitated.

Humperdink said...

Saw Sniper last night with 5 guys. It was guys night out. Spouse did not want to see it, so I got a gang together. Went to the 6:30 showing - sold out. Waited for the 7:00 showing. Spouse wouldn't have made it through.

Humperdink said...

Deflagate: One must presume this was not the first time deflated balls were used by the Pats. They did have some wins by very narrow margins. Can one conclude deflated footballs helped lead the Pats to victory in theses games, and by extension, achieved home field advantage?

Curious George said...

"traditionalguy said...
The Hawks cruised past the Thunder tonight for a record 15th win streak."

TEAM record.

MadisonMan said...

It looks cold out there.

It's actually pretty mild. The real cold air comes back in about a week, after next weekend (sigh).

But at least it's bright out at 5 PM now. That's always a big bonus.

Humperdink said...

“Tom Brady Addresses Deflate Gate: ‘This Isn’t ISIS’ ”

As noted earlier by a prominent American, ISIS is a JV team.

(paraphrasing the WSJ)

tim in vermont said...

A Major League Pitcher's Guide to Doctoring a Baseball

What happens in baseball when you catch a guy doctoring a ball? You throw him out of the game. Do you suspend him for the following season and doc the team draft picks? No.

Boston's John Lester doctors baseball in game 1 of the 2013 World Series

[Gaylord] Perry, a Hall-of-Famer, compiled his 314-265 record on the wings of a Vaseline ball. He'd stand on the mound, touching his cap or his sleeve, either loading up the ball or trying to convince batters he was doing so. In 1982, he became one of the very few pitchers to be suspended for doctoring the ball.

Gene Tenace, who was Perry's catcher with the Padres, said the ball was sometimes so loaded he couldn't throw it back to the mound. Indians president Gabe Paul defended Perry: "Gaylord is a very honorable man," he said. "He only calls for the spitter when he needs it."


If you are going to look for precedent, I think baseball is a better place to look than the punishment imposed on a team that had a system of paying players to physically injure players on the other team.

There is a lot of Patriots hate out there, they win a lot. I can understand that. Brady is richer than Scrooge McDuck and better looking than his supermodel wife, and threatening to win more Super Bowls than Montanna.

He came within minutes of a perfect season. I guess that was because of the huge advantage that deflated footballs gave him.

tim in vermont said...

As for why Iran is deadset on going nuclear. I blame George W. Bush. He showed Iran how powerless a conventional army with Soviet export weaponry is against the US military in a conventional war. What other conclusion could they come to?

Of course Iran's geography is completely different, but that is a small comfort when faced with a force like that. Not to mention that there are constraints against use of nuclear force that have been effective so far, but the world will accept the use of conventional force on a scale that could topple Iran. Every regime, democratic, or authoritarian sees survival as its first priority.

Humperdink said...
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Humperdink said...

Regardless of what the NFL does in this case, the Patriots are now habitual offenders. I would suggest the NFL interview any and all former Patriot coaches and players to uncover what other illicit activities the Pats have doing over the years.

It's a shame, but I am thinking this investigation will not conclude prior to the Big Game. I was hoping Brady would be suspended for it.

Yes, the Pats have great players, yes they are well run organization, yes there is Patriot envy out there, and yes they cheat.

tim in vermont said...

I was hoping Brady would be suspended for it.

Who exactly would watch that game? A bunch of people with their panties in a knot over men competing for a coveted prize? A bunch of bitter fans of second rate teams feeling like watching a game like that is some kind of justice.

If GB had managed to hold out that last couple of minutes, it would have been much better. It would have been ball doctor vs. ball doctor.

At first I was sympathetic to all of the criticism of the Patriots, but honestly, the calls for punishment are so ridiculous that I just don't care.

tim in vermont said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
tim in vermont said...

We could call it the "Pearl Clutcher's Bowl" if Brady or Belichick is suspended.

Tank said...

President Obama on the gay:

. “I think people know that treating folks unfairly, even if you disagree with their lifestyle choice, the fact of the matter is they’re not bothering you.

It's a lifestyle choice?

OK.

I thought that made you a homophobic bigot.

It's hard to keep track.

Tank said...

Ms. Tank and I watched Maleficent last night which was pretty good for that sort of thing (WTF sort of thing is it anyway?). She said it was WAY better than Frozen (which I walked out on), and still can't figure out what the deal is there.

Hagar said...

Tim, the earth revolves around its axis, not Washington, DC.

Humperdink said...

Tim in Vermont said: "Who exactly would watch that game?"

Well they would lose two viewers, Brady and his lovely bride. Beyond that? Maybe the equipment manager.

MadisonMan said...

I was hoping Brady would be suspended for it.

That's not inventive, a suspension.

Playing with 11 underinflated footballs stitched onto his uniform, and onto those of his receivers -- that's entertainment!

tim in vermont said...

@Hagar

The world is a chaotic place where ever decision has anticipated and unanticipated consequences that may go far beyond what seemed to be the parameters of the original decision.

If I were running Iran, and I saw what just happened to a military that I had fought to a draw recently, I would feel an imperative to up my game.

Well they would lose two viewers, Brady and his lovely bride. Beyond that? Maybe the equipment manager.

You really think the audience for second-rate football is that high?

You hate the Patriots, fine, that is all part of sports, hating the good teams brings in viewers too, to root against them. The Celtics of old drew huge national audiences composed to a significant extent, of haters. Nobody would suggest that crippling the good teams to make the haters feel vindicated is a way to bring in fans though, except maybe you.

It is just not that big a deal. You can wet your pants when the big boys play if you like. The NFL is not a place for bed wetters.

Humperdink said...

Tim. Hate is the commie-pinko lefty word for disagree. You needn't go down that path. I don't hate the Pats.

I am Steeler fan, we stink and deserve to be home. OTOH, Bills and Jet fans ....

Hagar said...

For going on a century now, the leaders of the third world and thei leading generals and bureaucrats have been educated at Harvard, MIT, Stanford, and Wellesley. They do not need George W. to poin anything out for them.

tim in vermont said...

They do not need George W. to poin anything out for them.

Yeah, that was my claim,that W called them on the phone and made a suggestion...