Well, those aren't actually mutually exclusive. I'd say that the potential for graft was simply another mark in the "win" column for Sochi.

Post Kerrigan/Harding, figure skating became the biggest hit of the Winter Olympics, by far. Numbers have dropped since, but the women's short program that year was the 6th-most-watched television program of all time.

Sochi was put forward by Putin to help market it as a travel destination for Europeans. He wants to build a Caucasian Riveria in the interests of squelching ethnic unrest in the Caucasus by improving the economy. I can't imagine that he'd be trying to keep foreigners out.

The Fallopines

Never have I been sadder that Gabe left Videogum.

So true. Just further evidence of his terrible decision-making

Mary + Francis = Frary. Not Franny. Right? right.

Bull Durham!

Edit: Whoops, this was supposed to be a reply to @LtNOWIS. Moved accordingly. Sorry

Who was the lead singer of Sloppy Seconds? Was it Michael Bolton? Under that crazy hair, I couldn't tell

You think it's gorgeous. You want to kiss it. Love it and marry it.

I firmly believe that Ulysses is perhaps the greatest literary achievement of the 20th century and also believe that you shouldn't read it (a) alone and (b) without a reference guide. I know the Blamires has detractors, but it's my recommendation.

Somehow I've never read Brothers Karamazov. I both feel intimidated to read it on my own and can't find anyone who hasn't read it yet willing to commit to it. Repost when you start and I'll be happy to read along with you!

White Noise is an excellent follow-up to Wind Up Bird Chronicle. I happened to read those two back-to-back and really found them to resonate together.

I just finished In the Heart of the Sea a couple weeks ago! Randomly picked it up at a friend's house and devoured it in a week. Fascinating. If you liked it, I recommend The Ice Balloon, another tale of 19th century exploration leading to a similar outcome.

I find myself re-reading To Kill a Mockingbird every couple of years (that The Hobbit) and unfailingly take away something new from it.

The differences between the halves is one of the reasons I love that book. It ends so very well. There's a bit in the middle/first part of the second half where things seems sloggy, but then the end completely justifies it. Everything comes together perfectly with a simultaneous sense of inevitability and surprise.

There's a giant Grand-Canyon-sized difference between a wedding and a marriage. If he's prepared for the latter, he should compromise on the former. But he needs to be damn sure, because of the two, the marriage is the one that matters.

The media's take on celebrity ODs is always interesting, in a grotesque way. It says a lot about our cultural values and their inherent contradictions. Coverage walks a fine line between informative and positively ghoulish. There's a legitimate argument to be made that the details of addiction are important to remind…

I was thinking Johnny, too. But I'd like to believe his love of Ava would keep him from wanting her raped and in state prison, no matter how much he hates Boyd