Foley’s calling his new shop “Celebrity Consignment”. We think the better bet would have been “Mr. Cocktober’s”.

Mark Foley: Former Congressman, Current Furniture Salesman [TPM]

Ex-Congressman opens consignment shop [WPTV]

Geez.  The USA and Canada should think about doing this head-to-head hockey thing every year, for bragging rights.  Get a fancy trophy or something.  I’m serious. 

This plea doesn’t come from a sense of sour grapes or anything, with the U.S. Americans losing.  Two great teams — with the star of the show, Sidney Crosby, writing the storybook ending yesterday — played a hell of a game.  And I know that nothing will ever have the same juice as CAN 3:2 USA (OT).  But, regardless: I WANT MORE OF THAT.

But, of course, we shall get no more of that — at least for a while.  Jacques Rogge pulled the plug last night during what was, to be honest, a disjointed closing ceremony.  Between a bewildering presentation by Sochi, the VANOC clown-in-chief’s speech (including some horrendous French pronounciation), the comedy bits (“sorry!”), and the Busby Beaver sequence, it was a vice-royal mess.  Neil Young wasn’t bad, though. 

(It may be that the ceremonies actually ended on a better note, but the Mothership cut away to The Marriage Ref.  Welcome back to fourth-place, NBC!)

A brief attempt at closing analysis — admittedly, without Bob Costas’s back-up orchestra with appropriate montage sequence — after the jump.

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One day they’re meeting with the President’s minions at the White House, the next day they’re swapping Bibles for Playboys in San Antonio. (Printed pornography? How adorable!)

Folks, if you wanna go without God, great. But organized atheism strikes us as akin to organized anarchy: You’re doing it wrong.

No word on substance of White House meeting with atheists [McClatchy]

College students urged: Trade Bible for Playboy [WND]

From a few days ago – and,  we ask you, how else are they going to stay warm?

Rowdy curling crowds; spontaneous street parties; public drunkeness. You don’t have to look far for evidence that the crowds at Winter Games in Vancouver know how to have a good time.

And, as if anymore proof is needed that a wild Olympic atmosphere permeates B.C.’s largest city, now there’s an apparent condom shortage.

That’s right. As you read this, an emergency shipment of condoms is desperately making its way across Canada to the West Coast city.

And you thought Canada was boring …

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Two — and only two — events on the docket.  There’s the men’s 50k in cross-country.  There may be a debate about who the fittest men on the planet are — competitive swimmers and water polo players, marathoners, triathaloners, etc.  But these guys are in the conversation.  It’s somewhat of a pity, however, that watching XC on the teevee is like watching paint dry.  The exception to this, however, is the last three or four kilometers, in which there is invariably three or four guys making a mad dash for the line, together.  So something to scan through at least.

And then there’s the hockey game.  Canada has always played on the edge of total disaster (losing 5:3 a week ago to the U.S. Americans, damn near blowing a 3:0 lead against Slovakia in the semis.)  If anything, this has juiced the game this afternoon — 1500 ET on the Mothership, live to all time zones (including perhaps Hawaii)– up north.  And God knows NBC has pimped this game relentlessly in the last 48 hours.

For Team USA-USA-USA, Patrick Kane had himself a breakout performance against the Finns on Friday.  (This, to be honest, is not totally impressive — I could have had a breakout performance, the way Kippy was playing in net.)  He hadn’t had a good performance before then.  So he may be peaking at the right time.  Also watch Zach Parise and Brian Rafalski — who have been having a whale of a tournament.  And then there’s Ryan Miller, who’s stood on his head for the last two weeks (a .954% save percentage, and a 1.04 goals-against average — that’s a pretty damned good run).

Should be a hell of a game.  I will be splitting time between here and the commentary playpen/game-thread on the Blackhawks’ fan blog, Second City Hockey (d/b/a Sec 326 Bureau Chief).  Join me there, and here.  (Forgive the slow-speed on Second City Hockey — there’ll probably be over 700 comments unless they break the thread into periods.)

Full analysis of everything tomorrow.  Enjoy the game — seriously, it is Appointment TV.

Title: “Payback Time: Making Big Money Is the Best Revenge!”

Author: Phil Town

Rank: 6

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Customers Also Bought: “Jim Cramer’s Stay Mad for Life: Get Rich, Stay Rich (Make Your Kids Even Richer),” by Jim Cramer and Cliff Mason (published December 4, 2007)

Footnote: We’ve been informally tracking the Amazon Top 100 for almost a year and a half, and we don’t recall seeing a get-rich-quick book recently. So we’ll take this as an informal leading indicator that Americans are almost ready to play the casino again.

Payback Time [Amazon]

Buy or Die [Stinque@Amazon kickback link]

Sort of like their economy:

(NEWSER) – A Dubai aquarium and shopping mall were evacuated yesterday when a mammoth shark tank cracked and gushed water in downtown Dubai. The 2.5 million gallon tank, promoted as an “indoor ocean,” holds some 33,000 sea creatures, including hundreds of sharks. Workers carrying life jackets rushed to the scene, and the glass panel leak was quickly plugged. The fish were not in danger, reports the BBC. The aquarium is located at the foot of the world’s tallest building, which was closed this month after an elevator accident.

Video after the jump:

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