European Tribune - Community, Politics & Progress.

Well, she definitely was a woman to follow her inclinations, or wasn't she? But otherwise all I can think is yuk!

by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 10:15:01 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Yes, she was but it is a little sad that there are no other high profile, strong and inspiring women that spring to mind for that many women being interviewed.

Ad astra per aspera

by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 10:18:24 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Sarah Palin is apparently viewed as a suitable role model by almost half of Americans...

by asdf on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 10:26:10 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Oh dear.

Ad astra per aspera

by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 10:27:40 AM EST
[ Parent ]

I have trouble believing that when 60% don't think she's fit to hold national office. Do you have a link?

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!

by Drew J Jones (blahblahblah@blahblahblah.com) on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 10:59:05 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Of course not! :-)

I'm simply going by the fact that around half of the country voted for the McCain/Palin ticket, which presumably means that she's suitable. As President she would obviously be a role model for millions of women.

I believe that Obama got about 53% of the total vote, not 60%...

by asdf on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 11:10:19 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Rasmussen Reports^TM: The most comprehensive public opinion coverage ever provided for a presidential election.

69% of GOP Voters Say Palin Helped McCain
Sixty-nine percent (69%) of Republican voters say Alaska Governor Sarah Palin helped John McCain's bid for the presidency, even as news reports surface that some McCain staffers think she was a liability.
Only 20% of GOP voters say Palin hurt the party's ticket, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Six percent (6%) say she had no impact, and five percent (5%) are undecided.
Ninety-one percent (91%) of Republicans have a favorable view of Palin, including 65% who say their view is Very Favorable. Only eight percent (8%) have an unfavorable view of her, including three percent (3%) Very Unfavorable.
When asked to choose among some of the GOP's top names for their choice for the party's 2012 presidential nominee, 64% say Palin. The next closest contenders are two former governors and unsuccessful challengers for the presidential nomination this year -- Mike Huckabee of Arkansas with 12% support and Mitt Romney of Massachusetts with 11%.

by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 04:07:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]

I thought a lot Golda Meir.

Somewhere in cyberspace, the ghost of de Chardin is smiling.

by budr on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 10:42:35 AM EST
[ Parent ]

But how many of the younger women remember/know Golda?$

I was thinking of Mary Robinson and maybe even Merkel, though I do not necessarily agree with her an everything.

by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 10:45:55 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Golda Meir - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Besides today I am not so sure anymore if Golda would be such a great role model.

Golda Meir was elected Prime Minister of Israel on 17 March 1969, after serving as Minister of Labour and Foreign Minister. She was described as the "Iron Lady" of Israeli politics years before the epithet became associated with British prime minister, Margaret Thatcher.^[2] David Ben-Gurion used to call her "the best man in the government."^[3] Meir was Israel's first female prime minister. She was the world's third female prime minister, but the first to hold this office without any prior family connection.^[4] Meir was often portrayed as the "strong-willed, straight-talking, gray-bunned grandmother of the Jewish people."^[3]

by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 10:52:58 AM EST
[ Parent ]

The title of Golda's autobiography was 'My Life'. It really needed an exclamation mark or the addition of 'already' to the end of the title.

LEP will understand ;-)

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 11:30:31 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Yeah, I read that too. The article paints a much sterner, harder portrait of her than I remember. Of course, all I knew of her at the time was the image presented by the American media, but I remember much more the straight-talking grandmother than the strong-willed iron lady.

Somewhere in cyberspace, the ghost of de Chardin is smiling.

by budr on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 12:36:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]

In Israel itself, I think she's mainly remembered for her disastrous underestimation of the risk of war in 1973, as well as several extremely undiplomatic statements ("not nice people" about an activist group for the Oriental Jews; "There is no such thing as a Palestinian people").

by gk (g k quattro due due sette "at" gmail.com) on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 02:19:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]

How many options were they given? I'm guessing this is multiple choice.

I mean, really, if you were asked who your role-models were what would you say? (Obviously, I'd say "define role-model", and it would go downhill from there ...)

by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 12:02:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Good point. I was wondering though if I was asked, who I would put forward as a role model off the top of my head. I honestly don't know.

First that came to mind was Anita Roddick.

Ad astra per aspera

by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 12:46:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Finally the answer! (4.00 / 3)

Define downhill ;-)

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 02:02:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]

I'm wondering if you ask men for their role models, who they'd pick.

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 11:50:24 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Frustration. Erggh.

The good news. I got accepted to present at a major academic conference.

The bad news. I don't know the day that I will be presenting, and the way my department sets it up, I have to drive to downtown Chicago if I want the university to pick up the tab.

I had hoped to take the train, but they only cover transportation costs, nothing for registration or accomodations. But if I drive, I get paid 58 cents a mile, and it costs me about 6 cents a mile. So I get the money to cover registration and accomodation. So it doesn't make sense to take the train, because, although it would cost far less for the university if I take the train, they've set it up so you have to drive.

Maybe I'll get the scholarship from the conference sponsors, and it won't be an issue. I hate big city driving, and Chicago's worse than most.

And I'll give my consent to any government that does not deny a man a living wage-Billy Bragg

by ManfromMiddletown (manfrommiddletown at lycos dot com) on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 11:03:19 AM EST

I would double check the reimbursement policy. Many company policies allow you to choose between air, car, or rail. Nobody uses rail, of course, because it's out of fashion or whatever, but it's still a theoretical option. Maybe schools are different...

One must also consider the probability of arriving on time.

by asdf on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 11:06:20 AM EST
[ Parent ]

That's the problem.

I can take the train, and they'll pay for the ticket, but nothing for the registration or accomodation.

On the other hand, if I drive, I get to pocket the difference, and use that to cover my other costs that the university won't pay.

They expect people to pocket the difference from driving to cover other costs. It's stupid.

And I'll give my consent to any government that does not deny a man a living wage-Billy Bragg

by ManfromMiddletown (manfrommiddletown at lycos dot com) on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 11:10:25 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Is there anywhere on the outskirts of Chicago you could park and take the subway? That way you still get most of the mileage you need.

I once gave my company's expense department a hard time when I biked from NY to a conference near Philadelphia. I didn't even try to bill for the mileage, but they had a hard time with the expenses for food on the way, with no means of transportation listed...

by gk (g k quattro due due sette "at" gmail.com) on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 02:14:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]

I'm sure you'll cope. What's your presentaion about - and will you cope with the questions ? :-)

Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner - that I moved to Nice. Blog - Nice Experience

by Ted Welch (tedwelch-at-mac-dot-com) on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 02:16:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Do they actually check that you actually drive? I mean, there are no receipts, so how can they check? So, you tell them you are driving. Take their money. Pay for train ticket plus registration and accommodation. And everyone is happy!

by someone (s0me1smail(a)gmail(d)com) on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 05:34:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]

That's probably tax fraud. If you do that, don't discuss it on a public forum first...

by gk (g k quattro due due sette "at" gmail.com) on Mon Nov 17th, 2008 at 12:37:48 AM EST
[ Parent ]

My daughter, currently studying in Aix-en-Provence, is doing a school project about Sarkozy. She thought to do vox pops interviews on the street, but had such bad reactions that she abandoned them. She couldn't find anyone but an 11 year old girl who had anything to say except splutter in anger. The 11 year old thought he was cute.

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 11:34:25 AM EST

What is she studying - Gov PR ? :-) If not, sounds like a very interesting set of responses - should be recorded for posterity. But, after the first splutters, couldn't she persuade them to explain why they felt like that ?

Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner - that I moved to Nice. Blog - Nice Experience

by Ted Welch (tedwelch-at-mac-dot-com) on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 12:36:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Art History and French. The project was supposed to be a week spent immersed in the colloquial language ;-)

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 01:56:38 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Maybe she should have offered them something visual - like this, relating to the notorious Danish cartoons and raising isuses about freedom of visual expression: "Sarkozy doesn't appreciate caricature":

http://www.blogapart.info/index.php?blog_start=6

Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner - that I moved to Nice. Blog - Nice Experience

by Ted Welch (tedwelch-at-mac-dot-com) on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 02:43:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Could she find anybody who voted for him, or is nobody willing to admit to this anymore?

by gk (g k quattro due due sette "at" gmail.com) on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 02:10:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]

She simply said she was doing a survey on Sarkozy for a school project and that's when they began to splutter ;-) I don't think she got as far as asking them how they voted.

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 02:42:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Finding people who voted for Sarkozy and UMP shouldn't be hard at all in Aix. I lived several years there a while back: it's a rather upscale college town and voters tend to be on the conservative side...

Europeans think a hundred miles is a long way. Americans think a hundred years is a long time.

by Bernard on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 02:43:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]

She is doing this in Aix en Provence ? Come on, that's as UMP a town as there is !

Un roi sans divertissement est un homme plein de misères

by linca (antonin POINT lucas AROBASE gmail.com) on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 04:07:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Ak, it's getting dark at 17h00! (4.00 / 6)

Well, only 34 days to go before daylight hours will begin increasing again. December 21, here we come.

It'll be time to begin planning the humble new planting season. But I've already got a few new ideas without having to do much thinking: there will be more figs :>) ...

The surprisingly copious fruit from this 1.5 year old white fig tree did its stuff, ripening at the last moment. But what a treat! I and my entourage thanked the plant many, many times.

This year I'll be planting a black variety that bears fruit twice a year. Sounds good!

To my surprise, figs are extremely hardy plants. If they thrive in Paris, I can't imagine they'd have difficulty in Switzerland, Italy, Hungary, Germany, and elsewhere, either in the ground or in a container. -- caveat, they do need sun.

Small, potentially useful, most definitely delectable, pleasures in troubling times.
.

by Loefing on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 11:43:42 AM EST

Re: Ak, it's getting dark at 17h00! (4.00 / 2)

Oh, it's good to be optimistic! Here am I in darkest Finland wondering whether to light a couple of candles to cheer me up...

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 01:57:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Try fig jam - no kidding. (none / 1)

We also mixed it with raspberries this year. Just finished it last week. Really good.

paul spencer

by paul spencer (spencerinthegorge AT yahoo DOT com) on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 10:00:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Sunday Open Thread (4.00 / 4)

I'm about to try to repair my stairs, which are literally falling apart.

(Wish me luck - this is going to get unpleasant.)

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 11:56:01 AM EST

Good luck!

by Metatone (metatone [a|t] gmail (dot) com) on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 12:23:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Good luck!

Ad astra per aspera

by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 12:40:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Break a leg!

Er, no...

When locusts move on, they leave nothing behind

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 12:54:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]

* whispers *
Just say good luck, with a cheerful exclamation mark, like me and metatone did...

Ad astra per aspera

by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 01:29:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Afew has obviously been in duckie theatrical circles ;-)

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 01:59:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]

That too.

When locusts move on, they leave nothing behind

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Mon Nov 17th, 2008 at 01:18:41 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Well as long as he dosen't mention the Scottish play.

Give a politician an inch, and he'll think he's a ruler

by ceebs (bunchofwankers (at) gmail (dot) com) on Mon Nov 17th, 2008 at 08:09:28 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Now that sounds interesting ;-)

Did it involve sporrans?

No, don't tell me...

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Mon Nov 17th, 2008 at 08:59:02 AM EST
[ Parent ]

I'd rather the subject wasn't raised.

When locusts move on, they leave nothing behind

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Mon Nov 17th, 2008 at 09:16:07 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Yes, my own appearance as the Immortal Bard, with 'codpiece,' on a Paris stage many years ago, has elements that I would prefer to forget....

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Mon Nov 17th, 2008 at 09:25:13 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Sunday Open Thread (4.00 / 2)

Mind your step, TBG!

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 01:58:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Too right. After one and a half treads finished, I've discovered that stairs are difficult - if they're not level or even there's serious danger of death.

A replacement staircase is starting to look likely.

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 06:24:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Would you like advice? (none / 1)

If you have questions, take some pictures of your situation, and I may be able to help.

paul spencer

by paul spencer (spencerinthegorge AT yahoo DOT com) on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 10:01:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]

The birth of Anna Adamolo (4.00 / 3)

For anyone who's missed my comments on Anna Adamolo- an anagram of Onda Anomola- she is still keeping the Italian government Minister of Public Education site in check with a great video.

"I'm Anna Adamolo. I want to bring all of our voices into this palace. ... We are fed up with being the object of political games..."

Catch it while it lasts. It's day two now. Security apparently sucks.

Today 2000 representatives of the academic and student world met in Rome to discuss a reform platform from the base. The anomolous wave is making politics.

by de Gondi (publiobestia aaaatttthotmaildaughtusual) on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 12:41:26 PM EST

Cagnes sur Mer today - pretty as a picture:

The last sunbathers (they must be Finns :-) ):

In the medieval town of Tourette sur Loup up in the hills it was more autumnal:

and had great views:

Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner - that I moved to Nice. Blog - Nice Experience

by Ted Welch (tedwelch-at-mac-dot-com) on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 03:01:58 PM EST

Are you sure you don't get bored of having wonderful weather and flat blue skies all the time?

Ad astra per aspera

by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Sun Nov 16th, 2008 at 03:08:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]