Thursday Open Thread

by In Wales
Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 12:42:44 PM EST

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For those who didn't catch it in last night's OT, the photoblog tomorrow will be 'What/Where is it?' and 'Photos as Usual'.

Ad astra per aspera
by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 12:44:02 PM EST
Look forward to tomorrow's photoblog 'What/Where is it?'
by The3rdColumn on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 12:54:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I haven't worked out what to put up for it yet!

Ad astra per aspera
by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 12:58:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Something from the hidden beauties of Wales?
by The3rdColumn on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 01:22:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I've not been out exploring much lately, so I've used up many of the best.  I shall dig about some more though.

Ad astra per aspera
by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 02:52:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Future suggestion: near misses - pictures that just didn't work out, and why.
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 01:24:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Oh, I picked up that D200 and two batteries for it. I can meter with my manual lenses again!
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 02:16:20 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Oh cool!  Have fun getting to know it.

Ad astra per aspera
by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 02:20:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]
First order of business: swapping aperture control onto the thumb wheel. Who wants shutter control there?

Nice shutter sound though.

by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 02:26:17 PM EST
[ Parent ]
It is a very convincing shutter shound.  My friend said "that sounds like a real camera!"

I think I have shutter speed on the thumb wheel and aperture on the first finger wheel.  My friend has the D200 and we get horribly confused using each other's cameras since we have our set ups fairly different.

Ad astra per aspera

by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 02:48:46 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I almost always shoot aperture priority, so the thumb wheel makes much more sense to me than the front wheel. And it lets me put exposure compensation directly on the other dial without pressing any buttons. Excellent ...
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 03:21:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I usually shoot manual.  I need to make more use of aperture actually.

Ad astra per aspera
by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 03:44:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I ordered the cheap 50mm f/1.8 nikon lens you (or I?) referred to a few weeks back. I'll give that a try next weekend. Might do a trip up to golden gate park (the area just north of the bridge).

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 02:27:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]
People. Aim it at people. It's a lovely portrait lens wide open (i.e. at f1.8).

It's also good in low light, obviously.

by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 02:33:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Taking photos of strangers is something I have to get used to. I found a link to a bunch of pictures taken with the lens, and yes, the portraits were great. I want to experiment with shallow depth of field as much as anything, though.

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 02:38:17 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Well, you could take pictures of people you know!
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 02:42:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I know people?

Kidding, kidding. I will do that, yes. Luckily the person driving me up there like to model.

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 03:11:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]
LIKES. Ugh.

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 03:12:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Which bay area universe has golden gate park north of the bridge?  North of the San Mateo bridge?

Skennah Kowa
by Crazy Horse on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 02:44:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]
alright, alright, "golden gate national recreation area."

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 03:10:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]
wow, and i totally forgot that north of the bridge is the GG natrec area.  i was part of installing a 25 kw windmill above 101 and Sausalito, so it could be seen by everyone driving north.  those were the days.

Skennah Kowa
by Crazy Horse on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 03:30:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I really love my 50mm, especially for low light. It's a lens you can really enjoy using.

Ad astra per aspera
by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 02:51:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Third in line to British throne, Prince Harry aka Bullet Magnet says of his current front line stint in Afghanistan :

"At the end of the day I like to sort of be a normal person, and for once I think this is about as normal as I'm ever going to get."

Some 'normal'!

by The3rdColumn on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 01:22:13 PM EST
Good luck Harry!
by The3rdColumn on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 01:43:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]
AAaarrgghh!

What will be next from a man in uniform with a riffle who says "this is about as normal as I'm ever going to get"?

The struggle of man against tyranny is the struggle of memory against forgetting.(Kundera)

by Elco B (elcob at scarlet dot be) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 02:05:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Uh...man  kid

The struggle of man against tyranny is the struggle of memory against forgetting.(Kundera)
by Elco B (elcob at scarlet dot be) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 02:07:46 PM EST
[ Parent ]
What with his family, it's probably true.

I'm tired of this backslapping, aint humanity great BS, we're a virus with shoes Bill Hicks
by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 03:03:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]
It would all the same be nice if he and his family could get round to understanding there may be other values for "normal".

Why do I keep thinking of the nineteenth century?

When locusts move on, they leave nothing behind

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 03:28:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]
That's a bit modern for most of them isn't it?

I'm tired of this backslapping, aint humanity great BS, we're a virus with shoes Bill Hicks
by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 03:35:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]
For members of the English nobility (no, not the royal family, all the same) to be somewhere in Asia fighting colonial wars, the nineteenth feels about right to me...

When locusts move on, they leave nothing behind
by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 03:46:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Aw, give the kid a break.  After all, there weren't anymore slots open to "serve" on Mitt Romney's campaign.

I think it's a bad idea to have him there, since, as you pointed out, he's got to be a huge target now.  But credit to him for not hiding behind his privilege.

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!

by Drew J Jones (myfriends@thisispancakes.com) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 03:24:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Drew J Jones:
After all, there weren't anymore slots open to "serve" on Mitt Romney's campaign.

Would he fit in with his taste in fancy dress?

I'm tired of this backslapping, aint humanity great BS, we're a virus with shoes Bill Hicks

by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 03:36:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Compared to Blair's kids and the sons of those MPs who voted to send other people's sons to the front line, one thing could be said about Harry is the kid's got guts!
by The3rdColumn on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 04:12:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]
It would have been very easy for him to avoid it, after all how many Bushes, Cheneys or Blairs are out there? so Respec' to him for it.

I'm tired of this backslapping, aint humanity great BS, we're a virus with shoes Bill Hicks
by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 04:30:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Looking at several media sites, an Australian magazine broke the voluntary embargo back on the 7th of January. A german magazine picked it up yesterday, which turned into a "Drudge world exclusive" today. UK and US media all knew about him, and had done for at least two months, but editors had been persuaded not to report it till later, to  prevent an increased risk to other troops in his vicinity.

I'm tired of this backslapping, aint humanity great BS, we're a virus with shoes Bill Hicks
by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 07:08:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Drudge seems to be getting a lot of exclusives (and "exclusives") lately.  It's a sad day when he becomes a more reliable and reasonable news source than CNN.

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!
by Drew J Jones (myfriends@thisispancakes.com) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 07:40:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I don't really care, what that chap is doing, but it does occur to me to wonder what news needs burying tomorrow morning that this will eclipse?
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 03:50:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I just checked my RSS feed; there were 23 stories in the Guardian's world news queue, and six of them were about Prince Harry.
by the stormy present (stormypresent aaaaaaat gmail etc) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 06:07:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Just imagine what would have happened if he had happened to take a prover=bial bullet.

After these ten weeks in Helmond Province, methinks he should spend ten weeks servicing the REpower 5Ms offshore on the Beatrice project.  Think of the headlines:

"Harry Retrofits Pitch Hydraulics, Saves Windmill!"

Skennah Kowa

by Crazy Horse on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 06:15:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I will soon be off to watch this lady sing:

Cuts right through

by nanne (zwaerdenmaecker@gmail.com) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 01:39:41 PM EST


The struggle of man against tyranny is the struggle of memory against forgetting.(Kundera)
by Elco B (elcob at scarlet dot be) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 01:42:06 PM EST
How did he get through?

I'm tired of this backslapping, aint humanity great BS, we're a virus with shoes Bill Hicks
by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 04:36:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Well, you can bet he won't be invited back.

Skennah Kowa
by Crazy Horse on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 04:47:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]
No idea.  The guy is Lee Camp, an upcoming comedian.
Guess Fox-redactors were not well informed.....

The struggle of man against tyranny is the struggle of memory against forgetting.(Kundera)
by Elco B (elcob at scarlet dot be) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 04:48:37 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Hmmmm.  I wonder if I could get them to let me on the air.  That could be fun for a few minutes.
by the stormy present (stormypresent aaaaaaat gmail etc) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 06:10:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Till the first TASER hit ;-)

I'm tired of this backslapping, aint humanity great BS, we're a virus with shoes Bill Hicks
by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 06:14:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I was looking around for more about the comedian and found his blog post on alternet about why he said what he said and what the response has been.

I like this guy.

I don't know if anyone will see this, so maybe I'll re-post it in Friday's open thread if I'm around.

by the stormy present (stormypresent aaaaaaat gmail etc) on Fri Feb 29th, 2008 at 05:22:22 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Maybe even worth an LQD diary?

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.
by DoDo on Fri Feb 29th, 2008 at 05:34:05 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Yeah, I was thinking about that.  There are earlier videos, too; apparently Fox has had him on before.
by the stormy present (stormypresent aaaaaaat gmail etc) on Fri Feb 29th, 2008 at 05:34:54 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Together with the Montell Williams story, which I missed.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.
by DoDo on Fri Feb 29th, 2008 at 05:49:25 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Done.
by the stormy present (stormypresent aaaaaaat gmail etc) on Fri Feb 29th, 2008 at 05:57:55 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Ukrainian opposition politicians blockade parliament over NATO issue

Ukrainian opposition lawmakers blocked the parliament rostrum on Tuesday, protesting authorities' latest efforts to join NATO'S membership action plan. The lawmakers, led by former Prime Minister Victor Yanukovych, attached posters with the inscription "NATO will not pass!" to the presidium and rostrum, and demanded a referendum be held on the issue.

Meanwhile, members of the ruling faction led by Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko guarded the presidium to confront the opposition. Due to the confrontation between the two sides, Parliament Speaker Arseniy Yatsenyuk announced that Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has decided not to deliver his scheduled address to the parliament.


by Loefing on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 01:53:39 PM EST
Times Online: E.ON chief Wulf Bernotat's EU flirting will upset Angela Merkel - European Commission wants E.ON to open its network to rivals, something the German chancellor is firmly opposed to

Wulf Bernotat, the boss of E.ON, has been flirting with the European Commission, breaking ranks with his Continental utility rivals and offering to sell off E.ON's electricity grid.
This could be a huge victory for Neelie Kroes, the European Competition commissioner and an embarassment to Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, who has been firm in her opposition to full "unbundling" of the wires and pipes owned by the utility giants.



"If you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles." Sun Tzu
by Turambar (sersguenda at hotmail com) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 02:41:13 PM EST
Hey, ceebs (and anyone), did you finally get to seen A Scanner Darkly yet?

Skennah Kowa
by Crazy Horse on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 04:09:21 PM EST
My recording of it was broken, I'm waiting for it to turn up again.

I'm tired of this backslapping, aint humanity great BS, we're a virus with shoes Bill Hicks
by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 04:17:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]
hmmm not on in the next fortnight.

I'm tired of this backslapping, aint humanity great BS, we're a virus with shoes Bill Hicks
by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 04:20:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]
It's coming tomorrow.

Don't fight forces, use them R. Buckminster Fuller.
by rg (leopold dot lepster at google mail dot com) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 04:32:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I shall have to hit my local video store.

I'm tired of this backslapping, aint humanity great BS, we're a virus with shoes Bill Hicks
by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 04:35:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]
hit your local video store in the hip-hop gangster sense.

Hey rg, wish you good watching.

Skennah Kowa

by Crazy Horse on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 04:49:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Hip-hop Gangsters?



I'm tired of this backslapping, aint humanity great BS, we're a virus with shoes Bill Hicks

by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 05:06:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I need to watch that movie again. I'd call it brilliant but the way in which that word is normally used to describe movies doesn't apply.

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 05:57:37 PM EST
[ Parent ]
on my favorite redman DJ Crazy Horse?

Skennah Kowa
by Crazy Horse on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 06:01:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Well not the DJ but yes your fave.

I'm tired of this backslapping, aint humanity great BS, we're a virus with shoes Bill Hicks
by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 06:04:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]
http://agonist.org/


Do you like making funny progressive videos in the comfort of your own home? Do you like to make them go viral? And most importantly, do you like money?
If all three of these answers were a yes, then go to Lunatics And Liars, where you can win up $10,000 in cash and prizes (including a $5K first prize) to mock Republicans in video form and acquire instant Internet fame...


If'Madness is the absence of work'(Foucault), then Sanity is the presence of play..
by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 04:58:11 PM EST
There's some good stuff there, I liked this "academy of war awards":

http://www.lunaticsandliars.com/blog/academy-of-war-awards/

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 Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 05:41:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]
New WTI futures record today: $102.97. That's a few cents more than the inflation-corrected April 1980 spot price (using CPI as deflator, though, of course no February data yet).

At the same time, the Euro climbed further to $1.5229.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

by DoDo on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 05:06:49 PM EST
Turbulence in Stuttgart: Baden-Württenberg's CDU PM accused the SPD opposition leader of being a traitor for not opposing cooperation with the Left Party. The accused responded by complaining of the PM using a whiff of Nazi language. The CDU responded by collectively leaving the parliament building. Once they returned, they called on the SPD lerader to resign...

Meanwhile, newspapers report (some in shrieking tones) that Hamburg's SPD leader wrote a bitter letter of complaint to the party boss; while the SPD's conservative wing began a campaign against the party leadership decision (apparently with full support from parts of the media, while other media also report that other wings of the party think differently).

Meanwhile in Hessen, still no one wants to accept any coalition offer from anyone.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

by DoDo on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 05:14:33 PM EST
H'mmmmmm.

My great-great-great-great-great-grandfather came from Hesse (in 1640 or there 'bouts.)  

Should I throw my hat in the ring as the Dark Horse candidate around which all can rally?

;-)

Madness takes its toll. Have exact change ready

by ATinNM on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 08:15:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Political life here is beyond the pale, not even black humour helps. Some things hit close: this past week, there was evidence of corruption in the privatisation of the state railways' freight branch in January; and the Budapest Traffic Company's contracts with private advisers came under suspicion.

Then, a right-wing private TV played a tape as purported evidence that a government campaign manager wants to buy votes from Gypsies, and also reported this to police. But, later, they had to admit it was one of their 'journalists' who called up the Romas -- however, police continues the investigation...

Still, I shall pain myself to put together a diary on the upcoming referendum.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

by DoDo on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 05:34:12 PM EST

US Air Force Blocks Access to Many Blogs

The Air Force is tightening restrictions on which blogs its troops can read, cutting off access to just about any independent site with the word "blog" in its web address. It's the latest move in a larger struggle within the military over the value -- and hazards -- of the sites. At least one senior Air Force official calls the squeeze so "utterly stupid, it makes me want to scream."

Until recently, each major command of the Air Force had some control over what sites their troops could visit, the Air Force Times reports. Then the Air Force Network Operations Center, under the service's new "Cyber Command," took over.

Full story in Wired...

Hat tip to American blogger Tom who remarked in his blog, Politics Plus,

Do you believe that they aren't trying to keep airmen in the dark? When they refer to "primary official-use sources" they are referring to the MSM. They want to make sure that all the news the troops get is filtered through the right-wing media. How ironic that the ChickenHawk-in-Chief and his GOP Reich deny First Amendment freedom to the very people tasked with defending it!

Bush/GOP-speak Dictionary: Support the troops=Use as cannon fodder until dead or severely wounded; then discard.

by The3rdColumn on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 05:53:47 PM EST
When they refer to "primary official-use sources" they are referring to the MSM. They want to make sure that all the news the troops get is filtered through the right-wing media.

It doesn't get any more damning than this.

Tangentially it reminds me of a scene from the documentary control room when someone from NBC, I think (Matt Lauer?), is being interviewed about al-Jazeera and says something to the effect of "well, these countries don't have a legacy of a free press, so it's neat that they're getting this opportunity" when he himself is so deeply indoctrinated that not only can he not express opinions that vary from those given to him by his bosses, he probably isn't even aware of it. Fascinating from a psychological perspective.

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 06:08:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]
And it's about time.  Eye, for one, am just about finished with the effect of letting our airmen, much less normal trash soldiers, have access to narcotic news like promulgated on blogs.  If Dog would have wanted blogs to be available to soldiers, he would have given them all iPhones at birth.

Free thinking is going to kill us all, which would go against the Book of Revelations, which says something else i going to kill us all.  My soldiers need to be primed, not filled with doubt.

(The preceeding post was brought to you by Ardbec Almost There, the whisky that's almost there.)

Skennah Kowa

by Crazy Horse on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 06:09:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7263293.stm

http://www.exile.ru/articles/detail.php?ARTICLE_ID=17066&IBLOCK_ID=35

"Pretending that you already know the answer when you don't is not actually very helpful." ~Migeru.

by poemless on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 05:57:18 PM EST
Images are tough, but people should know. The story is about Chinese fur farms.

If you can watch an animal skinned but alive, the video is here.

Will you buy another fur?

by das monde on Thu Feb 28th, 2008 at 10:26:04 PM EST
I have never bought a fur. I do have a sumptuous fake-fur coat, but if it was real I'd burn it.

That said, I did covet a real fox-furs stole a farmer's wife I met in Bulgaria had. However, it was a fox that the farmer himself shot when it was attacking his hens and, sadly, their much-beloved pet dog ran into the shotgun blast and died with the fox. The stole was made in his honour.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Fri Feb 29th, 2008 at 04:25:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I remember my mother and friends of hers wearing real fur when I was little.  I was appalled by it then even without any exposure to knowing how fur items are made.

It just isn't necessary to own such things - extremely harsh and cold weather conditions aside, but given the waves of publicity over the years and the stigma now attached to it, I am always shocked to see women in the UK wearing fur.

Ad astra per aspera

by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Sat Mar 1st, 2008 at 02:13:27 AM EST
[ Parent ]


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