Wednesday Open Thread

by In Wales
Wed May 7th, 2008 at 12:05:31 PM EDT

How's things?


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It's been a really lovely day here, feeling summery.
I cycled into work and I played badminton at lunchtime.  I did a bit better this time, and made my friend run around a bit more than he did before.

Now I need to find the energy to cycle home.  Fortunately I am solar powered so I ought to last the journey.

Ad astra per aspera

by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 12:07:31 PM EDT
Watch out for clouds, they'll drain you and you'll end up pushing it

As we journey through life, we should keep an iron grip, to the very end, on the capacity for silliness. It preserves the soul from dessication.
by ceebs (bunchofwankers (at) gmail (dot) com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 12:13:11 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
Clear blue sky right now so I hopefully do not need to worry on that front!

Ad astra per aspera
by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 12:28:29 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
On the other hand you might get that extra charge, I've only just managed to plug everything back in after torential rain, hail, Lightning and thunder.

As we journey through life, we should keep an iron grip, to the very end, on the capacity for silliness. It preserves the soul from dessication.
by ceebs (bunchofwankers (at) gmail (dot) com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 01:06:50 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
Still clear blue skies but I discovered that my sporty trousers were soaked by my towel which I forgot to remove from my bag after badminton.  Since I am wearing a skirt I felt it unwise to cycle home and walked instead.  Which was lovely, I walked up the river and admired the bluebells.

Still a clear blue sky with gorgeous light.

Ad astra per aspera

by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 02:54:52 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
It's like someone flipped a switch and suddenly it's summer.

It's going to take a few days to catch up.

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 04:17:14 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
It's finally turning spring/summer here. First time I had the chance to teach a yoga class in the new room with sunshine. Thats very nice. In the old place we had to close the shutters for privacy, but in the new place noone can look in. And the later classes might even enjoy the sunset through a huge window.
by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 02:11:23 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
Yes, same here: I've been working at the kitchen table with the French doors open looking out over the garden. Much nicer than the sliding doors they replace.
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 02:14:21 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
How is your garden progressing? I just bought herbs for my balcony today. This will be my main focus this year, but will also add a few flower, for color. Well, besides my roses of course.
by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 02:21:37 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
My friend has grown some chili plants from seed and gave one pot to me since there is not enough light in her flat for them to grow properly.  I'm very pleased with it, I've never had any plants that have herbs or food potential.

Ad astra per aspera
by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 02:57:21 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
That sounds nice. I received a tomatoe plant last year. Of course on the balcony it was not as fruitful as it would have been in a garden. 4 small tomatoes but they were delicious and a real treat. :-)
by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 03:12:10 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
I'm going to edge into self-sufficiency slowly by growing some garlic.

Can you drop a garlic bulb in the ground and expect it to grow, or does it need more work than that?

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 04:18:16 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
Long time ago when I had a garden I used to plant garlic between the roses to keep the aphids away. It was enough to just plant them, I never really payed much attention to them, but they grew and multiplied anyway. :-)
by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 04:30:15 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
Garlic repels aphids? I did not know that. Cool.

"You can't be a successful crook with a dishonest face, now, can you?" -The Fourth Doctor
by lychee (lychee9393 A yahoo D com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 04:36:39 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
If the soil is a medium to heavy loam, it's not too hard to grow.

Where I am, the soil is too sandy. Garlic will grow, but pitifully small.

When locusts move on, they leave nothing behind

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 04:45:30 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
I'll swap you some sticky clay for some of that sandy soil. Should average out nicely.
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 04:47:21 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
Done. The clay content here is well below 10%.

When locusts move on, they leave nothing behind
by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 04:50:19 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
I'll e-mail a couple of tons to you.
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 04:53:37 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
Should work.

Want any water voles with the sand? I've got a load I'd like to get rid of.

When locusts move on, they leave nothing behind

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 04:55:19 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
Sound like they'll entertain the dogs. Cleo is bored.
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 04:56:16 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
They're entertaining me. These critters, though they're only riparian in the British Isles (Ratty in The Wind in the Willows) live a subterranean life across a swathe of Europe from, roughly, the Pyrenees to the Alps and on through Austria to, I think, parts of Hungary. They burrow like crazy, they reproduce similarly. They like wet soil and so have great fun under drip feed irrigation lines. Last year their burrows bonsai'd about half our summer plants, tomatoes, aubergines, peppers. No drip feed this year.

Oh, they are vectors of tapeworm and bubonic plague. Adds to the fun.

When locusts move on, they leave nothing behind

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 05:05:58 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
I think you're supposed to split up the head and plant the individual cloves...
by Sassafras on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 06:12:28 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
Ah...yes, you are...

And, traditionally, you're supposed to have planted it in December.

Have you considered starting with cress?  

by Sassafras on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 06:16:44 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
I'm pretty much self-sufficient with garlic grown in various corners of my parents garden, and I use a lot.

But you have to remember to harvest it cos if you miss a bulb, it will reproduce so mightily the next year that it won't be much use. Kinda like chives to spring onions.

Best to plant in early spring rather than now as you've missed a lot of the growing/rooting season but if you hurry you''ll get a late crop okay.

I know it's hard, but re-plant your best cloves, not your worst.

Garlic stores well if it's kept dry, but once early spring starts it will shoot regardless so stick it in the freezer. It's not as good as fresh, but doens't harm the flavour too badly.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Thu May 8th, 2008 at 06:37:50 AM EDT
[ Parent ]
I think something ate all of mine. Or it rotted. In well-drained raised beds in the sunniest part of the garden.
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Thu May 8th, 2008 at 07:12:43 AM EDT
[ Parent ]
Badly neglected. The fruit trees and so on are fine, though I need to beat back the dandelions a bit. The annuals are way behind: I have the tender stuff - tomatoes, chillis, melons, stuff like that - at seedling stage in the greenhouse and they need transplanting. All the other stuff - beans, peas, lettuce, corn, etc - all needed to be planted already and aren't. They'll just have to run late and maybe crop under protection at the end of the season.
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 03:18:14 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
Oh, and the garden is full of yellow flowers from brassicas and land cress run to seed. Pretty enough in an overgrown sort of way and the bees seem to like them but I don't think they'll win any gardening prizes.
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 03:30:03 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
I woulda thought you'd be using dandelions in salad. More bitter than rocket, but interesting.

keep to the Fen Causeway
by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Thu May 8th, 2008 at 06:39:17 AM EDT
[ Parent ]
Well, yes, to a certain extent, but there's only so much of them you can eat and they're getting out of control. I said beat-back, not eradicate!
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Thu May 8th, 2008 at 07:11:34 AM EDT
[ Parent ]
Must. Have. Coffee.

I couldn't really get to sleep last night, so I'm in full Zombie Mode today.  Less than four hours to go, though, thankfully.

Where's your motherf*%&ing flag pin?

by Drew J Jones (blahblahblah@blahblahblah.com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 12:47:45 PM EDT
I'm beat, too. Sorry I could not join you all for the liveblogging yesterday. I get a sense of closure on the primary season. A good thing.
by nanne (zwaerdenmaecker@gmail.com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 01:38:40 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
Yes, I think closure is coming, even though she's still in "Full Speed Ahead!" mode.  McGovern bailed on her today.  Others will likely follow if she keeps this up.

Where's your motherf*%&ing flag pin?
by Drew J Jones (blahblahblah@blahblahblah.com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 01:45:19 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
Catch-up mode today. And booking an expensive 3-day, 4000 mile round-trip for my brother's wedding. Why Cyprus, of all places????
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 01:27:12 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
Where are my stimulus monies??? According to the chart my helicopter money should be here this week.

I don't think I'm over the income limit, but I'm not sure. Too lazy to check.

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 02:48:29 PM EDT
Bad job interview. :( Nice interviewers, good job, but my brain did flip-flops, and I don't think anything I said answered their questions. :(

"You can't be a successful crook with a dishonest face, now, can you?" -The Fourth Doctor
by lychee (lychee9393 A yahoo D com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 02:49:18 PM EDT
Sounds like you had are really bad hair day. But maybe it went better than you think. :-)
by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 02:55:18 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
I hope so. It would be nice to hear "When can you start" rather than "Well, it came down to you and one other person, and we chose the other person," which is what I've heard for the past seven months. :)

"You can't be a successful crook with a dishonest face, now, can you?" -The Fourth Doctor
by lychee (lychee9393 A yahoo D com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 03:07:12 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
Must be frustrating. I know some friends who were in the same situation and were almost giving up all hope, resigning and the all of a sudden it worked out. So just keep you hope up.

What kind of job are you looking for?

by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 03:15:06 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
I'm trying to get something in writing/editing that will allow me to get more writing experience. It seems like it shouldn't be so difficult to find, because many of the editing jobs here are changing to include writing duties. However, I'm at that lovely stage where I don't have enough writing experience to get the job but can't get enough writing experience without the job.

"You can't be a successful crook with a dishonest face, now, can you?" -The Fourth Doctor
by lychee (lychee9393 A yahoo D com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 03:37:00 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
Put up a couple of diaries and point them at ET.

I got my first writing job with volunteer samples from a microzine with a readership which barely squeezed into double figures.

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 03:52:04 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
I've thought about that (at least a LQD). I am getting pissed off enough by people who make $70,000 and complain they have to buy cheap, store-brand bread to rant for at least a couple of paragraphs.  

The way things have been going, I suppose I could also write about how NOT to run a freelancing business. ;)

"You can't be a successful crook with a dishonest face, now, can you?" -The Fourth Doctor

by lychee (lychee9393 A yahoo D com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 04:24:57 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
good luck, it's a situation I will soon be in myself. big meeting with union tomorrow to see about my job going.

As we journey through life, we should keep an iron grip, to the very end, on the capacity for silliness. It preserves the soul from dessication.
by ceebs (bunchofwankers (at) gmail (dot) com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 03:28:47 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
Good luck to you too, ceebs!
by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 03:32:10 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
Good luck!

"You can't be a successful crook with a dishonest face, now, can you?" -The Fourth Doctor
by lychee (lychee9393 A yahoo D com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 03:38:33 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
I've had a very similar seven months...

When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 04:34:03 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
I thought I saw a comment from you a couple of days ago about a bank or working at a bank and thought you'd landed a job. Maybe I misread it. Haven't there been any leads? Good luck!

"You can't be a successful crook with a dishonest face, now, can you?" -The Fourth Doctor
by lychee (lychee9393 A yahoo D com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 04:41:12 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
I guess that closed off his similar sevent months.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.
by DoDo on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 04:44:03 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
I got a consulting gig with a startup.

When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 05:27:38 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
And I've had a bad year until last month...

"Ne te courbe que pour aimer..." René Char
by Melanchthon on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 05:35:47 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
:( I hope it wasn't as bad as you thought.

Ad astra per aspera
by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 02:55:30 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
Yes, I hope it's just post-interview nerves! Maybe I prepared too much and froze....

"You can't be a successful crook with a dishonest face, now, can you?" -The Fourth Doctor
by lychee (lychee9393 A yahoo D com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 03:13:16 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
I am cleaning up my junk-file and came across the following e-mail:

10 Things Your Body Can Do After You Die

one of them:

4. Fuel a city

Cremating a body uses up a lot of energy -- and a lot of nonrenewable resources. So how do you give Grandma the send-off she wanted and protect the planet at the same time? Multitask.

Some European crematoriums have figured out a way to replace conventional boilers by harnessing the heat produced in their fires, which can reach temperatures in excess of 1,832 degrees Fahrenheit. In fact, starting in 1997, the Swedish city of Helsingborg used local crematoriums to supply 10 percent of the heat for its homes.

by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 03:39:20 PM EDT
I hate crematories... let them do at least soemthing useful....

well i hate all the stupid nonsense western death rithual... I think it is as worse as.. well most of the things people here consider outrageous... I consider myself a dissident (like a Saudi Arabian woman willing to drive).. i wnat NOT TO HAVE TO GIVE the body of my family to anyone.. but giving it to the worst rithual ever is an oppression..

Each time a fmily member dies I feel an oprression and awful, very much like an oppressed slave who is forced to do wha other people do without way out.. because I MUST do it forcefully.

Sorry I hate this culture on that.

A pleasure

I therefore claim to show, not how men think in myths, but how myths operate in men's minds without their being aware of the fact. Levi-Strauss, Claude

by kcurie on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 03:52:51 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
I like the

Fran:

in excess of 1,832 degrees Fahrenheit

though. How many degrees in excess of? Any advance on 1833F? 1834F? 100,000,000K and a solar system full of gamma rays?

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 04:14:34 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
1832 debrees Fahrenheit is 1000°C...

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.
by DoDo on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 04:26:12 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
Today WTI crude oil price passed €80/barrel.

That is, it shot up to 123.80 in dollars, while the Euro declined to $1.54.

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

by DoDo on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 04:22:01 PM EDT
(Pegging the Euro to the (West) German Mark and using the successive German price indexes as deflator, we are still only on the 'plateau' level of the Second Oil Shock of the early nineties, with the peak just below an inflation-corrected €90/barrel.)

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.
by DoDo on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 04:24:15 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
A Public Choice theory of Chinese food

Seth Roberts, citing Jennifer 8 Lee, writes:

Why did Chinese immigrants to America start so many restaurants? Because Chinese cuisine is glorious, right? Well, no. Chinese immigrants started a lot of laundries, too, and there is nothing wonderful about Chinese ways of washing clothes. As Jennifer Lee explains in this excellent talk, the first Chinese immigrants were laborers. They were taking jobs away from American men, and this caused problems. Restaurants and laundries were much safer immigrant jobs because cooking and cleaning were women's work.

By the way, here is some work on immigrant complementarity with native labor.  George Borjas rebuts.

[Marginal Revolution]
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 04:32:15 PM EDT
It's worth pointing out that Chinese society industrialised "eating out" in a serious manner some hundreds of years before most countries. That might play a role in the issue.
by Metatone (metatone [a|t] gmail (dot) com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 04:47:43 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
I made order in the garbled-up Europe.Is.Dooomed. series: Jérôme's two diaries were re-numbered (unnumbered -> (2), (2) -> (3)), In Wales's changed from (3) to (x) and was inserted in the Anglo Disease table-of-contents 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 Wed May 7th, 2008 at 05:07:07 PM EDT
Sean says it best:

The King is Dead! Long Live the King!

For those of you who have an hour to kill and have already read my shoe blog...

Talking nonsense is the sole privilege mankind possesses over the other organisms.

by poemless on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 06:08:16 PM EDT
I have frogs in my pond.  Well, frog...

It's the first one I've seen since I built the pond four years ago.  I'd been wondering if my neighbours' immaculate and sterile gardens were proving too much of a desert to cross.

But it made me happy, anyway  :)

by Sassafras on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 06:35:24 PM EDT
yay frogs!

my pond suddenly burst into audio life a couple of days ago, bringing a big smile to my face.

my partner bought 3 goldfish for it three years ago, and they have multiplied amazingly, making it under the ice, and even a couple of days this dry winter when the level was down to just a bit of mud, which i hadn't noticed. i filled it from the hose, but thought they were a goner.

they're back....

last year, a new frog stow-awayed in a plant hidden under the leaves. when i transplanted it, the new frog hopped out, and i gave it a ride to the pond to join the tribe that had already self-installed in the pond.

build it, and they will come....

for months afterwards there was always one little voice that was out of synch with the symphony. you know they way they'll be going full bore, then all stop on a dime? (that's some conductor!)

well, there's be a lone solo that would go on singing in the gaps.

i wonder if he/she ever found a mate.

"It is time for a new Humanism, or we perish" -Albert Hoffman

by melo on Thu May 8th, 2008 at 03:53:06 AM EDT
[ Parent ]
You ask for stupid.  Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Pasco County, Florida (via Steven D at BooTrib):

Substitute teacher Jim Piculas does a 30-second magic trick where a toothpick disappears then reappears. But after performing it in front of a classroom at Rushe Middle School in Land O' Lakes, Piculas said his job did a disappearing act of its own.
"I get a call the middle of the day from the supervisor of substitute teachers. He says, 'Jim, we have a huge issue. You can't take any more assignments. You need to come in right away,'" he said.

When Piculas went in, he learned his little magic trick cast a spell that went much farther than he'd hoped.

"I said, 'Well Pat, can you explain this to me?' 'You've been accused of wizardry,' [he said]. Wizardry?" he asked.

I keep trying to explain to people that Florida is a very stupid place.  Everybody thinks of Palm Beach and Miami.  Beaches, golf courses, mixed drinks, and the elderly.  They have no idea about the other Florida.

Where's your motherf*%&ing flag pin?

by Drew J Jones (blahblahblah@blahblahblah.com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 06:49:49 PM EDT
Obama's October surprise: a penis panic, starring black dudes as the wizards, and white dudes as the victims.

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 06:56:59 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
Two words: Magic Negro.

Where's your motherf*%&ing flag pin?
by Drew J Jones (blahblahblah@blahblahblah.com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 07:30:56 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
Plagiarizer!

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 07:50:02 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
Even better!  "Barack, the Magic Negro," as sung by Al Sharpton through a bullhorn.

(Okay, I despise Limbaugh, but it was pretty damned funny.)

Where's your motherf*%&ing flag pin?

by Drew J Jones (blahblahblah@blahblahblah.com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 08:04:50 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
lol. It's time for identity politics to die a fiery death.

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 10:55:58 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
Amen.

Where's your motherf*%&ing flag pin?
by Drew J Jones (blahblahblah@blahblahblah.com) on Thu May 8th, 2008 at 07:51:59 AM EDT
[ Parent ]
You two only say that because you're white heterosexual males.

(Is this supposed to be a snark?)

When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Thu May 8th, 2008 at 08:10:06 AM EDT
[ Parent ]
No kidding.  Just a few days ago my neo-con dad was giving me the "It's time for identity politics to die a fiery death" spiel.  

Talking nonsense is the sole privilege mankind possesses over the other organisms.
by poemless on Thu May 8th, 2008 at 12:27:52 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
I know.  But you have to understand: As white heterosexual males, our sole purpose on this planet is to do everything within our power to preserve the dominance of white heterosexual males.

Or something.

Where's your motherf*%&ing flag pin?

by Drew J Jones (blahblahblah@blahblahblah.com) on Thu May 8th, 2008 at 07:29:03 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
no.

White politics go in the burner too.

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Thu May 8th, 2008 at 12:24:38 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
Aiieee!

CNN: Clinton touts support from 'white Americans'

"I have a much broader base to build a winning coalition on," Clinton said in an interview with USA TODAY.

Clinton cited an Associated Press poll "that found how Senator Obama's support among working, hard-working Americans, white Americans, is weakening again, and how whites in both states who had not completed college were supporting me."

"There's a pattern emerging here," she said.



When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Thu May 8th, 2008 at 04:53:35 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
My identity politics comment was aimed at Sharpton, who looks about as black as I do when we switch our lens to class politics. Anyone who promotes the idea that "the only authentic black folks are those that come from the ghetto" needs to disappear from public view.

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Thu May 8th, 2008 at 05:08:07 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
Just so we're clear: It wasn't really Al Sharpton in the song.

But I agree.  I'm not a fan of Sharpton as a person.

As a presidential candidate, I love him.  Absolutely hilarious in 2004.  Nobody does one-liners like him.

Where's your motherf*%&ing flag pin?

by Drew J Jones (blahblahblah@blahblahblah.com) on Thu May 8th, 2008 at 07:27:05 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
I think her playing the race card means she's at the end of her rope.

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Thu May 8th, 2008 at 05:08:57 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
Gotta score that Cracker Vote in West Virginia.

Did anyone doubt she'd do it?

I find it sad, honestly.  She didn't have to go out like this.  What a sad, small human being.

Where's your motherf*%&ing flag pin?

by Drew J Jones (blahblahblah@blahblahblah.com) on Thu May 8th, 2008 at 07:25:23 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
OK, not over exactly, but the worst is past. I have a few barometers that I use to keep track of things and one of them is tracking a number of preferred stocks traded on the NY stock exchange.

Preferred stocks pay a guaranteed fixed dividend until they are called or mature, so they are purely a play on interest rates. As a consequence the price only varies for two reasons. First, the interest rates available elsewhere change and second the soundness of the company becomes questioned so the chances of their defaulting on either the dividend or the redemption increases.

Preferred stocks, even in grade A firms, tend to pay a fairly high rate of interest because of their lack of flexibility. Now to the example:

The stock symbol GED belongs to a preferred issued by General Electric. There is no firm in the world with a better credit rating than GE, so price changes reflect interest rate expectations. GED traded above the redemption price today for the first time since late 2005. This means that traders are now expecting interest rates to stay low.

The second barometer is GPM which was issued by General Motors. It is now up by about 20% from its low of a two month's ago. This despite GM's latest miserable quarterly report. In other words traders think that the worst in the industrial sector is drawing to a close.

When the "conventional wisdom" all sounds the same, it is time to look elsewhere for hints about what is to come. I'm not suggesting diving into the stock market, but those with money to invest and a longish horizon for their investments might start to look for good deals.

Policies not Politics
---- Daily Landscape

by rdf (robert.feinman@gmail.com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 05:15:35 PM EDT
I'm also noticing the London job market may have begun to pick up again.

When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed May 7th, 2008 at 05:25:58 PM EDT
[ Parent ]
The eagerness of the powers-that-be and the financial world to call the crisis over is quite remarkable. I'm collecting a bunch of articles which are all saying that and will likely do a post about that soon.

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
by Jerome a Paris (jeromeguillet@yahoo.fr) on Thu May 8th, 2008 at 04:43:43 AM EDT
[ Parent ]
Agreed.  I think Wall Street is living in a fantasy land right now.  This is going to get worse.

Where's your motherf*%&ing flag pin?
by Drew J Jones (blahblahblah@blahblahblah.com) on Thu May 8th, 2008 at 07:58:39 AM EDT
[ Parent ]


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