European Tribune - Community, Politics & Progress.

Interesting. The Hillary supporters I know are, without a single exception, strongly supporting Obama, and never hesitated about that. And that doesn't mean they changed their minds. They continue to believe that she would have been the better choice, but they're liberal democrats. And just because a liberal might prefer one Dem to another, doesn't change the fact that when it comes to a choice between the Dem and the Four More Years of this fucking crap, you don't need to even think about it.

by MarekNYC on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 11:06:47 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Bearing in mind that they're both ex-pats of a few years standing, they're not getting their noses rubbed in Bush-it everyday.

Plus they're bankers, one at least seems like a v. senior exec, so is probably well above the fray most Americans experience anyway so they probably waver centrist most of the time anyway.

But I closed the deal for Obama.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 11:21:41 AM EST
[ Parent ]

The two that I talked to (friends of the family in Fairfax) are retired. He's a retired senior Pentagon official. Both are Jewish emigres from Poland, both are very active in Jewish, Holocaust survivor and pro-Israeli orgs. They were mentioning that even during the primary they had to spend their time countering the ugly anti-Obama e-mail campaign that was going out to all those on Jewish mailing lists.

by MarekNYC on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 11:35:09 AM EST
[ Parent ]

But I closed the deal for Obama.

Which means you did more for the campaign than quite a few of the Chicken Littles on dKos have done, I reckon. You flipped two folks while the blogosphere was flipping out over what I thought was pretty likely to be one night's outlier throwing off the dailies' averages.

Now that Obama appears to be on the move, they're all breathless, and maybe -- just maybe -- we look at the possibility of McCain choosing a running mate and starting his convention with a growing Obama lead hanging over his head. If I'm Obama, I'm finding a theme to blitz McCain and his running mate on next week.

Corruption, entitlement and sleaze would be it if I had to choose. Put out one vicious ad per day, and send the surrogates out to hammer the RNC. Get Hillary's people together on it, too. McAwful, Rendell, Begala -- all of them. They're good at staying on message.

The fact that McCain's now snapping at reporters and trying desperately to gain attention suggests, again, that panic is grabbing Grandpa Simpson and his minions a bit.

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

by Drew J Jones (blahblahblah@blahblahblah.com) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 03:15:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]

I read that Time interview. It was surreal, I'm beginning to wonder if the BBQ bus-boys might be missing their beer and getting a little antsy by telling a little truth now and again. Those journos really tried to make nice and McCain bit their hands off.

That's gonna feed to the networks at some point and McCain's gonna tank. The POW card is getting threadbare already with even MoDo calling him on it.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 03:36:46 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Their internals must suck. They're losing the Latino vote by some 35% and AA vote by 4-5% (versus '04) to Obama - that's a swing of 2-4 million votes from the GOP to the Dems. Vote count wise, that means they have to come-up with at least 3 million new voters.

The only thing that can save their bacon is another massive GOTV of the Evangelical/Christian Right. So the thing to watch is McCain's "Enthusiasm" numbers.

Och nu den svenska kocken bakar en Alaskan älg jägare. Bonk! Bonk! Bonk!

by ATinNM on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 03:41:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]

McCain will melt down and punch a reporter - verbally or literally. It will be the Dean Scream moment of the campaign. The media will cover it because it will be good for their viewing figures.

And that will be that.

At this point the R's only chance is a sniper on the roof.

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 03:53:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Oh no, McCain can still win. There's 68 days left and the campaigning will get serious, start heading for the finish line, after the GOP convention.

Och nu den svenska kocken bakar en Alaskan älg jägare. Bonk! Bonk! Bonk!

by ATinNM on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 04:02:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]

But somehow, I'm not yet convinced.

You could be right.

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 05:09:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]

You know they're griping about this because they're afraid it's going to make for a great backdrop. But, hey, I'd bitch, too. Those are furrener columns. After all, we don't use columns in America, certainly not in (say) DC.

This is grasping at straws. The veep crap, the lame-o-meter-through-the-ceiling "congrats" ad, the bitchfest about the columns, etc. It's really quite pathetic.

Which is why I'm inclined to think Gallup's polling matches McCain's internal polling. The Democratic convention has gone pretty damned well. Michelle and Hillary kicked ass. Joey and Billeh were quite good (and their effect hasn't been felt yet). And it's probably a safe bet that Obama's not going to be awful.

I could be wrong. Maybe they just want attention. But these sure are the signs you look for when you want to know if the opponent is frightened.

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

by Drew J Jones (blahblahblah@blahblahblah.com) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 07:22:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]

The only thing that can save their bacon is another massive GOTV of the Evangelical/Christian Right. So the thing to watch is McCain's "Enthusiasm" numbers.

So you don't think choosing a recently pro-choice Mormon or a still pro-choice Jew would be good for McCain?

by MarekNYC on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 04:08:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Nope.

The Mormon vote is locked for the GOP already. The Jewish vote is locked for the Dems. As much as these can can be, of course.

Och nu den svenska kocken bakar en Alaskan älg jägare. Bonk! Bonk! Bonk!

by ATinNM on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 05:15:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Bingo. Lieberman actually hurts him -- and, I should add, hurts him more than the other contenders -- in Florida. Florida. The state where every Jewish mother-in-law on the planet outside of Israel resides.

Every GOPer I've spoken with is truly scared shitless of McCain choosing Lieberman, because it would rally the Dems and potentially cause a floor fight at the convention.

Now with Mitt -- sure, you further solidify an already pretty solid Mormon vote. (Utah can then, I think, be called a "solid McCain" state. You go, girl.) But you also run the risk of further depressing your base in the South and the more Evangelical areas of the West. People like -- oh, I dunno -- McCain's mother (who clearly hates Mormons).

Finally, do you really want to send Mitt out to get slaughtered by Biden? I know McCain hates Mittens because he thinks Mitt's a pussy (which, granted, he is), so maybe he'd enjoy that, but McCain does presumably want to win. And when he doesn't have the questions handed to him ahead of time, McCain is a pretty lousy debater, even relative to Obama (who isn't exactly God's gift to debating). Why risk getting beat in the presidential debate and then watching your veep compound the problem by being truly slaughtered?

Pawlenty is the safest choice, but I don't think he gets you anything. He's not terribly popular in Minnesota anyway. And why should he be? This is the guy who vetoed the transportation bill before the bridge collapse. He's also got all the charisma of a turnip, and is about as deep as Dan Quayle.

But he doesn't piss anybody off.

I'm still betting on Mittens. But I'd go with Pawlenty if I were McCain.

For the record, Mitt's at about 51% on Intrade. Pawlenty's at about 48%. So it's almost even money.

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

by Drew J Jones (blahblahblah@blahblahblah.com) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 06:53:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]

How are they going to get a massive turnout effort when they have no ground game? Obama's got something like 45 field offices in Virginia alone. McCain's got, like, 2 in SW.

Anyway, thought you'd get a kick out of this bit from the Onion: I dream of a day when my Democratic nominee will be judged, "not by the color of his skin but the arugula-laden contents of his recycled Whole Foods grocery bags."

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

by Drew J Jones (blahblahblah@blahblahblah.com) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 07:46:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Don't gloat yet.

The GOP could very easily open a ton of offices directly after their convention. I admit that doesn't look likely, now, but it would be a nice PR coup after all the foo-foo about Obama's effort.

10-4 on the argula thing. ;-)

Och nu den svenska kocken bakar en Alaskan älg jägare. Bonk! Bonk! Bonk!

by ATinNM on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 09:50:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]

One thing you're missing, AT, is that the GOP's GOTV effort for evangelicals in '04 was massive, and was underway for a good year leading up to the election.

It's far too late for them now, and McCain's not the kind of guy the evangelicals will come out for in masses.

Putting Mr. squirrel frier on the ballot might do the trick, but they're not going to do that.

by nanne (zwaerdenmaecker@gmail.com) on Fri Aug 29th, 2008 at 07:59:10 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Not missing, just don't have any information.

It takes time to build a GOTV machine but once built regular maintenance can keep it ticking over. The Evangelical turn-out was the triumph of the GOP in '04. How much of the machine is left, how many people they can get to staff the machine, how effective the machine will be are open questions.

Given the '06 results I think it is safe to assume this machine is in need of oiling and, perhaps, a new transmission. In the GOP's favor is loosely attached, low information, voter participation and interest in politics increases in a presidential year. (Loosely attached, low information, voter pretty much defines the Evangelical block, Praise Jeebus!) A restocking, recapitulation, of this machine could, would, fly under the notice of journalists since a good deal of work could be done within existing churches and social (personal) networks.

Och nu den svenska kocken bakar en Alaskan älg jägare. Bonk! Bonk! Bonk!

by ATinNM on Fri Aug 29th, 2008 at 10:46:16 AM EST
[ Parent ]

bus them all into ~~hurricane country~~ the GOP convention to pray for FEMA.

let them see what Holy Wrath looks like, since they're all so keen at calling it down for others...

Peace is not the absence of war -- peace is the absence of fear. Ursula Franklin

by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Fri Aug 29th, 2008 at 05:23:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]

So Drew - what are you doing? I was informed that civil servants can help out, as long as they don't do so from or in their office, in their official capacity, or using their work e-mail (though I did recruit a volunteer who gave me his army.mil e-mail) Anyways, hang out at an office in NoVa the occasional weekend for some canvassing. You're southern, you have poor southern relatives, maybe you'll figure out a way of getting through to the poor whites in the area. God knows I wasn't getting anywhere, espresso sipping, Euro-yankee that I am.

by MarekNYC on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 06:36:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]

can you tell I've been doing the hard sell?

by MarekNYC on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 06:41:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Is that what the rule is -- working for a campaign is fine, so long as it's not done in the office? I've been under the impression that we're supposed to stay as far away from campaigns as possible, except to say that we're allowed to donate (which I won't do because I'm superstitious). And there may be additional restrictions based on my particular agency, since it's connected with the Electoral College allocations.

But if that's the rule, I'll do canvassing. I've managed to bring all of my friends and most family onboard (grandparents were a tough sell since they're afraid Obama will "only be for The Blacks," but they came around when I reasoned with them on how stupid and ignorant an idea that was). And I've dutifully done rebuttals to the smear emails and all that.

Hell, even a few of the racist Georgia kinfolk got onboard. "Well, he's a n-----, and I hate the Democrat Party, but we cain't have McCain." (shrug) Whatever works, I guess.

You're from New York, so you're automatically fucked with the rest of the country. I'm amazed they allowed you to canvass with the whites.

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

by Drew J Jones (blahblahblah@blahblahblah.com) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 07:04:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]

"Well, he's a n-----, and I hate the Democrat Party, but we cain't have McCain."

What's the emoticon for bug-eyed astounded?

If that attitude spreads it'll be a massacre.

Och nu den svenska kocken bakar en Alaskan älg jägare. Bonk! Bonk! Bonk!

by ATinNM on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 09:34:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Well, it just sort of is what it is. One of my cousins there, the one from whom I got that (rough) quote, is a big liberal. (Loves Obama, for the record. Always has. Kind of old-hippy-meets-southern-redneck. Very weird.) He'll literally pick fights with Republicans he comes across in public just to get the chance to verbally beat the snot out of them.

But he grew up rural Georgia in a different time. He was born into racism, and it's just who he is. But he's got the sense to say, "I don't give a damn what color this guy's skin is, because we need the Democrats."

And there are more of them out there. If we can win even a small number, we'll win this election in a walk, and we'll get those seats we need to pound the agenda down the Reps' throats.

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

by Drew J Jones (blahblahblah@blahblahblah.com) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 09:42:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]

You're the only other person on ET who can 'get' this ...

The strange thing is Obama should have a certain appeal to southern whites because that culture has more in common with AAs than they do white Yankees or Westerners.

Och nu den svenska kocken bakar en Alaskan älg jägare. Bonk! Bonk! Bonk!

by ATinNM on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 09:58:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Or at least won't think I've squiffed my squib.

Och nu den svenska kocken bakar en Alaskan älg jägare. Bonk! Bonk! Bonk!

by ATinNM on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 09:59:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Except that Obama is much more black than he is African American. That is, racially, in this still rather non post-racial society, he's black, but, those years on the South Side notwithstanding, his background isn't African American. Grew up in Indonesia with a white mother and Indonesian step-father, then Hawaii with his white grandparents, then went to Columbia and Harvard Law. The African-American culture with its roots in the South is one he learned as an adult, not one he absorbed growing up.

by MarekNYC on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 11:37:18 PM EST
[ Parent ]

To elaborate, his cultural background is white and 'Asian' he would have been more familiar with whitebread American and Indonesian than he was with African American. Japanese and maybe Chinese too, given the Hawaii childhood.

by MarekNYC on Fri Aug 29th, 2008 at 12:25:52 AM EST
[ Parent ]

excellent point marek.

for all the real ethnic harmony that hawaii models in some ways, it is as rare to see afro americans as it was in santa cruz california.

and s.cruz has that place a few miles away where it is predominantly AA, begins with a W, it's on the tip of my tongue.

hawaii has some military AA's, but they're just passing through.

Peace is not the absence of war -- peace is the absence of fear. Ursula Franklin

by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Fri Aug 29th, 2008 at 05:30:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]

There's a few clueless and self absorbed assholes out there.

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 01:39:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]

I think Hillary supporters are finally coming home.

Obama just surged eight points in two days on the Gallup Tracking Poll, which only includes interviews done after Michelle's and Hillary's speeches. Because it's a three-day rolling average, that suggests to me that he was ahead by a good bit into double digits last night.

And we had a good night last night at the convention. Bill cut the shit and did his Big Dawg thing. Biden did his ineloquent but tough and passionate thing.

Now the big show tonight. Obama's gotta hit hard on the economy. Throw a few jabs via mockery at Shithead, but stick to economics, and show some fight.

McCain, always classless and clueless, is going to run an ad addressing Obama directly tonight either before or after his speech. Sounds to me like there's perhaps some panic going on.

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

by Drew J Jones (blahblahblah@blahblahblah.com) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 01:22:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Throw a few jabs via mockery at Shithead,

That's ex-POW Shithead to YOU, Fella. A little respect for a dottering old fool, why don't ya.

The rooster crows at MIDNITE. Ooooooooooh!

by THE Twank (paszeski__aaaaaaatttttt__yahoo.com) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 03:00:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]

The national poll is fine but we need to wait for the state polls.

Ohio is the key. If Obama can get a pop there we know he had a good convention.

Och nu den svenska kocken bakar en Alaskan älg jägare. Bonk! Bonk! Bonk!

by ATinNM on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 10:13:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Agreed. If we win Ohio, this election's over. Focus on those western states and Virginia, too, though.

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

by Drew J Jones (blahblahblah@blahblahblah.com) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 10:18:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]

That's largely because it's hard to imagine winning Ohio without a rustbelt sweep of Michigan and Pennsylvania as well. We seem to have Iowa solid, and NM pretty close. The only Kerry state outside the rustbelt which is in play seems to be NH, and I'm pretty sure about that one. Or in other words, lose Ohio, and McCain is toast. But CO and VA make for an alternative victory scenario. I want a landslide, but I'll settle for any win. The states where he needs to concentrate his resources are OH, MI, CO, and VA.

by MarekNYC on Fri Aug 29th, 2008 at 12:03:29 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Bravo, Helen! (none / 0)

We can only hope...

Our knowledge has surpassed our wisdom. --Charu Saxena.

by metavision on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 02:51:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Guardian - David Hearst - David Miliband steps into a minefield

Sounds like Obama's going to back up your work with those two folks tonight. They're reading excerpts of the speech on MSNBC. If he delivers it half as well as he wrote it, these are going to be some hard hits on McCain.

Sounds crisp and passionate. As it should.

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

by Drew J Jones (blahblahblah@blahblahblah.com) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 09:33:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Thursday Open Thread (4.00 / 4)

The Guardian has another dig at Milliband.

In lecturing the Russians about Ukrainian sovereignty, the British foreign secretary appears not to know what he's talking about
It will be a cold winter in parts of the Caucasus and Eastern Europe, and that prediction has nothing to do with the weather forecast. The ripples of Russia's war with Georgia are spreading far and wide, and neither Russia nor the west is showing any moderation in their desire to limit the damage. The latest to engage in dangerous and irresponsible grandstanding is David Miliband. Is he a student of even recent Ukrainian history? I very much doubt it, but there he stood in Kiev today lecturing the Russians about the need to respect Ukrainian sovereignty.
Which bit of sovereign Ukraine was he talking about, the pro-Russian enclave of Crimea or the majority of the east and central Ukraine that, when asked, is against joining Nato? Does Miliband not realise that Ukraine as a nation has historically been torn between east and west, and what does he think would happen to old wounds if he, among others, starts to tug a little bit harder?

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 11:01:47 AM EST

Miliband backs off (none / 1)

Reuters [UK]: Miliband says "no question" of war with Russia (August 28, 2008

There is no question of launching "all-out war" against Russia, Foreign Secretary David Miliband said on Thursday, while condemning Moscow's "invasion" of Georgia.
Miliband, asked whether NATO would go to war against Moscow if it were to attack a neighbouring country or ally again, said: "We don't want all-out war with Russia ... There's no question of launching an all-out war against Russia."
NATO is committed to the principle that an attack against one or several members would be considered an attack against all, and to defending its members against aggression. Georgia is not a NATO member but it has ambitions to join.

A vivid image of what should exist acts as a surrogate for reality. Pursuit of the image then prevents pursuit of the reality -- John K. Galbraith

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 03:56:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Miliband backs off (none / 1)

miliband is a very stupid and dangerous man, with great ambitions.

blair, without even TB's noxious charm.

scariest pol in england right now, imo, makes straw and similar slime look benign.

when it comes to dark and opaque agendas, britain is right up there with italy, i reckon, just a lot less ostentatious.

Peace is not the absence of war -- peace is the absence of fear. Ursula Franklin

by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Fri Aug 29th, 2008 at 05:53:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Miliband backs off (none / 0)

And here I had a largely positive view of him due to the way the neocons and Likudniks absolutely loathe him.

by MarekNYC on Fri Aug 29th, 2008 at 06:15:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Guardian takes the piss.. (4.00 / 3)

...out of the Convention coverage on TV

Guardian - Oliver Burkeman - Campaign diary

While Democrats strain every sinew to show unity, anchormen covering the convention for MSNBC have descended into warfare with each other, live on air, which is much more entertaining. While right-leaning presenter Joe Scarborough was opining from the convention yesterday, his liberal colleague Keith Olbermann could be heard muttering "Jesus, Joe, why don't you get a shovel?" into an open microphone.
When correspondent David Shuster, in conversation with Scarborough, pointed out the obvious - that Scarborough's a Republican - the host went ballistic, demanding to know which party Shuster belonged to. "I'm a complete independent," Shuster replied.
"Oh, I feel so comforted by the fact that you're independent," Scarborough sneered. "I bet everyone at MSNBC has 'independent' on their voting cards."
Come along, kids. If Democrats who disagree with each other can achieve detente, surely three opinionated blowhards hired to stir controversy on screen should be able to reach some kind of ... Oh, no, fair point.

Guardian - Melissa McEwan - Reader, my head exploded

I'm not sure what's happening with our trusty old talking heads in Denver. They seem to be stupefying even themselves with their massive emanations of bullshit. Even leaving aside the reports I've been getting from various friends and acquaintances in attendance at the convention (my favourite of which was the sighting of a bunch of kids wandering around with a big sign reading: "Jesus is my gay best friend") which provide some semblance of truthiness from ground zero, the media's heavy filter seems more glaringly apparent to me than usual, the desperate reach to jury-rig people and personalities into predetermined narratives more blatant than usual - and it's never particularly subtle to begin with.
It's all so ham-handed and clunky and obvious. There's no grace or technique, not even a passing attempt at an elegant façade. It's just guileless, artless lies and total crap. The lack of pretense is almost insulting.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 11:18:11 AM EST

LA Times's spin of the Democratic convention (4.00 / 3)

Media look for conflict, but Democrats disappoint
By Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times Television Critic

Karl Rove defending Bill Clinton from a disparaging Sean Hannity; Bill Clinton telling the thousands of conventioneers chanting his name to "please stop it, please sit down," so he could anoint Barack Obama; Joe Biden honoring his white-haired mother for telling him to bloody the noses of the bullies who picked on him; Obama telling Hillary Rodham Clinton that she "rocked the house" -- despite the best efforts of the television news outlets, it was a great night for Democratic television. Specifically, it was all so well planned, you almost couldn't believe it was the Democrats...

The traditional media is still at work in the copyroom with the headline: Democrats disappoint.

by Magnifico on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 11:23:33 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Guardian takes the piss.. (4.00 / 2)

Almost insulting?

She's being far too polite.

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 11:24:39 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Guardian takes the piss.. (4.00 / 5)

"The lack of pretense is almost insulting", that really hits the nail on the head. The naked disdain shows that they think nothing can be done to them, and they might well be right-but it might also be a miscaluclation. The GW Bush years are the essence of the abandonment of any pretense that anything other than naked force is of any avail, but the disasters are pretty obvious and the pressure is building. The real problem is that we don't have any real fundamental options.

Biden, whom I like in some respects, is a clear hawk and a centrist. His words on the Georgian crises don't display much appreciation for the history of that region, and the whole garbage about reclaiming leadership in the world, and all the things that Obama can do for us are really just nonsense. We need to just get back to respectability, and we need to do much work getting our own house in order. This will be just a start, and I'm not very happy with our standard-bearers, but they are worlds better than the other option.

"I said, 'Wait a minute, Chester, You know I'm a peaceful man...'" Robbie Robertson

by NearlyNormal on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 01:49:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Guardian takes the piss.. (none / 1)

The lack of pretense is almost insulting.

sounds like she wants her coffee black, unsweetened.

ah, the english, shakespeare and orwell.

has any other language have so much silky disingenuousness built right into its dna?

i'm not deep into italian and french to answer that...

Peace is not the absence of war -- peace is the absence of fear. Ursula Franklin

by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Fri Aug 29th, 2008 at 05:45:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Questions:

When composing a new diary how does the author designate fonts? Strike-throughs, bold, italics, etc.?

Also, what is the significance of "Allowed HTML:"? Please don't tell me authors must be HTML fluent.

Thank You!

The rooster crows at MIDNITE. Ooooooooooh!

by THE Twank (paszeski__aaaaaaatttttt__yahoo.com) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 11:31:35 AM EST

Those are styles, not fonts.

If you're not HTML fluent you can do *bold* and _italics_ but you must use HTML for <strike>~~strikethrough~~</strike> or underline. You can also <del~~delete~~<del><ins>insert<ins> or emphasize content, or make it strong.

The auto-format works more reliably when posting comments than diaries, though. And if you include any HTML you should make sure you set the appropriate pull-down menu to "HTML formatted" to avoid layout-wrecking extra whitespace.

A vivid image of what should exist acts as a surrogate for reality. Pursuit of the image then prevents pursuit of the reality -- John K. Galbraith

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 11:42:09 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Uhhhhhhhhhhh ... OK. My Installment 2 on Monday might look kinda funky.

Thank you for the help.

The rooster crows at MIDNITE. Ooooooooooh!

by THE Twank (paszeski__aaaaaaatttttt__yahoo.com) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 11:45:52 AM EST
[ Parent ]

I do not believe font choice is available.

Strike-through: <del>~~deleted~~</del>
Bold: strong also bold
Italics: emphasis also italics

"Allowed HTML" is what is usable HTML in diaries. An author can write a diary without any use of HTML, however, all words will appear as plain text and formatting may be odd.

by Magnifico on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 11:47:17 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Not any more, anyway. :)

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 03:55:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]

This page I'm typing from is SOOOOOO screwed up. I hope something good comes of it. Do we have font control now?

The rooster crows at MIDNITE. Ooooooooooh!

by THE Twank (paszeski__aaaaaaatttttt__yahoo.com) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 06:05:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]

What's the difference between emphasis and italics? They look identical.

The rooster crows at MIDNITE. Ooooooooooh!

by THE Twank (paszeski__aaaaaaatttttt__yahoo.com) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 06:07:18 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Forbes Makes Merkel No.1: German Chancellor Is World's Most Powerful Woman - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News

keep trying the options, and preview till you get it right.

took me 6 months to suss putting in an image without glitches!

thanks linca

Peace is not the absence of war -- peace is the absence of fear. Ursula Franklin

by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Fri Aug 29th, 2008 at 05:41:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Arctic has reached the tipping point (4.00 / 3)

Arctic ice 'is at tipping point'
By Richard Black
Environment correspondent, BBC News website

Arctic sea ice has shrunk to the second smallest extent since satellite records began, US scientists have revealed.
The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) says that the ice-covered area has fallen below its 2005 level, which was the second lowest on record.
Melting has occurred earlier in the year than usual, meaning that the iced area could become even smaller than last September, the lowest recorded.
Researchers say the Arctic is now at a climatic "tipping point".
"We could very well be in that quick slide downwards in terms of passing a tipping point," said Mark Serreze, a senior scientist at the Colorado-based NSIDC.
"It's tipping now. We're seeing it happen now," he told the Associated Press news agency.

by Magnifico on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 11:50:27 AM EST

Women Power (none / 1)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has once again been named the most powerful woman in the world by Forbes magazine. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice only managed No.7 while a relatively unknown banker was given the No. 2 ranking.
Influential US magazine Forbes has once again compiled its list of the world's 100 most powerful women and this year's selection is dominated by women from the United States. At the very top, though, is a German: Chancellor Angela Merkel has been awarded the numer one spot for the third year in a row.
The German leader came out just ahead of the little known Sheila Blair, head of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the US bank-deposit insurer which has had to deal with global financial panic kicked off by the subprime crisis. Indra K. Nooyi, the CEO of PepsiCo, is in slot three.
The US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice drops back from No.4 last year to No. 7 in 2008, while a women with a huge public profile, Hillary Clinton, ranks 28th in the world.

by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 11:56:54 AM EST

Re: Women Power (4.00 / 3)

A few months ago I probably would have been happier with this news. But seeing how she is handling Russia, I find it rather frustrating that she is not using her power in a different way.

by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 11:57:58 AM EST
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Re: Women Power (4.00 / 2)

As Yoda might have said to Obi-Wan

"To fight this Lord Pu-tin, strong enough, you are not."

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 02:05:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Btw. Firefox (4.00 / 2)

I am happier with the new Firefox, it is crashing less often than the old on. And tribtext works okay, except I can not jump to the next new comment anymore.

by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 12:00:45 PM EST

Re: Btw. Firefox (4.00 / 3)

Nooooo!!! There are not supposed to be these errors...
Try picking some different keys? Tools->Add-Ons and then click on the TribExt row and its preference button. Then you'll see a button to change shortcuts.

by someone (s0me1smail(a)gmail(d)com) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 01:04:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Btw. Firefox (none / 1)

Ha, thats funny, it move to a different key. It used to be ö and now it is ' and thus works again. Thanks! :-)

by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 01:10:31 PM EST
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Re: Btw. Firefox (4.00 / 2)

Well, that's the default one. When you reinstall you don't carry preferences with you. You should be able to set it to ö again.

by someone (s0me1smail(a)gmail(d)com) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 01:23:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Btw. Firefox (none / 1)

That's fine with me, I never installed the ö - it just was there. Maybe there is a ghost or a gnome in my laptop. :-)

by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 01:43:06 PM EST
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Re: Btw. Firefox (4.00 / 2)

Temporarily confused by the new dynamic rating option here, but now that I've had time to get used to not seeing a 'Rate All' button, it's working as advertised.

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 03:59:38 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Don't pick fights with crows (4.00 / 3)

Friend or Foe? Crows Never Forget a Face, It Seems - NYTimes.com

To test the birds' recognition of faces separately from that of clothing, gait and other individual human characteristics, Dr. Marzluff and two students wore rubber masks. He designated a caveman mask as "dangerous" and, in a deliberate gesture of civic generosity, a Dick Cheney mask as "neutral." Researchers in the dangerous mask then trapped and banded seven crows on the university's campus in Seattle.
In the months that followed, the researchers and volunteers donned the masks on campus, this time walking prescribed routes and not bothering crows.
The crows had not forgotten. They scolded people in the dangerous mask significantly more than they did before they were trapped, even when the mask was disguised with a hat or worn upside down. The neutral mask provoked little reaction. The effect has not only persisted, but also multiplied over the past two years. Wearing the dangerous mask on one recent walk through campus, Dr. Marzluff said, he was scolded by 47 of the 53 crows he encountered, many more than had experienced or witnessed the initial trapping. The researchers hypothesize that crows learn to recognize threatening humans from both parents and others in their flock.

by someone (s0me1smail(a)gmail(d)com) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 01:48:01 PM EST

Wonder what would happen if Cheney walked though the campus.

by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 01:53:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]

He'd bite their heads off Ozzy-style.

I hear he likes raw liver with fava beans and a nice chianti down in his dungeon.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 02:00:27 PM EST
[ Parent ]

I know for a fact I'm not gonna mess with the crows in our garden. The magpies always come mob-handed and the only animal that stands up to them is the carnivorous squirrel who sits and eats the bacon fat we put out.

And the rooks, wouldn't mess with them at all. It's quite disconcerting to go into the kitchen in the morning to see a couple on the window ledge looking in like they're plotting to re-make a scene from "The Birds".

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 01:57:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]

They are amazing, I watched them attacking seagulls sitting on the water, despite them not being able to swim and some of them are huge.

by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 02:00:53 PM EST
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Excuse my FRENCH y'all but WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON WITH MY PERSONAL COMMENTS PAGE ! Jesus Christ on a bike! (Thanks Helen)

The rooster crows at MIDNITE. Ooooooooooh!

by THE Twank (paszeski__aaaaaaatttttt__yahoo.com) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 02:45:11 PM EST

Re: Thursday Open Thread (4.00 / 3)

I'm fed up with you guys using the expression "Excuse my French" when you are being rude and vulgar. This expression is stupid and its use is offensive.

"Ne te courbe que pour aimer..." René Char

by Melanchthon on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 04:16:38 PM EST
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If I switch to using only French curse words would it be OK?

by MarekNYC on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 04:19:55 PM EST
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e.g. "This 'pardon my French' expression is con and me fait chier" (Pardon my French)

by MarekNYC on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 04:29:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]

...con and me fait chier

Shit, now what does this mean?

Pardon my .... English?

The rooster crows at MIDNITE. Ooooooooooh!

by THE Twank (paszeski__aaaaaaatttttt__yahoo.com) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 05:51:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]

'stupid' and 'really bugs me' or to put it literally 'cunt' and 'makes me shit' (though 'con' is rarely used in its literal sense, and its figurative one is pretty mild)

by MarekNYC on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 06:30:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Wow! I have never seen "cunt" on any blog. I must have been living a sheltered blogging life so far.

The rooster crows at MIDNITE. Ooooooooooh!

by THE Twank (paszeski__aaaaaaatttttt__yahoo.com) on Fri Aug 29th, 2008 at 04:28:55 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Indeed. A check in the ET archives shows it has been used 30 times (several are, or may be, simple typos), but no mention of McCain's characterization of his wife, which I was expecting to find.

by gk (g k quattro due due sette "at" gmail.com) on Fri Aug 29th, 2008 at 04:48:49 AM EST
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Have any of the uses been other than in discussion of the word?

by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Fri Aug 29th, 2008 at 04:50:04 AM EST
[ Parent ]

I didn't check them all, but most of them are indeed in linguistic discussions or in quotes of what other people had to say about Berlusconi.

by gk (g k quattro due due sette "at" gmail.com) on Fri Aug 29th, 2008 at 04:53:52 AM EST
[ Parent ]

I agree. It's good anglo-saxon and we should be proud of it. English, the best language in which to swear loudly and offensively.

I know I do.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 04:37:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Why are the good English swear words still English instead of French? Did the Norman invaders not swear?

by asdf on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 07:04:19 PM EST
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I have no idea about the ancestry of the swear words I use. Some seem to be Shakespearean but who cares ? It ain't what you say, it's how you say it that matters.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Fri Aug 29th, 2008 at 05:26:03 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Sorry. Learned it from my deceased parents. Will not use it in the future. (Oooooo ... touchy!)

The rooster crows at MIDNITE. Ooooooooooh!

by THE Twank (paszeski__aaaaaaatttttt__yahoo.com) on Thu Aug 28th, 2008 at 05:47:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]