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Saturday Open Thread

by afew
Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 10:37:29 AM EST

Open Threading, Begin!


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Hot August afternoon.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

When locusts move on, they leave nothing behind

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 10:39:34 AM EST
Rainy days here...
by Metatone (metatone [a|t] gmail (dot) com) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 10:46:00 AM EST
[ Parent ]
It's not quite raining here. It drizzles anytime you think you might want to get something done in the garden, but nothing has happened to trouble the level of the water butts.

keep to the Fen Causeway
by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 10:51:49 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Hot and raining here, though it held off (mostly) while we were riding.

We're reduced to using the clothes drier at this stage: there hasn't been any credible drying weather for ten days or so.

by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 10:56:59 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Oh, add a heavy thunder storm to that as well. I'd go hide in the basement, if we had one. Instead we'll hide in the attic study and try to shout over the rain hitting the windows.
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 11:17:53 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Wanted to use this picture for it:

Did anyone watch the opening ceremony. Sounds like it was very impressiv.

by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 10:50:22 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Here a link and another link
by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 10:52:24 AM EST
[ Parent ]
No I didn't watch it, thinking it would be the usual nationalistic bore-a-thon. But so many people have said how good it was I wish I had.

Ah well, only running, jumping and drug taking for the next few weeks.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 10:53:59 AM EST
[ Parent ]
It really was fantastic. Easily the highest production values I've seen for that type of event. And I've enjoyed the walk of nations since I was a wee lad.

This writer had a good take:

BEIJING -- One world, one dream.

One hell of a show.

The only people who didn't enjoy the awe-inspiring Opening Ceremony of the XXIX Olympic Summer Games had to be the folks with the London Olympic organizing committee. They host the 2012 Summer Games, meaning they have to follow the greatest show on Earth -- and, for my yuan, the greatest show in Opening Ceremony history.

If I were the Brits, I'd punt and go with Monty Python reruns. Unless they can top a gold medalist elevating and running on air around the entire circumference of National Stadium to light the torch.



you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 03:52:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]
The only people who didn't enjoy the awe-inspiring Opening Ceremony of the XXIX Olympic Summer Games had to be the folks with the London Olympic organizing committee.

in the bit that I watched I was sat thinking that the happiest people in the world watching that were probably the Paris organising comittee.

Life should consist in at least fifty percent pure waste of time, and the rest doing what you please.

by ceebs (bunchofwankers (at) gmail (dot) com) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 06:09:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Like your new sig a lot.

Our knowledge has surpassed our wisdom. --Charu Saxena.
by metavision on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 06:43:46 PM EST
[ Parent ]
ceebs: in the bit that I watched I was sat thinking that the happiest people in the world watching that were probably the Paris organising comittee.

the Beijing Olympics should be the last 20th century Olympics.

London (and Paris could have done the same) should be the first 21st century Olympics.

being two-time Olympic host veteran, and with nothing in particular they need to prove to the world (as far as i can see), London would be the perfect place to dial down the whiz-bang hollywood/broadyway theatrics and distinguish itself with a truly revolutionary Olympics.

that would be an Olympics that celebrates human achievement, but puts it in the proper perspective as ultimately being dependent on the health of the entire planet (the ecosystem as well as all the people who live in it).

the Beijing Olympics is the jaw-dropping logical conclusion of a tradition that puts human (and, implicitly, national) achievement above everything else, including nature, the commonality of all people across the planet, the well-being of the athletes themselves, even (to some extent) the very joy and health benefits of athleticism.

the London Olympics could be the start of a new tradition that celebrates human achievement within nature and irrespective of nationality, ethnicity, religion, and the rest of it.

of course, these themes already exist in embryonic form.  but London has a chance to make it more explicit, for example, by eliminating, or at least minimizing, the absurd excesses of large-scale, whiz-bang theatrics, and by focusing on making the Olympics 2012 a completely sustainable undertaking with minimal consumption of unrenewable energy and resources and minimal pollution.

the focus would be on doing better while doing less:  ingenuity, resourcefulness, perseverance, and cooperation; creativity, optimism and hope in the face of adversity and scarcity; and emphasis on a more humble human presence on the planet, in harmony with the rest of the ecosystem.

with such themes in mind, London should not care a whit about wow-ing spectators with a billion fireworks, flying angels, armies of performers, and giant animations (as cool as those were).

Olympics 2012 should wow us with showing the world how much can be done with as little as possible.

A Japanese city would be a great city to carry on such a new Olympic tradition after London, as the Japanese pride themselves for their resourcefulness and ingenuity in the face of scarcity.

(actually, Paris, also a two-time Olympic host veteran, would have been just as well placed to do this.  too bad someone did not have the vision to propose a dual London-Paris hosting.  that would have been a significant step into making the Olympics truly trans-national.

also, i wonder if it would be too radical or crazy to introduce a new category of athletes, a sort of "People At Large" category: refugees, multinationals, non-nationals, and so on, basically those who either by force of circumstance do not have a nation or prefer not to identify with any single nation, but with humanity in general.)

Cynicism is intellectual treason.

by marco (cowannar at gmail punkt com) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 08:40:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]
marco:
the focus would be on doing better while doing less:  ingenuity, resourcefulness, perseverance, and cooperation; creativity, optimism and hope in the face of adversity and scarcity; and emphasis on a more humble human presence on the planet, in harmony with the rest of the ecosystem.

Well said.

by ChrisCook (cojockathotmaildotcom) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 09:18:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]
it's a quote I found in a book, (which is now packed in a box ready for my great move North) and I can't remember who by although I do remember it to be a somewhat rightwing female philosopher, although I can't remember her name

Life should consist in at least fifty percent pure waste of time, and the rest doing what you please.
by ceebs (bunchofwankers (at) gmail (dot) com) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 11:43:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Isabel Paterson.  Googling a bit found that quote as a flowery poster on somebody else's website, and a brazillion links connecting her with Ayn Rand and Libertarianism.

Somewhere in cyberspace, the ghost of de Chardin is smiling.
by budr on Sun Aug 10th, 2008 at 08:50:00 AM EST
[ Parent ]
thats the one.

Life should consist in at least fifty percent pure waste of time, and the rest doing what you please.
by ceebs (bunchofwankers (at) gmail (dot) com) on Sun Aug 10th, 2008 at 07:30:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Last night I fulfilled a curiosity I've had for some time, I tried a beer made as a recreation of an ancient style, Egyptian rather than Mesopotamian, and seriously cleaned up for the modern era. But I'm glad I did.

Nothing to write home about tho'.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 10:58:06 AM EST
This would probably go better in Frank's diary, but at 81 comments, it'd get lost.

Guardian - Michael Moore - How to blow it

For years now, nearly every poll has shown that the American people are right in sync with the platform of the Democratic Party. They are pro-environment, pro-women's rights, pro-choice, they don't like war, they want the minimum wage raised, and they want a single-payer universal healthcare system. The American public agrees with the Republican Party on only one major issue: they support the death penalty.

So you would think, with more than 200 million eligible voters, the Dems would be cleaning up, election after election. Obviously not. The Democrats appear to be professional losers. They are so pathetic in their ability to win elections, they even lose when they win! Al Gore won the 2000 election, but for some strange reason he didn't become the president of the United States.
[......]

How many Democrats does it take to lose the most easily winnable election in American history? Not many. Just a few "close advisers" to Barack Obama who tell him a bunch of asinine stuff and he ends up listening to them instead of his own heart. As the party hacks in the past two elections have proven, once they get the candidate's ear, the rest of us might just as well order pizza and stay inside for the next four years.
[....]

here is the blueprint from the Democrats' past losing campaigns. Just follow each of these steps and you, the Democratic Party establishment, can help elect John Sidney McCain III to a four-year extension of the Bush Era:



keep to the Fen Causeway
by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 11:04:16 AM EST
Meh, the funny thing is that at the time when everybody's pissing their pants over McCain attacks, the Obama campaign seems to have found a narrative on St John and a structure to their attack ads that I think will be fairly effective -- that he doesn't agree with himself, being the narrative, and mockery, being the structure.

The Yucca Mountain ad is a good example, hitting McCain for his laughable NIMBYism over nuclear waste in Arizona, although I'm still not convinced that Yucca Mountain is a winner for us in Nevada.

I'll add, too, that McCain's "celebrity" ads seem to be really fantastic at getting pundits to talk but not very great at moving the polls beyond a day or two.

I still want our 527s to tell the Obama campaign to piss off, and start ripping McCain.  If only we had a really brilliant filmmaker from -- oh, I don't know -- Michigan, who knew how to do his research, was incredibly funny, and could bring the whole package to such ads....

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

by Drew J Jones (blahblahblah@blahblahblah.com) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 11:24:42 AM EST
[ Parent ]
I still the best line in the Hilton reply was "I'm a celebrity too..only not from the olden days"

It's the word "olden" that really opens it up and it'd be fun if Obama could reference that a bit. Why not make age an issue ? McCain's making race an issue.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 12:01:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]
But that's why the Hilton ad was so brilliant.  Those lines from her were brutal.  "The old, wrinkled, white-haired dude."  "So thanks for the endorsement, old guy."  And it all resulted from McCain picking on her.  Obama didn't have to do a thing, and he couldn't be tied to it.

You know if Obama plays the age card, McCain's lapdogs in the press will jump all over it.  And I think, too, that the fact that McCain's ads have nothing to do with actual issues is the main reason why he's not really landing any blows, whereas Obama's hit on (say) the DHL deal in Ohio has left McCain mumbling like the idiotic old man he is, and the DHL hit actually relates to 8,000 Ohioans' lives in a real way.

They've got the formula almost right.  Keep to the issues, while baiting McCain into them with harsh, and slightly personal, attacks.  Keep ramping up the mockery, because we all know McCain can't stand being mocked.  And, while never mentioning his age, make him look confused (eg, McCain's inability to answer the question on health-care coverage of Viagra and lack of it for birth control).

But, bottom-line, keep it to the issues, because that will have an effect on people.  They'll get that McCain isn't actually talking about anything.

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

by Drew J Jones (blahblahblah@blahblahblah.com) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 12:09:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]
If he does that will be the opening the media are looking for, and they will jump all over him for attacking McCain for his age, and expecting not to be attacked for his race in return.

Better to let other people, like Hilton, do it for you. In any case, there's no need to attack him for his age, just to make as many voters as possible aware of it.

by gk (g k quattro due due sette "at" gmail.com) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 12:10:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Exactly.  Make them aware of the age issue without mentioning it.  Video clips of McCain lost in space will do the job.

Where's your motherf*%&ing flag pin?
by Drew J Jones (blahblahblah@blahblahblah.com) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 12:14:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]
...adding...

O's new radio ad is Ohio on McCain's ties to this big DHL jobs-cut is apparently just brutal, too.  Haven't heard it yet, but the reviews are big.

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

by Drew J Jones (blahblahblah@blahblahblah.com) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 11:29:36 AM EST
[ Parent ]
And this I join the phone posting/commenting masses. When do we get a Twitter/OT gateway interface? </snark>
by Metatone (metatone [a|t] gmail (dot) com) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 11:14:57 AM EST
*Thus
by Metatone (metatone [a|t] gmail (dot) com) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 11:16:00 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Yes. It is a bit like that trying to post from a phone, isn't it? :)
by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 12:24:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]
That's a fun idea, actually.
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 11:18:49 AM EST
[ Parent ]
It makes sense from a certain point of view.There's similar social grooming at work. However, it would only generate conversation starters I suppose.
by Metatone (metatone [a|t] gmail (dot) com) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 12:53:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]
blackberry? iProduct?

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 03:02:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Alas, I've succumbed to the iProduct. It was the best value upgrade on my current contract.
by Metatone (metatone [a|t] gmail (dot) com) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 03:46:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Can't say I blame you. I'm shocked that outside of high end audio, Apple is the only consumer electronics company that gives more than a passing thought to aesthetics and design.

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 03:57:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Sony gives thought to it, but unfortunately the Sony Tax is much higher than even the Apple Tax, with all the power of a mid-range Dell.

Where's your motherf*%&ing flag pin?
by Drew J Jones (blahblahblah@blahblahblah.com) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 04:01:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Sony's phone designs all look like 2nd year undergrad projects.

Nokia does aesthetics. LG does aesthetics. The phones aren't as hyperaesthetic as the iThing, but for the money I'd rather have a Nokia with a real keyboard than an iPhone with a virtual keyboard that looks bleeding-edge cool but is impossible to type on.

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 05:10:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Meh, more a matter of taste.  I prefer the virtual keyboard now that I'm used to it.  I can type as fast on the iPhone as I can on a full-size computer keyboard.  BlackBerry, Nokia, and the other ones with physical keyboards, not so much.  My fingers are kind of stubby, and as a rule I'm pretty clumsy, so the better predictive texting on the iPhone is a big help.

Where's your motherf*%&ing flag pin?
by Drew J Jones (blahblahblah@blahblahblah.com) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 05:16:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Bernie Mac is dead.

Where's your motherf*%&ing flag pin?
by Drew J Jones (blahblahblah@blahblahblah.com) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 12:46:57 PM EST
as an American, why does American exceptionalism piss me off so much???

Seeing several of Jerome's recent diaries over at DKos lately, especially some of the comments, not only piss me off but really depress me

if American progressives think in such a way, then hope is truly lost

by Jeffersonian Democrat (rzg6f@virginia.edu) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 03:46:15 PM EST
They may be democrats, but most americans are still culturally of the America the Great mentality. I'm not getting at you particularly, after all I'm British. The British Empire slowly died in the first half of the 20th century, but empire attitudes still dominate our attitude towards the military.

Why does France have the bomb fer chrissakes, when their period in the sun was sometime in the middle of the 19th century ?

Imperial entitlement is a heady brew and only creates delusions and madness even in those who can no longer drink it. God alone knows how it twists the minds of those in its grip.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 04:02:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Most of them are also interventionists.  Look at MfM's diary at the top of the rec list over there, griping about our ties to Georgia as someone who supports staying in Iraq and other interventionist garbage.

Well, what do you expect when most people accept the premise that it's America's job to be the world's policeman?

And why should it be a shock that we never focus on health care, or trade, or jobs, or any of many other critical issues, when our foreign policy is built to induce ultranationalist sentiments?

I said over there, only half-joking, "Hey, could we have Ron Paul as the SecDef?"  I think Ron Paul is insane on domestic policy, but at least the crazy old man had the balls to get up in front of the Republican primary voters and state the God-damned truth that no one's stated since Eisenhower.

So I figure an American plane will get shot down by Russia.  America might respond.  Awesome things are sure to come.  More people dead.  More wounded.  More economies destroyed.

But nobody listens to guys like me, because we're not Very SeriousTM, instead choosing to listen to brighter leaders from the past, like Ike and Washington.

Fuck it.  I need a beer.

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

by Drew J Jones (blahblahblah@blahblahblah.com) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 04:18:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]
wow !! I don't normally freak about spiders, my attitude is they've got a job to do and it's called eating biting flying things.

But there was just the hugest spider in the bathroom and I just couldn't bring myself to be comfortable about going to bed with that 8-legged leviathan waiting for me in the loo. So it's just gone out the window. sorry spidey, but.....

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Sat Aug 9th, 2008 at 06:12:35 PM EST


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