Top Diaries

That calls for an emotional weather report.

by de Gondi (publiobestia aaaatttthotmaildaughtusual) on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 12:24:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Glad to oblige!

The fact is that what we're experiencing right now is a top-down disaster. -Paul Krugman

by dvx (dvx.clt ät gmail dotcom) on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 12:52:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Tuesday Open Thread (4.00 / 2)

I believe chris Cook can outdo all of us. Scotland was the hottest place in Europe last week (22C) but it was snowing today.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 01:13:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]

It is winter, suddenly, in Colorado. We had a high temperature of 80F on Sunday, but yesterday it was only about 45F and very windy. This morning it is snowing.

Usually we get much of our annual moisture in March and April, so this is actually "normal," but compared to the last month of summer weather it's a bit of a shock...

by asdf on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 12:51:59 PM EST

In the 40F's today, after highs in the 80's. I could see snow in the foothills when I let the dog out this morning.

by ElaineinNM on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 01:10:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 1)

3°C and rainy in Hamburg, and no change of the weather in sight. :(

by Katrin on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 01:34:00 PM EST

Rainy this afternoon which resulted in rain metal boot interface which was somewhat close to the hold of an ice rink. Fortunately I wasn't holding a wardrobe at the time that I found that Gravity was rather more in control than I like. Fortunately though I didn't break anything when my arm was preventing me from landing on my head but am probably going to be sore and bruised in the morning.

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.

by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 03:12:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Tuesday Open Thread (4.00 / 5)

Ouch! and I hope it won't be too excruciating, but

ceebs:

rain metal boot interface which was somewhat close to the hold of an ice rink. Fortunately I wasn't holding a wardrobe at the time

is pure surrealist poetry.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 03:24:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]

too many fortunatelys in there already, but I'll add fortunately it's not my mouse hand

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.

by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 03:32:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Tuesday Open Thread (4.00 / 4)

And also, I could explain it, but it would destroy the poetry

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.

by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 04:31:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Rainy and cold here with snow on the Pyrenees.

But not enough rain, just enough to make the weather crappy.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 03:26:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Lovely weather in both Brussels and Paris today. No wind along the way (most of the wind turbines were idle).

Wind power

by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 03:38:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Hah, you see??? Unreliable technology, can't be counted on, not there when you need it, etc.

by asdf on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 04:15:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Not to worry, all along no. Yurp, the turbines were spinning along just fine at high power ratings.

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin

by Crazy Horse on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 04:21:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]

which reminds me - Mitsubishi is having problems with its wind turbine division. why is that?

by stevesim on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 04:37:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]

The GE patent dispute notwithstanding, what problems are you referring to?

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin

by Crazy Horse on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 04:49:27 PM EST
[ Parent ]

oh, it's a patent issue.

I didn't bother reading the article as I just assumed it was the same problem as the photovoltaic firm in Germany - financial.

what's the issue there? I thought the market was booming.

by stevesim on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 05:04:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Tuesday Open Thread (4.00 / 4)

NYT: James Murdoch Steps Down From British Broadcaster

Last month, in a continuing effort to distance himself from News Corporation's British newspaper unit, Mr. Murdoch stepped down from the board of Times Newspapers Holdings. That entity was created to safeguard the editorial independence of The Times of London and The Sunday Times after the media conglomerate bought the British newspapers in 1981, according to public filings with the British government.
In March, the auction house Sotheby's said in a filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission that James Murdoch would not return to his board position. Earlier this year he gave up his position on the board of the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline.

These are midge bites to Darth Murdoch, but it is also good to notice the small triumphs in our fight against the tentacles of sociopathy.

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 01:48:59 PM EST

It's Rupert we need to hurt, James has already been abandoned as insufficiently rapacious so this is barely a wound. Rupe probbly sees them as the just deserts for being flawed.

No, we should pay attention to the fact that Rupert stirred when NDS were fingered by the Beeb for piracy. Evidently they touched a nerve, so we should poke it with hot needles

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 02:33:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Hot, needless to say... (none / 0)

There must be quite a few nerds outside of Darth's control who have the inside info on NDS. I'm sure we will hear from them when the time is right.

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 03:35:20 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Hot, needless to say... (4.00 / 5)

Well it Just so happens, I'm in London on Thursday hunting some down

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.

by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 03:47:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Tuesday Open Thread (4.00 / 5)

My theory is that it's a variation on the onion defence, where you throw a skin away at a time and aim to outlast the opposition, and James is the last skin.

We're at the "Everyone directly involved has already been fired/resigned/sold to another company" stage. the next stage is sack the entire board and get a new one apart from Rupert who will naturally be voted back in with the new one.

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.

by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 03:40:37 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Somewhere I have picked up that there is a difference of opinion regarding the German-Belgian border between Germany and Belgium but that all practical details has been fixed a long time ago, so neither side cares to try to impose their version. However, I can't find verification. Anyone else heard about this? Myth or reality?

A vote for PES is a vote for EPP! A vote for EPP is a vote for PES! Support the coalition, vote EPP-PES in 2009!

by A swedish kind of death on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 02:32:29 PM EST

I believe there wre some differences of opinion in the 30s. They may or may not have been resolved

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 02:35:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]

try (none / 1)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutral_Moresnet

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.

by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 02:42:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: try (none / 1)

Ah, thanks. I thought it was something in present times which explains why I could not find it.

Anyway, good example of how border disputes can be handled - without either side loosing face by giving in - if both sides wants a peaceful solution.

A vote for PES is a vote for EPP! A vote for EPP is a vote for PES! Support the coalition, vote EPP-PES in 2009!

by A swedish kind of death on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 03:06:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: try (none / 0)

Neutral Moresnet was recognised as part of Belgium at the end of WWI. I suspect you read something related to another oddity that persisted to this day: the Vennbahn, a railway built along the border for military reasons. The right-of-way of the railway is Belgian territory, creating five excalves. The status of the territory became an issue again when the railway was dismantled in the last decade.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Wed Apr 4th, 2012 at 05:20:28 AM EST
[ Parent ]

German is the third official language of Belgium.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 02:58:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]

and the two flags are very similar.

by stevesim on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 04:39:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Wonderful spring here. Still rainy after a dryish winter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wp4O7v5320

by THE Twank (yatta blah blah @ blah.com) on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 03:28:31 PM EST

Amazing clip of Dallas tornado (none / 1)

after the ad. Semis being tossed into the air.

Texas tornado clip

by ElaineinNM on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 03:39:28 PM EST

Wow

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.

by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 03:46:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Looks like an F1.

Ever since I learnt about confirmation bias I've started seeing it everywhere

by ATinNM on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 04:31:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]

I saw that clip and bet that it was closer to an F3. That sucker was pretty wide and had a huge debris field and I doubt that tractor trailers take to the air and rise a hundred feet at 110 mph, Cessnas - yes. Couldn't find any estimate of strength yet.

As the Dutch said while fighting the Spanish: "It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."

by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Wed Apr 4th, 2012 at 12:23:13 AM EST
[ Parent ]

The way the trailers were flying around I suspect they were empty.

But rather than fight about it, NOAA should have the official designation in the next day or two.

Ever since I learnt about confirmation bias I've started seeing it everywhere

by ATinNM on Wed Apr 4th, 2012 at 12:33:20 AM EST
[ Parent ]

I agree they were likely empty and that they have a lot of surface area, but that surface is hardly an efficient lifting structure. And, if an F1 could lift trailers so easily, flying tractor trailers would be a much more common sight in tornadoes, yet all commentators note that they have never seen anything like this before, and instances where vehicles such as school buses are tossed into buildings usually involve stronger storms. But we will see.

As the Dutch said while fighting the Spanish: "It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."

by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Wed Apr 4th, 2012 at 09:41:47 AM EST
[ Parent ]

French offshore wind (4.00 / 2)

French wind power decision due this week-minister

Energy regulator favoured EDF in 4 of 5 farms-report

Fifth farm for which GDF consortium was in contention may be cancelled

PARIS, April 3 (Reuters) - The French government will likely pick the winners of a 10 billion-euro ($13.3 billion) tender for the country's first offshore wind farms later this week, Industry Minister Eric Besson said on Tuesday, deciding between three mainly French consortia.
GDF Suez, EDF unit EDF Energies Nouvelles and Spain's Iberdrola are in the running for slices of five wind parks with as many as 600 turbines and 3 gigawatts (GW) of capacity in the project's first phase off the Normandy and Brittany coasts.
(...)
France's energy regulator, which is advising President Nicolas Sarkozy's government on the process, favours the EDF-led consortium's offer in four out of the five wind parks up for grabs, business daily Les Echos reported on Monday.
(...)
French engineering group Alstom, which, along with Danish utility Dong is part of the EDF consortium, also has a lot riding on the tender result as it sees wind turbines as a big potential growth market. The company recently unveiled a new offshore windmill which it said was the world's largest.

I can't say if I was involved.

Wind power

by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 03:43:22 PM EST

Re: French offshore wind (none / 0)

We might possibly be prone to speculate that the leading firm advising offshore finance in Europe, being based in France, might possibly be involved in advising French offshore decisions. Of course, we might also not be prone to speculate same, were we possibly daft.

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin

by Crazy Horse on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 03:56:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: French offshore wind (none / 1)

I doubt if anyone would be surprised if turbines from Areva Wind and Alstom were among the chosen, though certain milestones might have to be reached.

Conversely, sometimes even eye am surprised.

I'd like to remind everyone that offshore windpower, as practiced in northern Europe, is a very big deal. The technology itself, and the dealmaking surrounding it, mean a place for the best and brightest to shine.

Ohne dass, es geht nicht.

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin

by Crazy Horse on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 04:05:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: French offshore wind (none / 0)

Peerless Leader hath issued the following weasel words:

I can't say if I was involved.

R2! R2!

:-)

Ever since I learnt about confirmation bias I've started seeing it everywhere

by ATinNM on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 04:36:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: French offshore wind (none / 1)

Dear Leader speaks:-

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Wed Apr 4th, 2012 at 02:12:44 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Hmmmm... (none / 0)

My gut reaction is "appel d'offres français, dès pipés, merci aux gentils faire-valoir"

i.e. rather than just nakedly give the whole sector to EDF/Alsthom, we decided to dress it up in a tender operation. Thanks to the sucker consortia who took part.

I may be wrong, but this is what people in France will assume.

The government seems to believe that there's only room for one national champion in offshore wind. But did it choose the right one?

Were Areva's offers really that bad? Their machines seem to be OK, were the financials no good? If this decision represents a strategic decision to sink Areva, rather than to help it to transition to renewables in a big way, well, that's interesting...

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue
- Queen Elizabeth II}

by eurogreen on Wed Apr 4th, 2012 at 04:05:56 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Yet Another Primary (4.00 / 2)

Washington, DC, Maryland, and Wisconsin are having their primary's tonight. DC and Maryland are heavily GOP Insider areas, were expected to go Romney, and are. DC heavily (69% for Mittens) and Maryland at 48% to 29%. Wisconsin should be closer with polling predicting a 3% win for the Romney_Bot and that's about were it stands with 11% of precincts reporting: 42% to 38%.

Not going to obsess over any of these. Unless his dog falls off the roof of his car and kills him, Romney will wind-up as the GOP nominee. It will also take until the June 5th primaries for him to seal a first voting round nomination.

Ever since I learnt about confirmation bias I've started seeing it everywhere

by ATinNM on Tue Apr 3rd, 2012 at 10:07:37 PM EST

Re: Yet Another Primary (none / 1)

Unless his dog falls off the roof of his car and kills him, Romney will wind-up as the GOP nominee

lol

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Wed Apr 4th, 2012 at 02:14:04 AM EST
[ Parent ]

In the coming weekend millions of Finns will prepare and eat mämmi. A traditional dish on Easter, the main ingredients of mämmi are rye flour and powdered rye malt.

Aside I said, millions of Finns will eat this:

Billions of people wonder ...

why?

Ever since I learnt about confirmation bias I've started seeing it everywhere

by ATinNM on Wed Apr 4th, 2012 at 12:31:20 AM EST

Mämmi, how I love you... (none / 0)

I shall be one of those millions. Being induced to try it is almost hazing for new arrivals to Finland. Kinda Fear Factor test. But once a year it's a must (possibly in all senses of the word)

Also Paskha (In addition to the main ingredient (tvorog), additional ingredients, such as butter, eggs, sour cream, raisin, almonds, vanilla, spices, and candied fruits can be used) - if only I can get to a little foodie store in Hki before Friday.

And then there's the Fazer Mignon choccie egg. Another pleasure.

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Wed Apr 4th, 2012 at 01:21:10 AM EST
[ Parent ]

but...but...that's just mud

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Wed Apr 4th, 2012 at 02:15:17 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Geophagy

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Wed Apr 4th, 2012 at 02:30:00 AM EST
[ Parent ]

I saw a telly prog about it once. Differnet clays serve different purposes and it was notable that when they swapped African and S American clays the locals identified the purposes the foreign clays would be used for.

howver, the connecton between eating clay and pregnancy hadn't occured to me, but is obvious

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Wed Apr 4th, 2012 at 04:13:11 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Stick-in-the-muds! (none / 0)

The recent Gallup Global Poll pronounced Finns as the 2nd happiest nation (after Denmark).

Mud in your eye

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Wed Apr 4th, 2012 at 02:40:35 AM EST
[ Parent ]

No, it's not a mud...

it's a must

Let it ferment for a few weeks, then distill it.

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue
- Queen Elizabeth II}

by eurogreen on Wed Apr 4th, 2012 at 04:10:59 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Of course, the missing link between bread, porridge (wet bread) and beer (very wet bread)

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Wed Apr 4th, 2012 at 04:15:55 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 1)

Does anyone do buckwheat beer? Is it even possible?

Just musing. I'm a buckwheat fan.

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue
- Queen Elizabeth II}

by eurogreen on Wed Apr 4th, 2012 at 04:28:37 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Sure, but mostly in N America, notably Rogue Japanese Buckwheat and Sarassin beer from Les bières de la Nouvelle-France brewery in Quebec (I've had this and thought it had a spicy flavour, but was too much in the French "bastardized Belgian" style for me to like it).

Closer to you, there's Sara Buckwheat ale from Brewery Silenrieux in Belgium.

Try teh google

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Wed Apr 4th, 2012 at 05:21:01 AM EST
[ Parent ]