Welcome to European Tribune. It's gone a bit quiet around here these days, but it's still going.

Friday Open Thread

by In Wales Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 11:57:28 AM EST

The end of another week


How was it for you?

Display:
how was it for me ?

I was sick, I've missed out on a fab weekend with friends and it still cost me north of £100.

And I'm feeling better - Drat !! Drat !! Double drat and triple drat !!!!

Mind you, at least I could sit back and watch Gordo get a pounding and feel moderately amused by it. I think it was much more personal for you. I've done all the doorstepping myself (what is it with letter boxes ? The lower they are the more ferocious the spring) and I don't envy you that one teeny little bit.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 12:27:59 PM EST
At least I know I have done everything I could to help my candidate.

If some of the costs were going to be shared then let me know how much I owe you. I'm only down by £5, remarkably.  Glad you are feeling better although it's a shame the recovery wasn't quicker.  I'm now starting to feel ill but that is lack of sleep kicking in so I'm off home now.

by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 12:37:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Police: Texas man trying to cash $360 billion check arrested - Yahoo! News

FORT WORTH, Texas - Charles Ray Fuller must have been planning one big record company.

The 21-year-old North Texas man was arrested last week for trying to cash a $360 billion check, saying he wanted to start a record business, authorities said. Tellers at the Fort Worth bank were immediately suspicious -- perhaps the 10 zeros on a personal check tipped them off, according to investigators.

Fuller, of suburban Crowley, was arrested on a forgery charge, police said. He was released after posting $3,750 bail.



Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.
by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 12:34:20 PM EST
Probably best not to try to cash personal checks worth more than any one person on the planet.

They're a sharp lot in Texas.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.

by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 12:38:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]
if he'd just put one or two less zeros on there he might have got away with it?

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.
by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 12:45:46 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Maybe.  I'm assuming the software caught it, though, not the tellers.  So maybe not.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.
by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 12:58:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Drew J Jones:
Probably best not to try to cash personal checks worth more than any one person on the planet.

Maybe he's an economist.

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 12:53:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Doubtful, or he's a really bad one.  Who needs forgery at some little bank when you can rob the public blind in service to the political parties?

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.
by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 12:57:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Wonderful. Just out of interest, what law did he break ?

If I tried to present a cheque for more than the net worth of the bank I think I'd just get laughed at.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 12:46:18 PM EST
[ Parent ]
apparently forgery

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.
by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 12:47:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Nah, they won't laugh at you here.  They won't hesitate to throw you in jail if you're acting suspicious, and they've got the armed guards who won't take any crap.

And that's in Virginia.  Now imagine Texas, "Where The Men Are Men, And The Women Are, Too."

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.

by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 12:51:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]
"She was guilty and I was dead,
Now whadda ya think that old judge said,
Ahhh, that's the way the girls are in Texas,
Case dismissed.

Chorus:  That's the way the girls are in Texas."

Ry Cooder

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

by Crazy Horse on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 12:57:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]
When are we going to get the results of the mayoral election?  Is this going to turn into another New Mexico?

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.
by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 12:42:38 PM EST
ass long as it's not another Zimbabwe

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.
by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 12:47:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Nah, it's cos they've got the AV voting system and so they didn't even bother starting to count until this morning. Also with a 45% turnout, ie about 3 million votes to count, it ain't gonna happen quickly.

keep to the Fen Causeway
by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 12:47:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Just heard that a declaration is expected around 10:00 tonight, I guess 18:00 in DC.

keep to the Fen Causeway
by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 01:12:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Yeah, the Tories are apparently thinking they've got it by about four points in London, according to the Guardian's blog.  The Labour vote share looks terrible nationwide, so it would seem a fitting way to cap off the election.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.
by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 01:21:18 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I don't understand why every polling station cannot count its own votes at the end of the night. With only about 10 candidates on the ballot even the alternative voting system could be done in under one hour.

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 Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 02:18:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]
But then the pundits wouldn't have anything to babble about for two days.  It's just like the American news, but a little less Tweetyfied.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.
by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 02:21:46 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I wouldn't trust the people staffing my polling station to count the votes. Besides, it needs to have plenty of people about to oversee everything. And economies of scale make it easier to do that one one big venue.
by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 02:24:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Seconded : It's of the good things about the UK system, it's transparent and heavily verified.

keep to the Fen Causeway
by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 02:28:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Well, in France, the counting is made in the polling stations, is transparent and heavily verified. And we have the results by 11.00 PM on the election day...

"Dieu se rit des hommes qui se plaignent des conséquences alors qu'ils en chérissent les causes" Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet
by Melanchthon on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 02:56:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Polling station staff ask for volunteers to help with the counting.
Happened to me once, when I showed up at the polls a few minutes before closing time. I sat at a table with 2 other volunteers and a polling official; each ballot was checked by all 3 of us plus the official and added to the relevant pile (candidate A, B, null ballot,...); there were maybe two other tables similarly organized (one official + 3 citizens); the complete count was wrapped up under an hour; questions?
by Bernard (bernard) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 05:25:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]
And there is usually a representative of each list/candidate (at least the main ones) in every polling station to check the voters' lists, supervise the voting and the counting... I did it for the last elections...

"Dieu se rit des hommes qui se plaignent des conséquences alors qu'ils en chérissent les causes" Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet
by Melanchthon on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 06:14:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Diesel £1'26.9

thats a $9.47 us gallon

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

by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 01:14:30 PM EST
And people will squeal like little pigs here over $3.50.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.
by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 01:22:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]
well the sympathy jar round here is mostly empty.

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.
by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 02:00:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I have two sympathy jars, I guess.  One for people who have no choice, the other for slobs who waste energy as if it's infinite.  I can sympathize with a trucker or a construction worker who's stuck because they need to make a living.  I can't sympathize with the idiot driving a Hummer through Georgetown as a substitute for a penis enlargement, or the spoiled little Daddy's Girl driving the Escalade to class at GWU.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.
by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 02:08:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Yeah, I have a hard time lumping the farmer who lives out in the middle of nowhere and must drive his pick-up all day to get to a dr. appointment and the suburban mom who will get in the SUV and drive 3 blocks to the local Starbucks into the same category.   Everyone must make sacrifices and change their behavior, but like everything, it's those at the bottom of the ladder who bear the brunt.  If you can afford to live in a mcMansion with the Wide Screen TV in every other room, you have little ground on which to bitch about paying the high fair market price for gas.  If you are already living paycheck to paycheck, high gas prices can send you right into poverty.  And that's nothing to scoff at since we don't have the same social safety nets available throughout Europe. Nor the public transportation infrastructure.  Reading The Shock Doctrine, I have to say, I'm not too keen on writing off the lives a percentage of the population as collateral damage in order to correct an economic policy problem.  

"Pretending that you already know the answer when you don't is not actually very helpful." ~Migeru.
by poemless on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 02:22:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I fully agree, although I think it's more a problem for folks in the trades in small- and mid-sized towns than it is for the farmers.  (Farmers are at least seeing prices for crops jump, so there's perhaps some natural protection.)  Even in big cities it can be a serious issue.  You and I live in big cities that happen to have (largely functioning) rail and bus systems.  And it's fine for others in New York or Philly or Boston.  But even many of our big cities in the South, the Rustbelt and the West are going to get slammed because of the lack of infrastructure.

Screw the people in the McMansions, frankly.  Nobody needs a McMansion.  Nobody needs a Ford Excursion.  Nobody needs a 60" television, let alone LCDs of varying sizes in every major room.  We're clearly not taxing them enough if they're buying all that.  Fortunately I've no doubt they're going to learn a harsh lesson in the coming years, because attitudes are shifting away from that lifestyle, and demographics are shifting in a way that makes that lifestyle pointless.  This is to say nothing of the economics of oil, too.

A few decades from now a lot of those McMansion developments are going to be slums, not unlike what happened to the inner cities in the postwar period.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.

by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 02:37:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]
appropriately, I've just written a diary about this very issue.

keep to the Fen Causeway
by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 03:11:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I'm not looking forward to the political climate we'll be living in when the McMansions turn to slums.

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 03:33:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Many will be slums.  The houses will be carved up into apartments, not unlike what you see in cities like New York and London.

Others will be ripped down and replaced by these kind of walkable faux-town developments you see in some suburbs nowadays.  And, yes, some will survive as nice neighborhoods for those who can afford the lifestyle.

But, looking at the big picture in the long term, we've overbuilt the suburbs.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.

by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 03:41:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I'm guessing we'll see some "novel" living living arrangements as well - multiple families in one house, for example.

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 03:49:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Undoubtedly.  There's an issue with the construction.  Much of this stuff we've built during the boom is absolute shit.  De commented on it, as it related to Northern California, a while back.  A lot of it can't handle being chopped up the way (say) old brownstones in Manhattan did.  It's not tough enough in the first place, and when you then add lousy materials and construction with lax code enforcement, it just ain't gonna happen.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.
by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 03:57:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]
They are already falling apart, as well as all of those new condos.  It's like they're made of dollhouse materials or something.  

"Pretending that you already know the answer when you don't is not actually very helpful." ~Migeru.
by poemless on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 04:01:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]
They are!  You should see the townhouses being built near my apartment.  $650,000 houses, essentially plywood with brick facades.  And I'm betting it's not even real brick in many cases.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.
by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 04:03:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Who buys them?

But as one says, never live in a house which is younger than your parents. ;p


Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.

by Starvid on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 04:10:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Well, nobody is buying them right now.  That's why they're down to $650k from $1.1m less than a year ago.  They can't give the stupid things away.  Nobody wants to pay over half a million without Metro access anymore.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.
by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 04:13:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]
The stuff to actually look at, once things bottom out, will be the condos in the old factories and commercial buildings.  The buildings are tough, the homes are nice, and they'll hold their value, long-term.  The condos being developed by the same companies that do the McMansions are garbage.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.
by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 04:17:46 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Can you imagine the middle classes pushing their way back into the cities, displacing the poor in the process? Empty suburban towns and masses of street homeless?

Member of the Anti-Fabulousness League since 1987.
by Ephemera on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 03:42:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]
That already happened when the children of the white folks who originally fled the city realized the suburbs are culturally and spiritually autistic. First ring suburbs are often much poorer than city cores.

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 03:48:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]
That's been happening at breakneck speed for several years now, actually, in the cities that actually have something going on.  It was going to happen anyway, but the fall in interest rates was gasoline on the fire.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.
by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 03:53:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]
But it only happen in the big cities, and those, like you say, with 'something going on'. There is the potential to turn the whole current setup on its head, with urban living of any kind being desirable, and the poor either entirely dispossessed, or hanging on at the edges.

Member of the Anti-Fabulousness League since 1987.
by Ephemera on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 04:01:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]
There's actually some hope for the poor in the better-governed cities.  A lot of these developments are mixed-income ones, and from what I've read they're actually proving so far to work pretty well compared with the traditional public housing projects.  I could be wrong, but I've read quite a few stories pointing in that direction.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.
by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 04:06:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]
heh.  It's a beautiful theory.  Except Chicago implemented it by tearning down the projects before er building enough mixed-income housing to house those who just became homeless as a result of the wrecking ball.

I do like the idea for a significant percentage of those in public housing.  But in order to qualify for mixed-income residence, you need a clean drug and prison record.  Its great for those people.  But the people who are addicts and criminals just end up on the street.  It may be unfair to those who've managed to avoid that fate to give others the same options.  But I don't see the benefits to the community at large by puting more criminals and addicts on the street.  I also believe a roof over one's head is a fundamental human right.  

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

by poemless on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 04:22:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]
That's been the problem in DC.  They didn't build enough of it, but they tore the projects down anyway.

And you're right that the qualifications in complexes and characteristics of tenants make it deeply flawed.  Some combination of all of these things -- mixed-income, projects, etc -- needs to be used.  I do think the mixed-income developments can serve to do some good, though.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.

by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 04:27:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I don't know.  Middle class Americans are a little obsessed with space.  They have big homes, big yards, big cars, big bodies...  The benefits of city living are almost infinite.  But the one sacrifice city living demands is space.  Whether it is the number of square feet in your home, lack of large yards (we're down with the public parks) and parking spaces or just the personal space between and another person outside your home, city-dwellers have less personal, private space.  I think the whole obsession with ownership of private property, like large swaths of it, is a pretty American thing.    

Also, you have to be cool with living among people of different races and religions and classes than yourself.

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

by poemless on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 04:25:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]

by Fran on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 01:17:01 PM EST
I don't know, it looks a little forlorn in the second film. I suppose it is hard to display in the correct way, especially to allow people to interpret its meaning.

Member of the Anti-Fabulousness League since 1987.
by Ephemera on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 02:28:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Wow. I've been at the Ara Pacis before the new museum was built, and seeing that building gives me an uncontrollable urge to vote for some Italian "post"-fascists.

Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.
by Starvid on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 02:44:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Thanks for finding those, Fran.  I have to agree it looks out of place, but I haven´t seen it.

I never tire of the Jarrett? piano piece in the second one.  It´s incredibly moving.

Our knowledge has surpassed our wisdom. -Charu Saxena.

by metavision on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 03:00:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I was curious what it looks like and I must say, I find it frustrating to agree with right-wing nuts.

Yes, and the music is very nice, though I have to admit who it was from.

by Fran on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 03:07:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]
First time I've heard it, and it is indeed lovely. More info? I'd like to hear more.

Capitalism searches out the darkest corners of human potential, and mainlines them.
by geezer in Paris (risico at wanadoo(flypoop)fr) on Sat May 3rd, 2008 at 12:47:11 AM EST
[ Parent ]
http://www.keithjarrett.org/

http://www.scroogle.org/cgi-bin/nbbw.cgi

I cannot remember the name of the piece and can't even get the youtubes for some reason.

Hope you have better luck.  It's wonder-full.

Eat, drink and hug all for me tonight, geezer!

Our knowledge has surpassed our wisdom. -Charu Saxena.

by metavision on Sat May 3rd, 2008 at 08:27:29 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Bring Back the D-Mark Back, Says One in Three Germans | Germany | Deutsche Welle | 02.05.2008
Six years after German adopted the euro, 34 percent of people still hanker for their former currency. To many, it represented Germany's economic miracle of the post-war years -- and they blame the euro for rising prices.

On May 2, 1998, 11 European Union leaders met in Brussels to decide which countries should be the first to adopt the euro. Ten years on, 50 percent of Germans say they still haven't got used to the single European currency -- and some of them even want the deutsche mark back.

 

According to a study conducted by the Association of German Banks (BdB), one in three Germans said they preferred using D-marks to the new shared currency. Some 34 percent said they'd even like to see the euro withdrawn and the deutsche mark put back into circulation.

by Fran on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 01:18:51 PM EST
That's actually a big improvement (for the euro).
by nanne (zwaerdenmaecker@gmail.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 01:52:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]
There's a bedrock 30% of the population who seem to be authoritarian crazies, so these aren't bad numbers, considering.

28% of the US polling population still approves of Bush.

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 03:47:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Just a few days ago, (see nicta's comment here), Forbes.com, in a magnificent propaganda hit-piece prophesying the demise of the euro, said this:

A poll released at the end of 2007 by Dresdner Bank  showed that 62% of Germans support reinstating the deutsche mark as the country's currency.

Things have got dramatically better since, er, the end of last year..!

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 04:16:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Finding the Right Mix: German Invents Radar Camouflaging Paint - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News

A German inventor has created a radar-evading camouflage paint in the deserts of the United Arab Emirates. An institute back in Germany tested the paint and discovered -- to everyone's surprise -- that it actually works. The German defense industry is starting to take an interest.

Werner Nickel came to the desert because he had bred a worm whose excrement made it possible to grow radishes in the dry desert sand. The sheikhs were impressed with the inventor -- a German no less -- who could reclaim their land. So Nickel, 67, a wheelchair-bound amateur inventor from Berlin, moved to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to run his new project.

The project seemed promising at first, as cucumbers, radishes and beans thrived on Nickel's test fields on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi. But the project also consumed vast numbers of worms -- 3,000 per square meter, to be exact -- which eventually made the project too costly for its sponsors.

Nickel, who is literally bubbling over with ideas, simply shifted gears. This time, he decided to concoct a paint to shield tanks, ships and aircraft from radar detection in much the same way that Stealth bombers are invisible. Nickel already had a name for his miracle paint: AR 1.

by Fran on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 01:20:24 PM EST
If this works industrially, some people have just wasted few trillion dollars on building stealth planes.

Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.
by Starvid on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 02:42:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]
French chef fights junk food epidemic at schools : Mail & Guardian Online
Forget frozen fish-fingers and chewy mashed potatoes. A French school has become the country's first to hire a professional chef to cook up fresh, cheap food from local products every day.

The aim? To energise listless teenage taste buds and control weight problems, which are currently estimated by the European Commission to affect about 22-million of the European Union's 75-million children.

"It's great, I could never eat such a balanced meal for such a price -- €3 -- anywhere else," said Ryan Batjiaka, an American language assistant at the L'Emperi school, in Salon-de-Provence, a town in southern of France.

"It's also a great way to discover French food because Dominique cooks a wide range of dishes," she said.
by Fran on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 01:52:00 PM EST
in the company restaurant in our office tower. It's run by one of the big names of the catering industry, but it's consistently excellent, with lots of variety, fresh produce, lors of fruits and vegetables, great desserts - at a price of 3-5 euros per lunch.

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 04:48:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Yes, La Défense company restaurants are generally of a good quality. The upside of impressive economies of scales... The only problems I have with it are the concepts of not getting out of the Tower at noon (I want some fresh air !) and that the reduced prices are not available to contractor's employees nor are tickets restaurants accepted.

Also, the downside of such economies of scale is that when there is a case of food poisoning, the medical response needs to be impressive : when the local company restaurant had a case of a not-so-fresh thon basquaise, there were two dozens ambulance waiting at the bottom of the tower... Also, it is not a good idea to poison traders : the catering company's stock lost 2% straight at 2 PM...

Un roi sans divertissement est un homme plein de misères

by linca (antonin POINT lucas AROBASE gmail.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 06:46:43 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Oh, and it's hard to compare food catered in such positive circumstances (large, powerful customer, paying well, all food served in one place) with the case of school cantines, where the food is often made in a centralised place then transported to where it'll be eaten, and on a much lower budget : 1.5 to 2 € is a more typical cost for kids' lunch in French schools...

Un roi sans divertissement est un homme plein de misères
by linca (antonin POINT lucas AROBASE gmail.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 06:50:27 PM EST
[ Parent ]
That must be triple subsidized in Paris and maybe employees get back to work faster by eating in-house, so they may subsidize it themselves.

I see the restaurant tickets here a lot, also as part of ´benefits´, but it seems another way for the employer to control wages and decide spending for people.

Our knowledge has surpassed our wisdom. -Charu Saxena.

by metavision on Sat May 3rd, 2008 at 08:41:44 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Apparently the site, Seat61 is a complete guide to how to travel through europe by train, where to get information, where to book tickets, prices, restrictions etc etc.

I had heard it was difficult to get this information centrally, so it's nice somebody has gone and done it.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 02:26:24 PM EST
This quote from the Gang8 (Creditary Economics) List was by Geoffrey Gardiner - probably more knowledgeable on the financial pornography of Central banking operations than anyone I know....

Interbank lending should be used to balance the books of a bank which has lent more than its deposits with the excess deposits (of equal amount) which some other bank must have. (Rules of Double-Entry Bookkeeping state that total debit balances in the banking system will be matched exactly by total credit balances.)

In Britain the balancing used to be achieved, not through the central bank, but through 'Discount Houses', for they alone had access to funds from the Bank of England. The EU rules have changed this.

All banks will have excess deposits at the Central Bank if the government is unable to fund its borrowings by replacing loans from the central bank with loans direct from investors. If the government borrows too much direct from investors, it will strip the banks of liquidity. Same if it raises more tax than it spends.

Such a shortage of liquidity is resolved by the Central Bank lending to the commercial banks who deposit the money back with the Central Bank. Mad of course but it happens.

Thus the key to the level of true liquidity is what the government's Debt Management Office (DMO) is doing. The DMO should be under the control of the head of the Central Bank. In Britain at the moment it is not, the fault of Gordon Brown who stripped the Bank of England of the powers it has used for 300 years.

When it comes to Central Banking I'm reminded of Palmerston's quote re the Schleswig-Holstein Question

There are only three men who have ever understood it -- one was Prince Albert, who is dead; the second was a German professor, who became mad. I am the third -- and I have forgotten all about it.


"The future is already here -- it's just not very evenly distributed" William Gibson
by ChrisCook (cojockathotmaildotcom) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 02:41:47 PM EST
No-fly list grounds US Air Marshals | The Register

According to the Washington Times, in the years since the widespread dissemination of terrorist watch lists, airline customer service reps have repeatedly turned away frustrated Federal Air Marshals (FAMS) whose names match or bear an uncomfortable resemblance to names on whatever dodgy watch list is at hand. Feeling safer now?

"In some cases, planes have departed without any coverage because the airline employees were adamant they would not fly," one unnamed air marshal told the paper. "I've seen guys actually being denied boarding." Another unnamed marshal chimed in that a colleague "has been getting harassed for six years because his exact name is on the no-fly list."



Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.
by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 02:41:59 PM EST
What a bunch of idiots.  I think I'll fly out of Baltiless from now on, knowing that.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.
by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 02:44:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Tories say they're 99% sure Johnson will beat Livingstone.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.
by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 02:54:56 PM EST
Well, they would have said that a year ago, wouldn't've they?

But yes, they're verifiably correct this time...

Member of the Anti-Fabulousness League since 1987.

by Ephemera on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 03:02:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]
From the Guardian:

    * ELECTION LATEST: Conservatives hold Bexley & Bromley in first London assembly result ...
    * ELECTION LATEST: Labour gain Brent & Harrow from Conservatives; hold North East ...


Member of the Anti-Fabulousness League since 1987.

by Ephemera on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 04:17:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]
If that's confirmed about Brent and Harrow, I'll be really glad for family reasons.
by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 04:23:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]
A damn close-run thing - in my old area:

Brent and Harrow

Labour gain from Conservatives

Navin Shah (Lab) 57,760 (37.29%, +7.29%)
Bob Blackman (C) 56,067 (36.20%, +2.21%)

Lab maj 1,693 (1.09%)
2.54% swing C to Lab
Electorate 367,337; Turnout 154,893 (42.17%, +6.88%)

Now, thank heavens, I can watch it with detachment - even Londoners voting Boris Johnson for mayor:


Boris Johnson was tonight on course to win a remarkable victory, making him the first Conservative mayor of London.

With more than four fifths of the votes counted, figures released by the election organisers, London Elects, showed that that the MP for Henley was ahead of Ken Livingstone in eight of the 14 constituencies in the capital. Livingstone was ahead in the remaining six constituencies.

Senior Tories said that they were "99% certain" that Johnson would be declared the winner when the results were announced - probably late this evening.

And Tessa Jowell, the minister for London, admitted that it was "highly unlikely" that Livingstone would be re-elected.

A Johnson victory would be a huge boost for David Cameron, crowning a set of elections that saw the Tories establish a 20-point lead over Labour in local elections in England and Wales.

Livingstone campaigned on his record as a proven administrator and Gordon Brown will be alarmed by the prospect of voters rejecting a Labour figure representing experience in favour of Conservative promising change.

A Johnson victory would also reassure Cameron that a privileged public school background is no barrier to electoral success in 21st century Britain. Like Cameron, Johnson is an Old Etonian.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/may/02/london08.london



Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner - that I moved to Nice.
by Ted Welch (tedwelch-at-mac-dot-com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 05:03:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]
i knew i liked red ken when i heard phoney tony didn't!

it's interesting that the right support each other, while the left always fractures.

boris is comedy gold, expect sales of 'private eye' to soar...

move over john cleese, you great impostor, the upperclass twit role is now restored to its proper ownership.

life outdoes parody again!

'The history of public debt is full of irony. It rarely follows our ideas of order and justice.' Thomas Piketty

by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 08:48:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]
it's interesting that the right support each other, while the left always fractures.

In fact the right has had its divisions and New Labour hierarchy was of course accused of enforcing unanimity.

As Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, a columnist in the Independent, said last night, she thinks people have made a big mistake voting for Boris, but she doesn't dismiss him as a fool - it's a cultivated image which helps his popularity. In fact his speech was very gracious in paying tribute to Ken and Paddick and hoping to benefit from their expertise. That's not to say I support him; A-Brown thinks he's really quite right-wing. I just don't think one should caricature people or accept their own self-promoted images.

Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner - that I moved to Nice.

by Ted Welch (tedwelch-at-mac-dot-com) on Sat May 3rd, 2008 at 07:11:22 AM EST
[ Parent ]
good points, ted. his speech was gracious and yes i agree that he's probably not as stupid as he wants to appear.

just wrong...

'The history of public debt is full of irony. It rarely follows our ideas of order and justice.' Thomas Piketty

by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Sat May 3rd, 2008 at 01:19:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Glad you agree. Apparently he was considered brilliant at Eton, and won a classics scholarship to Balliol college, Oxford. He was also editor of the Spectator, not a job usually given to fools.

"wrong" - about everything ? Could this be a bit of a caricature again ? :-)

Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner - that I moved to Nice.

by Ted Welch (tedwelch-at-mac-dot-com) on Mon May 5th, 2008 at 05:00:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]
With you there!
by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Sat May 3rd, 2008 at 03:59:23 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Most parts of Sweden experienced a typical Walpurgis Night (Valborgsmässafton) on Wednesday. The Swedes´annual celebration of spring is customarily filled with drunken and disorderly behavior, fights, underage binge drinking and various arrests.

Sorry for not being around lately, but I have been rather busy.

For the last three days (evening April 28 to morning May 2) I have been volounteer-working like a serf at my student nation, even sleeping (a few hours a night) at a matress at the damn place, organizing all the traditional parties and other traditional stuff, including two (three? It's all a blur) formal dinners of at least one was for 100+ people, three late night clubs (500-1000 people?) of which two closed at four in the morning (add another two to three hours of cleaning up, and then up to breakfast at 10 or 11 o'clock).

The good thing here is that I avoided drinking a single drop of alcohol and for once at Valborg I shouldn't have felt like I wanted to die. The bad thing is that I haven't been this tired and worn out in quite some time.

And the fact that after having stayed completely sober we all got dead drunk after having cleaned the club last night, eh, this morning.

Memo to self: never start drinking (and singing) at five o'clock in the morning. It's all a bit blurry but I have quite a clear memory of all the male crew running naked and screaming through the early morning streets before going back in and drinking some more.

After that I somehow got home and woke at about five in the afternoon, still not at all sober. Don't you just hate waking drunk?

And I felt incredibly dehydrated. So I swiftly downed one litre of orange juice. I really shouldn't have done that... Well, you can imagine what happened and I'll spare you the graphic details.

Ah, the joys of student life. I will NEVER drink again.

Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.

by Starvid on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 03:40:07 PM EST
Good grief, never once in my whole sordid drinking career, which I confess has involved more near-death experiences than I care to count, have I ever thought "I'll never drink again".

Still there is a certain satisfaction to be had from watching others get blasted while being stone cold sober. But aren't drunks boring ?

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 03:51:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Never?

I seem to think it every time... ;p

Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.

by Starvid on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 04:03:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Good grief, never once in my whole sordid drinking career, which I confess has involved more near-death experiences than I care to count, have I ever thought "I'll never drink again".

How very like so many Brits - what WOULD it take?


Still there is a certain satisfaction to be had from watching others get blasted while being stone cold sober. But aren't drunks boring ?

Not to the staff of Accident and Emergency departments, where they're a bloody waste of time and resources when they are not a violent menace.

The police have the same sort of opinion - and it seems women are increasingly a problem/victims:


The number of women arrested for being drunk and disorderly has soared by up to 1,000 per cent in some places, Channel 4 News Online has found.

...

The revelations have prompted calls from a chief constable for a ban on discounted drinks, 'happy hours', and alcohol advertising.

Campaigners say pubs and clubs are deliberately targeting women with cheap drinks offers and free entry in a bid to encourage them to drink more.

http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/society/law_order/female+drink+offences+soar/2115947



Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner - that I moved to Nice.
by Ted Welch (tedwelch-at-mac-dot-com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 04:43:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I've been building and re-building the same sandcastle over and over again. I got some nice pictures tonight, but have no network to send them from the phone to the computer (I'll try this week-end).

I had a run-in with a guy who did not want to stop stomping on said castle earlier today after my kids asked him not to. (yes, an adult. He fumed "it's the beach, there's no ownership, you weren't there, what proves you buoilt it anyway" and then proceeded to actually stomp on it even more. Quite a sight.

(I get 4-year-olds stomping on the castle. I won't say I'm totally happy about it when they come and climb on it, but there's little I can do about it, other than, when I'm around, try to enroll them to help me build it... But an adult? After he's been asked by kids?)

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 04:53:45 PM EST

What a sad character, clearly an adult only in chronological terms - perhaps, poor chap (to be kind) he's had some disaster in his life which makes him act so childishly.  

Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner - that I moved to Nice.
by Ted Welch (tedwelch-at-mac-dot-com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 05:09:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]
he's had some disaster in his life which makes him act so childishly.

with those symptoms it has to be....anglo disease!

'The history of public debt is full of irony. It rarely follows our ideas of order and justice.' Thomas Piketty

by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 08:49:46 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Bush was on holiday in Normandy ??

keep to the Fen Causeway
by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 05:09:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I think Bush hunts 3rd world children on vacation.

This guy sounds like a wage slave who's been slapped around his whole life.

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 05:22:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Bush thinks France is a 3rd world country. Be afraid.

I guess Cheney was away playing in his mobile dungeon.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 05:29:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Nasty vacationers, the people who refuse to fix your plumbing, the back-stabbing party-bookers, the rude drivers ... you make it sound like France is full of mean people!  When people in America complain of the French being rude, I stand up for you guys!  "The French are always nice to me."  "Some of my best friends are French." etc.  huh...

"Pretending that you already know the answer when you don't is not actually very helpful." ~Migeru.
by poemless on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 05:28:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I need to start talking about positive experiences! These do happen occasionally in France.

Hmmmm...

Let me think....

Oh, I know! We eat wonderful cheese over here! And the air blown in our cakes is French!

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 06:54:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Purple Haze played on medieval instruments, commissioned for the BBC



keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 05:39:50 PM EST
So clearly this was what Bosch listened to as he painted?

Member of the Anti-Fabulousness League since 1987.
by Ephemera on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 05:50:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I'd say the video was a necessary part of his experience too :-))

keep to the Fen Causeway
by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 05:54:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Number 439 on my list of diary ideas is how the last fifty years of contemporary classical - the academic stuff that sounds like a string quartet trying to have sex with a cutlery drawer while falling down the stairs - has mostly been forgotten already, but a lot of prog has become 'classic'.

You can find people playing it and listening to it every night of the week - which is more than can be said for Dallapiccola, Ferneyhough and all of those guyz.

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 07:17:18 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Mayoral results for North East
(first preference vote)
Ken Livingstone96,40248.60%
Boris Johnson57,39428.94%
Brian Paddick19,6419.90%
Siân Berry9,7904.94%


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 Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 05:50:20 PM EST
The BBC are reporting that both Tory and labour parties agree that unofficially Boris has won.

keep to the Fen Causeway
by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 05:53:46 PM EST
[ Parent ]
You only have to look at the results from Bexley and Bromley to see how much of a hammering he has taken there. Johnson won by an 80,000 vote margin out of 200,000 voters. Wow.

Member of the Anti-Fabulousness League since 1987.
by Ephemera on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 06:02:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Mayoral results for Bexley and Bromley
Boris Johnson122,05260.08%
Ken Livingstone40,67020.02%
Brian Paddick17,3328.53%
Richard Barnbrook8,9504.41%


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 Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 06:08:18 PM EST
[ Parent ]
That's a pretty nasty loss.  Are those wealthier boroughs?

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.
by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 06:15:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]
These aren't rich areas - they're solidly working class areas full of people who love Thatcher's culture of noisy aspiration, and will reliably vote Tory if poked with a sharp enough stick.

Ohio without the industrial decay might not be too far from a reasonable analogy.

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 07:02:43 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Appalachian Ohio.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.
by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 07:13:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I think it is safe to call it for Johnson now.

Member of the Anti-Fabulousness League since 1987.
by Ephemera on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 06:29:46 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Every constituency has announced first preference mayoral votes already, so we should have a total pretty soon.

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 Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 06:50:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Official declaration on TV coming now:
by Metatone (metatone [a|t] gmail (dot) com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 06:52:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]
FP votes for each candidate

Berry - 77,374

Christians - c 39,000

Left List - 16,796

Boris - 1,043,761

Ken - 893,877

Eng Dem - 10,695

Paddick - 236,685

by Metatone (metatone [a|t] gmail (dot) com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 06:55:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]
So less than 150,000 votes difference.  This is just the First Preference, right?  I'm not sure how the system works, but that suggests that Kenny could pull it out with Paddick's vote.  Or does it not work that way?

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.
by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 06:58:43 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Paddick's vote will split and the BNP vote will go to Boris.

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 Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Sat May 3rd, 2008 at 01:14:56 AM EST
[ Parent ]
45% Johnson
38% Livingstone

Is that right? Even if all the second pref votes from Green, LibDems and Left went to Livingstone, he would still only just break 50%.

It's Johnson then.

Member of the Anti-Fabulousness League since 1987.

by Ephemera on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 06:59:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Down to Boris and Ken:

Totals:

Boris - 1,168,738
Ken   - 1,028,966

by Metatone (metatone [a|t] gmail (dot) com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 06:56:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]
The Buffoon wins!

Truly it is said, things in America are just repeated in Britain a few years later.

by Metatone (metatone [a|t] gmail (dot) com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 06:57:20 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Hey, not fair.  Y'all did Thatcher before we did Reagan.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.
by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 06:59:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Thatcher's "monetarism" was just the same stale Laffey curve Chicago bs Reagan inflicted on you, you got thrown off cos Nixon discredited the Repugs for 4 years which delayed things. Else you'd have beaten us to it.

keep to the Fen Causeway
by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 07:15:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Nah, it would've been four more years of Ford, and Ford was kind of an idiot with no real ideas of his own.  It would've all started with Reagan in 1980 anyway.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.
by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 07:37:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I guess we have about a four year time lag.

Member of the Anti-Fabulousness League since 1987.
by Ephemera on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 07:03:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]
BNP won nearly 10% of the vote in City and East. I'm astounded.

Member of the Anti-Fabulousness League since 1987.
by Ephemera on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 06:14:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Why so surprised?  Huge South-Asian population there, so I'd expect a pretty substantial backlash vote among some of the natives.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.
by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 06:17:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Well I know that some of the boroughs, like Newham, in that area are quite ethnically mixed. What astounds me is that 18,000 people can live there for years on end, and still feel animus against 'non-whites'. What do these people do on a day to day basis? They must seethe constantly with anger about 'darkies'.

Member of the Anti-Fabulousness League since 1987.
by Ephemera on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 06:23:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]
They must.  But it's generally been my view that 5-10% of any diverse electorate is going to be made up of racists who hate the "darkies" and vote based upon their racism.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.
by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 06:29:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I suppose the benefit is that if they win a seat, it might provide them with enough to rope with which to hang themselves.

Though I think Labour is hoping the same about the Conservatives getting Johnson elected.

Member of the Anti-Fabulousness League since 1987.

by Ephemera on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 06:32:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Johnson strikes me as a complete moron.  He's going to run the city into the ground.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.
by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 06:36:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Well, the good and bad things happen to be the same thing: the mayor doesn't have that much power. A good mayor can make a positive change, but I doubt a bad mayor can fuck up the entire city. It'll more than likely end up as a platform for Boz's moronhood.

Member of the Anti-Fabulousness League since 1987.
by Ephemera on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 06:39:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]
he's a tory, it goes without saying.

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.
by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 06:39:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]
This is an interesting column that uses opinions about Boris from prominent Tories. The column from Heffer is particularly funny. a

keep to the Fen Causeway
by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 06:43:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Well I'm a horrible lefty,who just dosnt understand the strains of the east end. and am kept away from some of the girlfriends relatives in case I call them fascists after a couple of them admitted voting BNP in the last election. Apparently they're being overrun and dont feel safe anymore. I'll not say more or I'll end up shouting and kicking things again. London council elections where those bastards get in have a tendency to do that to me and I have to be stopped from saying things everyone else is going to regret.

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.
by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 06:39:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]
There's been quite a few BNP council seat wins across the country. I'm tempted to diary some thoughts.
by Metatone (metatone [a|t] gmail (dot) com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 06:41:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]
if you do i'll comment

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.
by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 06:42:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I look forward to them. But I think that BNP votes quite possibly represent different things in different areas. In some northern towns, it is quite literally the anti-Muslim vote, which is an unintended consequence of the WARonTERROR(TM).

Member of the Anti-Fabulousness League since 1987.
by Ephemera on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 06:44:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Very true. I plan to write a bit about that, but I'd definitely welcome your perspective on it.
by Metatone (metatone [a|t] gmail (dot) com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 06:47:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I think it's the inevitable result of Daily Mail/Sun/Express narratives over the last few years. Just too late to do Michael Howard any good, but economic bad times have people nostalgic for the smack of a jackboot.

The East End is a peculiar set of circumstances and the reasons why it is embracing the BNP go back a long long way. Just remember, the London dockers marched in support of Enoch Powell's rivers of blood speech, all good trade unionists all. And they all lived in the East End.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 06:49:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Well, I can understand not feeling safe in the East End at night, but it doesn't strike me as a race-based issue.  In fact, I always kept my eyes on the young white Brits, who seem to live purely for the "fun" of getting drunk and picking fights with people, when I was living over there.  The immigrants were generally fine, although some of the young Caribbean ones were rough.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.
by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 06:49:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]
You don't understand the culture. Those young Brits are waiting for any excuse to start beating up brown people. And to be fair, in the roughest parts of the cities we're down to rival criminal gangs which have organised themselves on ethnic lines.

Most people aren't involved in that, and it's so disappointingly easy to play the race card and win with it.

It can't be said often enough - UK politics is resentment politics. There's often not a lot else going on. And people really are stupid enough to believe what they read in the hate-filled papers without doing any critical thinking.

We have some serious problems brewing here, and Boris is a long way from being the most important.

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 07:07:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]
The culture of white people wanting to beat up brown people?  That I understand perfectly well, as it's unfortunately the traditional culture where I'm from.

The yobs seem to like beating up brown people more, but they don't discriminate much, at least not in Notts.  No discrimination on gender either.

I thought much of the racial conflict in the East End was between the South-Asians and the black Caribbean?

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.

by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 07:31:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]
And people really are stupid enough to believe what they read in the hate-filled papers without doing any critical thinking.

What you need is not critical thinking among them but rather a constant threat from Al Sharpton to break the doors down at the papers' offices.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.

by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 07:34:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Seems appropriate (from The Gangs of New York):

GOVERNOR: I don't believe he can do it, Tweed.

BOSS TWEED: Oh, I think he can. Whether it's one man against another or a mob against the city, the mathematics remain the same. You never enjoyed the enlightenment of poverty, did you, Governor? If you had, you'd know you can always hire half the poor to kill the other half.

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 08:37:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I always meant to see that movie, but I never got around to it.  Any good?

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.
by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 08:44:43 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I loved it.  It's intentionally over-the-top melodrama, but just great.
by the stormy present (stormypresent aaaaaaat gmail etc) on Sat May 3rd, 2008 at 06:35:16 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Actually, the real East End of London probably didn't vote that way cos the areas being described are actually Essex. Barking Dagenham, Newham....all Essex.

Poplar might have voted that way, Whitechapel wouldn't cos that's Respect country.

The interesting question is why people who vote labour protest by voting BNP rather than tory or LDP.

Think of them as Reagan Dixiecrats; racist and libertarian. Draw a line halfway up Essex and every constituency below that line it is full of 'em.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 07:10:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Something along the lines of Essex man?

You don't understand.  The racist types never actually live amongst people of other races.  It's people who live kinda-sorta nearby, but have virtually no contact with them.

Reagan Democrats are not libertarians, although the neo-Confederate wing of the libertarian movement does tend to like Reagan.  Racists, yes, but economically Reagan Dems are liberal (so long as the welfare doesn't flow to those people).

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.

by Drew J Jones (pedobear@pennstatefootball.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 07:22:56 PM EST
[ Parent ]
You don't make a protest vote by voting for one of the major parties. That's against the idea of a protest vote. In France, the protest vote used to be the commies, until the 80's when they became part of government, and the protest vote went to Le Pen. Nowadays, it is slowly turning back to the far left ; although Sarkozy was able to get part of the "racist" protest vote.

Un roi sans divertissement est un homme plein de misères
by linca (antonin POINT lucas AROBASE gmail.com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 08:18:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]
That includes Barking and Dagenham, I presume? Note also the high number of votes for Respect (from Newham and Tower Hamlets).

London Assembly: City and East constituency

John Biggs (Labour)63,63533.97%
Philip Briscoe (Conservative)32,08217.12%
Hanif Abdulmuhit (Respect)26,76014.28%
Robert Bailey (BNP)18,0209.62%



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 Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri May 2nd, 2008 at 06:21:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Wonderful Friday.
We took what we call a "bus adventure"- Slept in for fun, then all four of us went to lunch in the ninth, past place Clichy to a little brasserie creatively called "La Taverne" for lunch. Consistently the best brasserie food I have found, and after ten years we're family- they've watched the girls grow up. Then another bus to Trocadero,  a place with great people watching, and a sun-washed walk back to Pont Iena. Then to the Jardin du Plants for the spring collection and some play with Ivonne's new camera, and a carousel ride for the girls.  

Capitalism searches out the darkest corners of human potential, and mainlines them.
by geezer in Paris (risico at wanadoo(flypoop)fr) on Sat May 3rd, 2008 at 01:01:26 AM EST
Geezer, I'll be arriving at Gare du Nord at 18h or so. I'll call you then to see where you're at.

Now I'm off - I have a train to catch.

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 Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Sat May 3rd, 2008 at 01:11:26 AM EST
[ Parent ]


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