Where is Europe's Tea Party?
In the United States it was a time for anger; 23% of those polled as they left the polling booths said they were angry.
It was a time to rage against government. Dislike of Washington is never far beneath the surface in the United States. The stubbornly persistent unemployment lines came on the back of an economy that failed for almost ten years to provide real wage increases for middle-class Americans.
And some of the anger was directed at the president. During his election campaign his life story connected to the American people. He was the embodiment of the American dream.
In office he has failed to find the language, the narrative that linked him to ordinary Americans. The almost zen-like no drama-Obama has seemed too distant, too cerebral, too calm.
So many Americans have taken refuge in a movement. For the Tea Party the future lies in the past. America, it insists, is on the wrong track. It has to return to old values. Self-reliance, small government and low taxes. One nation under God.
The attraction of the Tea Party is not its policies. It appeals to an almost visceral sense of what America was and how its greatness was achieved. Incoherent it often is, but it can drive incumbents from office and has changed the political landscape.
In Europe, too, there is reason to rage. Apart from Germany and a few other countries the recovery has been jobless: 24 million are without work. Unemployment amongst 16 to 24-year-olds is shocking. For that group in Spain the unemployment rate is 43%.
There is talk of a lost generation. Many in their twenties and early thirties believe they will never have the prosperity of their parents.
Then there is austerity. Almost everywhere the public sector is being hacked back. Pay has been cut or frozen. Public sector jobs are disappearing. Half a million posts may go in just Britain alone.
Plenty of people believe the debts of the banks have been loaded onto the public sector. In demonstration after demonstration I have met people who believe it to be unfair, unjust. Working people are taking the rap for the banks.
And then - with the recession still threatening - the bankers and CEOs are at the bonus pot once again. There is the greed of public sector managers. There is a European Union that backs austerity for everyone but itself.
All of this could be reason to rage... and yet.
There was anger in France over pension reform. Maybe two million people marched. The oil refineries were blockaded. There were riots in Lyon. A few cars were burnt in Nanterre. But the much-feared student revolt didn't happen. There wasn't the passion for the struggle.
Even in Greece, where the anarchists killed bank workers, street protests have not been able to derail reform.
In Spain, so far, they have accepted changes that made it easier to hire and fire. Yes, there has been a general strike, but again it has not stopped the austerity programme.
In Ireland, where the cuts have been brutal - with more to come - the streets have been strangely silent.
Certainly the electoral cycle may explain part of it. Germany had an election just over a year ago. Britain saw a change of government but there was no landslide.
In France, Italy and Spain elections lie ahead. Only then will we see whether frustration overturns governments.
In France, during the protests, many people complained that their way of life was being threatened by pension reform. Hard-won rights were being sacrificed at the altar of austerity. For some these rights were linked to their identity and what it meant to be French. President Sarkozy will face his voters in 2012.
It is difficult to judge the political mood in Italy because so much debate is tied up with the personal dramas of Silvio Berlusconi.
The mood in Europe, for the moment, seems more resigned than angry. What is happening in country after country is a turning away from the mainstream.
In Holland, Austria, Germany, Sweden, Denmark and Italy populist parties are having success. Their message is that a political elite has betrayed working people. They resent immigration when jobs are so scarce. They fear their known-world is changing. Some of these parties hold the balance of power.
What you do detect is that old moorings are shifting. Fewer people are committed to just one party. They float, ready to change allegiances.
Politicians in Europe have struggled to find the language to explain the economic crisis. They have not so far been able to sketch out where the new jobs will come from and how Europe will compete in the future.
What doesn't exist in Europe is a set of core beliefs that can be embraced again in times of trouble. America's leaders, since the writing of the Constitution, have articulated dreams, beliefs and myths that exercise a powerful hold on the American people. "Morning in America!" "A City set on a hill!" The enduring power of exceptionalism.
Europe has fewer dreams. It may not throw up a Tea Party. But the angst of the time still may have the power to remove leaders from power and shake Europe up.
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~03~RS~)
I'm 
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Maybe I'll get in first with this...
The more I hear about the Tea Party the more I see them as some kind of "Constitution Fundamentalist" movement where going back to the ideals of the Founding Fathers is the key to the future (political, economic, social) of the United States.
Many Europeans would probably express surprise at the reverence many Americans have towards a 200-odd year old paper document, but the Tea Party seems to want to reinvent America using it - and very little else it would seem.
There is of course no European Constitution because the French and Luxembourgese voted against it in a referendum. So it's difficult to see any pan-European ideal for reformers to pin their colours to. In the end it comes down to regional, or more likely, nationalistic sympathies.
For the UK I feel that a Tea Party-style movement is very unlikely for two main reasons:
1) there is no written historic Constitution, only a (large) Statute Book to wade through, and
2) the most representative Government of recent times is in office, taken as percentage of voters who voted Conservative or Lib-Dem
For the US I forsee the Tea Party pulling the Republican party to the right, but never replacing it. I wouldn't write them off though and two years from now a righter-than-right President with a Republican Congress majority could easily repeal "Obamacare" and every other piece of Democrat-inspired legislation of the past two years within days or weeks. What will they do then? Tell people not to be angry any more?
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In the United States, and in Europe, there is anger. In the United States, there arises a Tea Party; in Europe there arise strikes, even some (inadvertant) killing.
In the United States, it is time to rage against government. Neither Democrats nor Republicans have solutions; in fact both parties have surrendered their economic future to people like Tim Geithner, Larry Sumers, and Ben Bernanke. The American future: round 2 Q.E., more debt, little or no recovery, not even an audit trail on where the old money (bail-outs) or this new money (Q.E.) is going.
Most importantly the question: who gets rich off this new money? The same people as got rich off the old money. The financial establishment gets richer; the stock market will bounce UP; the Wall-Street boys will take their full share, which equals, yours, mine and all of it!
The money will disappear, no questions asked unless some brave soul is prepared to stand up in Congree or the Senate and demand; SHOW ME THE MONEY!
In Europe, too, there are reasons to rage, but these are neatly wrapped in the word "austerity". Europe has been through wars, rationing, hard times, killing times. Most Europeans are prepared to accept (deep down) that only austerity can alleviate the current level of deficit. They know that the problem was caused by financial institutions; they feel that this negligence and fraud has been loaded onto their backs. They feel justifiably bitter.
Europeans will likely tolerate the status quo until after the G-20. They can't believe that their Governments and/or the EU (Brussels) would allow the financial fat-cats to despoil the European way of life. So I believe much is riding on the G-20 and decisions made re FTT (Financial Transaction tax) and/or FAT (Financial Activity Tax). I believe Europeans want to see the financial elite punished, even brought to their knees.
Yet, Europe has not thrown all of its passion into strikes and revolt, nor a Tea Party.
Why?
The mood in Europe, for the moment, seems more resigned than angry, a waiting game, waiting for their Governments to respond to financial irresponsibility. In Holland, Austria, Germany, Sweden, Denmark and Italy populist parties are having success. Their message is that a political elite has betrayed the working people. They know the world is changing, that more than ever there are the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer: The middle class is practically obsolete.
I don't think that Europe has fewer dreams; it has a way of life, and it is waiting, waiting to see if Governments can bring it back.
It may not generate a Tea Party. But what's the point of a Tea Party when the American Government is still feeding its fat-cats, has no plans to additionally tax its fat-cats, and indeed the Government - for the most part - is playing the same game as the fat-cats. The American situation in much more volatile because there is no power to turn to, no viable third party and this usually spells: revolution.
If you think not, you can readily find Internet sites dealing with plans to establish marshall Law in the United States of America.
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Where is Europes Tea Party you ask,maybe a similar movement will arise,
but where would it start? Europe covers a mighty big area,and as big as
the US is at least they share a common language.If my similarly angry
"twin" speaks no English and I cant understand what hes angry about,well
theres the first problem!
People are angry in this country,damn angry,trouble is are we all angry
about the same thing? I think not.Public sector workers are angry about
the cuts,private sector workers think that they are deserved.The "poor"
are outraged by the proposed housing benefit cuts,the middle classes are
incandescent to learn how their taxes are (ab)used in this way.The NUS is
apoplectic about the proposed higher fees,whilst those in low paid jobs
think tough!Pay your own way mate!
What just may come about is enough folk realising that the EU is a corrupt and wasteful boys (and girls) club,forever demanding more and more of our hard earned.Shoehorning unelected nobodies into positions of
enormous power.Then paying said nonentities huge salaries.Thats something
that we should all be angry about,but as I said,wheres it going to start,
and who is going to start it?
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Meh!
What are europeans going to do about it?
Americans can point to the arguably fabled history of equality and democracy, and take heart that someone, sometime, said things were supposed to be better than this rapine of your children's future by the elite class of banking Lords.
In Europe, what are people going to do?
For every budding democrat in Europe, there are three dyed in the wool sycophants to feudal power who will break their legs running to the police in order to report "unpatriotic behaviour".
Westenr Europe badly needs a civil conflict to sort out some ideals and some ideas. Until then, it is business as usual for those born with titles, and business as usual for those born into the lower orders of humanity, for whom politics is a spectator sport.
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"Many in their twenties and early thirties believe they will never have the prosperity of their parents."
And they are quite right to think so. My generation (I'm now retired) took every benefit of the post-war dream, and now expect that will continue into our very old age. That our kids will get less and have to work longer to keep our selfish generation does not appear to concern us - and we vote!
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"In Holland, Austria, Germany, Sweden, Denmark and Italy populist parties are having success."
Can you elaborate what populist party in Germany you are refering that "has succes"? In the latest election in North Rhine-Westphalia the big winner was the green party which has been part of the government until Merkel took over. And even they won many votes because the right wing party took decisions that were DEEPLY disgusted by the majority of the voters. So I wouldn't really call them a populist party.
And also I doubt there will be a tea party equivalent for the reason that about all european countries have more then 2 parties to choose from already (though admitingly even in a 5 party system there is a chance that all parties produce the same rubbish).
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Americans are increasingly fed up with the bickering between the two political parties - nothing is getting done, government spending is as inflated as ever, big bankers and business are still living the high life, and nothing has noticeably changed. It is perceived (and most likely true) that the politicians in Washington care nothing for the American public and are only concerned with keeping their seats in the Senate or House. (As well as satisfying their campaign contributors)
Both political parties are increasingly out of touch with the American people - the sad fact is that they still refuse to acknowledge this growing chasm between the politicians, and the people they supposedly represent. Instead, they do what they do best, which is to shift blame toward each other.
The status quo cannot continue. My generation will be the ones responsible for bearing this increasingly heavy burden. I predict that there will be serious repercussions once the new generation begins to dig in their heels.
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4 democracy writes:
"For every budding democrat in Europe, there are three dyed in the wool sycophants to feudal power who will break their legs running to the police in order to report "unpatriotic behaviour".
You're nuts!!!!
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@8 It could be that the air is a bit too thin where DT resides?
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Not to be nitpicky, but which populist party in Germany is Mr. Hewitt talking about? The most relevant right-leaning party is Merkel's CDU, and support for them is at an all-time low. The truly right-wing NPD, and the Republikaner, are clowns that, at best, make it into East German regional governments occasionally.
The one party that does have soaring success is the Green party (who're among others famously pro-immigration, claim to care for immigrant concerns etc).
(But to be fair, if there was any party in Germany right of the CDU that wasn't completely ridiculous, it wouldn't be unlikely they might profit from the current European climate.)
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#7 Malkava
Are you saying that the Tea-Party is in touch ?
--if not, what changes to America would the younger generation wish ?
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#10. At 9:47pm on 03 Nov 2010, Uberwaldian
Would that be the same Green party that voted to increase the EU parliament budget so as to get their snouts even deeper in the public trough. they need to be consigned to remote deserted Scottish islands so that they can practise green technology, when they learn the truth they can re-apply for EU citizenship, and live in Scotland.
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#8 Margaret Howard
I think he meant the British.
#12 Buzet23
I see you have awakened from your daily coma --or only half ?
If it were not for the German Greenies, Germany would not be a (the) world leader in Alternative technologies.
Just as Britain is the leader in Steam technologies.
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#12 Buzet 23
correction #13
That also is Germany.
Britain is the leader in Hot Air technologies.
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Europe does not understand America, Europe is not anything remotely like America, Europe can never be America, Europe cannot comprehend what America is or what it is about. I'm an American who lived in Europe, knew lots of Europeans both in Europe and in America in my life. I know what both are about.
"So many Americans have taken refuge in a movement. For the Tea Party the future lies in the past. America, it insists, is on the wrong track. It has to return to old values. Self-reliance, small government and low taxes. One nation under God."
This is only partially true. We do not want to go back to racial segregation, discrimination, homophobia and lots of other bad things we had. We are evolving past those old demons and don't ever wish them back. Europe still has them. But there is much in the past culture of America that made it a much happier, more prosperous, and more successful place. That is what we want back. To get it, we will have to reject the notions that the baby boomer generation who squandered the greatest gift of wealth ever received by any one group in the history of the world brought us. We will have to go back to what their parents and grandparents valued. Those who clearly saw the 1960s unfold said society was going to hell in a handbasket. They were right. Now like Orpheus we will have to climb our way back out. And like Orpheus, we will have to let go of Eurydice because she was the reason we wound up in hell in the first place. Americans know what Europeans don't. Government isn't a good solution to life's problems, it's often the cause of them. Government should only be relied on as the remedy of last resort, not the cure all of first choice. That is because in the rare instances when it works at all, it doesn't usually work very well. Right now the American government is shoveling taxpayer money at banks to rescue them while the rest of us drown. Government created the conditions for the banks to fail in the first place. President Obama and many others in government have failed to rescue the voters instead of the banks and now they are paying the price.
Europeans don't have the spine to truly revolt. In the end, they will submit to whatever the aristocrats who run Europe decide they want to do. That is their natue and history, to be submissive slaves to tyrannies, that is also their inevitable fate. The noise in France will die down and it will be business as usual before you know it. It always is.
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The populist parties want to overthrow the elite?
In Norway the right-wing (populist) parties are the Elite parties (if I have understood the meaning of the "Elite" term correct). Still they have become extremely popular through promises of less taxes (our taxes are low compared to expenses), less immigrants (we already accept less then FN asks us too...) and cheaper alcohol and tobacco. The unemployment and salaries they can't really complain about since we have high salaries and very low unemployment.
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#15 Marcus
Your #58 was much better than this crap !
90% of your party believe tea bags grow on American gene altered corn plants !
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15 Homer Simpson writes:
"Now like Orpheus we will have to climb our way back out. And like Orpheus, we will have to let go of Eurydice because she was the reason we wound up in hell in the first place. Americans know what Europeans don't."
I'm surprised that you're choosing a European legend as a solution to your problems. However, you seem to be unaware of how the story ended because you see he DID try to go back and the following happened:
"Orpheus tried again to enter the Underworld and demand her return, but one cannot enter twice the same way - and no other way was open to him. All that was left to him was death.He played so mournfully that his songs called for death, and that the animals who surrounded him tore him apart, weeping as they did. Some say it was Maenads in a frenzy who ripped the singer to shreds. Some say he was struck down by Zeus for disclosing mysteries that were meant to be kept sacred. Either way, he was torn apart, and much of him was thrown to the winds. But the Muses mourned the death of their son and prodigy, and saved his head to sing forever."
It doesn't auger well, does it Homer? Still maybe your and democracy's head can have a soulful yodel together in the afterlife upon a Swiss alp.
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@ #11 quietoaktree
I said no such thing. I find the Tea Party candidates startlingly simple-minded, possess a lack of outward perspective and vulnerable to manipulation. Not exactly what I would consider the cream of the crop, and most certainly not people I would want to run my country.
What I am saying is that the Tea Party is a reflection of the growing discontent that is prevailing in America. The public is dissatisfied with the government and parties on both sides, and with all of this talk of "reaching across the aisles" to pass practical legislation, is nothing but empty campaign promises.
I cannot speak for the entirety of my generation, but among my colleagues in D.C, there is a certain irritation at the stagnation of Washington. America was supposed to be the center of innovation, always changing, and never content to let things be. As is, it seems we promote over-indulgence, laziness, and ignorance - all you need do is look to Congress and observe the general demographic to prove my point.
Now I am not inferring that government is bad. A government is necessary to ensure big business does not take advantage of the local populace. They exist to protect our fundamental rights, ensure our safety, and promote policies that represent the will of the people. Unfortunately, I see no such thing occurring at present.
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I think that discontent requires a focus Gavin which apart from some public unrest has not hit home in Europe yet. Also where it will hit home is often in areas which have hard a good economic run up until now and I am not sure they fully realise the implications of what is happening yet. For example take a look at these chilling estimates for Ireland from the notayesmanseconomics blog.
"In terms of number crunching it would appear that the banking crisis and its effects is likely to have an effect on Ireland’s finances that is equivalent to its current national debt. In case you were wondering that stands at 88.36 billion Euros according to its debt agency NTMA. Of course such estimates are subject to assumptions which may change."
At the interest rates prevalent now in Ireland that is a lot to finance.
http://notayesmanseconomics.wordpress.com
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
The "EU" is still not Europe!
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This blog continues to amaze through its content.
The 2. November the Konrad Adenauer Foundation published a survey. A representative section of the population in Germany has been asked about its opinions on the unification of Europa. It showed that Germans instead of scepticism and tiredness towards Europe are pretty satisfied with the membership of the EU. (Nobody should exepct any distinction between Europe and EU here.) The contrast to the Britions could hardly be more sharp.
What populist party in Germany is having success, Mr. Hewitt? You will have great difficulties in answering this question.
It is futile to go into any account - read the German newspapers, we have a couple of serious ones in the country.
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Re #6
"which populist party in Germany is a success"?
Neonazis, it seems.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11689141
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GH: "Incoherent it often is, but it can drive incumbents from office and has changed the political landscape."
You're right, Gavin.
Tea (Taxed Enough Already) Party Movement was not so much anti-Democrat as it was against many INCUMBENTS perceived as good for nothing.
Vide how many challengers have succeeded on Tuesday against perennial Democrat AND Republican incumbents.
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Morning in America!" "A City set on a hill!"
It was a "Shining City", Gavin.
There was also "Thousands points of light"
A slogan which in a certain country you must been intimately familiar with has been replaced, it seems, with "thousand pints of light"
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The Obama effect in Europe, which was about the usual liberati getting all excited about a black man in power, has passed as Europe itself drifts to the Right - a legacy of self-styled left-wingers who at the end of the day were no more than up-tight inadequates crying because they lacked ability and power and resented the fact that other people had both ability and power.
The people of Europe generally are sick of everything. Sick of the left wingers who support every terrorist organisation going but never actually help out poorer people when in power (all the jobs go to the left-winger's family as seen in the UK under Nu Labor), and who really despise the working classes ("So common and racist"). And sick of the current crop of autocrats and buffoons (Berlesconi is a good example) who far from handing power back to the people are more interested in pursuing out-dated moral crusades against whatever fun is left in this world. And why haven't drugs been legalised yet, by the way? And why are religious fanatics protected and their tyranny unchallenged?
Life gets grimmer and the leaders go on leeching off us. Maybe the US and Europe have more in common than I thought - absolutely no one in politics gives a ... about us. And no one speaks for us and no one reflects our dreams and our aspirations.
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Is this the end for the Euroblunderbus A380 Eurosaurus Rex (Wrecks)?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11691197
"The Australian airline Qantas has grounded its six-strong fleet of Airbus A380 airliners after one of the superjumbos made an emergency landing.
Qantas flight QF32 experienced engine trouble shortly after taking off from Singapore on its way to Sydney.
One of the engines "exploded with a loud bang" and the plane started shaking, a passenger told the BBC."
"On the Indonesian island of Batam, witnesses said they heard an explosion as the plane flew overhead.
"There were metal shards coming down from the sky into an industrial area in Batam," eyewitness Noor Kanwa told the AFP agency."
"The BBC's Nick Bryant in Sydney says aviation experts have identified the debris as part of a Qantas engine casing, but that the airline has not confirmed this."
"This incident is a worrying development for Qantas, an airline which prides itself on an exemplary safety record."
"It is also alarming for the aircraft's manufacturer Airbus, correspondents say.
The closest the airliner has come to a similar incident was in September 2009, when a Singapore Airlines A380 turned around in midflight and returned to Paris after one of its four engines failed."
Who in his right mind would buy even one of these now? Or for that matter who in his right mind would risk flying in one? I'm more certain now than ever that I won't.
This is just one more example of European junk engineering like the spacecraft that crashed into Mars, the superconducting supercollider that blew up right after it was turned on and took years to fix, the Gallileo GPS that never got off the ground, and the Chunnel train that short circuits if snow falls with the wrong consistency. My own professional experience has led me to conclude that in general, European engineering stinks. Well at least between the Chunnel, those tunnels in the Alps, and the supercollider, I admit that they do know how to dig a hole.
"Airbus hopes the plane is winning a reputation as quiet, economical and safe.
A spokesman for Rolls-Royce, the British firm which made the plane's engines, told Dow Jones Newswires that it would "work with Qantas to identify what the problem is"."
Yeah, you do that Rolls Royce. Meanwhile I'll stick to driving Lincolns and flying Boeing.
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I think Europe may be experiencing a bit of the old 'keep calm and carry on.' For how long, who knows?
Also don't Rolls Royce supply engines to Boeing?
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Try not to feed the troll...
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#28,
Yes, yes, we know- the American watches are the fastest in the world!
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"Also don't Rolls Royce supply engines to Boeing?"
Nope, RR engines are installed when requested by specific airlines.
Some choose, RR, some General Electric, some Pratt&Whitney.
It's their choice.
Just like a specific cabin configuration.
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Re Tea Party...
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/international/america-exercises-right-to-punch-itself-in-the-nuts-201011033216/
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@30
Sorry benefactor.
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Can this or any social unrest not be taken as a swing in regression to the mean? Sometimes politicians do well and are popular, sometimes they do really badly and are kicked out. The cycle starts again but when you look at it in the long run the policies and politics are at best mediocre when averaged over an entire term of governance.
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The EU tea-party began in 1972.
When DeGaulle confronted USA over gold convertibility.
And threw the gauntlet - France went on to create the EU.
USA - led by Kissinger / Nixon - went on to create the Pacific partnership with East Asia.
The EU tea-party in 2010 continues - picking on those whose 'europeanism' was suspect.
Out with the Romas.
Out with Turkey.
Out with Russia.
The EU tea-party in 2010 continues -
Blame the Rating Agencies for PIGS.
Blame Germany for PIGS.
Indeed, blame the rest of the world - China for manufacturing, USA for their miltary strengths, Russia for cutting off gas supplies.
Europe will not change - France & Germany created it for only one purpose - to challenge the domination of PlanetEnglish.
Nothing will change that - the rest is upto us.
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We do need a Tea Party on the Thames. However the cartelisation of politics is already very far advanced here which makes it much easier for British politicians to carry on regardless than in Washington. And voters know it, which is why so many are so apathetic.
The American Constitution was based on a more democratic version of the British constitution as it existed in the late 1700s. Every change since has suited the party elites and not the British people. When the monarchy lost political power here it should have been replaced with an elected head of the executive like the US president separate from the legislators in parliaments. Instead the majority leader in Parliament gained the power to form a cabinet government instead and appoint ‘ministers of the Crown’. The House of Lords was (like the US Senate) a real emending chamber until 100 years ago. Lloyd George could have chosen to make it a democratic chamber but he preferred instead to weaken it, leaving the Commons and its majority leader (who he happened to be) all powerful instead. Without these former separations of power largely dismantled we have a rubber-stamp parliament in Westminster guaranteed to approve whatever the head of government wants. And every other European government (except Ireland) has the same, so that one can definitively say that whatever is agreed among heads of government at the EU Council will be rubber-stamped by 27 national parliaments. That includes European treaties which disenfranchise us further which the heads of government who write them can ratify in the rubber-stamp parliaments they command.
We now have another power cartel at national level in Great Britain with Cameron & Clegg making up policy after the election that is 180 degrees opposite of what was proposed in their pre-election manifestoes 6 months ago. The party leaders can do this because they have innumerable devices by which they can impose party discipline which have no equal in Washington DC. The Whip system means that members of parliament vote as instructed by their pagers, rather as their constituents might want. Unlike members of the US Congress they are not barred from the executive branch of cabinet government and so compete with one another for the prime minister’s patronage rather than make any attempt to hold him to account. Candidate lists from central office (and even worse the party-list system in many Continental countries) mean that your vote is reduced to a false choice between nodding dogs pre-approved by the party hierarchy. All these things contribute to a cartelisation of the political system which is difficult to change because it is in the interests of the political insiders that an oligarchic system emerges with them at its apex. If many voters do not rise up it is because they recognise all too well how difficult it is to influence what is decided in their name via the ballot box. But change it we must.
This degraded system in Westminster and serves as a warning to Americans of how bad things can get when allowed to drift too far.
--------
“Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms (of government) those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny” T. Jefferson
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MarcusAureliusII(no 28)wrote "Is this the end for the Euroblunderbus A380 Eurosaurus Rex (Wrecks)?".
The blindingly obvious answer is "No". One swallow does not make a summer, etc.
Let us examine the other silly allegations;
a) "..the spacecraft that crashed into Mars..". Correct me if I am wrong but did not NASA manage to do just that, due to a mistake in a program converting Imperial units into SI units?
b) ".. the superconducting supercollider that blew up right after it was turned on and took years to fix". More correctly called the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), built in a 27km long tunnel running under the Swiss-France border. It did not blow up; there was an electrical problem which caused a release of helium from containment. It took about one year to fix. Most of that time was to first allow the components to warm up so they could be fixed, and then to cool the repaired components down to working temperature. The operating temperature is 1.9 K (−271.25 °C). And no, I have no idea what that is in Fahrenheit, and really do not care. Everyone else in the world uses the Centigrade scale, so get used to it.
The important point here is that Europe has an LHC, while the USA has a hole in the ground somewhere in Texas.
c) The Galileo sat-nav system is planned to be operative in 2013. As well as the EU and ESA countries, Israel, Ukraine, Morocco and Norway are partners. While the program has suffered delays, its mere existence has spurred major improvements in both the American GPS and the Russian GLONASS systems
And yes, Europe is very good at tunneling technology.
But why let facts get in the way of a fantastical rant?
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15.
Europeans don't have the spine to truly revolt. In the end, they will submit to whatever the aristocrats who run Europe decide they want to do. That is their natue and history, to be submissive slaves to tyrannies, that is also their inevitable fate. The noise in France will die down and it will be business as usual before you know it. It always is.
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You're right! The French certainly would never revolt against aristocrats, and the House of Lords controls the UK, right? (yes, I know some members of the Commons are titled or from similar families, but on the whole...).
If we're talking an elite, now, that would be different
As for why there seems to have been so little reaction to events in Europe, I agree with the idea it is because we are just resigned, and that for all there are still vast disagreements on how much, when, and where to cut, most people either accept we will have to suffer for a bit to get out of this, or simply think they cannot do anything to prevent it happening so why bother.
I'm in my 20s and anticipate being poorer than the previous generation unfortunately, but there doesn't seem to be the will to drift from the mainstream as,broadly, the public as a whole has accepted things will be bad no matter who is in charge so there is no point in turning away.
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Has it occurred to anyone else that the Tea Party Movement is actually helping Barack Obama. If they had not taken over the Republican primaries in some states and ensured the choice of some loony candidates the Republicans would probably now have control of the Senate as well as the House.
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Wow, in a way it's ressuring to check back in on this blog and realise that MAII is still spouting the same old rubbish (and still driving his superior engineered Lincoln (LOL!!!!)). We all need a sense of stability in our lives after all.
Where's the tea party? Thankfully not here! From what I've seen the USA-ians are welcome to it. At best it looks like it will look to re-elect the very people who got the world in it's current mess, at worst, many seem to be hiding their long-held predjuice behind it's message.
Europeans have a right to be angry, and certainly there's a problem in our various political systems in that we don't see genuine alternative candidates filtering up to the top levels quickly enough. However, I for one would rather see us getting on with the job of recovery and modifiying our systems for future use than some sort misplaced reactionary process.
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@32
Thanks for the info, I didn't realise it was the airlines that requested the engine manufacturer. Learn something new everyday!
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We now have another power cartel at national level in Great Britain with Cameron & Clegg making up policy after the election that is 180 degrees opposite of what was proposed in their pre-election manifestoes 6 months ago.
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I'm certainly not about to defend every decision this Coalition had made post-election, or deny that on certain issues the policies of the parties have been downright misleading, but one reason policies have been different from proposed manifestoes is those manifestoes were 'what we'd do if we win a majority', and no-one did, meaning all policies within may have to be altered in order to be passed.
The above comment at least attacks 180 turns which are less defendable, but too often people are attacking every little deviation even though any Coalition, of any formation, would have had to alter their manifesto promises in such an arrangement, and attacking that political reality makes it harder to get those on the fence (like myself) to pay attention when a genuine, undefendable turn around had developed.
Apologies for the rant. I figure we're allowed one, and only one.
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Red 32
At this stage, much of the focus will be on Rolls-Royce, the UK aircraft engine maker that supplied the RR Trent 900 engines to Qantas' A380 planes.
"This issue, an engine failure, has been one that we haven't seen before," says Alan Joyce, chief executive of Qantas.
"So we are obviously taking it very seriously, because it is a significant engine failure"
Mr Wheeldon believes the engine maker should also be taking the matter seriously.
"Given several recent unconnected problems, including the Boeing 787 engine test failure in August, I think Rolls-Royce will be under great pressure to get to the bottom of this very quickly," he says.
Not all A380 aircraft use Rolls-Royce engines. These have been chosen by Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines, as well as by Qantas.
A380s flown by Emirates and Air France are instead kitted out by the Engine Alliance, a 50/50 joint venture between GE Aircraft Engines and Pratt & Whitney[both American].
These engines have no involvement with this incident.
The concern is that the engine failure is a sign of one or more major problems.
Shares in both Rolls-Royce and EADS, the aerospace giant that owns Airbus, fell sharply following the emergency landing. (BBC News)
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Regarding 38. MacTurk
It's pretty futile trying to explain anything rationally to Marcus. It's all whistles and clicks to him.
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"Europe is very good at tunneling"
So is Mexico.
[vide the latest tunnel discovered between Tijuana and San Diego]
And no, LHS is still no working.
Just like that prestigious experimental fusion reactor in France.
[however old French Pouillac still works. :)]
P.S. I'll skip Galileo problem out of pity.
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I cannot really see a Tea Party-like movement in Europe. There are some obvious reasons; very different cultures and political histories and language, for example. Europeans do not often look into non-recent history for political inspiration.
My roots are in Eastern Europe, a region that swayed from the Hapsburgs, to the Italians, for a while French, then Hungarians, then Germans, then communists. Most countries' histories are similarly patched, and some countries like Slovenia never even existed in name until 20 years ago.
Despite its history, good and bad, Europe's inspiration cannot come from it. It has to look forward - whether European countries will continue to do so is not clear. Europe's ideal society is still being formed (enter the cynics), it is a new one, whereas the American ideal society is in history. Both seem to work, but they are not inter-changeable.
This could be the reason that I feel European countries are very good at keeping old traditions while embracing modernity. North America feels distinctly averse to change and modernity in some many things (design, infrastructure, architecture, even music), yet this is the new world.
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Powermeerkat(no 46) wrote ""Europe is very good at tunneling"
So is Mexico".
Silly and trite.
Also, the statement that "And no, LHS is still no working" is simply not true. It has run on full power. However, it does not run in the winter, due to the cost of electricity, and the demand it would impose on the grid at that time of the year.
Nuclear Fusion is everywhere a work in progress. ITER may be one route, maybe not.
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powermeerkat;
Perhaps post something about your relief that hundreds of people werent killed in a major aviation disaster, instead of slavishly following your compatriot and his schadenfreude. Wouldn't want you to get the reputation as marcusaurelius' poodle now would we?
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I am sorry to say that this article is inadequate on several fronts. The statistic that 23% of voters said they were angry is insufficient evidence of anger in America and does nothing to explain the nature of that anger. There is the often cited Tea Party anger to be sure. This is the anger that seems to get most of the media's attention, including yours. You ignore the anger of moderate Americans at the cynical decisions of the Republican Party to embrace right wing extremism in its bid to regain power and to hobble our government and the economic recovery by refusing to participate in the governing process. Moderate Americans are angry at the right wing politicians' and commentators' egregious efforts to confuse and manipulate the American electorate through the use of the "big lie". Moderate Americans, and especially African-Americans, are angry at the barely suppressed racism in the disrespect shown our first mixed-race president. Liberal Americans are angry at the outrageous demonization of their beliefs and ideals. Low and moderate income Americans are angry at the rich and the super rich for first creating the economic crisis and then insisting that the only way to solve it is to take away their services and economic security. Finally, Latino and Muslim Americans are angry at their being used as scapegoats for the nation's problems. Concentrating on Tea Party/conservative/republican anger only, an anger aided, abetted, and, some would say, created by Karl Rove, the wealth of billionaires, and Fox News, is misleading at best. This narrow, one-sided article does little to enlighten the reader or to enhance journalism's already tarnished reputation.
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You Europeans must admit to a little jealousy (come on now it's good for the soul). We Americans get to mess with the politicians every two years. Nothing may change in the end but we do get to shuffle the cards again and have a little fun with our "civil servants". Sometimes the game changes sometimes it doesn't but sooner or later you find a shoe that fits.
What encourages me the most is the increased number of people who are voting. In my town the weather was nasty but the polling places were crowded as hell. I like that.
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"North America feels distinctly averse to change and modernity in some many things (design, infrastructure, architecture, even music)"
You are not serious, are you?
Where would modern European art and music be today without Pollack, Rauschenberg, Rothko, Cage, Feldman, Riley, F.L. Wright, etc.?
And its pop music (incl. Beatles and Stones) without blues, jazz, R&R and R&B? [just forget film industry]
Inquiring minds are wondering.
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"And no, LHS is still no working" is simply not true.
Well, unfortunately it is.
LHS was supposed to work on a permanent basis, winter or no winter.
And its problems, if you care to check, are more than just electric wiring.
Not to belittle the stuff; merely stating well documented facts.
Just as a fact that Galileo is still nowhere to be seen (despite GPS II coming on line soon), despite being heavily subsidized (just like R&D of Airbus 380 and A-350 (also nowhere to be seen) by EUSSR taxpayers. :(
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powermeerkat;
Perhaps post something about your relief that hundreds of people werent killed in a major aviation disaster, instead of slavishly following your compatriot and his schadenfreude. Wouldn't want you to get the reputation as marcusaurelius' poodle now would we?
It's hard to turn a meerkat into a poodle.
And I dare you to find any post of mine expressing schandefreude about any air crash, calamity, natural disaster, etc.
Whenever it happened and whoever victims might have been.
Re A-380 all I can say, that there seems to be a problem with RR engines (this incident was by no means the 1st one of its kind), which is a rather unpleasant surprise. Even to me.
And a reason for a legitimate concern for potential passengers.
As BBC itself has pointed out in its report.
BTW. When A-330 tragically crashed off Brazil, and Thales' pitot sensors were blamed as a cause (in my opinion prematurely) it was Air France's own pilots who pointed out first they had wanted them replaced with BF Goodrich ones as much more dependable, but were ignored. Not me.
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52.
You are absolutely right. Blues, R&B, country, blue grass, jazz. This is the source of rock music. But, it is only that. The innovation is audible everywhere in Europe, not so in North America (including Canada here). I am a musician, and it is lamentable what is produced and sold here. And it is not even that new ideas do not happen here, they are just often ignored. I listed to a Viennese radio station online, in Canada, to hear cool music that sometimes comes from Canada. The public in Europe likes to hear new things, to build new things, to try new things. The top three radio stations in my city in Canada all play classic rock. Innovation in music, and design, and architecture and transportation systems is alive in Europe.
You may disagree, as some of these are personal taste issues, but Europe excels at modernity, especially integrating it into the traditional.
This was a minor point in my post. My main point is that Europe may not have the luxury of looking back at a homogenous, defining moment, like the US for inspiration. I needs to look ahead.
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The reason why there isn't European Tea Party is because the American Tea Party itself is more or less xenophobic. We too in Europe have xenophobic movements and parties, the difference is that we in the EU have 27 countries with even more different nationalities that all display their xenophobia more or less differently.
The usual mix that we in the Europe have is...
Anti-EU "We can manage alone! We did it in yesteryears!"
Anti-Globalisation "They are taking our jobs!"
Anti-Capitalism "Corporations and banks are taking our money!"
Anti-Immigration "Our culture is better and they don't want to learn it!"
Usually European xenophobic movements and parties either share all these four attributes or 3 out of 4.
The good thing is that because they are xenophobic in their nature, they won't work together at the European level. The bad thing is that there are 27 battle fronts in the EU where national parties must make a case against these movements and parties.
In my opinion EU, globalisation, capitalism and immigration are all good things, when managed correctly, that is why I will vote for the conservatives in the next elections. And that is the message that should be used to thwart these populist movements.
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What is to be expected at this stage of the crisis?
Reaction: of course. So you have the visceral Tea Party searching for a past that never existed and the usual suspects in Europe beating up on scapegoats reliving a nastier past that once existed.
Such people bring nothing to the party but the rawness of their emotions. In due course they might evolve into something bitter but at the moment they are just bewildered.
The simple truth is that now social-democracy and capitalism have failed as fundamentally as the former Soviet system, the dustbin of history is now overfull of failed dreams. Perhaps it is time to re-evaluate politics as well as economics.
Historically, emphasis has been placed on ideas but not the elites that manage the dialogue associated with those ideas. There has been an implication that the purist version of an idea has to be the best, hence the perpetual pressure for endless improvement regardless of the actual outcome.
The consequence for social democracy has been that it is broken across most of Europe as it could never provide enough. Each generation of policicians kept demanding the impossible until the subsequent debt swallowed the economy whole.
The simple reality is that the elites must and will pay the price of their failure. The expectation of the Commission and the Parliament that they can demand a 6% increase in budgets this year, or even the more modest 2.9% is just laughable. This money can only come from people who today have less than last year. The pain has to stop: if it doesn't then it will be no tea-party but a return to the older themes that still persist: Jacobinism, fascism, and social revolution of all sorts and fancies. They all have their megaphones, their sense of struggle!
Such ideologies do not represent solutions but deeper problems. Therefore, so that there is a future, society has to reconnect with economics and politics must reconnect with the possible. Only this way can we can get the ordinary people of Europe to create their own work; their own economy, their own politics.
I don't see the elites having any place in that arrangement as they do not possess the necessary skills. I mean what economic value does a sleek, well suited apparatcik in a big car provide?
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#28 - MarcusAureliusII
"Yeah, you do that Rolls Royce. Meanwhile I'll stick to driving Lincolns and flying Boeing".
May I suggest that you do a bit of research into how many Boeings of various marques have Rolls Royce engines then extend it to how many dangerous incidents involving Boeings related to aircraft fitted with Pratt and Whitney engines as opposed to Rolls? When you recover from the shock, post something sensible.
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To come back on topic, one reason it seems to me that there is no European Tea Party is that there are no pan European political parties with the possible exception of the Greens. Political fortunes ebb and flow at different rates in different countries just as their position in the economic cycle may be different.
Although I am something of an EU enthusiast, one should certainly not be blind to the failings of the institution. There have been a succession of PR near disasters stretching from the failure of the original constitution through the perceived foisting of Lisbon on non-consulted electorates and the quite extraordinary appointments of a president and foreign minister to do non-jobs. With an extraordinary insensitivity to public feeling, the parliament voted itself a sizable increase in the budget which has only been reined back to 2.9% due to various national pressures and we are led to believe that at least some of this is needed to fund a diplomatic service for an entity which has no foreign policy.
One should really not be surprised if growing numbers of voters outside France and Germany are beginning to wonder what on earth the EU is for. The real danger in my view is that this might be one political movement which just might begin to gain cross-European support. Unlike the USA, where the argument is not about the value or otherwise of the Union, in Europe, the question is being asked more and more often. The EU really does need to get its act together and demonstrate to the sceptics its real worth and purpose. Without this, it will remain open to the accusation of drift.
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52 powermeer writes:
"Where would modern European art and music be today without Pollack, Rauschenberg, Rothko, Cage, Feldman, Riley, F.L. Wright, etc.?"
Never heard of any of them, although Pollack sounds like something I trod into once. Which reminds me of the famous quote by Sir Thomas Beecham:
"All the arts in America are a gigantic racket run by unscrupulous men for unhealthy women."
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re #59:
I agree on the point that the EU was founded on a lot of good ideas by possibly even smart/selfless people, but what it behaves like today makes even voters in Germany and France sceptical about the ways those good ideas are carried out.
Requesting more money while some national goverments run deficits 10% or taller is a proof how far away those people are from the real world they seek to govern.
However I don't think the green party will become pan european soon. While the German one is voteable for many citizens because of some valid ideas how one could run the country and because they seem to have the best sense for the needs of the population among all parties I heard others such as the British Greens are still far more radical with their ideas.
Also what is this fuss about the not-even-crash of an aircraft about? Just Marucsidioticus usual rant I guess, because both Boeing and Airbus have anything but a clean record when it comes to technical problems, delays in delivery and taxpayer subsidies don't they? Anyone who claims they do should start some web research instead of ranting around.
(The right wing party NPD ended up somewhere around 2%, I think even a little less last election. A landslide or even a success is something different I suppose.)
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#52 - powermeerkat
"Where would modern European art and music be today without Pollack, Rauschenberg, Rothko, Cage, Feldman, Riley, F.L. Wright, etc.?"
The short answer to your question is that it would be flourishing. I am not in any way denigrating the people you name but the idea that, for example, there would be no minimalism without Cage or Riley is a bit far fetched. And one might also be tempted to ask where Wright would have been without Gropius and the Bauhaus movement.
It is, I suggest, a bit silly to dress this up as some kind of competition. There have been hugely important and impressive contributions in all fields of the arts from the States but the notion that European art would have struggled without it does not hold water.
#61 - Seraphim85
Well potentially pan-European by having a common agenda which fits comfortably in a cross-border environment. However, you are right. Outside of Germany and Scandinavia, they have little prospect of real electoral success, not least because, in a politically correct world we all supposed to be green. Bit difficult to be a political success when your agenda has been hijacked by the mainstream.
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#60 - margaret howard
"Never heard of any of them, . . ."
Oh Margaret. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot. Whatever happened to the image of the Scots as a cultured and civilised people? Well if Homer is sharpening his claws ready for another outburst about the pipes, you only have yourself to blame.
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"Where would modern European art and music be today without Pollack, Rauschenberg, Rothko, Cage, Feldman, Riley, F.L. Wright, etc.?"
Probably just as sick: we seem have enough of our own modernist rubbish this side of the pond.
As for a European Tea Party movement: Hayek notwithstanding, we've had serfdom bred into us for so long that I am not too optimistic....
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#64 - MaxSceptic
Oh - you don't like it, therefore it must be rubbish. Now that is what I call sick.
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#19 Malkava
I was´t thinking in general terms --but specific, which younger Americans see as necessary for their society.
I am very surprised that Obama did not continue with the same positive pep-talks he used 2 years ago. Do you believe the ´socialist bogey-man´of many Americans frightened them -- as they were afraid of being called anti-America and its ideals?
--- or do you think the young were angry as they thought Obama sold them out to the main-stream. ?
---or none of the above ?
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threnodious;
"May I suggest that you do a bit of research into how many Boeings of various marques have Rolls Royce engines then extend it to how many dangerous incidents involving Boeings related to aircraft fitted with Pratt and Whitney engines as opposed to Rolls? When you recover from the shock, post something sensible."
Tell me which airlines fly Boeing aircraft equipped with Rolls Royce engines so that I can put them in my no fly zone. I have not heard of any similar problems with GE or Pratt and Whitney engines.
Speaking of poor quality equipment and service, in every line of business they enter I've dealt with including power distribution equipment, telephone switches, and building automation systems, that junktronics company Siemens seems to be the most disliked in every industry here in the US. I have not heard of even one happy customer. In their BAS systems, they have made enemies of every one of their clients I've met. They are truly awful at what they do.
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#15 Marcus
Your idea of America in the 60´s is to say the least --warped.
You have prided yourself for not being a part of the youth rebellion during those years --nor at having the least interest in their ideals. Which baby-boomer group do you blame --only your own. Drop-outs can hardly be blamed. Never trust anyone over 30 !
Many of America´s and the world´s problems were predicted by those ´degenerates´ and the failings of America were loudly proclaimed so that both you and the Government could not claim ignorance - only indifference.
´Hell no we won´t go !´-- dissipated with the draft -- and normal business continued --with no slow down in military expenditure -- instead of draftees --mercenaries.
The ´Socialistic´ repression of banks and insurance companies placed after the Great Depression had to be removed -- they were against our Free Capitalistic ideals --and they were removed. You slept well at the news --I didn´t !
200 year old freedoms are good on paper --the press and media have the freedom to lie --and that they have accomplished well --we can be proud to be a nation of suckers --CRYING all the way to the bank --- as you did in #15.
The Supreme Court just stabbed the citizens in the back with its declaration that businesses are individuals --
but not one peep of protest from Marcus.
You wanted rid of Obama from the beginning --you are jumping up and down with glee --you will probably get your wish. So be proud of the mess America is in --that is your freedom !
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Most European countries do not have any Republican party either, why should they have a tea party? Speaking of us we have had in the last 30 years around 15-20 tea-like parties on each of the 9 elections that took place. Why should we ask for one more? Each country to its own traditions. In some European countries there is no paper thingies taken as religion that move people, there is only the blood of the dead and the graveyards of the massacred that can motivate people.
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The Tea Party in the USA is the result of over two hundred years of a two party system, (notwithstanding an occasional Independent, Film/ wrestling star or Ralph Nader).
The Tea Party is to replace old government, long standing politicians, and bring change. A different change than President Obama, but nonetheless change.
The Tea Party are right of centre, but that does not mean security for the Republicans rather the Tea Party are cuckoos in the Republican nest.
Europe has had multi-party representation in most countries for more years than the USA has existed.
Congratulations to my American cousins, you are starting to understand that life is not "with us or against us", in black and white (or red & blue!).
A milestone indeed!
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#69 Nik
´blood of the dead´
---not in the America of Marcus-- or the Tea-Party !
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kieran;
"You're right! The French certainly would never revolt against aristocrats, and the House of Lords controls the UK, right?"
What revolution was that. They discarded a tyrant king for a tyrant emperor. Then they went back to having kings. It's not the individual that is overthrown in a revolution, it's the system. The Russians overthrew a tryant czar and instead chose tyrant Soviet commissars. Some revolution.
The Tea Party isn't merely a rejection of the Democrats, it's a rejection of the entire government. If the Republicans don't understand that, they'll be thrown out too. Mainstream Republicans are being beaten by Tea Partyists. What they don't want is more of the same from either party. I'm not sure they have good answers but they will no longer stand for the old ones. They want a real revolution and when enough Americans are fed up with what we have, they'll get it.
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#69 Nik
-- and that only once a year in November ?
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noisy little acorn #68; you seem particularly perturbed now in the aftermath of your sainted one's resounding rejection at the polls this week. Why? Did you really expect better of him? By what logic have you and your kind come to think that people who have no knowledge or experience at something can just walk in and perform well at tasks even experts would have a hard time grappling with? Obama's collapse comes as no surprise to me or to millions of other Americans. All we can say is we told you so.
"You have prided yourself for not being a part of the youth rebellion during those years --nor at having the least interest in their ideals."
What rebellion was that acorn, not making something of yourself, not working and planning to make something of your life through hard work? Taking hallucinogens to escape from reality? Squandering what wealth your parents left you on expensive toys and get rich quick schemes that blew up? (I've still got mine, I knew I'd never get a second chance because I wasn't born rich, just smart and lucky.)
So what do most of them have to show for it? A trail of broken marriages, children from several of them whose only interest in them is what they can get from them, no money, no careers, no valuable marketable skills, no anything. Failed lives. So much for their ideals. Small wonder they love Obama so much. Losers gravitating to losers.
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#72 Marcus
--- a Palin revolution ?
-- She doesn´t even read books ---only watches TV commercials about herself, which she gets translated into comics.
America has been dumbed down for 40 years Marcus --and you too !
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Marcus
--you are too old-- and it is too late for you --to begin smoking Pot !
--Keep on rockin´--- in the chair !
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Say it isn't so acorn. You'd better hope you're wrong. I'm one of the people who keeps your lights lit. When the last of my kind are gone, everyone will be left in the dark. Probably will do them good, many of them are halfway there from smoking joints all their lives already.
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Marcus
-- And if the divorces were caused by smoking Pot --then it was a revolution you missed !
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#77 Marcus
--America is in the dark-- can´t you see that ?
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acorn;
"Marcus
-- And if the divorces were caused by smoking Pot --then it was a revolution you missed !"
You sound like a man who was in the thick of it. How many wives acorn? How many kids? How many lawyers?
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
And Marcus said ´ Let their be light ´
--and the fuse blew.
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#80 Marcus
Why do you believe I am a man ????
Your are not a male chauvinist pig are you ??
--- Just wait until I get you back home --I´ll show you a trick or two !
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This article is close to a disaster. The entire idea that Europe needs a TEA party - apparently a result of Mr. Hewitt’s stay in USA - is so bizarre that it is not even necessary to comment.
And Mr. Hewitt, if you ever come across the writing of Jürgen Habermas where he identifies the set of core beliefs in Europe you will get an idea of what Europe’s set of core beliefs are.
A plethora of commentators has said that the republicans have won a Pyrrhus victory. The TEA party will divide the party, and no less than two days after the election this has started.
Let this unbearable group with ideas that in many places in the European press has been called festive in order to avoid stronger labels put Sarah Palin forward as president candidate. It will be a day of celebration for the present president.
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margaret howard wrote:
52 powermeer writes:
"Where would modern European art and music be today without Pollack, Rauschenberg, Rothko, Cage, Feldman, Riley, F.L. Wright, etc.?"
mh:Never heard of any of them, although Pollack sounds like something I trod into once.
PM: that speaks volumes.
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Re #55 "The top three radio stations in my city in Canada all play classic rock."
I thought, nordicum, you were referring to modern/ avant-garde music - not pop.
You could not have it in the last decades of the XXth century without earlier accompliments of Varese, Cage, Feldman, Riley, etc.
And when you speak about popular music every big-band in the world I know off is indebted to Duke Ellington, Don Ellis and Bob Florence's b-bs. [you can easily hear it]
Every alto saxofonist tries to sound like Charlie Parker, Paul Desmond or Phil Woods; every tenor saxofonist - like Joe Henderson, Stan Getz, Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane or Joshua Redman; every trumpet player - like Dizzie Gillepsie or Miles Davies, every jazz pianist - like Bill Evans or Keith Jarrett; every drummer - like Jack deJohnette or...
Well, you get the dfrit. Just listen. "Imitation is the ..." etc.
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re #67 "The engine failure that caused the emergency landing of a Qantas Airbus A380 in Singapore may have been caused by a design fault, the Australian airline says.
"We believe this is most likely some kind of material failure or a design issue," CEO Alan Joyce said" (BBC News)
P.S. In view of a tragic crash of yet another ATR-72 (this time in Cuba)
I won't comment on a quality of that French/Italian product.
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Re #62
I have not suggested that "European music would have struggled".
I'have merely said that it would not be - where it is.
BTW. I'd be grateful if told me of anything genuinly new and original in European modern music since Boulez, Ligeti, Lutoslawski and Stockhausen's days.
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I've just read the previous posts in this blog and am astonished that half of them got through the moderation process! I wouldn't mind if they were entertaining at least, however...
To get back to topic I am struck that the elections in the States this week were the Mid Terms. Important but its not as if people were voting for a President, and as a pervious commentator mentioned they get to shuffle the pack again in another four years. Certainly my American relatives and friends don't get too excited about it. Good time for a protest vote. Now, in the UK, in 2009 we had our European elections. Important but to most people in the UK not to be taken too seriously either. Big mistake but anyway... The economy was in the emergency ward and it turned out a good result for the extremist, single issue parties, especially from the far right. The agenda of these parties is not all that different from Tea Party ideology, so far as it can be identified. Less government and more personal autonomy for the citizen, with a large dollop of nationalism. The far right whooped and hollered and claimed 'it's a new dawn' etc. Then this year we had our general election. People in the UK take their general election far more seriously. Not a time to make flippant protest votes. And what happened? Everybody piled into the centre and the populist right wing/nationalistic parties were wiped out (as were the left extremist ones). Actually it even involved an air crash, which I suppose might make some of the mud slinging about European/American aircraft manufacturers and engine manufacturers a little more on topic, although in this case it was operator error in a light single engine aircraft. They sort of wrapped the aircraft around their political bunting on take off.
There is a caucus of anti EU parties across the various member states. Their agendas are negative and they have nothing to offer as an alternative. For example in the UK we have UKIP and the English Democrats and the BNP. But there are one or two in every member state. We generally expect them to poll about 10% of the vote on an average year but if folk are especially unhappy it tends to go up to maybe 20%. I suspect that the language issue mentioned earlier helps prevent these parties coming together as a popular, united protest. Also, there is no European equivalent of the rose tinted yester year that the Tea Party hanker for, which would be going back to the time when America was emerging from its great depression (a time when Europe was at war with itself, being bailed out again by the Americans, so we have no old memories of cohesion to cling on to). But in their way these anti European parties are Europe's Tea Party.
If my hunch is correct and the Tea Party movement is akin to our anti EU parties it might well be that when it comes to the Presidentials in 2012 the Tea Party will not be having such a good night. People will be voting for real, not protesting.
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MAII asks: "Tell me which airlines fly Boeing aircraft equipped with Rolls Royce engines so that I can put them in my no fly zone. I have not heard of any similar problems with GE or Pratt and Whitney engines."
Check the site of any major airline: they usually list all their equipment, including power plants used in particular aircraft types.
And even plain Wiki, let alone, say, Aviation Week, will list all major crashes particular types of passenger aircraft have been involved in over a last couple od decades.
Or simply Google, say, Comet, Tu-154, Il-62, DC-8, L-1011, B-747, A-330, etc., and pertinent data re crashes/serious accidents should emerge.
WARNING: some passengers prefer NOT to know a history of a plane they're flying or have to fly in.
BTW. If you have any doubts about a design/performance of RR's Trent 900, an alternative is a plant built for A-380 by Engine Alliance which is a 50/50 joint venture of GE and Pratt&Whitney.
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My state reëlected all of the incumbents at the federal level. To my knowledge, we had no TEA Party candidate, although we did have candidates from the Socialist Party and the US Marijuana Party, as well as a number of independents. In my view, the most interesting race here was for governor; the candidate who came in third place, an independent, ran on a platform of non-violent secession from the US.
britboy10: On post 1, the US Constitution only predates the Declaration of the Rights of Man by two years. I’d guess that each of these documents have helped to form their respective citizens’ self-identities for some time now.
Malkava: I disagree with part of your post 19: the public is not dissatisfied with parties on both sides. If the public were dissatisfied with the parties, they would stop electing those parties’ candidates. powermeerkat is closer to the mark — the public is dissatisfied with incumbents, and replaces them with new candidates from the same parties, biennially expecting reform from the new batch.
Jukka Rohila: I suspect that many of the xenophobic movements/parties would actually agree with the opinion in the last paragraph of your post 56 — the main disagreement would be on the definition of “managed correctly”. [For example, their view might be that the EU would be “managed correctly” from without, exclusively through their country’s Foreign Office. ;*) ]
Andywarhol: For post 70, at the federal level, the two-party system here only coalesced in the 1860s; the most recent multi-party coalition in our House of Representatives was formed in 1916, between the Democrats and the Progressives.
Would you please provide a list of those European countries that had multi-party representation prior to the recognition of American independence in 1783?
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42. At 1:39pm on 04 Nov 2010, Lord_P wrote:
@32
Thanks for the info, I didn't realise it was the airlines that requested the engine manufacturer. Learn something new everyday!
Each passenger plane manufacturer delivers it "green", i.e. the plane's fuselage and naselles are bare.
Each customer requests specific engines avaliable for that type of plane and a specific layout and finish ot its 'classes' (which is done by Airbus or Boeing subcontractors)
[Some airlines want 9 seats across, some 10'; some want Corynthian leather in 1st class, some reclining beds].
E.g., Airbus advertised A-380 as a plane with a bar, salon, etc.
In reality airlines have prefered to have as many seats packed in an available space as possible to maximize profits.
So next time you enter a Boeing-747 or 777, A-340 or A-380 praise or blame a specific airline for availability/lack of Internet, cell phone service, individual entertainment electronic controls, etc.
And of course - it's choice of engines if something goes awry.
I hope you do your research before your next trip and choose well.
Farewell!
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Re #89 "If my hunch is correct and the Tea Party movement is akin to our anti EU parties it might well be that when it comes to the Presidentials in 2012 the Tea Party will not be having such a good night. People will be voting for real, not protesting."
True, that's why I think if somebody like Rand Paul or Marco Rubio is nominated by Republican Party somebody like BHO will have a rather slim chance of winning.
For those folks are for real and represent real people, not lawyers' lobby or Harvard elite.
]
P.S. Personally I think Rubio will not run in 2012, but in 2016.
And I can't exclude a possibility that Jeb Bush will try to get a Republican nomination in 2012.
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Re #91
"we did have candidates from the Socialist Party and the US Marijuana Party, as well as a number of independents. In my view, the most interesting race here was for governor; the candidate who came in third place, an independent, ran on a platform of non-violent secession from the US."
If US Marijuana Party cadidates won, perhaps a secession would be non-violent indeed. :-)))
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#89. At 05:27am on 05 Nov 2010, Francis Power
You wrote: ....”If my hunch is correct and the Tea Party movement is akin to our anti EU parties”
You are not correct. As a matter of fact you are far from being correct, but I am not surprised that the idea arise on the background of the blog article.
And one more thing in our attempt to correct this horrible article: The populist party in Sweden is not having success. It just happens to have a few necessary mandates for a majority, and the rest of the parties in the Swedish parliament try to get past this circumstance.
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"The populist party in Sweden is not having success. It just happens to have a few necessary mandates for a majority, and the rest of the parties in the Swedish parliament try to get past this circumstance."
Here's wondering wht happens if that horrible party (and similar like it in Germany, Netherlands, etc.) gain even more mandates during the next election.
How are you going to explain it away then?
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I stopped reading this blog soon after Gavin took over because he was always banging on about America, but I hoped that would change with time....
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Georgia says it has dismantled a major Russian spy ring and arrested 13 suspects.
The suspects allegedly fed sensitive military information to Moscow, the interior ministry said.
It seems '13' is indeed an unlucky number: First America kicks out 13 Russian spies, now Georgia arrests 13 others.
Perhaps GRU should consider forming gangs of 14 operatives?
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"I stopped reading this blog soon after Gavin took over because he was always banging on about America"
Obviously you haven't, but I am sure Gavin would have been much more popular in some quarters if he had banged ON America. :-)
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At least 25 people have been killed and dozens more injured in a bomb attack on a mosque in north-west Pakistan, local officials say.
The attack took place during Friday prayers in the Darra Adam Khel area, near Pakistan's tribal regions, an area which has seen Taliban activity.
The death toll from the attack on the Sunni mosque is likely to rise, local officials say. (BBC)
Obviously if GWB had not attacked Afghanistan Muslims all over the world would not have been slaughtering each others.
So here's hoping that pres. Obama will rectify that deplorable situation.
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When will BBC start to moderate spam out of this blog?
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noisy little acorn;
"Why do you believe I am a man ????"
acorn, you've made me think about it. Based on your postings I see your point. Now I can see the opposite point of view on this question and there are strong arguments in favor of it.
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powermeerkat;
"E.g., Airbus advertised A-380 as a plane with a bar, salon, etc."
Do they have deck chairs? Now might be a good time to start rearranging them. And of course, strike up the band one last time.
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#100. At 10:23am on 05 Nov 2010, powermeerkat
I guess you were being facetious, as its long been clear the each Muslim sect can no more tolerate another Muslim sect than it can infidels. Can you imaging what their holy grail of a world Muslim caliphate would result in, never ending terrorism and war. Thankfully that will never happen but the sooner the politically correct world wakes up to inherent danger of seeking to appease crusaders (of whatever religion) the better.
#101. At 10:30am on 05 Nov 2010, Mathiasen
Would that be the ham product sold as spam?
Or the Greek diatribe known as nik nik nik.
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Speaking about strike, BBC is on strike. At least some of its employees are. They are protesting cuts in their pensions. They are taking what Brits refer to as "industrial action." It seems to me that one of BBC's shortcomings is that they are often deficient in "taking industrial action." :-) Take their IT department for example. How many times has one or more BBC sites gone down. And when it is for maintenance or upgrades, how often is it without any prior warning? However, if you haven't noticed, don't be surprised. I have a list of BBC programs I wouldn't miss if they were taken off the air permanently...and BBC personalities as well. Like the French, they will go back to their jobs such as they are and grumble. What else can you do when you work for a government monopoly. They're lucky they haven't been fired. I'll bet there are a lot of other unemployed Brits who could pretend to do their jobs just as convincingly as they do, and for less money and with far less complaint.
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The failure of the A380 engines recalls to mind the problem with the Airbus that crash landed on the Hudson River some time ago shortly after taking off from New York City's LaGuardia airport. One of the complaints about the Airbus design philosophy in contrast to Boeing's is that it doesn't allow the pilot to easily override automatic systems when they fail. This is due not merely to a difference in engineering concepts and philosophy but a different cultural view of life in general. It is the view among Europeans that in a critical situation a responsible trained human being is not the best chance of making the best decisions, taking the course of action most likely to acheive a desirable outcome. It represents a complete lack of faith that individuals are ultimately those who know what is best. Instead a central committee plans for all contingencies and programs all responses. When those responses don't apply or work, those nominally in charge can only sit by helplessly as they and their passengers crash and burn. This is how Europeans run their government, their entire societies. The EU Constitution is a demonstration of this while the American Constitution is a demonstration of the exact opposite. That is why there is a difference between a 400 page document which proscribes every situation from birth to death of every individual contrasted with a one page document that expects that those in charge at any given moment will make the decisions they deem most appropriate and in the best interest of the country. It may not work every time but it has worked well enough so that we don't have a Eurosaurus Wrecks of a government on its way to becoming a fireball the way Europe has.
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75. At 00:58am on 05 Nov 2010, quietoaktree wrote:
"""#72 Marcus
--- a Palin revolution ?
-- She doesn´t even read books ---only watches TV commercials about herself, which she gets translated into comics.
America has been dumbed down for 40 years Marcus --and you too !"""
I actually find Marcus smart enough. And I am fed up of pretentious Europeans (including my people), treating American people as dumped-down people when exactly the same thing occurs in pretty much all European countries. Apart the fact that anyway US - referrring to its oligarchical leadership - tries to dictate the world, Europeans treat the rest of the American society as a bunch of rednecks and and ghetto boys - be it that way, we cannot judge Americans if we are not in ther case. While we might find ridiculous the over-religiousness of a part of their society, what is the difference between the European (caviar)leftish who treated "social science" as religion for the most of 20th century and down to the basics still they do? "Panem et circus" holds as much true for Americans as for Europeans (not to mention other countries around the world). It is a world wide phenomenon. So referring only to Americans is extremely naif.
99. At 10:17am on 05 Nov 2010, powermeerkat wrote:
""""""I stopped reading this blog soon after Gavin took over because he was always banging on about America"""""
"""Obviously you haven't, but I am sure Gavin would have been much more popular in some quarters if he had banged ON America. :-)"""
Well that does not hold true to me while I criticise a large part of US global geopolitics. Much of anti-american out there is actually done for all the wrong reasons that add fuzzyness in the situation and in fact sometimes this serves some US interests.
What me and others propose here is a more decent approach by Europeans. US is good, is a historic ally, everything ok but we have to see at some point our own geostrategic interests as a whole and as separate entities.
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#102 Marcus
Your confusion is understandable-- our right to LIE is protected by freedom of speech.
--- and for Americans to be lied to, is their right -- in pursuit of the American dream.
That IS the main reason for the Tea Party´s (and Powermeerkat´s ) existence.
(apart for him taking up too much space --for the little he has to say)
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Royal Caribbean Cruise lines has one ship The Oasis of the Seas and a twin on the way The Allure of the Seas that are 220,000 tons each.
http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/ships/class/home.do;jsessionid=0000iC85TMQVDr9MZHTzDVfQGDy:12hbiodf7?shipClassCode=OA&br=R
Each accomodates 5400 passengers not counting the crew which is probably another 1500 to 2000. Nearly 1200 feet long, 16 decks high, up to 184 feet wide. I heard a rumor that EADS is planning to build a successor to the A380 that is even larger. But will it fly?
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#107 Nik
-- If one can be convinced that the American nightmare is really a dream --- then one is dumbed down !
-- or how would you describe it ?
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#107 Nik
--- read ´American dream´
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#109 Marcus
5400 Europeans OR 2700 Americans !
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/01/07/eveningnews/main6069163.shtml
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This random meander into Muslim fundamentalism can be brought back on topic. Were the EU to develop a Tea Party type movement (if it has not indeed done so already along the lines of my previous comment @89) would it be fundamentalist in itself? We don't really know if the Tea Party is fundamentalist or not because of course it is not a party at all. It is not constituted. It is not even exclusively republican or right wing. In fact it is a gaurilla movement designed to realign ideology within established parties. But if you check out the websites of the main factions within it (Tea Party Patriots etc.) you will see that they are not just for fiscal conservatism. Their message incorporates a dimension of moral conservatism. Some of them want to see their constitution amended to allow a coming together of church and state. Actually some of them don't even seem to know there is a constitutional separation of church and state, including one of their higher profile Mid Term candidate endorsements (a Senate candidate in Delaware, who lost).
So if Europe started to develop a formal, pan member state gaurilla movement along the lines of the Tea Party would it be purely concerned with the budgets and who gets to set and apportion them, or might it find any traction by having a moral, or to call it what it is when you start mixing politics with religion fundamentalist dimension? I think for the most part we Europeans long ago learned to conduct our formal relationships in a secular manner and out of necessity, because we used to have so many religious wars. Plus there are far less people in Europe than the United States who identify with any particular formal faith franchises. No doubt the Catholic church would disagree but their HQ, the Vatican City, is within the city of Rome and last time I looked only about 3% of Romans regularly went to church. Then you have the divide between Catholicism in the south and the various stripes of Protestantism in the north. Then there is Judaism, which is a bit of a sensitive subject here in Europe on account of the holocaust, plus a considerable amount of Islam and Hinduism (I don't count Buddhism or Quakerism as religions but philosophies and Shinto manages to keep itself entirely under the radar). So given the complexity of it, the lack luster attitude of most Europeans to religion and the embarrassing fact that in at least one member state Catholics and Protestants (both allegedly christians) managed to conduct a civil war against each other on several occasions and across as many centuries, I just can't see us agreeing enough to get behind a single moral idea that isn't already enshrined in our laws. Its not as if we can even manage to agree on a common foreign or defense policy! But I would be interested to know what other's think?
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#112. At 11:54am on 05 Nov 2010, quietoaktree
Meow, now now girls, stop being so catty about weight, just remember their size is why the US men are so scared of their women. Some I've seen in London many years ago, embarked on man hunts, looked more like all-in wrestlers and as for their voices, [expletive deleted].
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#114 Buzet 23
---so that´s the reason for Marcus´s Hush Puppy look ?
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115. At 12:33pm on 05 Nov 2010, quietoaktree
I remember that years back the reason given for American men being so loud and boorish when away from home was the saying 'when the cats away the mice do play'. If MAII is indeed a man then maybe these blogs are his release from female domination, lol.
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#116
---No,
--I suspect from obedience classes.
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Buzet 23
This is his nap-time.
--When he wakes up he´ll start barking up the wrong tree again.
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Come on guys, you know what Marcus gets like when Euros make fun of him. He still hasn't gotten over the last time.
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The underlying themes of the Republican party are, in this sequence, racism, sexism and homophobia. The 'Tea Party' is out to get any of its own (or anyone else) who doesn't adhere closely enough to these principles. The (thin) disguise changes face and tone, with the right-wing media trumpeting the 'cause'. Unchecked capitalism created the current global mess, and if the Repos have their way it will return to its full glory. Please don't be fooled, world.
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#113
I read somewhere recently that in the US, 70% go to church regularly. While in France, indicative of other European countries, the figure is about 7%.
A lot of what the Tea Partiers talk about has roots in religion, and so I cannot see any movement in Europe that would support changes in morality to be successful. The era in Europe of religion is over, while some of the traditions still live, people are just not interested any more.
What could see, however, is more interest in taxation levels, employment, etc, in the public.
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97. At 09:38am on 05 Nov 2010, jon_toronto wrote:
I stopped reading this blog soon after Gavin took over because he was always banging on about America, but I hoped that would change with time....
Couldn't agree with you more. But it's not just him banging on about America but the many odious Americans it attracts to this blog. Keep trying - we can't let them drive interesting European people away.
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#120 eastiowa
Even with the painful cuts coming, most Western Euros can´t appreciate they will still have more security for themselves and their families, as ALL of America´s poor and also a large portion of America´s previous middle class.
This was a RANDslide !
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88. At 05:19am on 05 Nov 2010, powermeerkat wrote:
"I'd be grateful if told me of anything genuinly new and original in European modern music since Boulez, Ligeti, Lutoslawski and Stockhausen's days".
Leaving aside for a moment the fact that Ligeti only died in 2006, Stockhausen in 2007 and Boulez, bless him, is still very much with us - let's begin with Andriessen, Pärt, Birtwistle, Lindberg, Gubaidulina, MacMillan, Kurtág, Penderecki, Eötvös, Górecki, Kancheli, Muldowney, Nyman, Ruders, Turnage - and before you ask the inevitable tiresome question about Googling , all of the above are represented in my collection.
Oh, and two of them are Polish.
Make your point or get off my back.
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#119 - Benefactor
The last time? When someone poured all the Tea Party leaflets into Boston harbour?
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#118 - quietoaktree
What with his barking and my dogs, trees have no chance. Not even quiet ones.
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I should resist this temptation but I can't. The current score in the Qantas Singapore aviation challenge is Air Bus 1, Boeing 1. casualties 0. But could one of our resident experts confirm for me, its Rolls Royce 2, right or wrong? I don't think it will drive Europe to form a Tea Party but I think we ought to know.
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#126 Threnodio
--and I don´t care who sniffs under my branches or lift their arthritic leg -- they are going to get whacked by a thick branch !
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#128 - quietoaktree
Unfair advantage. The dogs are not thick.
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#129 Threnodio
Neither were the -- 2 British bulldogs, 3 French poodles, 4 German shepherds and 1 American !
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#130 - quietoaktree
- 3 turtles doves, 3 french hens and a partridge in a pear tree.
Now for heavens sake can we stop being dumb and get back on topic.
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124 threnodio
And do you really believe any of them will be rememberd in 100 let alone 200 years time? I'll stick with the real classics - Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms, Schubert, Schuman, Elgar,Chopin and all the others who have given people decades of pleasure. Someone like Birtwistle or Stockhausen sound like my son's school orchestra on their first day of practice - we all hide.
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#131 Threnodio
---Music ????
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#132 - margaret howard
Would you have expected a 15 minute standing ovation for the Rite of Spring 90 years ago? I saw one last week.
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#132 - margaret howard
Sill, look on the bright side. There probably will not be a school orchestra a year from now. Come to think of it, there may not even be a school. Every cloud has a silver lining - even austerity.
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132. margaret howard
"And do you really believe any of them will be remembered in 100 let alone 200 years time?"
Pretty much the same was said of Schubert and Beethoven in their time!
I sympathise about listening to the early efforts of the school orchestra, though. I had years of that.
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#135 Threnodio and Margaret
---- those I hit could have been accompanied by ANY modern or school orchestra !
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134 threnodio wrote:
"Would you have expected a 15 minute standing ovation for the Rite of Spring 90 years ago? I saw one last week."
But you never included Stravinsky in your original list and in my opinion he doesn't belong there.
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Most of you don´t belong here !
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Now the Tea Party will be offered Chamber music--
--- while under Pot ?
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122 margaret howard
"97. At 09:38am on 05 Nov 2010, jon_toronto wrote:
I stopped reading this blog soon after Gavin took over because he was always banging on about America, but I hoped that would change with time....
Couldn't agree with you more. But it's not just him banging on about America but the many odious Americans it attracts to this blog. Keep trying - we can't let them drive interesting European people away."
It's funny how people can see things differently, isn't it? So, it really is subjective, right? From your small little minds you see enemies which is a reflection of yourself.
And yes, before you get your draws in a knot about this, it does work for everyone. Have a pleasant day.
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141 lochraven writes:
"...before you get your draws in a knot about this..."
Do you mean knickers in a twist?
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#142 margaret howard
141 lochraven writes:
"...before you get your draws in a knot about this..."
"Do you mean knickers in a twist?"
Whatever rings your bell.
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#138 - margaret howard
Of course I didn't. We were talking about contemporary music. My point was - as if you did not know - is that music that was considered difficult or inaccessible nearly a century ago is now mainstream. Why should this not be the case a further century from now?
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92. Meerkat
You have to admit that the Mustang and Packard version of the Rolls Royce Merlin engine were a perfect match. The sound of that engine is as recognizable as a Harley.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ihgz7opXci4
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144 threnodio
I'd hate to sound like a luddite but, as someone who is pretending to be a musician myself I think there is actually a certain boundary beyond which music does become inaccessible. Or at least doesn't work anymore. To my ears I believe it is the line between tonality and atonality, and a disregard for 'groove'. Now before you raise your eyebrows too high I shall qualify what I mean by groove by quoting my favorite definition of it, which I borrow from Bobby Owsinski "a groove is created by tension against even time" and I believe that can and does apply to any genre of music. Regarding tonality I personally find music that explores the tipping point between tonality and atonality incredibly exciting. But for me nobody ever did it better than the likes of Thelonious Monk or Charles Mingus. When experimental jazz experimented further it wasn't working for me. I have tried to love Stockhausen and Birtwhistle but it's a struggle usually resulting in a somewhat curate's egg type experience. Boulez I find a wonderful conductor but I do like to hear him conducting other people's music as well as his own...
I'm sure the scores of all these composers will continue to be played and the ones that best stand the test of time will become easy and familiar to future musicians. But I am not necessarily convinced that they will ever manage to become main stream as such. My main concern for mass consumption being in the groove aspect, which is less easy to challenge than tonality. There. Now you can be really rude back!
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Don't you folks see the Eruony in it all?
"Everything was going smoothly in the first 15 minutes and then there was a sharp bang."
Well there you are. If your trip on the HMS Thunderthud is 14 minutes or less, you're fine. Otherwise I'm afraid you're just SOoL.
SOOO-o- oeeyyy!!!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11692364
From that passenger's account it was a miracle the plane didn't blow up the way the Concorde did considering there was jet fuel pouring out all over the ground. And one small piece of metal on the tarmac from Continental Airlines was all it took to do in the mighty SST.
BTW, I don't know what happened to that 747 but that has to have one of the best records for safety in the history of the airline industry. Except for a suicide bomb incident I don't think anyone was ever killed by flying in it. If it's good enough for the POTUS, it's good enough for me. As for the Euronic leaders, let them fly the A380 for all I care. Aaaaalllll Aboard!
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11701337
"The A400M is an emblematic programme which Europe could not abandon," Herve Morin, the French defence minister, told a news conference.
"Giving it up would have meant Europe saying it wanted to be dependent on the United States in the 21st century."
EUpris:
1) The sick rubbish called the "EU" is still not Europe.
2) I could not possibly prefer to be dependent on France and Italy rather than the USA for all its faults.
3) Yet another rubbishy "EU"-integrationist project that we should strive to undermine.
4) Yet more evidence of the anti-Americanism which is at the heart of the "EU"-rubbish.
FREE BRITAIN FROM THE "EU" !!!!
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From Open Europe:1.
Cameron underplays UK's hand in Brussels by agreeing to treaty change for little in return
At last week's meeting of EU leaders, David Cameron dropped his bid for a cash freeze on the 2011 EU budget, unable to gain enough votes to support his position. Instead, Cameron gained the support of twelve other countries for a 2.9% cap on a 2011 increase. (BBC, 29 October)
However, Cameron agreed in principle to Germany's demands for a change to the EU treaties in order to create a permanent default and rescue mechanism for the eurozone. Despite having a veto over any future changes, Cameron signalled he would not use the negotiations to try to repatriate powers from Brussels, as Open Europe argued for before the summit. His coalition partner Nick Clegg has been more explicit, telling the FT, "We are not going to reopen this issue of the repatriation of powers. We are not proposing to go backwards." (FT, 5 November)
A poll of 1,447 Conservative Party members revealed that 74% think the Prime Minister should have used Chancellor Angela Merkel's request for a treaty amendment as an opportunity to get some powers repatriated to Britain. (Conservative Home, 1 November)
EUpris:
Cameron is completely and utterly useless when dealing with the "EU".
He is worse than useless.
It is so bad that it looks to me as if he is a paid agent of the "EU"-Dictatorship.
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From Open Europe:
2. Cost of EU quangos has tripled since 2005 and is set to reach £2.1bn
Open Europe has published a new report showing that in stark contrast to UK plans to scrap over 190 government agencies, the cost of EU quangos and committees has tripled over the past five years and is set to hit £2.1 billion in 2011, if the European Commission's planned budget for 2011 is approved.
EUpris: Do they expect that people like me will be prepared to defend this sick rubbish if it is ever at war???
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From Open Europe:
"EU's new foreign service spends up to £33m on armoured cars for new ambassadors. The EU's new foreign service has ordered 150 bomb-proof limousines costing up to £33m for its new ambassadors - equivalent to £130,000-£219,000 per car. (Sunday Times 31 October)"
EUppris:
We, the people who wanted a referendum and in some cases were promised one, are the ones who need protection from our greatest enemy - the "EU".
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Austrian Radio Website reports Italy to get more aggressive with immigrants.
And wants, in future, to throw out even "EU-citizens" without own income and place to live.
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Thanks to the right wing populist party in Denmark the country has been aggressive with immigrants in the last ten years. In the last 3-4 years this has even included citizens from the neighbouring Nordic countries.
Therefore Denmark is - together with the Swedish wing populist party, which has now made it to the parliament - subject to heavy criticism these days at the Nordic council session (of parliamentarians).
Without any doubt the Danish policy will come to end the same moment the ten-year-old coalition has lost its majority, and that is now very likely to happen within less than a year. Finally!
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#153. At 05:50am on 06 Nov 2010, Mathiasen
Wiki says "The party has been described as a right-wing populist party. It is generally more populist than traditionally right wing, being a strong proponent for some social programmes, such as pensions and other benefits for seniors."
Isn't it amazing that as soon as immigration is mentioned you get left wingers bleating on about those who think immigration has gone to far being right wingers or fascist. You'll note from the last UK election how so many core Labour voters (Socialists) were saying that immigration has gone too far, yet Socialists across the EU still refuse to take note in the vain hope that increased immigration of poor people means more Socialist votes. You'll note that concerning Denmark it has a coalition which means its policies are moderate, should that be replaced by a Socialist government no doubt within a few years Denmark will be a struggling nation having spent its assets and borrowed heavily.
Mathiasen, to say immigration has gone to far is not right wing, it is common sense in times when life is hard, jobs are in short supply and the countries are trying to repay huge debts.
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MAII Post 106: Wow! an entire thesis based on the misguided ramblings of MAII. Impressive!
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margaret howard wrote:
"124 threnodio
And do you really believe any of them will be rememberd in 100 let alone 200 years time? I'll stick with the real classics - Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms, Schubert, Schuman, Elgar,Chopin and all the others who have given people decades of pleasure. Someone like Birtwistle or Stockhausen sound like my son's school orchestra on their first day of practice - we all hide."
So, the north wind likes the dead germans with the fancy hair. She thinks this predilection graces her with a stench of superiority. Not only that, she thinks this smell of superior class will linger for centuries.
It is regrettable that such a superior being cannot be superior amongst her own superior class, and needs to mix with the commoners on this blog.
Speaking of self appointed quality mixing with common folk, I am thrilled to read fewer of cool bong water's contributions. As much as visiting this place lifts me up in a general sense, his recent absence augments the tone of the blog considerably.
Gavin is another whose absence is deeply appreciated. One gathers that he is on strike, although given his woeful work rate it would be impossible to tell. He posts about one blog a month at best, and he does no research of any quality or depth.
On the subject of immigration and jobs, buzet writes:
"Mathiasen, to say immigration has gone to far is not right wing, it is common sense in times when life is hard, jobs are in short supply and the countries are trying to repay huge debts."
I find this an interesting perspective.
Buzet clearly has no idea WHY life is hard, jobs are in short supply, and countries have huge debts. Presumably, he thinks it is because foreigners have come in STOLEN all the jobs. That is what he calls "common sense".
Now curiously, buzet declares himself an anti-socialist. He doesn't like socialism at all, so he says. But does he even know what it is, or is he merely parroting what he thinks he is supposed to say?
Because the real cause of hard times, a short supply of jobs and huge debts is SOCIALISM, or any other form of massively intrusive government, and not foreign workers.
Buzet doesn't seem to grasp the fact that more regulations against foreigners must be enforced by MORE intrusive government, and not less. In other words, government will need to set up cultural tests and police those tests. It will need to seal the borders, and police those borders. It will need to intrude into every small business, and know everything about every worker, in order to ensure the jobs are going to the "right people".
And what will that extra level of government regulation do for the economy?
That is VERY easy to predict. It will create more hard times, an even shorter supply of jobs, and greater government debt.
It will be harder times because people will need to pay more tax in order to pay for a more powerful, larger, more intrusive government.
It will reduce the supply of jobs because in an environment of massive and intrusive government everyone who can leave the country and set up short elsewhere will do so, and those who have been on the brink of shutting down their business operations and moving will be pushed over the line and will decide to do so.
And because the business's who are working in the market and paying tax to the ideologues in government will leave, the government will be forced to BORROW the money it needs to enforce its more intrusive police state, and so debt will expand accordingly. And the interest to service that debt will come from reduce wages and reduced pensions in the public sector, increased taxes in the private sector, and more incentive for business owners to leave the country. And so you have the vicious cycle of tyrannical government creating poverty for the unfree souls who must endure it.
What buzet fails to grasp is that his simple minded thinking regarding "foreigners stealing jobs" is VERY close to socialism. Indeed, it is well described as national socialism. Socialism, but only for members of my special club. Selfish socialism, if you like.
But that is what I would expect from a european. Wave the flag, chant some hate at the people from the next village, and do what you are told by the rich guy who your mothers looks at with cow eyes.
Europe has a lot of history to come to terms with, and the debate about the size and intrusive nature of European government is a crucial debate.
Until Europe DOES develop some kind of Tea Party movement, and until people who fawn on aristocrats and their governmental systems of tax farming (i.e. the EU) and openly ridiculed for what they are, which is ridiculously pompous and ignorant sycophants to power, Europe will continue to slide deeper into debt, and deeper into poverty.
Europeans have been living the socialist dream for the past sixty years, paid for by the US military budget and the debt borrowed in the name of their own grandchildren.
Now that dream is over, and Europe is awakening into a sober world of debt, massive government, increasing poverty, and intellectual bankruptcy cultivated by a pervasive class system of titles and civil law.
But my feeling is that we will need to wait for the baby boomers to die off before there will be any real change. The cowardly parasites who have impoverished their own grandchildren with their greed and political fantasies are too numerous and too powerful to allow any real change while they are still alive.
Maybe in thirty years we will see a change. Or, maybe not.
You will know when that change has arrived. The signs will be unmistakable. Churches will burn, families will hurry to abandoned ancient titles and will change their names, and the system of civil law on the continent will be violently dismembered by political action.
That is how it changed everywhere else.
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May point, threnodio, was, that that you now nothing About avant-garde music.
Mentioning mostly second-tier, altough talented, composers who have brought nothing new to composition technique and claiming that John Cage (an aleatorist dozens of others are idebted to) was a minimalist is enough to prove my point.
Stop reading articles; read some scores. If you can, that is.
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Maudib,
I've listened to Mustang. Pretty pathetic by today's standards.
Listen to SR-71 at Mach 3+.
Oooops, soory, you can't hear anything.
O.K. so listen to C-5 Galaxy on take off. :)
[B-2, or C-17 would be all right as well]
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# 156
Brave sir, well done. Despite the fact that 'socialism' hasn't been introduced in Western Europe to begin with & that social democracy has been losing ground for more than 30 years, it's all the socialists fault. It's incredible how fast, apparantly, the cause of the entire financial debacle has been forgotten. It was the continuing implementation of Thatcher & Reagan's trickle-down economics & the stripping of regulation on the financial sector that blew the economy.
I seriously keep on standing in awe at the power that is contributed to "socialists" & how much they are held responsible for the current societal climate. Need I remind you that the biggest political force in Europe is, and has been for most of the post-war years, Christian Democratic. Not socialist.
That the welfare state is doomed to fail because it controls naught but only tries to stelp the bleeding is not a new analysis, but that it's actually responsible for the entire situation is laughable.
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156. At 10:51am on 06 Nov 2010, democracythreat wrote:
"""Europeans have been living the socialist dream for the past sixty years, paid for by the US military budget and the debt borrowed in the name of their own grandchildren. Now that dream is over, and Europe is awakening into a sober world of debt, massive government, increasing poverty, and intellectual bankruptcy cultivated by a pervasive class system of titles and civil law."""
Precisely.
However I did not get well the following:
"""Maybe in thirty years we will see a change. Or, maybe not.
You will know when that change has arrived. The signs will be unmistakable. Churches will burn, families will hurry to abandoned ancient titles and will change their names, and the system of civil law on the continent will be violently dismembered by political action.
That is how it changed everywhere else."""
I do not understand well the above - does this paragraph makes a suggestion that change might in come in the form of an atheist communist regime or something?
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Re #148...
EUPris
There's nothing wrong with buying some other country's hardware, incl. military one, as long as it's better than your own.
[we do it from time to time; see current orders from BAE, and before V-22 Osprey -Harriers for USMC]
What's pathetic it wasting billions of euro of EU taxpayers money to build a rough equivalent of what already exists: e.g., GPS II, C-17, etc.
And is readily available.
Just to prove you're not a second banana.
BTW. still waiting for both: Galileo and A-350.
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"You will know when that change has arrived. The signs will be unmistakable. Churches will burn, families will hurry to abandoned ancient titles and will change their names, and the system of civil law on the continent will be violently dismembered by political action."
So far churches have been burned in Egypt, Malaysia, etc.
Now mosques are burning not only in Pakistan, but in tolerant Sweden as well.
[vide Malmoe]
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#154. At 08:34am on 06 Nov 2010, Buzet23
You addressed your message to my message #153, but there is no connection. The wealth in Denmark in the period 2001-2008 had as a result that the Danish state brought its depth down to zero. In the same period the finance minister lost his connection with the ground and declared: Denmark is ready to buy the world. You have obviously no inofrmation of neither the demography nor the economy of the country.
Seems to be something similar regarding Germany, where there is no successful populist party no matter what BBC’s journalists are writing.
I shall not repeat what I have already written, but just mention: Germany would like to have immigrants, and the populist noise from Bavarian Horst Seehofer is in Bundestag considered ridiculous and out of touch with realities. (I dare say: Sarah Palin did not stand a ghost of a chance in Germany.)
By the way it is the same immigrants Denmark would like to have. Might be a little stupid to maintain an immigrant hostile public debate at the same time
Shall be interesting to see, who will prevail.
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#146 - Francis power
No I am not going to be rude back. There is a lot in what you say about accessibility and tonality and certainly the tensions in diatonic music and the relative comfort zones of tonal music generally ensure that it has an appeal - at least at an emotional level - which is more illusive in less familiar territory.
I am, however, going to be rude back to 157 - powermeerkat since he delights in being rude to me. I can and do read scores, my refernce to minimalism was in the context of a reply to a post referring to Riley. I did not mean to suggest that Cage in minimalist, I vigourously dispute your claim that the composers I listed are second rate and contribute nothing to the development although some are only of passing interest and your comment that I know nothing about avante garde music is downright offensive and could prove otherwise but not without breaking house rules just for the satisfaction of someone who thinks the avante garde consists of a limited list of composers all but one of whom is dead.
Now as I said before, get off my back.
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"Seems to be something similar regarding Germany, where there is no successful populist party no matter what BBC’s journalists are writing."
And neonazis growing popularity?
Particularly in BRD's eastern Lands?
I can understand reasons to ignore it, but facts are facts.
However unpleasant they might be.
BTW. I do not consider Thilo Sarrazin a neonazi, or even a racist.
Simply a realist.
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"""....Germany would like to have immigrants..."""
Well it depends on what you mean by Germany. If you mean the upper financial classes most certainly - since they reap off all the benefits of the cheap black market labour brining down the salaries while they have absolutely no burder to pay since the burden of the presence of unproductive immigrants (a large % of them) is set upon the soulders of the German middle and lower class. If you mean though the middle-lower classes then I sincerely doubt that you would find even a 30% that would be in favour of immigration.
"""...and the populist noise from Bavarian Horst Seehofer is in Bundestag considered ridiculous and out of touch with realities"""
Hugely predictable. The fact that no party in Europe can raise a proper talk about such issues without doing serious efforts to start being considered ridiculous is a testament of the fact that all such parties are stoogies of the ruling class to forbid the lower classes raising their voice. The best thing you can do when you want to cut the peoples' voice it actually to orchestrate their "representative voice" to act supposedly as "anti-system", then deflect it.
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#156 DT
With all due respect, your contribution immediately reminded me of the song--
´The´re coming to take me away --ha ha ho he ho ho ----´
The conglomeration of incoherent arguments, conspiracy theories and predictions I would have expected from EU pris (or Marcus).
Perhaps either of the three would translate #156 --for the mere mortals remaining on the blog ?
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Powermeerkat
Please explain if you consider American racism better or worse than British, European or German ???
Your combination of nationalism and racism allows much room for doubt. ---as with the Tea Party !
--- you consider American nationalism and racism as typically second-rate ??
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BBC lies, Qantas rolls the dice hoping it doesn't come up snake eyes.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11704166
"It was the first incident on an Airbus A380 since it came into service."
What about A380 plane that had to return to Paris with engine problems too that was cited in your own prior articles BBC?
"On Friday, Qantas said the engine failure on its flagship A380 might have been caused by a design fault or "material failure"."
"The Australian airline Qantas has said it hopes to have its grounded fleet of A380s flying again within days."
So they don't know why it exploded but they hope to be in the air again within days. And I hope to be able to grow wings and fly too in days. Unless and until they found out why the engine exploded and fix it in other engines if that is necessary, then anyone who flies in this plane IMO is playing Russian Roulette with their lives. Evidently Quantas' prior record of safety was more a matter of luck than of sound management. But then after all why should that come as a surprise. They bought an operate planes like A380 that have an unproven long term track record for safety. They chose to be the guinea pigs for for the Eurosaurus Wrecks. The Beta test.
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EU pris
The thud, thud, thud --- of you banging your head against the wrong wall is rather monotonous --
when the proper wall is in your own apartment.
As some are discussing modern music on this blog may I suggest you participate by inserting a Gob-stopper ( no more lollipops) and banging in rhythm ?
It would most certainly improve your most obvious talent.
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#169 Marcus
´--and I hope to be able to grow wings and fly too in days.´
We hope that too Marcus !
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quietoaktree,
With all due respect to you also, if you cannot understand what I wrote then it may be your own powers of comprehension at fault, and not my own powers of articulation.
I may have been a bit heavy handed on the church, however I do think that the catholic church in Europe has a massively debilitating affect on the intellectual and political emancipation of the community. The thing is, the catholic church is a cult and a business that feeds on class stratification, tax farming and ignorance. And it is no accident that it promotes all three, very actively.
The freedom of religion that exists in the USA, and the reformation which allowed similar freedoms in the UK, Switzerland and the Protestant northern European countries (note the correlation with advanced technology and wealth) has been eroded throughout Europe.
I am not claiming that the catholic church is the only cause of the backward political systems and the tax farming in Europe, but rather that it is both a symptom and a partial cause of a greater malaise. And that is the residue of feudal social structures, of which I consider both socialism and theocratic oligarchies to be examples.
The TEa PArty, which is the subject of this blog entry, is a reaction against feudal power structures which are characterized by large, intrusive government.
You can only believe that large intrusive government is a good thing if you believe a variation of the ancient doctrine which says all common folks are sinners who need saving by an enlightened class of wise folks.
In catholicism, the people are sinners who need saving by the priesthood. In socialism, the people are idiots who need saving by the party. The core doctrine is the same in both instances: the idiot mass must be governed (farmed) by an elite class of overlords who have an overwhelming control over legal and political power.
The alternative, which is a desire to break down this elite stranglehold over political and legal power, is a desire for democracy and a belief that common people are best equipped to make the ultimate decisions in their own lives.
Anyone who can look at Europe and say that this type of thinking is widespread is utterly deluded. The UK is a perverse class system where bloodline rules the political and legal system. The EU is a who's who of titled aristocrats who have been profiting from orchestrated war in Europe for millennia, and eastern europe has just emerged from a socialist nightmare that was merely a theocratic despotism without the comforting illusion of a benign god being somehow involved.
Nevertheless, European like to believe that they are democratic at heart, and that they have equality before the law, and that they enjoy all the other hallmarks of what has traditionally made the USA and Switzerland so significantly different from Europe.
Why do Europeans like to believe this fantasy?
Because it is demoralizing to understand that you live a human farm. It is distasteful to understand that you have zero political rights and that others are born superior to you at law. It is no fun to understand that you are a second class human being in "your" own country. That sort of understanding might lead you to feel bitter, and maybe might lead you to take out your frustrations on someone weaker than yourself. Perhaps an immigrant, or a jew, or a brown skinned turkish family, or a Roma.
And now I hand this fine blog back to the resident serfs who will tell me I am talking rubbish and that Europe is not a place where titled people staff the halls of power, in the party and in the institutions of the law and the executive state. The wonderfully intelligent Europeans on this blog will tell me that the catholic church regaining its lands in Eastern Europe is completely forward looking and just, and that the doctrines of this perverse torture cult are wholesome and progressive. And they will claim to have no history of persecuting minorities in mind blowing exhibitions of hatred and violence. They will deny their heritage of barbarity, violence, hate and intolerance and claim to be a democratic continent, full of enlightened and peaceful people.
And if someone mentions the fact that Europe has been occupied by American and Russian soldiers for the past sixty years, and that this happy fact just happens to coincide with the only sixty year period of peaceful conduct and remotely democratic rule, Europe has enjoyed since the catholic church and feudal regimes it supports have ruled Europe, Europeans will pretend that this is not true, and that their elite aristocratic institutions of the EU have brought this pax Europa to fruition.
So, yeah, y'all can tell me how much of an idiot I am, and how deluded I must be to view European's the way I do.
But I don't call anyone "Sir", or "Baron", or "Duke", or "Prince", and I do not respect those who do.
So who is the democrat?
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If an old rotted oak tree fell in the forest when nobody was around to hear it, would it make a noise or die quietly? Does a bear...?
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Marcus
That is the FOURTH time for your same (alzheimer) defense !
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#166. At 12:24pm on 06 Nov 2010, Nik
You are a long writer, but apperently no reader, still you managed to find the word “Bundestag” in my note. We have representative democracy in the Federal Republic, so it is mainly Bundestag that makes the decisions. Apart from that you are welcome to take a look in the leading newspapers if you would like to learn more about the reception of populists.
#165. At 12:21pm on 06 Nov 2010, powermeerkat
I have no idea why you are not censored as one of the worst American spammers in this blog.
I shall not even try to reach an agreement with you on what success is. If BBC at least would ask Gavin Hewitt to give it a thought, I don’t think we could ask for anything more.
You are also welcome to take a look in the leading newspapers.
Gee!
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#172 DT
My views on Feudalistic Britain (and Europe) are well known on this blog, as is the very important role of the (Catholic) church in (for a time) overseeing and upholding the Feudal social structure.
As far as Britain is concerned, the Church of England (and the Monarch) oversaw the decline in responsibility of the Warlords for the Serfs ( eg land distribution) -- however the responsibility for the Serfs remained (taxes and cannon fodder). Both in America and Europe these are similar in aim.
What i cannot understand (or accept) is your praise of the Tea-Party. By using your logic they should be Anarchists- yet they wave flags and I would neither call them pacifist nor many of them desiring a strong separation of Church and State !
OK, they want to pay less taxes but that is hardly reason enough that they be worth of praise ?
Its also Ok if they want all social benefits removed or privatized --and who is going to pay for their Wars, Infrastructure, research etc. --if not TAXES ?
There are so many points you have touched (eg equality before the law and the American Bail system) etc. --that a discussion (with some logic) is only possible by treating many of your ideas separately.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122725771
That is of course only possible if you participate .
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noisy little acorn;
"That is the FOURTH time for your same (alzheimer) defense !"
I'm doing my best on your behalf acorn but you aren't cooperating. Every time I try to make an excuse for your last posting you come up with a new one that's even more of a doozie.
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158. meerkat
"I've listened to Mustang. Pretty pathetic by today's standards"
Wouldn't that be comparing apples and oranges? John Deere's early tractors had tricycle front ends equipped with a two cylinder engine that you hand cranked with a flywheel. The machine made a very distinctive put-put-put sound when running. Now that seems pretty paltry when compared to today's air conditioned, gps guided behemoths. For the guy who walked behind a plow pulled by a mule whose engine sound was the occasional fart, that put-put-put was the music to his ears.
Betcha the number of persons having heart palpitations caused by the sound of the P-51 far outnumbers those caused by the C-5, B-2, C-17, et al. Same could be said for the German Stuka.
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I wondered how long it would take MAII to start gloating over the Qantas / Rolls Royce problem. Obviously it was due to European engineering being second rate in comparison to that in the US. I seem to recall him taking a similar stance regarding BP's oil rig problems in the Gulf of Mexico, although it now seems that a US company may have had a large part to play in the disaster because it can't mix cement properly - hardly the most difficult task known to man. He obviously hasn't learnt that it is usually wise to wait until all the facts are available before passing judgement. I think, however, taking my own advice, that sufficient time has passed to suggest that the Challenger Space disaster was a result of purely American engineering faults. I wonder how he sleeps at nights knowing that American engineers are only human?
I know, I know - don't feed the troll.
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
#179 PickledPete
I find him an excellent fertilizer for my roots.
The symbiotic relationship between my Acorns -and his droppings --are particularly fruitful for my later generations.
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175. At 2:17pm on 06 Nov 2010, Mathiasen wrote:
#166. At 12:24pm on 06 Nov 2010, Nik
"""You are a long writer, but apperently no reader, still you managed to find the word “Bundestag” in my note."""
To be honest I did not so much give importance to that. I saw you referred to "Germany" wants. When you say Germany that should imply the German people.
"""We have representative democracy in the Federal Republic, so it is mainly Bundestag that makes the decisions. Apart from that you are welcome to take a look in the leading newspapers if you would like to learn more about the reception of populists."""
You do not get me. I repeat : "populist" parties are 1 and the same as the other main parties. Their founding members (or more rarely, powerful members introduced inside) are people that share the same funding ans support and the same point of origins and the same objectives with other parties - and that is to disorientate the people away from protecting their own interests.
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Marcus
#180 is having mod difficulties --I´ll make up for it later !
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#156. At 10:51am on 06 Nov 2010, democracythreat
Dear Delirium Tremens, you seem to be more and more resembling the typical legal 'professional', you pontificate on the basis that you know best as you can advise, but as always with your expertise there is no comeback since you only know how to talk and talk and talk. When the going gets tough for a legal beaver the legal beaver gets going, oh my maybe sometime you may actually learn something, but first you have to be capable of understanding what is actually happening. For that I will suspect it will be a very long time, until the legal profession takes the buck for their errors, stupidity, arrogance, nothing will change, until then just keep your stupidity to yourself.
When you seriously wish to learn about immigration and the problems it causes then stop pontificating about something you know little or nothing about as there are many here who do actually know about this.
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#182. At 4:24pm on 06 Nov 2010, Nik
Yes, “people” are a wonderful magic formula. The only thing even better to have on your side is God.
Bundestag - and the rest of the political structure - represents the people. That is the constitution, and if people feel they are not represented they have a job to do.
Because they can read a statistics, and know what is says about the German demography and about emigration, the vast majority from left to right in Bundestag approve immigration.
If the voters don’t like that they will have to vote differently or make some other parties. The Sarrazin case showed that there is no room for that in BRD.
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PicklePuss;
"I wondered how long it would take MAII to start gloating over the Qantas / Rolls Royce problem."
I've been gloating over it ever since the Europeans had to put up 14 billion in government money because no one with private funding in their right mind would build a plane for which Boeing said there wasn't enough market for to invest in such a venture. It's had nothing but problems since the day it was born. Built along lines of political rather than prudent managerial industrial considerations it's been one enormous boondoggle at taxpayer expense. The wrong product in the wrong place at the wrong time for the wrong market...and it may be a flying deathtrap for all we know. So far Europeans have been lucky, the terrorists haven't attacked one yet. Evidently if it's as unreliable as the Qantas one was, they may not have to.
Yes space programs entail great risk and American managers don't always get it right. Morton Thiokol engineers warned about the o-rings and cold temperatures, the problem with tiles and insulation falling off was known for a long time. Management was oblivious to the technical problems, they had a political agenda which was more important to them.
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#184 Buzet 23
The Canadian, Australian, West Indian, South American and American originals know more about immigration than all of us put together !
--- Put it into perspective.
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#186. At 5:05pm on 06 Nov 2010, MarcusAureliusII
Um, and you think the aircraft manufacturers like Boeing and the power plant manufacturers do not have the same political pressures in the USA, dream on MAII, I saw the same with the 'new' boxes being shipped by US computer manufacturers years ago. All that counted was that there was a new box to ship, its internals were irrelevant and testing was to be performed by the sucker, sorry the client in American terms.
PS, try excusing Microsoft for that, not possible, rofl.
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172. At 1:36pm on 06 Nov 2010, democracythreat wrote:
""""...I do think that the catholic church in Europe has a massively debilitating affect on the intellectual and political emancipation of the community. The thing is, the catholic church is a cult and a business that feeds on class stratification, tax farming and ignorance. And it is no accident that it promotes all three, very actively.""""
Roman Emperors like Constantin and Theodocius knew exactly what they were doing.
"""And that is the residue of feudal social structures, of which I consider both socialism and theocratic oligarchies to be examples."""
Precisely. There is a constant link between socialism and theocracy.
"""The TEa PArty, which is the subject of this blog entry, is a reaction against feudal power structures which are characterized by large, intrusive government."""
As such it is an interesting twist in US politics. I am however informed that unsurprisingly their political enemies try not to engage on dialogue with them but to delegitimise them by the method of ridiculisation, first level of negative propaganda. If this fails, they will use even more offensive ways - i.e. trying to link them with violence, neonazism or religious fundamentalism and other such naiveties.
"""In catholicism, the people are sinners who need saving by the priesthood. In socialism, the people are idiots who need saving by the party."""
Precise.
"""The core doctrine is the same in both instances: the idiot mass must be governed (farmed) by an elite class of overlords who have an overwhelming control over legal and political power."""
Best spoken.
"""The alternative, which is a desire to break down this elite stranglehold over political and legal power, is a desire for democracy and a belief that common people are best equipped to make the ultimate decisions in their own lives."""
My ideal too.
"""Anyone who can look at Europe and say that this type of thinking is widespread is utterly deluded. The UK is a perverse class system where bloodline rules the political and legal system."""
At least there they acknowledge it. In other countries, including poor little Greece, we are trying to convince ourselfs of the opposite just because from times to times our nationalised Jeffrey destined by birthright to govern us comes down to visit the people and dance a zeibekiko dance or two.
"""Nevertheless, European like to believe that they are democratic at heart, and that they have equality before the law,"""
Put it simple. That thing does not exist. If you kill you go to prison. But if the bodyguard of a rich guy kills, most probably he won't be even charged with it. There are plenty of examples from a vast array of democratic countries.
"""Why do Europeans like to believe this fantasy?"""
Because they cannot tell the meaning of words. They cannot understand the difference between "democracy" and "republic" or "protection of citizens" and "protection of social order". They cannot even read the constitution which says that the application of it lies in the willingness of the citizens to apply it.
"""Because it is demoralizing to understand that you live a human farm."""
Precisely.
"""It is distasteful to understand that you have zero political rights and that others are born superior to you at law."""
Precisely.
"""It is no fun to understand that you are a second class human being in "your" own country."""
Precisely. Best described.
"""That sort of understanding might lead you to feel bitter, and maybe might lead you to take out your frustrations on someone..."""
Till here precisely.
"""...weaker than yourself. Perhaps an immigrant, or a jew, or a brown skinned turkish family, or a Roma."""
I partially disagree. While this can be sometimes the case, in most cases it is not about people taking their frustration on weaker populations for the simple fact that the poor local classes cannot be classified along with the internationalised rich class and their local feudal sub-chiefs as one powerful group that turns against the poor weak immigrants. Even historically, the best ally of the ruling class had been traditionally the immigrants which were used for the better governance of the local low class. In the social levels we speak it is most often the indigenous people who are on the weak side and those you summed up as "brown skinned" on the power side. This is a side discussion which has more to do with the clash of human populations and this happens not only since the dawn of mankind but actually predates mankind and has its basis in the basic characteristics of human beings. The fact that we are the most intellectually involved animal does not necessarily make us seperate from nature and our nature is to form gangs and urinate our territories to mark them.
""""And now I hand this fine blog back to the resident serfs who will tell me I am talking rubbish"""
No, for the most of it you speak absolute sense.
"""and that Europe is not a place where titled people staff the halls of power, in the party and in the institutions of the law and the executive state."""
Well that is easy to resolve in countries like Britain and France which have considerably older records than other countries and where the social mobility over periods of 300, 400 and 500 years can be measured.
"""And if someone mentions the fact that Europe has been occupied by American and Russian soldiers for the past sixty years, and that this happy fact just happens to coincide with the only sixty year period of peaceful conduct and remotely democratic rule, Europe has enjoyed since the catholic church and feudal regimes it supports have ruled Europe, Europeans will pretend that this is not true, and that their elite aristocratic institutions of the EU have brought this pax Europa to fruition."""
Ehehehehe... this had be down with laughter - but it is so true, I mean only an ignorant of history could ever miss that little detail! That is the level of maturity of the old-continent afterall.
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noisy little acorn;
"The Canadian, Australian, West Indian, South American and American originals know more about immigration than all of us put together !"
O really? How do you know? How many books did they write about it? Where's your documentation to prove or even suggest that? You mean that European immigrants stole their land, stole their possessions, and killed them? Is that what you call knowing about it? Seems to me the Roma are hardly keeping up with them. They're 200 to 400 years behind them and fading fast.
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Buzzard;
]
"Um, and you think the aircraft manufacturers like Boeing and the power plant manufacturers do not have the same political pressures in the USA, dream on MAII, I saw the same with the 'new' boxes being shipped by US computer manufacturers years ago. All that counted was that there was a new box to ship, its internals were irrelevant and testing was to be performed by the sucker, sorry the client in American terms."
Those must have been bound for Eruope where there is no real consumer protection. Were I in their shoes and could get away with it, I'd have done the same. Europeans are lucky we even allowed computers to be shipped to them at all. It was illegal to ship them to China. I wonder how many defective American computers sent to Europe wound up in China. Europe is one big security risk for the US. That is why it should be cauterized from our point of view.
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#191. At 5:25pm on 06 Nov 2010, MarcusAureliusII
What a pathetic reply, I was for some years working for one of your main manufacturers and your US companies got the same boxes, the colours changed, the wrapping changed but the contents were mostly little different. From your comments the US manufacturers were presuming that we in Europe were as stupid as the US companies and could not tell box shifting.
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Marcus
--You are fading fast ---the immigrants wrote about it !
-- Remember blowing bubbles on your Double Bubble as John Wayne proved it to you?
--- or is that memory also gone ?
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Now we have pride in cheating by Marcus and Buzet while both are complaining they were cheated by the banks ?
--- and both are flag-wavers.
--- would someone please explain this idiotic consistency to me ?
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#194. At 6:08pm on 06 Nov 2010, quietoaktree
Duh, please be so kind as where I have shown anything other than disapproval of American box shifting, 'pride in cheating', you maybe, but count me out.
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156 democracy writes:
"She thinks this predilection graces her with a stench of superiority. Not only that, she thinks this smell of superior class will linger for centuries. It is regrettable that such a superior being cannot be superior amongst her own superior class, and needs to mix with the commoners on this blog."
I know, it's hard. What puzzles me is why so many Americans on this blog suffer from this monumental inferiority complex towards us Europeans? Or are we just unlucky to attract so many here who like to vent their spleen on us? After all this is a European broadcasting station supposed to air European issues. Even the BBC American blog by Mark Mardell would be more appropriate. I can only assume that our European blogs are more interesting and challenging despite even poor Gavin getting splattered by your frothing spittle.
You then go on to treat us to yet another of your esteemed contributions (no invite to a Fondu party tonight?) where you keep mentioning the word 'farm' as in: 'tax farming and ignorance, idiot mass farmed by elite, human farms' etc. I suppose you've just got round to reading George Orwell and are keen to tell us how learned and well read you are.
PS Much to my amusement I see that you have just made a fan out of Nik! Now you really should be worried!
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Homer Simpson
From the International Herald Tribune today:
"Countries like China, Brazil and Germany have warned that the unilateral move devalues an already-weak dollar, and could set off a destabilizing flow of funds into emerging economies that will inflate their own currencies and make their exports more expensive. On Friday, the German finance minister assailed United States monetary policy as “clueless,” and China suggested that American officials explain their decision so as to calm international anxiety."
Oh dear, doesn't seem as if the world has a lot of confidence in the dollar or American superiority around the globe. Incidentally, how is the euro doing at the moment, collapsed yet as you forecast quite recently?
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185. At 4:57pm on 06 Nov 2010, Mathiasen wrote:
"Because they can read a statistics, and know what is says about the German demography and about emigration, the vast majority from left to right in Bundestag approve immigration."
Oh really ... maybe members of the Bundestag approve of "immigration" but if the readers of Die Welt, Die Zeit, focus.de, bild.de, faz, tagesspiegel, seuddeutsche.de among others are to be believed such approval is not widely shared. Readers comments of these papers are overwhelmingly often 10:1 against the current policy of immigration... yes of course the editorial articles are for the most part supportive of the concept that we need to import more foreigners regardless of their abilities or skills to fill jobs and procreate .... most Germans seem skeptical if the comments to such articles and recent polls on the subject are to be believed.
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To Powermeerkat(no 55), your statement that the "LHS was supposed to work on a permanent basis, winter or no winter", is quite simply and laughably wrong. No particle accelerator is designed to do this, nor is it desirable or possible. If for no other reason, the scientists need to stop and change targets, experiments, do maintenance, prepare to ramp up energy levels, etc. There is also, specifically for the LHC, the need to collate, classify and analyse the vast amount of generated data, currently estimated at approximately 15 petabytes. For further information on the operating schedule, please follow this link to the relevant CERN press release: http://press.web.cern.ch/press/PressReleases/Releases2010/PR07.10E.html
Is anyone responsible for ensuring that MAII gets his meds on time, and in the right order? He seems to be becoming increasingly incoherent. His comment(no 109) about the Royal Caribbean Cruise lines ship "The Oasis of the Seas and a twin on the way The Allure of the Seas that are 220,000 tons each" was interesting, if slightly whacky. Could I inform him that they were both built - as will their sister ships be - by STX Europe in Turku in Finland. There is apparently no shipyard in the USA capable of constructing such large and sophisticated vessels.
I am also indebted to MAII for his post no 191. I never knew we had NO consumer protection laws in Yurp. I will run out and start a citizens' pressure group to fix this gaping hole in our pathetic society. The phrase "What an idiot" is unspoken because I am ROFL.
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#200. At 8:13pm on 06 Nov 2010, philipwx
Well, firstly I am pleased that you confirm my summary of the situation, and also by the fact that people are interested in politics in BRD.
I must say, I don’t think you summarize the opinion of the readers of Die Zeit or FAZ or Süddeutsche correctly, but Bild Zeitung is probably right. Have you made a statistics of the opinion of the readers? It actually appears quite unlikely. Also I am not sure at all that you summarize the opinion of the voters correctly. Do you have any references?
Anybody looking for documentation can goggle Ursula von der Leyen or Annette Schawan (both ministers of the Merkel cabinet) in any major German media to learn what the vast majority in Bundestag thinks.
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#201
Would the young Turks here kindly be aware that the overwhelmingly geriatric and Alzheimer majority among us have no idea what ROFL, LOL etc mean.
At school we did not waste our time sending text messages -but rather at learning skills later to be useful in life --such as Poker and Pool.
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Hi I'm backkkkkkkk
Here is a sonnet for Web Alice AND Democracy Threat and all people here, CBW, M Howard, Threnodio, Buzet, QOT, ET AL.............
even Marcus Les III
There is something in the air that you can sense
Elusive but unbearably intense
The stars are hanging there in bright suspense
As they prepare to light immense events
On such a night as this
Did young Lorenzo swear
He’d gladly sail the seven seas
To please his lady fair
On such a night did Wagner write
The Evening Star
With such a moon
Stood Lorna Doone and Lochinvar
On such a night as this
Did gentle Juliet cry
Forget that I’m a Capulet
And set thee by my side
Hurry up, get on your feet,
Or you'll miss the sheer delight of
Such a night like this
:)))))
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quietoaktree(no 203). Sorry, it stands for "Rolling On the Floor Laughing". It has become fairly common coinage. It is also becoming a standard reaction to Marcus Simpson 2nd.
Bah, Pool! Snooker is so much better. Now if only I could find a proper snooker table near Prague, I'd be made..... Ah well, on with life.
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#205
Snooker, billiards, 5 pins, 7 card stud etc were all necessary skills and thus included.
If I could find the computer keys ---I would write this in Semaphore for the smarties among us !
Thanks !
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David what's in the air is snow I am afraid :o)))))) At least, it's on the ground in the dacha garden around me :o)) I knew it roses mean something un-well when they ? fell? dropped their leaves down , all at once overnight, like by a command, 2 days ago. Did look suspicious :o)))
Thank you.
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um QOakTree, (shd/b UnQuiet lolololol)...that is WHY I DON'T Tweet.
I mean come on...why bother? I agree with you, QOT about THATTTT :)
But, Yes, IMO, IHMO, GSOH, LOL, ROTFL, LMAO, but why is there nothing for
Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww-smelly-opinion?????????????
:)))))
*************************************************************
Oh and here is my considered comment for this subject. The reason there
are no Tea Parties as yet is the reason being
**YOU SEGREGATE INTO COMMUNITIES IN EUROPE EVEN IN SPAIN**and IN all the Mediterranean/Adriatic/Agean?Ionian Sea nations of EUROPE...so ...
How Could ANYONE Deny Thine Own Sin--When It's Soooo Evident Already???
Oh and this definitely needs a
:)))))))))))))))))))))))
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#208
I am still waiting for DT´s reply to my #176 on the Tea Party´s apparent contradictions.
Some appear to follow Ayn Rand blindly and others are quite happy to cry for Big Government assistance for Katrina and the oil spill.
I doubt if Europe will call for a Tea Party ---- they have too much to loose for themselves and their families.
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207. WebAliceinwonderland
In this part of Scotland the lorries were out this evening gritting the roads. Snow isn't common though it's always nice to see the palm trees on the coast covered in snow sometimes.
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#201 - MacTurk
"I am also indebted to MAII for his post no 191. I never knew we had NO consumer protection laws in Yurp".
Oh please don't tell him that. Next thing you know he will be telling us we all need cars to get us home from the bar when we are too drunk to walk.
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#210
--- Then I hate to think what other parts of Scotland are like.
Snow on palm trees is an obscenity !
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202. At 9:28pm on 06 Nov 2010, Mathiasen
Not to belabor this sort of off topic thread, I have to admit I look more at die welt than the others since articles posted there receive comments in the hundreds as to the dozens I see in the other sites. Also die welt has a neat feature where readers can vote on the comments up or down. Take any article there on immigration and you will notice 1) the comments are usually passionately against unrestrained immigration 2) the votes on these comments often in the thousands are skewed heavily for the ant-immigration comments and against the pro-immigration comments. The Sarrazin book of last month has created quite a stir there as I'm sure you are aware, with the debate ongoing. I did just check the site and didn't see anything on point now but anyone going back looking at any article posted in the last few weeks will see the numbers for themselves.
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212. quietoaktree
"Snow on palm trees is an obscenity !"
Fortunately we have the Gulf Stream to keep us warm. Good to see that none of the oil from the Gulf seems to have crossed the Atlantic (whomsoever was to blame - OK mods?)
We have enough oil of our own!
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#210 reincarnation
If you have palm trees then probably you can grow ´Good smell at night´or ´Pakistani night ´, does anyone have it where you live ? I do not know the proper name. Much, much stronger than Jasmine. I smelled them at night in Southern Turkey and Cyprus.
It is a bush and can grow quite large - with small white-cream colored flowers and with a very strong suffocating perfume -- one twig in a hotel room is like a beautiful poison gas.
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I liked that one, too Web Alice.
But, yuk snow, then ice then below freezing temperatures...just so fall is long this year it will be ..semi ok
:)
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On such a night did Robert Taylor sigh
And Garbo gave a little cough and wandered
off to die
On such a night did Gerswhin write
his rhapsody
On such a night did young Jeanette
sing Lover Come Back to Me
Oh well, la la la
I extremely dislike the Tea Party, but yes, even Pres. Obama has a chance with this
"new crew"
YUUUK
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#211 Threnodio
--- Speak for YOURSELF !
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Oh I watched "A Single Man"
and that movie was robbed of best picture And
best actor:)
Sadly, when the UK still stands atop Euro culture, it
is so disliked as a nation,
well, Uk
"(Leave them be)", if they cannot take a joke
:)))))))
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And for those that hate the British,
Remember the most talented and most beautiful star/actress
that ever did exist was
Julie Christie
Look it up (her images and any history of her)
The Go Between
Darling
Dr. Zhivago
Petulia (the only part where Richard Chamberlain convinced me as an actor)
Far From the Madding Crowd
McCabe and Mrs. Miller
(the best western ever)
and all her other roles finally
Away from Her which scares the ...out of me
:)))
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OK girls, your soppy love stories are making Marcus blush !
And Threnodio and Buzet cry !
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216. quietoaktree
I don't know of it. Palms are actually reasonably resistant to the occasional frost which will kill off many Mediterranean shrubs.
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One for the ladies--
´And don´t keep declaring I love you, I love you
Those little words lead a durable life
When repeated -- in some loveless hereafter
They can sting like a hornet -or stab like a knife !´
(some Russian )
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Threnodio
If my recollection is correct --- I apologize.
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QOT,
remember
nothing is forever
and you can love again
lolollolol :)))))
I do know that is no life goal:)
So sorry marrieds:)))
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ANDDDDD
If you were calling me a lady,
your gender bending has turned your
social mind to mush
:)))
LOL thanks anyway...smirk
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And btw,
Democracy Threat, Nik, Norman Conquest, Nordicum, and all EU lovers or even negatively when responding,
Who cares, keep posting...
No matter what I might say, I say we NEED MORE EU lovers here like Mathiason, Julla Rukka, and all others who feel constricted by the
tone of this blog please, please, contribute as when I read "information" I DO need more than one or two perspectives
For instance, I think the EU has quadruple power (superpower power) when it comes to handing out support or assistance.
Which nation in the EU has got the power to stop anything on their own?
Which one ...quick, quickly, now,
Where IS the answer?
Nowhere? hmmmmmmm point made.
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Also, no offense,
I just get tired of "withering responses"
Each one has a certain value,
Nil
(including alll neg responses of questioning anothers judgement or intelligence)
Sorry for my "sanctimoniousness"
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ok what we need is a joke,
A man went to the races,
and a priest gave a horse a blessing
then the horse won. (a long shot)
Then the man won four long shot races in the
next 10 races.
Finally the priest blessed the eyes, nose, mouth
and legs of a obviously old(er) much older Nag
So the man bet all his savings on this horse
When that horse barely crossed the line last,
the man said how could this happen when all the
other horse you blessed won????
The Priest said, "You are not Catholic, are you?
I was giving him last rites, not a blessing:)"
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stevenson
As Margaret Howard would probably say --
There are only sorts two of people in this world --- the Scots and those who wish they were !
I do however protest your assumption that our blog existence is justified by yours ---if I understand you properly.
That is one belief that may change with time--- as with names.
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231. quietoaktree
"There are only sorts two of people in this world --- the Scots and those who wish they were !"
Especially after Independence when the Scots currency will be "the Bottle" - backed by all the Scotch whisky in bond. A duodecimal currency, there will be 12 drams to the bottle.
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167. At 12:43pm on 06 Nov 2010, quietoaktree wrote:
" The conglomeration of incoherent arguments, conspiracy theories and predictions I would have expected from EU pris ..."
EUpris:
Dear Otto!
There clearly has been an anti-democratic conspiracy in the "EU".
There was this worthless rubbish called the constitution. People didn't want it.
So the anti-democratic ****s who control the "EU" put this political toxic waste in a new drum and labelled it Lisbon Treaty. They claimed it was something different. It wasn't,. They were lying. We knew they were lying. They knew we knew they were lying.
Their arrogance is nauseating.
What people like them have created is nauseating.
It isn't a theory. It is fact.
You choose to label fact as theory because you are in denial. You drug of choice in presumably some fantasy about a Greater European Reich.
You have it. I don't want it.
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167. At 12:43pm on 06 Nov 2010, quietoaktree wrote:
#156 DT
"...EU pris (or Marcus).
Perhaps either of the three would translate #156 --for the mere mortals remaining on the blog ?"
EUpris: I read enough of a couple of his posts to know it wasn't worth the bother.
Look at the length of it!
This is the person who accuses me of droning on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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157. At 11:00am on 06 Nov 2010, powermeerkat wrote:
"May point, threnodio, was, that that you now nothing About avant-garde music."
EUpris: I hope he nose more about spelling than you do.
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176. At 2:55pm on 06 Nov 2010, quietoaktree wrote:
"My views on Feudalistic Britain (and Europe) are well known on this blog ..."
EUpris: Not to me! I don't read them, anymore.
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#230
Stevenson,
I tried to retun a favour with a joke about dfifferent nations' responses to a natural disaster in Pakistan.
But it seems that until they finally improve/upgrade the portal (hopefully after BBC strikes end) only Catholic jokes register.
So it'll have to wait.
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194. At 6:08pm on 06 Nov 2010, quietoaktree wrote:
" ... Marcus and Buzet ...
--- and both are flag-wavers."
EUpris: If there is something wrong with flag-waiving then please get your lousy "EU"-Dictatorship to stop waving its illegitimate flag-rag.
I have to see the rotten thing on my driving licence.
I have had to see the rotten thing flying above public buildings ,although not recently.
Some astronaut was shown holding the rotten rag on the International Space Station .
Some cars have this symbol of dictatorship, waste, arrogance, megalomania and interference on their number plates.
Tell your "EU"-Dictatorship to stop the flag-waiving!
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"Now as I said before, get off my back."
Not very likely. So don't push your luck.
BTW. There are huge areas in this world where European musical tradition/esthetics doesn't mean anything, never has and probably never will, and not only due to a diminishing influence of Europe in the world.
India and Indonesia, with zillions of people between them being good examples.
But let's stop beating a dead horse, change a subject and discuss a present day West European cinematography and what's happened to it since Antonioni, Bergman, Bunuel, de Sica, Fellini, Renais and Truffaut days...
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http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/danielhannan/100062583/nigel-farage-returns-as-leader-of-ukip/
"Nigel Farage returns as leader of UKIP"
This UKIP voter is not totally happy with that.
I think he did a good job but they now need somebody else.
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It costs money...but where are the "David Leans and Joseph Losey's" today? ..
tho I do/did like Stephen Frears work. Not so much the American Beauty director (name?)
He's good at showing disfunction, but rather overwrought and rather simplistic in presenting his worldview, IMHO.
Only the Fargo Bros and Eastwood are consisent ..in a "survey of Anglo" directors, today..but, there are so many movies unseen like "Moon," though, its hard to really say who are the new great film artists.
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thanks,PMK. Tell a joke you have heard in an exotic nation, pls.
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TPT Peggy:
"From the International Herald Tribune today:
"Countries like China, Brazil and Germany have warned that the unilateral move devalues an already-weak dollar, and could set off a destabilizing flow of funds into emerging economies that will inflate their own currencies and make their exports more expensive. On Friday, the German finance minister assailed United States monetary policy as “clueless,” and China suggested that American officials explain their decision so as to calm international anxiety."
Oh dear, doesn't seem as if the world has a lot of confidence in the dollar or American superiority around the globe. Incidentally, how is the euro doing at the moment, collapsed yet as you forecast quite recently?"
The US is finally pursuing a monetary policy in its own interests. No more Alan Greenspan worrying about bankrupting Argentina if he acts in America's behalf alone. I think the US is going to bankrupt the world. It's well on its way. Its own government is already there. The ultimate inevitable collapse of the Euro will be the result of European economies being the least competitive in the world, American actions can only accelerate it. It's a matter of timing. When the dust settles and the world emerges from what is coming, I think the US will come out on top again more than ever. China is particularly vulnerable too and they know it. Expect a lot of anger at the US from them in the future.
I think the funds will flow INTO the US from abroad as dollar denominated assets will look cheap and the US will look politically and socially stable while there will be great instability in other parts of the world. The US is the last place of refuge for money and people when everything else seems in danger.
I've said many times that the US would eventually have no choice except to print oceans of money. Obama and Geitner have tried everything possible to prevent that to save American banks and other financial institutios. The message from the economists is that while it has saved the banks, for the financial well being of most Americans it hasn't worked well at all. The message from the voters this week is that the President and his party have one foot out the door and the other on a banana peel. This is their last chance to fix it to the satisfaction of the American people and that means come hell or high water. Exploding the money supply will mean further devaluation of the US dollar, higher interests rates, and a stronger American economy. It will also mean the banks and other creditors holding dollar denominated debts will be paid back with much cheaper money. What took you so long Mister President? Goldman Sachs got your tongue? Tough look for the rest of you, you don't really deserve better anyway. The other component that is necessary and desirable is exiting the WTO and raising import taxes on foreign goods, the taxes used to subsidize American jobs here at home, especially by supporting companies that will compete against imports with domestically made products.
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#2 Bluesberry
PROGRESS IS A RETROGRADE STEP ! WHEN FEET ARE NOT FIRMLY PLANTED ON THE GROUND .
I have the impression that Tea Party supporters would like to see the USA with feet firmly on the ground , as in former times .
You blame the banks , financial institutions , stockbrokers , for there greed and continuing to get rich , when everyone else remains poor .
You should include governments in the blame . Governments and Banks are closely intertwined . Governments cannot govern without borrowing from the banks and Banks are getting rich from the interest . Like the American dream , the European Union dream has no foundation , it is built on borrowed money we cannot afford .
Europe too needs to return to basics , plant feet firmly on the ground , recreate a state of reality , rather that trying to live the unaffordable dream .
In my view , life was better in "Western" European countries before the EU and Euro , when countries managed their own affairs as best they could and their currencies floated up and down , people had jobs and life was simple and much cheaper than now .
Big government , the EU , is destroying Europe and the good way of life that countries enjoyed in their own simple way .
The EU and the Ideal European Life is a Myth , created on borrowed money and may never be acchieved .
Don't even mention globalism , that too has been a great mistake ; as for the G20 , nothing but a lot of hot air at vast unecessary expense , from which no beneficial conclusions will be reached .
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the Spanish director who did "Tie me up, Tie me down?"
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# #239
EUprisoner:
There's an old Ukrainian saying, which I cannot quote in original due to the Rules:
"When a flag is waved the brain is contained in a trumpet"
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Re #243
Stevenson,
I still miss Lindsay Anderson. No, not a "Lucky Man" himself.
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Stevenson wrote:
the Spanish director who did "Tie me up, Tie me down?"
Almodovar, of course. "Talk to her" :)
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EP, I've got good reason to wave my flag. I can't see any justification for anyone else waving theirs though. They don't have much to be grateful for. They don't like me reminding of it. Reason enough for me to do it.
I see the A380 as a metaphor for the EU and all of Europe. One engine exploded and the rest ??? An emergency landing is preferable to a crash landing. Any landing you can walk away from.... Just so long as you get far enough away from the wreck before the fuel explodes into a fireball. EUpris, do you think the UK will get far enogh away from the EUrosaurus Wrecks before it explodes into a fireball? No UK government seems to want to.
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#3 Sevenstargreen
You are Sooo Right !
#4 Democracythreat
You champion socialism , but seem not to recognize that socialist governments , like that of Blair and Brown , employ large numbers of civil servants and others , to curry favour with their supporters , spend all a countries resourses and sell all the gold reserves till their country is bankrupt . When another government is empowered to try and rebuild the economy , you complain because the common working man is the first to be hit . When there is a socialist government that abuses its powers , the ordinary people are always the first to suffer as a result .
You go on about Lords and feudelism ; what do you know of either ?
As often as not today , Aristocracy , Lords , Gentry , are the New Poor . Bankers and financial manipulators are a new breed of unscrupulous upstarts , that might even have risen from the ranks of socialism .
You are right there is a need for a war in Europe , to settle a few old scores and get rid of the EU .
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MAII "The US is finally pursuing a monetary policy in its own interests."
MA, it seems un-American crowd cannot comprehend that a current US monetary policy is far from 'clueless'.
"If they don't have bread, let them eat a cake".
If they don't like weak US$ let them prevail on the Chinese to reduce their artifically overvalued currency's exchange rates by at least 30%.
[One can't have a cake and eat it too]
BTW. I'd be a hypocrite if said I was saddened by the news that euro has been appreciating versus US$ in recent weeks.
[I promise to elaborate on the subject in a year's time]
And now back to the real world: APEC. :)
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#16 MarcusAuraliusII
Much of what you have written is true , of American government and European governments too .
Europe is not run by aristocrats ! People like Kinnock and Ashton , Barosso are not aristocrats , even if they have titles . Europe is run by jumped up nobodies , who seem to favour socialism , communisms ; even if many member state governments are right of centre .
Europe might be a better place if it was run by aristocrats . The people who run the EU are not sufficiently clever to see the pitfalls of achieving ever closer union , before they fall into them .
In both America and Europe ," Needs Must When The Devil Drives ".
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"In my view , life was better in "Western" European countries before the EU and Euro , when countries managed their own affairs as best they could and their currencies floated up and down , people had jobs and life was simple and much cheaper than now ."
As somebody from outside EU I was initially pleased when euro was introduced, since from that moment on I did not have to change money every couple of hundred kilometers (sometimes much less than that) when travelling across Europe.
And I admit: I didn't bother to look closely at euro's FUNDAMENTALS then.
Only about 6 months ago (when revelations about Greek sham and it being tolerated for a long time by Brussels emerged) I started to look at mechanism behind that common currency.
And only now I think I understand why it cannot last in its current shape and form.
P.S. Until protests againt EU Constitution started I was pleased by a whole concept of a finally united Europe speaking with one voice and hopefuly leaving fratricidal conflicts between Europeans firmly behind them.
And thought Britons vere old-fashioned by trying to preserve their "splendid isolation".
Again, only in about last 2 years I've started to really look at mechanisms of Brussels-controlled superstate.
And understand reasons for many a member-state citizen's anger.
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Re #251 mataphore.
The SOP in such cases it to dump as much fuel as possible BEFORE an attempted emergency landing.
That's for that Qantas A-380 captain wisely did.
So here's hoping...
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Re #253
Sorry Stevenson, it still doesn't work.
You'll have to wait until next Parliament-approved budget, it seems.
BTW. Do you know any jokes about a pope trying to convince Spaniards to be Catholics?
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"Hollywood star Ewan McGregor has backed a campaign aimed at securing the future of RAF Lossiemouth in Moray.
The Star Wars actor said closing it would "devastate" the local community"
May power be with him! :)
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no priest jokes look in nat lampoon
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Re #260 "Gay activists have meanwhile said they will stage a "kiss-in" outside the Sagrada Familia when the Pope arrives to consecrate it.
"Our main goal is to perform a symbolic act through love to show other forms of love," the organisers said in a statement." (BBC)
Glad to know that pluralism and multiculturalism is alive and well in at least in some parts of Europe.
My only concern is that the "kiss-in" may coincide with a F1 race at Interlagos.
I think I'll choose to watch the latter though, if only to see whether Button does well after an attempted carjack by some Brazilian...hmmm.. fans.
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First thing I'd like to say, as an American abroad, is that I thoroughly enjoy reading British commentary of any sorts, for its witty and (generally) polite manner far surpasses the incessant screaming and profanity that seems to dominate our media. I wish that we would learn something here.
Regarding the Tea Party: having been born in the U.S, lived for several years in Europe, and now reside in the Middle East, I have been blessed to see the pluses and the minuses of both systems. Also, I have observed that, generally speaking, both Europeans and American tend to have an either misinformed and slightly skewed understanding of each others' social and political system. There are advantages to each, and disadvantages to each, and I would not say that one system is correct and the other not.
Concerning the Tea Party. Like any new political movement, the Tea Party is going to be full of nuts, crazies, and eccentrics. However, just because it has these elements in a higher dosage than, say, the mainstream parties, does not necessarily mean that the entire movement can be categorized by these adjectives. The Tea Party is essentially a political movement based on fiscal/economic issues. While most of the Tea Party members are going to be social conservatives as well (this has much to do with demographic/economic correlations and history) it is not so exclusively; a very large percentage of libertarianism-oriented Independents (with whom I tend to affiliate) voted last week for Tea Party candidates; this was especially true in the Rocky States, where large sections of the demographic tend to be staunchly independent and in support of personal liberty.
In essence, the Tea Party movement aims to restore fiscal sanity to our government. While it is fairly clear that the Tea Party is not a fan of Big Government or Big Labor, most Tea Party members also do not profess a great deal of love for Big Finance/Wall Street, as the bad behavior there, followed by the bailouts, provided the impetus from which the movement sprung. What the Tea Party wants is fiscal accountability in our society; with a current (and growing!!) debt of over $13,000,000,000,000 ($44,000 per capita), we as a people need to act now to reign in our government because, just like a bar tab, one day that big chunk of change is going to have to be repaid and, unlike the situation with Greece, the U.S can't run out on the bill and leave it for our friends to pick up. We're simply too big.
I'm studying Comp Law in the Middle East, and am familiar enough with the UK's Common Law system to avoid it like the plague. It's interesting and ripe with history, but makes absolutely no sense to anyone not breast-fed, raised, and educated in Britain. I don't wish to be offensive, but that is the consensus that my Comp Law class has reached. The U.S Constitution was a document based on principles of the Enlightenment and is, to date, the best system for the widest variety of people; this is why our immigration has (with difficulties) assimilated people from all over the world, whereas Europe seems more and more to be failing at this. Issues like slavery have arise, but have been resolved without actually breaking with the Constitution, but actually realizing the Truth behind it (Lincoln, btw, was a constitutional scholar). Fooling with the Constitution, or trying to override it to accommodate one's personal ideology (or those of one's constituents) is a dangerous and foolish practice, and our government (present and past) must acknowledge this and not break with the Constitution to suit its immediate political needs.
Our current government has tried painting the Tea Party movement as a bunch of bigots and right-wing nut jobs. This has been done for political gain because distorting the perception of the party and distracting people from the real issues is the best way to avoid having to answer some very difficult questions about our government's economic policies and our financial future. Shouting at people and calling them racist whenever questions about our financial future are raised is hardly a prudent response, but unfortunately seems to be what many figures in our government, media, and society overall seem to do, and this is unfortunate.
Anyways, I hope that this was helpful to any of our compatriots overseas and I hope that you pull through with your difficulties across the Pond.
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# 59 threnodio_II
Perhaps you could make some suggestions as to how the EU could get its act together . They already spend a disproportionate amount on trying to create favourable publicity , but to little avail .
When it was the EEC it was popular , for creating a free trade area and for encouraging people to move about from country to country to get to know one another and each others slightly differing lifestyles and cultures .
Now as the EU the picture has completely changed . We have the EU Commission at Brussels trying to take full control over 27 nation states ; a parliament and bureaucracy all at huge unecessary cost .
The EU concept has changed to one that many people right across Europe don't like , quite apart from the British Eurosceptics , who seek any opportunity to air their derogatory views . I believe the people of the 27 member states do not want to be homogenized into one big mismanaged federal state of Europe , where one size fits all , legally or financially . Try as they might , I believe the "Ever Closer Union" is at a dead halt .
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#262. At 07:48am on 07 Nov 2010, expatriated
I would be very interested to hear just why your class did not like the UK's unwritten constitution style under common law, as I'm curious. The problem with all constitution is that they can be easily misinterpreted by legal professionals, the US has apparently a very simply and short constitution yet you say there are still those who try to subvert it.
If there is one curse in this world it is the legal profession who claim that only they can write legal documents that will be watertight, yet which are easily bent, twisted by other legal professionals. Yet despite their incompetence in writing a document that can be misinterpreted, they walk away with vast salaries and almost never can be sued for their incompetence.
If you are studying Company law then I'm sure you will have seen such incompetence in the many laws that exist and how they have been circumvented by the sharp operators. It's one reason why the ever increasing regulation of the EU is doomed to fail, no matter how well written regulations are, there will always be holes in them, and there will be contradictory overlaps with other regulations.
Regarding your penultimate paragraph, the use of the race or political (fascist) card is well used in the EU where any disquiet about immigration is immediately labelled as racist and fascist. Likewise any anti-EU disquiet is immediately labelled as fascist and even racist, I learnt from the loony left council in Lambeth of the 60/70's that to a left wing fanatic all to their right are to be called fascists. Which is one reason I strongly suspect those in control of the EU are left wing political fanatics, incapable of accepting any viewpoint other than their own. After all is they were open minded recent decisions taken on the Euro, Greece etc would have been different if logic and common sense were used.
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"In Santiago de Compostela on Saturday, Pope Benedict XVI warned of an "aggressive anti-clericalism" in Spain which was akin to that experienced during the 1930s.
The comments were a reference to the civil war era, during which Republicans killed thousands of priests and nuns, and burned churches." (BBC)
Perhaps, in view what 'expatriated' wrote we should also point out that so called Republicans were not American and their ideology was quite different from that of the US Repubican Party. :-)
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H 255;
You are confused;
"Europe is not run by aristocrats ! People like Kinnock and Ashton , Barosso are not aristocrats , even if they have titles . Europe is run by jumped up nobodies"
So are all places. Aristocrat is something that exists only in your mind. You like all Europeons are a prisoner to it, I'm not. As an example, consider in the French language the difference between the pronouns tu and vous. We are taught learning french that vous is the "polite" form, "tu" is the familiar form. So we play it safe by always using "vous" since it might offend someone if we inappropriately used the term "tu" addressing them. But French students were taken aback by Americans using vous when in their culture this seemed to put them off. It was as though we were deliberately distancing ourselves. To us the entire thing seems absurd because in English you is you all the time. The concept is meaningless in our context. And to us the concept of aristocrat except as a word to describe someone who is privileged in society however he or she acquired it is also meaningless. Born to nobility, royalty or acquired it is just as absurd. Kings, queens, lords, and the lowliest pesants in Calcutta have the same blood, the same skin, the same bones, and are indistinguishable. Europe is like one gigantic lunatic asylum where they don't just pretend to be living in the 14th century, they believe in it because that is how their minds are conditioned from birth. It's one of the factors that makes it so inferior to America. There are many others.
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"To us the entire thing seems absurd because in English you is you all the time."
The only person English speaking persons refer to as 'tu' (thou) is God.
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US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has said the US wants a larger military presence in Asia.
On his way to Australia for annual security talks, Mr Gates said closer ties with Australia would help the US expand its role in South East Asia.
The US would focus on fighting piracy, improving counter-terrorism, disaster aid and cyber-security, he said.
Mr Gates said Washington had no plans for more bases in the region.
But he expressed hopes for increased co-operation on issues such as missile defence and "space surveillance". (BBC)
As I've suggested much earlier U.S. should withdraw from NATO, and its forces from Western Europe (which should be by now perfectly capable of taking care of its own defense) and concentrate instead on bilateral/trilateral agreements with the really willing.
Such as Australia, Canada, Japan, etc.
Particularly if if it serves involved parties' vital interests.
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EUpris
Thud, thud, thud, thud ---
--- still the wrong wall
---Try Westminster !
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#266. At 11:35am on 07 Nov 2010, MarcusAureliusII
Exactly the same as in the US 'if you've got it flaunt it' culture, where you're taught to look at people above you, admire their position and wealth and strive to be the same. Of course, how they got there and what they did to get there is not to be discussed, only that they are to be adulated by the masses that have not yet achieved that status. Which is worse MAII, a fancy title bought through being a political lacky, or the superficiality of a high lifestyle bought by sharp dubious business practices, in which a person like Ponzi was admired until his superficiality was shown up.
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powermeerkat;
"The only person English speaking persons refer to as 'tu' (thou) is God."
That's your problem not mine. IMO theosis and/or a belief in religion is just one more mental disorder just like Eurosis. Equally absurd.
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Buzzard, in the US we do admire people who have been successful through their own efforts. We are a practical people who like what works, dislike what doesn't. We like our Constitution, we don't like Europe's. It is quintessentially European in concept and therefore inevitably fatally flawed just like all other Euroism doctrines that have been put into practice there. It doesn't appear likely that it will survive much longer.
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Marcus AureliusII,
Since, after Quantas Boeing 747 engine fire some over-eager poster claimed that the score is now 1:1, I'd like to inform you it's actually
2:0.
For it seems the Boeing's engines were ALSO RR: more specifically
RB211-524G-T.
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Re 271.
No, that's not my problem either, for I am completely indifferent re issue of any supreme being (particularly personalized one).
However, that lingustic phenonmenon remains.
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powermeerkat;
....for it's one, two, three strikes your out at the old ball game.
actually 2-0 means two balls, no strikes. Two more balls and it's a walk. That would be much preferable to flying with those bombs under the wings. Let's face it, RR is not living up to its former reputation.
The good news I suppose is that at cruising speed, shrapnel from an exploding engine is not likely to penetrate the wings and ignite the fuel. The bad news is it could penetrate the fuselage and depressurize the cabin...or shear off the tail section. Ya puts yer money down and ya takes yer choice. Um, I could be wrong about that. It just might destroy the wing and ingite the fuel after all. There is video taken by a passenger showing damage to the wing. Just like Concorde when it was hit by a tiny piece of metal. Now where did that come from? How did they know it was from a Continental Airlines plane? It could have been on the tarmac for days or weeks without anyone noticing it. Probably came from an Airbus or Caravelle. Clearly anti-Americanism scapegoating on the part of the jealous French. The usual.
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#273. At 12:32pm on 07 Nov 2010, powermeerkat
I pleased that you no longer blame the A380 airbus, however I would advise to not be cock sure about US made power plants, when I used to live near Gatwick and knew many engineers, there were some real horror stories about your products. What with doors that fell off, power plants that dropped off, but I guess these were pure imagination, as whenever there is a fault companies like Boeing always try to claim it was pilot error.
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"165. At 12:21pm on 06 Nov 2010, powermeerkat wrote:
"Seems to be something similar regarding Germany, where there is no successful populist party no matter what BBC’s journalists are writing."
And neonazis growing popularity?"
Unlike you I am not a native speaker but I was tought that "growing" means "getting bigger" or "increasing size". The NPD has had about 3-6% (figures vary a bit between the various regions, but are overall stable or less) of the voters in Eastern Germany for the last 10 years and still is at the same numbers. So how excatly are they growing in popularity when the amount of people voting for them is mostly stable? There are also other right wing parties such as the republicans, but then there are far more than 30 parties in total to vote for (such as the purple party which has on their agenda that everyone should be allowed to reincarnate whereever they like) and NONE of theose parties are even close to getting 1% of the votes (except for the pirate party).
163. At 11:43am on 06 Nov 2010, Mathiasen wrote:
I dare say: Sarah Palin did not stand a ghost of a chance in Germany.
I dare confirming that. I think she is a joke rather than a serious politician.
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The cargo door problem with the DC-10 was well known.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_DC-10
It was fixed. During the long history of the DC-10 1261 people were killed in accidents in them. While not as good as the 747 I think it is still a remarkable record considering how long it was in service and how many millions of passenger miles it flew. IMO it's as good a ride as the 747, very comfortable the way it was configured by airlines I flew in the 70s and 80s.
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#262 Expatriated
Very eloquent -- but rather one sided -- in YOUR direction !
´the US Constitution ----and to date the best system for the widest variety of people´
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122725771
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/03/us/03foodstamps.html
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/05/uninsured_increase_map.html
http://www.ehow.com/about_4615760_american-homeless-population-statistics.html
http://www.ctpost.com/opinion/article/Foreclosures-an-American-tragedy-338470.php
´Issues like slavery (have) arise --but have been resolved without actually breaking the Constitution´???
´Fooling with the Constitution--- is a dangerous and foolish practice´
OK --more of the same or worse !
When can France expect the the return of The Statue of Liberty ?
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269. At 12:07pm on 07 Nov 2010, quietoaktree wrote:
"EUpris
Thud, thud, thud, thud ---
--- still the wrong wall
---Try Westminster !"
EUpris: By posting here I am trying everywhere. Westminster does not work. There is little point in trying there. There may not be any point in being in the "EU parliament."
It ain't gonna stop!
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256. At 06:11am on 07 Nov 2010, powermeerkat wrote:
"...
Only about 6 months ago (when revelations about Greek sham and it being tolerated for a long time by Brussels emerged) I started to look at mechanism behind that common currency.
And only now I think I understand why it cannot last in its current shape and form.
P.S. Until protests againt EU Constitution started I was pleased by a whole concept of a finally united Europe speaking with one voice and hopefuly leaving fratricidal conflicts between Europeans firmly behind them.
And thought Britons vere old-fashioned by trying to preserve their "splendid isolation".
Again, only in about last 2 years I've started to really look at mechanisms of Brussels-controlled superstate.
And understand reasons for many a member-state citizen's anger."
EUpris: GROOVY!
Being outside the "EU" is not about wanting to be isolated.
It is of course nice to be isolated from the guns, tear gas, clubs, dogs and big stupid mouths of fascist continental policemen. Even that is in danger due to the nauseating "EU" and its glove-puppets in the UK.
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#280 EUpris
Then try Her Majesty, its her Government --she was the last to sign the papers !
When did you last BOW -- without banging your head on the pavement ?
---or did you bang it after slipping on an EU regulated banana skin ?
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#281 EUpris
Are you calling Her Majesty a ´glove puppet´ ?
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I think Bluesberry (re: post #2) must be a banker, because he keeps pushing those ridiculous 'financial transaction taxes' or whatever he calls them, which will only end up in the general public paying for it.
@56 Jukka
I would like to remind you that 'anti-EU' equals 'pro-democracy' and 'pro-EU' equals 'arrogant elitist who despises the voters and wants mutually appointed elitists making all the decisions'.
Huaimek wrote
Europe might be a better place if it was run by aristocrats . The people who run the EU are not sufficiently clever to see the pitfalls of achieving ever closer union , before they fall into them.
No thanks, we tried that, and it only led to '1914-1918' and all that.
Powermeerkat wrote:
Obviously if GWB had not attacked Afghanistan Muslims all over the world would not have been slaughtering each others.
Nonsense, islam has been agressive and violent right from the moment it was invented, 100% of the time of its existance.
@Mathiasen
Opposing immigration is not right wing, but is the thing we need to do. I for one support a complete halt to all non-western immigration. Left wing parties only support immigration so they can build a new electorate, the left has utterly betrayed our freedoms and emancipation by siding with what I consider to be a neo-fascist ideology from the Middle East hell-bent on the destruction of our freedoms in the name of their imaginary friend.
Also, almost everyone I know also opposes more immigration as well as more 'EU-integration'. Only a minority consisting of arrogant elitists and politicians are in favor.
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#284 Resistance 35
--Yes--- everybody who can think logically is against immigration !
---so you´re stuck where you are !
Picked the stone, inscription and the plot yet ?
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#284 Resistance 35
´ The left has utterly betrayed our freedoms and emancipation by siding with what I consider to be a neo-fascist ideology from the Middle East hell-bent on the destruction of our freedoms in the name of their imaginary friend.´
´Opposing immigration is not right wing, but is the thing we need to do. I for one support a complete halt to all non-western immigration.´
OK, the immigration should come from the West Indies ?
---or are you fighting Fascism with Racism and the Superior Race ?
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If there is a computer-graduate :o) person around, please help me how to convey to MaudDib the Russian dacha plus the Confederate Flag photos :o)
I've posted these on picasa (web photo place for all).
So far so good. My user name there , naturally, is Alice surname Wonderland :o) But how can anyone find them? I can't get from picasa the web address, the link name, to quote to MaudDib, so that he can press on it and the "dacha" called album will open, placed by Alice Wonderlland user.
The thing is when I google picasa fro y e-mail and my computer in general - it brings me straight to my photo file :o))))))), some cookies are saved somewhere in the computer , it recognises me and brings e not to the picasa starting page but right into my "dacha" album posted.
Can anyone please try picasa and try asking them about Alice Wonderland albums? Or may be "dacha" album? But there will be heaps of dacha-s, I a afraid there. But I don't know and can't check :o))))))0
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#284. At 2:41pm on 07 Nov 2010, resistance35
I have a question or a task for you. For a moment you should set aside your own preferences and identify at least four very different groups in society, which for the most different reasons either are in favour of immigration or have nothing against it = consider it a natural and a positive thing for any society.
I can help you with a little tip: Among those in favour, you will also find those, who emigrate.
After this we can return to the subject.
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resistance to sanity 35;
"@Mathiasen
Opposing immigration is not right wing, but is the thing we need to do. I for one support a complete halt to all non-western immigration."
"Also, almost everyone I know also opposes more immigration as well as more 'EU-integration'. Only a minority consisting of arrogant elitists and politicians are in favor."
I think most Europeans see it the way you do. From our side, it is wonderful to have people with your mentality as a competitor. Many of our best, brightest, and smartest contributors to American society don't have one European gene in their ancestry. These are people you'd reject out of hand. Give me your intelligent, your energetic, your hurried masses of go-getters yearning to make money...send these the future leaders of the world in all fields to me. How generous of Europe to come up to bat with two strikes against it even before it gets to home plate. Thanks, we need all the help we can get. You're all doing very well :-)
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#287. At 3:50pm on 07 Nov 2010, WebAliceinwonderland
I have not used Picasa but I'll have a look for you Alice, I'll let you know what I find in the usual way. Have a nice evening, for me this evening was good, Liverpool beat Chelsea two - nil.
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Any Brit who has NO relatives (present or past) living abroad -can perhaps say something on this topic?
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#291. At 6:22pm on 07 Nov 2010, quietoaktree
Don't worry QOT, it's clear MAII has no clue as to the genetic origins of people and absolutely no clue about genealogy. You know sometimes genetic traits pass multiple generations, and considering all mankind is supposed to have evolved via apes out of Africa, well you know what I mean.
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Buzet 23
--the simple things in life --with or without the rattle ?
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Buzet 23
Its not that simple --see next blog !
Now we have all kinds of apes - unadulterated by adultery.
The thought of Marcus apes makes me scratch and turns my banana gene on.
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Buzzard, although it's true that we all evolved from apes, reading Europeans on this blog it seems to me some of us have evolved further than others. And then there are those who still have an affinity for living in the trees.
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#295. At 7:13pm on 07 Nov 2010, MarcusAureliusII
Don't tell us MAII, the trees are bigger and better in the USA.
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Interesting program on Deutche Welle about the problems of handicapped people getting around in wheelchairs. Europe has nothing like the Americans With Disabilities Act, no laws, no provisions at all. It's been in effect here for 20 years here. Europe is primitive. That's one more group with capable people in it that Europe has written off.
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Buzzard;
The Sequoia Redwoods are believed to be the oldest and tallest things alive on this planet. Hundreds of feet tall andelieved to be thousands of years old they were alive when Christ lived.
http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&q=muir+woods&wrapid=tlif12891600458981&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=bAXXTPL9J8SAlAelmOX8CA&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=5&ved=0CEkQsAQwBA&biw=1276&bih=593
if the link doesn't work paste this after www.
google.com/images?hl=en&q=muir+woods&wrapid=tlif12891600458981&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=bAXXTPL9J8SAlAelmOX8CA&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=5&ved=0CEkQsAQwBA&biw=1276&bih=593
They are a major attraction to tourists who go to California.
We also have acorns with large if highly unrealistic ambitions.
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Marcus
---speak for yourself !
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MaudDib,
I posted dacha pictures for you, from the second attempt :o)))))), not only on picasa, to which I seem to be unable to give a link :o))), but on flickr as well - a bit, but there it sees to be easier :o)))) and O wonder they told me how to quote the page; it seems to be:
http:www.flickr.com/photos/alice272wonderland
but I am not yet sure :o))))))
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298 Homer Simpson wrote:
"The Sequoia Redwoods are believed to be the oldest and tallest things alive on this planet. Hundreds of feet tall andelieved to be thousands of years old they were alive when Christ lived."
Sorry to disappoint you Homer, but it sems we got there first AGAIN!
"The world's oldest tree is the Old Tjikko, a Norway Spruce tree to be found on the Fulu Mountain in Dalarna, Sweden. According to scientists at Umeå University the tree is 9550 years old, taking root at the end of the last ice age."
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#275 MA-II
Just like Concorde when it was hit by a tiny piece of metal. Now where did that come from? How did they know it was from a Continental Airlines plane? It could have been on the tarmac for days or weeks without anyone noticing it. Probably came from an Airbus or Caravelle. Clearly anti-Americanism scapegoating on the part of the jealous French. The usual.
Since you're supposed to be an engineer, you could have read the report of the BEA on the crash. You'll find it here, read e.g. page 171. There is an inspection ~3 times a day of the tarmac. It is silly to blame the 'jealous French' for a possible lack of careful maintenance of an American airplane. Anyway, the judgement of the criminal proceedings of this accident will be out soon. Maybe you are NOT an engineer after all, just pretending?
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Don´t take it badly Marcus --it probably has chilblains !
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Now Marcus don´t get cold feet with #302.
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
#305. At 10:34pm on 07 Nov 2010, MarcusAureliusII
Inspect it for Concord, no it's simply that we know how ramshackle some of the US planes are and that they have a habit of shedding bits, thankfully in concord's case it was not an American cabin door or engine. I guess that in the USA non destructive testing is considered an unnecessary expense.
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#297
"Interesting program on Deutche Welle about the problems of handicapped people getting around in wheelchairs. Europe has nothing like the Americans With Disabilities Act, no laws, no provisions at all. It's been in effect here for 20 years here. Europe is primitive. That's one more group with capable people in it that Europe has written off."
Oh dear God :( He finally fell out of the idiot tree, hitting every branch on the way down. Europe has no disability discrimination legislation does it not? Is it really that difficult to motivate your lazy ass to do some research before posting?
"European legislation addresses disability in a broad range of areas, from anti-discrimination to transport or telecommunications, sometimes very specifically, sometimes in a more general way.
The Employment Directive prohibits discrimination as well as harassment and instruction to discriminate. All employers must provide ‘reasonable accommodation’ for people with disabilities, which means that disabled people have a right to get adaptations to the workplace in order to be able to fulfil their job. Many Member States have had to substantially amend their national law to comply with employment regulations.
The Regulation on state aid for employment promotes the recruitment and retention of disabled workers. It enables Member States to create financial incentives for employers and provides workshops to recruit and retain disabled people."
Source: European Commission
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305 Homer Simpson writes:
TPT peggy;
"Tell me where it is so I can fix the problem...with my chainsaw"
Fulu Mountain in Dalarna, Sweden. But I'm not quite sure whether the Swedes allow American planes to land at their airports what with all those bits they are prone to shed.
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In true American fashion Marcus finished Kindergarten by taking adult evening classes.
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297. At 7:52pm on 07 Nov 2010, MarcusAureliusII wrote:
"Interesting program on Deutche Welle about the problems of handicapped people getting around in wheelchairs. Europe has nothing like the Americans With Disabilities Act, no laws, no provisions at all. It's been in effect here for 20 years here. Europe is primitive. That's one more group with capable people in it that Europe has written off."
EUpris: That simply is not true.
Around here there are large numbers of taxis which can take wheelchairs. New buildings have larger doors to let wheelchairs through. There are ramps on new buildings etc.
I am not claiming that it is perfect but, NO, they have not been written off.
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295. At 7:13pm on 07 Nov 2010, MarcusAureliusII wrote:
"...
And then there are those who still have an affinity for living in the trees."
EUpris: Don't knock until you have tried it.
I often fancy living up a large tree.
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quietoaktree,
ha! :o)))
I'm your only acquaintance :o)))))))) who had graduated from the KGB nursery! :o)))))))) Honest :o)))))
We lived nearby the main KGB building in St. Petersburg, and in one of their wings, cellars :o))))))))) I would say, they had a nursery for employee children :o))))))), and I was sent their as all kids in the vicinity, in the nearby blocks and streets :o)
Not that I remember much, but I do have 2 glimpses; a./ some parent guess mum carries me there early in the dark cold blue snowy morning and I scream out-loud :o)))))) and weep bitterly
b./ I sit there on a night vase :o)))))) kind of, surrounded by about 20 more comrades in the room, similarly in the same position :o))))) they must have done it by some schedule or I don't know, and all the walls are in ugly blue tiles and it is kind of dark and gloomy.
Mum says I didn't attend much because I was getting ill non-stop and wept and screamed and complained non-stop. But that the building was weird, it had posters on the walls :o))))) saying "Comrade! Take care of your gun!" :o)))) like, don't leave it un-attended, and some hearty warnings about spies everywhere :o)))), she wondered back then if these will be of much use to 1-2-3 year olds or their parents :o))))))
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#311 EUpris
What about those in Marcus´s #298 ?
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You Eurons are clueless. Staring around 1990 every building in America where there was public accomodation including those that already existed had to be accessible to wheelchairs and usable by the blind. That meant ramps with limited steepness, handicapped toilets, brail signage, and many other changes in every building in the US. It was quite a challenge for architects. All public buses had to have wheelchair accessibility. Cruise ships like Song of American had to be sold off or scrapped because they were no longer permitted to sail into American ports, it being impossible to retrofit them to have handicapped access on all passenger decks and have the required number of handicap cabins. I'll bet you Eurons don't even have required handicap parking spots with stiff fines of hundreds of dollars for non handicapped people parking in them. Absolutely primiitive. And then when you break your hip, the NHS sends you home to fend for yourself in a non handicapped accomodating world while you wait for six months or a year until it's your turn for a hip replacement. Same lack of handicap facilities in Germany, same all over Europe. And you not only don't know about it, if you're not handicapped yourself you probably don't care. Just like those migrants, out of sight, out of mind.
http://askjan.org/links/adasummary.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americans_with_Disabilities_Act_of_1990
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#312
You were probably ´mummified´and stood up in a corner or against a wall to keep you out of mischief ?
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Yo Alice
Got em on flickr. Yep that's a confederate flag all right and a nice one too. Now the next time you take those pictures you must be on the balcony in one of those hoop dresses. See link
http://www.weddingo.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/vi529-f.jpg
Are these photos recent? I thought you already had snow. You've still got a lot of vegetation. We just had our first freeze two nights ago.
Keep up the good work.
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#315
And you were probably planted, watered, and fertilized. What you need is a good pruning.
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315,
:o) I think I explained my position and disposition :o), in those memoirs, pretty well.
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As a resident of the United States (and unabashed Tea-Partier) I find myself intrigued by--and grateful to have read--much of your posted feedback. This is a rather interesting article indeed, inasmuch as it makes perfect sense: The seemingly lackluster sense of political solidarity amongst the EU consortium WOULD tend to hinder any real, unified political reform within that body.
This, as it is the very point of the article, serves to showcase the contrast between EU "approaches" to reform (if I may) and those employed by the Tea Party.
Again, I thank each of you for your insight into this issue as it good to the Tea Party see press in Europe.
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MaudDib,
the dress is beautiful. and its intent :o) - even more appealing :o)))
something old something new.
oh well. in the next life edition :o), I suppose :o(
The photos are all times at once. I tossed them over, this whole summer season at once. right now it's the snowy one which is appliccable. I am still there, nearly evacuated myself last week :o) but dog fell ill and so stuck here again Hope to get out eventually, I've burned up electricity for 12 thousand roubles :o))))) in the past 3 months. 400 dollars by your money, which is incredible here.
it is zero but they promise us +7 again come Thursday :o) or something
I included the "ironing the flag" in the verrandah photo :o), hope you took notice.
Yo.
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#266 MarcusAuraliusII
You haven't been in Europe for a very long time and then only briefly .
Your knowledge of Europe is bases on that brief visit , long ago . Your judgement of Europe and Europeans is coloured by the offence you and your friends suffered in a bar ; beyond that you know very little about Europe .
Your harping on about the 14th century is pathetic . Europe has a history that passed through the 14th century . The US was virtually undiscovered at that time , was home to wild animals and native tribes of people living in primitive circumstances .
Aristocrat in the US may , to the masses , mean somebody rich and successful , whatever their beginnings ; though even in the US there are people of ancient lineage who are highly educated . There are Americans who use the same politenesses addressing one another as you describe in the French using Vous and Tu , even if the English language does not differentiate .
In general , European aristocrats have the priviledge to be born into an educated family , where interests and conversation will be on a higher , more educative level . They may be blessed with genetics that give them the ability to benefit from a high level of education . Aristocrats are often highly educated and very knowledgeable on a wide range of subjects and may also have superior reasoning power , with a broader more encompassing perspective .
You may be content with the "Humdrum", comercial , United States , whose culture is mostly derived from immigrants . Europeans and many educated Americans enjoy the historic culture of Europe .
It is true that we are all flesh , blood and bones whether we are Kings , Queens , Lords or poverty stricken from the slums of Calcutta ; but not the SAME , as genetics will prove .
I am happy for you that you think America superior , that is what you are indoctrinated to think . To me America is a crude , boring , cultureless country , where only commerce and money matter . People I see in the street are a "Hotch Potch" of many races ; like the mongrel dogs I see in my rural village in Thailand , you can't even guess what breeds they are derived from .
That European Aristocracy that you decry , has been responsible for the building of historic cities , palaces , villas , parks , sponsoring the classic art , music , literature , theatre , opera , a culture that Europe is famed for .
If the EU was run by people who were truly Aristocrats , it might not have made the mistakes it has , or have arrived at its present position of deadlock , way down the wrong track .
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#289 MarcusAuraliusII
You give the exact recipy , for why the world is in such a mess today .
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
#28. At 00:45am on 08 Nov 2010, HSWET
Therefore, why should European countries be cited and criticised for applying that maxim to themselves? The word "hypocrisy" springs to mind when considering your post.
Well, you are welcome.
It was more or less a coincidence, when I did not mention any East European countries. The “...” was supposed to mean that I could continue the list if necessary. You can consider Hungary and Slovakia.
It is not possible for me to see where you come from not to mention the languages you command. Till I hear anything else, I do not suppose you know about the legislation concerning marriage they are preparing these days in Denmark or what the connection with The Netherlands is. Have you any idea of how discrimination is growing in these countries?
Also, I have no idea of what you know about the demography for instance in Germany. Did you see my posting #202 in the blog article before this? I don’t suppose so. If you want to know what the immigration politics is in Western Europe and what the aim of it is you can goggle Ursula von der Leyen or Annette Schawan, both ministers of the Merkel cabinet namely for the labour market and research. Something of a clue.
Actually, we could take other countries, but perhaps you read German.
Of course, Mr. Hewitt could also have mentioned these ministers. Or the president of the Federal Republic, but he didn’t. Not to mention avoiding simplifying a complicated matter, but that is perhaps to ask to much. It would just disturb his article completely, of course, just like an answer to the question: What populist party is having success in Germany.
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Politics stink .. we have parties fighting each other and none of them really give a damn about the Country or the people ,all that seems to matter to them is their "job" they rant at each other etc why cannot they just for a while see what is best for our poor country ! people are out of work , but we still let in hordes of foreign workers ,because someone put the word out that the Brits are lazy and dont want to work ! and we must obey the EU which i tire of pointing out we did NOT vote for, how can the three main parties say we have to obey ?? why if we did not vote for it who says we must obey !! they are supposed to be OUR government , all of the parties tarred with the same brush , and meanwhile our beautiful country slides downhill with it our way of life i am very very sad.
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320. Alice
Something Red, Something Blue (my interpretation)
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"Just like Concorde when it was hit by a tiny piece of metal. Now where did that come from? How did they know it was from a Continental Airlines plane? It could have been on the tarmac for days or weeks without anyone noticing it. Probably came from an Airbus or Caravelle. Clearly anti-Americanism scapegoating on the part of the jealous French."
When in doubt always blame Americans first: you can't go wrong.
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#326. At 07:13am on 08 Nov 2010, Sylvia D
Your words are all too true, and apply equally to many EU countries as democracy is currently on holiday and all the various politicians think about is getting into a 'privileged' state whereby their noses are in the trough. In my Belgium there is an ongoing dispute within the parties trying to form a new government (since June 13th), the main one is a Ntionalistic anti Wallon party that has produced a document stating what it wants. The first 20 pages were a complete slim down of the federal bureaucracy with many unnecessary political posts being abolished - great - but then came the real diatribe of a true Nationalist with the federal state becoming nothing more than a powerless figurehead, yet they still want a federation. This is how unintelligent today's political leaders are, they think only of their 'status' and their 'power'.
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#314. At 01:02am on 08 Nov 2010, MarcusAureliusII
You've only got disabled parking bays, how quaint, in the UK there are parent and child bays as well.
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Re #277 Seraphim:
"The NPD has had about 3-6% (figures vary a bit between the various regions, but are overall stable or less) of the voters in Eastern Germany for the last 10 years and still is at the same numbers. So how excatly are they growing in popularity when the amount of people voting for them is mostly stable?"
Please look up fast growing numbers of avid neonazi Widerstands Radio's listeners and draw you own conclusions.
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Web Alice: If there is a computer-graduate :o) person around, please help me how to convey to MaudDib the Russian dacha plus the Confederate Flag photos :o)
I've posted these on picasa (web photo place for all).
Alice in Wonderland. Clean a pic a bit, and post it on Panoramio when you can (first) create you own account.
Then, if you choose a nick identical with the one you're using here everybody and their grandmother will be able not only too look up your datcha (I can see "that our flag was still there" :)] but look and appreciate (or not) any of your other photos (from Russia, trips abroad, whatever)
In addition: if your photos are selected by Google they'll appear on Google Earth images as small squares in specific geographical locations.
[The more frequently other people open and admire your pics the bigger the size of those squares will become.]
good luck!
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At 12:32pm on 07 Nov 2010, buzet wrote: powermeerkat
"I pleased that you no longer blame the A380 airbus, however I would advise to not be cock sure about US made power plants"
I never blamed Airbus A-380 itself, despite its well known technical problems (short-circuiting wiring, blowing up tires etc.)
The only think in the negative I evere wrote in the past was that I though this behemot was heavily EU-taxpayers subsidized (just like A-400M and A-350, with the latter still nowhere to be seen despite that) and in my opinion is was wrong kind of equipment from purely economic point of view since more and more international passengers prefer to fly point-to-point (to save time AND money) rahter than merely hub-to-hub, and therefore a demand for 380 is and will lilely remain very small (certainly not big enough to cover its R&D costs.)
[BTW. in my opinion hub and spokes model is dead]
When B-787 Dreamliner (v. long range, but medium size and capable of landing on medium length runways) becomes available to airlines next year (starting with ANA) you'll be able to fly directly from Brussels to Portland, or from Catania to Forth Worth, or from Barcelona to Manaus, or from Aberdeen to Kyoto) without first flying (at additional time and financial expense) to Frankfurt Int., Schipol, Paris, Madrid, Heathrow, Moscow etc., which is a case right now.
Personally, I am really looking forward to it.
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#328. At 07:51am on 08 Nov 2010, powermeerkat
If there is one thing true about the USA, anything theirs is always brightly coloured and labelled, I've no doubt the piece of metal concerned was easy to identify and probably had the name of the aircraft company emblazoned all over it. Blame where blames due.
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#314
"I'll bet you Eurons don't even have required handicap parking spots with stiff fines of hundreds of dollars for non handicapped people parking in them."
So says the guy who hasn't been to Europe in 40 years, has never been to the UK where disabled parking bays are absolutely everywhere, (supported by EU-wide blue badge legislation), nor can he be bothered to spend 2 minutes of his precious life researching the matter. What makes you think there aren't disabled Europeans on this blog, who should be ASKED not TOLD by some clueless foreigner what the situation actually is?? I should have learned by now not to overestimate you.
Why do you think the US has draconian fines for abuse of disabled parking privileges? See if you can work it out for yourself.
As for the twice-repeated "primitive" accusation.:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-05-04-new-homeless_N.htm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/jun/21/surge-in-demand-us-soup-kitchens
I cant imagine what life must be life over there...where should i send my cheque?
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Re sequoias...
Most foreign tourists know of and visit Sequoia National Park but few about Humboldt Redwood National Park. Which is really enchanting.
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AiW "But that the building [KGB] was weird, it had posters on the walls :o))))) saying "Comrade! Take care of your gun!" :o)))) like, don't leave it un-attended, and some hearty warnings about spies everywhere :o))))"
Did they also have those posters with a warning "Doveray, no proveray"? :)
["trust but verify!"]
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#328
"Just like Concorde when it was hit by a tiny piece of metal. Now where did that come from? How did they know it was from a Continental Airlines plane? It could have been on the tarmac for days or weeks without anyone noticing it. Probably came from an Airbus or Caravelle. Clearly anti-Americanism scapegoating on the part of the jealous French."
When in doubt always blame Americans first: you can't go wrong."
WOOF! Roll over, theres a good doggie.
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"I've no doubt the piece of metal concerned was easy to identify and probably had the name of the aircraft company emblazoned all over it. Blame where blames due."
Buzet, therefore I assume that you have or can identify a position of such piece of bright colorful American junk?
[I recall a s..t container which fell on an English family house couple of years ago (don't know whether it actually hit the fan) was identified as belonging to BA, which would show that that it marks its superior equipment in a clearly identifiable way as well. :)]
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"I cant imagine what life must be life over [U.S.] there...where should i send my cheque?
try obamacare.morgue.us
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Buzet, the laste re A-380 engines:
"The Australian airline, Qantas, has said it has found "slight anomalies" on three Airbus A380 engines and is keeping its fleet of six passenger jets grounded for further checks.
Chief executive Alan Joyce said there "was oil where oil shouldn't be on the engines" of two of the super-jumbos." (BBC News)
there "was oil where oil shouldn't be.
Of course peanuts in 500 people containing planes flying at 33-35 000 feet. Over WATER.
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#318 WIA
I meant NO insult !
--only commenting on the wrapping technique.
However I apologize for allowing Marcus getting his chilblained nose so close to the looking glass !
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#333. At 08:21am on 08 Nov 2010, powermeerkat
One thing that has always annoyed me about the WTO is that the USA perpetually go to it claiming the EU subsidises its companies and that the US does not do exactly the same but by a different back door route. Subsidies are subsidies no matter what way they are given, so please do not criticise the EU for doing exactly what you do in the US, i.e. give an advantage to your own manufacturers.
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Sarrazin's views are consistent with those of my friends here locally, as well as those of friends in Germany and France. Will there be increased genuine integration over the next 10 years or will the increase in the birth rates make it a mute point anyway? I am not optimistic.
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#344 Chris
Yes, you either do it for your religion --or for your country !
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#345. At 5:01pm on 08 Nov 2010, quietoaktree
I seem to recall procreation was a result of pleasure until the ability to support an overly large family kicked in, but then social services and benefits took over, enough said.
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#346 Buzet 23
I do not see a conflict with my #345.
Only the failure of the separation of Church and State.
Your memory fails you on many levels.
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331. At 07:55am on 08 Nov 2010, powermeerkat wrote:
"Please look up fast growing numbers of avid neonazi Widerstands Radio's listeners and draw you own conclusions."
Wow you are seriously drawing a conclusion of that importance from a simple radio station?
Without researching on such a neglectable matter (that hardly is a proove for your point if even true) - Gavin wrote about political parties and here in Europe you can't vote for a radio station to represent you in parliament (well actually you could but your vote wouldn't be counted).
About disabled persons - we don't need a special act for that as it is part of the Grundgesetz and has to be respected by all public authorities and and has to be considered in the design of public buildings. I can't tell though about the 1950s when you have last been in Europe Marcus.
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#347. At 6:47pm on 08 Nov 2010, quietoaktree
Chris in #344 was talking about increasing birth rates, was that not the point of your comment #345?
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333. At 08:21am on 08 Nov 2010, powermeerkat wrote:
At 12:32pm on 07 Nov 2010, buzet wrote: powermeerkat
[BTW. in my opinion hub and spokes model is dead]
When B-787 Dreamliner (v. long range, but medium size and capable of landing on medium length runways) becomes available to airlines next year (starting with ANA) you'll be able to fly directly from Brussels to Portland, or from Catania to Forth Worth, or from Barcelona to Manaus, or from Aberdeen to Kyoto) without first flying (at additional time and financial expense) to Frankfurt Int., Schipol, Paris, Madrid, Heathrow, Moscow etc., which is a case right now.
---------------------
Keep waiting, Boeing announced yet another schedule change, making the total delay of the first delivery 2+ years. Don't get me wrong, I am a Boeing fan myself, but I guess ANA will not be happy with yet another delay. I smell a delay compensation. As for the hub&spoke model, it will never stop being here. Point to point works but not for every possible city pair in the world, especially when the passengers demand frequency! For example, I doubt you can get more than 10 people/day that would want to fly Catania to Ft. Worth or Barcelona to Manaus, take the flight through a hub and problem solved!
275. At 12:45pm on 07 Nov 2010, MarcusAureliusII wrote:
Just like Concorde when it was hit by a tiny piece of metal. Now where did that come from? How did they know it was from a Continental Airlines plane? It could have been on the tarmac for days or weeks without anyone noticing it. Probably came from an Airbus or Caravelle.
Haha! It is obvious that you haven't set foot in Europe as Caravelles have not been flying en masse in Europe for a good 20 years! What year do you think this is???
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#349 Buzet 23
Yes.
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powermeerkat wrote:
"There's nothing wrong with buying some other country's hardware, incl. military one, as long as it's better than your own."
America's founding fathers would have disagreed with you, including one of its best generals, George Washington.
No country's defense should ever be at the mercy of any foreign power, its corporations and its technology. No foreign company should ever be allowed to bid for services and weapons for America's armed forces. The logic of not having to depend on someone else for your own defense and well being is clear.
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"Raul Castro has taken steps to promote small private enterprise.
In September, he announced plans to lay off around a million state employees - around a fifth of the workforce - and encourage them to find work in the private sector.
He also said restrictions on private enterprise would be eased, with small businesses allowed to employ staff, borrow money, and sell services to government departments."
And we've been told here by some leftist posters who've never bothered to check Cuban reality first hand that everything was swell in Castro Bros' socialist paradise.
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Buzet wrote: "please do not criticise the EU for doing exactly what you do in the US, i.e. give an advantage to your own manufacturers."
There's nothing wrong with giving advantage to once own manufacturers.
But there's something wrong by doing it notoriously and repeatedly at en mass EU taxpayers expense.
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Re hub and spokes system..." For example, I doubt you can get more than 10 people/day that would want to fly Catania to Ft. Worth or Barcelona to Manaus, take the flight through a hub and problem solved!"
1. You're right. And you'll always find passangers wanting to fly from Frankfurt to NYC or Tokyo. Or from LAX to Tokyo or Sydney.
But also from Berlin to Sao Paolo (rather than via Frankfurt), and from Vienna or Milan to Santiago de Chile or Lima (rather than via Madrid).
And even from Barcelona to Manaus twice a week.
My point was, and is, that more&more passengers want to fly point to point, not hub to hub.
And a 250 people carrying long range plane will often be filled to capacity, whereas you can often see one third empty jumbos on even hub-to-hub routes.
[flew one from SF to Frankfurt recently]
An economic model, which, according to airlines themeselves, cannot be sustained for much longer.
2. Not only A-340s are mostly parked in Arizona desert now as inefficient. When Boeing 747-800I becomes operational (Lufthansa being its launch customer) most 747-400s, let alone 200s, will follow suit.
3. No airline (including ANA) is happy about delays. For example Airbus had to pay a pretty penny to Singapore Airlines for substantial delays in A-380s' delivery.
4. Most airlines in the Far East (including China and Indonesia) are interested in medium size long range planes.
Particularly since a passenger traffic there grows almost as fast as in India. And will continue to grow much faster than in Europe.
5. I won't address an issue of RR engine failures, since it seems a problem is more widespread than we were initially led to believe, with reports of airlines other than Qantas wanting to follow suit coming in on daily basis.
6. I won't touch a subject of the already twice redesigned A-350 even with a 10 ft pole, if you don't mind.
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Re #352.
You' right if you talk about CRITICAL, STRATEGIC hardware.
But we don't buy strategic bombers, "boomers", Virginia-class subs or Ford-class aircraft carriers, interceptors or even UAVs for that reason though, but simply because nobody else is capable of building even comparable stuff.
[we still buy Berettas, Glocks and Sigs though. :)]
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A Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 powerplant, which powers the Boeing 787, has suffered a failure during a routine test at the company's Derby, UK facility, prompting an investigation into the incident's cause.
Rolls-Royce says: "We have had an engine failure on a test bed in Derby. We are now investigating in detail and have made good progress in understanding the issue. We do not anticipate any impact on the programme."
Boeing's 787 flight test campaign has continued unabated.
"A modification is already in place for later engines," says Rolls-Royce."
(FlightGlobal)
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powermeerkat wrote:
"You' right if you talk about CRITICAL, STRATEGIC hardware."
All domestic weapons requirements are critical and strategic. Even down to the small arms you are depriving your own manufacturers the revenue to keep on innovating and maintaining production facilities and the know-how that would need to be ready at a moments notice if the country were to go to war.
"But we don't buy strategic bombers, "boomers", Virginia-class subs or Ford-class aircraft carriers, interceptors or even UAVs for that reason though, but simply because nobody else is capable of building even comparable stuff."
America has bought foreign scout helicopters and is also allowing Airbus to bid on potentially the largest defense contract ever, the replacement air refueling tankers. America should never have bought those helicopters and shouldn't even consider allowing bidding on those tankers. It puts its national security at risk while hurting America's defense industry and the jobs and know-how that go along with them.
America also allowed the sale of the company that built the Bradley Fighting vehicle to BAE. Never in America's past would it have allowed such a thing. No sane country or government would ever allow something like that.
"[we still buy Berettas, Glocks and Sigs though. :)]"
There is absolutely no reason to be buying foreign pistols either. No American should be smiling at that fact.
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352 AllenT2 wrote in regard to relying on 'foreign' technology:
"America's founding fathers would have disagreed with you, including one of its best generals, George Washington"
And what technology would that have been - better horses or powder horns or larger cannon balls? Just think - those foreigners might have tampered with them or bred the horses to gallop backwards!
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Buzet23 wrote:
"One thing that has always annoyed me about the WTO is that the USA perpetually go to it claiming the EU subsidises its companies and that the US does not do exactly the same but by a different back door route. Subsidies are subsidies no matter what way they are given, so please do not criticise the EU for doing exactly what you do in the US, i.e. give an advantage to your own manufacturers."
There should be no such thing as a WTO in the first place. True free trade means countries setting whatever terms they wish to set with other countries. If the other countries don't like it then they don't have to trade. Simple as that. THAT is free trade!
As for Boeing subsidies what exactly are you referring to? The American government is getting goods and services from Boeing, not handouts like Airbus gets from European governments every time it wishes to develop a new plane or when it runs into delays.
Airbus IS a multi-government created and supported company designed to compete against America (notice I didn't just say Boeing) and take control of the aircraft manufacturing market, to include defensive systems. I wouldn't even allow their administrative and sales offices into the country.
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powermeerkat wrote:
"Most foreign tourists know of and visit Sequoia National Park but few about Humboldt Redwood National Park. Which is really enchanting."
Actually, most "foreign tourists" know very little about America, to include our national parks. But don't tell them that because many, especially the ones out of Europe, are sure they know everything there is to know about America. Just ask them. ;)
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#353 Powermeerkat
´And we've been told here by some leftist posters who've never bothered to check Cuban reality first hand that everything was swell in Castro Bros' socialist paradise.´
And we´ve been told by some rightist posters who´ve never bothered to check American reality first hand that everything was swell in Max bros´capital paradise.
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champagne_charlie wrote:
"What makes you think there aren't disabled Europeans on this blog, who should be ASKED not TOLD by some clueless foreigner what the situation actually is??"
LOL. You should post that as a piece of advice to all the so-called Europeans who like to think they know everything there is to know about America because so many of you excel at doing just that, and much worse!
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Buzet23 wrote:
"If there is one thing true about the USA, anything theirs is always brightly coloured and labelled, I've no doubt the piece of metal concerned was easy to identify and probably had the name of the aircraft company emblazoned all over it. Blame where blames due."
The airplane crashed due to an irresponsible design flaw that made it ridiculously vulnerable to debris on a runway. Debris such as that exists on all commercial airport runways! A well designed aircraft would not have crashed because of something like that. Simple as that.
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Buzet23 wrote:
"You've only got disabled parking bays, how quaint, in the UK there are parent and child bays as well."
Do you also have asylum seeker bays? :)
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margaret howard wrote:
"And what technology would that have been - better horses or powder horns or larger cannon balls? Just think - those foreigners might have tampered with them or bred the horses to gallop backwards!"
Try reading the writings of the men I refer to. You may be a bit disappointed though to find them to be at a much higher level than your petty sarcasm.
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The names of CAP subsidy recipients will NO LONGER be published !
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Re how Marx Brothers operate
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40023737/ns/travel-news/
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A Chinese lawyer who represents jailed Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo has told the BBC he intends to file a lawsuit against the Chinese authorities for preventing him from leaving China.
Mo Shaoping said the decision by Chinese police to stop him attending a conference in London was unlawful.
Mr Mo says he was told that his leaving China could "threaten state security".
But he says authorities suspected he could have been planning to receive the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of Liu.
China has reacted with fury to the awarding of the Nobel prize to Liu, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison in December 2009 on subversion charges, after co-authoring a petition calling for political reform which was signed by thousands.
The lawyer said immigration officials had stopped him at Beijing's airport as he prepared to board a flight to the UK to attend a lawyers' conference."(BBC)
Now waiting for Karl Marx Bros and Sis (and you know who you are) telling us what a paradise PRC is.
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MaudDib wrote:
320. Alice
Something Red, Something Blue (my interpretation)
Literally, instead of "borrowed"? Or purely symbolically ?:o)))))) then I will think what it means :o))))))
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#318 WIA
I meant NO insult !
--only commenting on the wrapping technique.
However I apologize for allowing Marcus getting his chilblained nose so close to the looking glass !
___________
quietoak & tree, do not worry yourselves :o) , I feel comfy here.
Well, Russian females normally do, abroad :o)))))
Compared to dear home! I mean! O :o)))))))))
besides, it's clearly a gentlemanly place ... with some ups and downs !
even powermeer humms something West sidie :o)))) recently...
(bad idea, powermeer, doesn't it end eh un-well?
:o))))
in short there is only one person here for who there is nothing holy! :o))))))) but we (Alice & wonderlands) seem to have it sorted out as well
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Alice
One for me, one for you. (Therefore I will change blue to gray)
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OK. So the revised and upgraded version reads:
Something old, something new
Something Red and something Gray!
and a siver dollar in your shoe? and a rouble in your shoe?
shoo?
hey-hey? what do you say?
not bad. I am sure we'll get continuation :o))) courtesy of the audience :o))))
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Come to think about it, in real abroad (not virtual), three things somewhat scared me :o)))
1. how cold it is in winter there :o))))))) (no central heating, but switch on, switch off, and count money at that and get nervous about it :o))))))) (here they charge us flat for the winter :o))))), so you don't think ab how much you use)
2. hard water leaving white stains , ike rings, where you've left your cup the other day. but may be that was wrong abroad cases, it's not allover a foreign phenomena
3. that every thing closes up before I wake up! you literally can't do nothing abroad after 4-5 pm. and banks and shops and offices and various business hours of anyone whenever you want to go, and ? well life simply comes to a standstill after pm abroad. the schedue overall seems to be un-fit for owls.
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#364, AllenT2
The [Concorde] airplane crashed due to an irresponsible design flaw that made it ridiculously vulnerable to debris on a runway. Debris such as that exists on all commercial airport runways! A well designed aircraft would not have crashed because of something like that. Simple as that.
Quite so. However, a well designed and maintained aircraft would not leave behind any debris on the runway, either. That is the reason why Continental people are also on trial in Paris. We'll see what the judge has to say.
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powermeerkat(no 336)wrote "Re sequoias... Most foreign tourists know of and visit Sequoia National Park but few about Humboldt Redwood National Park. Which is really enchanting".
I would suspect most Americans outside California are equally ignorant. The US Parks Service is worried about the concentration of Americans in so few of the parks and other units. apparently, The top ten percent of parks handle 61.2% of all visit. So traffic jams on the Blue Ridge Parkway(16,309,307 visits), Golden Gate National Recreation Area(14,554,750), Gateway National Recreation Area(9,431,021) and in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park(9,044,010), and most of the others rarely visited.
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smroet wrote
"Quite so. However, a well designed and maintained aircraft would not leave behind any debris on the runway, either. That is the reason why Continental people are also on trial in Paris. We'll see what the judge has to say."
Sorry to break it to you but debris falls off aircraft all the time from screws, rivets, bolts, panels, etc, on to runways and taxiways. Aircraft need to be designed to handle such things and most are.
The Continental people should not be on trial in the first place but then again France is a country that puts you on trial for merely offending someone or expressing an opinion that the consensus doesn't agree with, such as Holocaust denial.
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#333 and subsequent re Qantas A-380's engine problems.
An update:
"Singapore Airlines has announced that it will change the engines on three of its 11 Airbus A380 planes." (BBC)
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re #376
That goes not only for California.
Even such huge park as Yellowstone is getting crowed.
With local bears not bothering to hunt anymore, but merely opening trash containers at different lodgers and camping grounds.
And if you want to hang-glide in Yosemite you have to take off from Glazier Point early in the morning to be able to land before all them
'forin' tourists crowd all potential landing areas.
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So the revised and upgraded version reads:
Something old, something new
Something Red and something Gray!
Alice, if you have to refer to West Side Story, perhaps your version should go:
Something Red, something gray,
something blue, something gay.
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"you literally can't do nothing abroad after 4-5 pm."
Have you been to Spain, Alice?
You can't literally do anything there BEFORE 4-5 PM.
And the real life starts around 10 PM.
Particularly in Barcelona.
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To European airplane enthusiasts. An update:
Singapore Airlines have followed Qantas' example and suspended flights of all of its A-380s equipped with standard Rolls Royce Trent 900 engines.
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#378
An update on the already 3 years overdue Dreamliner:
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/11/10/boeing.dreamliner.test/?hpt=T2
An update on the LHC, which seems remarkable given that one poster assured us it wasnt even switched on:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11711228
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When a new computer in Moscow was asked "how many pairs of shoes are manufactured in a year per one Soviet citizen", it thought hard and finally answered:
"BUT in the United States they perscute blacks".
I don't thow why a post # 383 reminded me of that old joke.
[no, I shall not talk about a A-350 lemon's delays.]
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#384
Yeah whatever. If you cant take it, dont dish it out.
Capisce?
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That's what I told ya earlier.
Bad losers.
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"Gamers around Europe have queued overnight to get their hands on Xbox Kinect, a new hands-free motion control system for the Xbox 360 console.
Stores opened at midnight for fans to buy the £130 (149 euro) controller, which Microsoft says offers a revolutionary new approach to gaming." (BBC)
Similar lines formed in EUSSR for Microsoft earlier game consols, Apple's I-phones, I-pods, etc.
Don't see similar lines in the US, with Americans queuing up overnight for EUSSR leading electronic products.
I wonder why.
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
Have I come to the right place to find out why the Boeing Dreamliner's cabin filled with smoke on a test flight today, had to make an emergency landing and why future test flights have been suspended? (This comment was typed out on Mac, which I believe is made in China and who's shareholders are all over the world).
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Champagne_Charlie,
Are you from Champagnon, France?
They have "real" Champagne there, tho I like the bubbly from Any part of France:) --and Not an alcoholic here.
:))))
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PMK, I went to Yosemite in the early 90s,
It was like being on a cruise ship--or shopping for Christmas on Christmas Eve
:))
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#389
"Have I come to the right place to find out why the Boeing Dreamliner's cabin filled with smoke on a test flight today"
Powermeerkat never posted about it therefore it never happened. Neither did the big bang experiment at CERN this week, because powermeerkat says the LHC doesn't work. But funnily enough he did post about Quantas and Xbox. Enquiring minds think he is remarkably selective with his quotes.
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#390
No i'm not from France, but I do love champagne. Probably a little too much to be honest :)
#391
I went to Yosemite last year, fabulous place
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I Love Grand Canyon ..during the weekdays (wnt there once)
The non Americans come out to tour
in force..Japanese, Germans, etc.
:)))
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#383. At 2:00pm on 10 Nov 2010, champagne_charlie
They probably won't worry after all it was probably a Texan smoking a large cigar, or at least that's what they'll claim, either that or it's a special payable option for those who like fires.
#390. At 6:33pm on 10 Nov 2010, Stevenson
Rheims is where all here go for Champagne, after that it's Crément from any of several regions, all are very nice.
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:))))
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#387
Remind me of that "joke" you told again.
Sure: Boeing Dreamliner (787) which suffered a possible fire during a test flight in Texas has been equipped with Rolls Royce power plants:
specifically Trent 1000. ;)
[people who live in glass houses...]
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"Neither did the big bang experiment at CERN this week, because powermeerkat says the LHC doesn't work."
Don't put words in my mouth.
I have never said that LHC doesn't work.
I remerely pointed out that since it's lauching it's been down (it's activities sinking into a micro black hole) as much as up.
Champaign pocket, beer taste?
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"The non Americans come out to tour
in force..Japanese, Germans, etc.
:)))"
Stevenson, I wonder how long El Capitan (in Yosemite) can withstand the onslaught.
Mount Everest seems positively empty when you look at crowds of folks who want to climb El Cap.
Thank God not so many try to climb Mt. Whitney.
[And even less - McKinley ;) ]
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"PMK, I went to Yosemite in the early 90s,
It was like being on a cruise ship--or shopping for Christmas on Christmas Eve
:))"
I'm afraid will have to do what Peruvians have started doing at Machu Picchu: issue tickets to limit daily flow.
And thank God, no more flights over Grand Canyon.
P.S. I hope, Stevenson, you're not posting from that cruise ship being towed to San Diego? ;)
BTW. Plese, don't mention Wild Animal Park here; it's still bereable there.
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"[we still buy Berettas, Glocks and Sigs though. :)]"
There is absolutely no reason to be buying foreign pistols either. No American should be smiling at that fact.
With all due respect, I consider Glock a signifiant improvement over Colt 45.
[gran't you, the latter could tore-off once's arm, if you managed to hit a shoulder, though.]
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Re #106 MAII :"The failure of the A380 engines recalls to mind the problem with the Airbus that crash landed on the Hudson River some time ago shortly after taking off from New York City's LaGuardia airport. One of the complaints about the Airbus design philosophy in contrast to Boeing's is that it doesn't allow the pilot to easily override automatic systems when they fail. This is due not merely to a difference in engineering concepts and philosophy but a different cultural view of life in general. It is the view among Europeans that in a critical situation a responsible trained human being is not the best chance of making the best decisions, taking the course of action most likely to acheive a desirable outcome. It represents a complete lack of faith that individuals are ultimately those who know what is best."
Some have faith in people; others in systems designed for a benefit of people who don't know any better (vide Marxism, government-conrolled economy and health care schemes, default computer-run fly-by-wire controls, etc.)
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Wild Animal Pork?
Sounds better than domesticated:))
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Also, in Yosemite, I remember a British person saying in a quarter mile line for lunch..."its quite amazing they can serve all these people each day"
I was like ..."why am I here again?" I hate crowds, rock concerts, anything with crowds ..I want to lose my mind ..
Imagine paradise over populated--that is Yosemite to me
:)))
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Re crowds (#404)
Any European soccer stadium when a hooli..err.. team supporters' fights may result in a stampede has been off limits to me for decades.
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Well, ur more traveled.:)
All I know about Parks IS to go during the weeks, not the weekends if you can--to avoid massive scenery blocking.
"Ohhh and awwwwwe" in Yosemite and Bryce and Zion and others can be "tempered" by loud pushy..hehe..
im too smuggg:))) I
just hate concert-sized crowds!
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Visitor to Yosemite you picked the wrong time of year ; I guess you didn't have a choice . My California resident sons took me on a visit at Thanksgiving time ; there were very few people , it was amazingly tranquil and beautiful . The weather was quite crisp , but as yet there was no snow .
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MarcusAuraliusII
I tried twice to respond to your post about monkeys , with one of my own about monkeys . The moderators didn't like what I had to say , even though it was lighthearted and I thought quite amusing . One has to be careful of ones phrasing and vocabulary ; sometimes we can't win any way . It happens to all of us .
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Stevenson wrote:
"Imagine paradise over populated--that is Yosemite to me."
You are talking about Yosemite valley which makes up only a very tiny percentage of the actual park. Most tourists are not adventurous enough to *really see and experience* America's national parks. You also need to choose the right time of the week and year to visit Yosemtie Valley if you wish to avoid too many people. It's easy enough to do.
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powermeerkat wrote:
"With all due respect, I consider Glock a signifiant improvement over Colt 45."
America produces a lot more guns than the old Colt 45.
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Francis power wrote:
"Have I come to the right place to find out why the Boeing Dreamliner's cabin filled with smoke on a test flight today, had to make an emergency landing and why future test flights have been suspended?"
Nope, you came to the wrong place to find an intelligent and informed discussion on that.
"(This comment was typed out on Mac, which I believe is made in China and who's shareholders are all over the world)."
And it is still an American company whether you like it or not. China is used simply for cheap labor, unfortunately. Of course I'm sure you know that.
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I heard on the news yesterday that the EU costs Britain £48,000,000 per day . Can that be justified ? Most British people see the so called benefits as negative . The EU is seeking to increase member state contributions and enlarge its already too large budget . The Commission and MPs are seeking increases to their already disproportionately large salaries . It is time for Britain to leave the EU !
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" And [Apple] it is still an American company" very few use in the U.S. (overprised, Intel-based underperformers), parciularly American corporations.
Only in Hollywood movies good guys use McIntosh
bad guys use PC.
I use a workstation - what does that make me?
[apology for the rhyme]
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"China is used simply for cheap labor, unfortunately."
Please note that Airbus desperate for Chinese orders, opened assembly line in China and agreed to transfer pertinent technologies to PRC to sweeten the deal.
Smart! Really smart. :-)))
P.S. Not that German and Austrian companies don't transfer their manufacturing to such cheap labour Central European countries like Czechia, Hungary, Poland or Slovakia.
[forget Mexico]
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Rolls Royce press release: 'only the Trent 900 was affected; second, that the engine failure "was confined to a specific component" which led to an oil fire and loss of turbine pressure.'
Oh, yea? So what happend in that 747 whish uses different RR power plant?
Meanwhile, European planemaker Airbus, which makes the A380, said that deliveries of the aircraft may be affected by the engine problems.
"I would not rule out some impact on the delivery schedule," chief executive Tom Enders said. "I don't know how severe that would be."
Finally, some frank admissions.
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"the time of the homogeneous nation state is over".
Had I been a Belgian, like Mr. Van Rompuy, and witnessed a growing hostility between the Flemish and Walloons day after day I might have arrived at the same conclusion.
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415
In the last couple of years we have seen car makers issuing recall after recall, then airplane engines and now some seriously scary warnings about modern aurcraft. Is system testing in engineering circles a thing of yesterday? I also seem to recollect that the Boeing 777 that crashed at Heathrow was kind of rubber stamped as OK but actual technical details never made the news.
My experience is in the IT sector and atfirst hand can relate that System Integrated Testing (SIT) in the past was extremely rigorous whilst now it is sloppy if carried out at all. Obviously now costs are cut but to do so on airplanes seems quite daft. The other concern is that the new aircraft are a new generation so that experience garnered designing say a Boeing 737 is now redundant - possibly a big reason why the Boeing Dreamliner project is much delayed.
The politicians are demanding "greener" planes due to alleged environmental concerns but surely a safe plane and engines are more important that some vague green agenda. I'm just very glad I do not live under the Heathrow approach flightpath any more.
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Re #417
Hardly any entirely new design is turned into an operational equipment on time (too many unknowables).
Hopefully Boeing 747-800F and 747-800I won't be delayed that much because part of their design (although expanded and upgraded) has already been tested (and certified) in 747-200 and 747-400.
However those two incoming jumbos will have new wings and engines.
Which of course may yet lead to unforseen complications and delays.
BTW. Original Dreamliner was supposed to be a near-sonic plane (supersonic was out of the question because of unavoidable sonic boom).
However Everett abandoned that project (alrady advanced) when it turned out that no airline was interested in shortening passenger's suffering during long-haul flights ( L.A. - Christchurch over 12 hrs, NYC - Bangkok = 16 hrs, etc.) but all of them wanted a plane which would be as cheap as possible to maintain and operate and easily filled to capacity.
P.S. Heavily promoted 'green' jet fuels are fine.
Except they all have one little nasty trait: they tend to freeze at high altitudes (30-40 000 ft.). :)
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Stevenson et al. - re visting .S. National Parks...
'TSA's official blogger, who uses the apparent pseudonym Blogger Bob, went so far as to say this week that: "There is no fondling, squeezing, groping, or any sort of sexual assault taking place at airports. You have a professional workforce carrying out procedures they were trained to perform to keep aviation security safe." '
Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-20022477-281.html#ixzz15FHnwMOm
Stevenson, I fear that after that disappointing statement a number of foreign tourists may drop significantly. :(
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15. At 11:22pm on 03 Nov 2010, MarcusAureliusII wrote:
Europe does not understand America, Europe is not anything remotely like America, Europe can never be America, Europe cannot comprehend what America is or what it is about. I'm an American who lived in Europe, knew lots of Europeans both in Europe and in America in my life. I know what both are about.
"So many Americans have taken refuge in a movement. For the Tea Party the future lies in the past. America, it insists, is on the wrong track. It has to return to old values. Self-reliance, small government and low taxes. One nation under God."
This is only partially true. We do not want to go back to racial segregation, discrimination, homophobia and lots of other bad things we had. We are evolving past those old demons and don't ever wish them back. Europe still has them. But there is much in the past culture of America that made it a much happier, more prosperous, and more successful place. That is what we want back. To get it, we will have to reject the notions that the baby boomer generation who squandered the greatest gift of wealth ever received by any one group in the history of the world brought us. We will have to go back to what their parents and grandparents valued. Those who clearly saw the 1960s unfold said society was going to hell in a handbasket. They were right. Now like Orpheus we will have to climb our way back out. And like Orpheus, we will have to let go of Eurydice because she was the reason we wound up in hell in the first place. Americans know what Europeans don't. Government isn't a good solution to life's problems, it's often the cause of them. Government should only be relied on as the remedy of last resort, not the cure all of first choice. That is because in the rare instances when it works at all, it doesn't usually work very well. Right now the American government is shoveling taxpayer money at banks to rescue them while the rest of us drown. Government created the conditions for the banks to fail in the first place. President Obama and many others in government have failed to rescue the voters instead of the banks and now they are paying the price.
Europeans don't have the spine to truly revolt. In the end, they will submit to whatever the aristocrats who run Europe decide they want to do. That is their natue and history, to be submissive slaves to tyrannies, that is also their inevitable fate. The noise in France will die down and it will be business as usual before you know it. It always is.
=======================================================================
The US is run by a Rich elite, they may be not called aristocratic, be Lords and Ladies, Kings and Queen's. But that is because if they did your elution of equality would be a busted flush. We Europeans are just not so stupid as to be deluded. We know the B's have our nut's in their
hands.
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Good to see the usual "banks caused it all" whining. The problem was caused by excessive borrowing. Show me the people who borrowed 8-10 times their joint salary to buy a house they couldn't afford. Did they get frogmarched into the bank and forced to take out a huge mortgage? Show me the people who couldn't afford a 2-bedroom house but decided to stretch for a mortgage on a 3-bedroom house anyway because they felt they somehow deserved it. Were they forced to live beyond their means?
Of course the banks have to take some responsibility for lending the money but in an ideal world the people who borrowed recklessly would be bankrupted, the banks who lent recklessly would suffer the consequences and the bad debts would work their way out. Instead we have this hybrid system where the banks aren't allowed to suffer the losses, the reckless borrowers are kept in their houses to avoid a wave of foreclosures, and all the while those who didn't borrow recklessly or live beyond their means get to pick up the tab for it all.
So the responsible are angry because once again they are left to bail out the reckless. The reckless are angry because they got caught out and want to blame Someone Else for their troubles. And a lot of the have-nots are angry because they are jealous and are always angry when someone has more than they do.
In the middle of all the anger the average working person is just trying to keep their heads above water.
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So we are warned by the Germans that a terrorist attack is very very likely in the near future.. Most likely by Muslim fanatics..Then can anyone tell me why we continually allow Muslims into UK.We cannot possibly identify who is a danger to UK so we should treat them all as a danger and close the borders.
Surely if there is a risk from these immigrants then it is the most simplest way to reduce any attack. Of course we all know that it is not politically expedient to so so.. It seems Politicians are more interested in safe guarding their jobs than daring to block immigration and protecting its residents.
I think UKIP have it right get out of Europe and safe guard our interests
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i think the major mistake of this article is that it is written as if the eu is a country, OF course there is no european tea party as europe isnt a country,
''What doesn't exist in Europe is a set of core beliefs that can be embraced again in times of trouble''- of course there isnt as europe isnt a soverign state over 300 years old and has only recently shifted to such an intense union between all the countrys
and people do share core beliefs but its usually as part of their national identity not as part of some grand eu vision
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What are core values? When was the last time core values were visible. When was the last time core values were allowed?
We live in a cut-throat global economy. Core values have been replaced by market-place values.
Work for working class people is becoming more scarce and in some cases, has become extinct.
Work extinction is probably more of an issue than species extinction when there are billions of people needing work to pay for food and shelter.
The global governance cannot prioritize species extinction over work-place extinction. The very idea suggests that workers are expendable and valueless. There is only so far global governance can go in devaluing the role of the worker before there is a backlash of horrendous proportions. Consider the proportions of the numbers of potential manual workers to the numbers of skilled or highly educated workers.
I say 'potential' manual workers because there are now many willing workers who are now jobless and agonizing on how they can survive. Even the middle-classed educated and employed are becoming fearful of the future of work. If job security no longer exists then it should be expected that loyalty to leaders will no longer exist.
If leaders explicitly show (that those they employ are completely and instantly expendable) then they in turn, will have reflected back to them, the same measures that they deploy.
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